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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

copic coloring

Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Hello Beautiful Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in total prizes)

Hi there! Today, Altenew is releasing the latest in their Craft Your Life Project Kit series: Hello Beautiful! You should have arrived here from Dana Joy, and your next stop is Amanda Baldwin. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Card Blog! This month’s kit is absolutely stunning, with large, gorgeous flowers in a variety of arrangements and extra foliage. Here’s a peek at the goodies in this month’s kit:

In this month’s kit, you’ll receive the large 6×8 stamp set, coordinating dies, 3D embossing folder, and layering stencil set. They work seamlessly as individual products or together to achieve fantastic results! These kits are absolutely fabulous and sell out quickly, so if you want to be guaranteed a kit of your own each month (and at a discount!), be sure to subscribe! I couldn’t resist coloring these stunning blooms for today’s project, so let’s get started with the details!

I love big blooms and I cannot lie. Getting down into the nooks and crannies of a large bloom and using 5-6 Copic markers just for one flower just makes my heart so happy. I began my project today by stamping a pattern on a slimline card base using the blooms in the Hello Beautiful kit, stamped at different angles all over the card, some flowing off the side to create the look of a panel of patterned paper. I used no-line coloring ink so that I could get that no-line look. I used Copic markers in shades of deep, peachy-coral and beautiful bottle green to color the images.

Once I had colored all of the images, I wanted to kick it up a notch. Rather than leaving the patterned panel flat, as though it were one piece of patterned paper, I used the coordinating dies to cut each colored image out. Because I had stamped some of the images off of the panel, I was able to easily place them on another slimline card base in approximately the same positions that they had been on the previous panel. I used Instant Dimension Foam Tape to pop them up and add that little extra pop of dimension to the card base. I love the subtle addition of texture that popping up the white-edged die cuts on the white card base adds to the card. So much texture and dimension, but still looks so clean and crisp!

For the greeting, I used the Handwritten Hello die, cut twice from some deep green cardstock and adhered together to give it a little extra height and make the super-thin and delicate die cut a touch sturdier. I also stamped one of the greetings from the Hello Beautiful stamp set on a strip of white cardstock using some Hunter Green ink. I adhered the greetings on the card front with a landscape orientation. So much subtle dimension on this card, but the crisp white background and pops of color from the flowers are basically my favorite!

Now for some fun giveaway information!

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $ 25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 09/18/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 09/20/2021.

Well, that’s all for my project today! Your next stop is Amanda Baldwin. Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!

Spellbinders Clear Stamp of the Month-September 2021

Hi there! Today, I have a super “tweet” project (ha, see what I did there?) featuring the Spellbinders Clear Stamp of the Month club kit and the coordinating dies! These club kits are a great bargain; the stamp set is only $10.99! You can always subscribe to receive the stamp set each month without having to remember to order it. I made a card using the adorable stamp set and some unexpected seasonal dies today, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by gold embossing the images from the Clear Stamp of the Month onto some Copic-friendly white cardstock. I used my Copic markers in shades of aqua, pink, and turquoise to add some simple color to the images. They’re small enough that you don’t need to go too crazy with shadows and depth, just add some pops of color! I cut out the images with the coordinating dies, fussy cutting with sharp scissors the few that didn’t have coordinating dies. There’s something so classic about aqua, pink, and gold, right? One of my favorite color combos!

Next, for the unexpected bit that I mentioned earlier, I die cut a background panel from white cardstock using the Mosaic Bracket Card Builder dies. These dies were designed for holiday cards, but the background pattern is so graphic and beautiful that I couldn’t resist using it outside of holiday cards! I trimmed it down to fit an aqua A2 cardstock base and adhered it using liquid adhesive.

I arranged the birdie, banner, and flowers on the card front in a little scene, using the “hello tweet friend” sentiment strip to ground the scene, then used both liquid and foam adhesive to add lots of dimension. I added a few pink gems for some added sparkle!

Well, that’s all for these projects! I encourage you to check out all of the different club kits available from Spellbinders. There are some wonderful kits that can be delivered to your door each month. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Hero Arts September My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! It’s Tuesday, but the My Monthly Hero release for September is happening today due to the holiday… and it’s such a great release! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit is absolutely stunning, featuring one of the most autumnally-iconic flowers: sunflowers.

This month’s kit features: • 4″ x 6″ Clear Stamp Set, • Coordinating Frame Cut, • 2 Fancy Word Dies, • 5 Color Layering Stencils, • 1 Ink Blending Brush, • 4 Ink Cubes (Butter Bar, Caramel, Root Beer, Key Lime Fizz). The kit is valued at $87, but is available for only $34.99! I love the amount of value that you get with these kits. If you love the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero kits, you can always  subscribe to ensure that you get your own kit every month. I have two projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

My first project features some of the main elements of the September kit, including that absolutely stunning sunflower bouquet. I began by cutting a panel of white, Copic-friendly cardstock down to slimline size (3.5″x8.5″). I then stamped the image in a cascade down one side of the card front using Intens-ified Black ink. I used my Copic markers to add lots of and shadows to the beautiful illustration.

