Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: Alex Syberia Designs!

Hello friends! I am back today with another STAMPtember Exclusive Collaboration, featuring one of my favorite companies: Alex Syberia Designs! Alex’s gorgeous floral illustrations speak to my heart, and I was tickled pink (or maybe teal!) to have an excuse to spend a delightful afternoon coloring this gorgeous new bouquet from the Exclusive STAMPtember release called Lovely Day (click HERE). Here’s a sneak peek at today’s collaboration set:

Spectacular, right? It is important to remember: these exclusive collaboration sets for STAMPtember are limited edition, so once they sell out, they won’t be restocked. Most sell out fairly quickly, so don’t wait if you are unsure! Click HERE to see all of the companies that will have these limited edition collaboration sets, and be sure to sign up for email reminders when they’re in stock, because their release days are top secret!!

I love that the Lovely Day set also has coordinating dies available, and the suite is super affordable. I chose to do a non-traditional color palette for my project today, pivoting away from my typical pinks and purples to some vibrant (if a little whimsical) teal and royal blue floral bouquet, colored on deep teal cardstock with colored pencils. Let’s get started with the details!

I began my project by locating two A2 panels of deep, saturated teal cardstock because I knew that I wanted to layer the vibrant, penciled bouquet on a monochromatic background to increase the dramatic aesthetic! I stamped the bouquet from Lovely Day onto one of the panels using White Pigment Ink, which I find works beautifully with colored pencils on colored cardstock. I then selected colored pencils from my stash in shades of teal and blue that were vibrant enough to still pop on the deeply saturated colored cardstock. I kept the color palette analogous, meaning colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. It still brings the drama of a monochromatic card but keeps things visually interesting!

After I had finished coloring the images on the colored cardstock, I used the detailed coordinating die to cut the image out. I just love how intricate these dies have become; they really increase the level of professionalism for the cards! I also heat embossed a simple greeting from the Lovely Day stamp set on another piece of the deep teal cardstock, stamping with white pigment ink and adding iridescent embossing powder over the top. I die cut the greeting with it’s coordinating die, as well, and set both die cuts aside to work on the card front.

To pull in some of that deep, royal blue from the bouquet, I used a Shading Brush to blend Royal Pawsitively Saturated Ink in the top left corner of my A2 card front. I then splattered some sparkling iridescent watercolors over the blended area, which I think adds so much magic, texture, and shimmer to the finished card! I popped up the colored die cut and sentiment with thin foam adhesive, then added some shimmering Royal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my project today! The Exclusive, Limited Edition Lovely Day (click HERE) STAMPtember Collaboration set will not be restocked, so be sure to get it while you can! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Fun Vellum Trifold with New Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Release!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I have such a fun card to share with you today featuring my new Floral Follies background stamp that was released with the mega STAMPtember Simon Says Stamp collection (click HERE to see the full release!). Whenever I create a new background stamp set, I always try to share multiple ways in which it can be used for papercrafting, whether you are a colorist or just like the pretty patterns. I chose to use it in a more subtle way today, allowing it to accent the background on my fun vellum trifold card, rather than adding tons of color and detail to bold flowers. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I placed the Floral Follies Background in the center of a 5 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ panel of vellum cardstock, then used my MISTI to stamp the detailed background stamp in the center of the panel using embossing ink. I added Platinum Sparkle embossing powder to the stamped background and heated it, then used my trimmer to cut right down the center of the panel to create the opening for my trifold card! (It was a lot easier to cut this one in the center; cutting the panels that I’ve colored makes my heart stop momentarily, ha!) I used a Scoring Board to score the vellum at 1/2″ inside each edge so that an A2 panel of deep green cardstock fit nicely inside. I adhered it with some super strong double sided tape, creating my trifold card base.

To adorn the front of my floral vellum card front, I decided to add a vibrant magenta bloom to the cigar band around the center of the card. Though the Blushing Blooms die includes a stem and multiple foliage options, I ignored the stem and die cut only the blooms and foliage from vibrant magenta cardstock and soft sage cardstock, respectively. I used Shading Brushes to blend Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Pine + Taffy on the die cuts, adding some extra dimension and depth to the images, before adhering the die cuts together with liquid adhesive.

