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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Altenew Paint A Flower Sunflower+Woodless Watercolor Pencils Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Today, I’m excited to be taking part in the Altenew Paint A Flower Sunflower blog hop. You should have arrived here from Lilith Eeckels and your next stop is Norine Borys. Each month, Altenew releases a new floral stamp set perfect for coloring (you can subscribe here for a discounted rate each month!), and this month the focus is on that autumnal favorite: sunflowers! We are pairing Paint A Flower: Sunflower with Altenew’s new Woodless Watercolor Pencils.

In case you thought your watercoloring collection couldn’t get any better, think again. Create stunning watercolor effects with our Woodless Watercolor Pencils! 

This set includes a wide range of beautiful, vibrant colors, and each pencil comes pre-sharpened and ready to use. You can either apply the color onto paper and blend with a wet brush, or pick it up with the brush directly from the pencil. The pigment dissolves smoothly, leaving no marks on the paper, and the colors can be easily mixed and layered for various effects.

This set contains 24 pencils that come in 24 unique colors.

I have a cheerful project to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping the sunflower image several times from the new Paint A Flower: Sunflower using Altenew’s Obsidian pigment ink onto Altenew’s Watercolor Paper. I then used the super pigmented new Woodless Watercolor Pencils to add color to the images, first laying down the color in varying degrees of intensity, then using my damp paintbrush to pull the color out and create a smooth blend. These pencils are so fun to play with! Super bright and pigmented, and I was able to easily layer and add lots of depth to this project using the pencil-to-paper method.

I colored the entire sunflower panel with the watercolor pencils, then trimmed the panel down slightly and matted it on some black cardstock. I stamped another set of flowers, offset to the side of the watercolor paper, and watercolored them, then used my super sharp scissors to fussy cut the images.

To soften the background pattern of the full watercolored panel, I added a slightly smaller panel of vellum to the card front, then adhered my fussy cut sunflowers to the front of it with liquid adhesive. I also white embossed a greeting from Paint A Flower: Sunflower on a strip of black cardstock, adhering it to the vellum. I added my foam adhesive on the back of the vellum panel by hiding it behind the die cut and sentiment strip.

Well, that’s all for my project today! A few bits of information for you before we get to the giveaway:

~The arrival of the Woodless Watercolor Pencils has been slightly delayed, but should be back in stock by November 11, 2020. If you sign up to be notified by email (as shown in the graphic) you will get the first crack at purchasing these beautiful new art supplies!

~Altenew is offering a special discounted bundle featuring the new Paint A Flower Sunflower outline set and the Woodless Watercolor Pencils.

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/28/2020 for a chance to win. We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list below. All winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/30/2020. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Your next stop on the hop is Norine Borys, or you can start back at the beginning at the Altenew Card Blog if you got lost! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Altenew October 2020 Winter Essentials Standalone Die Release+Giveaway!

Hi there! Altenew is releasing some fantastic (seriously, SO awesome) standalone dies today, and I’m excited to be a stop on the blog hop! You should have arrived here from Amber Rain Davis and your next stop is Virginia Lu. (You can also head back to the Altenew Card Blog to start at the beginning in case you get lost!) The new dies featured this month are super creative and so much fun. I have two very different projects for you today, so let’s get started with the details!

For my first project, I used the new Happy Holidays Script die to create this frosty holiday card. I began by heat embossing the recently released Birch Forest background on some medium gray cardstock using white embossing powder. I then used a blending brush and some white pigment ink to blend some “frost” around the edges of the panel, leaving the center dark gray. I love the cold, wintry effect this has on the background!

Next, I die cut the Happy Holidays Script die twice, once from plain white cardstock and once from red foil cardstock, then adhered them together, offsetting the white cardstock slightly to add a bit of extra dimension to the die cut and help it stand out on the busy background. .

I trimmed the birch panel down a bit, then mounted it on an A2 panel of red foil cardstock to create a shiny red mat around the edges. I added the happy holidays die cut to the center of the card, finally adding some festive red gems for some sparkle!

My second project features the new Jumbo Garden Picks die set, and let me tell you…. if you’ve never purchased one of the layering flower die sets from Altenew before, the Jumbo Garden Picks set would be the perfect started set. The designers at Altenew have thoughtfully divided the different layers by color, so that you can make one pass through your die cut machine with each different cardstock color and cut several flowers at once. Seriously, so ingenious and so intuitive. Such a timesaver!!

