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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

halloween

Boo and Some EEK!

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

Hi friends! While I was working with the autumnal color palette on the project in THIS post, I was inspired to make a Halloween card using some cute Halloween goodies from Simon Says Stamp. I don’t really do “scary” Halloween, because the world is scary enough, but cute kitties and pumpkins are definitely okay with me, and a kitty with a witch hat is just about as cute as it gets!! I added in some red and pale peach to the more traditional Halloween color palette to create this unique ombré background. Let’s get started with the details!

To start, I used blending brushes to blend Rainbow Splash Scarlet, Pawsitively Saturated Pucker, Rainbow Splash Pumpkin, and Pawsitively Saturated Peachy ink down the front of a white A2 card front. (I actually created two panels, intended to do some tone-on-tone die cut layers, but ended up saving the second blended panel for an upcoming project!) I love how this ombré background positively glows with color, but it’s definitely a unique color palette for a Halloween card! I die cut the Halloween Stack die from the bottom right corner, reserving the center of the die cut pieces. I added some orange glitter cardstock behind the negative die cut space and added centers of the die cut letters back to their proper spot with some liquid adhesive.

Next, I die cut the Spooky Cat die from some black Pawsitively Velvet Luxury Cardstock, cutting the details and hat from some black and orange glitter papers. Nothing says “cute kitty witch” like a glittery black witch hat! I also die cut some pumpkins and leaves using the Lovely Layers Fall Bounty from Honey Bee Stamps and colorful cardstock, blending around the edges with the same shades of ink used for the background.

I arranged the die cuts in a cluster on the blended background, using foam and liquid adhesive to add extra dimension and interest. Finally, I added some Topaz Twinkle gems from Trinity Stamps for one more bit of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! It turned quite cold in time for Halloween, so it will be a chilly evening taking all of my kiddos trick-or-treating. We have Bumblebee the Transformer, one of the witches from Hocus Pocus, a knight, and a prince to escort around. I hope it’s warmer where you are!! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and Happy Halloween!

Colorado Craft Company Halloween with Anita Jeram + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there! My friends over at Colorado Craft Company are releasing a darling new Halloween and Autumn collection with some new Big and Bold sets, as well as some super sweet new Anita Jeram sets! We are hopping along to share lots of inspiration using these new sets. You should have arrived here from Daniel West, and your next stop is Jasleen Kaur. You can see all of the bloggers HERE. I have some super saturated inspiration for you today using the new Scary Pumpkin Big & Bold (CCC|SSS) paired with the sweet little mouse from Pumpkin Bucket (CCC|SSS). I don’t do “scary” very well, but these cute little critters from Anita Jeram are just my cup of tea! Let’s get started with the details!

As soon as I saw the giant pumpkin in the Scary Pumpkin stamp set, I knew that I wanted to pair it with some of the Anita Jeram critters. They’re drawn in different styles, but I worked my way around that by doing some no-line coloring. This way, I could make them both work together seamlessly. The huge pumpkin was the perfect size to pair with the cute little mouse from Pumpkin Bucket! I stamped both of the images onto some alcohol marker-friendly white cardstock using Hero Arts’s Contour Ink.

I colored the images using my OLO markers. I fell in love with the orange color family from the OLO marker set that I used on this Cinderella card, and couldn’t resist using it again for today’s project. The large size of the pumpkin gave me plenty of room to really work those dark to light values. After I’d finished coloring the large pumpkin, I stamped it again on some masking paper and cut it out, laid the mask atop the colored pumpkin, and blended Nautical and Grape Soda inks in the corner to create a semi-spooky sky. While the mask was still in place, I also splattered some shimmery handmade metallic watercolors to create a star-strewn sky!

I also colored the little trick-or-treating mouse from Pumpkin Bucket, adding some black pen to the whiskers, eyes, and ear. I trimmed the image using my sharp scissors, then colored around the white edge with light orange and lavender to help keep the color continuity throughout the card front.

I heat embossed a greeting from Pumpkin Bucket onto some coordinating peach cardstock using platinum embossing powder, then matted it with some coordinating sparkly gold cardstock to help it pop from the colorful card front. I popped both the mouse and the sentiment up on the pumpkin card front using foam adhesive.

