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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Champagne Snowflakes and White Sparkles!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thank you, Simon!

Hi friends! We are officially into October now, and so I have started shifting into holiday mode! I have several autumnal projects to share with you still, but starting now, I have no shame in sharing as much holiday cardmaking as my Christmas-loving heart desires!! Today, I have some icy inspiration using one of the newer embossing folder + die combinations from the Simon Says Stamp release for STAMPtember! Let’s get started with the details.

I love that you can use the Icy Snowflakes Embossing Folder + die on its own to create a beautifully textured background, or you can use the included die to create wonderfully dimensional focal points with the individual snowflakes! And if you haven’t tried embossing folders with metallic cardstock, let this be your sign to try it out. The effects are absolutely stunning! So crisp and detailed.

For my first project, I ran a panel of Champagne Matte Foil through my die cutting machine using the Icy Snowflakes Embossing Folder. The shiny coating on the cardstock really brings the embossed details to life without overpowering the rest of the card or needing to do any additional techniques! I butted the panel up to the left side of my A2 card front, leaving a strip of white on the right side. To add a little more fun texture, I trimmed down a strip of sparkling white glitter cardstock and added it along the edge of the embossed panel.

For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer from the Large Joy die from some more white glitter cardstock and the outline layer from some heavyweight vellum cardstock. I also heat embossed a greeting from the Good Cheer stamps + die set using Platinum Sparkle embossing powder on a strip of vellum. I adhered the Joy die cut and sentiment strip with small dots of liquid adhesive. The final touch was to add a few White Gloss Gems for one last touch of texture!

For my second card, I put the Icy Snowflakes Embossing Folder + die to use! To start, I created a textured white background using plain white cardstock and the full embossing folder, splattering it with some sparkling handmade watercolors. I also die cut a few snowflakes from some more Champagne Matte Foil, then used the Icy Snowflakes Embossing Folder to emboss them and add marvelous texture and dimension to the individual die cuts. I like to nestle them down inside the coordinating negative space (upside down, if your mind works like mine) to make sure that they’re in exactly the right spot.

I adhered a glittery white frame cut using the A2 Thin Frames die set, then arranged the die cut and embossed snowflakes over the top, adhering them with small dots of liquid adhesive. I heat embossed a greeting from Good Cheer stamps + dies onto some more vellum using the Platinum Sparkle embossing powder on a panel of vellum. I popped the greeting up using dimensional adhesive, hiding the adhesive behind the solid areas of the embossed image. Finally, I added a few shimmering sequins for sparkle!

Well, that’s all for these projects! I am so excited to get my holiday craft on for a while instead of whenever I can squeeze it in. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi friends! Today, we are hopping along to help introduce the absolutely stunning October 2023 My Monthly Hero Collection from Hero Arts. You should have arrived here from Dana, and your next stop is Ilina. You can also start back at the beginning at the Hero Arts Blog. This month’s collection is an homage to serene winter scenes, elegant critters (who knew?), and gorgeous, classic holiday imagery. Here’s a peek at the Classic Kit:

The Classic Kit features: • 3 Large Scene Fancy Dies, • 4 Fancy Word Dies, • Swirl Snow Clear Stamp Set, 3″ x 4″, • 4 Sheets of Pitch Black Cardstock, 5.5″ x 8.5″, • 4 Sheets each of White, Slate, Winter Blue & Frosted Blue Cardstock, 5.5″ x 8.5″, • White Acrylic Spray, 1 oz. The total contents of the kit are valued individually at $71, but you can purchase for only $36.99! Such a great value.

The Premium Kit includes all of the elements from the Classic Kit, as well as: 3 Mini Peeking Fancy Dies, Nordic Layering Clear Stamp Set, 4″ x 6″, and • 20 Vellum Snowflakes. Individually, all of these elements would retail for $103, but you can purchase this kit for only $49.99! If you don’t wish to subscribe to the Premium Kit, you can always elect to purchase the Classic Kit and the Premium Elements individually. To find out more information about the My Monthly Hero subscription plan, click HERE. These kits frequently sell out very quickly and are limited edition, so don’t wait if you’re on the fence, because they might not be there when you come back!!

I have three cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details.

I love a good non-traditional holiday color scheme, and blue, white, and silver is unique enough to keep these holiday cards interesting with enough typical imagery to maintain a fairly classic holiday aesthetic. I shared a project HERE during the Countdown using only elements from the Classic Kit, but today’s projects center around elements from the Premium Kit and glorious Add-On products.

