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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

copic coloring

Altenew August 2022 Endless Ambition Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

Hi there! Welcome to the Altenew Endless Ambition Release Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from LauraJane, and your next stop is Kari VanNoy. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Blog. We are hopping along today to celebrate the new Endless Ambition Release, a gorgeous new collection of standalone dies, embossing folders, and hot foil plates. Let’s get started on the details for my projects!

I kept both of my projects in the same color family: jewel pinks and purples with touches of gray and crisp white areas! I love creating card “sets” this way-similar elements and similar color schemes help keep things consistent on both projects.

For my first project, I used the stunning new Flowery Bouquet hot foil plate. I hot foiled the majority of the image (this is a *big* plate-can be used it so many orientations to create tons of unique layouts!) on the center of a white A2 card base using some charcoal metallic foil. I then used my alcohol markers to add lots of vibrant color to the images. I love using hot foil with coloring mediums; it’s similar to the emboss resist technique, because the foil resists the coloring medium. Sometimes, darker alcohol markers can leave some ink behind on the hot foiled images, but it’s easily picked up with a colorless marker.

For the greeting, I hot foiled one of the new Sweet Sentiments Hot Foil Plate with some more of the metallic charcoal foil that I used on the main floral image. I die cut the sentiment with the coordinating outline die. Hot foiled sentiments look so perfect and beautifully polished to me.

To help ground the floral image, I die cut the Fine Frames Cover Die set using some deep charcoal gray cardstock. I added a couple of the frames, one thicker and one smaller, very thin frame, adhering them with liquid adhesive. I added the foiled greeting with foam tape to help it pop.

My second card features a similar color scheme, using the new Layered Ornate Frame die set. This is such a pretty set! I kept things relatively simple, using a gray cardstock frame and purple and sage green flowers and leaves. I was very grateful for the included color layering guide, which made putting all of the pieces together relatively simple!

For the background, I ran the Garden Harmony 3D Embossing Folder through my die cut machine with a white A2 card base. I love adding subtle texture to a white card base; it allows the background to be interesting while also allowing the main focal point to be the star of the show.

For the greeting, I used another of the hot foiled Sweet Sentiments Hot Foil Plate with some more of the metallic charcoal foil that I used on the previous card, then die cut the greeting with the coordinating outline die. I adhered the floral frame to the embossed card front using liquid adhesive, then added the hot foiled greeting with foam adhesive. The final touch was to add some more shine with some graphite metallic gems!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! 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 08/28/2022 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 08/29/2022.

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

Three Holiday Cards with One Foiled Image+Spellbinders Sale!

Hi there! Spellbinders has released some absolutely spectacular holiday products during their July Release, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to play with some of them. All three of my projects today are based on one product set: Blooming Tree Glimmer Plate and Die. (Waste not, want not!) Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

I began by doing some hot foiling the Blooming Tree Glimmer Plate and Die with my Glimmer machine (which is on sale right now, by the way! If you’re on the fence this would be a great opportunity to pick up a hot foil machine at a discount!) using Champagne foil from Spellbinders. I love the Champagne foil. It’s such a lovely, subtle alternative to gold. A bit cooler, and very elegant and chic. I used the Solid Rectangle Foil Plate to use the negative space created by the Blooming Tree Glimmer Plate and Die on the leftover foil panel. After I’d finished foiling, I die cut the original tree image, the negative space image, and reserved the leftover negative space on the original white cardstock panel. One foiled image, three focal pieces!

My first card uses the original foiled image. After foiling and die cutting, I used Copic markers to color the flowers and foliage on the image with a slightly non-traditional color scheme of hot pink and olive green. Still red and green, ish, but but a more modern twist!

For the card base, I ran the Plaid Tidings hot foil plate through my Glimmer machine without any heat or foil. The result was this lovely, subtly textured background! As a ground for my foiled tree die cut, I added a strip of champagne glitter paper along one side of the card base.

