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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

simon says stamp

Hot Foil Friday with Simon Says Stamp!

Happy Friday, my friends! We are mere hours away from the weekend, thankfully! I always love the weekends, not just because I don’t have to roust my kiddos out of bed before they’re ready, but also because the days just feel a little slower and less chaotic when we aren’t scheduled down to the minute with activities. I know that will change as the kids get older and get involved in more activities, but for now, I’m savoring it. It took me a bit to jump on the hot foil bandwagon, but once I finally got comfortable with it…. I was hooked. I came up with the idea of “Hot Foil Friday” a while ago, thinking I would share hot foil projects with you all on Fridays, and I thought I’d share a hot foil project today using the new Spring Florals Hot Foil Plate from the new Just For You release from Simon Says Stamp!

I began by hot foiling these lovely spring blooms using the Spring Florals Hot Foil Plate and some Aura hot foil from Spellbinders. I love the subtle iridescent rainbow on this hot foil roll. At first glance, it looks like a cool golden metallic foil, but as you shift the card, it takes on a rainbow shine! I used Copic markers to add some pale yellow to these blooms, then cut them out with my sharp scissors.

To create a ground for my buttery yellow blooms, I used my favorite Nested Domed Arches dies to cut a frame and a solid background. I ran the large solid piece through my die cut machine with the Detail Ringlet Cover Plate to add some subtle texture, then layered the exterior frame over the top. The white on white is so classic and creates such a lovely backdrop for my sunny blooms! I popped the arch up on a white card front using some foam adhesive, then nestled my colorful Spring Florals blooms in the corner and popped them up with another layer of foam tape, making a double layer of foam adhesive.

To enhance the simplistic color scheme of this card, I wanted a simple greeting, so I trimmed down one of the Sentiment Strips: Easter greetings, snipping it in half to create two shorter strips instead of one long one. I nestled the sentiment strips amongst the flowers with some more foam tape, then added a vellum butterfly that I created using more Aura foil and the Dancing Butterflies Hot Foil Plate and Dies. The final touch was a few Buttercup Vase gems for one last bit of sparkle.

Welll, that’s all for my project today! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Simon Says Stamp Just For You Blog Hop-Day 1!

Hi there! Simon Says Stamp is celebrating their newest Just For You collection with a two-day blog hop, and today is the first day full of tons of inspiration using the amazing new products! You should have arrived here from Heather Ruwe, and your next stop is Alberto Gava. It never ceases to thrill me to see one of my illustrations come to life as a stamp set, and so it is super exciting for me to see my new Herb Labels set in the Simon Says Stamp lineup!

I designed the Herb Labels set to create customized labels for your herb garden, but since I’m a cardmaker, I wanted to make sure that there were some sentiments to create cards, as well! I added several punny sentiments, and while puns are not my normal jam, I have to say… these make me chuckle. I kept the fonts simple and classy, and I really am enjoying using them! They work for so many occasions, too…. “Mint to be” would be perfect for a wedding, engagement, or just an I love you card; “eat, drink, and be rosemary” would work for a wedding or for the holidays; “tis the seasoning” works for a holiday card; “you’re kind of a big dill” would work for tons of occasions-how cute would it be for a Father’s Day card?! (You can see another project using the herbs and other new release goodies HERE.) I had such fun creating these, and I couldn’t resist using my favorite sentiment on the card below. Let’s get started with the details!

I adore the look of colored pencils on colored cardstock, and red and kraft are just *chef’s kiss* together! I stamped my tomatoes from Herb Labels onto some Sand cardstock from Hero Arts using white pigment ink, which is the ink that I prefer to use when doing pencil work on colored cardstock. I then used colored pencils to add several shades of red and green to the tomato vine. I love how vibrant these colors are on the muted kraft cardstock.

I die cut the large label image from Herb Labels from some more Sand cardstock, then heat embossed the frame outline and the sentiment with white embossing powder. The white looks so crisp on the muted brown cardstock! I popped up the penciled, die cut tomatoes on the tag using foam adhesive, so that they look as though they’re hanging from a vine in a garden

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When creating a card with a simplistic color scheme, I like to add lots of texture to the background, as well as lots of height with different levels of foam adhesive. To create the card base, I ran a full size A2 card front of the Sand cardstock through my die cut machine using the Spun Glass Embossing Folder from Simon Says Stamp. The repeating pattern and subtle texture were perfect for my somewhat monochromatic card front. I also popped up a white glitter die cut frame around the edge, which I cut using the A2 Thin Frames die set. I haven’t snipped my dies apart, instead leaving them as one solid die, so that when I run it through my die cut machine, I get a ton of frames in various sizes and widths and can just save the rest for a rainy day! I added the tomato label to the embossed, framed card front using foam tape, creating lots of height and texture.

