Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Blog Party!

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! Time to CELEBRATE all things STAMPtember with a massive and inspirational Blog Party!! Throughout STAMPtember® we will be celebrating every day posting exclusive collaborations, contests, prizes, special promotions, announcements, and more surprises on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! Today, we are skipping the traditional release blog hop in lieu of a blog party that features tons and tons of inspiration and a scavenger hunt of free gifts! You can see all of the participants in the blog party by clicking HERE. I have a pair of projects featuring some fabulous new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release (click HERE!). I immediately fell in love with the whimsical and sweet autumnal and Halloween imagery from the new Haunted Garden stamp set and knew that I had to pull out all of the stops with my coloring to create some special and fun pieces to share with you. Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

I find that simple images like these from the Haunted Garden set are truly perfect for practicing my artistry. There are just few enough details that I can dig in to the shading and make the shape and shadow decisions for myself instead of relying on the lines within the stamp set to do it for me! I created this sweet little Halloween trinket dish and a coordinating card (how sweet would these be as a little gift for a friend?) with acrylic paint markers and colored pencils!

I don’t typically go for “spooky” at Halloween… life is scary enough without adding pretend blood and gore! The sweet little ghost image, however, is so precious and reminds me of an episode of Peg + Cat that my big kids used to watch when they were toddlers. I paid homage to that memory with this little ceramic trinket dish, stamping the image and pretty Boo! sentiment with gold pigment ink directly onto the unglazed ceramic.

I used acrylic paint markers to do some fun coloring on the dish, blending the colors with a dry paintbrush to add extra depth to the shadows. I also added lots of gold accents and edged the dish with gold for a little added luxury. I finished the dish off with some sealant to protect the painting. Wouldn’t this just look so cute on a coffee table or countertop?

The card features another of the images from the Haunted Garden set, this time stamped on cardstock to create this warm and elegant all-occasion card. I stamped the image and greeting using white pigment ink on some lovely chestnut brown cardstock. The white ink shows up beautifully on the colored cardstock and also blends into the colored pencil coloring very smoothly. I used colored pencils in deep shades of orange and olive, adding a pop of bright coral for the blooms, and I am truly obsessed with how vibrant the pencil colors are on the deep brown cardstock!

Once I had finished coloring the pumpkin and accents, I used a gold paint pen to cover the sentiment stamp. It’s a bit difficult to photograph, but the shine is so lovely in person! I also used a new product to embellish the penciled panel, adding an embossed decorative edge using the Embossed Card Edges die set. I love the subtle textured detail that this adds to the card front! I cut a piece of gold foil cardstock to fit the bottom of the card base that also matched my gold sentiment, then used liquid adhesive to adhere the penciled portion above it, overlapping the gold with brown. Finally, I added a few Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems at the point of the embellished bracket edge!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I am so thrilled with how these came out. The possibilities are endless with the super sweet Haunted Garden stamp set!

On each stop of the Blog Party today, a unique gift with purchase code can be found within the graphic. On the graphic at the top of my blog post, you can see the fabulous embossing folder/die combo that you can receive absolutely free with a $100 purchase! Simply follow the instructions on the graphic and enter the code BBEFD at checkout to receive your free gift. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and be sure to check out the Simon Says Stamp blog to see all of the other participants in today’s Blog Party. Happy STAMPtember!!

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! Have you heard….. It’s STAMPtember!! Throughout STAMPtember® we will be celebrating every day posting exclusive collaborations, contests, prizes, special promotions, announcements, and more surprises on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! I am back todayvwith another project featuring some fabulous new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release (click HERE!), creating an incredibly dramatic and vibrant holiday card using a super unique and fun color palette. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

Today’s project is a large A7 holiday card that features an analogous color palette of royal blue and peacock teal. I think these colors look so very striking paired together, and I couldn’t help but make a richly colored holiday card with them. I thought that the new Curled Blossom die set would create a truly gorgeous background, so I die cut several of the elements in both plain teal cardstock and glittering royal blue cardstock, cutting a variety of both colors in order to have lots of options when it came time to assemble the card!

