Reverse Confetti August Release!

I'm thrilled to be joining Reverse Confetti today for their release, featuring a really fabulous stamp set! You should have found your way here from Kara Pogreba's blog - if you didn't, head over to the Reverse Confetti blog to start at the beginning! It's called You Matter, and also has coordinating You Matter Confetti Cuts. I made a few cards with it, and there are many more I want to make!

For my first card, I played with my Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors with this fun circular hands image. After painting, I cut it out with the circle die, layered with some vellum, and popped it up on a watercolored background.

I used a combination of Cocoa, ArtPrint Brown, Strawberry and Purple watercolors on the hands. The "you matter to me" message from the stamp set is stamped in the center.

For my next card, I colored with a variety of colors of Copic markers. I was playing with combinations from Sandy Allnock's Human Rainbow guide, which is such a great resource! I really love the "more love less hate" message from the set!

For my final card, I just did a little blended watercoloring at the bottom of a panel, then die cut the fabulous "love" die.

I die cut the message a couple more times, and layered up the letters as I paper pieced them back into the original panel. A little lacquer pen on top of the heart and some enamel dots finished this card.

Now it's time to hop! Next up is Kathy Schweinfurth - I'm sure she's made something wonderful!

I didn't even touch on the awesome "love is love" aspect of this stamp set, so I'll be creating some rainbows, too!

Thanks for stopping by,

Winner Announcement!

Hi friends! I'm just popping in to announce my winner from my Get Cracking On Christmas post!

Congratulations to sgc, who left this comment:

sgcJuly 16, 2020 at 9:18 PM

Libby—the card is SO cute! I love it:)

Please contact me with your address, and I'll get your goodies out! 

United As One - Hero Arts Release!

Today we are celebrating the release of an amazing partnership stamp set at Hero Arts. This set is so important, and so needed. It's the first of several, and I couldn't be prouder to be part of Hero Arts, helping to make the stamping landscape a bit more inclusive.

The stamp set is called United As One, and it is a partnership with two wonderful, kind and amazing women - Dana Joy and Pocono Pam. The best part? 100% of net profits from this 6″ x 8″ stamp set will go to Racial Justice charities of Dana & Pam's choice.

Originally I was going to make a card with the powerful stamps in the set, but as we went into this past weekend and lost an American hero, I was called to put my emotions down in my art journal. Of course the entire country mourns the loss of Civil Rights icon John Lewis. But here in Atlanta, I think the heartbreak is even a bit more palpable.

I began by putting down some Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paints. I primed the pages of my art journal with her gesso, then added a base of Lapis and Tangerine paints.

For Congressman Lewis' likeness, I found an image on the internet, printed it out, and used a transfer technique to get the outline of the image down on my page. (I couldn't find my transfer paper (!) so I just put pencil lead all over the back of the printout, then traced on the front side. The pencil lead transferred to my page.) With the outline in place, I added the rays around his head using the Hero Arts Sun Background Stencil with Lapis, Ocean and White paints. Then I very loosely painted in his image. I used Gilt and Medieval paints, thinking the metallic colors were fitting for this tribute. I added a bit of Ocean paint to his suit as well.

I very roughly added the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge in the background (which we hope will soon be renamed for Congressman Lewis), where he famously walked across and was beaten during the Bloody Sunday march in Selma in 1965. I added a bit more stenciling in the background using Tribal Shapes Stencil, with more of the same paints. And here is where I brought in the United As One stamps. I stamped out the words from the set - "respected", "appreciated", "supported", "necessary", "loved" - all words that bring to mind Congressman Lewis. I also stamped the "together we can make a difference" three times on the pages.

 I'm very happy with how these pages turned out. I often turn to my art journal during emotional times. I like to say I'm "arting out my emotions". 

Want to see more inspiration with this amazing stamp set? The following artists are sharing projects today, using either this United As One set, or We Stand With You from The Stamping Village - both release today!

Hero Arts - Daniel
Dana Joy
Pocono Pam
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jennifer McGuire
Libby Hickson (you are here!)
Michelle Short

Thanks for stopping by,

Click on products to shop!

CM476 United as One - Hero Arts [ HA ] SA154 Sun Background Stencil - Hero Arts [ HA ] SA106 Tribal Shapes Stencil - Hero Arts [ HA ] AF435 Intens-ified Black Ink Pad -... [ HA ] AF249 Unicorn Pigment Ink Pad [ HA ]

Get Cracking Christmas In July + Giveaway!

Hi everyone! It's been a little while since I've joined Jenn Shurkus for her Get Cracking on Christmas posts - her monthly encouragement to get crackin' on those holiday cards by making a little bit each month, so you're not scrambling in December! Jenn thought it would be fun to make this month a Christmas in July celebration, with giveaways on every post, so I am here to join and have fun!

I pulled out one of my favorite Hero Arts dies for my post - one that I never got around to playing with when it came out last fall! It's called Decorated Winter Branches Window Fancy Die, and it's so whimsical and fun! I die cut it in watercolor paper, and painted it with my Liquid Watercolors.

I also created a background with the Liquid Watercolors on another panel of watercolor paper, combining 

Deep Ocean, Indigo, Purple and Pink. I also added little dots as stars, using a Derwent white paint pen. Once both panels were dry, I popped up the die cut scene, then added a message stamped from the Mountain of Joy set.