My second card features the beautiful, scripty new Easter Blessings die. I have had the utterly lovely Dandy Floral Embossing Folder + Die set out on my desk for such a long time, waiting for the perfect project on which to use it. As soon as I saw the gorgeous font and generous size of the Easter Blessings die, I knew they would work beautifully together! The large flower on the Dandy Floral Embossing Folder reminds me of one of those ruffly, specialty daffodils, and what is more reminiscent of Easter and springtime than a daffodil?

I ran the Dandy Floral Embossing Folder through my die cut machine with an A2 piece of Arches cold press watercolor paper inside. I find that the Arches cold press works beautifully with these detailed embossing folders, sturdy enough to hold up to the deep embossing but also retains some of the texture that is important for (my own personal style of) watercoloring. After taping down the panel to my watercolor board, I used Daniel Smith watercolors to add lots of vibrant color. After laying down my initial layer of color, I always like to go back a second and sometimes even a third time to enhance shadows and add more vibrance. The heavy duty watercolor paper allows me the flexibility to go back in and add more pigment and water without worrying that it will start to pill or disintegrate. I find that a paintbrush with a nice, crisp point is crucial for watercoloring these embossing folder images, just as it would be for any no-line watercoloring project.

I wanted the greeting to be simple, elegant, and stand out nicely on the vibrant background, so I die cut it twice from plain white cardstock and once from the same white glitter cardstock that I used for the frame in the previous project. I adhered all of these together using liquid glue, creating a dimensional die cut. The extra height allows the greeting to stand out a bit from the super textured, colorful background, while the sparkle of the glitter cardstock adds some opulence and shimmer! I adhered the dimensional die cut to the colorful card front using plenty of liquid adhesive. I find that liquid adhesive, rather than a tape runner, works best when adhering die cuts to super textured papers. A few Milk Glass gems helped to add one last touch of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. I have a couple more up my sleeve to share with you, but I will save them for next week!

To celebrate the Just For You release and the blog hop, Simon Says Stamp is offering a fun discount:

Use code GREEN to receive $7 off with a purchase of $40 or more! This promotion will expire 3/19 at 11:59 pm EDT.

They are also giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop, selected from the comments section. The winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday the 22nd of March. All winners must email Simon Says Stamp to claim his/her prize, so be sure to check the blog next week!

Also-I will be attending the Simon Says Stamp CREATE event next month in Columbus, Ohio! I will be working in the Hero Arts booth and meandering around seeing all of the crafty goodness and crafty friends. There are some crazy talented instructors teaching amazing Create It, Take It classes, and tons of awesome shopping opportunities. You can find out all of the information HERE. Will I see you there?

Your next stop on the hop is the ridiculously talented Alberto Gava. And don’t forget to check out the enormously talented hoppers tomorrow on Day 2 of the hop, as well! So much inspiration-you won’t want to miss. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Simon Says Stamp Just For You Release+New Illustration!

Hi there! I am really excited for this month’s Simon Says Stamp Just For You release, not just because it’s full of fun springy products, but also because I have a new illustration included in the release: Herb Labels! I designed this set to create super cute labels for your herb garden, including Mint, Basil, Rosemary, Dill, and Tomatoes (which aren’t technically an herb, I know). Because I’m a cardmaker and have a black thumb, I also included several super cute, punny sentiments to give you multiple uses for this set! I have a couple of cards using some new and old goodies from Simon Says Stamp, so let’s get started with the details!

The world outside is slowly turning green, the light lasting longer, birds are singing… spring is definitely on the way. My cards today channel that crisp brightness with pops of verdant green. I used Field Paws-itively Saturated Ink as the primary color for both of my cards. This bright green embodies the brightness of the greens in springtime, and it was a perfect fit for both of my cards!

