Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

fresh pine sprigs

Simon Says Stamp Joy For You Blog Hop- Day 1!

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 hopping along with Simon Says Stamp today to celebrate their  Joy For You release (click HERE to see the full release!). You should have arrived here from Barbara Tarayao, and your next stop is Nicky Meek. You can see the entire hop list over on the Simon Says Stamp Blog. I have created a bevy of holiday projects using these fabulous new products, and for today’s project I used one of my favorite images and color palettes for the holidays. Cardinals have always symbolized peace to me; after I lost my grandparents, I have always felt so much comfort when I see them and hear them chirping outside my window. Their ruby red feathers are absolutely spectacular against the wintry landscape, and so I tried to capture that bold contrast with today’s shaped A7 card. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

The new Pine Cone Cardinal embossing folder and die set features a beautifully illustrated cardinal with lots of exquisite texture perched on a pine branch. It also comes with a die for the cardinal, so you can die cut and emboss the shape in a different color of cardstock or other technique. Whenever I am working with embossed die cuts, I die cut the image first, then run the die cut piece through the machine with the embossing folder so that all of the textured details stay crisp. I then used my OLO Markers to add vivid color to the cardinal. Adding detailed coloring to these super textured die cuts just makes them look so realistic!!

After I had colored the standalone cardinal, I die cut a medium arch from white cardstock using the older A7 Arches nesting die set. I then placed it in the Pine Cone Cardinal embossing folder and ran it through my die cutting machine, adding lovely texture to the panel and creating a serene little scene upon which my vibrant cardinal could perch! I adhered the standalone cardinal to the embossed die cut with thin foam adhesive, then die cut a second, slightly larger A7 arch from shimmering white glitter cardstock and mounted the embossed piece in the center with thin foam adhesive. I also used that same larger A7 Arch die to die cut a shaped card base, making sure that the fold of the card was within the lines of the die so that it did not cut.

For the greeting, I die cut the Fancy Peace detail layer from the same white glitter cardstock and backed it with a vellum shadow layer, adhering the two pieces with liquid adhesive. I also die cut the Christmastime EZ Strips sentiment cards with the EZ Strips Banners. I arranged the sentiments next to the die cut cardinal, adhering them with more thin foam adhesive. I die cut some iridescent white foil cardstock using the new Fresh Pine Sprigs dies, then tucked them behind the cardinal and the sentiment pieces, which creates a lush bough of pines in which the cardinal can nestle! Finally, I added a few Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a touch more sparkle. I just love how the vibrant cardinal pops from the layers of white texture. Such a festive way to let the cardinal be the star of the show!

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

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop, with each winner selected from each blog’s comment section. Winners will be selected and then posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog; be sure to check there to find out if you won and how to redeem your prize!

Simon Says Stamp is also offering a fun gift-with-purchase promotion over the weekend: the adorable Joy of Snow stamp set (not yet released!) will be automatically added to your cart for free with *any* purchase from the Joy For You release  (click HERE to see the full release!).

Your next stop on the hop is Nicky Meek. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Simon Says Stamp Joy For You Release-Now Available!

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 super excited to share a project with you tonight using goodies from the brand spanking new Joy For You collection from Simon Says Stamp! (Click HERE to see the whole collection!) We are in full blown Christmas mode now, with so many fabulous new holiday products to make the most dazzling cards, tags, and crafts for your friends and loved ones. I have a moody, dramatic project to share with you today using several new products from the release, so let’s get started with the details!

As soon as I saw the new Holly Ringlet and Fresh Pine Sprigs die sets, I knew that they belonged together! To begin, I die cut the greenery from Holly Ringlet and Fresh Pine Sprigs using a newer colored cardstock, called Moss. This lovely and soft sage green is perfect for so many color combinations; it will fit in nicely with pastel palettes and bolder palettes alike! (It’s currently out of stock, but be sure to sign up to be notified when it comes back in stock… it’s such a beautiful and unique shade of green!) I used an alcohol marker in a slightly darker shade of mossy green to add a touch of contrast to the Fresh Pine Sprigs die cuts. This is a quick and simple way to enhance your color scheme without having to dig out tons of different colors of cardstock! I also die cut some sparkling berries from Simon Says Stamp’s Plum Glitter Cardstock.

After I had die cut all of the greenery and berries, I used a Shading Brush to blend Aster Pawsitively Saturated Ink on an A2 panel of the newer Midnight Purple cardstock. I wanted to add almost a reverse halo behind the wreath to help increase the contrast between the deep and moody plummy purple and the soft sage green. After I had blended the reverse halo, I splatterend some shimmering platinum metallic watercolors on the panel and set it aside to dry.

For the greeting, I combined the beautiful scripty “Noël” from Big Scripty Greetings Holiday with a longer message from Making Spirits Bright. I heat embossed both greetings on another panel of Midnight Purple cardstock using platinum embossing powder, which provides a lovely contrast with the light metallic lettering and richly colored cardstock. I die cut the Noël with it’s coordinating die, trimmed the sentiment strip with my scissors, then set about assembling all of the components. I first adhered the wreath to the blended and splattered background with some thin foam adhesive squares, then added the sentiment pieces with thicker foam adhesive. I then tucked the individual holly leaves and branches behind the wreath and sentiment die cuts, adhering them with both liquid and foam adhesive for lots of different heights. Finally, I added the sparkling berries in groups of one, two, or three. I just love how dramatic and rich this card is with the metallics and saturated cardstock colors!

Well, that’s all for my project today using new goodies from the . You can check out the full Joy For You collection from Simon Says Stamp HERE! I have SO MUCH inspiration to share with you using these beautiful new products; you can subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box up in the top left corner so that you don’t miss any of the sparkly, colorful inspiration. And be sure to stop by again this weekend for the always-fabulous blog hop! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!