I pulled together a fun assortment of winter goodies for my giveaway, so you can get cracking on your own holiday cards! Just leave me a comment by Sunday, July 26 and I'll post a winner the following week here on my blog.

Be sure to visit Jenn Shurkus to see what she created, enter her giveaway, and follow the links to the other artists sharing today!

Happy Christmas in July!

Click on products to shop:

DI705 Decorated Winter Branches... [ HA ] CM404 Mountain of Joy - Hero Arts [ HA ] PD113 Liquid Watercolors Deep Ocean [ HA ] PD114 Liquid Watercolors Indigo [ HA ] PD119 Liquid Watercolor Purple [ HA ] PD122 Pink Liquid Watercolor [ HA ] PD123 Cocoa Liquid Watercolor [ HA ] PD117 Liquid Watercolors ArtPrint Brown [ HA ] PD118 Liquid Watercolor Black [ HA ] PD110 Liquid Watercolors Dandelion [ HA ] PD124 Orange Liquid Watercolor [ HA ] PD103 Water Flow Brush [ HA ] AF435 Intens-ified Black Ink Pad -... [ HA ]

Hero Arts + Honey Bee Stamps Partner Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Today we're hopping & sharing this awesome new Partner release, a collaboration between Hero Arts and Honey Bee Stamps! You should have arrived here from Leanne West's blog, if you didn't, head back to Hero Arts to start at the beginning! The stamp set is called You Are Amazing, and it has a bunch of messages that I know I'll turn to again and again - they are FABULOUS!!

For my card today, I stamped a bunch of the hearts in three different sizes, and colored them with my Copics.

I used three shades of blue (BG53, BG57, BG75) and simply colored. And I finished the card with one of those fantastic messages, popping the two panels of the card up for a little dimension.

Now it's time to hop! Be sure to visit all the blogs and leave comments, that will give you more chances to win! We will give away TWO $50 shopping sprees during this hop - one to the Hero Arts store, and one to Honey Bee Stamps! Enter by Wednesday, July 15th at 11:59pm pacific, and the winners will be announced on the Hero Arts and Hoeny Bee Stamps blogs the following week.

Next up is Lisa Mensing! And here's the complete list:

Hero Arts
Honey Bee Stamps
Becky Roberts
Bobbi Lemanski
Brenda Noelke
Carol Hintermeier
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jenny Hall
Jill Hawkins
Kelly Martin
Leanne West
Libby Hickson (you are here!)
Lisa Mensing
Michelle Short
Mindy Eggen
Vera Yates

Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts + Ink Blot Shop Partner Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Today I'm so excited to be here, hopping as we showcase the wonderful new Partner release from Hero Arts. This time they've partnered with Ink Blot Shop! Tifany from Ink Blot Shop is the sweetest, and I'm so excited about this adorable stamp set!! It's called Please Deliver, and it's full of images for both making cards and decorating your envelopes!

For my card, I used some of the smaller images in the set to create a background. I love coloring with colored pencils on kraft cardstock, so that's what I did today. 

Just some simple stamping and coloring. I stamped the images randomly with black ink, then colored with my Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. To give it a little something extra, I dotted the background with a Copic marker (V22), and added a little Star Dust Stickles to the hearts for sparkle. Then I finished it all off with a message from the May My Monthly Hero kit.

I'm part of a fun blog hop today, full of inspiration for using the Please Deliver stamp set. Next up is my friend Michelle. Be sure to stop at all the blogs in the hop, it will give you more chances to win! We will give away TWO $50 shopping sprees during this hop - one to the Hero Arts store, and one to Ink Blot Shop! Winners will be drawn from the comments left across the hop - enter by Sunday, July 5th at 11:59pm pacific, and the winners will be announced on the Hero Arts and Ink Blot Shop blogs the following week. Here's the full hop list:

Hero Arts
Tifany DeGough / Ink Blot Shop
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Mydlowski
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jessica Frost Ballas
Libby Hickson (you are here!)
Michelle Short

Thanks for stopping by!

Affiliate links are used at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Hero Arts Summer 2020 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Today the beautiful Summer Release from Hero Arts is available on their website! My favorite product from the release is this gorgeous Grapevine Window Fancy Die. And may know from past history, my very favorite thing to do with a window scene die like this is to watercolor it!

After die cutting from watercolor paper, I used several colors of Liquid Watercolor for this: Leaf, Moss, Pine, Purple, Mulled Wine, Pink, Cocoa, ArtPrint Brown, and Black.

I wanted to add a bit more grapes and leaves to my scene, so I die cut it a second time and selectively snipped off pieces to paint & add, some glued directly and some popped up. The message is from Vineyard HeroScape, and I embossed it in gold on vellum. 

After the card was complete, I added a touch of sparkle to the grapes with Star Dust Stickles.

Ok, ready to see a bunch more inspiration? The next stop along the hop is my favorite human Lydia! Be sure to visit all the blogs on the hop and comment along the way, you'll get yourself more chances to win a $50 gift code to the Hero Arts store! Here's the entire list of hoppers:

Hero Arts
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jennifer McGuire
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson (you are here!)
Lydia Fiedler
Michelle Short

Thanks for stopping by!

Affiliate links are used at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!