Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

holiday blossoms

Christmas In July with Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! It’s Christmas In July week here on my blog, and I have some super fun holiday projects to share with you that are perfect for jumpstarting your holiday crafting! I know, it’s maybe a little early, but my holiday projects from earlier this month started the holiday wheels turning in my head and I couldn’t resist pulling out some favorite supplies. It also gave me an opportunity to use some products that I didn’t have a chance to play with last year! I thought I would start with some vibrant jewel tones that are a bridge between summer colors and holiday imagery. I also have been itching to paint the gorgeous poinsettia bouquet from my Holiday Blossoms stamp set that was released a few years ago. It’s one of my favorite holiday sets that I’ve illustrated, and I always love a chance to work with my own illustrations in a new way. I have a two-fer for you today that would make the prettiest gift set, so let’s get started with the details!

*I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Poinsettias come in such a wide variety of colors, so I jumped at the opportunity to use some incredibly vibrant colors as my initial holiday project. I selected some vibrant magenta cardstock, pretty Plum Glitter Cardstock, Lisa Horton Pink Champagne Shimmer, and Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems, along with some fun coordinating acrylic paint colors to create a sweet miniature canvas art piece!

To begin my gift set, I stamped the poinsettia bouquet from Holiday Blossoms onto my mini canvas using gold pigment ink, the color of which worked nicely to keep the ink lines subtle, while the pigment ink formulation also stamps cleanly on the canvas. I found this little mini canvas and easel at my local dollar store and thought it was perfect to practice my acrylic painting! I have not worked with acrylic paints very much, so this was a fun practice exercise. I just love how it turned out! After I had completed the painting, I knew that I needed to make a coordinating card to go along with it using the same vibrant fuchsia color palette.

To create my card, I stamped the same poinsettia bouquet image from Holiday Blossoms onto some deep magenta cardstock using Lisa Horton Pink Champagne Shimmer, which creates a subtle tone-on-tone effect while also adding exquisite shimmer to the card front. I rotated the stamp on the card front, allowing it to spill off of the sides to keep the pattern continuous throughout the card front.

After I had finished creating the subtly shimmering background, I die cut the Forest Border Frame from some Simon Says Stamp Plum Glitter Cardstock, which worked beautifully with the magenta cardstock to create a monochromatic effect. I adhered the frame to the bottom right of the card front with foam adhesive squares, trimming off the excess with sharp scissors. I created a greeting from Holiday Blossoms using white pigment ink and Hero Arts Iridescent Purple Embossing Powder and die cutting it with the coordinating die. I popped the sentiment up with a double layer of foam adhesive, then tucked a bow tied with Simon Says Stamp Iridescent White Cord beneath the sentiment, finally finishing the project off with some Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my first post for Christmas In July Week! I hope you’re as ready for some elegant and festive projects as I am! Happy Christmas In July, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Festive Fun Release-NEW Old Fashioned Christmas!

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

Hi friends! I am so excited to share some inspiration using the brand new Festive Fun release from Simon Says Stamp. I am extra thrilled to have designed two new stamp sets included in the release: Old Fashioned Christmas and Poinsettia Swag. Old Fashioned Christmas is a set on which I have been ruminating for quite a while; my husband is a bourbon guy (in fact, he’s headed to a bourbon trip this weekend with his buddies for their 40th birthdays!), and so when I was trying to design a Father’s Day card for him, I was disappointed to discover that I had nothing bourbon-themed. I am (slowly) growing more fond of “punny” sentiments, and the sentiments that I included with the Old Fashioned Christmas set are cute while still being elegant and a bit more mature. This was my first non-floral illustration, and I am so thrilled at how it came out!

The Old Fashioned Christmas set features a generously-sized whiskey decanter, along with a decorative bow and two scrumptious-looking cocktails. My redhead’s favorite drink is an old-fashioned, and I’ve had to get better at making them for him. We usually use bourbon, a couple drops of bitters, Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup (if you love old fashioned cocktails, you need to try this), with some Luxardo cherries and a piece of candied orange peel, muddled together. The candied fruit takes the bitter edge off of the bourbon (double oaked Woodford Reserve is his favorite for cocktails), and they are a delicious little treat at the end of the cocktail when all of the flavors have melded together!

For my first projects using the images from Old Fashioned Christmas, I decided to create a festive card and pillow gift box for a cocktail-loving friend. Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

*I have linked all of the products used at the bottom of the post using affiliate links for your convenience. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Coloring is one of my most favorite things to do; a stress reliever on difficult days, something in which I can lose myself and be totally consumed on getting the shading just right. The images from Old Fashioned Christmas are very generously sized, making them great fun to color with your choice of medium. I focused mostly on OLO markers with my first several projects, but I can’t wait to do some watercoloring! I stamped the images multiple times on some Hammermill white cardstock using Altenew’s Permanent Mist Gray ink, which is great for no-line alcohol marker coloring. I used my colorless blending marker copiously when coloring the glass, creating lots of shine and attempting transparency with each image. I used a “glazing” technique on the cocktail accompaniments to make them look as though they were submerged in the cocktails, using the lightest marker from the cocktail to cover the areas submerged in the liquid after coloring them with their base layer of color, so that they would take on some of the same undertones as the cocktail!

