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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Hero Arts December My Monthly Hero Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! Hero Arts is releasing their new collection for December 2022, and we are reaching for the stars with a space theme this month! You should have arrived from Daniel West, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Here’s a peek at this month’s kit:

This month’s kit comes with • 6″ x 8″ Clear Stamp Set, • 15 Coordinating Frame Cuts, • 4.625″ x 5.875″ Cling Stamp, • 4 Sheets of Pitch Black Cardstock, 5.5″ x 8.5″, and Rose Gold Pigment Mini Ink Pad. All of the kit contents are valued individually at $82, but the kit is yours for only $34.99! Such a great bargain, and bonus: all of the kit components work beautifully together or separately, giving you tons of options for creating! These kits frequently sell out quickly, so if you’re loving them as much as I do, you can always SUBSCRIBE to guarantee that you receive your kit each month. 

I kept things cool today with vivid colors to create nighttime skies using a couple of different techniques for our celestial cards. The new kit and coordinating add-ons really have endless possibilities and endless color combinations, and I have a pair of cards to share with you featuring some bright raspberry, purple, and blue, so let’s get started with the details!

My first card uses several of the components of this month’s kit to create this vivid encouragement card! I began by stamping the background using Raspberry Jam, Plum, Nautical, and Periwinkle inks with the celestial sky background stamp included in this month’s kit. To achieve the smooth blend between the colors on my background, I made good use of my MISTI. I inked up the bottom portion of the stamp with Periwinkle ink, dabbed the seam with my microfiber cloth to make it fade out smoothly, then closed the door of my MISTI to transfer the ink from the stamp to the cardstock. If I missed a spot, I re-inked my stamp, dabbed with my microfiber cloth (you could also use a blending brush!), and restamped that color. Next, I did the same technique with the Nautical ink, this time dabbing both top and bottom with my cloth to ensure that the colors would blend with the colors on either side on both top and bottom. I repeated the process with the Plum and Raspberry Jam inks to create this smooth ombre background! While my stamp and paper were still in place in the MISTI, I also inked up the entire stamp using Hero Arts Embossing ink and covered the entire stamped image with the sticky ink. I clear embossed over the top of my stamped background to create added texture and shine!

Next, I stamped several of the elements from the 6×8 stamp set included in the main kit using Intens-ified Black ink. I colored the images using my OLO markers, then die cut them with the coordinating dies. I also die cut a star frame using the 5 Point Star Infinity Dies and the white glitter cardstock from the Basics Glitter Cardstock pack.

I arranged my die cuts on my vivid, shiny background, adhering them all with foam tape in a couple of different heights to add extra dimension. Finally, I covered the background with some iridescent confetti for even more added texture and shine, creating “stars” for my celestial traveler!

My second project features a couple of the new add-on items and some intense ink blending. I have made watercolored galaxy backgrounds before, but I thought that I would try to create an ink blended background for a stenciled galaxy! I began by ink blending Raspberry Jam, Plum, Nautical, and Periwinkle inks in a somewhat random “pattern” on my A2 white card front, then blended Pitch Black around the edges to create a nighttime sky swirling with Aurora Borealis color but still surrounded by the pitch black-ness of space! I paired the new Star Cluster Stencil with White Hero Wax, and boy did that take the background to next-level cool!

For my focal point, I used the beautiful new You’re Magical stamp and die bundle to create some fun stars and beautiful sentiment. I heat embossed a shimmery silver solid star from the set on Pitch Black cardstock with White Satin Pearl embossing powder. I heat embossed a few of the fancier stars using Sparkle embossing powder on Hero Arts Vellum cardstock. I also die cut a few smaller stars from the 5 Point Star Infinity Dies set using black and white glitter papers from the Basics Glitter Cardstock.

