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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

simon says stamp

Simon Says Stamp Hugs & Kisses Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! I am thrilled to be a stop on Day 1 of the Hugs & Kisses Release Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Alberto Gava, and your next stop is Vicky Papaioannou. You can also start back at the beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog. After a little holiday break, we are celebrating both the Simon Says Stamp Hugs release from December 2022 and the brand new Kisses release from January 2023! Both of these releases are love-themed, and many of the products work beautifully together. I have two blushing projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

Every few weeks, we get little glimpses of springtime with some lovely mild temperatures, and I was channeling those memories of pleasant spring days when I worked on these projects. I realized after I created them that the color palette was very similar to my projects from the November Holiday Sparkle Blog Hop, this time with a floral springtime vibe! I can’t seem to get enough of that blushy cardstock paired with metallic accents, and both of these cards feature that soft pink, this time paired with the new Champagne Matte Cardstock and a ton of new and old goodies!

My first card features the Heart Panes die from the Hugs release, die cut from the new Champagne Matte Cardstock. The heart opening in the center is the perfect size to fit the “sending love” greeting from the new From the Heart Messages stamp set. I cut a piece of blush colored cardstock down to A2 size, then arranged my champagne cover plate die cut over the top of the blush background and placed the entire panel inside my MISTI. I placed the stamp from the From the Heart Messages set in the center and closed the door, then removed the die cut.

I heat embossed the greeting using Metallic Platinum Sparkle embossing powder, which was a near-perfect match for the Champagne Matte Cardstock. After I had embossed the greeting in the center, I lightly blended some Cheeky ink around the edges to add a little extra dimension to the background. I adhered the cover plate die over the top of the blended, embossed background panel.

To accent the heart, I wanted to add some simple die cut flowers from that same blush cardstock. I die cut the Etched Magnolia Blossom and Blossom Vine dies from the blush cardstock, then die cut some foliage from the leftover panes of Champagne cardstock using the Privet Branch die. I lightly blended some more Cheeky ink around the edges of the die cut magnolia pieces using a small blending brush and adhered the pieces using both liquid and foam adhesive for lots of dimension. I arranged the die cuts in a swag around the foil heart and sentiment, adding a sentiment strip and some Champagne Glitter Drops for some more sparkle!

My second card features the same color scheme, this time using the Flourishing Bloom cover plate die to create a lovely floral background! I began with another A2 panel of the blush cardstock, blended around the edges with Cheeky ink to add some extra interest to the background. I then die cut the Flourishing Bloom cover plate die from the Champagne Matte Cardstock and mounted it on the blush background using liquid adhesive.

To accent the foiled foliage, I die cut the Flourishing Bloom cover plate from another panel of the blush cardstock, then used my sharp scissors to trim each of the individual flowers off of the large die cut. I used the same small blending brush with Cheeky ink to add some extra dimension to the blooms. This helps them pop from the background a bit! I adhered all of the die cut blooms to the floral background using foam tape to help give them even more interest and dimension.

For the greeting, I used the brand new Hi There sentiment die set. I die cut the background layer from some heavyweight vellum, then adhered the detail layer cut from some Champagne Matte Cardstock. I popped the sentiment up with some thin strips of foam tape, hidden behind the solid portion of the die cuts to keep it from showing through the semi-transparent vellum! I also added some Champagne Glitter Drops to the center of the flowers. Lots of height and texture on this card’s background!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaways and freebie information!

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to each stop on the hop. The winner will be selected from the comments and announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on January 25, 2023! To be entered to win, simply leave a comment on each blog across the hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Simon Says Stamp is also adding a sweet little freebie with purchase. Simply add code RBW23 at checkout to receive the Rainbow 3×4 stamp set with your order!

Your next stop is Vicky Papaioannou Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Simon Says Stamp Kisses New Release!

Hi there! Tonight, Simon Says Stamp is releasing their latest product collection: Kisses! This new collection is full of fun products to create cards filled with love for the recipient. I used the new Painted Heart Wreath stamp to create two super-shiny, watercolored projects today, so let’s get started with the details!

Both of my projects today feature the Painted Heart Wreath. I began by stamping this beautiful new cling stamp using Contour Ink from Hero Arts onto a 6×6 panel of watercolor paper. This solid stamp stamps as one complete image, so in order to create a multicolored finished product, I did some watercoloring on the individual elements. The Contour Ink stamps in a very light gray, and it does not interfere with the colors of the watercoloring itself! Score! I used my Tombow Dual Brush markers to add lots of vibrant color to these individual images, scribbling color onto my glass work surface and picking it up with my damp paintbrush, then moving the color around on the solid images of the stamped panel. Once those had dried, I got out my handmade, super shiny, metallic watercolors from IUILE and added some sparkles over the top. I love the finished effect!

