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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

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!


Spellbinders Large Die of the Month!

Good morning! I have another fun kit from Spellbinders to share with you today! Each month, Spellbinders releases several new monthly die kits that are fantastic value and come with super versatile pieces. The Large Die of the Month kit released today features some fun new full-size card dies and several accessory dies that are more springy, but I chose to continue with full on winter/holiday. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by die cutting the large card die from some plain white card stock. This die creates the entirety of the card, complete with score lines and everything! All you have to do is fold and decorate as you wish! I’ve never made a card that folded like this, and I think it’s super fun! I also die cut the center medallion and two of the panels (helpfully rounded where the center medallion swings out and flips) from the same white card stock.

Once I’d die cut all of the pieces, I just started stamping and having fun decorating the panels. I thought this would be a fun holiday card, something different than the normal cards we’ve been creating and sending all season, so I stamped a bunch of snowflakes from Concord and 9th’s Snow Flurry using Altenew’s Deep Blue Sea ink quartet, with a few small silver flurries thrown in there, as well.

I adhered all of the pieces on the panel, also adding a greeting on the back of the medallion from Concord and 9th’s Winter Wear. The photo above shows what the back of the medallion looks like when opened and laid flat. Such a fun card style, and so many different ways to customize it!

Well, that’s all for me today! I hope you are taking some time to enjoy the holiday season! So many things to do, so little time! Thanks for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!


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!


Ellen Hutson 12th Anniversary!

Good morning! I have a special post for you today. Ellen Hutson is celebrating 12 fabulous years as one of our favorite places on the interwebs, and the Design Ambassadors are sharing our favorite Essentials By Ellen stamp sets with you today! No surprise here, my favorite Essentials By Ellen stamp set is the amazing, absolutely gorgeous in all mediums Mondo Peony set. I’m not entirely sure why peonies are my favorite flowers… something about the graceful curve to their petals just makes my eyes turn to hearts. I have an embarrassingly large collection of peony stamps, but the sheer size and the variety of shapes included in the Mondo Peony set from Ellen Hutson makes it my most favorite.

For my project, I of course had to create a cluster of beautiful peony blooms, so I began by stamping three of the blooms from the Mondo Peony set using Hero Arts Intense Black ink, then stamping them again on masking paper. While the masking paper was still adhered, I stamped foliage using the same black Copic-friendly ink.

After my stamping was complete, it was time to start coloring. I have really been enjoying using my hex chart from Sandy Allnock when choosing my Copic markers. It allows me to see how colors might work together, even if they’re not necessarily from the same color family or in numerical order. I used: RV23, RV55, V05, V06, V09 for the pink peony petals. The addition of the V09 adds some purple to this bright pink bloom, creating lots of depth, and I just love the almost watermelon color that this combination creates.

After I’d finished coloring all of my images, I stamped and die cut the greeting from Mondo Sakura and the coordinating die set, which includes some beautiful word dies. I white embossed the greeting on some strips of black card stock, then die cut the “beautiful” from both black glitter card stock and twice more from regular white card stock. I then adhered all of the die cuts together to create a dimensional die cut. I adhered the greeting with liquid and foam adhesive, then added some Rose Gold gems from Pretty Pink Posh to finish it off.

Now, to celebrate 12 fantastic years of Ellen Hutson, she’s having a sale!

Use the coupon code celebration18 to receive 20% off of your order through midnight on 11/20/2018! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and go get your shop on!

25 Days of Christmas Tags with Ellen Hutson!

Good morning! Today, I again have the pleasure of taking part in Tracey McNeeley’s 25 Days of Christmas Tags, this time as one of the representatives for Ellen Hutson! This season has seen some beautiful new holiday goodies added to the Essentials By Ellen line, and my favorite new die set from the newest release is the Pop Up Mittens die set, which has not only a pair of adorable mittens and the pop-up mechanism, but also some beautiful snowflakes in various sizes. I paired the snowflakes with the Classic Blocked Alphabet dies to create a custom sentiment on my blended, glittery tag base. Let’s get started with all of the details!

To start, I wanted to create a super unique background for my tag base. I was inspired by the fabulous Carly Tee Minner’s use of Nuvo Moonstone Glimmer Paste on colored card stock, and thought I’d add little something to it by adding some Distress Oxide Ink blending into the mix. I began by blending Cracked Pistachio and Spun Sugar Distress Oxide Inks on a panel of white card stock (I just love how fresh and minty this color combination is! Reminds me of Candy Land or something!), then covering the entire blended panel with a nice thick layer of Moonstone Glimmer Paste.

While my super sparkly panel was drying, I die cut several snowflakes from the Pop Up Mittens set using silver foil card stock and white card stock. I also die cut J and Y from the Classic Blocked Alphabet. I combined the die cut letters with one of the snowflakes to create my own “JOY.” After I’d allowed sufficient drying time, I began adhering my greeting to my glittery panel using dimensional adhesive, and my snowflakes using liquid adhesive.

I created a tag hanger by cutting a strip of card stock, folding it in half, and adhering it to the top of my glittery snowflake panel. I added a double pink twine bow, then decided to add some white Nuvo drops to add to the look of falling snow.

Well, what do you think? The sparkle on this tag is unreal, and sometimes, you just need that little extra something on a really special holiday gift. This would even be pretty on just a solid colored bag with some fluffy tissue, or a wine bottle wrapped in tissue and using this sparkly tag as the decoration!

Now, you’ll want to head over to Tracey McNeeley’s blog post to find out all of the details on the multitude of prizes available to win, not to mention the huge amount of inspiration to be had throughout the month! I tend to struggle with tags (I think it’s the smaller canvas), so seeing these beautiful projects are so inspirational! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous weekend!