Once my coloring was complete, I used Hero Arts Blending Brushes to softly blend Butter Bar and Soft Apricot inks in the opposite corner of the sunflowers. I love how it looks like the sun is shining brightly on the sunflowers and they are turning their faces to it!

In order to highlight the pretty sunflowers and provide a focal point for the greeting, I die cut a black frame using the Slimline Infinity Dies from some Pitch Black cardstock. I didn’t want to cover up the pretty, sunny ombré blending too much, so while the “thanks” sentiment die from the main kit and halo were still attached, I die cut the greeting, reserving the center of the “a” and adhering it in the negative space. This technique allows the pretty, sunshine-y blending to be highlighted in the sentiment! To round out the “rule of threes” for the black accents, I added some black gemstones to add a touch of shine.

My second card features the new Autumn Messages stamp set, paired with the recently released Halloween Icons dies! I die cut the little scene using Papya and Pitch Black cardstocks, as well as the Holiday Sparkle and Basics Glitter Papers.


On a plain white A2 card base, I blended a little textured background using Soft Apricot ink using a stencil that I now realize is retired. (Whoops!) You could achieve a very similar look without the stencil. I just wanted a little halo to give some background to my Halloween scene. I adhered all of my Halloween die cuts to the stenciled area using both liquid and foam adhesive to help add dimension to the flat die cuts. I love how the different textures of the glitter paper and the plain cardstock work together to help keep the die cuts from blending into one another!

I stamped the greeting from Autumn Messages onto a rectangle of white cardstock using Intens-ified Black ink, then added it to the card front using foam adhesive to help it stand out even more. The final touch was to add some clear gemstones, which I think look like bubbles rising from the cauldron! It’s a kinda-cute-kinda-spooky Halloween card, which I am totally down for!

Well, that’s all for me today! To celebrate this month’s release and all of the autumnal goodness it brings, Hero Arts is having a giveaway!

We will give away one $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, September 12th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

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

Altenew Thanks and Blessings Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Embossing Folders Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in total prizes)

Hi again! I’m hopping along with Altenew to help introduce their Thanks and Blessings release. You should have arrived here from Vicky Papaioannou, and your next stop is Jenny Colacicco. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Blog. I’ve been trying to use less pink and expand my colorful horizons… well, they’ve expanded to pretty-in-purple, and we just are not going to discuss how close purple is to pink. 😉 I have two projects for you today, so let’s get started with the details!

My first project features the new Blossom and Bloom stamps and dies! I heat embossed the main floral image from the stamp set onto some Altenew watercolor paper using silver embossing powder, then used the Artist’s Watercolor 24 Pan set to add some pretty purples and greens to the image. We always see yellow sunflowers, but who says they can’t be purple in your imagination? I die cut the finished watercolored image using the coordinating dies.

I love to use cover plates to create tone-on-tone backgrounds with subtle, elegant texture. I cut the Moroccan Lattice cover plate die from some light gray cardstock to coordinate with the gray center of the large sunflower and layered it on an A2 card base of the same gray cardstock. This adds some subtle texture without taking interest away from the large, busy floral die cut!

I heat embossed a greeting from Blossom and Bloom on some thin strips of New Purple gradient cardstock using more silver embossing powder. I popped up the watercolored die cut and the sentiment strips using Instant Dimension Foam Tape, then added a few shiny silver gems for some sparkle!

My second project also features a large purple bloom, this time from the Rose Tea stamp set. I stamped the large rose and foliage on some white cardstock using no-line coloring ink, then used Copic markers to color the rose in pretty shades of royal purple. I die cut the finished colored flowers with the coordinating dies.

Next, I softly blended some Deep Iris and Grape Agate ink on one side of a white A2 card base using Altenew’s Blending Tools. The pinky purple of the Deep Iris works nicely with the rich, plummy purple of the Grape Agate. I also die cut an edge using the Floral In ‘n Out Border die, which I adhered to the blended panel. I love the way the detailed white die cut pops on the pretty blending!

I adhered the Copic colored rose to the card front using some more foam adhesive, then added a greeting from Rose Tea which I stamped in Grape Agate ink on a rectangle of white cardstock. I finally added a few lavender gems to finish it off!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now, Altenew has some fun giveaway information:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 09/09/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 09/11/2021.

The next stop on the hop is Jenny Colacicco. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!


