Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

fall

Felted Gourd Wall Hanging with Simon Says Stamp!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I am back with another little home decor piece, this time working in a new-ish medium for me: felt! I love the homey warmth that the texture of felt provides, making it exceptionally perfect for use with autumnal and winter images. I love the idea of using papercrafting supplies to create a little door hanger, something easily switched out with each new season and easily customized to match your personal aesthetic. I think that the new Harvest Heirloom die set has lovely clean lines that work beautifully with felt, while also being so elegant. I created this pretty door hanger in some unique fall colors to mimic the end of summer/early autumn colors that we are seeing outside. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I wanted to create the canvas upon which I would arrange my die cut images, I cut a warm blue felt background using the new A7 Notched Rectangles. I also die cut another notched rectangle in the same size using heavyweight cardstock, which adds a sturdy back to my door hanger without adding weight to the project! I used felt glue to adhere the pieces together, generously applying glue to the entire piece of felt and then placing the pieces beneath a heavy book to dry. This ensures that the cardstock would dry flat, which was a concern when using such abundance of liquid glue.

While I waited for the base to dry, I die cut the various pieces of the Harvest Heirloom die set, cutting the gourd from peachy felt and the greenery from lime green, pine green, and some metallic copper felt from my stash. When working with delicate images like the greenery, I like to use 100% wool felt, rather than a felt blend, because I find the 100% wool fibers stay intact better than the blends. After the base had dried completely, I began arranging the gourd and greenery on the notched rectangle background, adhering the pieces with liquid felt glue, snipping greenery here and tucking it there to create a custom arrangement. I also added some beautifully iridescent Sunset Tiny Flower Embellishments to fill in some of the bare spots on my arrangement.

Once I had completed the arrangement and allowed it to dry sufficiently, again placing the entire piece beneath that heavy book, I created the hanger using ribbon and Simon Says Stamp’s Antique Brass Eyelets. I used my Crop-A-Dile hole punch to cut holes in the top corners, then added the eyelets, which will keep the holes intact even if the ribbon is handled roughly! I threaded a pretty ribbon through the eyelets and tied it so that it could be hung easily from a door handle or a hook.

Well, that’s all for my project today! I love how warm textures are having such a moment in home decor, and it’s so lovely to be able to follow home trends without having to do invasive (or expensive!) updates. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Autumn Cascade with New Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! I know that we are deep into the STAMPtember celebrations, but I want to keep sharing inspiration using new products that are not limited edition, but will be restocked once they initially sell out! I love autumn; my birthday is at the end of September, so I have always enjoyed that transition from summer into fall, with the switch from the vibrant summer colors to the muted orange, burgundy, and deep greens that mark our switch from hot to cool (depending on where you are, of course.) I live in the Midwest, and while the foliage frequently is beautiful, I would love to go “leaf peeping” in the more northern climes. Autumn is about the only time of year that I truly enjoy being outside, haha! (Definitely an “indoor girl.”) Today’s project was inspired by my dreams of being a leaf peeper, combined with my favorite autumnal colors: burnt orange, deep mauve, and chocolatey brown. 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!*

I began my project by die cutting several sets of foliage from white cardstock using the new Autumn Leaf Branch and Acorn Bundle dies. I kept the die cuts in their negative die cut space and placed them on a Simon Says Stamp Craft Tacky Mat so that I could do some ink blending using Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Cabernet, Terracotta, and Cheeky. These three inks together are such a bold and lovely combination and create such a beautiful autumn color palette! Keeping them in their negative die cut spaces on the sticky mat helps stabilize the delicate die cuts so that I can ink blend easily. Once I had finished blending, I removed the colorful cuts and die cut a few more Autumn Leaf Branches from some rosy mauve mirror cardstock, as well, for a bit of shine and textural variety.

I also used my OLO Markers to customize the acorn die cuts from the Acorn Bundle die set. You could also use your brown inks to blend these colors! I love customizing die cuts with my alcohol markers, so I chose to go that route and create deeply saturated browns to go with my abundance of foliage. Behind my autumnal cascade, I used a blending brush to blend some Terracotta Ink on a panel of deep burnt orange cardstock, keeping my blending to one corner and tapering off as I got closer to the opposite corner. I used metallic copper watercolors to splatter some additional texture and shimmer to the background before arranging my leafy cascade in the blended corner, adhering the foliage with double and single layers of foam adhesive squares.