My first card starts by stamping the new Leaf Edges stamp with Field ink onto a panel of white cardstock, then cutting it out with one of the Nested Domed Arches. I blended some more Field ink along the bottom left edge, as well, which covered up a spot that I didn’t get stamped perfectly. (wink wink) As I was looking through my bin of dies from Simon Says Stamp, I discovered that the Privet Branch die was a very close match to the leaves on one side of the the new Leaf Edges stamp. I cut the foliage die from some Meadow cardstock from Hero Arts. You could also use the Field ink to blend your own custom cardstock to make sure it was a perfect match!

To create a background for my leaves, I used Field ink to blend all of the layers of the Radiating Squares layered stencil set. I thought this geometric pattern looked lovely juxtaposed with the graceful movement of the Leaf Edges and Privet Branch images. To prevent my leaf images from being overpowered by the busy background pattern, I trimmed down a panel of vellum slightly smaller than A2 size and layered it directly over the top of the stenciled panel. This helped to soften the pattern without completely covering it. I adhered the stamped, blended arch die cut with some liquid adhesive, then added the branch die cut with some foam tape. I flipped it over and hid my liquid adhesive on the vellum behind the solid die cuts.

I die cut a Handlettered Greetings “with sympathy” die cut from some more Meadow cardstock, snipping the individual words apart with my sharp scissors. I die cut the rectangular Thin Frames die, once for the larger rectangle, and twice for the thin frame and interior rectangle portion, which I adhered together to add a bit of height. I adhered the sentiment word die cuts on the rectangle using liquid adhesive, then popped it up with some foam tape. The final touch was to add a few Opal gems for some subtle sparkle and added texture.

My second card uses the same fresh, crisp green-and-white color scheme, this time with my new Herb Labels. I began by die cutting the large frame from Herb Labels from the center of an A2 panel of white cardstock. I layered a solid A2 piece of white cardstock behind the negative of the frame, then placed them both in my MISTI and used the opening as my guide to place the large label stamp in the center of my full piece of cardstock. I stamped it with the Field ink to create a vibrant, crisp frame behind my die cut frame.

I also stamped the dill bunch from the Herb Labels set, again using Field ink to coordinate with my frame. I used a very fine tipped black pen to outline the string wrapped around the base of my dill bunch. I also used the Field ink to stamp the smaller label, adding one of the punny greetings from the Herb Labels set and die cutting both the dill bunch and the frame using the coordinating dies.

To add a little extra texture to the large frame die cut, I ran the entire panel through my die cut machine using the Pinpoint Starlets embossing folder. I love the sweet texture this provides to this crisp white cardstock! I popped up the embossed panel on the stamped background using some foam squares, then added a double layer of foam squares to the back of the dill bunch. I also popped up the sentiment label using foam squares. The extra height and texture would help to add some interest to the simplistic color scheme of the card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have some more goodies to share with you using the Just For You release, as well as some more cards using my new Herb Labels set. Be sure to check back tomorrow! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Be Creative Blog Hop-Day 2!

Hi friends! I’m super excited to be a part of the Simon Says Stamp Be Creative Blog Hop on Day 2! You can check out Day 1 HERE. You should have arrived here from Heather Ruwe, and your next stop is Lea Lawson. You can also head back to the Simon Says Stamp Blog to see the full hop list. This month’s Be Creative release is full of a huge variety of fun new products, and I have two projects to share with you featuring the new goodies, so let’s get started with the details.

My first card features a clean and simple design created with the new Vitamin Sea stamp set (I have a more involved card that I shared earlier this week HERE on my blog). I stamped the mermaid lounging on a rock from Vitamin Sea using some Intens-ified Black ink from Hero Arts, then used my Copic markers to add color to the images. I used the coordinating dies to cut the images out, trimming off the water around the rock to simplify the look.

I wanted to create a window behind my pensive mermaid with a colorful sky background, so I die cut a circle from an A2 sized card panel using the Thin Frames dies. On a second piece of A2 cardstock, I lined up the two panels and then used a pencil to lightly trace the window opening so that I would know where to do do my ink blending. I then used blending brushes with the Horizon stencil to blend Taffy, Iris, and Galaxy inks and create a luscious sunset background. I used some of the bird stamps in the Vitamin Sea stamp set to add some flying birds onto the cloudy background. I then adhered the A2 circle frame with some foam tape and the thin frame (left over from die cutting the large frame) with some liquid adhesive.

I popped up the mermaid with a double layer of foam tape to help her pop from the background, then stamped a greeting from Vitamin Sea using black ink and used the coordinating dies to cut it out, popping it up with another double layer of foam tape. I love the extra dimension that the foam tape adds to the different layers! Keeps this relatively simple card from looking boring, in my opinion.