After I had colored all of the images from Old Fashioned Christmas using OLO markers, I used the coordinating dies to die cut each image. I also heat embossed a greeting from Old Fashioned Christmas using Platinum Sparkle embossing powder, then die cut it with the coordinating die. Don’t you just love sentiment die cuts, as well? So clean and polished-looking. Any bourbon lover would absolutely love to receive a card with this sentiment on it, I think!

You know that I can’t not have flowers on my projects, so I used my Holiday Blossoms stamp set that was released last Christmas to add some botanical adornments to the A7 card front, stamping the poinsettia bouquet in the corners of the white card front using the same Permanent Mist Gray ink to create a very subtle pattern in the background. I used some champagne glitter cardstock to die cut the A7 Nesting Frame dies, adhering two to the patterned background with liquid adhesive and creating a “ground” for my little cocktail hour. I adhered the die cut and colored images to the background using a mixture of liquid and foam adhesive, doubling the foam adhesive for the sentiment to give it a bit more height from the rest of the die cuts. Finally, I added a few Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems, which worked beautifully with the orange tones in the cocktails and the whiskey in the decanter.

For my second project, I used the cocktail from Old Fashioned Christmas in the shorter highball glass to adorn a Pillow Box die cut. I used the same no-line coloring technique listed above, adding some dimples to the candied orange and highlights to the glass with my white gel pen. Before folding the Pillow Box die cut, I stamped the magnolia image from Holiday Blossoms onto one side using the new Cookie Pawsitively Saturated Ink, matching the warm peachy-brown tones in the cocktail. I embossed a greeting from Old Fashioned Christmas using Iridescent Copper embossing powder, then die cut the sentiment using the coordinating die and added it to the front of the pillow box. Finally, I wrapped some shiny copper twine around the pillow box, tucking the tail beneath the cocktail and the bow behind the sentiment die cut. Wouldn’t this be a great way to give a gift card to your favorite spirits retailer for Christmas?

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I hope you’ll check out the new Festive Fun release from Simon Says Stamp; there truly are some absolutely wonderful new goodies that will bring much joy and fun to your holiday crafty time. I focused a lot of attention on the two sets that I illustrated, but the entire release is absolutely scrumptious. Thanks so much for stopping by, and don’t forget to come back later this week for tons more inspiration on the two-day blog hop celebrating the Festive Fun release! Have a marvelous day!

Christmas In July: Rustic Maroon and Dusty Blue!

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

Hi friends! I am back for another Christmas In July post, this time featuring rustic red paired with dusty blue to give a more country-feel to these holiday cards. I love coming up with unique color palettes for holiday cards beyond the traditional bright red and green, and the combination of the maroon and dusty blue combination reminds me of a rustic holiday tree, complete with gingham bows, pinecones, and lots of berries. I wanted to try this color combination out on one of my own illustrations after working with the sweet birdhouse image from the Snowy Birdhouse, and so pulled out the magnolia image in the Holiday Blossoms set that I illustrated for Simon Says Stamp. I thought that the maroon magnolias would be beautiful on a holiday card! Let’s get started on the details for my projects.

For both of my cards, I used Arches Hot Press watercolor paper with some of my artist-grade watercolors. I have a rather extensive collection of watercolors from a variety of brands, but frequently find myself reaching for the same medium and brands over and over, and so am trying to use my artist-grade watercolors from Schmincke. The richness of the colors never disappoints!

For my first project, I embossed the Snowy Birdhouse image on a slightly-larger-than-A2 panel of Arches Hot Press watercolor paper, then taped it down to my watercolor board to reduce further warping of the cardstock while watercoloring. I used my Schmincke watercolors to add lots of vibrant red to the snowy bird house, dotting the snowflakes with the white marker in the Altenew Acrylic Markers. I also die cut the separate snow pieces from some pearlescent white cardstock and adhered them using liquid adhesive, finally adding some sparkling “snow” on the image using Tonic Snowfall glitter. Between the embossing, various mediums, and glitter, this card front has incredible texture!

For the greeting, I kept things very simple, die cutting the detail layer from the Monoline Merry Christmas die set from Pitch Black cardstock, then adding the shadow layer behind it, cut from some vellum. After allowing plenty of time to dry, I removed the tape from the edges, trimmed the edges of the watercolored panel down 1/8″, then mounted the watercolored piece on an A2 panel of coordinating deep red cardstock. Such a simple, festive card that definitely evokes lots of winter imagery!

