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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

New Anita Jeram Stamps from Colorado Craft Company!

Good morning! Today, Colorado Craft Company is celebrating their newest Anita Jeram release with a huge blog hop. You should have arrived here from Donna Hitz, and your next stop is Erin Thompson. The Anita Jeram line is so very adorable… it’s great for someone like me whose likes critter stamps but finds it hard to work with the individual critter stamps. These little scenes in the storybook style are so adorable and so easy to work with, all with a touch of elegance that I associate with a style like vintage Winnie the Pooh books. I have two Father’s Day projects for you today using the new For Dad and Dad’s Cooking stamps, so let’s get started with the details!

For masculine cards, I like to keep it fairly simple, with bold colors and simple layouts, a bit of a departure from my normal colorful, feminine, flowery cards, ha! I kept both cards very clean, with lots of white space and crisp black lines, allowing the gorgeously drawn stamps to be the stars of the show. The images in both the For Dad and Dad’s Cooking stamp sets reminded me so much of my husband; he’s such an incredible father to our four kiddos, and he makes so many wonderful memories with them that I think he definitely deserves two cards for Father’s Day.

I absolutely couldn’t resist the little guy bouncing on his dad’s belly in the For Dad stamp set. My kids crawl all over my husband, bouncing on his stomach and generally using him as a trampoline, and I think it’s an unwritten rule that the best dads make the best jungle gyms. I stamped the image from For Dad on some white, Copic-friendly cardstock, then used Copic markers in shades of auburn (like my husband’s hair… not sure if mice are actually that color, but I’m claiming artistic license with this one). I die cut the finished colored image with the coordinating dies.

I trimmed down a white A2 card base to be slightly smaller than A2 size, then matted it on a full size black A2 card base, leaving a fairly chunky black mat around the edges to help make the black outline of the mouse image pop. I stamped the greeting “You are rocking fatherhood.” from For Dad on the white panel using Intens-ified Black ink, then used foam tape to pop up the Copic-colored die cut for a clean, simple, but effective Father’s Day card.

For my second card, I used the darling kitty images from Dad’s Cooking to create a larger scale slimline card. My husband likes to make a big breakfast on the weekends, and my two biggest kiddos love to help him make the pancake batter and flip the pancakes. This image reminded me so much of the adoration on their faces while he makes their pancakes that I couldn’t resist. It’s amazing how much emotion can come from a single image of kitties, isn’t it?

I stamped the main image from Dad’s Cooking, again on white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, this time making some gray striped kitties by taking some of the color away for white stripes with my Copic Colorless Blender. I die cut the finished images (including the pancake!) using the coordinating Dad’s Cooking dies.

The greetings included in the Anita Jeram stamp sets are absolutely wonderful, so heartfelt and poignant. This sentiment that I’ve used here from Dad’s Cooking just pulls at the heartstrings, doesn’t it? So true for my kiddos, especially. I stamped it on a rectangular block of white cardstock, then matted it with a slightly larger piece of black cardstock. I popped all of the images and sentiment up on a slimline card base using foam adhesive. The simplicity of the color scheme and the clean white base are made a bit more involved looking with the addition of the dimension from the foam tape, in my opinion.

Each stop on the blog hop will be giving away a $25 gift certificate to the Colorado Craft Company store. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on each blog in order to be entered to win. The giveaway will end on April 13th at midnight. Winners will be announced on April 14, 2021.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Adrienne Kennedy (CCC)
Amber Rain Davis
Angelica Conrad
Bibi Cameron
Caly Person
Cathy Zielske
Chari Moss
Chris Dayton
Daniel West
Donna Hitz
Emily Midgett<— you are here
Erin Thompson
Jennifer Gross
Jennifer Kotas
Jennifer McGuire
Jennifer Shurkus
Joe Sysavath
Kassi Hulet
Kathy Racoosin
Kelly Griglione
Koren Wiskman
Kristina Werner
Laura Volpes
Mansi Bhatia
Marci Snee
Nichol Spohr
Sandy Allnock
Sara Torzullo
Traci Jenkins
Yana Smakula

Spellbinders Stamp of the Month Club!

