Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

hero arts liquid watercolors

December 2018 My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Happy Monday! It’s the first Monday of the new month (how in the world is it already December?! Gah!), so that means a new My Monthly Hero kit is now available for purchase, and the Creative Team and some special guests are celebrating with a blog hop! I know many people are still creating all things Christmas, but the folks at Hero Arts created an absolutely gorgeous fairy kit that is sure to get your mind off of the red and green for a bit! You should have arrived from Caly Person’s blog and your next stop is Ilina Crouse’s blog.

Here’s the main kit and all of the extras included:
The kit includes: A 6×8 stamp set and coordinating dies, 4-5.5×8.5″ sheets of beautiful shimmer card stock, Moonlight confetti, and sparkly gel pen. The value of this kit is $65, but you can purchase for the price of $34.99! These kits frequently sell out, and once they’re gone, they’re gone… so don’t wait and miss out! You can also subscribe to make sure that you get first dibs every month. The kits will begin shipping from the warehouse on Friday, December 7th.

I have two projects today, one using the main kit and one with a couple of the add-ons, so let’s get started with the details!

For my first project today, I chose to create a little meadow scene with that darling mouse from the main kit! (Isn’t he just the cutest?!) I began by stamping some mushrooms, dandelions, and the little mouse on some hot press watercolor card stock using Intense Black ink. I then used the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors in shades of Dandelion, Orange, Moss, Strawberry, Black, and Cocoa to watercolor the images. I also watercolored a pale blue sky using very diluted Indigo watercolor.

After I’d watercolored everything, I die cut the images using their coordinating frame cuts (included in the kit). I also die cut a gold frame using some of the beautiful shimmer card stock included in the kit using the Infinity Rectangles Frame Cuts. I arranged my die cuts approximately where I wanted them, then used my Misti to get perfect placement for my sentiment and the little floating dandelion seeds on the blue sky background. I popped the frame up around the outer edge of the blue sky with foam tape, then added the rest of the die cuts with more foam tape to create a little scene with lots of dimension!

For my second project today, I absolutely couldn’t resist using the beautiful Fairy Window Fancy Die paired with the Star Light Star Bright Bold Print background stamp. I began by stamping the background using three different colors. To achieve this, I used my MISTI. I first stamped the Dark Indigo on the top third, blotting the edge of the inked area with a paper towel before closing the lid on my MISTI to soften the line of the ink and make a smoother fade. I added Indigo ink to the middle section, again dabbing the top and bottom with a paper towel to decrease the harsh lines and create a smoother blend, then finished it off with Orchid ink and a little more paper towel action. I spritzed it with some Iridescent White shimmer spray and set it aside to dry.

I die cut the Fairy Window Fancy Die from some black card stock and adhered it to the (now dried) starry panel using liquid adhesive. So much detail on this cover plate! I absolutely love it! I added a greeting from the main kit’s stamp set on a strip of white card stock and popped it up with some foam tape.

Well, that’s all for me today! Such a fun release, right? The kit, the add-ons… everything!

Now, for some fun giveaway information! Hero Arts is giving away one kit to a lucky commenter (and if you’ve already purchased one, they will reimburse you!). All you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment on each stop on the blog hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! Here’s the full lineup in case you got lost:

The Hero Arts Blog
Caly Person
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Michelle Short
Nichol Spohr
Yana Smakula
Jennifer McGuire
Kathy Racoosin
Debi Adams
Lydia Fiedler
Julee Tilman
Emily Loggan
Libby Hickson

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


More fun with the My Monthly Hero kit!

Good morning! I have another project using the September My Monthly Hero kit. The kit has SO many gorgeous images, including several vases for creating your own floral arrangements, as well as many different options for foliage and branches. The options are really endless! Today, I combined the images from the kit with some of the beautiful add-ons, so let’s get started with the details!

I started by die cutting and stamping the vase and some of the foliage from the main kit onto some watercolor paper using Intense Black ink. Next, I used the Hero Arts watercolors to add color to the images. I also stamped and die cut some of the gourds from Autumn Bounty and watercolored them, as well.

