Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

So Grateful For You in Acrylic Paint with Simon Says Stamp!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I know that we are in the midst of the STAMPtember collaboration fun and all of the surprises, but I have another piece of inspiration to share with you using some new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember collection! **Reminder: the limited edition exclusive collaboration sets (check them out HERE) will not be restocked once they sell out, but the STAMPtember collection (check it out HERE) will be restocked if/when they sell out!** I have been so enjoying playing with different mediums on different materials than simply plain white cardstock lately, pairing colored pencils with colored cardstock, acrylic markers with ceramic and canvas, and for today’s project, I decided to pair my acrylic paint markers with a panel of kraft cardstock for a striking and bold project, softened with a lovely and feminine color palette. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I began my project by stamping several images from Today & Every Day onto two different panels of kraft cardstock using Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink. Similar to when I work with pencils on colored cardstock, I like to use the white pigment ink with the acrylic markers simply because it blends into the opaque paint smoothly and seamlessly. I then used acrylic paint markers to add simple coloring to the stamped images, keeping the coloring very basic to create almost a block print effect.

After I had finished coloring both images with the colorful paint markers, I added some simple white lines to the foliage to add a bit more shape and detail to the simple flowers. Images like those in the Today & Every Day stamp set are great for use with this very simple coloring technique, because their illustration is very open and simplistic, which fits the aesthetic of this basic coloring technique nicely. I die cut one of the images using the coordinating dies, as well as a greeting that I had created with white pigment ink and white embossing powder on the second panel of kraft cardstock.

Before adhering the die cuts to the panel, I used my T-square and a white paint pen to create a very simple frame around the flat painted panel. I love the effect that this easy and quick step has on the finished project; it draws your eye to the focal point without adding any additional bulk or color. I popped up the sentiment with a double layer of thin foam adhesive, then tucked the floral stem behind the greeting with a single layer of foam adhesive. Finally, I added a blush colored bow created with thin ribbon as well as some Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle. Super simple card, but the effect is so unusual and, I think, so pretty!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I think that opaque paint on the neutral cardstock is such a fun technique and so striking. I can’t wait to try it again on a new project! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Exclusive: Honey Bee Stamps!

Hi friends! I am back with another STAMPtember Collaboration Release today, and we’re celebrating Honey Bee Stamps in all of it’s gorgeously vintage glory today! I have gotten to know Melissa, the owner and caretaker of Honey Bee Stamps, as a member of her Design Team and as a friend over the last several years, and she is genuinely one of my favorite people in the crafty world. She is so kind and warm and such a talented human in so many ways! The STAMPtember collaboration product is just like her: filled with beautiful details and with a touch of vintage charm. Here’s a sneak peek:

The Holly Jolly Frames (click HERE to check it out!) product suite features a variety of intricate frames and holiday imagery with which to fill the openings. I thought that the gorgeous filigree frames would be absolutely perfect to create some elegant gift tags, and so pulled out my deepest Christmas red cardstock, gold embossing powder, and some jewels and created these pretties:

Don’t the gold embossed frames just look stunning against that vibrant red cardstock? Talk about festive and oh, so elegant! For each frame, I stamped the image on Rainbow Splash Scarlet cardstock using embossing powder, then added the luminous gold embossing powder and heated it. I love how those details pop so perfectly against that deep red. After embossing each frame, I used the coordinating dies to cut them out.

Because the dies come with detachable center circles, you can cut the detailed frames with a center opening or you can leave the center circle out and cut the solid image. I die cut one more of each frame from the same Scarlet cardstock, this time leaving off the center circle die and cutting a solid backer that would fit perfectly behind the frames. I used a blending brush to blend Cherry ink on the edges of each solid die cut, adding some vintage “distressing” to the background.

To adorn the center of each frame, I heat embossed some of the holiday imagery included with Holly Jolly Frames with the same opulent red and gold color palette and die cut them with their coordinating dies. I adhered the frames to their solid, blended backers with thin foam adhesive squares, then added the holiday icons in the center of each frame, turning the frames on the diagonal so that they were diamond-shaped instead of squares. I used my Crop-A-Dile to cut a hole at the top of each diamond, then threaded some sparkling gold twine through to create the loop to easily attach the tag to a gift. Finally, I added some sparkling Cherry Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for extra sparkle and luxury!! I think these look like they came directly from the North Pole!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. Wouldn’t these be so pretty in a variety of Christmas colors and given as a gift? Or as a collage on an A7 card front? So many possibilities with these pretty frames!!

