Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

daisy oval frame

Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit of the Month: Captured Joy!

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

Hi friends! It’s the 14th of the month, and that means that the new Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month is now available for your viewing and purchasing pleasure! This month’s kit is absolutely jam-packed with goodies, including gorgeous patterned papers, a fabulous stamp and die set (yes, dies too!), rub ons, sequins, cardstock… everything you need to make tons of gorgeous cards! Here’s a sneak peek at the new Captured Joy Kit:

I wasn’t kidding when I said jam-packed, right?? Look at that color palette and all of those amazing crafty goodies!! I have created two projects to share with you today using elements from the kit and a few goodies from my stash, so 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. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

The aqua, lilac, and bubblegum pink color palette in this month’s kit is absolutely stunning, and so I decided to just run with it, taking my cues from the colorful patterned papers included with the kit. I created this pair of coordinating cards by pulling imagery and sentiments from the patterned papers, which kept the color palette consistent enough to coordinate while also creating very unique cards with their own card designs!

My first card takes advantage of the gorgeous coordinating sequins that are included in the kid. Whenever there are sequins, you know I have to create a shaker card, right? I wanted to create a floating shaker frame, so I used my trimmer to trim down one of the gorgeous Artist Trading Card-sized panels of patterned paper and mounted it in the center of the included panel of acetate to create the card front for my shaker. I also used my sharp scissors to fussy cut some of the delicate butterflies from another panel of patterned paper, folding the wings up slightly for dimension and mounting them on the card front with liquid adhesive.

To create the frame for my card, I used a holographic rainbow frame die cut, cut using Simon Says Stamp’s Nesting A2 Rectangle Frame dies and some holographic mirror cardstock. I adhered the frame to the outer edge of my embellished panel of acetate, then adhered the included foam strips behind the solid frame die cut as well as around the edges of the rectangular ATC patterned piece in the center of the card. This created my floating shaker frame, which I filled with the sequins from the Captured Joy Kit. Adding that extra frame of foam adhesive around the edges of the center keeps the sequins inside the frame and prevents it from hiding behind the rectangle of patterned paper! I adhered the card front to an A2 panel of Audrey Blue cardstock, included with the kit. So much color and dimension on this project, perfect for sending to a little girl for a birthday or other special occasion!

My second project is a “use up your scraps” project, using leftovers from THIS pair of cards that I had lying on my desk! I trimmed down another of the beautiful ATC from the printed papers in the kit, then highlighted the printed sentiment with a leftover pearlescent white scalloped oval die cut from the Daisy Oval Frame die set.

The gorgeous aqua cardstock matched beautifully with Sea Glass cardstock from Simon Says Stamp, and I just happened to have an extra iridescent embossed hyacinth image from the Big Botanicals stamp set, so I popped the floral image up in the corner of an A2 panel of cardstock, trimming off the overhang, then layered the ATC directly over the top. I added a trio of fussy cut butterflies, created using my sharp scissors and the patterned paper, over the top of the framed piece, again lightly folding up the wings so that they were a bit more dimensional. Finally, I added a few Bubblegum Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle and shine!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! This kit is so full of amazing products and even more amazing value; the stamps and dies alone having a higher individual value than the kit’s price! The Simon Says Stamp Card Kits are such an incredible value; the value of the individual elements of each kit equals far more than the $44.99 price tag, so you’re getting incredible bang for your buck. If you are consistently interested in the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month, you can sign up HERE to become a subscriber for an even bigger discount on these carefully curated products. As always, Simon also makes each individual element of the kits available a la carte, so that you can pick and choose what you would like to purchase if buying the entire kit isn’t really your thing. Who can say no to such incredible value though, right?

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Thanks Two-fer with Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! It’s a new week, so we have some new inspiration to talk about here on my blog. I love, love, love the detailed images in the new Big Botanicals stamp set from the You Are My Favorite Release from Simon Says Stamp. Sets like this are wonderful for people who maybe don’t love coloring; the size and the level of detail in the images means that you don’t have to color the images to make a huge impact on your card! I used some specialty embossing powder to create this pair of semi-simple “thanks” cards, so 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. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

To begin, I stamped the large tulip and hyacinth images from the new Big Botanicals using Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink on Concord and 9th’s Blueberry and Juniper cardstock, then added Hero Arts’s Iridescent Blue embossing powder over the top. The iridescent shine on the embossing powder adds incredible shimmer, while the semi-translucence still allows the colorful cardstock background to shine through, creating a somewhat monochromatic effect! I die cut the images with their coordinating dies to create large focal points for my A2 card set.