My first card centers around those stunning silver foiled vellum snowflakes that are included in the Premium Kit. I wanted to pay homage to these ethereal snowflakes by layering them on an acetate card, giving them a floaty, weightless look. I trimmed down the pearlescent blue cardstock from the Premium Kit to A2 size, then trimmed down a piece of clear acetate to 4.25″ x 5.25″, then scored the acetate at the .25″ mark to create a fold for my acetate card. I folded the lip over the top of the pearly blue panel and adhered it using super strong double sided tape, creating a unique top-fold acetate card base!

After I had created my card base, I arranged the vellum snowflakes and flourishes in a cluster on my card front. I heat embossed a greeting from the Premium Kit‘s main stamp set using silver embossing powder on a piece of Arctic cardstock. In order to hide my adhesive on these semi-transparent snowflakes, I added some strips of double sided adhesive to the back of my sentiment strip, then placed it on top of the vellum snowflake cluster. This allowed me to hide the adhesive (at least from the front) by adding adhesive behind the solid sentiment strip. I did use some tiny dots of liquid adhesive behind the solid foiled areas for pieces that did not peek out from behind that solid sentiment strip. The final touch was to add a few shining silver pearls from my stash! Such a unique, elegant project!

My second card features the same blue, white, and silver color scheme, this time with a few pops of red. I silver heat embossed the elegant reindeer from Folk Winter Animals onto some white cardstock, then used alcohol markers to very simply color the image, adding some pops of red to the details. I also heat embossed several snowflakes and a greeting, die cutting them using the coordinating dies from the Folk Winter Animals Set.

For the background, I wanted to keep things very simple, so I lightly blended some Dusty Blue ink on the center of a white A2 card base, then splattered the background with some shimmering white watercolor, creating the look of snowflakes drifting softly down around my leaping reindeer! I popped up all of the heat embossed elements with some foam adhesive. This card would be fun to mass produce, made simpler by removing the alcohol marker coloring and just keeping the color scheme an elegant white and silver!

My second card features another of the Add-On products, this time using the Holiday Reindeer Fancy Die. I have a mild obsession with deer for winter cards. I find their elegance and air of mystery so intriguing! I die cut the from Nautical cardstock, cutting the scarf from some shimmery dark blue cardstock from my stash. I layered the two die cut pieces together with Precision Glue and added some shiny silver pen details to the scarf and the eyes. I also die cut the baubles from the Holiday Reindeer Fancy Die set from silver glitter cardstock.

For the background, I lightly blended more Dusty Blue ink on a white card base, then blended Stone Wash ink with the Dancing Light Stencil directly over the top of the pale blue blended background. I created a frame using the Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies and a panel of A2 sized Arctic cardstock. I popped the frame up around the edge of the stenciled background panel using foam adhesive, then added my reindeer and baubles using liquid and foam adhesive. I silver embossed a greeting from the Holiday Season Messages Bundle onto some white cardstock and tucked it on the card front with some more foam tape. Finally, I added a few shiny silver pearls for one more festive, shiny element!!

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, October 8th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

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

Hero Arts October 2023 My Monthly Hero Countdown-Day 3!

Hi friends! I have (another) sick little guy this weekend (preschool germs are rough, I tell you!!) and so I’m just popping in quickly to share my project for Day 3 of the October 2023 My Monthly Hero Countdown! You can check out Days 1 and 2 HERE.

We’re building detailed winter scenes this month, using the standalone cover plate dies that Hero Arts does so well to create this gorgeous layered scene!

I used only elements from this month’s Classic Kit to create this card, including the gorgeous pearlescent blue cardstock and the beautiful word dies, which I die cut from some of Hero Arts’s beautiful white glitter paper and Layering Vellum. I die cut all of the layers to this peaceful winter scene from white cardstock and layered them on the blue background with liquid and foam adhesive.