To achieve the different colors on each flower, I used the different ink families to blend colors on white cardstock. (I’ll link each individual color below.) I simply blended several strips of white cardstock with the different ink colors, but you could also use regular colored cardstock if you have the right shades! I ran the Jumbo Garden Picks dies through my die cut machine once for each die collection and was able to create this abundance of flowers lickety split. Just keep track of your layers (I kept mine in little piles) and then you’re good to go!

I arranged the bright flowers on a pretty turquoise blue background, adhering them with foam adhesive for lots of dimension, then used the new Linear Pathway Solid Alpha die set and the Thank You Builder stamp set to create a custom greeting. The final touch was some lemony yellow pearls to add some shiny texture!

Well, that’s all for my projects. As always, Altenew is celebrating their latest release with some fun giveaways!

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/25/2020 for a chance to win. 

We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list below. All winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/27/2020.

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

Pinkfresh Studio October 2020 Release Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Good morning! I am super excited to be taking part in Pinkfresh Studio’s October Release Blog Hop today! This month, Pinkfresh Studio is releasing some absolutely fabulous new stamps and dies focusing on the latest and greatest cardmaking trend: Slimline Cards. These long, narrow cards are great for creating large scenes using scene builder stamps, but they are also fantastic for using with the large floral trend that has stolen my heart. I love me some big flowers, and the larger canvas of the slimline cards is a great way to fit even more flowers on my card fronts. I call that a win!

Pinkfresh has released some fantastic new Slimline dies over the last several months, and this month, they are introducing some larger-scale Slimline stamp sets, as well! They also are introducing some innovative new stencils, so that you can add beautiful, soft color to your stamped outline images with the blending tool of your choice. I have two projects today using the new Floral Notes Stamps, Dies, and Stencils. Let’s get started with the details!

I used a similar color scheme for both of my projects today, maintaining a peach/watermelon/emerald color palette for each, though I used two different coloring mediums. For this slimline card, I created two large floral swags by using blending brushes and only the Floral Notes Layering Stencils with Coral Reef, Sparkling Rose, Peach Fuzz, Meadow, and Emerald City inks. I then die cut the beautifully soft floral swag using the coordinating Floral Notes die; I love that you can use the stencils with or without the outline stamp image! Such versatility!

For the background, I used the Coral Reef, Sparkling Rose, and Peach Fuzz inks with blending brushes to blend a pretty peachy ombre down a plain white slimline cardstock panel. I also die cut a Slim Ornate Banner frame from some more white cardstock, popping it up around the edge of my blended panel using foam adhesive. I adhered my large stenciled Floral Notes die cut to the front, then carefully trimmed the other to strategically tuck behind and create a large floral bouquet down the front of my card. I added a greeting from the Floral Notes stamp set, stamped in black on a rectangle of white cardstock. The final step was to add some watermelon pink jewels for some sparkle!

My second project uses the same Floral Notes Stamps and Dies, but this time I stamped them using no-line ink, colored them with Copics, and trimmed them to create two little swags that fit just perfectly on an A2 card front.

After I’d finished coloring the images with my Copic markers and die cut the swag, I die cut a white Ornate Oval Frame, then layered it on an A2 card front using foam adhesive. I then added the trimmed Copic floral swags to the corners of the A2 card front.

I stamped a greeting from the new Incredibly Grateful stamp set on a thin strip of white cardstock. The final touch was to add some emerald green jewels to fill out any holes and add a touch of sparkle!

Now, to celebrate this latest release, Pinkfresh Studio is having several promotions and giveaways!

Giveaways:

We will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog, Instagram feed, and YouTube channel.

Each blog hop stop will be giving away a $25 gift card on their blog posts. As per usual with blog hops – the winners will be picked from the comments.
Winners will be posted on October 23, 2020 on the Pinkfresh GIVEAWAY PAGE. You must check that page to see if you’ve won. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Promotions:

Pinkfresh Studios is offering free US or discounted international shipping on all orders $50+ from October 16th to October 22nd. Be sure to use the correct promo code at checkout!

There will also be a free thank you die for all orders over $25. 
We also have a special promo from My Sweet Petunia for the Memory MISTI (perfect for larger size platform needed for You are Amazing and Be Courageous stamp sets) Use code PINK for 20% off the Memory MISTI – coupon code is good through October 22, 2020 11:59 PM CDT.

Here’s the full hop list:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Ellen Hutson October 2020 Release+Blog Hop!

Hi there! Welcome to the Ellen Hutson October 2020 Release Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Therese Calvird, and your next stop is France Wisniewksi. Today we are celebrating all things holiday-both fall and winter holidays! The newest Ellen Hutson release is full of fantastic goodies in a huge variety of styles, including stitching, autumn, cute, elegant, etc etc etc… truly something for everyone! My first two projects today using my favorite color combo for Christmas: bright, crisp white with a pop of bright red and lots of shimmer and shine!