Hi there! I have a couple of projects today using the Spellbinders April Stamp of the Month club: Around the Bend. Spellbinders offers several great monthly club kits, including die kits, which also coordinate with these stamps. I thought I would show you how you can use these stamps by themselves, too.

Both projects use Twirling Tutu, Rose Apple, and Hot Lips ink for the blooms, and Dusty Sage for the foliage, all from Simon Says Stamp ink line.

For this first card, I stamped the waving branch of flowers on a white card base, adding the blooms in a pretty pink ombrè using the inks listed. I also stamped the waving Hello greeting from the April Stamp of the Month using black ink.

I trimmed the white stamped panel down and added a very thin strip of black cardstock to coordinate with the black sentiment. I also used a fine liner pen to add some black centers to the flowers to finish off the “rule of three.” I mounted the whole thing on an A2 panel of pale pink cardstock. Simple, but ultra feminine with all of the pink and the pretty blooms!

For my second card, I did some old-fashioned stamping and fussy cutting. I began by creating a banner for the greeting by stamping the “Thank You” onto some white cardstock, then cutting around it to form a curved strip. I also cut two small flagged strips for the banner’s ends, adhering the pieces together using foam adhesive for lots of dimension.

I stamped some individual blooms from the April Stamp of the Month and fussy cut them, then arranged them with the sentiment banner on a mini slimline card base, adhering them with liquid adhesive. I added a few iridescent pearls for some shine and extra texture!

Well, that’s all for these projects! I encourage you to check out all of the different club kits available from Spellbinders. There are some wonderful kits that can be delivered to your door each month. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Altenew 7th Anniversary Blog Hop

Good morning! Altenew is celebrating their 7th Anniversary this month, and we are kicking things off with a multi-day blog hop with masses of prizes! You should have arrived here from Kathy Racoosin’s blog, and your next stop is Amanda Baldwin. You can also start at the beginning at the Altenew Blog.

I have a project to share with you today using one of my all-time favorite Altenew sets: Poppy Garden. In fact, I love this set so much that I even used it in my Altenew Anniversary post from last year! (How’s that for a coincidence, lol) I created some vibrant, cool red poppies for my project today, colored with my Copic markers. Let’s get started with the details!

To start, I stamped several of the images from Poppy Garden using Permanent Black ink, on white cardstock. I used my Copic markers to color the images.

I die cut the colored flowers using the coordinating dies, then turned my attention to the card base.

I die cut the Leaf Frame Cover Plate die from some black cardstock, then mounted it on a white A2 card base. I love the stark contrast the cover plate creates on the card front! The simple black pattern of the die cut is the perfect foil for the black outline on the stamped flowers.

I arranged the die cut Poppy Garden flowers on the card front, then adhered them using foam adhesive for lots of dimension. I white embossed a greeting from Many Thanks onto a strip of black cardstock. The final touch was to add some metallic gunmental gems for some sparkle.

To celebrate their 7th anniversary, Altenew and crafty friends have a huge variety of prizes to give away!

Over $1,400 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $70 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners and one Altenew Academy class to 15 lucky winners. There are also 19 awesome companies/crafty friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:

Be sure to leave comments by 4/18/2021 for a chance to win one of 41 prizes! To make the hop more exciting, start your comment with “Hi from (city or country where you’re from)!” 41 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs listed below and will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog on 4/24/2021.

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

Cistus Layering Die Set & Gradient Cardstock Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi there! Today, Altenew is releasing Craft A Flower: Cistus and some new Gradient Cardstock sets, and we’re celebrating with a blog hop! You should have arrived here from Keren Baker and your next stop is Tina Smith. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Card Blog. I have two projects for you today, so let’s get started with the details!

Each month. Altenew releases beautiful layering dies in their Craft A Flower series. You can purchase them individually, or you can always subscribe to get them sent to you at a discounted rate!

This month’s flower is the Cistus flower, a pretty, feminine flower with lovely open petals. To create the levels of color for each layer, I used the three lightest colors of the Cherry Blossom ink quartet to blend lightly on white cardstock, then die cut each layer using the Craft A Flower: Cistus dies, keeping the largest, bottom-most layer white. I adhered them together using liquid adhesive. I did the same with the Tropical Forest ink quartet for the foliage.