After I had adhered all of my layers, I wanted to really capture the shimmer of a sparkling winter landscape with some glittery snow. I added some Sparkle Pen to the different layers and sprinkled some Icicle Glitter over the top of it while it was still wet to create multiple types of sparkle and add some super festive shine to this peaceful wintry holiday card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the full reveal of the October 2023 My Monthly Hero Kit and marvelous Add-Ons. This kit is unbelievably beautiful and the add-ons are spectacular. You won’t want to miss it!! And be sure to check out the Hero Arts Blog to see more inspiration from the Creative Team using this beautiful kit. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Pinkfresh Studio September 2023 Ink Release

Hi friends! Today happens to be an incredibly exciting day, not just because it’s my birthday, but because the looooong-awaited Pinkfresh Studio September 2023 Ink Release is finally here!! With so many delays, it felt like these beautiful inks were never going to arrive, but here they are in all of their glory! This new release adds so many beautiful additions to the already-gorgeous Pinkfresh Studio rainbow of ink colors. You can purchase the large pads individually HERE on the Pinkfresh Studio website, or as an Ink Pad Bundle (PFS | SSS). Pinkfresh Studio also offers their ink pads in cubes to accommodate everybody’s storage needs, and you can check them out HERE on the Pinkfresh Studio website. You can also purchase the entire bundle of new ink cubes (PFS | SSS) as well!

Pinkfresh Studio is releasing an absolutely scrumptious addition to their Studio Essentials line with the release of their new 72 Ink Cube Holder (PFS | SSS) and 48 Ink Cube Holder (PFS | SSS). These ink cube holders are the epitome of elegance, with pale blush pink vegan leather and a crisp white velour interior, accented with shining gold hardware. I don’t have many ink cubes, but let me tell you… I want to get some just to store them in these stunning cases!! They would make great holiday gifts for your crafty friends, too!

I was particularly enamored with the Rose Garden and Green Gables ink sets, and so chose to use those as the color palette for my holiday cards today! For my first project, I wanted to put those beautiful and unique new shades of red to good use. The Rose Garden ink family is a stunning ombré of peachy blush to a unique cool, deep red. I am not kidding when I say that Begonia (PFS | SSS) and Mulberry Blush (PFS | SSS) are my two favorite ink colors in this new release. So different from anything that I have in my (extensive) ink collection!

To start, I heat embossed the Dainty Plaid Background (PFS | SSS) onto some white cardstock using Hero Arts Iridescent Gold Embossing Powder (SSS | HA). I then used the coordinating Dainty Plaid Stencils (PFS | SSS) and Cherry Blossom (PFS | SSS), Begonia (PFS | SSS), and Mulberry Blush (PFS | SSS) inks to create this lovely and festive tone-on-tone red plaid background. Depending on your pressure with your blending tools, you can make these colors more or less intense, creating a whole array of shades!

After I had created my plaid background, I used the Winter Berries Frame Hot Foil Plate (PFS | SSS) with Speckled Aura hot foil (SB | SSS). I cut out the images with the coordinating dies (PFS | SSS), then used the Waffle Flower Grip Mat (SSS) with the coordinating Winter Berries Stencils (PFS | SSS) to blend Begonia (PFS | SSS), Mulberry Blush (PFS | SSS), Sage (PFS | SSS), and Eucalyptus (PFS | SSS) inks to create these lovely and festive floral die cuts that coordinated beautifully with the plaid background. I also die cut the pieces of the Artistic Bows (PFS | SSS) from white cardstock and blended Cherry Blossom (PFS | SSS), Begonia (PFS | SSS), and Mulberry Blush (PFS | SSS) inks on each piece before assembling to create a bow that perfectly matched the colors of the rest of my card!

For the greeting, I heat embossed a sentiment from Holiday Large Sentiments stamps (PFS | SSS) using more of the Hero Arts Iridescent Gold Embossing Powder (SSS | HA). I die cut the finished sentiment with the coordinating die (PFS | SSS). To accent my plaid background and coordinate with the white on the die cuts, I die cut a white frame using the Blanket Stitched Oval dies (PFS | SSS), popping it up on the plaid background using foam adhesive. I arranged my berries, bow, and sentiment on the card front, popping them up with single and double layers of foam adhesive to add lots of dimension. Finally, I added a few Sparkle & Shine Glitter Drops (PFS | SSS) to add one more sparkling touch, making this card super festive!

My second card is an homage to the gorgeous Green Gables ink set. These shades of green are such a beautiful and unique addition to the Pinkfresh Studio ink line! Green normally plays second fiddle to whatever pinks, purples, and corals I am using for my flowers, so I thought I’d allow these beautiful, verdant shades to be the star of the show for this project! I began by hot foiling the Lush Vines Hot Foil Plate (PFS | SSS) using Speckled Aura hot foil (SB | SSS) onto some white cardstock. I then used large blending brushes to blend Sage (PFS | SSS), Eucalyptus (PFS | SSS), Spruce Tips (PFS | SSS), and Lush Forest (PFS | SSS) inks in an ombré down the front of the hot foiled background. I am in love with these gorgeous greens!! I trimmed the blended, foiled panel down slightly and mounted it on a full sized A2 panel of Midnight Green cardstock from Simon Says Stamp.