Well, that’s all for my project today! To celebrate this release, Colorado Craft Company is giving away one stamp set from the new release to a commenter on each stop on the blog hop! Simply leave comments along the hop to be eligible to win. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! They are also doing something super unique and giving away the entire release to one lucky shopper who shops using an affiliate link! To enter this giveaway, use your favorite blogger’s affiliate link (you can click HERE to use mine) and place your order. The contest ends at midnight on 10/1/22.

I appreciate those of you who have shopped through my affiliate links in the past! As this hobby has morphed into a job, I and my family have become ever more deeply grateful for those of you who have shopped using my links. You’re helping me to take care of my family doing something that I love, and for that I cannot thank you enough. <3

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

Colorado Craft Company October 3rd Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! Today, I’m hopping along with my friends at Colorado Craft Company to help celebrate their October 3rd Release! It’s full of Halloween-y fun, both spooky and whimsical. You should have arrived here from Daniel West, and your next stop is Kassi Hulet. You can check out the entire hop list at the Colorado Craft Company blog! I have a cheeky, vibrant project for you today, so let’s get started with the details!

I have had a long love affair with the Big and Bold line from Colorado Craft Company, the obsession for which started with their spectacular floral designs. (Me and flowers, big shocker-right?) But their Big and Bold stamp line has way more than just flowers! This month, they added the Big and Bold-Witch’s Broom to their lineup, and the cheeky sentiments are just so darn fun! Some people are all about Halloween, and it can be hard for me to get too excited about blood and guts and being terrified (sorry, not sorry), but I can definitely get behind some snarky, clever sentiments!

I wanted to create a magical, vibrant night’s sky behind the Big and Bold-Witch’s Broom. Aurora Borealis-esque, but a bit more magical and almost unnatural. I began by heat embossing the main image from Big and Bold-Witch’s Broom using some brass embossing powder onto a panel of Arches Cold Press watercolor paper. I then taped the panel down to my watercolor board and used my Holbein watercolors to create this vibrant night sky behind it! The trick to creating this vibrant celestial sky is to lay down your colorful areas first, using lots of pigment and lots of water, then allowing it to dry completely before coming back in with intense black watercolor. I used lots of water and pigment to allow the black to move around fluidly, trying to keep things organic but still allow the magical vibrant colors to shine through. Isn’t watercolor such an incredibly versatile medium? I allowed the watercolor to dry completely (so that the next layer wouldn’t bleed), then covered my watercolored broom with Post-It notes and splattered some metallic “stars” in the sky.

I used the same Brass embossing powder to emboss the super cheeky sentiment from Big and Bold-Witch’s Broom onto a strip of black cardstock. I trimmed it down, then removed my now-dry watercolored panel from my watercolor board and trimmed it down a bit, as well. I mounted the watercolored panel to a black, A2 card front using foam adhesive, then added the sentiment over the top with more foam adhesive for lots of dimension. I absolutely love how vibrant and unique this non-traditional Halloween card came out!

To celebrate this latest release, Colorado Craft Company is giving away one of each of their new stamp sets to one commenter along the hop! To be entered to win, simply leave a comment at each stop on the hop, both on the blogs and on Instagram for maximum chances. Colorado Craft Company will select winners on Wednesday, October 6th, and announce them on the Colorado Craft Company blog on October 7, 2021.

Well, that’s all for my project today! Check out the Colorado Craft Company blog for all of the hop participants. Your next stop is Kassi Hulet. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Hero Arts September My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! It’s Tuesday, but the My Monthly Hero release for September is happening today due to the holiday… and it’s such a great release! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit is absolutely stunning, featuring one of the most autumnally-iconic flowers: sunflowers.