For the greeting, I die cut the previously-released Happy Autumn die set, cutting the detail layer from some pearlescent brown cardstock and backing the detail layer with a vellum shadow. I nestled the sentiment pieces amongst the foliage, adhering them with thin strips of foam adhesive, then added my acorns and a few stray leaves to complete my foliage cascade. Finally, I added some sparkling Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems, adding one final touch of sparkle and shine!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Autumn is my favorite season, and I can’t wait for things to cool down, the colors to change, and all of the festivities the changing seasons bring. (Also-begone, bugs!) Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Chalkboard Pumpkins with New Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember!

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

Hi friends! We were enjoying the most deliciously autumnal temperatures over the last couple of weeks, but that typical Midwest “false fall” has receded back into the throes of summer temperatures again, sadly. So let’s channel fall with some pretty pumpkins and leaves on cards, shall we? The Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember mega-release that kicked off our month-long STAMPtember celebration (check it out HERE!) featured several new fall-themed products, including the beautiful Pumpkin Blessings stamp, die, and stencil set. I always love a good banner, and pairing the banner with some pretty pumpkins and autumnal florals is so classy in my opinion. When I first started crafting, chalkboard cards were all the rage, especially when a banner was involved, so I thought I would recreate that vintage (ha!) look with my colored pencils and some sparkly die cuts. 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!*

I began by stamping the banner image from Pumpkin Blessings onto some black cardstock using Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink. I like to pair white pigment ink with colored pencils on colored cardstock, because the white ink stands out beautifully and seems to absorb into the pencil coloring very nicely, creating a crisp no-line colored look. I used my favorite colored pencils to add some vibrant yellows, oranges, and greens to the flowers and pumpkins, then used a white paint pen and a careful hand to outline the lines on the banner, making them a bit more vivid on the black cardstock without having to sacrifice my no-line colored florals! It totally gives chalkboard vibes.

After I had finished coloring and enhancing the lines on my banner image, I white embossed a greeting from Pumpkin Blessings onto the banner, then die cut the image with it’s coordinating die. I also die cut the foliage from the new Autumn Leaf Branch and Acorn Bundle die sets using rose gold foil and glitter cardstocks.

I adhered the die cut Pumpkin Blessings image onto an A2 panel of black cardstock using foam adhesive, then began tucking the die cut foliage pieces around the banner, creating a visual cascade from top left to bottom right on the card. I used a mixture of foam and liquid adhesive to get los of dimension! Finally, I added a few Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems which work nicely with the metallic foliage die cuts.

Well, that’s all for my project today! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!

“Blue” Pumpkins with Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! As we wind down on the month of October, I thought I’d share another pumpkin project for you, this time inspired by the recent trip to the pumpkin patch that we took last weekend! I was pleasantly surprised to find a wide variety of pumpkin types in the you-pick fields. Usually, we find the typical dark orange pumpkins, but at this particular pumpkin patch, there were at least 3 different colors, plus gourds and warty pumpkins! I was inspired by the “blue” pumpkins, which actually are more like sage green, for today’s project. In case you haven’t noticed yet, I like pushing the envelope with my color palettes, pairing unique colors with traditional imagery to create unique projects. I paired those “blue” pumpkins with some crisp white and cool silver metallic accents for a unique autumn card! Let’s get started with the details on my project!

*I have linked 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 start, I ran a panel of white cardstock through my die cutting machine using the Oak Leaves & Branches Embossing Folder. I love the somewhat neutral texture that this embossing folder provides behind the pumpkins; it looks just like the horizon behind the pumpkin patch this past weekend with gusts of wind blowing leaves from the trees! I trimmed the panel down a bit and then splattered it with some shimmering glitter watercolors, then adhered the splattered and embossed panel to my full size A2 card front.

For my pumpkins, I die cut the Pumpkin Set dies, cutting the large pumpkin from sage green cardstock, then the details one time each from white cardstock and deep Midnight Green cardstock. (I just love the unique shape of that large pumpkin, don’t you?) I used a blending brush to blend Sage Pawsitively Saturated Ink around the edges of the large pumpkin, then used a super pale gray-green marker from OLO to add some subtle color to the white leaves that I had die cut. I love being able to customize die cuts with alcohol markers or ink blending to create the exact color palette that I have envisioned in my mind’s eye!