I arranged the cluster of stars around my sentiment and adhered them with both foam adhesive and tiny dots of Precision Glue for the vellum stars. The final touch was to add a few opalescent gems for even more sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:

We will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, December 11th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Your next stop on the hop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy star-hopping! 😉

The Flower On The Grain: Mini Release!

Hi friends! In case you’re new here, my husband and I run a small side business called The Flower On The Grain. This combines his love for woodworking and my love for art supplies, as well as my floral illustrations. After seeing me tape my watercoloring works-in-progress to a (boring) bamboo cutting board, my ingenious and thoughtful husband decided to see if he could make something better, that was both beautiful and functional. When we purchased our laser machine, The Flower On The Grain was born! We have been brainstorming lots of fun projects and items to offer to you all, but with twin 9 year olds and twin toddlers, and his demanding job and my artsy jobs, well…. life is pretty hectic. However, we’ve had several people reach out about the watercolor boards, so we have decided to do a mini-release so that you can order them as holiday gifts for others or maybe a holiday gift for yourself!

I know that some of you have been waiting very patiently for us to make these available, and we appreciate your patience so very much. Because we are on a time crunch to get these done and mailed in time to get to you before Christmas, we are only going to be offering the watercolor boards this time around. We have approximately 20 boards ready to be customized. I have a few art pieces up my sleeve that I will hopefully be able to get photographed and listed in the next few days, but again…. life is crazy and the days are just too darn short!

So, without further ado, here are the details!

The FOTG Watercolor Board

Make your watercoloring table a little prettier and a lot more functional with these customized watercoloring boards! These 8.5″x11.5″ wooden boards are created from beautifully grained 9-layer birch plywood, cut to fit, then engraved with your choice of floral illustration and name/initials/monogram and stained and sealed to protect your beautiful board!

The hinged stand creates a slight angle for your watercoloring, and it is complete with inlaid magnets to ensure that the hinges stay closed when you are working with the flat board. The sealed surface creates a large, smooth area for you to tape your watercolor pieces down, helping to minimize warping on your finished watercolored piece, while the sealant creates a waterproof surface to help protect the wood of your board. 

I find that the ability to easily put my board at an angle helps with my wrist pain as well as accomplishing certain techniques when I want gravity to move the color for me!!

Pictured above are your options for your flower (I have taken out number 4, but 1, 2, 3, and 5 are available). We will pair your choice of flower with your name, monogram, blog address… whatever you choose! Here are some close-ups of the available flowers. The detail captured by the laser is just incredible. These are all unique illustrations that I have drawn myself and are exclusive to the FOTG products!

Up next are the available stains to further customize your board.

Four stain options are available from which to make your selection: Kona, Antique Walnut, Weathered Gray, and Natural. The featured board in the first photograph is stained with the Antique Walnut.

We also have assembled a selection of fonts for you to add your name, initials, or other customization to your FOTG wooden artist supplies:

Customized FOTG Watercolor Board Price (not including shipping): $70

Ordering Details:

We are going to change things up a little this time and instead of having you email me, we will direct you to my husband’s 51 Woodworks website. We have all of the customizable selections already set up for you, so all you have to do is click the boxes for which image, stain, initials/name/blog name, and font.

Shipping costs will be calculated based on the number of items ordered and the weight of those items. *We have tried to price the pieces as reasonably as possible while still making this venture worthwhile, and with shipping prices increasing rapidly, we unfortunately cannot offer free shipping.*

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email: eamidgettsketches (at) gmail (dot) com.

***These items are custom, made to order pieces. Please allow at least 10 business days from the date of payment before shipping, and plan accordingly. We will work as fast as possible. Quality craftsmanship is worth the wait!***

Thank you all for the incredible support you’ve given both myself and my husband over the last few years. There is a graphic that I’ve seen many times recently on social media, the main message being that when you purchase from a small business, a real person does a happy dance. With each purchase-whether it is coloring panels from me, a pen from 51 Woodworks, or one of these watercolor boards, you are helping to support not just our side business, but our family. For that, we truly thank each of you.

