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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Hero Arts

Simon Says Stamp Die-Cember with Hero Arts!

Hi there! Have you seen all of the incredible new dies coming out for Simon Says Stamp’s Die-Cember releases? Absolutely incredible, right? Well, one of the new dies is this super cute Christmas Sweater Fancy Die designed by Hero Arts. I used it to make a card that would make Kevin McAllister’s mom proud! Let’s get started with the details.

I began by die cutting the Christmas Sweater Fancy Die from plain white card stock, then coloring it with Copic markers. This fancy die makes it easy to color each individual section because each of the sections is clearly marked with score lines and partial cuts.

For the background, I wanted something simple, but with a bit of texture, so I heat embossed the Graphic Snowflake Bold Prints stamp onto some white card stock using White Satin Pearl embossing powder. This tone-on-tone look provides just enough interest and a little shimmer to create an interesting background, but not so interesting that your eyes can’t focus on that fabulous, bright red and green sweater.

For the greeting, I stamped one of my favorite holiday sentiments from Off Beat Holiday Messages  onto a strip of white card stock… it’s a quote from Home Alone, which is one of my most favorite holiday movies. Doesn’t get much more classic than MacCaulay Caulkin screaming his way down a hallway! I popped both of the die cuts up with some foam tape.

Well, that’s all for me today! I hope you’ll go check out the new Die-Cember release from Simon Says Stamp. So, SO many fun new items available to play with, including this fabulous new die from Hero Arts! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!


December 2018 My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Happy Monday! It’s the first Monday of the new month (how in the world is it already December?! Gah!), so that means a new My Monthly Hero kit is now available for purchase, and the Creative Team and some special guests are celebrating with a blog hop! I know many people are still creating all things Christmas, but the folks at Hero Arts created an absolutely gorgeous fairy kit that is sure to get your mind off of the red and green for a bit! You should have arrived from Caly Person’s blog and your next stop is Ilina Crouse’s blog.

Here’s the main kit and all of the extras included:
The kit includes: A 6×8 stamp set and coordinating dies, 4-5.5×8.5″ sheets of beautiful shimmer card stock, Moonlight confetti, and sparkly gel pen. The value of this kit is $65, but you can purchase for the price of $34.99! These kits frequently sell out, and once they’re gone, they’re gone… so don’t wait and miss out! You can also subscribe to make sure that you get first dibs every month. The kits will begin shipping from the warehouse on Friday, December 7th.

I have two projects today, one using the main kit and one with a couple of the add-ons, so let’s get started with the details!

For my first project today, I chose to create a little meadow scene with that darling mouse from the main kit! (Isn’t he just the cutest?!) I began by stamping some mushrooms, dandelions, and the little mouse on some hot press watercolor card stock using Intense Black ink. I then used the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors in shades of Dandelion, Orange, Moss, Strawberry, Black, and Cocoa to watercolor the images. I also watercolored a pale blue sky using very diluted Indigo watercolor.

After I’d watercolored everything, I die cut the images using their coordinating frame cuts (included in the kit). I also die cut a gold frame using some of the beautiful shimmer card stock included in the kit using the Infinity Rectangles Frame Cuts. I arranged my die cuts approximately where I wanted them, then used my Misti to get perfect placement for my sentiment and the little floating dandelion seeds on the blue sky background. I popped the frame up around the outer edge of the blue sky with foam tape, then added the rest of the die cuts with more foam tape to create a little scene with lots of dimension!

For my second project today, I absolutely couldn’t resist using the beautiful Fairy Window Fancy Die paired with the Star Light Star Bright Bold Print background stamp. I began by stamping the background using three different colors. To achieve this, I used my MISTI. I first stamped the Dark Indigo on the top third, blotting the edge of the inked area with a paper towel before closing the lid on my MISTI to soften the line of the ink and make a smoother fade. I added Indigo ink to the middle section, again dabbing the top and bottom with a paper towel to decrease the harsh lines and create a smoother blend, then finished it off with Orchid ink and a little more paper towel action. I spritzed it with some Iridescent White shimmer spray and set it aside to dry.

I die cut the Fairy Window Fancy Die from some black card stock and adhered it to the (now dried) starry panel using liquid adhesive. So much detail on this cover plate! I absolutely love it! I added a greeting from the main kit’s stamp set on a strip of white card stock and popped it up with some foam tape.

Well, that’s all for me today! Such a fun release, right? The kit, the add-ons… everything!

Now, for some fun giveaway information! Hero Arts is giving away one kit to a lucky commenter (and if you’ve already purchased one, they will reimburse you!). All you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment on each stop on the blog hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! Here’s the full lineup in case you got lost:

The Hero Arts Blog
Caly Person
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Michelle Short
Nichol Spohr
Yana Smakula
Jennifer McGuire
Kathy Racoosin
Debi Adams
Lydia Fiedler
Julee Tilman
Emily Loggan
Libby Hickson

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


Man Card Monday, Llamas Style!

Hi there! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some great Black Friday deals! I had some sick kiddos, so I wasn’t able to shop like I thought I would, but we had a delicious dinner on Sunday with my mom, husband, and the kiddos! I have another project that was in the Season of Wonder Hero Arts catalog, but it fits perfectly with Man Card Monday! Who doesn’t love a llama wearing a scarf, right?

