What can I say. I’m blog hopping with Hero Arts today and it’s awesome. I generally steer away from the topic of bucket lists…but I’ll be honest, this is on my bucket list. Check.

The 2013 Hero Arts Blog Hop includes a long list of craftygalgeniuspeoplefolks who know how to  make awesome stuff with paper. We’ve all had the chance to play with the new Hero Arts products…which you can find HERE…and we’re sharing our ideas for using these new stamps!

Since I have an obsession with handmade gifts and with Valentine’s Day coming up (did I just say that!) – I thought I’d combine the two and share some really simple projects that would make for really fun Valentine’s Day gift.

The whole set has a sort of “school house” vibe, mainly due to these fun chalkboard tags that I created using the K5661 woodmount tag stamp. With a sheet of black paper, I stamped the tag and embossed it white. To give it a classic chalkboard look, I rubbed each tag with chalk then wiped it off with a paper napkin. This made them look like a used chalkboard! Love that.

To continue the school house set, I created a mini composition book, which I covered with cardstock. I stamped the cardstock with the new Hero Arts Zig Zag background pattern and added a label just like a traditional composition notebook…but way more stylish! I used the new set “Tape Your Message” for the label, and this set is seriously creative with really great images. You can basically stamp your own washi tape – gotta love that! Here’s a peek at the entire set.

You could totally stop right here…or you could add one more layer of awesomeness to the set! Conversation Pencils!!! For these, I pulled out an older Hero Arts set: Sweet Hearts. I simply painted the pencils then stamped a few of the sentiments. The sizing of the sentiments in this particular set are perfect for this project! I love the one that says “Tweet Me”

Thanks for hopping by friends! If you’re interested in winning one of several prize packages from Hero Arts, just leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered to win! Comments will close on Monday, December 17 at midnight PST. And if you’re interested in one more project featuring the newest Hero Arts product, come on over to the Damask Love Facebook page, where I’ve got an exclusive little something waiting for you! (P.S. This is a project that one of my friends told me is way too “ungepatchket” – yiddish for “gawdy”!! The nerve, right!  HA! Come over and tell me what you think!)

Now it’s time for you to get outta here and see what Shari is up to! And remember, if you come across a link that doesn’t work, just go back to the Hero Arts Blog for a complete list of the participating designers!