I added a few die cut Evergreen Boughs behind the tree in a coordinating shade of olive green. I die cut a greeting from the Christmas Mix and Match sentiment dies, cut from some more champagne glitter paper. I added the “from all of us” from the Many Merry Christmas stamp and die set, heat embossed using platinum embossing powder. Finally, I added a few matte champagne pearls for one last textural element. I love the pops of color and flashes of shine on this card!

My second card features the negative foiled image from the Blooming Tree Glimmer Plate and Die. I used the Solid Rectangle Foil Plate to use the negative of the original foiled piece, which I die cut using the coordinating die. The champagne foil looks so lovely with the white details!

For the background, I used the Plaid Tidings hot foil plate with some more Champagne foil. Pulling that foil off of the heated panel was magical. (So magical that I repeated the process in 4 other colors haha! You can never have too many plaid backgrounds at your disposal!) The busy background needed something to soften it a bit, so I trimmed down a piece of heavyweight vellum and adhered my foiled tree to it, offset to one side.

For the greeting, I die cut another sentiment from the Christmas Mix and Match sentiment die set, again cut from champagne glitter cardstock, then again from plain white cardstock and adhered together to add a little extra height. I added them to the vellum strip using liquid adhesive, then added a coordinating sentiment strip from the Many Merry Christmas stamp and die set, heat embossed using platinum embossing powder on a strip of white cardstock and adhered using foam tape. I popped up the tree and vellum pieces using foam tape, hiding the adhesive behind the solid die cut to keep the vellum looking nice and clean. Some more matte champagne pearls were the final touch!

My final card features the negative cardstock left by the original foiled die cut Blooming Tree Glimmer Plate and Die. When foiling, I placed the tree hot foil plate as close to the center of the cardstock as possible; then when I die cut the tree, I had a tree-shaped window in the center of my cardstock. I backed it with another textured plaid panel, created by running the Plaid Tidings hot foil plate through my Platinum 6 using the embossing mat sandwich from the Universal Plate System. It creates a much more intense texture than just running the plate through with the foiling sandwich.

For the greeting, I heat embossed the pieces from the Many Merry Christmas stamp and die set using platinum embossing powder. I love how well this shade of embossing powder coordinates with the champagne foiling on the previous cards. I also die cut a few pine sprigs from the Pinecone and Evergreen Bough set in some more olive green cardstock. I die cut a few deep pink “berries” and glittery sprigs using some of the elements from the Be Bold Blooms die set. It’s not traditionally a holiday die set, but it worked quite well for this card!

I arranged all of the die cuts around the plaid tree window, adhering them with liquid and foam adhesive for lots of dimension. A few more matte champagne pearls finished it off!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. I had such fun hot foiling, die cutting, and mixing and matching to create three unique cards that still coordinate with each other. If you needed a little extra inspiration to get started on your holiday cards, I hope you’ll check out the beautiful July release from Spellbinders! So many gorgeous products covering such a wide variety of styles. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Dream Big Release + New Illustration!

Hi there! Simon Says Stamp is releasing their latest collection this evening, called Dream Big, and boy is it a fabulous release! I am loving on so many different things- the new ice cream cone dies, the lemons, the embossing folders…. but I am especially excited to have a new illustration released with it: Magnolia Apple Blossom! I love the grace and beauty of magnolias, and so drawing this new stamp set was such a joy. I have made a couple of projects with it for the release, but tonight I’m sharing a simple Copic-colored project featuring the smaller individual flowers, foliage, and apple blossom buds, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping several of the smaller, individual elements from Magnolia Apple Blossom onto some white cardstock using Intens-ified Black ink. I colored them with Copic markers, using the lightest shades from several different color families to create some highlights and shadows, as well as adding some reflections of color along the edges of the petals. It’s very difficult to color “white” flowers, because if you just leave them with the absence of any color, there is no depth or curvature to the flowers, but if you put too much color, it can look dingy. The BV shades that I used to create shadows made the initial images look a touch dingy, but when I added some (very pale) Y and R Copic markers, it helped to brighten the petals up a bit! I always make sure to keep my colorless blender close at hand so that I can blend out any harsh lines and allow the white of the cardstock to show through to add highlights and keep the overall feeling of the flower white. The intense jewel green of the leaves helps to add to the contrast of the white flowers and add to the illusion of their “lack” of color!

