create with cheiron

get cracking on christmas: april 2020

Continuing along with my goal to 'Get Cracking on Christmas' all year long, by creating my Christmas cards with a few crafty friends throughout the year! If you want to see how it all started, go to my original post here.

I'm happy to be able to share a Christmas card this month along with my friend Jenn. Be sure to visit her blog to check out the fabulous cards she has made. If you are in the mood to make some Christmas cards along with us, be sure to post them on Instagram and use the hashtag #getcrackingonchristmas

Hero Arts is hosting a Stay Crafty Challenge each month and we’ve partnered up with them to challenge everyone to work on their holiday cards. Hero Arts will always have a special place in my heart, since they are the first stamps I ever used (and bought) when I started stamping. 

I had an awesome Hero Arts Color Layering Peace set that I bought last year that had never seen ink and decided to take it out and play around with it. It was so much easier to use than I thought it would be and I love the results. If you know me, I do love a good rainbow holiday card, and this message is just as perfect for right now as it is for the holidays! Using a MISTI makes it so easy to do, and I think I'll create a bunch more before I put all my supplies away! I lined each part of the stamp up (one at a time) on the MISTI and stamped with Distress Oxide inks in all of my favorite bright colors. 

SUPPLIES: 

hero arts: anniversary blog hop day 2

Hello crafty friends! I'm beyond thrilled to be hopping along with Hero Arts today to celebrate their 45th Anniversary. You should have arrived here from the blog of the very talented Amy Kolling. If you missed any of the stops along the hop, you can go back to the beginning at the Hero Arts blog HERE. If you missed Day 1 of this fun hop, you can find all those stops on this post. 

45 years is such an amazing accomplishment for any business, Congratulations to everyone at Hero Arts! I am proud to say that Hero Arts were the first stamps I ever bought and I still love them today. I was lucky to be a Hero Arts Hostess back in 2012, and a member of the Design Team a few years ago as well. I always enjoy all of the innovative products Hero Arts comes out with each year, and look forward to paging through each new catalog. I am so glad Hero Arts has taken some of it's older designs "out of the Vault" for this celebration. There are such wonderful images. For my card today, I have tried out the new From the Vault Flowers stamps and dies along with the brand new Reactive Ink Pads in Taffy, Lemon Drop, and Pool Party. 


To create my card, I used the Life Changing Blender Brushes to apply the inks onto a panel of Distress Watercolor Cardstock. I always start with the yellow when creating a rainbow and use more than I need, because I always cover up more than I should in the end. I dried the panel with a heat tool, then gave it a couple of sprays of water using my Distress Sprayer, then blotted the panel with a paper towel. Once that was dry, I put the three inks onto my non-stick craft sheet, sprayed them with water and flicked little splatters of color onto the panel with a paintbrush. 


Once the panel was dry, I stamped the sentiment. I stamped and cut the flowers several times and arranged them around the sentiment to create a focal point, layering some of the flowers with foam tape. I adhered my finished panel onto a mat of Pitch Black cardstock, then onto a Dove White Top Folding Card. 


Now for the prizes! There are SOOO many sponsors that have generously donated their wonderful products for the hop today. I love the sharing that is going on in the crafting community....

Hero Arts: 3 $145 Gift Certificates, 3 $45 Gift Certificates
Altenew: $50 Gift Certificate
Art Impressions: $25 Gift Certificate
Ellen Hutson LLC: $50 Gift Certificate
Gina K: $100 Gift Certificate
Jennifer McGuire Ink: $100 Hero Arts Gift Certificate, 5 Share Handmade Kindness goodie bags
Laurie Willison: 2 Card Hanger Dies
Lawn Fawn: $50 Gift Certificate
My Sweet Petunia: 1 Prize Bundle (Original MISTI, a set of Creative Corners, a Cut-Align, and a bar magnet)
Online Card Classes: 5 spots in the Stamp Happy In Good Company: Hero Arts class
Pink Fresh Studio: $45 Gift Certificate
Scrapbook & Cards Today: 3 copies of Scrapbook & Cards Today Summer 2019 Issue
Scrapbook.com: $50 Gift Certificate
Simon Says Stamp: $50 Gift Certificate

Winners will be drawn from people who leave comments along the blog hop over the three days - comment all three days for more chances to win! Comment by Sunday, June 2 at 11:59pm PST, and the winners will be announced on the Hero Arts blog next week. Your next stop on the hop is the wonderfully creative Claire Prezzia, make sure you hop on over to see what she has created for you today :) All the stops on the hop are listed below in case you missed any:

Hero Arts
A Blog Named Hero
Amy Kolling
Cheiron Brandon
Clare Prezzia
Donna Mikasa
Jana Millen
Jenn Shurkus
Kathleen Graumüller
Laurie Willison
Lisa Spangler
Lydia Fiedler
Nichol Spohr
Scrapbook & Cards Today
Scrapbook.com

SUPPLIES:

hero arts: summer 2017 catalog blog hop

 

Hooray for summer! No better way to celebrate than to be participating in the Hero Arts 2017 Summer Catalog Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from the blog of the fabulous Amy Tsuruta...

