Northern Lights Background Holiday Card Sets

I created these holiday card sets using the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Classic August 2023 Card Kit. Hero Arts card kits are released the first Saturday of every month and they have several subscription options or can be purchased individually. However, once a kit is sold out, they are no longer available. This card kit was nature themed and comes with dies to create trees lines, mountains, and canyons as well as embossing powders and cardstock, but I decided to use some of the dies for holiday cards instead.

For each card, I first stamped the northern lights using a stamp from Hero Arts Northern Lights Polar Bears Stamp Set onto Neenah Solar White 110# Cardstock with VersaMark Ink and embossed the image with WOW Opaque Bright White Superfine Embossing Powder. I then ink blended the background using Distress Oxide Inks and blending brushes from Simon Says Stamp. Because I heat embossed the northern lights, the embossing powder will resist the ink that is blended over it. The colors used for each card are listed below. I started with the lightest color and blended around the northern lights and worked my way outward. To get an even blend, I then worked backwards from the darkest color to the lightest.

For this first set of cards, I used the tree line from the kit. The die has an open bottom which allows for taller or shorter trees so I cut taller trees with the darker cardstock and shorter trees with the lighter cardstock. I then layered the trees on top of one another and used Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to glued various spots on the trees to add white glitter I found in my stash. I then glued the trees onto my ink blended background. I finished the card using a sentiment from a retired Hero Arts Stamp Set called Stocking Bouquet Stamp Set white heat embossed onto Papertrey Ink True Black Cardstock.

Cardstock: Hero Arts Peony and Ultra Pink

Distress Oxide Inks:

Cardstock: Hero Arts Lavender and Amethyst

Distress Oxide Inks:

Cardstock: Hero Arts Paradise and Adriatic

Distress Oxide Inks:

Cardstock: Hero Arts Mist and Peacock

Distress Oxide Inks:

Cardstock: Hero Arts Meadow and Palm

Distress Oxide Inks:

For this set of cards, I used the mountain die from the card kit. I cut the mountain from Taylored Expressions Earl Gray Cardstock and then ink blended on it using Distress Oxide Inks Hickory Smoke and Black Soot. Towards the top of the mountain, I blended Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment Ink. For the white pigment ink, I pressed some pigment onto my Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat and picked up the ink from there with my Altenew Mini Blending Brush that I only use for white pigment ink as to not contaminate my ink pad. I then added glitter to the top of the mountain. Once my background was dry, I white heat embossed the sentiment from Hero Arts Snowflake Messages Stamp Set and glued the mountain onto my card front.