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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

copic coloring

Gold Accents and Muted Colors for Fall Flowers!

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

Hi friends! I always feel a change in the atmosphere as we wind down the month of September. September juxtaposes crisp autumnal mornings with warm summery afternoons, and this combination of temperatures always lets me know that the short and cool days of autumn are just around the corner. I wanted to create another floral project as an homage to those last gasps of summer, but adding in some rich, warm tones to provide a sneak peek at that autumn weather. I really love how this card turned out, and I can’t wait to share all of the details with you! Let’s get started.

I cannot overstate my love for standalone flower dies. It’s so simple to switch up a color combination or cardstock type to completely change the look of your project. I chose to die cut the Etched Layered Daisy die , Etched Meadow Flower & Leaves die. and Alstroemeria Stem die from white Hammermill cardstock and add Copic coloring to the die cut pieces, creating a dusty rose pink daisy and warm orange floral sprigs, paired with gorgeous olive green for the foliage. When working with floral die cuts like this, I always place the die cut pieces where they will end up being adhered so that I can get a better idea of where to place shadows and to which pieces I should add brighter, lighter highlights. This allows me to create more depth and dimension on these layered floral die cuts.

After creating my focal point, I ran a panel of Palm cardstock from Hero Arts through my die cutting machine using the Leaf Tumble embossing folder (which is currently out of stock, but should be restocked soon! Be sure to sign up for email updates so that you don’t miss it when it comes back!). To add some extra interest and dimension to the textured background, I used a blending brush to blend Artichoke Ink from Concord & 9th around the edges and gently swiped the raised areas with the Enchanted Gold pigment ink pad from Altenew. I think the combination of embossing, blending, and gilded leaves makes the perfect backdrop for my colorful flowers!

After arranging my colorful flower die cuts on my richly embossed and colored card front, I adhered them with liquid and foam adhesive. I die cut the Enjoy die from some gold glitter cardstock to complement the gilding on the background, then gold embossed a greeting from the coordinating Enjoy Phrases set, die cutting it with the coordinating die. I adhered both of the sentiment pieces to the card front, tucking them amongst the flowers and foliage, and finally added a few shimmering Topaz Twinkle gems for one last sparkling touch!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I am shifting into autumn- and holiday-mode for the next couple of months (though I can’t guarantee that I won’t throw the odd floral card in here and there!), and I can’t wait! This is definitely my favorite time of year. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: Hero Arts!

Hi friends! I’m back with another STAMPtember collaboration set! Throughout the month, many of the companies in our industry have teamed up with Simon Says Stamp to celebrate our love of this hobby with a limited edition stamp set, and today, Hero Arts is in the spotlight!! The Hero Arts Collaboration Set (or you can purchase the Hero Arts Collaboration Set with Coordinating Dies) features some adorable little critters jamming their hearts out, and I’ve got a sweet little congratulatory card to inspire you! Let’s get started with the details.

I began my project by stamping the raccoon and bear on the center of my A2 card front, as well as a greeting from the Hero Arts Collaboration Set using Intens-ified Black ink, also stamping the cute little maraca-loving squirrel on a separate sheet of Hammermill cardstock. I then used Copic markers to color the little critters fairly simply, adding some simple shadows and shape with 2-3 markers per critter. Once I was finished coloring, I used my sharp scissors to fussy cut the squirrel.

To create a ground for my little scene, I placed one of the circle stencils from the Simon Says Stamp Circle Masks and Stencils set directly over my Copic-colored critters and blended Cheeky and Blush Pawsitively Saturated inks using a blending brush. This grounds the critters and creates a little scene, rather than having them floating in midair. I popped the squirrel up with some foam tape, creating a little trio without having to worry about masking. Hooray for simplicity!

To accent the musical trio, I stamped lots of the musical notes from the Hero Arts Collaboration Set using more black ink to add some movement to the background and show off what a party these fellas are having!! Finally, I trimmed down the colored panel slightly and mounted it on a panel of black cardstock to create a delicate black frame around the edge of the focal point.

Well, that’s all for today’s project! If you love these STAMPtember collaboration sets, don’t wait, because they have a tendency to sell out extremely quickly. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!

Customizing Die Cuts with Alcohol Markers!