For the card base, I die cut the beautiful Detail Bohemian Plate from some white cardstock to match the white borders on the floral die cuts. I also die cut some rectangular white frames using the A2 Thin Frames dies and layered those on the cover plate die cut. I arranged the colored flowers in a swag, then used the new Low-Tack Tape to adhere the arrangement together before flipping it over and adding foam tape. I removed the release paper, then flipped the arrangement over and added it to the die cut background.

I die cut a few of the new Layered Rose Leaves dies from some vellum to add some ethereal and weightless foliage to help fill in a few of the gaps of the floral spray. I created a sentiment strip using a sentiment from Magnolia Apple Blossom and added it with a double layer of foam adhesive. Finally, I added some Milk Glass gems to add some extra shine and a new textural element.

My next projects are a total 180* switch from the elegant project above, featuring the new XL Student Greetings. I created a duo of little lunchbox notes that are the perfect size to tuck into my kiddos’ backpacks or lunchboxes when school starts next month! I began by stenciling the Dimensional Stars stencils onto an A2 panel of cardstock, one using the Green Ink Trio 15 Paws-itively Saturated Inks and one with Purple Ink Trio 16 Paws-itively Saturated Inks.

Once I had finished ink blending using the layered star stencils, I used the Large Pocket Note die to cut these sweet little notes that are the perfect size to tuck in so many different places! Lunch box, backpack, jacket pocket… I stamped the greetings from XL Student Greetings in coordinating ink shades and die cut them using the coordinating wafer dies.

Next, to add a little bit of extra texture and some sparkle, I die cut a few glittery stars using the Nested Star dies from Pinkfresh Studio and some coordinating glitter paper. I popped up the greeting using foam adhesive, then added the stars with some liquid adhesive.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I have several more projects to share with you later this week. Some of my favorite projects that I’ve made recently! I hope you’ll check out the new Dream Big release; it’s such a fun release with such a huge variety of styles available. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Altenew Build-A-Garden: Magnificent Branch Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($200 total prizes)

Good morning! Today marks the start of a new subscription from Altenew: Build-A-Garden! We’re hopping along to celebrate this newest addition to the Altenew subscription family. You should have arrived here from Vicky Papaioannou, and your next stop is Cheryl Espie. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Card Blog. Here’s a bit about the new series from Altenew:

Enjoy our Build-A-Garden project set, an exciting monthly package that is sure to get the creative juices flowing! Each month includes a stamp set along with a coordinating stencil set and/or die set PLUS a customer-favorite Mini Blending Brush! Build your collection of brushes from month to month so you will never be left looking for the perfect tool while crafting.

This set contains the following products:
– one 6″ x 8″ stamp set containing 10 stamps made in the USA from high-quality photopolymer
– one layering stencil set containing 4 stencils that coordinate with the stamp set
– one Mini Blending Brush for ink blending
Note: These products are NOT sold separately.

If this new series sounds like something you can’t live without each month (that blending brush is such an awesome addition to the kit!), you can subscribe to be guaranteed to receive the new set each month-and at a discount!! Click HERE to see all of the details on how you can subscribe!

This initial installment is called Magnificent Branch, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It features a long branch filled with beautiful blooms and greenery, large enough when stamped to create two card fronts! You can color to your heart’s content with your favorite coloring medium, or you can use the included layering stencils to create a unique color blocked look with your favorite stenciling technique! Here’s a peek at this month’s kit:

Incredibly beautiful, right? I chose to create a custom patterned paper with the main stamp by angling it different ways along the edge of my paper. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I began by stamping the image from Magnificent Branch a few different times on white cardstock with Copic-friendly black ink, angling it different ways so as to create some custom patterned paper and covering the majority of the A2 card front. I colored the image with Copic markers in a lovely feminine color scheme featuring mauve, pale pink, and jade green.

