Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

herb labels

Eat, Drink, and Be Rosemary!

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

Hi friends! Today I have a project featuring one of my illustrations for Simon Says Stamp: Herb Labels. This stamp set features several different types of herbs and was initially designed to create labels for an herb garden! I, however, possess the blackest of black thumbs, so I added a bunch of fun, punny sentiments to make the set work for gardeners and/or cardmakers! When I was brainstorming ways to use this set, I loved the idea of a classy “wallpaper” created from the herbs, a la Martha Stewart. I created a similar card when the stamp set was released, but I didn’t love it, so I thought I’d try again with a different medium and color scheme.

I began by stamping the rosemary stamp from the Herb Labels set onto some Fabriano Artistico Hot Press paper using Contour Ink from Hero Arts. I then selected two different shades of green from my Karin Brushmarker Pro stash and scribbled them on my ceramic palette. To paint these small, intricate images, I used a very small, fine paintbrush. I picked up the color with my damp paintbrush and, using a light flicking motion, painted each individual sprig of rosemary, first with the lighter green color, then after the light green had dried, went back in with the darker green to add some deeper, more shadowed green tones, giving the rosemary sprigs more depth. When doing simple painting like this, in which each individual image (or sprig) is merely one color, rather than a larger image that requires more colors and pigment intensity to show shape and depth, it’s easy to work with the lighter colors first, and then add the darker colors over the top. I find that I am more likely to add smaller amounts of the darker colors as just accents when the image is “full” from the base layer of light green.

After I had finished watercoloring the images, I die cut the A2 Thin Frames die from some Evergreen cardstock from Concord and 9th. These thin frame dies from Simon Says Stamp (in addition to the A2 Rectangles, Simon carries A7 Rectangles, and Circles) come as one piece, with the option of leaving them intact or snipping them apart; I’ve kept all of mine together, because with one pass through my machine, they create the handiest little array of frames for future projects. I have found the investment of these frame dies to be such a great value! I love pairing a thick and a thin frame to create a double frame, which is what I’ve done on this card. I adhered the frames on the outer edges of the watercolored “wallpaper” panel.

For the greeting, I die cut and heat embossed the rectangular frame from Herb Labels. I sized the sentiments so that they would all fit within this label image. I love that the thick and thin frame die cuts on the card front mimic the thick and thin frames on the embossed label! I popped up the sentiment label with some foam adhesive, then added a natural white twin bow for some added texture. I also added a bit of sparkle with some Champagne Glitter Drops from Pinkfresh Studio.

Well, that’s all for my project today! I usually am intimidated by no-line painting on smaller images like this rosemary stamp from Herb Labels, but even as small as it is and as many times as it was stamped on the background, the card came together very quickly! Simplifying the amount of detail on the images really helped to make the process a lot smoother and quicker. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

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

Hi there! Simon Says Stamp is celebrating their newest Just For You collection with a two-day blog hop, and today is the first day full of tons of inspiration using the amazing new products! You should have arrived here from Heather Ruwe, and your next stop is Alberto Gava. It never ceases to thrill me to see one of my illustrations come to life as a stamp set, and so it is super exciting for me to see my new Herb Labels set in the Simon Says Stamp lineup!

I designed the Herb Labels set to create customized labels for your herb garden, but since I’m a cardmaker, I wanted to make sure that there were some sentiments to create cards, as well! I added several punny sentiments, and while puns are not my normal jam, I have to say… these make me chuckle. I kept the fonts simple and classy, and I really am enjoying using them! They work for so many occasions, too…. “Mint to be” would be perfect for a wedding, engagement, or just an I love you card; “eat, drink, and be rosemary” would work for a wedding or for the holidays; “tis the seasoning” works for a holiday card; “you’re kind of a big dill” would work for tons of occasions-how cute would it be for a Father’s Day card?! (You can see another project using the herbs and other new release goodies HERE.) I had such fun creating these, and I couldn’t resist using my favorite sentiment on the card below. Let’s get started with the details!