Next, I hot foiled the negative leftovers of the Winter Berries Frame Hot Foil Plate (PFS | SSS) from the previous card using the Solid Hot Foil Plate (PFS | SSS) and die cut the images with the coordinating dies (PFS | SSS). I blended Lush Forest (PFS | SSS) over the white lines to create a bit more contrast and to coordinate more perfectly with my shiny green background. I also heat embossed the JOY Hot Foil Plate (PFS | SSS) using Aura hot foil (PFS | SSS | SB), then die cut it with the Coordinating Die (PFS | SSS). Using the same green inks, I blended over the white areas around the edges of the die cuts, as well, to keep everything completely cohesive.

Sage (PFS | SSS), Eucalyptus (PFS | SSS), Spruce Tips (PFS | SSS), Lush Forest (PFS | SSS) inks

I die cut a crazy sparkly frame using the Nested Hexagon dies (PFS | SSS) and some fabulous Luxe Glitter cardstock from Simon Says Stamp, which I backed with clear acetate and enclosed with foam tape. I filled my shaker with coordinating green and gold sequins from my stash and added it to the front of my blended, foiled card. Over the top of my shaker, I arranged my foiled and blended die cuts, popping them up with foam adhesive to add extra height. The finishing touch was a twine bow to add extra textural interest to this detailed and super color-coordinated project!

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

We will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel. 

Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away a total of FIVE $25  gift cards along the hop. As per usual with blog hops – the winners will be selected from the comments.Winners will be announced on October 9, 2023 on our GIVEAWAY PAGE. Winners must check that page & claim their prize within 2 weeks.

Here’s the full hop list below:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Gold Accents and Muted Colors for Fall Flowers!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I always feel a change in the atmosphere as we wind down the month of September. September juxtaposes crisp autumnal mornings with warm summery afternoons, and this combination of temperatures always lets me know that the short and cool days of autumn are just around the corner. I wanted to create another floral project as an homage to those last gasps of summer, but adding in some rich, warm tones to provide a sneak peek at that autumn weather. I really love how this card turned out, and I can’t wait to share all of the details with you! Let’s get started.

I cannot overstate my love for standalone flower dies. It’s so simple to switch up a color combination or cardstock type to completely change the look of your project. I chose to die cut the Etched Layered Daisy die , Etched Meadow Flower & Leaves die. and Alstroemeria Stem die from white Hammermill cardstock and add Copic coloring to the die cut pieces, creating a dusty rose pink daisy and warm orange floral sprigs, paired with gorgeous olive green for the foliage. When working with floral die cuts like this, I always place the die cut pieces where they will end up being adhered so that I can get a better idea of where to place shadows and to which pieces I should add brighter, lighter highlights. This allows me to create more depth and dimension on these layered floral die cuts.

After creating my focal point, I ran a panel of Palm cardstock from Hero Arts through my die cutting machine using the Leaf Tumble embossing folder (which is currently out of stock, but should be restocked soon! Be sure to sign up for email updates so that you don’t miss it when it comes back!). To add some extra interest and dimension to the textured background, I used a blending brush to blend Artichoke Ink from Concord & 9th around the edges and gently swiped the raised areas with the Enchanted Gold pigment ink pad from Altenew. I think the combination of embossing, blending, and gilded leaves makes the perfect backdrop for my colorful flowers!

After arranging my colorful flower die cuts on my richly embossed and colored card front, I adhered them with liquid and foam adhesive. I die cut the Enjoy die from some gold glitter cardstock to complement the gilding on the background, then gold embossed a greeting from the coordinating Enjoy Phrases set, die cutting it with the coordinating die. I adhered both of the sentiment pieces to the card front, tucking them amongst the flowers and foliage, and finally added a few shimmering Topaz Twinkle gems for one last sparkling touch!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I am shifting into autumn- and holiday-mode for the next couple of months (though I can’t guarantee that I won’t throw the odd floral card in here and there!), and I can’t wait! This is definitely my favorite time of year. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!