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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

christmas card

Honey Bee Stamps Holiday Cheer+Pretty Poinsettias!

Hi there! The Honey Bee Stamps Holiday Cheer release is now available for pre-order, and I’m super excited to have designed a new holiday floral stamp set: Pretty Poinsettias! This new release has so many absolutely stunning new “country Christmas” products, from gorgeous plaid cover plates to snow globe dies to two amazing new truck sets to a fabulous new holiday floral set designed by yours truly! I have a project to share with you today using my new set using the Karin Metallic Brush Marker Pro and some black watercolor paper, so let’s get started with the details!

For this non-traditional card, I began by stamping the images from Pretty Poinsettias on some black watercolor paper using white pigment ink. I was super excited to see how well the white pigment ink disappeared beneath the metallic Karin markers. This bouquet was stamped really quickly, too, because there was little to no masking involved! The metallic markers covered up the overlapped images so well.

Next, I used the Metallic Karin Brushmarker Pro to add color to the images. Not my usual meticulous coloring, but it was certainly fun to try something different. I did add a layer of white gouache to the poinsettia to make sure that I could get some depth on those large flower petals. After the gouache had dried, I laid down some of the purple metallic Karin ink on the petals, then pulled the color out with a damp paintbrush.

Once the painting/coloring was finished, I heat embossed a greeting from Pretty Poinsettias on some vellum using silver embossing powder. I trimmed down the colored panel and added some strips of matte silver foil on either side, then mounted the vellum sentiment strips on the colored panel, folding the edges over the sides and hiding some of the adhesive on the back of the solid cardstock portion, adhering the rest with tiny dots of adhesive. Finally, I adhered the colored section to an A2 lavender card front using foam adhesive.

For my second project, I used the Pretty Poinsettias with my new Holbein gouache to create this super vibrant patterned background panel. I stamped the images again using white pigment ink, then had some fun playing around with the gouache to create this super vibrant, almost velvety patterned panel. Once I’d finished adding color to the images, I used my white gel pen and T-square to add a rectangular frame around the edges.

I white heat embossed a greeting from the new Merry Buzzword stamp set on the coordinating pierced die, also stamping the rest of the greeting on some strips of red cardstock.

I adhered the sentiments to the card front using foam adhesive, finally adding a few Moonlight gems to add some sparkle and extra texture to the card front.

Well, that’s all for today’s projects. I have loooots more to show you, but this is just a little taste! Due to some shipping delays (dangit, Covid, quit messing with our crafty purchases!), the new release will be shipping on or around November 2, 2020. The team is going to be having an inspiration week November 2-6, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for lots of gorgeous inspiration on Instagram, the Honey Bee Blog, and YouTube channel!

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

Icy Winter Inspiration with Pinkfresh Studios!

Hi there! I have some super icy holiday inspiration using some new (and some old!) products from Pinkfresh Studio. I love the elegance of using white on white with pops of color for holiday cards, and it was so fun to pair this favorite monochromatic technique with these icy pastel colors for today’s projects. Let’s get started with the details! 

For both projects, I created the backgrounds by layering white Folklore cover plate die cut and the Geo Floral cover plate die cut over some sparkling white glitter cardstock. This tone-on-tone background provides lots of texture, while also creating a sparkly and simple backdrop for the colorful focal points. 

For the first card, I die cut PEACE from white cardstock using the Kelly Alpha Upper dies, then used Copic markers to add some ombre shading from navy blue to hyacinth purple. I also die cut some branches using the Leafy Branch die, again beginning with white cardstock and adding Copic coloring, this time in a pretty shade of mint green. 

I adhered the PEACE die cuts to the center of the card front using foam adhesive, then added the leafy mint green branches beneath them. In hindsight, I wish that I’d used a bit deeper green for the branches, but I do like the subtlety of the mint; it allows the deep blue/purple of the greeting to really stand out. The final touch was to add some Essentials Jewels in pale pink as “berries.” 