Have you seen the new catalog yet? So many WONDERFUL images and all the items are in the Hero Arts shop right now! I could not decide one set or theme, so I have a few cards to share with you today. 

This card was created with the Killer Messages stamp set and dies from the Paper Layering Shark dies. The background I used just may be my new favorite Hero Arts background ever, Brushstroke Bold Prints! This is such a versatile background and I turned it into "water" simply by inking it up with a few different colors of Distress Inks and a few spritzes of water before stamping. 

This card is made with stamps from my favorite set of the entire 2017 Summer Catalog, You are Loved Messages. I love each and every sentiment in this set and am sure it will become a staple in my stash. It was developed by Hero Arts and Jennifer McGuire and 25% of the profits from the purchase of these stamps go to the Kind Campaign. I can't think of a better reason to add it to your collection! This card was made with the Love is Love Bold Prints background stamped in Ombre Neon Red to Purple Pad. I cut a heart out of the center and added a contrasting heart background in the center. The tiny little hearts were cut from the Nesting Hearts Infinity Dies. 

My final card for today is also made with the You are Loved Messages, this time by stamping, coloring and cutting the globe multiple times, and adhering it to the card with foam tape. The message was stamped on black card stock and embossed in white and adhered to the card. 

Hero Arts will be giving away three $25 shopping sprees, drawn from comments left across all blogs in the hop. Please be sure to comment by Wednesday, 5/24 at 11:59pm PT and the winner will be announced the following week! The next stop on the hop is the fabulous Yana Smakula and I am sure she has something fantastic in store for you! 

In case you missed it, here is a list of all the stops on the hop: 

The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Laura Bassen
Wanda Guess
May Park
Amy Tsuruta
Cheiron Brandon (<--you are here) 
Yana Smakula
Lydia Fiedler
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Jenn Shurkus
Clare Prezzia
Tracie Pond
Michelle Short
Heather Ruwe
Ilina Crouse
Libby Hickson

a blog named hero: 5th Anniversary Bash

Hi there, I am so excited to be celebrating the 5th Anniversary of A Blog Named Hero today. You should have arrived here from the fabulous Paper Smooches blog. There are lots of fun prizes to be given away today and tomorrow. The winners will be selected randomly from different blogs, so make sure to visit them all for your chance to win :)

Today's prizes include the following: 

• $50 gift card to Hero Arts
• $40 gift card to Pretty Pink Posh
• $35 gift card to Lil' Inker Designs
• $25 gift card to Newton's Nook
• $25 gift card to Paper Smooches
• $25 gift card to Winnie and Walter
• $25 gift card to The Ton  
• $20 gift card to Right at Home
• One Online Card Class of your choice

Good luck and happy hopping!

I was lucky enough to be a member of the A Blog Named Hero design team back in 2012-2014 and I still love all of the wonderful creations I see on this blog today. It is such a source of inspiration for creative projects with Hero Arts stamps. Hero Arts stamps were the very first stamps I used when I started creating cards and they will always have a very special place in my heart.

Today, I have made a fun and festive birthday card for you using some of my all time favorite Hero Arts dies, the Martini and Star Background Fancy Cuts: 

 

Your next stop on the hop is the wonderfully talented Bhavana Kesarker ! If you have missed any links,
please start at A Blog Named Hero :)

A Blog Named Hero is so thankful for our wonderful sponsors and collaborating companies!  Several companies decided to help us celebrate our fifth anniversary with giveaways and they were so generous that we decided to spread the love over both hop days with different prizes to be won each day!  Giveaway prizes total more than $400!  To win, leave a comment on each hop stop.  We will select winners randomly from different blogs so the more blogs you visit each day, the greater your chances of winning!  And be sure to visit A Blog Named Hero on Sunday for the list of Sunday hoppers and prizes!  

