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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Hero Arts

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero May 2022 Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Good morning! Today, Hero Arts is releasing their new May collection, and it’s such a fun and unique release, filled with all things cooking and foodie! We’re hopping along today, and you should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit has so many fun elements included in it, all featuring a foodie theme. Here’s a peek at this month’s kit:

The May My Monthly Hero kit features: • 4″ x 6″ Clear Stamp Set, • Cover Plate Fancy Die, • 6 Additional Fancy Dies, • Cling Background Stamp (4.625″ x 5.875″), • 12 Sheets of Cardstock – 4 each of Pink, Mint, White (5.5″ x 8.5″), • Watermark & Embossing Ink Cube, • Cast Iron Embossing Powder (0.5 oz.), and • Blue Baker’s Twine (10 yards). The total kit value is $70, but is yours for only $34.99! These kits sell out frequently very quickly, so you can make sure to receive one each month by subscribing here. I have a crisp white-on-white project to share with you today, as well as a modern-but-vintage-inspired card, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping an A2 card base using the May My Monthly Hero kit using Moonstone Pigment Ink from Hero Arts, then embossing over the top using White Satin Pearl embossing powder to create a pearlescent charcoal. (Did you know that you can heat emboss over the Hero Hues pigment inks? SO fun!)

Next, I die cut the fantastically detailed fancy die included in the May My Monthly Hero kit from some white cardstock. I trimmed off some of the sections to create a shelf just on the one side of the stove. I wanted to add a window to my scene, so I placed the Greenhouse Fancy Die to the left of the stove and die cut from the embossed tile background, then die cut a window from a separate piece of white cardstock. I backed the tiled background with another piece of A2 white cardstock, then mounted the window frame to it.

I backed the base of the kitchen cabinets with another panel of white cardstock (lots of layers on this card!) that I’d added some dark gray Copic to, which created the contrast for the handles of the drawers. I adhered the stove and shelves to the tiled background using foam adhesive to help make it stand out, then added a greeting from the sentiments included in the May My Monthly Hero kit, again stamped with Moonstone ink and embossed with pearlescent embossing powder. Visually crisp and simple, but with all of those layers of cardstock and details, it’s definitely not boring!

For my second card, I used the new Egg-celent stamps and coordinating frame cuts. I began by heat embossing the large image from Egg-celent onto some watercolor paper using the same White Satin Pearl embossing powder used in the previous project. I then used my Tombow markers to add lots of bright color to the images. I originally planned to go a bit more traditional with the color scheme, using reds, bisque, brown, etc. But once I took a closer look at that chicken, it reminded me of my “hen on nest” glassware that I collect, and I couldn’t resist making a jadeite breakfast set, complete with salt and pepper shakers, egg cup, and hen-on-nest glassware! Once I’d finished coloring the images using my Tombow markers and a damp paintbrush, I used the coordinating dies to cut the stamped image out.

For the background, I wanted to keep things subtle to allow the jadeite chicken to be the star of the show. I heat embossed the new Kitchen Shelf Background using some more white pearl embossing powder on an A2 white card base. I love how the pearly embossing adds subtle texture and interest to the background without overwhelming the focal point!

I die cut a white Oval Woodgrain Infinity Frame die and popped it up on the background using foam adhesive. I adhered the vivid breakfast scene with some more foam tape, then added a greeting from Egg-celent (using the same Moonstone/White Satin Pearl combo from earlier) using some more foam adhesive for lots of dimension. I love that these images can be so super traditional or vibrant and modern depending on your color choices!

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

Hero Arts is giving away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, May 8th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Hero Arts April 2022 My Monthly Hero Release Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Today, Hero Arts is releasing their April My Monthly Hero Kit and the coordinating collection, and the whole collection is a thing of beauty! You should have arrived here from Daniel West, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit is just beautiful, with a gorgeous floral background stamp, coordinating stencil set, versatile sentiment stamp and die set, inks, small blending brush! Here’s a peek at this month’s kit:

The contents of the kit retail for $75, but are available to purchase for only $34.99. These kits sell out frequently very quickly, so you can make sure to receive one each month by subscribing here. I have a few projects to share with you today using the April kit and some of the add-ons, so let’s get started with the details!

The beautiful background stamp included in the April kit just begs to be watercolored! I started by heat embossing the background stamp using gold embossing powder onto some watercolor cardstock. Then, I used the Daniel Smith Hero Arts watercolor dot card to paint the background in a lovely feminine color palette, perfect for Mother’s Day!

Once I had finished watercoloring, I trimmed the panel down slightly smaller than A2 and matted it on a piece of Amethyst cardstock, leaving a deep purple frame around the edge.

For the greeting, I die cut the amazing die from gold glitter cardstock and the outline from some more Amethyst cardstock and layered them together with liquid glue. I also heat embossed the sentiment strips using some more gold embossing powder, then adhered them to the card front using foam adhesive. A fairly simple card that allows the beautiful background image to be the star of the show!

