Laura Griffin Designs » Hero Arts

Fun with swirly backgrounds…

Laura — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:00:41 +0000

Pulled out some old Adirondack multi-colored inkpads and had some fun with this Misty Swirl Pattern background stamp from Hero Arts.

After stamping the background image (with a spritz of water), I added a few small strategically-placed fuschia gemstones and did some extra coloring with my Prismacolors around the edges and white spots of the image. The thanks sentiment is from Stampabilities.

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

Happy Anniversary Card

Laura — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:00:10 +0000

Today’s card was made for my parents’ anniversary (41 years this year – impressive, eh?!)

The damask background (Stampabilities) was stamped in red brick Tim Holtz distress ink. The sentiment (Hero Arts) was stamped onto vellum. Ribbon is from my stash.

Here’s an alternate version that I made for a co-worker’s wedding…

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

I treasure your friendship…

Laura — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:00:26 +0000

After making my friend’s hot water bottle cover, I thought it would be fun to design a card to match. I pulled out my trusty Silhouette SDand cut out a flower shape similar to the linen poppies on the hot water bottle cover.

I used the same color palette as the water bottle cover and pulled out a couple of trusty stamps: my Woodgrain Background stamp by Hero Arts and my I Treasure your Friendship sentiment stamp by Stampabilities. I embossed the sentiment with silver embossing powder and added faux stitching with a brown fine-point marker. The flowers were adhered to the card front with spray adhesive. Am loving the freedom to create with a digital die-cut machine. The possibilities are really endless! Will be back to share more soon.

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

Back in the USA!

Laura — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:08:37 +0000

Hi all – I’ve arrived home and am very slowly acclimating to life back in the States. So strange not to hear shouts of “Mzungu!” in the streets or hear the sounds of bush babies, howling dogs, and roosters at night. So much to share from the trip. I’ll get started on day-by-day entries this week (similar to my journal from my trip to China). It’s hard to really put the experience in words… but I can say that it really gave me an appreciation for what we take for granted each day, as well as an appreciation for the spirit and joy of the African people.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a card I made before my departure that uses new Hero Arts stamp sets for 2010. For those that have requested a video tutorial of my HA blog hop cards – I’ll be putting something together for you soon!

Big hugs,

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

Hero Arts Official Blog Hop!

Laura — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:00:13 +0000

Welcome to the Hero Arts blog hop! I’m so excited to have the opportunity to share some of the latest and greatest 2010 catalog stamps with you.

To get us started… take a look at this fab Poppy Background. I have to admit, poppies are my favorite flowers, and so I couldn’t wait to create with this one! It’s also a cling stamp which makes it really easy to stamp and super easy to store. Click on below to see a larger image.

I stamped the negative-space image using brown ink on white cardstock, and then colored it in with a variety of Copic markers (see supply list below). I added small dots of Diamond Stickles to the flower centers for extra shimmer. The sentiment comes from a new 2010 PolyClear set called “Essential Messages”. Don’t you just love the classic font?

Supplies:
* CG140 Poppy Background
* CL371 Essential Messages
* Memento Rich Cocoa Ink
* Diamond Stickles
* White and black cardstock
* Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
* Copic Markers: Y11, R22, R08, R29, YG03, G24

Next up are two birthday cards featuring a butterfly from the new Antique Engravings set. I pulled out my Copics again to color each butterfly. Next, I trimmed them out and added some thin black wire to create antennae. By adding glue dots to the center of each butterfly, you can pop up the wings for dimension. The card base was made from two Nestabilities scalloped circles (with the back one creased so the card will open easily), and the sentiment comes from the Essential Messages set again. (I know I’m going to use this one again and again!) Add some bling to your card using small 2mm gemstones for a butterfly trail…

Supplies:
* CL383 Antique Engravings
* CL371 Essential Messages
* Memento Bamboo Leaves Ink
* White & green cardstock
* Green Patterned Paper (Marcella & Basic Grey)
* Black wire (Making Memories)
* Nestabilities Scallop Circle and Classic Circle Dies
* Copic Markers: Y11, Y21, V17, V04, V15, B24, B21, W3
* CH112 2mm Gemstones

Want to see more? Well hop on over to TIFFANY ERVIN’S BLOG next for more creative inspiration! Thanks for dropping by and happy stamping!

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

More fun with the Silhouette…

Laura — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:05:42 +0000

Here’s a happy birthday card I threw together with my Silhouette die-cut machine. I LOVE that thing (totally worth every penny I spent!). The possibilities are really endless with what you can create. In this example… the frame, dotted line, and sentiment were cut out with it and I added Prima flower accents, a rub-on, and some Hero Arts pearls to embellish. The embossed background texture is Swiss dots (Cuttlebug). TFL!

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

Hero Arts blog hop just around the corner!

Laura — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Can’t wait to share some of the wonderful new catalog goodness with you! Hop on by Dec 18th for some sample projects. You’re going to love these images!

In the meantime, I’ll be posting some fun new cards over the coming days. (Have saved up dozens of cards to share with you from the last couple of months.)

Hugs,
Laura

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

Spooky fun!

Laura — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:19:19 +0000

Just thought I’d share a card that is featured on the Hero Arts blog this week. I absolutely adore these new Halloween images. How cute is that Frankenstein?!?! You can get tips & tricks for making this card and several others over on the Hero Arts blog HERE.

There were also several other fabulous color schemes to inspire on the blog this week. Be sure to check them out & thanks for dropping by!

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

A cherry happy birthday to you!

Laura — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:49:16 +0000

Based on all the sneak peaks I’ve seen of the summer CHA show in Orlando, cherries are all the rage right now! Here’s a cheerful lil’ birthday card I whipped up using a small sparkle clear set from Hero Arts (CL320). The polka dot background was stamped with cotton white Stazon ink.

Helpful hint: Use a white gel pen to ink any spots that did not stamp fully on your background.

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!

Monochromatic Madness

Laura — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:07:37 +0000

Hero Arts recently sponsored a monochromatic week on their blog. It inspired me to play with a few different monochromatic colors including one of favs…purple!

Stamps, ink, & felt flowers are Hero Arts.

Supply List:
PS533 Summer Notecards
CH177 Summer Felt Flowers
CH137 Medium Accent Pearls
CH136 Small Accent Pearls
S5101 Raindrop Background
AF134 Soft Lilac Shadow Ink
VS197 Boysenberry Versacolor cube
Sponge for inking base of card and edges
Doodlebug paper frill border

Tips:
Add contrast to the base of your card using a sponge and ink a shade darker than your notecard for a nice gradient finish.

Turn white pearls into lavender ones (or the color of your choice!) by coloring them with permanent markers.

Sharethis via Twitter, Facebook, E-mail & More!