Once I had finished coloring all of the images stamped on the card front, I used my T-square and a black pen from the Fine Liner Pen set to add a very thin, subtle frame around the edges to help highlight the beautiful images and add another element of black to the card front.

For the greeting, I white embossed one of the sentiments included in the Magnificent Branch stamp set onto some black cardstock, which I then popped up using foam tape on the colored card front. Finally, I added a trio of black gems for one more touch of black, as well as some sparkle on this matte card front.

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

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 05/07/2022 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 05/09/2022.

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

Hero Arts 2022 Spring Catalog Launch Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! Today, I am super excited to be hopping along with Hero Arts as we debut the new products in the Spring 2022 Catalog! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. The new catalog is chock full of beautiful new products, with imagery so evocative of spring and summer! I have two projects for you today, so let’s get started with the details on my projects.

My first project would be a perfect card to accompany a baby shower gift, using the beautiful new Floral Alphabet stamps. I began by die cutting four teeny onesies from Arctic cardstock using the Onesie Infinity Dies. Using the negative spaces on the cardstock from which I cut the onesies, I used my MISTI to white emboss the B-A-B-Y from Floral Alphabet onto the aqua onesies. So cute!

Next, I trimmed down an Arctic cardstock slimline card base as well as another layer, slightly smaller than the slimline card base. I used Antigua ink to stamp a little border of grass (from the new Color Layering Duckling) and daisies (from the new Color Layering Bunny) along the bottom edge of the slightly smaller panel of cardstock for a simple tone-on-tone effect. Just enough to add a bit of interest to the background, but not too much to distract from the main focal point!

Next, I arranged my heat embossed onesies so that they were draped as though on a clothesline. I adhered them with some foam adhesive, then added a couple of white twine bows to complete the clothesline/banner idea. Finally, I added the “hello there” greeting on a strip of Arctic cardstock using some more foam adhesive. Simple, but the delicate images and monochromatic color scheme are perfect for a baby card!

My next card is quite a bit more involved, in both technique and color scheme. I combined the gorgeous new Birds and Flowers Cover Plate die with my Copic markers to create a chinoiserie effect. These detailed cover plate dies are some of my absolute favorite products from Hero Arts; the amount of detail that you can add with your favorite coloring medium is amazing, but you also have the option to simply die cut the images and use them as silhouettes! I die cut the Birds and Flowers Cover Plate die from some white, Copic-friendly cardstock and used a variety of Copic markers in vivid, springy shades to add lots of color and detail to the die cut, hopefully evoking chinoiserie imagery!

Once I’d finished my coloring, I used silver embossing powder to emboss a greeting from the new Let’s Celebrate sentiment stamp set on some strips of plain white cardstock. I also lightly blended some Dusty Blue ink around the edges of my A2 card base with a super soft Hero Arts Blending Brush, just to give a bit of extra interest to the background.

Once all of my components had been completed, I used lots of foam adhesive to adhere the vivid Copic-colored die cut and embossed sentiment strips to the blended card base. I just love the bright, springy colors after the dreary winter days we’ve been having lately!

Well, that’s all for my projects today!

I hope you will check out the entire Spring 2022 Hero Arts catalog. SO many fun new products, including a new line of Hero Tools that are going to make life so much easier! Tons of new tools, including small, medium, large, and extra large sizes of blending brush, a Handy Holder tool caddy, metal snips, and the piece de resistance: a new Compact Cutter! These products will begin shipping in March, and I highly encourage you to sign up to be notified when they’re back in stock. Anybody who signs up to be notified via email when they become available will be entered into a drawing to win the entire line of Hero Tools!

Hero Arts is also hosting a giveaway to celebrate the new catalog!

Hero Arts is giving away THREE $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, February 20 at 11:59pm pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!