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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

copic coloring

The holidays are a-coming!

Good morning! It’s officially September… I am beginning to feel the holiday card crunch. It might be 90* and swelteringly humid outside, but the holiday cards won’t make themselves! I have a sweet, wintry project for you today using some of the adorable new Lawn Fawn release that is now available at Ellen Hutson!

I absolutely adore the new Winter Skies stamp set from the most recent Lawn Fawn release. The little hugging bears made me so happy. I stamped the bears using Copic-friendly black ink on some white card stock, then colored the image using Copic markers- B05, 06, 37; T0, 1, 2, 3, and Colorless Blender.

To create the wintry background, I used the snowflake printed card stock from Really Rainbow Christmas. I die cut the Small Stitched Snowflakes from some silver glitter paper, then adhered them randomly across the card front using liquid adhesive. I fussy cut the bears, then stamped the holiday greeting on a strip of card stock. I adhered the bears and greeting to the snowflake panel with foam adhesive.

I added some strips of glitter paper and bright blue card stock at the top and bottom to help tie all of the colors together.

Well, that’s all for me today! I hope this helps inspire your holiday cardmaking! If you haven’t already, go check out the new release from Lawn Fawn, now available at Ellen Hutson! Thanks for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!


Birds and Butterflies…

Good morning! Happy Saturday. I was given the opportunity to play with the gorgeous new Wplus9 release (thanks, Dawn!), and I have a few cards to share with you today!

One of the new sets released yesterday is just lovely. It’s called Beautiful Butterflies and it’s a smaller set, with some pretty butterfly images and a fantastic sentiment. I began by die cutting a couple of the butterflies and stamping them with Copic-friendly ink, then coloring them with some cool pinks, purples, and blues. I also covered them liberally with some Spectrum Noir Shimmer pen to add lots of sparkle.

I stamped and die cut the greeting in black using the coordinating dies. For the background, I die cut one of the Tossed Floral Background Dies from some white card stock, then mounted it on a white card base to create subtle texture. I adhered the greeting strips and die cuts using foam adhesive, then adhered the sparkly butterflies, curving their wings up a bit for added dimension.

Copics used: RV17, 63; V05; B63, 66; T10

For my second project, I was still in a white-on-white kinda mood, so I used the absolutely gorgeous new Hello and Thanks stamps and dies  (which are on a sale in a bundle in limited quantities!) to add pops of pretty color on that bright white card front. I used an older cover plate die from Wplus9 called the Lattice Frame. This is one of my favorite standalone dies from Wplus9… It’s perfect to add just a bit of texture and interest to the background of your card front.

I die cut the Lattice Frame die from white card stock, then layered it on a white card front using foam tape to help enhance the texture created with the white-on-white die cuts. I then began work on the flowers and other little bits from the new Hello and Thanks set. I die cut the floral images, teacup, and some birds, then stamped them with Copic-friendly ink. I then colored them using purple, mauve, and blue Copics. I love that these flowers leave some of the details to your own personal interpretation. They’re not so intricate that you have to follow the guidelines of the artist when doing your shading; you can add your own personal style on how to best add depth to the images.

Copics used: BV02, 04, 13; V05, 06, 09, 12, 15, 17; BG09, 13, 32, 34, 49, 57; B63, 66, 69; T7

After coloring all of the images with Copic markers, I worked on my arrangement. I determined placement of all of the flowers, teacup, and the bird, then used some Press’n’Seal to pick them up while still in my carefully-arranged cluster. I added foam adhesive to the back while still attached to the Press’n’Seal, then adhered them to the card front.

I stamped and die cut a greeting from Hello and Thanks, then added it to the card front, finally adding a smattering of jewels to finish the card off and add some sparkle.

Well, that’s all for me today! I am in love with this new release from Wplus9…. I can’t wait to get watercoloring those Sunflowers and the new Butterfly Mandala set. There just aren’t enough hours in the day! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous holiday weekend!


 

Honey Bee Stamps Bee Bold Release Blog Hop!