I adore the look of colored pencils on colored cardstock, and red and kraft are just *chef’s kiss* together! I stamped my tomatoes from Herb Labels onto some Sand cardstock from Hero Arts using white pigment ink, which is the ink that I prefer to use when doing pencil work on colored cardstock. I then used colored pencils to add several shades of red and green to the tomato vine. I love how vibrant these colors are on the muted kraft cardstock.

I die cut the large label image from Herb Labels from some more Sand cardstock, then heat embossed the frame outline and the sentiment with white embossing powder. The white looks so crisp on the muted brown cardstock! I popped up the penciled, die cut tomatoes on the tag using foam adhesive, so that they look as though they’re hanging from a vine in a garden

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When creating a card with a simplistic color scheme, I like to add lots of texture to the background, as well as lots of height with different levels of foam adhesive. To create the card base, I ran a full size A2 card front of the Sand cardstock through my die cut machine using the Spun Glass Embossing Folder from Simon Says Stamp. The repeating pattern and subtle texture were perfect for my somewhat monochromatic card front. I also popped up a white glitter die cut frame around the edge, which I cut using the A2 Thin Frames die set. I haven’t snipped my dies apart, instead leaving them as one solid die, so that when I run it through my die cut machine, I get a ton of frames in various sizes and widths and can just save the rest for a rainy day! I added the tomato label to the embossed, framed card front using foam tape, creating lots of height and texture.

My second card features the beautiful, scripty new Easter Blessings die. I have had the utterly lovely Dandy Floral Embossing Folder + Die set out on my desk for such a long time, waiting for the perfect project on which to use it. As soon as I saw the gorgeous font and generous size of the Easter Blessings die, I knew they would work beautifully together! The large flower on the Dandy Floral Embossing Folder reminds me of one of those ruffly, specialty daffodils, and what is more reminiscent of Easter and springtime than a daffodil?

I ran the Dandy Floral Embossing Folder through my die cut machine with an A2 piece of Arches cold press watercolor paper inside. I find that the Arches cold press works beautifully with these detailed embossing folders, sturdy enough to hold up to the deep embossing but also retains some of the texture that is important for (my own personal style of) watercoloring. After taping down the panel to my watercolor board, I used Daniel Smith watercolors to add lots of vibrant color. After laying down my initial layer of color, I always like to go back a second and sometimes even a third time to enhance shadows and add more vibrance. The heavy duty watercolor paper allows me the flexibility to go back in and add more pigment and water without worrying that it will start to pill or disintegrate. I find that a paintbrush with a nice, crisp point is crucial for watercoloring these embossing folder images, just as it would be for any no-line watercoloring project.

I wanted the greeting to be simple, elegant, and stand out nicely on the vibrant background, so I die cut it twice from plain white cardstock and once from the same white glitter cardstock that I used for the frame in the previous project. I adhered all of these together using liquid glue, creating a dimensional die cut. The extra height allows the greeting to stand out a bit from the super textured, colorful background, while the sparkle of the glitter cardstock adds some opulence and shimmer! I adhered the dimensional die cut to the colorful card front using plenty of liquid adhesive. I find that liquid adhesive, rather than a tape runner, works best when adhering die cuts to super textured papers. A few Milk Glass gems helped to add one last touch of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. I have a couple more up my sleeve to share with you, but I will save them for next week!

To celebrate the Just For You release and the blog hop, Simon Says Stamp is offering a fun discount:

Use code GREEN to receive $7 off with a purchase of $40 or more! This promotion will expire 3/19 at 11:59 pm EDT.

They are also giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop, selected from the comments section. The winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday the 22nd of March. All winners must email Simon Says Stamp to claim his/her prize, so be sure to check the blog next week!

Also-I will be attending the Simon Says Stamp CREATE event next month in Columbus, Ohio! I will be working in the Hero Arts booth and meandering around seeing all of the crafty goodness and crafty friends. There are some crazy talented instructors teaching amazing Create It, Take It classes, and tons of awesome shopping opportunities. You can find out all of the information HERE. Will I see you there?

