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Hello everyone and thank you for stopping by! We are having a Launch Party Blog Hop for Hero Arts to help celebrate the launch of their new website and Holiday 2015 collection!
I have been in a holiday mood for that past couple of days or I should probably say weeks and I been dying to make a card using a new stamp set by Hero Arts called Merry Cactus To You.
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We always have Christmas trees, ornaments, reindeer, Santa but rarely or probably never have a cactus on a holiday card. So today I’m using a cactus stamp set to create 2 simple heat embossed watercolor background holiday cards.
I’ve shared a video recently where I used rather large images to stamp a background pattern on a full letter sheet and create 4 cards, today I’m going to follow the same concept and use large images, well not as large as I used in that video, but still slightly larger than the images I usually use to stamp a full background. I’m going to be working on a half of a letter sheet piece of paper, so its going to be enough to make 2 background for standard A2 cards.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Please watch my video below or on my Youtube channel for more tips and tricks and a detailed tutorial. Thanks!
Like this video? Please give it a thumbs up and share with friends, thanks!
I’ve used Hero Arts new Platinum embossing powder for my heat embossing (had to change things up a bit from the usual gold). I mixed and matched solid and also outline images for my cards because I wanted to add a little bit of watercolor to these. I intentionally did not use just solid or just outline images.
If I were to use just outline images and would have water colored all of them I would have had a background that is a little bit too busy. And if I were to use just solid images I wouldn’t have had any room for water color.
HOP ALONG
- Jennifer McGuire
- Kelly Rasmussen
- Laura Bassen
- Debby Hughes
- Amy Tsuruta
- Kristina Werner
- Yana Smakula – you are here
- Suzanne Dahlberg – next stop on the hop
- Nichol Magouirk
- Clare Prezzia
- Lucy Abrams
- Mariana Grigsby
- Libby Hickson
GIVEAWAY (NOW CLOSED)
Hero Arts will be giving away one GRAND PRIZE $100 Hero Arts shopping spree. The winner will be randomly chosen from all of the blog hop comments received by 11:59pm PST on Tuesday, September 8th. Check the Hero Arts blog for the announcement of the winner.
SUPPLIES
 Hero Arts Red Royal Ink AF225 Shop at: SSS | SC | HA |
 Hero Arts Blush Mixed Layering Papers PS620 Shop at: SSS |
 ScraPerfect Perfect Crafting Pouch Multi-Purpose Craft Tool Shop at: SSS |
 Versamark Watermark Emboss Ink Pad Shop at: SSS | HA |
 Spellbinders Artisan X-plorer Die Cutting Machine Shop at: SSS | SC |
 Simon Says Stamp Big Momma Foam Tape Roll Shop at: SSS |
 Strathmore WATERCOLOR PAPER 5.5×7 Ready Cut Sheets 140205 Shop at: SSS |
 Hero Arts Heat Embossing Gun PW200 Shop at: SSS | HA |
 Hero Arts Clear Stamps MERRY CACTUS TO YOU CL909 Shop at: SSS | SC | HA |
 Hero Arts Frame Cuts Dies MERRY CACTUS DI146 Shop at: SSS | SC | HA |
 Hero Arts Platinum Embossing Powder PW117 Shop at: SSS | HA |
This post was updated on July 5th 2016.
I love your idea of combining solid images with watercolored outline images.
I do like the cactus card. Very sweet. But, I like many of your cards on your first page, too.
I do like your cactus card. But, I also like many of your cards on your first page.
Love the design of these cards! Super cute.
Love the cactus “xmas trees” – so California with our drought!!
Fun Christmas card
A very Southwestern theme. Nice!
There is that cute cactus again. I love that you created your own background card with all the images from the set. The simple coloring looks very “do”able. And thank you for your gift of song!!!
Love your fun and festive cactus cards!
Love the fun and festive cards. Thank you for sharing the creating a background idea with one large sheet 🙂
By using the neutral taupe ink on the white cardstock, really made your watercolors pop! So vibrant! (Can’t wait to try this!)
Great Southwestern theme.
I like that you used platinum instead of more traditional golds. Pretty and playful!
Great card. Lots of fun and color. Thanks for sharing.
love blog hops and seeing all the new products and their uses
Yana, these are such festive and fun cards! Love them!
I said it before and I say it again: Love that cactus xmas set !
Such a fun card and so different for a Christmas card. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Ha, ha. Clever. I am often amazed with what icons end up representing a holiday. Nice job.
Fun cards, Yana! Merry Cactus to you!
Oh what a fun card! I love that greeting, it is a hoot.
I love the playfulness of the card!
Such cute cacti!
Love the design on your Cactus cards!
Fun cards! And your singing really wasn’t bad! 🙂
Love what you did with these stamps! So colorful and yet not quite so time consuming when you pick and choose where to color.
WOW, great cards great videos! so happy you are back with them 🙂 and i am in love with new hero arts release :)))
Awesome cactus cards…so cute!!
This is such a cute idea. Quite novel from the traditional Christmas cards. Thanks for the inspiration.
So creative, and so well done! Love your work! Wonderful Hero Arts products!
Cactus for Christmas is different. Great for those living in SW USA
Maybe I should get this set instead, & make a real neat Texas Xmas card ya’ll…I could do 3in the colors my girls wear…hmm love the cards you did!!
These are so stinkin’ CUTE!!! Love the gold embossing and the way the watercolor looks. Thanks for all the great inspiration!!!
Such cute cards Yana! I love the entire set! and the Santa hat is such a brilliant touch. You are so very talented <3
What a fun christmas card!!
I LOVE how you didn’t color all the cactui green. I love this technique and will hopefully use it in my own card making.
Fun!
What a whimsical Christmas card! I love your one sheet idea and your watercoloring!!!
Yana, I always love the cards you create but this one is so darling….I love the cactus stamps for Christmas because they are different than the usual stamps we use for the holidays. Thanks for the tip about mixing up line art images and solid images.
Congrats to Hero Arts for a fab release!
Haha! Would be hilarious to see a cactus on a Swedish Christmas card 😀
Beautiful and fun card! Cactus and design are very original 😉
Fun and different Christmas cards!
Great fun cards. Thanks for sharing.
Linda D.
Using cactus for Christmas is a southwest change of pace.
Yana, I do love this card! The cacti makes it different and unique! Certainly a fun and light-hearted Christmas card! Good job!
Such a fun card
What a fun card!
What fun Christmas cards! TFS
Fun cards! 🙂
So glad you’re in a holiday mood because these cards are absolutely charming. Love the whimsey and playfulness. You’re amazing at making these backgrounds.