I began by stamping the Color Layering Fa La Llama using Wet Cement, Cup ‘o Joe, Charcoal, Red Royal, and Intense Black inks. I die cut it using the coordinating dies. For the greeting, I stamped the “fa la la la llama” from the Color Layering Fa La Llama set and added some pale gray music notes.

To create the background, I first heat embossed the beautiful Garland Bold Prints stamp using gold embossing powder. I then blended Red Royal and Fresh Lawn inks, being careful not to let the two colors touch in order to keep things from getting muddied. I then spritzed the entire background with some of the beautiful White Iridescent Shimmer Spray from Hero Arts.

After the Shimmer Spray had dried, I mounted the die cut and the greeting on the front using foam tape for extra dimension!

Well, that’s all for this month’s edition of Man Card Monday! Cute critters in primary colors definitely equal masculine to me. Now, I have some information about some Cyber Monday deals going on today!

Ellen Hutson is having a Cyber Monday deal- take 15% off of your total purchase using code CYBERFUN.

Hero Arts is having a 50-25-25 sale… 50 holiday items at 25% off shipped free with orders over $25. Valid through Tuesday, November 27 at 6 am CST!

Picket Fence Studios is having a 20% off sale with coupon code BLACK20, plus get a free blender brush while supplies last! Those blender brushes are absolutely amazing. They will totally up your blending game! I will have a post using these phenomenal brushes very soon.

Shameless plug alert: As some of you might know, my husband is a woodworker and craftsman in his spare time, and he creates the absolutely beautiful pens that I used in my photos. He is also having a Cyber Monday sale on his website, offering a 7% discount on all in-stock pens. If you are a pen nut like me, you need to check them out. They’re absolutely gorgeous, and such beautiful quality. He also does custom orders, so if you see something that you like but would prefer a different color, he can certainly accommodate you! You can also check him out on Instagram @51woodworks. 🙂

Well, that’s all for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous week!


No gift is too small.

Hi there! I have a quick post for you today sharing one of the holiday cards that I created for the most recent Hero Arts catalog. The sweet little mice in the Christmas Mice stamp set stole my heart, and I absolutely loved coloring this little guy with my Prismacolor pencils. The sentiments included in the stamp set are just darling and have lovely meaning behind them. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I began by stamping the little mouse using Unicorn White ink onto some Earth Mix Layering Paper, then colored him in with my Prismacolor pencils using the no-line coloring method. When coloring with Prismacolor pencils on colored card stock, I like to first lay down a layer of white pencil, then add the color over the top. That layer of white acts as a nice barrier to keep the color from dulling and sinking into the colored card stock. Next, I heat embossed the greeting from Christmas Mouse beneath the pencil mouse using white embossing powder.

For my card base, I used one of my all-time favorite background stamps from Hero Arts: Candy Stripes. I trimmed the brownish-gray panel down, matted it on a slightly larger panel of red card stock, then mounted it to the red and white striped card stock base.

Simple, classic colors, nice and flat… perfect recipe for a holiday card. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!


November My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Good morning! Today is the day! The November My Monthly Hero kit is finally available for purchase, and we have a fantastic blog hop to help provide you with even more inspiration for this month’s kit! You should have arrived from Debi Adam’s blog, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse’s blog. This month’s kit is super unique and oh so much fun… the stamps and dies included in the kit help you create a miniature Advent calendar. Here’s what’s included:


4″ x 6″ Clear Stamp Set
4.25″ x 5.5″ Ornament Flap Fancy Die
4.25″ x 5.5″ Ornament Background Cling Stamp
Green-gold Embossing Powder 0.5 oz.
Gold Embossing Powder 0.5 oz.

This kit is valued at $60, but it’s available for purchase at only $34.99! Great value, right? And if you’ve been checking out the Hero Arts Blog, you’ve seen just how many different ways this kit can be used. These kits frequently sell out, and once they’re gone, they’re gone… so don’t wait and miss out! You can also subscribe to make sure that you get first dibs every month. The kits will begin shipping from the warehouse on Friday, November 9th. In case you missed it, this was my project for the Hero Arts Blog countdown:

I combined the main Advent calendar components with Clarice, our Elf on the Shelf to create a fun, interactive “scavenger hunt” for my kiddos! Fun for them to search for Clarice (and bonus, it helps them learn their numbers)! You can check out the full blog post here.

For my blog hop project today, I chose to use the lovely Ornament Background included in the main kit. I began by heat embossing it onto plain white card stock using silver embossing powder. I then used my foam blending tools to blend Indigo, Orchid, and Rose Madder Hybrid inks.

Once my colorful background was complete, I die cut a Christmas word die from plain white card stock. I also stamped the rest of the greeting from Christmas Trimmings on white strips of card stock using Indigo ink. I adhered them in the center of my blended panel using liquid adhesive (makes this the perfect, flat card for mailing!), then added some Crystal Lacquer to the Christmas die cut to add some textural interest to the card front.

The final step was to add some shiny, sparkly sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I know this color combination isn’t really “traditional” for Christmas, but I think it looks so magical with the ornaments and the snowflakes and the silver… it’s just plain pretty!

Now, for some fun giveaway information! Hero Arts is giving away one kit to a lucky commenter (and if you’ve already purchased one, they will reimburse you!). All you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment on each stop on the blog hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! Here’s the full lineup in case you got lost:

The Hero Arts Blog
Amy Kolling
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Julee Tilman
Laurie Willison
Lydia Fiedler
Michelle Short
Nichol Spohr
Yana Smakula

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