**Comments must be left before 11:59 PM EDT on Tuesday, March 28th and winners will be announced on March 30th.

 

SUPPLIES:  

Hero Arts MARTINI Fancy Cuts Dies DI341	Hero Arts Fancy Die STAR BACKGROUND DI093	Simon Says Stamp VELLUM SSSVEL12 STAMPtember	Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# BLACK Black8	*Neenah Classic Crest **110 LB** SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad BROKEN CHINA Ranger TDO55846
Tonic RED BERRY Grande Nuvo Crystal Drops 793N	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad PEELED PAINT Ranger TDO56119

InLinkz.com

November 12th Holiday Card Making Extravaganza in NYC!

If you are in the NYC area, there are a few more spots in my Holiday Card Making Extravaganza on Saturday, November 12th at The Ink Pad. We will be spending the entire day making a stash of over 20+ holiday cards. You are sure to get some inspiration, and learn some of my favorite holiday card making tips and tricks. There will also be plenty of chances to win giveaways from all of the featured companies including: Hero Arts, Lawn Fawn, Tim Holtz, Neat and Tangled and Concord and 9th. Please call The Ink Pad directly to sign up at 212-463-9876. All the info can be found on the store site here. 

Hero Hostess Alumni Blog Hop

I am super excited to be a part of very special blog hop with a group of ladies who are near and dear to my crafty heart, the Hero Arts Hostesses! I was a Hero Arts Hostess back in 2012, after being a huge fan of Hero Arts for many years. Today I am hopping along with my hostess sisters and playing with some stamps from the company I've been using since I started stamping. I decided to keep it simple today, with a lot of stamping from the Holiday Pine Branches set and a big bold We Wish You A Merry Christmas sentiment in some non-traditional colors:

The next stop on the hop is one of my very sweet and talented hostess sisters, Kathy Wade and I am sure she has something wonderful to share with you. Be sure to stop along at all the stops on the hop, and check out the list of fabulous Hostesses from yesterday too for even more chances to win. Here's what's up for grabs: 

Hero Arts will be awarding 4 prizes ($25 to Hero Arts online shop).
Today's hop:
1 $25 Hero Arts shopping spree
1 bonus prize on the Hero Arts blog
Yesterday's hop
1 $25 Hero Arts shopping spree
1 bonus prize on the Hero Arts blog

 The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning! Please comment by Sunday Oct 30 by 11:59pm PT for a chance to win.

If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Arts Blog.

Hero Arts Rubber Stamp WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS K6179	Hero Arts Clear Stamps HOLIDAY PINE BRANCHES CL889	*Bazzill CANDY NECKLACE Card Shoppe Heavy Weight 8.5 x 11 Cardstock	*Neenah Classic Crest **110 LB** SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets	Ranger Archival Ink Pad VIBRANT FUCHSIA AIP52524	Ranger Archival Ink Pad VIVID CHARTREUSE AIP5253
Ranger Archival Ink Pad OLIVE AIP31482	Ranger Archival Ink Pad PARADISE TEAL AIP52500	Ranger Archival Ink Pad JET BLACK AIP31468

InLinkz.com

1st Annual Holiday Card Making Extravaganza at The Ink Pad (NYC) Saturday, November 12th

Exciting news to share! I will be teaching an ENTIRE DAY of card making at The Ink Pad in NYC on November 12th. If you are in the area, I hope you will join me to get a head start on your holiday card making. We will be using stamps from Hero Arts, Tim Holtz, Lawn Fawn, Neat and Tangled, and Concord & 9th and creating over 20 Holiday Cards! 

If you are interested in signing up please call The Ink Pad directly at 212-463-9876! 

This is a great way to spend some quality time with your favorite crafty peeps before the busy holiday season begins. All experience levels are welcome to participate. We will walk through the creation of each card and demonstrate every technique that is used.
 
Included in your workshop fee:
·      Over 6 hours of card making
·      Creation of 20+ handmade holiday cards
·      Practically everything you need to create the cards (you will only be required to bring a few adhesives and basic tools)
·      Pop-up shop (to start your holiday shopping early of course!)
·      Snacks and beverages
·      Crafty giveaways throughout the day
 

hero arts: winter catalog blog hop

Hi there and welcome to my stop on the Hero Arts Winter Catalog Blog Hop! I am so excited to be hopping along with this group of fabulous ladies and all of you today, so thanks for stopping by. You should have arrived here from the blog of the amazing Amy Tan. 

Hero Arts is giving away three $25 shopping sprees, drawn from comments left across all blogs in the hop. Please comment by Sunday, August 28 at 11:59pm PT and the winner will be  announced the following week.