After ensuring that my splattered background was completely dry, I die cut a Nested Domed Arches Frame from some silver glitter cardstock and popped it up on my card front with thin strips of thin foam adhesive squares. I arranged the pumpkins on the corner of the frame, allowing the leaves to “climb” up the sides like a real pumpkin vine. I added a silver embossed sentiment from the Sketched Leaves stamp set, tucking it amongst the pumpkin trio with some foam adhesive, then added a smattering of Gunmetal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to coordinate beautifully with the cool silver metallic accents on the rest of the card.

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have another pumpkin project to share with you that I worked on last week using my new favorite thing: felt. I have a few more finishing touches to add to it, but I am hoping to share it on Halloween. If you love felt and the fun texture it adds to your projects, feel free to come back and take a peek! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Blue, Pink, and Copper Pumpkins with Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! We had a little taste of autumnal temperatures last week, and it made me start yearning for fall! (We’re back to face-melting temps this week, though. Blah!) I pulled out some new-to-me stamps and dies from Simon Says Stamp to indulge my autumnal yearnings, but added some fun blue and pink to the traditional orange pumpkins to create this pair of modern fall cards. Let’s get started with the details!

I’ve mentioned before that orange is not my favorite color, but it becomes much more palatable to me when paired with some colors to which I naturally gravitate. I paired the coppery Nutmeg Pawsitively Saturated Ink with Cheeky and Dew ink and crisp white to create a modern autumn color combination!

For my first project, I created a custom patterned paper background by stamping the Artsy Pumpkins stamps onto some bright white cardstock using Cheeky, Nutmeg, and Dew inks, adding foliage and stems with Aspen, Sage, and Pine inks. To create patterned paper, I always start with the largest images first, stamping at least three of them randomly, rotating the stamp and the cardstock to make things look somewhat random and cohesive. I move to the next largest stamp, filling in the large spaces between the stamped images, then fill in any remaining spaces withthe smaller images, always rotating the stamp and the paper to keep things interesting! I also stamped a few extra pumpkins in various sizes and die cut them using their coordinating dies.

After I had created the background, I used a blending brush to blend some more Dew ink around the edge of the card front, creating a soft blue glow.

After I had finished the background, I die cut some foliage using white cardstock and the Grand Corner Leaves dies. I contemplated using some coordinating sage green cardstock, but I thought that the white cardstock kept things light and airy without adding visual weight to the card. I die cut a medium-sized oval using vellum and the Nested Ovals die set, arranging the pumpkin die cuts and foliage on the vellum oval. I hid some foam adhesive on the back of the solid die cuts, adhering the die cuts to the patterned background. I also stamped and heat embossed a greeting from Hand Lettered Halloween using Iridescent Copper embossing powder, die cutting it with the coordinating die. Finally, I tucked a bow made from soem 1/4″ white ribbon amongst the pumpkins and foliage and added a few sparkling gems!

For my second project, I used some of the leftover stamped and die cut pumpkins that I created for the first project using the Artsy Pumpkins stamps and coordinating dies with Cheeky, Nutmeg, Dew, Aspen, Sage, and Pine Pawsitively Saturated Inks. I had one of each size pumpkin left over, so I envisioned a cluster in a pumpkin patch. I created a background using the Pumpkin Patch Embossing Folder and blended some Dew ink in the center to create a blue glow behind my pumpkins! I also splattered the background with some coppery metallic watercolors for added shimmer.

After I had created the embossed background, I trimmed it down slightly and mounted it in the center of a white A2 card front, creating a solid white frame around the embossed background. I added a delicate frame cut using the A2 Thin Frames and brushed copper foil cardstock, then arranged my pumpkin die cuts in a trio over the blended and embossed background, adhering them using single and double layers of thin foam adhesive squares. Finally, I heat embossed a sentiment from Artsy Pumpkins using Iridescent Copper embossing powder, adding it with a triple layer of thin foam adhesive squares. (yes, a triple layer!) For a final touch, I added some tiny sparkling gems in the corners of the metallic foil frame!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I love taking traditional color palettes and adding a little twist to make them fit my style a bit better. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!