For both cards, I die cut the gorgeous Daisy Oval Frame from some iridescent white mirror cardstock. The coated cardstock cuts like a dream with these super intricate dies! I adhered each frame in the center of my coordinating A2 colored cardstock card front using liquid adhesive, then popped up the heat embossed flower die cut in the center of each frame using foam adhesive squares. To add a little extra interest to the card front, I used the little bracket stamp from Big Botanicals with Juniper ink from Concord and 9th and Night ink from Simon Says Stamp in each corner.

After I had finished the overall card design, it was time to add a sentiment. I used some white glitter cardstock to die cut the older Thanks Frame die cut, which is super elegant and such a generous size; it’s proportions work perfectly with the large botanical embossed images! I backed the glittery die cut sentiment frames with a darker shade of the card front so that it would stand out from the color-saturated background. I popped the greeting die cuts up over the stems of the blooms with a double layer of foam adhesive to give them even more prominence, then added some Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to adorn each bracket in the corners of the card front. These cards each have so many elements of shimmer and shine that are difficult to pick up in a still photo, but they practically glow in real life!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I love being able to create a pair of coordinating projects that still each have their own unique aesthetic and color palette. The Big Botanicals stamp set adds incredible imagery to your stash, great for colorists and non-colorists alike! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Have a Happy Easter!

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

Hi friends! I am back with a project featuring some sweet Easter products from Simon Says Stamp, hoping to wish you all a very happy Easter (if you celebrate!). I pulled out lots of different pastel cardstock shades to work with some sweet dies and a lovely sentiment from some of Simon Says Stamp’s Sentiment cards. 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. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

To begin, I die cut the gorgeous Springtime Celebration Plate from some pearlescent lavender cardstock. The details on this intricate cover plate work beautifully with the coated pearlescent cardstock; each individual image cut absolutely perfectly! One of my favorite things about this die is that you can use both the positive die cut images as well as the negative patterned cover plate die cut, making it an ideal “twofer” product that definitely gives plenty of bang for your buck! I backed the cover plate die cut with some white glitter cardstock to create even more festive sparkle and shimmer for my card front.

After creating my card front, I used the same Springtime Celebration Plate with some pastel scraps in shades of peach and aqua to die cut a few more little accent images. I adhered a scalloped frame to the card base, a leftover from THIS card that I created with the Daisy Oval Frame, then began arranging these floral die cuts and my sentiment.

I adhered the greeting, quickly trimmed using the Easter Sentiment Strips and my new Gina K. Designs Guillotine Trimmer, using foam adhesive squares. I then arranged the butterflies and floral die cuts in a visual cascade on my card front, arranging them around the sentiment strips and adhering them with both liquid and foam adhesives. Finally, I used Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to add a touch of sparkle and shimmer and to fill in some of the blank spaces in my arrangement.

Well, that’s all for my project today! This year has felt tumultuous in so many ways, with some days feeling exceptionally bleak, but I think that celebrating the rising of Jesus today can help remind us all to follow his example more closely: exceptional kindness even in the face of cruelty, generosity of spirit to the meek, and a refusal to pass judgment on others. I am reminded of the text of the Prayer of St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy Easter!

Peachy Happy Easter with Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! We are nearing Easter Sunday, and I have a couple more Easter projects to share with you before then! I was at a retreat this weekend and worked on a couple of projects that are almost entirely die cutting-no stamping at all! Sometimes my brain just enjoys working with die cuts by themselves, coming up with interesting and saturated color palettes, other times using the detailed textures and solid blocks of color to make a big statement on my card. For today’s Easter card, I used a couple of different shades of peach with sparkling white glitter paper, lots of texture, and lots of different heights to create this elegant project. 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. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

To begin, I used the exquisitely detailed Floral Butterfly Bouquet embossing folder to create my background, pairing it with some pearlescent peach cardstock that I found in my stash. I tend to hoard my “special” papers, so I am making an effort to use them on special projects! The coating on these specialty papers make them especially fabulous for use with 3D embossing folders; the details on the embossed images are so much crisper because of that specialty coating!

