Lots of dots

I ♥ dots. I'm hoarding a ton of Bo Bunny dotted papers in assorted colors, and I have over two dozen stamps with dot designs, not to mention several dotty embossing folders.

And I didn't hesitate to buy yet another dot stamp--Hero Arts' new cling Dots (CG139). It's a card sized stamp and I wanted to use my favorite technique by Jennifer McGuire to create colorful backgrounds.

I think dots give cards a whimsical touch and I know I'll be using this stamp to make even more dotty backgrounds.

Stamps: Pure Innocence digital images,

Hero Arts cling, Hero Arts sentiment

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink, Stampin Up

Ink: Distress Inks in Faded Jeans, Pine Needles,

Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick;

Memento Tuxedo Black; Versamark

Other: Copic markers, clear embossing powder,

Assorted Nestabilities dies, ribbon, pop dots

You're the Best!

For the Hero Arts blog hop, I helped my friend Karen upload her photos onto her Flickr photostream so hoppers could visit her there and see her wonderful creations.

Since she lives in Michigan, with the time difference in Hawaii, we were on the phone until the wee hours of the morning (for her), having a lot of fun trying to put a mosaic together. It was a successful tutoring session and blog hop, and now Karen knows how to link....Yay!

A few days ago, Karen sent me this new stamp set from Hero Arts. I love that it comes with a sentiment and gems.

I made this card by stamping two girls and giving them different hair colors. I also used black gems for the eyes and a white gel pen to put a sparkle in their eyes.

The stamp is a cutie, and I know I'll be using her many times over. Thank you, Karen! You're the best!

Stamp: You're the Best

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink, Stampin Up

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Copic markers, Hero Arts gemstones, sheer dot ribbon,

K&Co puffy stickers, Nestabilities Label One dies, Sizzix dot embossing folder,

pop dots, Inkssentials white pen

Post Blog Hop...

I've finally recuperated from the Hero Arts blog hop a few days ago...It was so much fun! So many wonderful ideas from special guest bloggers--did you see Tim Holtz?? --that my wish list of the newest stamps got even longer!

I want to mention that the technique that I used on the row of houses can be found here. The wonderfully talented Jennifer McGuire shared this during Fall Stamp Camp at Two Peas. When I first followed her tutorial, I couldn't stop making the backgrounds.

Just follow Jennifer's tutorial and you'll be water splotching, too. I covered the embossed house design and "grass" portion with a protective piece of paper so the water spots would show only on the "sky" portion. I hope you'll try it.....it's so much fun!

Also, the paper wallet was a lift from a cute one that my super creative friend Kelly Booth shared on her blog a few weeks ago. She sewed hers, which made for a stronger wallet, while I used terrifically tacky tape and faux stitching. We both used velcro closures. Thanks, Kelly, for the great gift idea!

...........

The online version of Hero Arts' 2010 catalog is available here! The catalog features all the new stamps shown during the blog hop and favorites from last year, too. Enjoy!

It's time to hop!

Welcome to Hero Arts' 2010 Catalog Blog Hop! The excitement has been building all week and the hop has officially started! Start here and visit over 30 blogs featuring ideas using Hero Arts' newest stamps!

The 2010 catalog will feature some house stamps and this row of houses stamp has a lot of possibilities--new home, a move, housewarming. After embossing the houses, I ink distressed and water splotched the "sky", then stamped over the entire card with the Friend definition stamp. I trimmed the image to make a smaller card and added a puffy heart sticker for dimension.

And here are two ATCs that I made with some smaller pieces using the same technique.

Stamps: New! Row of Houses (H5328),

Friend Definition

Ink: Distress Ink in Peeled Paint, Pine Needles, Broken China, Spiced Marmalade and Walnut Stain; Versamark

Cardstock: Stampin Up and Basic Grey

Other: Clear embossing powder, buttons, twine, puffy heart stickers

I am so glad that I got to play with these little girls. They are so cute and fun to color! I tried to use different skin tones and hair colors and it felt like I was playing with paper dolls! There are so many possibilities for using them, too.

Here's a simple paper wallet to hold a little cash or a gift card. I used a Cuttlebug folder to give some texture and decorated with Hero Arts felt flowers.

On this card I trimmed off the heads (ouch!) and tilted them slightly towards each other for a "best friends" card. I also sanded down the embossed background to make the flowers pop.

Stamps: New! Sweet Wonderful You (CL381)

Cardstock: Hero Arts notecards, Stampin Up

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Copic markers, Sizzix embossing folder,

Hero Arts gemstones, felt flowers, sanding block

Thanks so much for hopping by! Now hop on over to

Lisa's blog for more great ideas on using Hero Arts' 2010

catalog stamps.

Remember, if you find a link that doesn't work, you can always hop back to the Hero Arts blog for a list of direct links to all the blogs in the hop!