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

Hi there! Do you love standalone dies like I do? There is something so exciting to me about a simple die cut shape, full of possibilities for customization, whether it is from colored cardstock choices to which coloring medium you choose to employ. Color combinations are one of my favorite ways to start a project. I figure out which color combination I want to use, then select which stamps and dies would work well with it. For today’s project, I was still heavily inspired by the soft cotton candy colors from THIS post and THIS post, but wanted to use my Copic markers instead of watercolors. I’ve had a project featuring this sweet bird nestled amongst the foliage ever since I saw this birdhouse die, and created this intricately detailed 5×7 card. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin my card, I die cut the Scalloped Birdhouse, Layered Songbird, Etched Meadow Flower + Leaves, Delicate Leafy Branch, and So Sorry stamps + Dies from plain white Hammermill cardstock. I found a color combination graphic on my Color Combos Pinterest Board and matched some Copics specifically to those colors. Once I had my specific colors, I used my Hex Chart to flesh out each shade so that I would have darker and lighter options for adding shadows and depth to each of the die cut images.

I kept the colors muted, with soft mauve, apricot, and sage green, accented with warm gray to create this serene little birdhouse scene. For the Layered Songbird, I “glazed” the little gray bird with some mauve to create this uniquely colored little wren. After I had colored all of the different die cut components, I set them aside to focus on the card front. Because the Scalloped Birdhouse is so generously sized, I trimmed down a panel of white cardstock to 5×7 to allow plenty of room for all of my different elements. To create the ethereal sunrise background in my head, I lightly blended Winter Sky, Pale Blush Pink, and Merlot inks on my white card front using blending brushes. Doesn’t it look just like a soft summer sunrise?

After all of my blending and coloring was complete, I began to arrange the different die cut and colored components on the card front. I used both liquid and foam adhesive to create tons of dimension on the arrangements. For the greeting, I heat embossed a greeting from So Sorry onto white cardstock using Platinum embossing powder. To keep the color scheme uniform, I lightly blended some more Pale Blush Pink ink over the embossing, then die cut the sentiment with the coordinating dies. I popped the greeting up with a double layer of foam adhesive so that it would really stand out amongst the die cuts.

Well, that’s all for this project! I think this card would look so beautiful as a special holiday card, don’t you? That Scalloped Birdhouse is just begging to be decorated with spruce sprigs, berries, and snow! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Matching Copics to Colored Cardstock-Alcohol Marker “Glazing”!

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

Hi friends! With as much work as I’ve been doing in my craft room lately, I’ve been trying to keep things interesting with different color schemes and techniques. I love cornflower blue, and I love all variations of aqua/pool, but the new Tidepool color from Concord and 9th’s 2023 color release has absolutely won my heart, so for today’s post I wanted to combine the two colors to create a pair of elegant floral cards. I have created a collection of color combinations for my alcohol markers to use as a quick reference when I am searching for a color match or looking at different color combinations, but I couldn’t find just the right match for the gorgeous and unique Tidepool. No matter; I pulled out my Hex Chart and started swatching different combinations of colors that were a close match to the beautiful blueish-green cardstock.

When watercoloring, one can use a technique called “glazing” to add a subtle wash of diluted color over a dry, previously-watercolored area. This addition can completely change the overall feel of the color, brightening or muting the area, depending on the color of the glaze. I frequently use this technique when watercoloring large florals to add reflections of the surrounding colors and to add interest to the image. When searching for an exact match for Tidepool amongst my Copic markers, every combination that I tried was either too blue or too green. After trying a dozen different combinations, I settled on BG78, 75, and 72, which are lovely shades of a muted gray-turquoise, adding a “glaze” of G00 to brighten up the green.

For my first card, I die cut the Flourishing Blooms Plate from some Hammermill cardstock. This beautiful floral cover plate is totally stunning cut from basically any cardstock; I used it HERE with metallic cardstock and pale blush cardstock, adding a bit of interest with some ink blending. Today, I wanted to go more in depth with some coloring, adding dimension and shape to the flat die cuts with some alcohol markers. I used the debossed lines on the floral die cuts to determine which petals were on top vs. tucked beneath. The shape of the flowers reminds me of forget-me-nots, so I used Copics B39, 37, 34, and 32 to create beautiful blue flowers. I used the BG78, 75, 72 with a G00 glaze for all of the foliage, then added some sparkling handmade gold watercolor to the centers of the flowers. I absolutely love the finished product!

To coordinate with the “Tidepool” Copic colored foliage, I trimmed down a panel of Tidepool cardstock to A2 size, then blended some Tidepool ink around the edges to add interest to the background. I also splattered the background with some of the same sparkling golden watercolors that I used on the flower centers. (I hope you’re not sick of watercolor splatters-I just adore the texture and interest that they provide to a colorful background!)