Good morning! Have you enjoyed all of the release festivities for this week’s Bee Bold release? So many fantastic new products! You should have arrived from Bibi Cameron’s blog and your next stop is Brenda Noelke’s blog.  I have two cards for today’s Blog Hop, so let’s get started!

For my first project, I used the Chin Up Buttercup stamp set to create this completely flat card. (Cards that are easy to mail make life easier.) I stamped the buttercups first using Copic-friendly black ink all around the edge of the card, then used my Copic markers to color the images. I added my sentiment using Versafine ink and did some clear heat embossing. I find the addition of the clear embossing really makes the sentiment pop over the coloring.

For my second card, I wanted to use the darling little Warm Wishes stamp and die set to create a winter card. I began by die cutting and stamping the cute little fox (isn’t that little argyle sweater just precious?!) using Copic-friendly black ink, then coloring with my Copic markers. I also die cut and stamped the coordinating sentiment from the stamp set onto plain white card stock.

For the background, I die cut a hexagon from some dark blue card stock, then added some white stamped snowflakes and used the same white pigment ink to blend around the top half of the hexagon. I die cut some snowdrifts and added all of the die cuts to the card front using both dimensional and foam adhesive.

I added some sparkle with some Jack Frost sequins and some Fresh Snowfall Nuvo Glitter Drops.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some giveaway information…

HoneyBee stamps is giving away TWO $50 gift certificates. All that you need to do is comment on each blog in the blog hop. The winner will be announced on August 10 here. Here’s the rest of the lineup in case you got lost:

Honey Bee Stamps
Nichol Spohr 
Wanda Guess 
Leanne West
Carrie Bryant
Bibi Cameron
Emily Midgett <— you are here!
Brenda Noelke 
Kaja Vezensek 
Melissa Bickford 

Wedding Cake Inspiration.

I get inspiration from so many places… clothes, home decor, and, frequently, wedding cakes. I follow several different cake artists on Instagram (some of my favorites are @whiteflowercakeshoppe, @kakedbykatie, @hopscotchcakes, @sweetambs, and @rbicakes). Sometimes I look at some of the cards in our industry and think OH MY GOSH… how is that gorgeousness just made from PAPER? Well, I get the same reaction seeing some of the ridiculous artistry that goes into these cakes. I can’t believe that feast for the eyes is just plain old sugar and butter. My project today was inspired by some of the beauty that I’ve seen in the wedding cakes on Instagram by those talented artists.

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that a textured, white background with a pop of bright floral colors is one of my favorite cardmaking techniques. I love using intricate cover plate dies to create monochromatic texture on a card background. For this card, the Spellbinders Sweetheart Swirl die was just the ticket. It’s a massive die, so I was able to create a more traditionally-sized A7 wedding card. I die cut the solid backer from some white card stock, then ran it through my die cut machine again using the separate intricate swirl die along with the oval to cut out the center. I love that you have so many mixing and matching options with this die set!

After I’d adhered the super intricate die cut to my white card front (looks just like lace!), I pulled out some florals that I’d colored during the most recent Daily Marker 30 Day challenge. I love those challenges, in part because of the “excuse” it gives me to color things that aren’t assignments on the daily, but also because I have a fantasti stash of colored images all ready to go for a quick card! For this little arrangement, I’d do some no-line Copic coloring using my favorite Altenew set: Beautiful Day. I stamped the florals first using Inkon3’s Fadeout ink, then colored them with Copic markers and die cut the images using the coordinating dies. I arranged them in a little nosegay in the corner of my card and popped them up with some foam adhesive.

For the greeting, I used Altenew’s Celebrations stamp set…. the fonts in this set are just gorgeous, and I thought this frilly, lacy, romantic card would be perfect for a bridal shower card. I stamped the greeting onto a strip of card stock using some black ink, then popped it up with some more foam adhesive. Finally, I added a few Moonlight Rhinestones from Honeybee to add some sparkle and to fill out the bouquet. Bright white and pops of color adds up to a winner for me!