For my second card, I applied the same beautiful deep red and dusty blue color palette to the magnolia image from my Holiday Blossoms set. To create a large, full bouquet for an A7 card, I heat embossed the image twice onto some Arches Hot Press watercolor paper using White Satin Pearl embossing powder. I watercolored all of the images using the same color palette, keeping the colors a bit muted and rustic, and adding a pale wash of the same dusty blue watercolor around the edges of both embossed images. This wash of blue helps to enhance some of the white pearl embossed details on this super intricate image, which have the potential of getting lost on the creamy white watercolor paper.

While my images were drying, I taped down an A7 panel of Arches Hot Press watercolor paper onto another watercolor board, then used the same dusty blue watercolor with lots of water to create a lovely background for my large holiday floral bouquet, which also happens to coordinate nicely with the blue wash around the edges of the watercolored florals.

For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer of the Fancy Tidings of Cheer from Pitch Black cardstock and adhered it to a vellum shadow layer. I also trimmed down a coordinating sentiment from the Typed Christmas sentiment cards. I arranged the floral bouquet on the center of my now-dried watercolor background and popped it up with some foam adhesive. I adhered the die cut greeting over the “seam” where the two floral die cuts meet, softening the area behind the crisp black sentiment with the semi-transparency of the vellum. Finally, I added a few red pearls for added shine.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I have one more project to share with you for Christmas In July, and I’ve saved my favorite for last! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Merry Christmas with Shimmering Vellum and Holiday Blossoms!

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

Hi friends, and Merry Christmas! I can’t believe it’s finally here. I could easily make Christmas cards all year long, and I’m not quite ready to put my holiday supplies away yet. Traditionally, Christmas lasts until Epiphany, so I still have a bit more time, right? I have been experimenting with coloring on different textures and specialty papers using some of my holiday stamp sets that I illustrated for Simon Says Stamp. I used my Joyful Anemone stamp HERE with OLO markers and Neenah Desert Storm cardstock to create a unique red-on-kraft holiday card, and today I have paired my Holiday Blossoms stamp set with some new-to-me specialty vellum papers from Tonic. I have two cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

For both of my projects today, I began by embossing the two large floral arrangements from my Holiday Blossoms stamp set onto Tonic Silver Pearl cardstock using Platinum Sparkle Embossing Powder. This combination looks marvelous on it’s own, but I wanted to add some vibrant color with my OLO markers. Coloring on special papers can sometimes be a little tricky, but I was able to get a beautiful pearlescent stained glass effect by flipping my embossed images over and coloring on the back of the pages! Because of the pearlescent coating on the paper, I had to do only minimal blending, because the streaks will be visible once you flip the paper over. I am totally in love with the finished product. The pearlescent coating can make the colors a bit dull, so if you decide to try this technique, be sure to choose bright colors so that they’re visible!

For this first card, I chose to use the magnolia image from my Holiday Blossoms. When I was drawing the illustrations for this stamp set, I was super inspired by the addition of magnolia flowers to holiday arrangements. I wouldn’t have thought this springtime flower would be a typical addition to a holiday floral arrangement, but I was surprised at how many images I saw of magnolias paired with berries and holiday greenery! Because magnolias are traditionally white, I used the colorful greenery and berries to do some reverse psychology to create a “white” magnolia. I colored the areas around the magnolia with bright colors, then colored very minimal shadows with a light gray OLO marker and blended out the edges with the colorless blender marker. The contrast between the colorful foliage and the lack of color on the magnolia makes you think it’s a crisp white!

To accent the large floral arrangement, I used the Pepperberry Embossing Folder to add some texture to 3/4 of my pale gray cardstock card front. I simply left part of the card front out of the embossing folder as I ran it through my machine, which adds the embossed texture to part of the panel and leaves the bottom portion clean! I added a strip of silver pearl cardstock beneath the seam to help make a clean transition between the patterned embossed area and the plain section. I popped up the colored magnolia arrangement using foam adhesive, then added a greeting from Holiday Blossoms, which I heat embossed onto pale gray cardstock using Platinum Sparkle Embossing Powder, adorning the open area with a double twine bow. Finally, I added a few sparkling gems for one last hint of shine!

My second card is a large A7 card. The poinsettia arrangement from Holiday Blossoms is very generously-sized; I wanted to make an image that could easily stand alone as a focal point on the card while also offering options to create a detailed floral background, colored or not! I colored the detailed arrangement using the same technique as the first card, flipping the embossed image over and coloring the back with vibrant OLO markers. After I’d colored the entire image, I used the coordinating die to cut the flowers out super quickly (so nice to have the dies available… my wrists were very grateful to not have to fussy cut this super detailed image!).