On the deep purple A2 card base, I flecked some silver gouache to create a textured card base. I also die cut the “thanks” from the Simple Greetings sentiment die set, cutting it three times from white cardstock and adhering them together to create a dimensional die cut sentiment.

I arranged all of the die cuts on the speckled purple card front using both foam and liquid adhesive, then added a few iridescent gems for some sparkle!

My second project features the new Rose Petal Gradient Cardstock with the older Watercolor Garden layering die set. These dies are perfect for use with the Gradient Cardstock sets, because they are grouped together to perfectly fit the smaller size of the cardstock, and they work perfectly with the Altenew Mini Blossom die cutting machine! I love creating monochromatic projects, so I even used the darkest color included in the Rose Petal Gradient Cardstock for the foliage.

I adhered all of the layers together using liquid adhesive, then arranged them in a bouquet across the entirety of my A2 card front and adhered them using a mixture of liquid and foam adhesive for lots of dimension. As an afterthought, I used one of the mini blending brushes to blend some Rubellite ink along the edges of the card front to add a white halo around the edges of the bouquet. I added a sentiment from Sentiment Strips, stamped on a thin strip of white cardstock using Obsidian ink, popped up with some foam adhesive, then added a few black gems around the bouquet to add some sparkle.

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

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 04/13/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 04/15/2021.

Your next stop is Tina Smith. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Today, Hero Arts is releasing their newest My Monthly Hero kit and coordinating Add-Ons! We have a fun blog hop with lots of fantastic, super graphic inspiration for you. You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit features super fun, chunky images in a neat graphic style.

This month’s kit includes: 6” x 8” Clear Stamp Set, 16 Coordinating Frame Cuts, 3 Geometric Rotating Stencils, 3 Ink Cubes (Tangerine, Grape Juice, Raspberry Jam), 1 Ink Blending Brush. The total contents are valued at $83, but you can purchase the kit for only $34.99!  These kits frequently sell out very quickly, so don’t hesitate to purchase, because once it’s gone, it’s gone! You can also subscribe to ensure that you get your own kit every month.

I am always in need of fun birthday cards for both kids and adults, and I thought that the super chunky and graphic images in this kit would lend themselves well to creating some fun background paper for both a feminine and a masculine color scheme. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping a variety of images from the main kit stamp set on two white card fronts. For the feminine card, I used Neon Pink, Rose Madder, Pale Tomato, and Fresh Peach inks; for the masculine card, I used Ocean, Tide Pool, and Antigua inks, all from Hero Arts, and all linked below.

For both cards, I started with the largest images and stamped them randomly, but somewhat evenly spaced on my card front, then chose another slightly smaller image, and stamped it in a different ink shade, filling in the gaps with a smaller image in another shade. I frequently rotated my paper to try to keep the pattern from looking repetitive.

Once I had stamped my patterns, I white heat embossed the Happy Birthday greetings from the main kit (featuring that luscious graphic font!) onto some Pitch Black cardstock, then mounted them on some silver glitter cardstock. I also used the tiniest coordinating dies (the star and the heart) to die cut some silver glitter die cuts, which I added to the card front with some gems to add a bit more sparkle and texture to the card front. I mounted the A2 stamped panels on some more Pitch Black cardstock to create a bold black mat around the edge.

My second card features the new Graphic Reef stamp set, along with the new Flowy Stripes stencil. I began by silver embossing several of the images from the Graphic Reef onto some white cardstock using silver embossing powder, then coloring them with Copic markers and die cutting them with the coordinating Frame Cuts.

On the card base, I blended some Sapphire ink on the edges of a panel of Paradise cardstock. (I love blending on colored cardstock-the color saturation in the cardstock makes it so much easier to get a beautiful, color-saturated background!) I also used some sparkling glitter paste with the Flowy Stripes stencil to create a graphic “under the sea” vibe.

Once my stenciled background had dried completely, I used white embossing powder to emboss a greeting from Graphic Reef on a strip of Sand cardstock, which I adhered to the stenciled background panel using foam adhesive. I added my colored, embossed images using a combination of liquid and foam adhesive for a sparkly, colorful birthday card!

Well, that’s all for me today! Hero Arts is giving away one $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, April 11th at 11:59pm pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Happy hopping!