For this hop I created these fun and simple cards for you using the Origami Holiday Stamp and Die Combo : 

 

Here is a closer peek at each. For the Santa Card, I paper pieced the origami santa and added him to a window card filled with holiday sequins: 

The second card that I created using the deer stamp was embossed in gold, and I colored in each of the folds with a different color to create a fun and modern holiday card:

My favorite of the 3 may be this sweet little penguin that has been watercolored and placed on a snowbank created by swiping gesso over blue paint that was painted onto the card base. I finished off the card with a sprinkle of golden "snow":

 

And one more just for fun, I stamped a whole bunch of the Santas to create a background paper for my card, and colored them in loosely with watercolor and a spattering of black paint for some interest. I finished off the card with some red and white twine, and the tiniest little jingle bell. Isn't it fun?

The next stop on the hop is the super talented Debbie Olson and I am sure she has created some winter magic for you, so hop on over and take a peek! The full list of hop stops is below:  

The Hero Arts Blog
Kelly Purkey
Jennifer McGuire
Kathy Racoosin
Wanda Guess
Lydia Fiedler
Alice Wertz
Amy Tan
                         Cheiron Brandon <---you are here 
Debbie Olson
Laura Bassen
Debby Hughes
Heather Ruwe
Ilina Crouse
Isha Gupta
Jenn Shurkus
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Joan Bardee
Karin Akesdotter
Yana Smakula
Kelly Rasmussen
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Mariana Grigsby
May Sukyong Park
Libby Hickson

hero arts: my monthly hero kit august blog hop

I'm so excited to be joining Hero Arts today for the release of their newest My Monthly Hero kits for August. This month's kit was inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and features a gorgeous forest fairy theme, there are also four awesome add on items, 2 of which I have used in my card creation today.  These kits are available in the store now and only while supplies last, so make sure to place your order before they sell out! I have created my card with 2 of the add on items, the Floral Border with Frame Fancy Die and the Dreams are Made stamp set. 


 

I created a starry night sky and surrounded it with the Fancy Frame cut from metallic paper. I added a bunch of Hero Arts gems to give my project even more sparkle. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hero Arts is giving away one kit as a prize. Leave me a comment for your chance to win!
The kit is available for a limited time only – once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Here is the blog hop order:The Hero Arts Blog Yana Smakula Mariana Grigsby Clare Prezzia May Park Jennifer McGuire Kathy Racoosin Laura Bassen Lydia Fiedler Jessica Frost-Ballas Pretty Pink Posh Debbie Olson Cheiron Brandon Alice Wertz Helen Gullett Libby Hickson

 

The August My Monthly Hero kit contains: 

 

A 4x6 clear stamp set

Three matching Frame Cuts dies

An oval border with frame Fancy Die set

Pretty Pink Posh Droplets

Ranger Star Dust Stickles

Three ink cubes in Bubble Gum, Orchid and Green Apple

Woodgrain Cardstock and Vellum

Other gems and cardstock

 

 

 

There are four optional add-on items:

DI320 Floral Border with Frame Fancy Die



SA082 Dreamy Nights Stencil

CM105 Dreams Are Made 4x6 clear set

CM106 Shakespearean Poetry 4x6 clear set 

 

 

Welcome to "The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge" Blog Hop. Kathy Racoosin from The Daily Marker loves to color and she is hosting her fifth 30 DAY COLORING CHALLENGE. The premise of the challenge is to color something everyday even if it’s for five minutes. It doesn’t matter what you color or what medium you use. Today Kathy has assembled a blog hop to give your creativity a jump start with some very talented ladies. 

At the end of the hop you will find an awesome GIVEAWAY from Hero Arts. 2 shopping sprees of $25.00 each! Yay. (winners will be randomly picked from the blog comments of the blog hop). 

You should have arrived here from the blog of the super talented Heather Doran. If you have missed any stops along the hop, the full list is below. 

I am happy to be participating in Kathy's 30 Day Coloring Challenge Blog hop with my Hero Arts Hostess sisters and some very talented Hero Arts Artists and friends. I hope you'll hop along and check out everyone's coloring and a chance to win a Hero Arts Shopping Spree! Hero Arts were the very first stamps I ever bought and the Hero Arts Hostesses were the first group of gals who really got me involved in a stamping group online.


For my project today, I decided to use one of the stamp sets that was featured in one of the My Monthly Hero Kits a couple of months back, Marianne's Flowers (these flowers are so fun to color) along with a sentiment from the Acts of Kindness set. All supplies are linked below :) The next stop on the hop is the blog of the wonderfully creative Sarah Moerman, I am sure she has something fabulous for you to check out over on her blog. 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CHALLENGE: 

Kathy from The Daily Marker is hosting her fifth coloring challenge called, “The Daily Marker 30 Day” it’s a super fun challenge and a great way to get full use of your supplies. (When sharing use #TheDailyMarker30Day so Kathy can find your work)

THE GOAL IS: To color something daily even if it's a few minutes but, certainly not required. It’s been proven that coloring can lower your blood pressure so it’s worth carving out a little time for yourself each day. You will find that Kathy encourages you along the way to stretch your creativity a little bit more and to feel successful with your coloring.