To finish off the card, I die cut the Bold Thanks die from Simon Says Stamp three times from deep navy blue cardstock, adhering them together to create a dimensional die cut greeting. I adhered that to a strip of heavyweight vellum and fussy cutting around it, leaving a border around the die cut. This vellum border helps differentiate the sentiment from the rest of the similar textures on the card. I popped up the colored floral cover plate die cut and sentiment die cut on the blended Tidepool background using foam adhesive.The final touch was a few shimmering iridescent blue pearls!

My second card features the same color combination and Copic colors, this time using the Etched Primrose Blooms and Windswept Leaves dies for the focal point. I die cut the large Etched Primrose Blooms and Windswept Leaves dies again from white cardstock, then used the same Copic combinations to add lots of depth and color to the plain die cuts.

For the background, I ran a panel of Tidepool cardstock through my Platinum 6 machine using the Exotic Vines Embossing Folder. The elegant detail on this folder is spectacular; to enhance it, I first trimmed the panel down to smaller than A2 size, then blended Tidepool ink around the edges. I also lightly swiped the Antique Gold pigment inkpad from Altenew onto the raised areas of the embossed panel, which adds a gilded effect to the background. It almost reminds me of the patina on the Statue of Liberty! I matted the panel with an ever-so-slightly larger panel of matte gold cardstock to add a gold frame and coordinate with the gold accents on the card. To coordinate with my blue flowers, I mounted the embossed panel with the gold frame on a panel of Blueberry cardstock from Concord and 9th.

For the greeting, I heat embossed the newer Elegantly Modern Hot Foil Plate + Dies from Simon Says Stamp, creating both the positive sentiment image and the negative by using the leftover foil panel with the Pinkfresh Studio Solid Hot Foil Plate. I die cut the sentiments with the coordinating die, selecting one and saving the rest for a rainy day. I lightly blended more Tidepool ink over the white areas on the foiled sentiment to coordinate with the rest of my card, then arranged the flowers and foliage on the card front, tucking the sentiment in the corner with a double layer of foam adhesive. The final touch was a few more shimmering iridescent blue pearls.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I am so excited to try color glazing with my Copics to match even more of my (copious) colored cardstock stash! I hope you will give it a try, too. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Classic Pink and Green with Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! Today, I have some inspiration that embodies summertime for me. One of my favorite boutiques posted a photo of a beautiful bubblegum pink and bottle green floral dress, saying that “watermelon was having a moment” at their store. I decided to translate that inspiration into a card using some supplies from Simon Says Stamp with the Terrace Floral Embossing Folder and Die as the centerpiece! I am utterly obsessed with the dimension that can be achieved when combining alcohol markers with embossed images, and after die cutting those images…. it’s colorful, dimensional perfection!

The key to getting good results with the die cut embossed flowers is to die cut your images first, then center them over the coordinating spot on the embossing folder. If you try to emboss first and then die cut, your die cut machine will flatten any dimension that you have achieved with the folder. Thumbs down!! I started my project by die cutting three floral sprigs from the Terrace Floral Embossing Folder and Die from Hammermill cardstock. I used Copic markers in some vibrant shades of pink and green to create these unbelievably dimensional little sprays. I think they almost glow! Like I said… utterly obsessed.

After I had finished die cutting and coloring these dimensional blooms, I searched through my stash to find a frame die that had a little bit more pizzazz than just a simple rectangular frame. I came up with a die that I had purchased at Simon Says Stamp’s CREATE event earlier this spring: Love to Layer Beautiful Bracket die from Papertrey Ink. (It’s out of stock at the moment, but you can always sign up to be notified whenever it comes back in stock! The Decorative Bracket set is very similar shape and has lots of fun options to customize!) I die cut the decorative frame from some coordinating bottle green cardstock to complement the bright pink blooms and jewel bright Copic-colored foliage.

For the card base, I wanted to continue the color saturation found on the other elements of the card, so I trimmed down a panel of pale pink cardstock and blended Pawsitively Saturated Watermelon ink lightly around the edges. I love how it mimics the gradation of pinks in the flowers!! I offset the green frame slightly, trimming off the excess and adhering it with foam tape. I arranged the three floral sprays around the frame, meandering gracefully up the card. I did trim off one of the leaf sprays and tuck it amongst the flowers to fill in a blank spot and make the flowers fit better around the frame. For the greeting, I heat embossed a sentiment from Garden Boots onto some heavyweight vellum, die cut with the coordinating die. I popped it up with some clear dimensional adhesive. The final touch was to add a few Buttercup Vase gems for some sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Watermelon is definitely having a “moment” here on my blog, and I am totally in love. I can’t wait to try out this technique with some more embossing folders and dies from Simon Says Stamp. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!