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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Encouragement with Blissful Bouquet!

Sometimes, a card can be super involved with lots of elements and details and layers and foam tape and techniques…. and sometimes all you need are a few pretty flowers and a big chunky sentiment to make a big impact on a card! When I was designing the Blissful Bouquet (which should be back in stock very soon-be sure to sign up to be notified for when it’s back in stock!) set for Simon Says Stamp, I wanted to make sure that the flowers were large enough to be a joy to color but also would work well on a card front. For today’s card, I kept things simple with a few flowers from Blissful Bouquet, adding in a big chunky sentiment. Let’s get started with the details!

To start, I stamped the large peony bloom, bud, sweet pea, and delphinium blossoms from Blissful Bouquet on some Hammermill cardstock using Intens-ified Black ink. I used Copic markers to do some quick coloring on the stamped flowers, creating a cool coral pink peony and some blue filler flowers for contrast.

Tip: Use a medium gray marker to intensify your shadows for your larger blooms. A tiny bit is all you need; it’s easy to add too much, but very difficult to blend it out if you add more than you intended- just a small amount on the area of the petals that are tucked more deeply into the base of the flower and are really in the shadows. Because the markers are transparent, the gray will pick up the reddish hues in the other markers and create a dramatic gradient.

After I finished coloring the blooms and die cutting them, I stamped a greeting from the XL Stacked Greetings stamp set using black pigment ink and clear embossing over the top. I find that the combination of the black pigment ink with the clear embossing really intensifies the crisp black lines. I die cut the sentiment with the coordinating die, then arranged my bouquet around it and adhered all of the pieces with foam tape. To accent the crisp black lines on all of my die cuts, I added some black gems for one last element of shine!

Well, that’s all for my project today. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Hero Arts June 2023 My Monthly Hero Kit Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! We are hopping along today to celebrate the latest My Monthly Hero release from Hero Arts. You should have arrived here from Dana Joy, and your next stop is Jessica Frost-Ballas. You can also check out the full hop list over on the Hero Arts Blog. We’re diving down under the sea today with the new Classic Kit, Premium Kit, and coordinating Add-On products.

The June 2023 My Monthly Hero Classic Kit includes: Clear Stamp Set, 6″ x 8″, 14 Coordinating Dies, Beach Window Fancy Die, 4 Reactive Ink Cubes (Splash, Taffy, Lemon Drop, Creamsicle), 6 Sheets of Watercolor Paper, 5.5″ x 8.5″. The Premium Kit, pictured below, contains all of the items in the Classic Kit, as well as 3 Color Layering Seashells Stencils, 6″ x 6″, Sea Dot Enamel Stickers, Bahama Bliss Sequins, Iridescent Embossing Powder, .25 oz.

The individual components for the Classic Kit retail for $75, but you can purchase your kit for only $36.99! The individual components for the Premium Kit retail for over $100, but you can purchase the Premium Kit for $49.99! Both kits have a savings of 50%…. such an incredible deal! If you love these kits, you should consider subscribing to be guaranteed that you receive one each month, because once they’re gone, they’re gone for good! Find out more information about how to subscribe HERE.

I have created a trio of cards with today’s release, channeling the incredible turquoise water and bright white sands of the Caribbean. Let’s get started with the details!

My first card features components from the Classic Kit. I began by die cutting the beautiful beachy window die from the center of some white cardstock. I placed this die cut over the top of an Arctic card front to get an idea of where the openings were, marking the outline lightly with a pencil.

Once I knew approximately where the window would be open, I used the layering water stamps included in the Classic Kit with Mist, Paradise, and Bermuda inks. I also blended Mist and Paradise inks towards the top of the card front to create an intense turquoise sky, adding in the cloud stamp from the Classic Kit with Unicorn White ink, orienting them toward the top so that they were peeking out from behind the die cut frame. I popped up the white die cut frame with foam adhesive, then added a greeting from the Classic Kit. I heat embossed the greeting on a small piece of Arctic cardstock, then blended lightly around the edges with Mist and Paradise inks to enhance the colors a bit more. I popped up the greeting piece with a double layer of foam tape for lots of extra dimension!

My second project uses the beautiful layering stencils from the Premium Kit combined with some of the coordinating Add-On products for this month’s release! I blended the three layers of the stencils on a panel of white cardstock using Mist, Paradise, and Bermuda inks. I love this combination of inks and can’t wait to try this combo again with other stencils!