My second card uses the April kit‘s background stamp with the coordinating dies to cut out some individual little floral sprigs and bee. I began by stamping the background using Intens-ified Black ink onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock, then used the dies included in the April kit to cut out a large bloom and smaller bloom, then used my scissors to fussy cut a few more smaller blooms. I colored the images with my Copic markers.

Next, I created my background panel by die cutting the Floral Border Fancy Die from some white cardstock. I backed it with some Pitch Black cardstock to allow little pops of black to peek through at various angles. I die cut another amazing die cut (love the font used for this die!) from some more Pitch Black cardstock, as well as white embossed a coordinating greeting on some strips of black cardstock. I adhered all of the components on the card front using a combination of liquid and foam adhesive for lots of dimension. This kit looks great colored with any medium and in so many different combinations!

For my next project, I used the beautiful new Floral Mandala stamps and dies. I began by stamping the images in a variety of pastel ink colors, including Soft Pink, Soft Sky, Soft Apricot, and Mint Julep onto some white cardstock, then die cut them using the coordinating dies. The soft pastel colors are perfect for springtime and Mother’s Day!

For the greeting, I die cut the beautiful new Mother’s Day Window die from some more white cardstock, then trimmed out just the greeting die cuts. I used the words by themselves for this project, but the window image is absolutely gorgeous and would be such fun to create with using a variety of techniques, styles, and mediums!

I arranged all of the die cuts on a white A2 card front, creating a kind of cluster of the beautiful and colorful floral mandala die cuts, and adhered them using lots of foam adhesive. I used a double layer of adhesive for the white die cut greeting to help it stand out even more on the bright white background. The final touch was to add some shiny iridescent white pearls for some shimmer and shine.

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

Hero Arts is giving away one $50 gift card. The winner will be selected from comments made across the hop before 11:59 pm on April 10th. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! The winner will be announced on the Hero Arts Blog the following week.

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

Hero Arts Support Ukraine Collection and Blog Hop

The blue and yellow of the Ukraine flag symbolize the beauty and calm of the skies above and the joy and prosperity of wheat fields throughout the country. The national flower, the sunflower, symbolizes motherhood. To honor Ukraine, and help counter the devastation and destruction, we are donating 100% of our net profits from sales of this Support Ukraine collection.  Funds will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross for immediate, on-the-ground help.  We will continue our fundraising efforts to also support the long-term rebuilding that will be required to restore schools, roads, homes, and the spirit of the Ukrainian people.

The folks at Hero Arts have created a beautiful digital stamp available for purchase in the Hero Arts shop, which you can check out here.

I used the gorgeous Sunflower Heroscape to create this faux watercolor framed picture as the focal point for my card. I began by trimming a rectangle of Arches watercolor paper into the approximate size needed to fit inside the Museum Frame Fancy Die. I stamped each layer using Hero Arts Pigment inks, then used a damp paintbrush to soften the edges into an almost Monet-ish painting.

I die cut a Museum Frame Fancy Die from some Pitch Black cardstock and placed the sunflower painting inside, then turned my attention to the card front.

I cut the Magnolia Branches die from some more Pitch Black cardstock, then trimmed a few of the whole pieces and added them to a black A2 card front to add some subtle texture to the background. I popped up the sunflower painting, then added a greeting from the Sunflower Heroscape heat embossed in white on a strip of black cardstock.

You can check out the rest of the blog hop here:

Hero Arts
Lydia Fiedler
Seeka
Ilina Crouse
Mindy Eggen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Michelle Short
Emily Midgett
Channin Pelletier
Libby Hickson

March 2022 My Monthly Hero Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Hero Arts is releasing their new My Monthly Hero Kit and collection for March 2022, and this art-themed collection is just so darn unique! We are hopping along today to share lots of inspiration with you; you should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s My Monthly Hero kit features a fabulous detailed silhouette scene die, as well as a 4×6 stamp set that will easily create your own miniature Jackson Pollack paintings! Here’s a peek at this month’s kit:

You will receive: • 4″ x 6″ Clear Stamp Set, • Fancy Window Die, • 4 Embossing Powders in Goldenrod, Orange, Blue, Purple (1/4 oz. each), • Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink Cube, • 2 Sheets Extra Thick Canvas Paper (4.25″ x 5.5″), • 1 Sheet Canvas-textured Paper (5.5″ x 8.5″). The kit contents are valued at $70, but are available to you for $34.99! These kits frequently sell out quickly, so if you’d like to be guaranteed to receive a kit each month, you can subscribe here! I’ve created my own rainbow Jackson Pollack scene for my card today, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by die cutting the main die from the kit from some Pitch Black cardstock. I love how detailed these fancy dies are even when cut from plain black paper. So unique!