After I had finished creating the bloom and foliage, I die cut a Modern Teardrops shape from some deep green cardstock and blended more Pine ink around the edges to add a bit more interest on the flat die cut. I also heat embossed a greeting from the new To Friendship stamp set on another piece of green cardstock using plain Platinum embossing powder, cutting the image out with it’s coordinating die. I arranged the die cuts on the blended Modern Teardrop shape and then created a belly band to keep the card closed when not being read; I simply cut an 11″ x 1 1/4″ strip of the same light sage green cardstock used for the foliage, then wrapped it around my card base and scored it in the appropriate spots. I trimmed off any excess, making sure that the seam of my belly band would be covered by the teardrop die cut.

Once I had created the belly band, I adhered the blooms, foliage, and sentiment with foam adhesive, then tucked a twine bow beneath the greeting and added some Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit of extra sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Sometimes, it’s so fun to think outside of the box and do something different like this trifold card. I just love how unique and elegant this one ended up! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: CZ Design!

Hi friends! As part of our STAMPtember fun, Simon Says Stamp collaborates with some of our favorite companies to create fabulous, limited edition stamps and die sets (and sometimes stencils, too!). Many of these collaboration sets are truly limited edition-once they’re sold out, they’re gone for good!- but today’s collaboration products are from CZ Design, and that means that they *will* be restocked if/when they sell out! Today’s collection (click HERE to see everything from CZ Design!) features lots of unique products for a variety of occasions, from Halloween to encouragement to flowers, all in Cathy Zielske’s distinctively clean style. I have a soft project featuring some stenciling, some stamping, and some embossing, all with sketchy flowers and my favorite shades of aqua. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I wanted to create one of those simple but oh-so-effective stenciled frames for which Cathy is renowned using the new Cropping Panels stencils. I placed one of the stencils in the center of my A2 card panel and kept it in place with some washi tape while I completed my blending. I used a Shading Brush to blend Seafoam Pawsitively Saturated Ink on the stencil’s opening. Keeping the stencil in place, I also selected some stamps from the new CZ Sketch Florals and stamped a variety of flowers and foliage on the bottom right corner of the blended area using Surf ink. Once I had finished stamping the pattern, I splattered some iridescent watercolor before removing the stencil, keeping the crisp white frame nice and clean.

After I had completed the background, I decided to create a couple of special floral accents for my focal point, so I stamped some more flowers and foliage from CZ Sketch Florals using Surf ink so that it popped a bit more from the background pattern. I also stamped directly over the top of the stamped image with embossing ink and sprinkled some iridescent embossing powder over it to help it pop from the background even more beautifully! I used the coordinating dies to cut the images out, then blended a touch of Seafoam ink on the die cuts to help them coordinate better with the overall color palette.

For the greeting, I stamped a sentiment from the new Fresh Sentiments again using Surf ink and adding iridescent embossing powder over the top. When heated, the iridescent powder over the colorful ink creates the most beautiful sheen! I arranged the die cuts over the stenciled area on the card front, adhering them with foam adhesive squares, then added a smattering of Surf Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for additional sparkle. I just love how this one came out! Definitely simple to replicate, and how pretty would it be as a card set in multiple colors?

Well, that’s all for my project today! As a reminder, the CZ Designs STAMPtember release *will* be restocked if and when they sell out, so if things are out of stock, be sure to add your email address to be notified when they come back. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: Tim Holtz!