For my second card, I used the Share Cheer stamps and dies as my focal point. I began by stamping the main image and the bow on some plain white, Copic-friendly cardstock, then colored the image using that same blue/purple, mint, pale pink combination, adding in some touches of vanilla peach and teal. 

I die cut the image and layered it on the sparkling tone-on-tone card front using foam adhesive for lots of extra dimension. The icy color scheme is the perfect pop of subtle color on the sparkling textured background! 

Well, that’s all for me today. I hope your holiday cardmaking is going well, and if you haven’t started, I hope my projects have provided you with some inspiration! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day! 

Spellbinders Holiday Release with Sharyn Sowell!

Hi there! Today, I have some more holiday inspiration for you, this time featuring some of the brand new products from the latest Sharyn Sowell Holiday 2019 release by Spellbinders! I love working with die cuts as the focal point of my cards. There are so many fun techniques that can be done with them, but you can still create a super quick and simple card! I have two projects for you today using the Love Came Down Etched Cover Plate and the Starry Forest Etched Die Set using the same rose gold and china blue color scheme. Let’s get started with the details!

For the first project, I kept things super simple for some easy mass-production inspiration! I began by die cutting the beautiful and incredibly detailed Love Came Down Etched Cover Plate die from some shiny rose gold foil cardstock. Die cutting these incredibly detailed dies from foil cardstock is one of the best tips I can give for using these intricate dies; the foil die cuts like a dream, and you get the added bonus of having a beautiful metallic shine!

For the card front, I blended some pretty china blue ink on a light blue cardstock base. (You could blend two different shades of blue instead of using the blue cardstock; I have found that blending on colored cardstock saves me SO much time and achieves similar results as blending an entire panel!) I also splattered some white paint on the blended card front to add a bit of extra texture and interest to the background. I adhered the shiny foil die cut to the card front using foam adhesive for lots of dimension. A quick and simple card using just a few supplies and ONE die cut definitely fits the mass production bill required for holiday cardmaking!

My second card is a bit more involved. I began by die cutting the Starry Forest Etched Die Set from navy blue matte cardstock, rose gold glitter cardstock, and some more shiny rose gold foil cardstock. The variety of textures and finishes helps to differentiate between the different die cuts and allow that detail to really shine through!

On a blue A2 card base, I lightly blended some more of the china blue ink approximately where I wanted to focus my little woodland scene using a blender brush to create a halo and attract the eye towards my cluster of die cuts. I arranged the Starry Forest die cuts in a cluster and adhered them to the card base using foam adhesive for lots of dimension.

After I’d adhered my little cluster, I heat embossed a holiday greeting on some more navy blue cardstock using rose gold embossing powder. (Absolutely love the contrast of the rose gold on that deep navy!) I adhered it to the card front using more foam adhesive. I then added some pretty sequins to match the color scheme, finally adding a few dots of “snow” using my white gel pen. Slightly more involved than the first card, but allowing the beautiful detailed die cuts to remain the focal point still shaved my crafting time down by quite a bit!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. I hope they’ve inspired you to use some of the new dies from the Sharyn Sowell Holiday 2019 collection to create quick, elegant holiday cards! Each of the die sets in this collection are truly beautiful. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

25 Days of Christmas Tags with Ellen Hutson!

Good morning! Today, I have the pleasure of helping represent Ellen Hutson for Tracey McNeeley’s 25 Days of Christmas Tags event! Each year, Tracey hosts a month of fantastic tag inspiration, focusing on a different company each day, and today we are focusing on the gorgeous holiday products from Ellen Hutson!

I love using non-traditional colors for holiday projects, especially intense jewel tones. For today’s project, I’ve combined the adorable Hard Candy Christmas stamp set from Ellen Hutson with a few other craft room staples to create this fun shaker tag in a jewel-toned rainbow! Let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping the apothecary jar from Hard Candy Christmas using Intens-ified Black ink on some white, Copic-friendly cardstock. I then did a little simple masking with a Post-It note to add several pieces of ribbon and hard candy, coloring the images with my Copic markers. I die cut the image using the coordinating dies.