Hero Arts Winter 2021 Catalog Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! I am so excited to be hopping along with Hero Arts today to help introduce their Winter 2021 Catalog! It’s always such fun to work on the catalog projects, and seeing the finished printed product is such a thrill. The glossy pages are so beautiful and colorful and full of inspiration! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. I have two frosty, wintry cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The new Color Layering Snowflake set is so. much. fun. There are so many things that you can do with these snowflake stamps: you can layer them on the big die cut, you can die cut them individually and layer them (as I’ve done here), you can use the individual stamped die cuts to create a fun background, you can stamp them by themselves for a beautiful snowy card base…. so many fun possibilities! I began by stamping the main snowflake die cuts- I cut one of each size snowflake then stamped them each once in an ombré color scheme. Once they were stamped, I layered them together using foam adhesive for tons of dimension. So much depth and dimension when you layer them on top of each other!

I wanted to let that big, dimensional Color Layering Snowflake die cut be the star of the show, so I created a background with the individual stamps using the stamp-off method. I didn’t want the snowflakes in the background to be the same strength of color as my snowflake die cuts, so I inked up my stamp (I used an adhesive block for this technique so that I could move quickly between the stamp sizes) with Aegean ink, then stamped once on a piece of scrap paper and then stamped on my card front. To create my swirling pattern down the front, I began with the largest stamp and worked my way down to the smallest stamp, filling in gaps with the teeny snowflakes included in the Color Layering Snowflake stamp set.

Once I’d finished my stamped background, I used one of Hero Arts’s new Blending Brushes to blend some Tide Pool ink along the sides of the card to really highlight the swirled shape of the background stamping. I adhered the dimensional snowflake die cut with even more foam tape (this one would take extra postage, ha!) and added a greeting from the Color Layering Snowflake stamp set, stamped in full strength Aegean ink and adhered to the card front using more foam tape. I wanted a touch of sparkle (can’t have a snowflake card without some sparkle!), so I dabbed some Crystal Lacquer on the card base, then added some Snowfall Glitter and spread it out with the tip of my finger.

My second card features more white space to help highlight the new Merry Snowmen stamps and dies! I began by stamping the lamppost and winky snowman using Intens-ified Black ink on some white cardstock, then colored them with my Copic markers. I used some pale gray, lavender, and aqua Copic markers with the Colorless Blender marker to add some shadows to the snowman, but still allow for plenty of white space to keep my snowman “white.”

Next, I die cut some white trees using the Tri-Fold Edge Winter Pine Fancy Die. I also blended a soft wintry sky with the blending brushes using Soft Sky, Soft Purple, and Soft Blossom. I adhered the trees on the blended background using foam adhesive for lots of dimension, then added the snowman, lamppost, and a sentiment strip.

The final touch was to add some Sparkle Clear Lacquer pen to the trees to add some snowy sparkle!

Now, to celebrate this new release, Hero Arts is sponsoring a giveaway!

We will give away THREE $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, August 29th at 11:59pm pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Hero Arts is also running a great promotion to celebrate their new catalog:

Receive a free printed catalog with your order of $50 or more through the end of the month (or while supplies last). You can have a glossy catalog of your own! 😉

One more fun piece of information to share: Hero Arts is hosting a Holiday Stamp-A-Long!

Join us for a day of “LIVE” card classes, hosted in a private Facebook group! During this virtual event, you will have the opportunity to create ten beautiful cards from start to finish, learning tips and tricks from some of your favorite cardmakers. The event will take place in a private Facebook group – you must use Facebook to participate. You can watch everything live as it happens and “stamp-along”, or you can choose to view when it is convenient for you. There will be giveaways throughout the event – everyone who registers will be eligible for the drawings, you need not be present to win. The event will take place over two days. Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19, 2021 (all times are EST) 10:00am – 5:30pm – Our artists will lead five card demos each day, with breaks in between. 5:30pm – Wrap-up and giveaways both days! Once you purchase this event, you will be sent an email with details regarding how to join our private event Facebook group. Please keep an eye out for this email with Stamp-Along in the subject line. It is critical that you request membership in the Facebook group, linked in this email. Please be sure to ask to join the Facebook group AT LEAST 24 hours before the LIVE event begins. It may take time to be approved into the Facebook group as this is a manual process – please allow 72 business hours. The sooner you join the group, the sooner you can join the conversation and find your bearings! We will be there to help answer any questions. All of the LIVES will be available for replay in the private Facebook group if you are unable to attend the event live on September 18 & 19. Also included in the class: Downloadable project sheet with step-by-step instructions. Supplies listed per card so you can plan your day. Images of all the cards, including detailed shots. A short list of homework to prep prior to the event. Did we mention giveaways??

Class Supplies: We will not be shipping kits for this event. We know many of the necessary supplies will already be available in your crafty stash, but we are featuring newer released stamps and dies as well. Take a look at the supply list HERE, and consider supporting a local stamp store with your event-related purchases (check out our STORE LOCATOR)! Or find Hero Arts products here in our shop.

Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!