In order to lightly soften the colorful background pattern, I trimmed down a panel of Hero Arts’s Vellum Layering paper so that there was 1/2″ border around the edge. I stamped a greeting from the new Sea Quotes bundle, stamping it first with Bermuda using my MISTI, then again in the same spot with Embossing Ink and adding some White Satin Pearl embossing powder over the top. (I love doing this technique when I don’t have just the right color of embossing powder but still want the look of an embossed greeting!) I also die cut some undersea elements from the new Sea Creatures Fancy Dies. I clustered the die cut components together and adhered them to the vellum with foam adhesive, then hid the liquid adhesive behind the solid die cuts to keep the vellum nice and clean.

My final card uses several of the new Add-On products for the June 2023 Release. I began by stamping the new Aqua Texture Bold Prints background stamp on an Arctic card front using Mist ink, then blended Mist and Paradise inks lightly around the edge, intensifying the colors a bit. I also splattered some shimmery teal watercolors to create some extra texture and mimic the bubbles and flotsam floating about in the water.

I die cut three sparkling white jellyfish from the new Sea Creatures Fancy Dies to create a little pod of jellyfish gracefully drifting in the water. I also white embossed another greeting from the Sea Quotes bundle on Arctic cardstock, lightly blending around the edges of the die cut with some more Paradise ink. I popped up the die cuts on the watery background panel using foam adhesive, arranging the jellyfish around the greeting. (How perfect is that greeting for use with jellyfish that are at the mercy of the ocean currents?) I love how the sparkly white jellyfish pop so beautifully from the turquoise background!

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, June 11th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Your next stop is Jessica Frost-Ballas. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

The Return of Man Card Monday!

At some point, long ago, before having my second set of twins (feels like a lifetime ago!), I planned to do a monthly feature called “Man Card Monday.” Then my little boys appeared, and I kind of forgot about it. Whoops! I spend the majority of my crafting time working with beautiful floral stamps and dies, but I think we all find ourselves needing the occasional masculine card! They are not the easiest theme for me, admittedly, but I have a few tricks and techniques that I like to reserve specifically for masculine cards. My philosophy when it comes to masculine cards is simple: keep things graphic and colorful, with lots of texture, some metallic elements, and if possible, some sass! (What guy doesn’t love a sassy, funny card?) Let’s get started with the details!

I began my card by blending Spring, Cadette, Galaxy Pawsitively Saturated inks from Simon Says Stamp on a panel of plain white cardstock, making sure to saturate the cardstock and achieve a smooth blend with these quintissentially masculine colors. Once I had finished blending, I ran the colorful panel through my die cutting machine with the Spun Glass Embossing Folder. I also added some silver watercolor splatters for good measure using Metallic Watercolor. Color and texture: check!

Next, I die cut a chunky sentiment using the Basic Box Card Happy Birthday dies and some holographic foil cardstock, backing the detailed sentiment die cut with a heavyweight vellum. I trimmed some of the Sassy Birthday sentiment cards down to smaller sentiment strips. (What guy doesn’t enjoy being a smart aleck?) Graphic sentiment: check!

Before I assembled the card, I trimmed a 1/4″ strip from one side of the blended, embossed panel and backed it with some more holographic foil cardstock. Metallic accents are always a good idea for masculine cards! I popped up the two sides of the blended panels with Foam Tape, creating some height and texture on the card front, and adhered the sentiment pieces with some more foam tape. To complete the “rule of three” for accent colors, I added some Silver Pearls. They remind me of drops of molten silver! Metallic accents: check!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this first installment of Man Card Monday! Hopefully this series will help you create those elusive masculine cards. I am excited for the challenge outside of my regular, unabashedly feminine cardmaking rotation! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Pinkfresh Studio June 2023 Monthly Challenge-Sunshine On My Mind!

Hi there! The new theme for Pinkfresh Studio’s June 2023 Challenge is live, and this month we’re focusing on all things summertime with “Sunshine On My Mind!” (You can read all of the details of the challenge HERE) My kiddos just started their summer vacation, and what could be more appropriate for the start of summer than a party with rosettes and rainbows? I pulled out the Rosettes Stencils and Coordinating Dies, a bunch of pretty ink colors, a hot foil “cheers” sentiment, and created this super festive summer celebration card!

The colors for this month’s challenge are: Coral Reef, Sparkling Rose, Sunshine, Storm, & Meadow. I pulled out all five colors to create this festive rainbow card. Though there are two layers in the Rosettes Stencil set, I used only one shade of ink on each, blending one layer a bit softer and the second layer a bit harder and more intense. The contrast between the two intensities helped to create that 3D effect with the layered stencils!