For the background, I embossed the beautiful new Patterned Lanterns Bold Prints background using Gold Sparkle embossing powder. I arranged the die cuts in a cluster and adhered them using both liquid and dimensional adhesive. I added a greeting: a heat embossed thankful from the main kit on a strip of red card stock.

Well, what do you think? I love this September My Monthly Hero kit… it’s got so many fun bits and pieces. There are still a few kits left, so if you’re on the fence about purchasing this month’s kit, be sure to head over to Hero Arts and get your kit on! These kits are limited edition, so once it’s sold out, it’s gone for good!

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


March 2018 Essentials by Ellen Release!

Good morning! I have a special post for you today…. I get to help showcase the new Essentials By Ellen March release! These Japanese-themed stamps and dies are the result of the fabulously talented Julie Ebersole’s recent trip to Japan. We have a sushi themed set, a fortune cookie die, and a sweet set filled with iconic Japanese images called So Matcha. How unique, right?

For my first project today, I did some masking to create this sweet little scene using the So Matcha stamp set. I started by stamping the lantern images onto some masking paper and fussy cutting them out, then I stamped them in a cluster on some Arches Hot Press watercolor paper. I also stamped one of the adorable kimono-clad ladies using Intense Black ink.

I watercolored the images using the new Hero Arts watercolors in a bright red, blue, and green color scheme. I had to do some creative mixing to create the gray kitty, but it was totally easy to mix some Moss, Mulled Wine, a touch of Deep Ocean, and a little Artprint Brown to create a pretty gray! After I had finished watercoloring all of the images, I fussy cut the lantern cluster and the kitty with her friend. I could have used the dies and die cut the pieces individually, but I wanted a more seamless look without the white die cut edges for my masked lanterns.

For the card base, I wanted to highlight the pair of friends, so I used my ink blending tool to lightly blend some Pale Tomato ink on a natural white card base. I also used the little floral clusters to add some stamping on the card base to add a little interest to the background, then stamped and heat embossed the sweet greeting from the So Matcha stamp set. I adhered the lanterns and the little girl and her feline pal using dimensional foam adhesive.

Isn’t the little pair just so darn cute?!

This next card focuses on the absolutely darling Wasabi stamp set. (Does looking at these images make you super hungry, too? Just me? Okay then.) I made this card around Valentine’s Day. My hubby introduced me to the wonder that is sushi for Valentine’s Day several years ago, so for date nights (or afternoons… or lunches… haha!) we like to go eat sushi just the two of us. It was Valentine’s Day…. I figured he’d prefer a heart shaped box of sushi more than he would like a box of chocolates! 😉

To create the heart shape, I used the solid heart die from the Hero Arts Paper Layering Floral Heart with Frame to trace a heart shape lightly with a pencil on my white A2 card base. I then stamped the images using Intense Black ink, starting with the largest images and trying to keep things as symmetrical as possible. I used the smallest images to fill in the edges to really help it look heart-shaped. After my black images had been stamped, I added the solid stamped images using Rose Madder, Indigo, Dark Quartz, and Forest Green inks (all from Hero Arts, all linked at the bottom of the post).

I also used my Copics to add some shading to the sake bottle and cups, as well as the bottom of the rice on the sushi rolls. After I had added all of the color to the rolls and accessories, I used the Hero Arts Lacquer Pen to add some shine to the colorful sections of the sushi rolls. It really adds some great texture to this flat card!

For the greeting, I stamped the “You maki my day!” sentiment from Wasabi onto a strip of black card stock and white heat embossed it, then popped it up with some dimensional adhesive. The final step (after allowing plenty of time for the inks and Lacquer to dry) was to erase my pencil lines.

Well, what do you think of this release?? Isn’t it just so clever and so cute?? Well done, Julie! If you’re like me and struggle with masculine cards, the Wasabi set is just perfect for those guy cards! If you haven’t shopped yet, head over to Ellen Hutson and get your shop on!! #shoppingismycardio

Thanks for stopping by, and have a marvelous day, friends!