CAN YOU PARTICIPATE in the 30 DAY CHALLENGE? Yes! that would be awesome if you want to participate & feel free to jump in at any time during the challenge! Everyone is welcome! If you miss a few days don’t feel like you have to catch up. The challenge is meant to be fun and with no stress. 

QUESTIONS? Here is a video that might clear them up https://youtu.be/cybppt_JgoU

If you missed any stops along the hop, here is the full list:  

Jennifer McGuire
Shari Carroll
 Lisa Spangler
Virginia Lu
Linda Brandyberry
Kathy Wade
  Arlene McClung
Barb Engler
 Linda Wetterlin
Heather Doran
Cheiron Brandon
Sarah Moerman
Emily Leiphart 
 Kathy Racoosin 

 

SUPPLIES USED: 

Hero Arts Clear stamps ACTS OF KINDNESS CL911

Hero Arts Clear Stamps MARIANNE'S FLOWERS CL964

Copic Marker set

Hero Arts Mix Layering Papers MIDNIGHT Hues PS697

Hero Arts Mixed Layering Papers SUNSHINE ps621

InLinkz.com

Kathy's 30 Day Coloring Challenge Blog Hop

Welcome to "The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge" Blog Hop. Kathy Racoosin from The Daily Marker loves to color and she is hosting her fifth 30 DAY COLORING CHALLENGE. The premise of the challenge is to color something everyday even if it’s for five minutes. It doesn’t matter what you color or what medium you use. Today Kathy has assembled a blog hop to give your creativity a jump start with some very talented ladies. 

At the end of the hop you will find an awesome GIVEAWAY from Hero Arts. 2 shopping sprees of $25.00 each! Yay. (winners will be randomly picked from the blog comments of the blog hop). 

You should have arrived here from the blog of the super talented Heather Doran. If you have missed any stops along the hop, the full list is below. 

I am happy to be participating in Kathy's 30 Day Coloring Challenge Blog hop with my Hero Arts Hostess sisters and some very talented Hero Arts Artists and friends. I hope you'll hop along and check out everyone's coloring and a chance to win a Hero Arts Shopping Spree! Hero Arts were the very first stamps I ever bought and the Hero Arts Hostesses were the first group of gals who really got me involved in a stamping group online.


For my project today, I decided to use one of the stamp sets that was featured in one of the My Monthly Hero Kits a couple of months back, Marianne's Flowers (these flowers are so fun to color) along with a sentiment from the Acts of Kindness set. All supplies are linked below :) The next stop on the hop is the blog of the wonderfully creative Sarah Moerman, I am sure she has something fabulous for you to check out over on her blog. 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CHALLENGE: 

Kathy from The Daily Marker is hosting her fifth coloring challenge called, “The Daily Marker 30 Day” it’s a super fun challenge and a great way to get full use of your supplies. (When sharing use #TheDailyMarker30Day so Kathy can find your work)

THE GOAL IS: To color something daily even if it's a few minutes but, certainly not required. It’s been proven that coloring can lower your blood pressure so it’s worth carving out a little time for yourself each day. You will find that Kathy encourages you along the way to stretch your creativity a little bit more and to feel successful with your coloring.

CAN YOU PARTICIPATE in the 30 DAY CHALLENGE? Yes! that would be awesome if you want to participate & feel free to jump in at any time during the challenge! Everyone is welcome! If you miss a few days don’t feel like you have to catch up. The challenge is meant to be fun and with no stress. 

QUESTIONS? Here is a video that might clear them up https://youtu.be/cybppt_JgoU

If you missed any stops along the hop, here is the full list:  

Jennifer McGuire
Shari Carroll
 Lisa Spangler
Virginia Lu
Linda Brandyberry
Kathy Wade
  Arlene McClung
Barb Engler
 Linda Wetterlin
Heather Doran
Cheiron Brandon
Sarah Moerman
Emily Leiphart 
 Kathy Racoosin 

 

SUPPLIES USED: 

Hero Arts Clear stamps ACTS OF KINDNESS CL911

Hero Arts Clear Stamps MARIANNE'S FLOWERS CL964

Copic Marker set

Hero Arts Mix Layering Papers MIDNIGHT Hues PS697

Hero Arts Mixed Layering Papers SUNSHINE ps621

InLinkz.com