bearydo paperie: Just Keep Swimming // Hero Arts

7.05.2016

Just Keep Swimming // Hero Arts

Hello everyone! Today I'm participating in a blog celebrating the release of the July My Monthly Hero kit!

This is what the main kit looks like...

Isn't it a beaut? I had so much fun making shaker card with this kit! This kit is jammed pack - with the large stamp set (equivalent to two 4x6 clear sets), dies and an ombre ink pad, the kit value is nearly $60, but is selling for $34.99! The kit is available for a limited time only - once it's gone, it's gone.

For my card today, I used the turtles from the main kit and the beautiful ombre ink pad...

I inked my turtles first using Versamark, then the Mermaid Ombre, so that I could add a little clear embossing powder for shine. If you wanted, you could stamp first in the colored ink, and then stamp over it with Versamark for a crisper embossed image, but I'm lazy...and I don't have a MISTI to do all the work for me. ;)
I then did some partial die cutting to create the window for the shaker card...

I used the sentiment from the Color Layering Goldfish stamp set, because combined with the turtles, it remained me of Finding Nemo. ;)
Heat embossing acetate can be a little tricky, but it really is fun and easy. To start with;

make sure you use a thicker acetate. I cut a piece from the Simon Says Stamp cd storage packets and used that. Then, completely coat your acetate on both sides with anti-static embossing powder (or cornstarch, if you don't have the "fancy" stuff ;)).
When stamping your sentiment/image, stamp as straight down as possible, and be firm. Don't crush the acetate, as that will likely make your stamp slip on the acetate, but if you stamp too lightly, you won't get a crisp impression. This might sound like a hard medium to achieve, but with a little bit of practice, it's quite easy!
Then, add your embossing powder, shake of the excess, and prepare to heat emboss! Now, an additional reason acetate is hard to heat emboss is because acetate is plastic and tends to, well, you know, melt under a lot of heat. ;) So, make sure your embossing gun is nice and hot, don't get too close to the acetate, and move the gun around a bit while heating it, making sure not to apply direct heat to one spot.

I just want to quickly point out the difference the slight clear heat embossing makes - it adds a little extra shine and texture (hard to tell in this pic), and also makes the final impress look a little darker. The card on the right had no embossing on it, just straight ink.

Once I finished off my shaker panel, I heat embossed the beautifully detailed Wave Pattern background in clear on a navy card base, adhered the panel, and oila! For more details on the making of the card and some more tips, here's a video on the process...

One more amazing note on this kit: Hero Arts is going to donate 10% of profits for our July 2016 MMH Kit to ocean preservation through the World Wildlife Foundation.

For more inspiration, and a chance to win one of these beautiful kits, follow this amazing blog hop...

Amy Tsuruta

May Park

Thanks so much for stopping in and God bless!

SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Bazzill shimmer navy cardstock, Michaels white cardstock
Stamps: Hero Arts July My Monthly Hero, Wave Pattern background and Color Layering Goldfish
Ink: Hero Arts Mermaid Ombre and Versamark
Other: Hero Arts White Satin Pearl, White and Clear embossing powder, Lucy's Little Things Tequila Sunrise Sequins and Hero Arts Neutral Mixed Accents

Tools: Hero Arts heat gun, Cuttlebug, WRMemory Keepers circle dies, My Favorite Things Pierced Rectangles die