Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

christmas card

Floral Holiday Inspiration with New Simon Says Stamp!


This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I am back today with some holiday inspiration using one of my new stamp sets from the Heart to Heart Release  from Simon Says Stamp (click HERE to check out the entire release!) called Loving You Bouquet. When I was originally illustrating this floral bouquet, I had envisioned it as a holiday bouquet, but Simon Says Stamp decided to accompany it with more versatile sentiments so that it could be used not just for Christmas, but for Valentine’s Day and beyond! The talented designers working with Simon Says Stamp have showcased it in a variety of beautiful colors, but I wanted to share my projects today using more traditional holiday colors, first with an embroidered ornament, then with a beautiful coordinating A7 watercolored card. It’s easy to customize floral bouquets to suit whatever your occasion might be with the appropriate colors and sentiment. Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

*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!*

An acquaintance of mine got married several years ago and shared photos of her wedding bouquet on social media, featuring utterly lush and luxurious red anemone flowers. I was instantly smitten with them and have seen them used in holiday floral arrangements all over Pinterest and the florist accounts that I follow on social media! That stunning red anemone was the inspiration for my projects today, featuring a beautifully creamy white gardenia paired with that lush scarlet anemone. I wanted to do some crewel work with needle and thread to create a holiday keepsake as well as a matching holiday card.

I stamped the bouquet from Loving You Bouquet onto some creamy white linen (an old cloth napkin that I found at the thrift store worked perfectly for this project!) using a light gray ink. I then placed the stamped cloth within a 5″ embroidery hoop and began my crewel work. I used what I call a “stained glass” technique, keeping each individual petal unique with one shade of thread on each petal, rather than trying to do too much elaborate shading with multiple shades of thread on each petal. Once I had finished embroidering the image, I added some metallic bronze seed beads from my stash to the flower centers and the tops of the berries. I love the additional texture and shimmer these beads add to the overall effect! I cleaned up the back of the ornament and added some ribbon to hang it from a tree, finally using my hot glue gun to add a coordinating red satin bow at the top. I think this will look so pretty on our Christmas tree next year!

For the coordinating card, I gave myself the freedom to do some detailed no-line watercoloring. When illustrating a new image, I try to add enough details and intricacies to the floral bouquets that they look lovely stamped on their own or with simple coloring, but I also love to just sit down and let my cares fall away as I become absorbed in super detailed watercoloring. I stamped the image from Loving You Bouquet onto some cold press watercolor paper using Inkon3’s Fadeout Ink, then used Karin Brushmarker Pro markers to color the images. With watercolor markers, I like to scribble the color out onto my glass craft mat or porcelain palette, then pick up the color with my damp paintbrush and apply it to the image. This technique allows me maximum control over the intensity of the color on my watercolor paper, as well as keeping the edges and contrast super clean and crisp.

Once I had finished coloring the images, I splattered the edges of the panel with some Simon Says Stamp Gold Splatter Medium. I also used my Simon Says Stamp T-Square to create a gold frame around the edges, bringing the eye towards the center of the card front. I trimmed the edges down slightly, then created a gold embossed sentiment slide using the Label Slides Christmas and coordinating Label Slides dies, through which I threaded some gold cord and adhered to the center of my card, securing the gold cord around the back of the panel. Once everything was complete, I mounted the finished panel on a piece of A7 Rainbow Splash Scarlet cardstock, giving a thin red accent frame around the exterior of the watercolored panel. Finally, I added a gold cord bow beneath the sentiment slide, then added some Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for additional sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I am always tickled when I can use the same stamp set for multiple occasions. It’s so important to be able to get as much bang for your crafting buck, and my new Loving You Bouquet definitely fits that bill! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Holiday Thank You Notes with Simon Says Stamp + SALE!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I am back today with a trio of holiday thank you notes featuring some beautiful snowflake embossing folders from Simon Says Stamp. These beautiful snowflake embossing folders are such a great, cost-effective addition to your craft room; you can use them in so many different ways, letting them be backup to the main focal point or allowing them to be one of the main focal points as I’ve done today! I kept these quick and simple to show you that a simple thank you note can be just as special as a more involved one, as long as you are intentional with the little extra details and textures. Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

*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!*

For all three cards, I used the Fancy Thank You die set, which comes with a detailed top layer and a shadow layer. The generous size makes it easy to create a focal point with the sentiment, allowing you to add simple accents to create a cohesive project! These work perfectly with the detailed embossing folders and metallic cardstock, which enhances the details of the 3D embossing folders amazingly.