For my first card, I trimmed the Painted Heart Wreath panel that I watercolored down to mini-slimline size. The 6×6 panel was the perfect size for this mini-slimline card, and I even had leftovers!

I stamped one of the greetings from the From the Heart Messages stamp set using Platinum Sparkle embossing powder from WOW! Embossing. This glittery not-quite-silver-but-not-quite-gold worked beautifully with the sparkly watercolored elements. To add a touch of extra texture and sparkle to this relatively-simple card front, I added a few Milk Glass gems.

My second card uses some of the leftover pieces from my Painted Heart Wreath panel. There wasn’t quite enough left of the stamped pattern to use the full panel for a card, so I trimmed out a few of the elements using my sharp scissors to use them as sparkly accents!

Using the same shades of Tombow Dual Brush markers, I watercolored a vibrant-but-still-soft lilac ombré on some more watercolor paper. I die cut it out using the Big Hugs die from Simon Says Stamp, then, keeping the die cut within the negative space, I added some super sparkly watercolor over the top. The sparkles are very subtle, but they catch the light so beautifully, as you can see in the photo above. I die cut the same Big Hugs die twice more from some plain white cardstock scraps and layered all three die cuts together to create a dimensional die cut greeting.

Using the new Matte Champagne Foil cardstock from the Kisses release, I die cut the new Heart Chain die, reserving the full size negative hearts from the centers of the die cut. I adhered the Heart Chain with some liquid adhesive to the white A2 card base, then began arranging the sentiment die cut and watercolored, sparkling Painted Heart Wreath leftovers with foam adhesive. I added the heart die cuts from the Heart Chain die cut using foam adhesive, as well, which remind me of bubbles floating from the focal point. The final touch was to add a few more Milk Glass gems for a bit more texture and sparkle!

Well, that’s all for these projects! I hope you’ll check out the new Kisses release over at Simon Says Stamp. So many unique and fun new products that are full of beautiful images, poignant and clever sentiments, and creative dies. And be sure to come back later this week for the blog hop! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

More Simon Says Stamps Hugs Release!

Hi there! I’m still not 100%, but I wanted to share these projects that I made using new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp Hugs release while my brain was a little lucid. (Kids, man, they bring home some wicked germs!! I can’t remember the last time I felt this bad. Even hubby, my redheaded man of steel who never gets sick, has been knocked down for days.) I have a pair of cards using the fabulous new You’re My Gal and the Jumbled Hearts background stamp along with some old and new goodies, so let’s get started with the details!

Both of my cards feature backgrounds created by watercoloring the new Jumbled Hearts background stamp and my Holbein watercolors. I began by heat embossing the entire 6×6 background stamp on a panel of watercolor paper using gold embossing powder. I used my Holbein watercolors to add lots of fun, Valentine-y colors to the heat embossed hearts.

For my first card, I trimmed down the watercolored Jumbled Hearts panel so that it covered most of my card front. I wanted to add black accents, so I used a black Karin marker to complete the “background” that behind all of the hearts. I added a strip of matte gold cardstock along the edge, then completed the rest of the A2 card front by tucking a strip of black cardstock beneath it.

After I’d finished my card base, I used the same brushed gold cardstock to die cut the Highlight Heart die from the DieCember release. The lines on the heart die cut match the graphic feel of the hearts on the embossed, watercolored background!

For the greeting, I heat embossed a few of the sentiments from the You’re My Gal stamp set onto some more black cardstock and trimmed them down to sentiment strips. I popped up the gold heart with some black foam tape, then added the sentiment strips using a double layer of the black foam tape. The final touch was to add some black gems for one more accent of shiny black!

My second card features the “leftover” strip of my watercolored Jumbled Hearts panel as the background on a Basic Box Card project. I die cut the main portion of the box card from some watermelon cardstock, coordinating with the watercolored hearts on my embossed panel.

Before assembling the Basic Box Card, I also die cut a few of the elements from the Basic Box Card Hearts add-on dies, cutting the scalloped panel from some white glitter cardstock, then cutting the super detailed heart outline layer once from gold glitter and once from plain white cardstock. I reserved the interior die cuts from the gold glitter die cut, then used Paws-itively Saturated Peony, Cheeky, and Taffy inks with the  Simon Says Stamp Blending Brushes to carefully blend a pretty ombre on the detailed die cut. I adhered the blended die cut and the white glitter die cut to the interior of the Basic Box Card according to the instructions, then turned my attention to the card front.

I gold heat embossed a couple of greetings from the You’re My Gal onto some white cardstock and die cut them. I adhered the sentiment pieces to the front of the box card using some of Altenew’s Ultra Sticky Tape, then added a trio of glittery gold hearts that we’d reserved earlier. Such a pretty card to give to your favorite gal pal, and I love how the card folds up so nicely to fit flat in an envelope! Such a unique look.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I hope you’ll take a peek at the Hugs release, because it’s filled with all kinds of beautiful products perfect for your Valentine’s Day projects! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Hugs Release!