To create the focal point for my beautifully detailed background, I decided to die cut the Daisy Oval Frame from a slightly darker shade of peach cardstock and some white glitter cardstock for the daisies. I adhered the frame to the center of my embossed background with liquid adhesive, then added the daisy details with some thin foam adhesive squares for a bit of added dimension.

For the greeting, I die cut the layers of the Fancy Happy Easter die set from pale peach and more whit glitter cardstock, adhering the two layers with liquid adhesive. I popped up the greeting with some thicker squares of foam adhesive for a bit of added height, allowing the tone-on-tone greeting to stand out from the nearly monochromatic background. Finally, I added a few Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems around the frame for a bit of added texture and sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today. Such pretty shades of peach work beautifully with this elegant Easter card, but this card design would work nicely in mint, lavender, pale pink, or pretty much any other pastel shade. How pretty would this be at an Easter table for place cards in a pastel rainbow?! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Daisy Birthday Cards For the Win!

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

Hi friends! The moment that the Daisy Oval Frame came in the mail to me, I was absolutely entranced by its delicate scallops and symmetrical design. I am a great lover of symmetry, in case you haven’t noticed, and this beautiful die is right up my alley. I used it with a few light, airy designs during the release, but I couldn’t get the notion of a vivid, color saturated design out of my head. As we head into summer, I find myself reaching for more vibrant colors, emulating the vibrancy of the colors outside my window. This shocking pink, aqua, and black color palette has stolen my heart! I created a pair of coordinating projects with a pink daisy theme running through both of them, so let’s get started with the details!

Both of my projects feature the unbelievably gorgeous Concord & 9th Dragonfruit cardstock as the main color for my floral accents. I think this color is one of the most unique amongst the Concord & 9th color palette; even though the sampler pack is currently out of stock on the Simon website, you could easily recreate this color by ink blending with the Dragonfruit inkpad, some white cardstock, and a blending brush!

I started my first project by die cutting the beautiful Daisy Oval Frame from some pale Sea Glass cardstock. I layered them in the center of a crisp Pitch Black cardstock A2 card front using liquid adhesive. I die cut the daisy accents from Dragonfruit cardstock and some deep teal leaves from a scrap in my scrap pile, layering them in the appropriate spots on the outer daisy frame. I popped them up with some thin foam adhesive for a bit of extra dimension.

Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems

For the greeting, I wanted to keep things simple and on a larger scale, so I die cut the Scripty Happy Birthday from some glittery aqua cardstock in the Altenew Shimmering Shore glitter cardstock pack. I layered the detail layer on a vellum shadow layer, then popped it up with some thin strips of clear foam adhesive. For a final sparkling touch, I added a few Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems, tucking them symmetrically amongst the die cut frame arrangement. The simplicity of this card and the vivid color palette allow the gorgeous details of the die set to truly shine!!

For my second card, I continued the vibrant color palette, this time creating a bright and graphic stenciled background using the Tiled Posy Stencil and some lovely aqua cardstock. I started by adhering my A2 panel of aqua cardstock to my sticky mat, then, using blending brushes, blended the different layers of the Tiled Posy Stencil with Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Surf, Ocean, and Taffy. Harkening back to my elementary school art class days, I made sure to avoid mixing the tones of the blue background with the transparent pink Taffy dye ink by first blending a layer of white pigment ink with a blending brush dedicated to white pigment ink, then zapping it with my heat gun to ensure that it was completely dried, then blending the Taffy ink over the top. The opaque white pigment ink acts as a barrier between the pink and blue, keeping the pink a true pink rather than a deep lavender.

After I had created my vibrant background, I used some of the smaller accents in the Daisy Oval Frame to create the focal point for my sentiment. I die cut the small scalloped oval from some more black cardstock, then die cut the large center frame from the main daisy frame and adhered the black scalloped frame in the center. I also die cut a large standalone pink glitter daisy from Altenew Pink Brilliance glitter cardstock. I stamped a greeting from Best Year Yet using Obsidian Black pigment ink and clear embossed it to make it nice and crisp against the blue background, then die cut both sentiments with the coordinating dies. I arranged the different die cut components on the vellum oval, accenting the greeting with the glittery flower and some teal foliage, then adhered them with foam adhesive. I added small dots of liquid adhesive behind the solid die cuts to keep the vellum nice and clean, then added a smattering of Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit of added sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. I can’t believe we are already almost to June! The year is definitely flying by. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!