For the first card, I ran a panel of pearlescent white cardstock through my die cutting machine using the newer Pine Needle Snowflake Embossing Folder. The coating on this pearlescent cardstock picks up those embossed details beautifully. I also die cut the Fancy Thank You detail layer from white glitter cardstock and adhered it to the shadow layer, cut from shimmering vellum, using thin foam adhesive squares cut to fit.

To enhance the die cut greeting, I stamped the “grateful for you in every season” sentiment from The Small Things on a strip of white cardstock using metallic silver ink. I adhered the thank you die cut to the embossed panel with more foam adhesive and tucked the sentiment strip beneath it. I added some Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and a bow tied using Simon Says Stamp Silver Cord for additional sparkle! Those winter whites look perfect for a holiday thank you with the different textures and touches of metallic shine!

My second project switches to a different metallic cardstock: Simon Says Stamp’s Gold Matte Metallic cardstock, which is another lovely coated cardstock that instantly makes those gorgeous details from the embossing even more visible. I paired this A2 panel of Gold Matte Metallic cardstock with the older-but-still-lovely Shimmer Lattice embossing folder, and I think those details look magnificent on this gorgeous gold cardstock!

I again used the Fancy Thank You and The Small Things sentiment combination, with a glittery white detail die cut layer, shimmery vellum shadow layer, and gold stamped sentiment strip, this time orienting the card in a vertical format. I added a glittery gold twine bow and some Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to the card front for additional texture and sparkle!

For my final project, I used the new Pixie Snowflake embossing folder that was released earlier this month as part of the Card Kit of the Month. The kit itself is sold out, but Simon Says Stamp allows you to buy most of the components of the kit a la carte, so you can mix and match which pieces you like if the kit sells out! I embossed the Pixie Snowflake on an A2 panel of the Simon Says Stamp Holographic foil cardstock, keeping the metallic theme going through this final project. I think those embossed details on the metallic cardstock really do so much of the work for you on these somewhat simple cards, making it even easier to get an assembly line going for those holiday thank you notes!

I arranged the Fancy Thank You and The Small Things sentiment pieces in the center of the embossed snowflake, allowing those pretty snowflake details to kind of “explode” behind my sentiment focal point. I added a few Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and another silver bow created with Simon Says Stamp Silver Cord.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! If you’re in need of a lot of thank you notes quickly, I highly encourage you to check out your embossing folder stash; those gorgeous details will do much of the work for you and allow you to get back to eating Christmas leftovers and watching your favorite comfort shows quickly!

Reminder: The fabulous DieCember Sale is still happening!! Through 11:59 on 12/31, you can take 20% off your entire Simon-branded die purchase by adding code DMR25 at checkout! Click HERE to see all of the dies eligible for the sale!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy week-between-Christmas-and-New Year’s!

Love and Joy in Pink for Christmas with Simon Says Stamp + DieCember SALE!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! The Twelve Days of Christmas are still going strong, so I am back today with a technicolor holiday card featuring one of my favorite holiday color combinations: pink and turquoise! This color combo is so versatile, in my opinion, because it can be made soft and muted with blush and pale aqua, or it can be vibrant with shocking pink and vivid turquoise. I chose to go the super vibrant route today to put some new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp DieCember release (Check out the full DieCember release HERE! And psst-there’s a fabulous sale to celebrate DieCember!). Let’s get started on the details!

*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!*

I began my project by running a panel of A2 white cardstock through my die cutting machine using the new Gathered Holly embossing folder. This folder is beautifully detailed and features a gorgeous holly bouquet for a generously-sized focal point, but it also has coordinating layering stencils that you can use to blend vibrant color on the images! Awesome, right? I used the Gathered Holly Stencils to blend Peony, Dew, and Mist Pawsitively Saturated Inks over the embossed images. The blending alone was enough to add some fabulous color and definition to the images, but I also wanted to increase the dimension with some pencil shadows. I used colored pencils to add shading to the leaves and some of the berries to help them pop even more from the embossed bouquet!

After I had finished embellishing my boughs of holly, I used the individual snowflake stamps from the Sparkle Season stamp set to stamp a snowy background behind the holly using Peony Pawsitively Saturated Ink. I used the “stamping off” method to make sure that the snowflakes were not overpowering to the main focal image, instead providing a bit of texture and interest behind the holly focal point. I also used a blending brush to lightly blend the same Peony ink around the edges of the card, making the snowflakes tone-on-tone. Once the stamping and blending were complete, I splattered the entire card front with some shimmering glitter watercolors, increasing the texture and wintry effect of the snowflakes!