I wanted to create a simple background that still had the feel of the detailed botanical floral arrangement but wouldn’t overpower it, so I die cut the Corner Pine Frame twice from some more silver pearl cardstock and trimmed off the frame edges, leaving only the pine boughs that fit conveniently in the corner of my pale gray 5×7 card base. I adhered them on one side of my card front using liquid adhesive; there was some slight overlap, but the floral bouquet will cover it up!

For the greeting, I heat embossed one of the large sentiments from Making Spirits Bright using Platinum Sparkle Embossing Powder on some more of the pale gray cardstock. I trimmed out the sentiment strip using my trimmer, then die cut the large sentiment using the coordinating dies from the Making Spirits Bright set. (Can I just say how much I love the level of detail included on these sentiment dies?) I popped up the die cut greeting with a double layer of foam adhesive and added the strip with a single layer of foam tape and liquid adhesive. To accent the floral bouquet, I colored a strip of faux silk ribbon using one of the same OLO markers that I used to color the image so that it coordinated perfectly! This is a great way to make sure that your ribbon coordinates perfectly to your project without having to have an endless supply of different ribbons. I tucked the cool reddish pink bow amongst the floral bouquet, then added a few more shimmering gems for some more sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. We are nearing the finish line for Christmas. I hope you’re all caught up on your holiday crafting, wrapping, and baking! I have been baking like a madwoman the last couple of days: gingersnap molasses cookies, Grinch cookies, orange chocolate truffles, two different flavors of biscotti, buckeyes, and iced sugar cookies to give out as gifts for friends. I love this time of year! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happiest of holidays to you!

Simon Says Stamp All the Joy Release Blog Hop- Day 1!

Hi friends! I am so excited to be a stop on today’s All the Joy blog hop-Day 1. You should have arrived here from Debby Hughes, and your next stop is Keisha Charles. You can find the full hop list here on the Simon Says Stamp Blog. The new All the Joy release is full of absolutely stunning products, including three stamp sets featuring some of my new holiday illustrations: Holiday Blossoms (which I’ve used for today’s project), Festive Bouquets (which you can see in action HERE), and Joyful Anemone (which you can check out in THIS post). I could easily buy my weight in holiday stamps and dies each year, so creating these new illustrations was truly a dream come true for me. I love flowers, and I love Christmas and the crafting that goes with it, so the combination is sublime to me! Let’s get started with the details on my project.

When illustrating these new images, I wanted to create images that were detailed enough that you didn’t have to color them if you were not inclined to do so while also being large enough that you could have a total blast coloring them! I used OLO markers for my previous two projects, and so I thought I’d switch things up a little by doing some no-line watercoloring for today’s project. I stamped my poinsettia image from Holiday Blossoms onto some Arches cold press watercolor paper using Contour Ink.

I have recently rediscovered how much I adore watercoloring with Distress Inks. By nature, they react beautifully with water and come in such a huge variety of super saturated colors. I pulled out my Distress Cubes and selected a bunch of holiday-appropriate colors: Bundled Sage, Lucky Clover, Festive Berries, Aged Mahogany, and Gathered Twigs. After taping down my watercolor panel to my watercolor board, I tapped the ink cubes onto a palette and used a damp paintbrush to pick up the color. As with regular pan paints, you can easily dilute the color with a bit of water, and the Distress Inks move exceptionally well on watercolor cardstock, making them a dream to use for images like this one, with both large, open areas and small, detailed areas!

After I’d finished watercoloring the image and allowed it to dry while still taped down (which helps to reduce warping), I pulled out a Gold Karin Star Sparks glitter gel pen and added some sparkling veins to the poinsettia. I also used the Simon Says Stamp 6″ T-Square to add a sparkly golden frame around the edge of my card front. I love adding simple frames like this to an intricately-colored image; it adds just the right highlight to your card front without adding any extra bulk and also draws your eye to the focal point. To keep the sentiment simple, I die cut the detail layer of the new All the Joy die from some Matte Gold cardstock and backed it with a heavyweight vellum outline layer. Finally, a few shimmering sequins added just a touch of glam and luxury!

Well, that’s all for my project today! (I have tons more inspiration using the new All the Joy release coming, so be sure to subscribe if you would like to see more holiday content!!) Now for some fun giveaway information:

To celebrate their new release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop, selected from the blog comment section. Winners will be chosen and posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday the 8th of November. Winners can email Simon Says Stamp to claim their prize!!

Simon Says Stamp is also offering a Free Gift With Purchase! Simply search ssst221647 in the search box, add to cart with the rest of your selections, then enter code STAR at checkout to receive the beautiful Holy Stars Stencil for free!

That’s all for me today! Your next stop is Keisha Charles. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!