Important note: these fabulous and exclusive STAMPtember collaboration sets are limited edition, meaning that once they sell out, they won’t be restocked. Don’t wait on these! You won’t want to miss out! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: Gina K. Designs!

Hello friends! I am back with another absolutely gorgeous Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration project today. We are working with one of those superstar brands today: Gina K. Designs! I’ve had the opportunity to meet and become friends with Gina over the years, and she is just as lovely, wise, and warm in person as she is on her YouTube channel. Life’s Best Moments, the absolutely stunning exclusive, limited edition STAMPtember collaboration suite, has so many fantastic options available that fit your personal brand of creativity. Here’s a sneak peek at the set and accessories:

Stamps, stencils, dies, and even Poly-Glaze sheets…. can you even ask for anything better?? I’m a girl who loves options, never knowing which direction or mediums my fingers will reach for on a given day, and this gorgeous suite of products offers so. many. options. Click HERE to see the full suite of Life’s Best Moments products as a bundle, HERE for the stamps, dies, and stencils, or click HERE to see just the stamps and dies!

I created a set of two monochromatic cards using the stamps, dies, and stencils from Life’s Best Moments today, with lots of warm pinky peach ink blending with Ballerina, Carnation, and Rhubarb Pawsitively Saturated Inks and a couple of fun techniques. Let’s get started on the details for my projects!

To begin, I used Shading Brushes to blend Ballerina, Carnation, and Rhubarb Pawsitively Saturated Inks on two A2 panels of white cardstock. I set one aside, then used Carnation ink to stamp a lovely floral pattern from Life’s Best Moments directly on top of the blended background. The lightly blended panel allows the full-strength Carnation ink to show up beautifully without overpowering the pretty blending! After I had stamped my pattern, I used colored pencils to add peachy-pink coloring to the blooms themselves, leaving the foliage untouched. I love how the variation in the blended background still peeks through the petals and adds interest and color to the flowers as well as the foliage! I lightly splattered the panel with some iridescent watercolors for a bit of sparkling texture, then I stamped one of the greetings from Life’s Best Moments onto some more white cardstock using Rhubarb ink, then again with embossing ink, and added some iridescent embossing powder over the top to add subtle shimmer. I die cut the sentiment with it’s coordinating die, then used residual ink from my brushes to add some light blending over the top. I tucked the greeting amongst the flowers with some foam adhesive and added a blush twine bow and some Bubblegum Pawsitively Dazzling Gems.

For my second project, I used the remaining blended panel, this time stamping the large floral bouquet from Life’s Best Moments in the center with more Carnation ink. I then used the coordinating layering stencils to add color to the blooms and foliage using the same ink colors that were used on the card front itself. Once I had finished blending, I used the coordinating die to die cut the finished image. I also splattered the remaining negative space panel with more iridescent watercolors for added texture and shimmer.

For the greeting, I repeated the process from the first card, stamping a sentiment from Life’s Best Moments using Rhubarb ink and covering it with iridescent embossing powder for added shimmer. After die cutting the greeting with it’s coordinating die, I again blended the residual ink from the blending brushes over the top of the embossed sentiment, so that each element would color coordinate for a striking effect. I placed the blended and splattered negative space panel on my card front, then used thin foam adhesive squares to pop the floral die cut up within the die cut opening, I used another layer of foam adhesive to add the greeting, tucking it amongst the foliage and flowers, and finally finishing everything off with some more Bubblegum Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and a twine bow.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Gina K’s STAMPtember collaboration sets always sell out super quickly, so don’t wait to purchase… once it’s gone, it’s gone for good! Upcoming collaboration sets are all listed HERE (though the photos are not updated until the set is revealed each day!) and you can add your email address to the “notify me” box for those sets that you know you will want so you can be sure to not miss out. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: Alex Syberia Designs!

Hello friends! I am back today with another STAMPtember Exclusive Collaboration, featuring one of my favorite companies: Alex Syberia Designs! Alex’s gorgeous floral illustrations speak to my heart, and I was tickled pink (or maybe teal!) to have an excuse to spend a delightful afternoon coloring this gorgeous new bouquet from the Exclusive STAMPtember release called Lovely Day (click HERE). Here’s a sneak peek at today’s collaboration set:

Spectacular, right? It is important to remember: these exclusive collaboration sets for STAMPtember are limited edition, so once they sell out, they won’t be restocked. Most sell out fairly quickly, so don’t wait if you are unsure! Click HERE to see all of the companies that will have these limited edition collaboration sets, and be sure to sign up for email reminders when they’re in stock, because their release days are top secret!!