*I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hello friends! It’s time to start sharing the ever-popular and highly-anticipated STAMPtember Collaboration Releases! For our first collaboration, we are starting off with a bang with a fan-favorite: Tim Holtz! (FYI: You can keep an eye on all of the collaboration sets by clicking HERE. Each new set will go live on a certain day of the month, so be sure to keep refreshing that page to see what new goodies come out at noon Eastern time!) The new illustrations from today’s kit release have a super unique, sketchy quality to them that is immediately recognizable as Tim’s signature style. (Click HERE to see this exquisitely curated kit!) I chose to create a vibrant holiday card with some mixed media flair and watercolored baubles for my project today. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I taped an A2 panel of Distress Watercolor Cardstock to my watercolor board using masking tape, leaving a 1/4″ frame around the edge of my panel. I then used Distress Ink Reinkers in shades of Kitsch Flamingo, Festive Berries, Mowed Lawn to create a watercolored panel, taking care to keep the green and red slightly separated so as to avoid creating a muddy mess! Once I had completed the watercoloring, adding multiple layers to make it look painterly and intentional, I allowed the panel to dry while still taped to the watercolor board to minimize warping. When completely dry, I added some gold splatters and stamped a few sparkles from the STAMPtember Exclusive Season of Magic stamp set using gold pigment ink. Once completely dry, I removed the masking tape from the edges, leaving a crisp white frame around my colorful watercolored background!

For the main focal point on the card, I used Gold Embossing Powder to heat emboss the baubles from the STAMPtember Exclusive Season of Magic stamp set twice on some more Distress Watercolor Cardstock. I used the same color palette of Kitsch Flamingo, Festive Berries, and Mowed Lawn Distress Reinkers to add color to the baubles, loosely reflecting the colors in the background, almost like they are reflecting the colorful lights from the Christmas tree! I also added some sparkling gold glitter watercolor on the bottom edge of each bauble for extra shimmer. Once the ornaments had dried completely, I used the coordinating dies to cut them out. I die cut several Pointy Pine Sprigs dies from two different shades of green cardstock and then layered the pine sprigs and the baubles atop the watercolored background to create a “branch” filled with gorgeous greenery and Christmas cheer!

After I had finished adhering the baubles and greenery to the card front, I heat embossed a greeting from the Season of Magic onto some more Distress watercolor paper using the same gold embossing powder. I die cut the finished sentiment with it’s coordinating die, then popped it up on the card front with a double layer of thin foam adhesive squares. The final finishing touch was a trio of Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to add extra festive sparkle to the card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! As a reminder: these limited edition STAMPtember collaboration sets are not going to be restocked, so if you have your eyes on one, don’t let it slip away! You’ll be sad to have missed out! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Floral Follies on Canvas with New Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I have more inspiration using my newest illustration that was released during the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release (click HERE to see the whole release!), called Floral Follies. I used some of my favorite blooms for this background stamp, including a huge and fluffy dahlia, some pretty tulips, and a generous garden rose. I shared THIS embossed and watercolored artwork project last week, but I couldn’t resist playing with acrylic markers to create a sweet little canvas wall hanging with some no-line painting. Let’s get started with the details!

Whenever I am at the dollar store, I check to see if there are any fun little trinkets or plain crafty items that I can pair with my stamps for some fun creative projects. I found a 3 pack of these 4×6 hardback canvases and knew that I wanted to use it to create some fun artwork! We moved into our newly-renovated forever home a couple of weeks ago (boy am I glad that I don’t have to move anymore!), and so I’ve been brainstorming how to put my artwork to put on the walls in a unique and curated fashion. I knew that these pretty blooms from the Floral Follies set would work beautifully in my daughter’s bathroom!

I stamped the image on the canvas with some gold pigment ink, then because adding color with acrylic paint markers. If you don’t have access to these hardbacked canvases, you can use a basswood panel or even mixed media cardstock that you back with chipboard to create a similar effect! You just want a surface that is sturdy that will stay flat when hanging on the wall. When working with acrylic markers and mixing the colors, I like to blend the mixed colors with a dry paintbrush, creating a gradient and lots of pretty depth and shading without detracting from the intensity of the opaque paint. Such a fun new (to me) medium with which to experiment!

After I had finished coloring the images themselves, I used a gold paint pen to cover the area behind the blooms and add an element of luxury to the panel. The shimmer is so lovely, but so difficult to photograph! Finally, I used a glue gun to add a peachy chiffon ribbon “hanger” to make it easy to hang this painting on the wall. I just love how it turned out!

Well, that’s all for my project today! The Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember company collaboration celebrations are starting today at 12 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Central, and you won’t want to miss these limited edition sets. Be sure to bookmark my blog or become a subscriber so that you don’t miss anything fun! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!