Your next stop on the hop is the ridiculously talented Alberto Gava. And don’t forget to check out the enormously talented hoppers tomorrow on Day 2 of the hop, as well! So much inspiration-you won’t want to miss. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Simon Says Stamp Just For You Release+New Illustration!

Hi there! I am really excited for this month’s Simon Says Stamp Just For You release, not just because it’s full of fun springy products, but also because I have a new illustration included in the release: Herb Labels! I designed this set to create super cute labels for your herb garden, including Mint, Basil, Rosemary, Dill, and Tomatoes (which aren’t technically an herb, I know). Because I’m a cardmaker and have a black thumb, I also included several super cute, punny sentiments to give you multiple uses for this set! I have a couple of cards using some new and old goodies from Simon Says Stamp, so let’s get started with the details!

The world outside is slowly turning green, the light lasting longer, birds are singing… spring is definitely on the way. My cards today channel that crisp brightness with pops of verdant green. I used Field Paws-itively Saturated Ink as the primary color for both of my cards. This bright green embodies the brightness of the greens in springtime, and it was a perfect fit for both of my cards!

My first card starts by stamping the new Leaf Edges stamp with Field ink onto a panel of white cardstock, then cutting it out with one of the Nested Domed Arches. I blended some more Field ink along the bottom left edge, as well, which covered up a spot that I didn’t get stamped perfectly. (wink wink) As I was looking through my bin of dies from Simon Says Stamp, I discovered that the Privet Branch die was a very close match to the leaves on one side of the the new Leaf Edges stamp. I cut the foliage die from some Meadow cardstock from Hero Arts. You could also use the Field ink to blend your own custom cardstock to make sure it was a perfect match!

To create a background for my leaves, I used Field ink to blend all of the layers of the Radiating Squares layered stencil set. I thought this geometric pattern looked lovely juxtaposed with the graceful movement of the Leaf Edges and Privet Branch images. To prevent my leaf images from being overpowered by the busy background pattern, I trimmed down a panel of vellum slightly smaller than A2 size and layered it directly over the top of the stenciled panel. This helped to soften the pattern without completely covering it. I adhered the stamped, blended arch die cut with some liquid adhesive, then added the branch die cut with some foam tape. I flipped it over and hid my liquid adhesive on the vellum behind the solid die cuts.

I die cut a Handlettered Greetings “with sympathy” die cut from some more Meadow cardstock, snipping the individual words apart with my sharp scissors. I die cut the rectangular Thin Frames die, once for the larger rectangle, and twice for the thin frame and interior rectangle portion, which I adhered together to add a bit of height. I adhered the sentiment word die cuts on the rectangle using liquid adhesive, then popped it up with some foam tape. The final touch was to add a few Opal gems for some subtle sparkle and added texture.

My second card uses the same fresh, crisp green-and-white color scheme, this time with my new Herb Labels. I began by die cutting the large frame from Herb Labels from the center of an A2 panel of white cardstock. I layered a solid A2 piece of white cardstock behind the negative of the frame, then placed them both in my MISTI and used the opening as my guide to place the large label stamp in the center of my full piece of cardstock. I stamped it with the Field ink to create a vibrant, crisp frame behind my die cut frame.

I also stamped the dill bunch from the Herb Labels set, again using Field ink to coordinate with my frame. I used a very fine tipped black pen to outline the string wrapped around the base of my dill bunch. I also used the Field ink to stamp the smaller label, adding one of the punny greetings from the Herb Labels set and die cutting both the dill bunch and the frame using the coordinating dies.

To add a little extra texture to the large frame die cut, I ran the entire panel through my die cut machine using the Pinpoint Starlets embossing folder. I love the sweet texture this provides to this crisp white cardstock! I popped up the embossed panel on the stamped background using some foam squares, then added a double layer of foam squares to the back of the dill bunch. I also popped up the sentiment label using foam squares. The extra height and texture would help to add some interest to the simplistic color scheme of the card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have some more goodies to share with you using the Just For You release, as well as some more cards using my new Herb Labels set. Be sure to check back tomorrow! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!