My second card is an homage to Lisa Frank! Remember the Lisa Frank trapper keepers, pencils, notebooks, stickers, etc that we were obsessed with as kids? Well, I couldn’t resist using the Animal Print stencils with several of my favorite Paws-itively Saturated inks to create a fun, colorful Lisa Frank-inspired background to go with the new Simply Fabulous sentiment die! I started by blending Rose, Amethyst, Iris, Cadette, and Lucky inks on the diagonal on an A2 panel of cardstock.

Next, I placed the blended panel in the center of the new Stamp & Stencil Mat and used the sticky area around the mat on the edges of the panel to place the Animal Print stencil and keep it perfectly in place while I blended black ink over the top of the stencil, creating my rainbow leopard print background! Having the adhesive all the way around the edge kept my stencil nice and snug against my blended background, helping to create a super crisp stenciled background!

I used black glitter foam from Spellbinders to die cut the outline background from the new Simply Fabulous die, then die cut the detail layer from some silver holographic cardstock. The foam base layer helps to add a bit of height to the sentiment without any extra effort! I added some sentiment strips from the previously-released Spring in my Step, heat embossed in silver on some thin strips of black cardstock. Before I adhered the sentiment pieces, I die cut a black frame using the A2 Thin Frames and adhered it in the corner of the blended card front with liquid adhesive at a jaunty angle. I adhered the sentiment pieces with liquid and foam adhesive, then added a few iridescent gems that matched the rainbow feel of the card!

Well, that’s all for my projects for today! Now, to celebrate the Be Creative release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 shopping spree to one commenter on each of the hop stops! Simply leave a comment on each hop stop, then check the winners announcement on February 22 to claim your prize.

Simon Says Stamp is also offering a super cute freebie with purchase! Simply enter code ART4U at checkout to receive the Handcrafted With Love stamp set for free.

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

Simon Says Stamp Be Creative Release-February 2023!

Hi there! Simon Says Stamp released some super cute new stamps and dies today for their Be Creative release, and I have a sweet watercolored mermaid shaker card using the new Vitamin Sea stamp set! I dug out my Tombow Dual Brush markers to create this super colorful watercolored underwater scene. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping lots of the images from Vitamin Sea onto some Arches Hot Press watercolor paper using Altenew’s Obsidian Black pigment ink, then clear embossing over the top. You could just stamp with your favorite waterproof black ink, but I prefer the crispness and intensity of the clear embossing over the top of the black lines. It helps keep them super defined!

I used my Tombow Dual Brush markers to add lots of vibrant color to the images. I couldn’t resist making an Ariel with her fiery red hair! When working with watercolor markers, I tend to use a combination of techniques to get the color to the paper, sometimes scribbling the color out onto my work surface, then picking it up with a damp paintbrush, which creates a more diluted and pastel version, and sometimes putting the marker directly to the paper itself, creating much more intense and vibrant colors. For the watery background, I scribbled the blue, aqua, and purple markers onto my glass mat, then picked each of them up with my wet paintbrush and dropped them onto the background to create a mottled, watery backdrop for my underwater scene. For the images themselves, I used both techniques, sometimes mixing colors on my glass mat to create custom colors, sometimes putting the markers directly to the paper to create super vibrant watercoloring that was true to the marker color.

Once I had finished adding lots of color to my scene, I went back in with a clean, wet paintbrush to lift some of the color from the background. I created small circles with my wet paintbrush, dried it off, then used the “thirsty brush” technique to pull the color off, effectively bleaching the area of color. To add some iridescent shimmer to the bubbles, I tapped some Interference Green Perfect Pearls onto my glass mat and added water to create super sparkly, iridescent “paint,” which I added to the bleached bubbles. It’s hard to capture the shimmer in the photos, but it’s so pretty! Once I had finished watercoloring, I added a greeting to the watercolored panel with some more black pigment ink and clear embossing powder.

To make this as festive a birthday card as possible, I wanted to create a shaker! I used my trimmer to cut a frame from some shiny, almost holographic white cardstock, which I backed with a piece of scrap stamp packaging. (Love getting extra use out of something that would just go in the trash!) I filled the shaker with some Spring Showers sequins, which look like more bubbles to me!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have a couple more projects to share with you using the new goodies from this release, which I will share later this week. In the meantime, you can check out the new Be Creative release HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!