Thank you so much for reading, if you’ve read all the way to the bottom, and happy shopping!!

Simon Says Stamp DieCember Release Blog Hop-Day 2!

Good morning! Have you checked out the 10th Simon Says Stamp DieCember celebration? We are hopping along today for Day 2 of the Blog Hop to give you even more inspiration using these die-lightful new products! (Forgive me, my biggest boy has figured out why puns are funny, so I’m stuck in that “funny to a 9 year old” mindset.) You should have arrived here from Heather Hoffman, and your next stop is Lea Lawson. I have a stenciled project using new DieCember goodies to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The new Large Chevron Stencils are perfect for those minimalist masculine cards that can be so difficult to create for a flower-loving girly girl like me. These layering stencils take the guesswork out of things, because when used all together, they create a full background that just needs a greeting!

I paired these Large Chevron Stencils with this beautiful green ink trio (Aspen, Pine, and Sage) from the Paws-itively Saturated line to create my minimalist masculine card. For the darkest green section, I first blended Pine ink, then blended Charcoal ink directly over the top to create a super dark green. I love that you can create custom colors like this by mixing and matching colors that you already have in your stash!

To create the greeting, I created a dimensional die cut with the “hello” die from the new Basic Trio dies, cut twice from plain white cardstock and once from Snow White Velvet cardstock and layered together with liquid adhesive. I also die cut a thin frame from some white cardstock using the A2 Thin Frames die set, which I backed with some vellum to soften the bold patterned background. I centered the dimensional die cut “hello” in the vellum rectangle and adhered it on my chevron card front. I trimmed down a greeting from the Well Wishes Sentiment Strips set and adhered it beneath the rectangle die cut using some foam adhesive.

I always struggle with masculine cards, so I was super excited at how nicely this came together! The relatively neutral green makes this appropriate for any person, and the bold graphic Large Chevron Stencils background makes it acceptable to even the pickiest guy. (Ha!)

Well, that’s all for this project today! It feels weird not having any sparkles on my card, but sometimes the design just doesn’t need any!

To celebrate this fantastic new release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 gift code to one winner selected from each stop on the hop. Leave a comment on all of the stops for maximum chances to win! The winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on December 7, 2022. Be sure to check out and comment on all of the stops on Day 1 of the hop, too!

To sweeten the shopping, Simon Says Stamp is offering a fantastic freebie with your $25 purchase! Simply enter code MERRY to receive a free Merry On A Line die with your order! You can check out the entire DieCember release HERE.

Your next stop on the hop is Lea Lawson. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

New Anita Jeram Holiday Stamps from Colorado Craft Company+Free Shipping Days!

Hi there! I am hopping along with Colorado Craft Company today using some of their absolutely darling Christmas Take II holiday stamps from Anita Jeram. You should have arrived here from Donna Hitz, and your next stop is Erin Thompson. You can also start back at the beginning at Adrienne Kennedy CCC. These sweet little storybook critters have stolen my heart, and the precious holiday scenes and beautiful, poignant sentiments add such a unique element to your holiday cards. I have two projects that allow the darling images to be the stars of the show, along with some bright pops of Christmas color. Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

I couldn’t resist doing some simple coloring with my OLO markers on these precious little scenes. I stamped the scenes using Altenew’s Obsidian pigment ink, then added clear embossing powder over the top. I wanted to create super crisp black lines that popped from my colorful marker coloring, and the clear embossing powder over the top of the black pigment ink adds an element of shiny texture in addition to making the lines even more crisp and clean.

For my first project, I used the adorable new Sled Bunny stamps , first by embossing the images on a panel of white cardstock. I then used OLO markers to add some quick coloring to the bunny, sled, and his modest gift. The bunny reminds me of my kiddos working so diligently to bring me their handmade gifts from school!