Hi there! My entire family has been accosted by some unpleasant germs, so this will be a fairly quick post, but I wanted to pop in and share one of the projects that I made for the Simon Says Stamp Hugs release! The month of December already has the distinction of being DieCember, so this release is almost like a little extra Christmas present. 😉 Let’s get started on my project!!

I wanted to let the beautiful Heart Panes Cover Plate Die be the star of the show, so I created a simple, super vibrant ink blended background using some vivid Valentine’s Day colors! I used Simon Says Stamp Paws-itively Saturated Peony, Cheeky, and Taffy inks with Simon Says Stamp Blending Brushes to blend this pretty background. After I’d finished blending the background, I spritzed it with some gold Mica Stain from Tim Holtz to add some shimmer to the background. It’s subtle in the photos (why is it so difficult to take photos of sparkle?), but it’s so lovely in real life!

To create my edge-to-edge shaker portion, I used some leftover cellophane packaging that I had from some product that I’d received. I trimmed the clear plastic to be slightly larger than my A2 card panel, notching it at the corners so that I could adhere it cleanly. I ran Altenew’s Ultra Sticky Tape along the edges on the back of the blended panel, then wrapped the cellophane around the card front and adhered 3/4 sides. I filled the resulting pocket with different kinds of flat sequins and confetti that coordinated nicely with my color scheme, then removed the release paper on the last segment of the shaker front and closed it up!

Over the top of my shaker front, I adhered the Heart Panes Cover Plate Die cut from some matte gold cardstock using Simon Says Stamp tape runner. (Using tape runner helps to keep glue from squishing out the sides!) I also placed the leftover solid heart die cut on the center of the Flowerful Medallion die to add some delicate, lacy details, then replaced it in the center of the heart die cut. I added a dimensional die cut “hugs” greeting, cut three times using the Basic Trio die and adhered together, as well as some foiled sentiment strips created using my Minc machine, gold foil, and the Sassy Love sentiment strips preprinted sentiments. It’s so difficult to photograph the shine from these foiled sentiments, but isn’t that so fun that you can foil these sentiment cards? One more way to keep things interesting!!

Well, that’s all for my project today. I have a couple more projects to share with you, but I am not feeling so great, so they will have to wait for another day! The new Hugs release is available even if my brain is not functioning the greatest (thanks germs!), so I hope you’ll take a peek. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp DieCember Release Blog Hop-Day 2!

Good morning! Have you checked out the 10th Simon Says Stamp DieCember celebration? We are hopping along today for Day 2 of the Blog Hop to give you even more inspiration using these die-lightful new products! (Forgive me, my biggest boy has figured out why puns are funny, so I’m stuck in that “funny to a 9 year old” mindset.) You should have arrived here from Heather Hoffman, and your next stop is Lea Lawson. I have a stenciled project using new DieCember goodies to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The new Large Chevron Stencils are perfect for those minimalist masculine cards that can be so difficult to create for a flower-loving girly girl like me. These layering stencils take the guesswork out of things, because when used all together, they create a full background that just needs a greeting!

I paired these Large Chevron Stencils with this beautiful green ink trio (Aspen, Pine, and Sage) from the Paws-itively Saturated line to create my minimalist masculine card. For the darkest green section, I first blended Pine ink, then blended Charcoal ink directly over the top to create a super dark green. I love that you can create custom colors like this by mixing and matching colors that you already have in your stash!

To create the greeting, I created a dimensional die cut with the “hello” die from the new Basic Trio dies, cut twice from plain white cardstock and once from Snow White Velvet cardstock and layered together with liquid adhesive. I also die cut a thin frame from some white cardstock using the A2 Thin Frames die set, which I backed with some vellum to soften the bold patterned background. I centered the dimensional die cut “hello” in the vellum rectangle and adhered it on my chevron card front. I trimmed down a greeting from the Well Wishes Sentiment Strips set and adhered it beneath the rectangle die cut using some foam adhesive.

I always struggle with masculine cards, so I was super excited at how nicely this came together! The relatively neutral green makes this appropriate for any person, and the bold graphic Large Chevron Stencils background makes it acceptable to even the pickiest guy. (Ha!)

Well, that’s all for this project today! It feels weird not having any sparkles on my card, but sometimes the design just doesn’t need any!

To celebrate this fantastic new release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 gift code to one winner selected from each stop on the hop. Leave a comment on all of the stops for maximum chances to win! The winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on December 7, 2022. Be sure to check out and comment on all of the stops on Day 1 of the hop, too!

To sweeten the shopping, Simon Says Stamp is offering a fantastic freebie with your $25 purchase! Simply enter code MERRY to receive a free Merry On A Line die with your order! You can check out the entire DieCember release HERE.

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