I love that the Lovely Day set also has coordinating dies available, and the suite is super affordable. I chose to do a non-traditional color palette for my project today, pivoting away from my typical pinks and purples to some vibrant (if a little whimsical) teal and royal blue floral bouquet, colored on deep teal cardstock with colored pencils. Let’s get started with the details!

I began my project by locating two A2 panels of deep, saturated teal cardstock because I knew that I wanted to layer the vibrant, penciled bouquet on a monochromatic background to increase the dramatic aesthetic! I stamped the bouquet from Lovely Day onto one of the panels using White Pigment Ink, which I find works beautifully with colored pencils on colored cardstock. I then selected colored pencils from my stash in shades of teal and blue that were vibrant enough to still pop on the deeply saturated colored cardstock. I kept the color palette analogous, meaning colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. It still brings the drama of a monochromatic card but keeps things visually interesting!

After I had finished coloring the images on the colored cardstock, I used the detailed coordinating die to cut the image out. I just love how intricate these dies have become; they really increase the level of professionalism for the cards! I also heat embossed a simple greeting from the Lovely Day stamp set on another piece of the deep teal cardstock, stamping with white pigment ink and adding iridescent embossing powder over the top. I die cut the greeting with it’s coordinating die, as well, and set both die cuts aside to work on the card front.

To pull in some of that deep, royal blue from the bouquet, I used a Shading Brush to blend Royal Pawsitively Saturated Ink in the top left corner of my A2 card front. I then splattered some sparkling iridescent watercolors over the blended area, which I think adds so much magic, texture, and shimmer to the finished card! I popped up the colored die cut and sentiment with thin foam adhesive, then added some shimmering Royal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my project today! The Exclusive, Limited Edition Lovely Day (click HERE) STAMPtember Collaboration set will not be restocked, so be sure to get it while you can! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Fun Vellum Trifold with New Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Release!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I have such a fun card to share with you today featuring my new Floral Follies background stamp that was released with the mega STAMPtember Simon Says Stamp collection (click HERE to see the full release!). Whenever I create a new background stamp set, I always try to share multiple ways in which it can be used for papercrafting, whether you are a colorist or just like the pretty patterns. I chose to use it in a more subtle way today, allowing it to accent the background on my fun vellum trifold card, rather than adding tons of color and detail to bold flowers. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I placed the Floral Follies Background in the center of a 5 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ panel of vellum cardstock, then used my MISTI to stamp the detailed background stamp in the center of the panel using embossing ink. I added Platinum Sparkle embossing powder to the stamped background and heated it, then used my trimmer to cut right down the center of the panel to create the opening for my trifold card! (It was a lot easier to cut this one in the center; cutting the panels that I’ve colored makes my heart stop momentarily, ha!) I used a Scoring Board to score the vellum at 1/2″ inside each edge so that an A2 panel of deep green cardstock fit nicely inside. I adhered it with some super strong double sided tape, creating my trifold card base.

To adorn the front of my floral vellum card front, I decided to add a vibrant magenta bloom to the cigar band around the center of the card. Though the Blushing Blooms die includes a stem and multiple foliage options, I ignored the stem and die cut only the blooms and foliage from vibrant magenta cardstock and soft sage cardstock, respectively. I used Shading Brushes to blend Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Pine + Taffy on the die cuts, adding some extra dimension and depth to the images, before adhering the die cuts together with liquid adhesive.

After I had finished creating the bloom and foliage, I die cut a Modern Teardrops shape from some deep green cardstock and blended more Pine ink around the edges to add a bit more interest on the flat die cut. I also heat embossed a greeting from the new To Friendship stamp set on another piece of green cardstock using plain Platinum embossing powder, cutting the image out with it’s coordinating die. I arranged the die cuts on the blended Modern Teardrop shape and then created a belly band to keep the card closed when not being read; I simply cut an 11″ x 1 1/4″ strip of the same light sage green cardstock used for the foliage, then wrapped it around my card base and scored it in the appropriate spots. I trimmed off any excess, making sure that the seam of my belly band would be covered by the teardrop die cut.

Once I had created the belly band, I adhered the blooms, foliage, and sentiment with foam adhesive, then tucked a twine bow beneath the greeting and added some Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit of extra sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Sometimes, it’s so fun to think outside of the box and do something different like this trifold card. I just love how unique and elegant this one ended up! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!