Before I began assembling the foliage and glittering flowers, I die cut a larger A7 Notched Rectangles die from that same deep teal cardstock that I used to cut the foliage. I used a blending brush to blend Royal Pawsitively Saturated Ink around the edges, creating a striking contrasting edge that also fits in beautifully with the color palette. Using thin foam adhesive, I mounted the die cut in the center of a royal blue matte satin panel of foil cardstock cut to A7 size and mounted on an A7 card base.

For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer of the new Opulent Merry die set and placed it in the center of the notched rectangle, adhering it at a jaunty angle. I arranged the foliage and flowers around the sentiment to create a custom patterned background and adhered the pieces with a combination of liquid and foam adhesive for lots of dimension. The extra blending around the edge of the notched rectangle die cut really helps those teal foliage die cuts to pop nicely! Finally, I finished the project off with some sparkling Royal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems. So many different textures and sparkling embellishments on this project, which I think makes it just perfect for a holiday card!

Well, that’s all for my project today. You should absolutely check ou the massive and incredible Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release (click HERE!) if you haven’t already… it’s so, so good. Be sure to pop back by tomorrow for the STAMPtember Blog Party! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember + Framed Floral Follies!

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! The happiest month of the crafting year is here… STAMPtember from Simon Says Stamp has finally arrived! STAMPtember is a month filled to the brim with creativity and fabulous new products. Some of the products released throughout the month are special, limited edition pieces that are only available for a short time, but tonight’s release is part of the Simon Says Stamp lineup and will be restocked if/when things sell out! Throughout STAMPtember® we will be celebrating every day posting exclusive collaborations, contests, prizes, special promotions, announcements, and more surprises on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! The full Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release (click HERE!) is one giant extravaganza of creativity, but I am extra excited to share that I have a new illustration included with this fabulous release. The Floral Follies stamp set is a 6×6 background stamp that I have illustrated featuring some of my favorite blooms: dahlias, ranunculus, tulips, and even a little apple blossom peeking out from behind the tulips! To show you the full stamped image, I decided to create this pretty framed art piece using my watercolors and some embossing. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I started by stamping my new Floral Follies background on a panel of watercolor paper that was a bit larger than the stamp with embossing ink, then sprinkled gold embossing powder and heated it up. The gold adds such a luxurious touch to the image without overpowering it! Using colored embossing powder with watercoloring is a nice way to “cheat” (aka-simpler watercoloring) while still getting a softer look than if you were to use black ink and clear embossing powder. Both techniques have their place in the craft room, but I really love the metallic powders for projects like this!

After I had embossed the image, I taped the watercolor panel down to my watercolor board with painter’s tape to minimize warping, then used watercolor markers to add so much vibrant color to the panel. I chose to use my favorite “fiesta” color palette, with vibrant oranges and pinks, which I toned down a bit by adding a chocolatey-maroon background. When working with watercolor brush markers, I like to scribble the marker on a palette or glass mat, then pick up the color with my damp paintbrush, which gives me more control over the intensity of the color that is being added to my watercolored piece.

After I had finished my panel and allowed it to dry while still taped to my board, I trimmed down the panel so that the edges were nice and clean. I also cut some matte gold foil cardstock slightly larger than the stamped and watercolored image and mounted the watercolored piece in the center, creating a thin golden frame around the edge of the image. Once the piece was complete, I placed it in a square frame. I think something like this would make such a nice addition to an art room or office space or even as a gift!

Well, that’s all for my project today. If you’re looking for more STAMPtember inspiration, be sure to bookmark or subscribe to my blog, because inspiration and fabulous crafty products will be showcased here almost every day throughout the month! (I’m tired just typing that {lol}, but man oh man is this month such a blast!) Be extra sure to come back on 9/2/26 for the spectacular and enormous blog party, filled with inspiration and free gifts! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!!