After I’d finished blending my party rosettes, I die cut them with the Coordinating Dies, which adds stitching details and small die cut holes to make them look extra realistic. I also die cut a slimline card front from some white cardstock using the Essentials Blanket Stitched Slimline Die. I arranged the stenciled rosette die cuts down the front in ROYGBIV fashion, popping some up with foam adhesive, adhering others with liquid adhesive, to create lots of dimension and interest.

To emphasize the rainbow feel of the card, I pulled out my hot foiled sentiments that I’d previously foiled using Aura hot foil from Spellbinders. This foil has a lovely iridescent rainbow sheen to it, which perfectly coordinates with the rainbow theme on my card! I thought the Cheers sentiment from the Modern Script Sentiments Hot Foil Plate set worked perfectly to complete the festive theme of the card. I popped it up with some more foam tape to help it stand out from the busy background, then added some gems down the card front in coordinating colors to complete my summery, cheerful rainbow!

Well, that’s all for my project today! To enter a project of your own, check out all of the details on the Sunshine On My Mind challenge over at Pinkfresh Studio. You could be selected to win a $50 shopping spree to the Pinkfresh Store! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

A Triple Birthday Card Suite with Simon Says Stamp!

Hi there! I have been trying to use more things in my stash that haven’t seen any love, and one of those sets was the Time To Party set from Simon Says Stamp. I love the graphic feel of this set; it has so many different elements that you can make a ton of different projects that all have that same graphic feel but with completely different layouts! I selected three different shades of ink and a smattering of other birthday-themed products from Simon Says Stamp’s collection and went to town creating three birthday cards with lots of cheerful colors and crisp white accents. Let’s get started with the details!

All three of my cards feature the same color combination created using inks from the Pawsitively Saturated ink line from Simon Says Stamo: Cheeky, Watermelon, and Orchid. Individually, these colors are quite unique themselves, but together I think they make such a pretty and interesting color palette!

For my first card, I stamped the birthday hat from Time To Party, stamping the first layer of the hat with Cheeky ink, then tapping my Watermelon pad around the edge of the same stamp lightly and dabbing it with my microfiber cloth to soften the edges a bit and stamping that layer, as well, to create a more dimensional look. I also stamped the polka dots and fluffy topper for the hat using Orchid ink. Once I had finished stamping the different elements for the hat, I die cut them using the coordinating dies.

For the background, I first lightly blended some Cheeky ink around the edges of a white A2 card base, then added some white Streamer Ribbons die cuts, adhering them with dots of liquid glue to create a simple, festive backdrop for my vibrant party hat. To create my sentiment, I blended some Orchid ink on a scrap of white cardstock, then die cut the Birthday On A Line die, once from the coordinating purple cardstock and twice from plain white cardstock, adhering them together to create a dimensional die cut sentiment. I stamped smaller greeting from the Time To Party set on a small rectangle of white cardstock, as well. I arranged the die cuts on my card front, making the greeting even more festive by popping that hat on top of it at a jaunty angle! Finally, I added a few iridescent white pearls for some shine.

My second card features more die cuts from Time To Party in the same colors. I stamped and die cut some balloons and a yummy cupcake using the Cheeky, Watermelon, and Orchid inks and die cut them with the coordinating dies. I also die cut a Balloon Background Die from white cardstock and layered it on a white A2 card front to create a slightly textured, but still simple, background that fit the festive theme of the card without detracting from the bright focal points.

I created a custom sentiment by stamping part of one of the greetings from Time To Party, then enhancing it with an iridescent white Birthday die cut. I popped up all of the different die cut elements using foam adhesive, then added a few iridescent white pearls for some sparkle.

My last card is one of those super fun flat shaker cards that are so popular and so fun to make! I stamped some custom patterned paper using the balloons and confetti stamps from Time To Party and Cheeky, Watermelon, and Orchid inks. I used some leftover stamp packaging to create a cellophane wrapper for my patterned panel, filling it with some tiny shimmering sequins. The cellophane bag is loose enough that the sequins shakes so easily and are so festive!!

I kept the sentiment simple to keep the focus on the fun shaker element, stamping two different sentiments from Time To Party and adding them to the front of the card at a playful angle using foam adhesive. I love how this one came out. It was super easy to make, too, and the shaker makes such an impact! Everybody loves a shaker, right?

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I am having so much fun pulling products that haven’t seen enough love from me and giving them so well-deserved attention. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!