For the greeting, I die cut the new Bouncy Merry Christmas detail layer from some vibrant pink glitter cardstock and the shadow layer from vellum, layering them together with liquid adhesive. I also stamped a smaller sentiment from Sparkle Season using Peony ink and die cut it with it’s coordinating die. I adhered the large die cut Merry Christmas with clear dimensional adhesive, then tucked the smaller sentiment beneath it with thin foam adhesive squares. I added a trio of individually stamped and die cut snowflakes from Sparkle Season, then finished the card off with an Iridescent White Cord bow and some Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems. So pretty, so festive, and so very sparkly!

Well, that’s all for my project today! To help DieCember go out with a bang, Simon Says Stamp is offering 20% off all Simon-branded dies!

Simply add code DMR25 at checkout to receive 20% off all Simon-branded dies from now through 12/31/25 at 11:59 ET! Happy New Year to us, right?

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy week-between-Christmas-and-New Year’s!

Fancy Holiday Gift Tag with Simon Says Stamp!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I am back today with another pretty holiday tag featuring new products from the Simon Says Stamp DieCember release! (Check out the full DieCember release HERE!) Red isn’t usually a color for which I reach, but at Christmas, red simply increases the festive factor. When creating gift tags for holiday packages, I try to keep things simple but with some pretty handmade touches, because those tags typically get tossed with the wrapping paper. The new Layered Scallop Tags die set allows you to create lovely, detailed gift tags without a ton of additional work, because the sweet stitched and pierced details on each die adds that extra little handmade touch. I used festive, vibrant red paired with Kraft to create this classic holiday tag, perfect to dress up a pretty package. Let’s get started with the details!

*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!*

I began by die cutting the base layer of the Layered Scallop Tags from vivid red cardstock, then the smaller nested tag from Neenah Desert Storm cardstock. Before adhering the two tag die cuts, I used white ink and white embossing powder to stamp the beautifully-illustrated sentiment from the new Christmas Candle set. I think there’s something so classic about a kraft and white combination, and when paired with red… it’s just perfection!

I adhered the Kraft tag to the red tag with some thin foam adhesive, then added stamped holiday greenery created with Pawsitively Saturated Ink in shades of Cranberry, Pine, and Artichoke. I adhered the pine boughs with liquid adhesive and the holly berries with foam adhesive to create extra dimension.

What is a gift without a pretty bow? I decided to accent the tag topper with another vibrant red accent, die cutting a Perfect Bow from more of the Lipstick Red cardstock and adhering it to the top of the tag. I added a pretty red ribbon loop to the top of the tag to make for easy hanging on a holiday gift!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I hope that you have the most wonderful, peaceful holiday with your loved ones. If this is a difficult time of year for you, I am sending you extra hugs. Thank you for being here!! Happy Holidays, friends!

Special Holiday Gift Box with Custom Stamped Wrapping with Simon Says Stamp!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I have a sweet decorated gift box that is perfect for those special gifts, made even more festive with some stamping and glittery cardstock. I am always on the lookout for fun items that I can make more special with the addition of a little papercrafting magic, and these little papier mâche boxes that I found at the dollar store were perfect for turning into a pretty holiday gift box. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

*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!*

To begin, I used my T-square to measure the sides of the box, then trimmed down some white cardstock to fit each side. To create the custom “wrapping paper,” I used the individual stamps from Jingle All the Way with Artichoke Pawsitively Saturated Ink to stamp a unique holiday pattern all over each panel. To add some shimmering details, I used a gold paint pen to add shiny gold baubles to the Christmas trees, berries, and snowflakes on each panel. Once the panels had been completed, I adhered them to each side of the gift box with Simon Says Stamp Tear-rific Tape.

After I had securely adhered each stamped piece to the sides and top of the gift box, I die cut a gorgeous, fluffy Giant Gift Bow from gold glitter cardstock. I used foam squares to adhere the components, helping to increase the dimension and visibility of each die cut section. I also used my trimmer to trim down some strips of gold glitter cardstock to create the “ribbon” for the box topper. I added the bow to the center of the box topper with some more foam adhesive. I love how festive and sparkly this little gift box is!

To create a coordinating gift tag, I first die cut one of the smaller pierced tags from the new Layered Scallop Tags die set using white cardstock. I used the same Artichoke Pawsitively Saturated Ink to stamp some little holly berries from the Jingle All the Way stamp set. I added a coordinating green tag topper die cut and tucked it beneath the glittering bow with some more foam adhesive squares to finish it off!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I hope you’re all ready for the big day tomorrow. Feeling puny for almost 2 weeks straight right before Christmas was not on my bingo card for this year, so I’m feeling the heat trying to get everything done in time! I still have some more holiday projects to share with you, but I feel like the Christmas holiday lasts at least throughout Epiphany, so we’re just going to keep celebrating here on my blog. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and Merry Christmas Eve!!