Well, that’s all for me today! I hope you are having a marvelous week. Thanks for visiting!


 

June My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Good morning! (Or maybe afternoon, depending on where you are reading this!) Today is the day… the absolutely amazing June My Monthly Hero kit is now available for purchase! This particular kit is absolutely fantastic… the beach theme is so appropriate for the start of summer, and the kit has some absolutely fantastic components, not to mention stunning add-ons. To celebrate, we have an amazing blog hop with some fantastically creative guests. You should have arrived here from Clare Prezzia’s blog and your next stop is Ilina Crouse’s blog.

The main kit includes:

6″ x 8″ Clear Stamp Set
12 Coordinating Frame Cuts
4 Ink Cubes (Deep Ocean, Summer Sky, Soft Sky, Soft Granite)
Sand Embossing Powder 0.5 oz
Sea Foam Shimmer Spray 0.5 fl oz
Beach Enamel Stickers

There are so many amazing beachy images included in this kit, and it’s a bargain at $34.99 (valued at over $70!). These kits frequently sell out, so it’s always a good idea to subscribe if you want to ensure that you’ll get your hands on one! The kit & add-ons go live in the Hero Arts store on Monday June 4th at 1pm eastern/10am pacific. The main kit is available for a limited time only – once it’s gone, it’s gone. Kits begin shipping from Hero Arts on Friday, June 8th.

I had such fun using the main kit contents in my countdown post on the Hero Arts Blog that I created two different cards! I decided, however, to use some of the absolutely marvelous add-on stamps and dies today. Hero Arts really outdid themselves with this release!

For my first project, I used the new Abstract Wave Bold Prints stamp with an older stamp to create this beautiful under-the-sea mermaid scene. I started by stamping the Abstract Wave onto some white card stock and heat emboss it using White Satin Pearl embossing powder. I then used my blending tools to blend Deep Ocean, Summer Sky, and Orchid inks in a halo on the card front. I absolutely love this color combo… almost psychedelic! Just to make things even more magically mermaid-ish, I spritzed some Iridiscent Shimmer Spray on the card front and allowed it to dry completely.

Next, I stamped the beautifully detailed Mermaid woodblock stamp onto some watercolor paper, then die cut it out with the coordinating frame cuts. I used my Tombow markers to do some quick watercoloring in similar shades of purple and blue, then popped her up on my card front with some dimensional foam adhesive. I stamped the greeting from the new Seal of Approval stamp set onto some white card stock using black ink. I trimmed it down to a strip, then popped it up next to my mermaid. The final touch was a few iridescent gems that reminded me of pretty bubbles!

For my second project today, I wanted to feature that adorable seagull wearing a hat in the Seas the Day Seagulls set. I just couldn’t resist. I started by stamping and die cutting a few seagulls and some logs upon which they could stand. I then used my Copic markers to color both the gulls and their logs.

Next, I die cut one of the new Wave & Sea Confetti Dies from some Sea Mix layering paper, then backed it with a lighter shade of blue layering paper. Next, I pressed my Versamark pad down directly onto a piece of card stock and added some of the super unique sand embossing powder included in the main kit. I popped up my gulls, their seats, and the sandy strip with some dimensional foam adhesive, then wrapped some twine around each of the logs to create those super rustic and beachy “fences” that you might see at the beach or on a boardwalk. The last step was to stamp a coordinating greeting from the Seas the Day Seagulls set onto a strip of white card stock and pop it up with dimensional foam adhesive.

Now, for a giveaway!!! We are giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader – selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. The giveaway closes Sunday, June 10th at 11:59pm, and the winner will be announced the following week. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! (If you purchase a kit and then win the contest, Hero Arts will reimburse you for your purchased kit!) Here’s the full hop lineup, so you can leave your comments:

Jennifer McGuire
Jenn Shurkus
Laurie Willison
Lydia Fiedler
Nichol Spohr
Wanda Guess
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Yana Smakula
Michelle Short