I then did some ink blending using Berry Smoothie, Purple Galaxy, Blue Hawaii, and Pool Party Reactive inks in a vertical rainbow across the front of my white A2 cardstock base. I used the splatter stamps included in this month’s kit to stamp splatters in the coordinating color across the ink blended area. I love the subtle effect of the splatters! I also splattered a bit of metallic pearl paint with a damp paintbrush to really help enhance that arts, y splatter-y look.

I adhered the die cut frame using some foam adhesive, then used a double layer of foam adhesive to add the greeting from the stamp set in the kit, which I heat embossed on a strip of black cardstock using some white embossing powder. Relatively simple, but that vibrant ink blending and stamping in the center just pops so perfectly from that stark black die cut! Such a fun kit this month.

My second card uses the new Museum Busts Fancy Dies. I will admit, I was totally thinking of the Disney movie Hercules when I made this card. You know the scene, where Meg and the Muses are singing in the moonlit garden? I wanted to recreate that starry garden background for my busts, so I began by blending Indigo and Navy inks around the edge of a Lapis card base. I also splattered some pearlescent white paint to create some shimmering stars.

Next, I die cut the Museum Busts Fancy Dies from some Pebble cardstock. I used blending brushes to lightly blend some Charcoal ink on one side of the bust die cuts to create a shadow. It’s amazing what dimension taking that quick extra step added to the die cuts! They look almost 3D to me!

I wanted to add some foliage to create that botanical garden feel, so I die cut the Fairy Window Fancy Die from some Pitch Black cardstock, then did some selective trimming so that I had some tree branches just barely dripping down from the top corner and flowers popping up from the bottom right on my blended night sky card base. I popped up the busts using foam adhesive, then added a greeting from the new Impressionist Water Lilies, white embossed on a strip of Pitch Black cardstock.

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, March 13th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

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

(Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!)

Hero Arts 2022 Spring Catalog Launch Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Today, I am super excited to be hopping along with Hero Arts as we debut the new products in the Spring 2022 Catalog! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. The new catalog is chock full of beautiful new products, with imagery so evocative of spring and summer! I have two projects for you today, so let’s get started with the details on my projects.

My first project would be a perfect card to accompany a baby shower gift, using the beautiful new Floral Alphabet stamps. I began by die cutting four teeny onesies from Arctic cardstock using the Onesie Infinity Dies. Using the negative spaces on the cardstock from which I cut the onesies, I used my MISTI to white emboss the B-A-B-Y from Floral Alphabet onto the aqua onesies. So cute!

Next, I trimmed down an Arctic cardstock slimline card base as well as another layer, slightly smaller than the slimline card base. I used Antigua ink to stamp a little border of grass (from the new Color Layering Duckling) and daisies (from the new Color Layering Bunny) along the bottom edge of the slightly smaller panel of cardstock for a simple tone-on-tone effect. Just enough to add a bit of interest to the background, but not too much to distract from the main focal point!

Next, I arranged my heat embossed onesies so that they were draped as though on a clothesline. I adhered them with some foam adhesive, then added a couple of white twine bows to complete the clothesline/banner idea. Finally, I added the “hello there” greeting on a strip of Arctic cardstock using some more foam adhesive. Simple, but the delicate images and monochromatic color scheme are perfect for a baby card!

My next card is quite a bit more involved, in both technique and color scheme. I combined the gorgeous new Birds and Flowers Cover Plate die with my Copic markers to create a chinoiserie effect. These detailed cover plate dies are some of my absolute favorite products from Hero Arts; the amount of detail that you can add with your favorite coloring medium is amazing, but you also have the option to simply die cut the images and use them as silhouettes! I die cut the Birds and Flowers Cover Plate die from some white, Copic-friendly cardstock and used a variety of Copic markers in vivid, springy shades to add lots of color and detail to the die cut, hopefully evoking chinoiserie imagery!

Once I’d finished my coloring, I used silver embossing powder to emboss a greeting from the new Let’s Celebrate sentiment stamp set on some strips of plain white cardstock. I also lightly blended some Dusty Blue ink around the edges of my A2 card base with a super soft Hero Arts Blending Brush, just to give a bit of extra interest to the background.

Once all of my components had been completed, I used lots of foam adhesive to adhere the vivid Copic-colored die cut and embossed sentiment strips to the blended card base. I just love the bright, springy colors after the dreary winter days we’ve been having lately!

Well, that’s all for my projects today!

I hope you will check out the entire Spring 2022 Hero Arts catalog. SO many fun new products, including a new line of Hero Tools that are going to make life so much easier! Tons of new tools, including small, medium, large, and extra large sizes of blending brush, a Handy Holder tool caddy, metal snips, and the piece de resistance: a new Compact Cutter! These products will begin shipping in March, and I highly encourage you to sign up to be notified when they’re back in stock. Anybody who signs up to be notified via email when they become available will be entered into a drawing to win the entire line of Hero Tools!

Hero Arts is also hosting a giveaway to celebrate the new catalog!

Hero Arts is giving away THREE $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, February 20 at 11:59pm pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!