Love and Butterflies 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 am back with a soft, ethereal, and utterly feminine project to share with you today using up a few leftovers and some little “extras” from a Simon Says Stamp sentiment set that I chose to use as the imagery for an entire card! I love this soft color palette, with it’s pale minty green and shimmering vellum butterflies lending just a touch the subtlest rainbow shimmer. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

This card started out very differently than it ended up, but I am absolutely okay with it! I intended to use the large-scale sentiment from the Lettered Many Thanks, but I ended up using only the floral sprigs, stamped on the edges of a white A2 card front using Jade Pawsitively Saturated Ink. When building patterns like this, I like to start with the largest image, rotating both the stamp and the cardstock with each subsequent stamp so that I can make the pattern look as professional and continuous as possible. After stamping the largest images, I stamp the next largest, again rotating the stamp and cardstock, repeating the process down to the smallest stamp to fill in any holes left in the pattern. After I had stamped my background pattern, I also stamped lots of little sprigs on a separate piece of cardstock and used the coordinating dies to cut them out.

To cover the empty center of my stamped card front, I die cut two different ovals using the new Chunky Ovals and Chunky Scalloped Ovals. I love the unique shape of these ovals; they are slightly elongated, with straight sides, making them really eye-catching and unusual! They layer so beautifully, with the scallopes from the Chunky Scalloped Ovals just peeking out from behind the solid oval and creating a soft, feminine ground for our focal point. I placed the solid oval in the center of the scalloped oval and adhered it using thin foam adhesive squares, then placed it in the center of my stamped card front and adhered it with liquid adhesive.

Once I had adhered the ovals to the card front, I pulled out some leftover shimmer vellum butterflies from the Graceful Butterfly Embossing Folder Set and die cut the “with love” from XL Darling Script Greetings three times: once from minty green shimmer cardstock and twice from scrap white cardstock. I adhered all of the sentiment die cuts together to create extra dimension and placed it in the center of the solid oval with liquid adhesive. I arranged the butterflies and minty sprig die cuts around the sentiment, creating a visual cascade from the top right to the bottom left of my card. Finally, I added some Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a touch of added sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today. My über-feminine inner girlypop is in love with the softness and delicacy of this card. Those vellum butterflies look like they could just fly off of the card!! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Blended Hydrangeas 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 have another hydrangea project for you today, this time without the stencils! The details that stencils can provide on embossed images is incredible, but sometimes I don’t want the details to be quite so crisp and clean, preferring instead to have the details a bit more fluid and ethereal. The Gorgeous Hydrangea embossing folder and die set allows you to create those exquisite details with or without stencils, depending on your method of coloring. In THIS post, I used the embossing folder alone with the stencils, but for today’s project, I thought I would showcase the beauty in the detailed die cut alone. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I die cut the large floral image from the Gorgeous Hydrangea folder/die set using white cardstock, then placed the die cut in the appropriate spot inside the embossing folder and ran it through my die cutting machine. Once I had the blossoms ready for color, I blended Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Guava, Periwinkle, and Iris on the die cut using Shading Brushes, making sure to spread the colors out throughout the bloom as an homage to the gorgeous hydrangeas from my trip to the East Coast as a child. The color palette reminds me of cotton candy or a Bubbleberry Sno-Cone! Once I had completed the blending, I added some pink shimmery watercolor to each bloom for a touch of sparkle.

Once I had completed the large hydrangea bloom, I knew I needed to add some greenery. I die cut one of my favorite foliage die sets, called Abundant Leaves, from white cardstock, then used a Shading Brush to add Juniper ink to the leaves, tapering the color off at the edges of each leaf. I also knew that I wanted a frame upon which I could build my bouquet and frame my sentiment, so I die cut the medium Petal Point Frames from some more white cardstock. I adhered the frame on a white A2 card front using foam adhesive, allowing the frame’s edge to spill off of the left side and trimming it with my sharp scissors. I arranged the blended hydrangea over the top and tucked the foliage behind it, adhering everything with foam adhesive.

After I had completed the bouquet, I embossed a greeting from the Sunshine & Smiles stamp set, using silver embossing powder and die cutting it with it’s coordinating die. I tucked the sentiment in the bouquet with some more foam adhesive, finishing everything off with some Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems at the center of each blossom!

Well, that’s all for me today! I think that detail that is captured with the embossed die cut is absolutely scrumptious. It’s so fun to watch it come to life with some gorgeous ink colors and sparkles! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!