This month’s kit features: • 4″ x 6″ Clear Stamp Set, • Coordinating Frame Cut, • 2 Fancy Word Dies, • 5 Color Layering Stencils, • 1 Ink Blending Brush, • 4 Ink Cubes (Butter Bar, Caramel, Root Beer, Key Lime Fizz). The kit is valued at $87, but is available for only $34.99! I love the amount of value that you get with these kits. If you love the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero kits, you can always  subscribe to ensure that you get your own kit every month. I have two projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

My first project features some of the main elements of the September kit, including that absolutely stunning sunflower bouquet. I began by cutting a panel of white, Copic-friendly cardstock down to slimline size (3.5″x8.5″). I then stamped the image in a cascade down one side of the card front using Intens-ified Black ink. I used my Copic markers to add lots of and shadows to the beautiful illustration.

Once my coloring was complete, I used Hero Arts Blending Brushes to softly blend Butter Bar and Soft Apricot inks in the opposite corner of the sunflowers. I love how it looks like the sun is shining brightly on the sunflowers and they are turning their faces to it!

In order to highlight the pretty sunflowers and provide a focal point for the greeting, I die cut a black frame using the Slimline Infinity Dies from some Pitch Black cardstock. I didn’t want to cover up the pretty, sunny ombré blending too much, so while the “thanks” sentiment die from the main kit and halo were still attached, I die cut the greeting, reserving the center of the “a” and adhering it in the negative space. This technique allows the pretty, sunshine-y blending to be highlighted in the sentiment! To round out the “rule of threes” for the black accents, I added some black gemstones to add a touch of shine.

My second card features the new Autumn Messages stamp set, paired with the recently released Halloween Icons dies! I die cut the little scene using Papya and Pitch Black cardstocks, as well as the Holiday Sparkle and Basics Glitter Papers.


On a plain white A2 card base, I blended a little textured background using Soft Apricot ink using a stencil that I now realize is retired. (Whoops!) You could achieve a very similar look without the stencil. I just wanted a little halo to give some background to my Halloween scene. I adhered all of my Halloween die cuts to the stenciled area using both liquid and foam adhesive to help add dimension to the flat die cuts. I love how the different textures of the glitter paper and the plain cardstock work together to help keep the die cuts from blending into one another!

I stamped the greeting from Autumn Messages onto a rectangle of white cardstock using Intens-ified Black ink, then added it to the card front using foam adhesive to help it stand out even more. The final touch was to add some clear gemstones, which I think look like bubbles rising from the cauldron! It’s a kinda-cute-kinda-spooky Halloween card, which I am totally down for!

Well, that’s all for me today! To celebrate this month’s release and all of the autumnal goodness it brings, Hero Arts is having a giveaway!

We will give away one $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, September 12th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

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

Hero Arts September 2020 My Monthly Hero Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Hi there! The September My Monthly Hero release is now live, and we are celebrating with a blog hop and giveaway! You should have arrived here from Debi Adams’s blog, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month is all about spooky and creepy with the main kit, but I have a couple of cute cards for you using some of the add-ons.

Halloween has never really been my forte, but I love the pumpkins included in the new add-ons, so I created two cute projects with an orange, gray, and black color scheme.

For the first project, I used the new Spiderweb Bold Prints background stamped with Silver ink on some white cardstock. I then used the new Jack O Lantern die with some Papaya and Pitch Black cardstock to create a cute little Jack O Lantern. I blended some Just Rust ink around the edges of the pumpkin for a bit of dimension.

I heat embossed a greeting on some Pitch Black cardstock, then adhered all of the die cuts on the spiderweb panel using foam adhesive. The final touch was a few black enamel dots!

For my second card, I created a shaker using the Pumpkin Window die and some vellum. I began by die cutting the Pumpkin Window Die from the center of some Pebble cardstock. I backed it with some heavyweight vellum, then added a die cut Papaya cardstock pumpkin in the negative space. I also blended some more Just Rust ink around the edges of the Pebble card front.

I then added some foam tape around the edge of the pumpkin and filled it with some sparkling sequins. I adhered it to a panel of Papaya cardstock and added a silver heat embossed sentiment to the front on some black cardstock!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now, to celebrate the latest My Monthly Hero release, Hero Arts is giving away a $50 shopping spree for the Hero Arts store. All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment on each stop on the hop before Sunday, September 13th. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! The winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Your next stop is Ilina Crouse.

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