My first card/tag duo focuses on the gorgeous new Deer Couple die set. I used only the male reindeer for these projects, but the set comes with a sweet male/female pair. To start, I create a super simple tag using some red foil, white cardstock, and a simple Merry Christmas sentiment from new Santa’s List stamp set. (That set is chock full of cute images and fantastic sentiments, definitely a must-see). I die cut a tag using last year’s Shipping Tags dies and some red foil cardstock. I also die cut the classy deer silhouette from some crisp white cardstock, then adhered it to the foil tag using foam adhesive. I trimmed a strip of white cardstock and stamped the Merry Christmas from Santa’s List and added it with more foam adhesive. The final touch was to add a loop of black twine to finish it off.

For my second project, I maintained the simple white with red color scheme, this time adding simple pops of red and allowing the detail of the die to take center stage. I love doing all-white projects for holiday cards; there’s something so classy about an all white card, don’t you think? I began by die cutting the snowy background from white cardstock, then backed it with some sparkly white cardstock.

Next, I die cut a snowy hill using the Essentials By Ellen Landscapes die from some more white cardstock. I adhered it to the snowy backdrop using foam adhsive, then used Crystal Lacquer and some chunky glitter to add “snow” to the top of the die cut. I find it’s important to add lots of different textures and dimensions to these all-white projects to help keep them from being boring.

Next, I used another reindeer die cut from Deer Couple, again popped up with foam adhesive. I also added a little red jewel nose to add another pop of color and yet another texture. The final step was to add the Merry Christmas greeting from Santa’s List on a strip of cardstock stamped in bright red ink, then popped up with some more foam adhesive.

For my second set of projects, I wanted to create a pair of wintry, non-traditional snow-themed projects to utilize the new Sparkly Christmas sentiment set and the Twirling Flurries cover plate die. (If you buy nothing else from this release, buy the Twirling Flurries. That die is ab.so.lute.ly stunning.)

My first project focuses on the Twirling Flurries cover plate die. These stitched cover plate dies are some of my absolute favorite products from the Essentials By Ellen line. They provide just the right amount of texture and interest to a background while still providing a great canvas for a little scene or large scale sentiment. I began this project by ink blending using Pinkfresh Studio’s Ocean Breeze, Summer Shower, and Candy Violet inks with some blending brushes to create an almost Aurora Borealis background. I also spritzed the blended background with some iridescent shimmer spray to make things extra sparkly.

Next, I die cut some white snowflakes using some more sparkling white cardstock. I heat embossed a sentiment from Sparkly Christmas using sparkling silver embossing powder on a strip of aqua cardstock, then adhered it to my shimmery blended background using foam adhesive. I added the sparkly white snowflakes using liquid adhesive, then added some iridescent gems to add some more sparkle and texture.

For my second project, I used the larger sentiment from Sparkly Christmas as the focal point. I began by heat embossing the (super fun and a bit cheeky) sentiment on a piece of pale aqua cardstock, first stamping in dark teal ink, then restamping (using my trusty MISTI) with embossing ink and covering it with silver pearl embossing powder. I then used some medium and dark turquoise inks with blending brushes around the edge of the panel to create almost a glow around the center.

I added some more sparkling white snowflakes around the edge of the card, allowing the darker edges to make those bright, sparkly white snowflakes pop! I added a few iridescent gems and some dots with my white gel pen (snowflakes are all different sizes, right?) and had a mostly-flat, easily-mailed one layer card!

Now, to celebrate this release and blog hop, Ellen Hutson is providing some fun prizes!

Prizes, prizes, we’ve got the prizes! One lucky commenter will win the whole Essentials by Ellen holiday release! And another will receive $25 to spend at ellenhutson.com! For a chance to win, all ya’ gotta’ do is hop along, enjoy the fabulous eye candy, and leave a little love for your fellow crafters: increase your chances by commenting on each stop on the hop! Comments left before 11:59 PDT on October 14 will be entered to win. (Winners are selected randomly.)

That’s all for my projects today! Your next stop is France Wisniewksi. Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!

Pretty in Pink Roses+Free Shipping with Colorado Craft Company!

Hi there! I just wanted to pop in and to let you know that Colorado Craft Company is offering a free shipping promotion to celebrate their new stamp line partnership with Anita Jeram through midnight PST tonight! You can get these sweet little kitties from Kittens and Mittens shipped to you for free!

Head over to Colorado Craft Company to check out all of the sweet new sets from Anita Jeram and save on some shipping. Happy shopping!