Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

happy combos

Happy Sunflowers with new Simon Says Stamp Cheering For You Release!

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

Hi friends! I have some vibrant sunflower inspiraiton to share with you today using some new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp Cheering For You release. (The contests on Day 1 and 2 of the blog hop are still open, so be sure to check out the Simon Says Stamp blog if you haven’t already!) I love a good standalone die, because you can do so many fun techniques and create so much beautiful texture depending on your cardstock choices! I have two cards to share with you today using several of the new goodies from the release, so let’s get started with the details!

The beautiful new Arching Leaf Border immediately jumped out at me when sorting through the new release. The incredible detail and generous size are gorgeous just on their own, but I couldn’t resist adding some pretty flowers. I was inspired by the new Sunflower Pattern layering stencil set to pair the leaves with some cheerful sunflower die cuts using a crisp, vibrant yellow, green, and black color palette for both of my projects!

To start my shaker card, I die cut the different elements from the Arching Leaf Border from some bright green cardstock. This new die set cuts a beautifully intricate botanical frame that can be cut multiple times to be used to create a full background or once, as I’ve done here, to create a partial background. The die set also comes with individual leaves that you can layer on the intricate frame. I have lots of ideas rolling around in my head for this die set, and I can’t wait to play with it some more! I paired these simply-shaped leaves with some Little Sunflower Bloom die cuts, which I cut from white cardstock and colored using OLO markers, layering two of the sunflower images together to create nice, full floral image.

I wanted to allow those botanical die cut details to shine through, so I decided to back the vivid green leaves with a black card front, adding some extra sparkle with a flat shaker! I created a shaker pocket from some leftover stamp packaging and some black cardstock, then filled it with the new Garden Blooms Embellishment Mix. I adhered the green foliage frame on the edge of the shaker front using liquid adhesive, then nestled the colorful sunflower die cuts amongst the greenery with some foam adhesive. I added a greeting created with the Happy Combos stamps and coordinating dies and the Happy die, which I die cut using Glossy Black cardstock and vellum. I love how beautifully the sequins peek through from behind the delicate leaf die cuts!

For my second card, I used the new Sunflower Pattern layered stencil to create a sunshiny background for the new Swing Blossoms die cuts. I used Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Butter, Zest, Honey, (or purchased as a combo HERE), with Pearfection and Cappuccino inks to create the lovely Sunflower Pattern background on a panel of white A2 cardstock. I die cut an oval focal point using the Nested Ovals dies, then softened the die cut by blending Butter ink around the edges of the oval die cut.

To enhance the pretty yellow floral pattern, I die cut the Swing Blossoms dies twice from some coordinating green and yellow cardstocks, adhering all of the pieces with some liquid adhesive. I added black enamel dots to the center of each flower to create some black eyed Susans! I adhered the oval die cut to one of the new Black A2 Side Fold cards using some of the new Thin Foam Adhesive Squares. I adhered the floral swags on the edge of the stenciled oval, then nestled another greeting from the Happy Combos stamps and coordinating dies and the Happy die, which I die cut using Glossy Black cardstock and vellum. I added a few Sunbeam gems for added sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. You can check out the full release HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

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!

Gorgeous Denim Blue with New Embossing Folders from Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! The new Simon Says Stamp Celebrate Release is now live, and some of my most favorite items are the new Ink Trio 25 and the wide variety of new embossing folders! I have become absolutely obsessed with the embossing folder+ink pad swiping craze, and the dark blue in the Ink Trio 25 is absolutely perfect for use with this technique. It’s dark enough that it can easily cover up most lighter colors (as I showed in THIS post last night). I loved making that navy and coral card so much that I wanted to try it out with all three blue inks from the Ink Trio 25 and the new gender-neutral embossing folders to create some more masculine-friendly projects. I have two blue-tiful cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The trick for the ink swiping technique is to make sure that your blending inks are significantly lighter than your swiping ink. You want to make sure that any blending that gets “outside the lines” is covered up by the ink swiping. Luckily, the Night ink from Ink Trio 25 is practically navy blue, so it works beautifully for this purpose! And the super springy foam pad gives great coverage on your debossed panels, almost creating a suction effect to get intense and vibrant inking.

For my first card, I embossed the new Flower Buds Unfolding Embossing Folder onto some Hammermill white cardstock, then flipped the panel over so that the pattern was debossed rather than raised. I then used blending brushes to blend the lighter two inks from Ink Trio 25 randomly all over the pattern, simply adding color to the debossed images. Once I had finished blending, I pressed the Night ink pad directly to the paper and swiped, being careful not to press down too hard to avoid ink smudges inside my patterned debossed areas. I love that this technique picks up the details within the debossed image!! I trimmed down the finished panel slightly and mounted it in the center of an A2 sized dark blue glitter cardstock card front, creating a sparkly mat around the edges of my textured and patterned panel.

For the greeting I chose to heat emboss the “anniversary” from the Happy Combos stamp set, using white embossing on navy blue cardstock, which I paired with the coordinating Happy Die cut from iridescent white mirror cardstock and a vellum shadow. I popped these die cuts up on my debossed and inked panel, then die cut the Ornamental Fine Leaves die from some more dark blue glitter cardstock. These delicate leaves are just simple enough that they can easily be used for a masculine card. You could definitely switch out the “anniversary” die cut for “birthday” and cut the leaves from plain navy cardstock to have a perfect masculine card! Finally, I added a trio of Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit more sparkle.

For my second project, I used the same technique with the new Feather Spiral embossing folder to create a simple Father’s Day card. I first embossed a panel of white A2 cardstock with the embossing folder, flipped the panel over, and blended the lighter two inks from Ink Trio 25 in the debossed areas. I swiped the entire panel with my Night ink pad, again putting the pad directly to the paper and picking up those details beautifully!

For the greeting, I heat embossed a poignant sentiment from Papa and paired it with the new Fancy Father die set, cutting the detail layer from some more navy blue cardstock and layering it with a vellum shadow. To accent the sentiment and ground it a bit so that it wasn’t just floating in the center of the card, I trimmed down a strip of Ocean Breeze glitter cardstock and thinner strip of navy blue cardstock, adhering them to the right hand side of my card front with liquid adhesive. I popped up the sentiment pieces with some foam adhesive, orienting them over my accent strips.

I absolutely love this technique; I think that the possibilities are endless when you change up your ink colors. I think it would be fun to try with watercolored images, too! I can’t wait to experiment more! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Day 1 of the Celebrate Blog Hop. Inspiration abounds with these blog hops, so you won’t want to miss it!