Once I had finished coloring my image, I trimmed down the panel so that it was smaller than an A2 card. To accent the red sled and add a festive feel to the card, I die cut a candy cane cover plate die from some super shiny red foil. I adhered it to the A2 card front using a tape runner to avoid liquid glue squishing out the side and marring my shiny foil, then added the stamped and colored panel using some foam adhesive. Simple, but it will mail beautifully and without any extra postage! Score!

The coloring on my second card was a bit more intense. I stamped a scene using the But First, Presents set, again stamping with black pigment ink and clear embossing over the top to make the lines incredibly crisp and stark. I used my OLO markers in shades of minty green, holiday red, and gray to add lots of festive, vibrant color to my card front and create a cute little gray and white kitty that looks just like my Joey kitty!

To help create a little scene around my stamped and colored images, I used some light tack painter’s tape to tape down a mask around the edge of my scene, allowing the streamers above to hang over the edge. I used a blending brush to lightly blend some pale gray ink around the edges of my masked area, just to help further highlight the colorful holiday scene on my card front.

Below my festive scene, I stamped a greeting from Candy Cane Mice. I love the scale and font selection on these Anita Jeram stamp sets; it’s whimsical while still being elegant and large enough that the sentiments are easy to read! The crisp black sentiment accent the crisp black lines on the images themselves so beautifully. This one layer card packs a lot of punch with zero foam tape! (I bet you thought I couldn’t make a card without foam tape, ha!)

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Colorado Craft Company is hosting a wonderful giveaway: one commenter from each stop on the hop will be selected to receive a stamp set from the new release! Simply leave a comment on all of the hop stops for maximum chances to win. Enter by December 4 to be counted for the giveaway! Winners will be announced on the Colorado Craft Company blog.

You can also shop using THIS LINK to enter to win a huge giveaway from the release. When you shop using an affiliate link, not only does the person whose link you’re using get to make a little extra money, but you are also entering yourself into a super generous giveaway! Thank you so much to those of you who have used my links to shop in the past; I and my family appreciate it more than you know! And don’t forget: on December 2nd and 3rd you will receive free shipping on all orders!

Your next stop on the hop is Erin Thompson. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Simon Says Stamp DieCember Has Begun!

Are you ready to party? Simon Says Stamp’s 10th DieCember celebration has begun! So. Many. Cute. Products. I know coloring is my “thing,” but I cannot get enough of die cutting either, so the wonderful products in this release made me so happy! I created a super wintry scene using some older and some brand new products from Simon Says Stamp, so let’s get started with the details!

I definitely was channeling my inner Clark Griswold with this project. (I am actually watching that movie as I type, ha!) I was picturing the opening scene of Christmas Vacation the entire time I was creating this card! I began by white heat embossing the brand new Birch Tree Background stamp onto some Lapis cardstock from Hero Arts. I then used blending brushes to blend Galaxy and Twilight Paws-itively Saturated inks over the top of the embossed trees to create a wintry twilight background. I also splattered some white gouache to add some delicate snowflakes to complete the wintry feel of the card!

To create the Griswold front-wheel drive sleigh, I die cut the Vintage Christmas Station Wagon from some medium gray cardstock, backing the window openings with some vellum to create some frosty windows! I added the wheels using some shimmery silver cardstock and the tree using Simon Says Stamp Midnight Green cardstock. I trimmed some darker gray cardstock to create a hilly road for my station wagon.

For the greeting, I die cut the “hugs” from the new CZ Design Basic Trio dies twice from white cardstock and once from the beautifully textured Snow White Pawsitively Velvet cardstock, adhering them all together using liquid adhesive to create a dimensional die cut. I used the same technique for the “winter” die cut, which unfortunately looks as though it is discontinued. For a final touch and to add a bit of shine, I added a few Rock Candy confetti to add some dimensional snowflakes to the card front.

Well, that’s all for my project today! I hope you’ll take a peek at the new DieCember release-it’s totally amazing! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!