Next, I stamped the Concord and 9th Woven Plaid background on a panel of white cardstock using Magenta ink from Altenew. I then used the new Scallop Square Gift Tag dies from Honey Bee Stamps to die cut the background and a frame, backing the frame with acetate and filling it with sequins.

I white embossed a greeting from Retro Holiday Greetings on some deep magenta cardstock. I adhered the die cut and greeting strip on the shaker tag. Finally, I created a loop using some silk ribbon.

Well, that’s all for this project! I hope you’ll check out the other inspiration on Tracey McNeeley’s blog! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

November My Monthly Hero Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Today is the day…. the November My Monthly Hero Kit is finally available for purchase right now! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit is absolutely fantastic… so many individual elements that work beautifully separate AND together.

This month’s kit comes with a full 6×8 stamp set, coordinating frame cuts, fancy Doorway Die, 5 Fancy dies, 2 plastic ornaments, 6 envelopes, 6 glassine bags, and 1 Glitter Lacquer pen. Definitely a DIY feel to this month’s kit, with so many fun options for creating your own treat bags, ornaments, and tags! The elements of this kit are valued at over $80, but they are yours for only $34.99! These kits frequently sell out ASAP, so don’t hesitate, because it might not be available when you finally make up your mind… once they’re gone, they’re gone! You can also subscribe and have a kit guaranteed for you each month.

We also have some utterly fabulous add-on products this month. I didn’t get a chance to play with them before today’s hop (my kiddos had their 6th birthday party this weekend, which was massively time consuming!), but I will definitely be coloring up some of the adorable gingerbread men and piles of presents during this month’s Daily Marker 30 Day challenge! Here’s a peek at the fantastic products available today, as well:

You can check out all of the add-ons here. Now, on to my project for today!

I absolutely love white-on-white with bright pops of color for holiday cards. To me, nothing says elegance and Christmas quite like bright white with a pop of cherry red! I’ve used the beautiful Fancy Door die from the main kit for my card today, with a few of the additional fancy dies and stamps from the main kit. Let’s get started with the details!

The Fancy Dies that have been included in the last several My Monthly Hero kits are absolutely divine…. they easily pack so much punch just on their own because of the sheer amount of detail included. The other ladies on the team have shown you several examples of how beautiful the Fancy Door die looks with some fabulous coloring added, but I thought I’d show you how pretty the details are without the addition of any extra coloring! (except a few bright red bows, of course!)

I began by die cutting the Fancy Door from the Main Kit from some plain white cardstock, along with the wreath fancy die. I also die cut two bright red envelopes using some Cherry cardstock from Hero Arts. I used my Copic markers to add some bright red to the bows on the wreath and the decorations above the door. This door swings open, potentially to reveal an image or sentiment behind it, but I thought it was beautiful in its simplicity, so I added a bit of tape behind the door to keep things secure.

I used the stamps from the main kit to stamp the welcome mat beneath the door and arranged the mail in the mail slot, adhering them with some Precision Glue. I adhered the wreath to the door using foam adhesive to ensure that the details of the wreath didn’t get lost in the white on white. I adhered the entire card front to a white card base using foam adhesive, again to ensure that the details remained prominent despite the lack of extra color. Super simple, eeeeeasy to mass produce, and, I think, quite elegant!

Well, that’s all for my card today! Now, to celebrate this latest My Monthly Hero release, Hero Arts is giving away a $50 shopping spree to one lucky commenter! All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment on each stop on the hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Here’s the whole hop list in case you get lost:

The Hero Arts Blog
Amy Kolling
Caly Person
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Julee Tilman
Laurie Willison
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Maria Willis Mariana Gri
gsby
Nichol Spohr
Seeka
Yana Smakula

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