Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

elegantly modern greetings

Accentuate Embossing Folder Details with Metallic Cardstock and Alcohol Markers!

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

Hi friends! I have been crafting for nearly 15 years, and when I first started, I was primarily a Cricut-crafter, making scrapbooks and home decor pieces, with the occasional card thrown in. Cricut’s companion die cutting machine, the Cuttlebug, was also in my arsenal of tools to use with embossing folders, though the embossing folders fell to the wayside when I found stamps and dies. I was delighted when embossing folders began making their resurgence a couple of years ago. We now have so many amazing options to add incredible dimension and texture, including coordinating dies and layering stencils! I don’t mind admitting that as I get older, I can take a longer view on how things evolve, and it’s such fun to see what’s old become new again. Simon Says Stamp has been releasing month after month of exceptional embossing folder designs, with geometric patterns, fun and unique textures, and (my favorites) luscious florals. The new Celebrate release from Simon Says Stamp features an abundance of lovely embossing folders, and my favorite by far was the new Chelsea Floral Embossing Folder. I am always on the lookout for gorgeous florals to color, and the graceful florals with this embossing folder/die combo did not disappoint! I have a pair of cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details.

I was recently reminded during the latest Simon Says Stamp Live (you can watch the replay HERE) of how utterly stunning Champagne Matte cardstock is when paired with a super detailed embossing folder. I love to use specialty cardstocks with embossing folders; the coating on these unique cardstocks seem to highlight the intricate details of the raised images even more. I pulled out my pack of the beautiful Champagne Matte cardstock and looked to Pinterest for some color palettes that would complement it. I found a combination with a lovely rosy mauve, peach, and pale sage green that I thought would work beautifully with the softness of the Champagne Matte cardstock.

For my first project, I die cut several of the blooms Chelsea Floral Embossing Folder/die combo, as well as some foliage from the Leafy Greens Embossing Folder/die combo using Hammermill cardstock. After die cutting the images, I lined them up in the coordinating spots on the embossing folders and ran them through my die cutting machine to add the curvature and debossed details. I pulled some Copic markers to create these unique peach melba florals with some delicate, almost silvery sage foliage. I added some gold to the flower centers with a shiny gold paint pen.

Behind the colored floral die cuts, I wanted to add some delicate texture, so I embossed a panel of pearlescent peach cardstock with the new Flower Buds Unfolding Embossing Folder. The floral die cuts lent themselves well to a delicate spray spilling down the long side of a mini-slimline card, so I trimmed the embossed panel down and matted it with an ever-so-slightly larger piece of coordinating sage green cardstock, then placed both pieces in the center of a mini slimline (3.5″ x 6″) panel of Champagne Matte cardstock.

For the greeting, I heat embossed a few of the sentiments from Happy Combos using white embossing powder onto Pencil Eraser cardstock, which coordinated beautifully with the peach melba tones of the flowers. I arranged the floral die cuts on the textured background, popping them up with thin foam adhesive, then used Simon Says Stamp foam squares, which are slightly thicker, to pop up the sentiment pieces. Finally, I added a few sparkly adhesive gems amongst the florals for extra shine!

For my second card, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful details on the entirety of the Chelsea Floral Embossing Folder. The individual flower die cuts are lovely, but the design for the full embossing folder is just delightful! I embossed an A2 panel of Champagne Matte cardstock using the Chelsea Floral Embossing Folder, then trimmed some off of the top and bottom of the panel with my trimmer so that I could do some color blocking on the bottom of the panel. I added a very thin strip of the same muted sage green that I used on the first project, then a bolder strip of the Pencil Eraser cardstock at the very bottom, covering a full A2 card front completely.

Next, I heat embossed some sentiments from the Elegantly Modern Greetings stamps onto some more Pencil Eraser cardstock using white embossing powder, then used the coordinating die to die cut the intricately detailed “thanks” sentiment. I popped the two sentiment pieces up on the embossed metallic panel using foam adhesive, then used one of the Copic markers from the previous card to dye a piece of faux silk ribbon so that it coordinated beautifully with the color palette! After tucking the pretty pink bow beneath the sentiment, I added a few more sparkly adhesive gems.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I can’t believe it is nearly May and summertime is just around the corner. It doesn’t seem possible that my big kids will be 5th graders and my little boys will have completed their first year of preschool. Time flies when you’re having fun! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

One Peony Panel, Two Cards!

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

Hi friends! I love a good patterned background stamp; don’t you? I especially love a background stamp like the Pretty Peonies Background Stamp, which gives you enough detail as to be able to use it on its own (like I did HERE) or to put your coloring skills to use like I did for today’s card. After taking the time to paint the image, I wanted to maximize the amount of projects that I could create with it and ended up with a pair of cards! Let’s get started with the details.

I began by stamping the Pretty Peonies Background Stamp onto some Fabriano Artistico Cold Press watercolor paper using black pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The black pigment ink picks up the smaller details beautifully, while the clear embossing powder makes the watercoloring super easy, creating little wells for each individual image so that the colors don’t spill into each other! I taped my embossed image down to my watercolor board, then used Karin Brushmarker Pro markers to watercolor the images. I like to scribble my watercolor markers onto a glass mat or ceramic palette, then pick up the color with a damp paintbrush. I find that this method (rather than putting the marker directly to the paper) helps me control the vibrancy of the color that is added to the images, allowing me to maximize the contrast and create shadows and depth on the images.

After I had finished painting the image, I trimmed it down to A2 size, then die cut the very center of the image using the Nested Domed Arches dies, creating a window within my floral panel. I backed this window with some clear acetate and added a frame of Black Foam Adhesive around the open window. I filled the shaker with an abundance of shimmering black and charcoal gems and sequins from my stash and backed the entire panel with a piece of plain black cardstock, highlighting the crisp black embossed lines.

Once I had filled my shaker window, I white embossed a greeting from Elegantly Modern Greetings onto some more black cardstock and die cut it with the coordinating die. (Side note-I love how detailed these dies are! So intricate and beautiful!) I popped it up over the window of the card front using more Black Foam Adhesive, then added a couple of sparkling black leaf sprigs, cut using Black Glitter Paper and the Windswept Leaves dies. So many fun details going on with this card, and those dramatic pops of black against the vivid pink peonies are just so beautiful!

My second project features the “leftover” watercolored peony die cut. I die cut another Nested Domed Arches die from some more Black Glitter Paper, creating a sparkling black frame around my pink peony die cut. I also die cut the Laurel Leaves Background Plate from some more black cardstock and adhered it to an A2 panel of black cardstock. This black-on-black adds just a hint of patterned texture to the background to keep things interesting behind the peonies! Because we have two different patterns going on this card front, that solid black glitter frame around the peonies acts as a bit of a visual buffer between the two patterns!

After popping up my arches die cuts on the textured black background using foam adhesive, I heat embossed another greeting from the Elegantly Modern Greetings set and popped both pieces up on the peony panel using foam adhesive. I added a few shimmering pink gems to finish things off.

This minimal color palette card features so many different textural elements and lots of height to keep things interesting!! I love when I can get two different cards from one watercoloring session. It makes it so easy to build up a stash of cards this way. 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!