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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

ink blending

Regal Purple and Colorful Ornaments: More DieCember Inspiration!

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

Hi friends! My color-loving heart is so excited to share this card with you today. I have a Pinterest board entitled “Holiday Color Combos” (which you can see in its entirety HERE), and on it is pinned tons of unusual Christmas color schemes. After making cards with lots of traditional colors for the last several months, I found myself perusing this board for color palettes before creating my projects for the DieCember release for Simon Says Stamp. One color combination jumped out at me: deep plum, bright teal, vivid magenta, and amethyst purple. The multiple layers of the new Elegant Ornament dies were perfect for using this interesting color combination. Let’s get started with the details!

The Elegant Ornament die set includes five different dies so that you can customize the different layers in tons of unique combinations! I chose to die cut the pieces from Eggplant and Peacock solid cardstock from Concord and 9th, reserving the die cuts from each layer to be used later. I also die cut the super delicate detail layer from some magenta glitter cardstock, cutting enough to create three different ornaments.

Because none of the layers of this die are completely solid, I made sure to keep the solid center section from the super detailed top layer of Eggplant cardstock. I then added this piece behind the windows on the teal layer so that the medallion would be completely solid and there would be tons of contrast between the different layers.

The three ornaments were the perfect size for an elegant slimline card, so I trimmed down a Fig slimline card front and blended some Fig ink around the edge of the card front. I also splattered the background with some handmade iridescent watercolors to add a touch of sparkle. I popped up the ornaments on the card front using foam adhesive, then added a foiled sentiment from the Sentiment Strips Reverse Christmas Greetings with some more foam tape. For a touch of added sparkle, I placed a shimmering gem in the center of the outer two ornaments. This was quite a simple card, merely die cutting and gluing, but I think these look so elegant and sumptuous with the rich colors and textures.

Well, that’s all for my project today. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp DieCember(R) Release Blog Hop!

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

Hi friends! The spectacular DieCember release has finally arrived, and we are celebrating and inspiring you with Day 1 of our DieCember blog hop! You should have arrived here from Barbara Tarayao, and your next stop is Keisha Charles. You can also start back at the beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog. You can check out tons of inspiration on the  DieCember® release gallery (and maybe add some inspiration of your own, too!).

Every year, I create tons of cards with traditional color schemes, sometimes with slight variations or additions to modernize things a bit, and because I make holiday cards for several months, traditional red and green can get a bit boring to me. To combat my color palette doldrums, almost all of the cards that I created for this month’s DieCember release featured non-traditional color palettes, including this pair of blue and champagne projects for today’s hop! Let’s get started with the details.

To start my first project, I die cut the Corner Pine Frame using Matte Champagne cardstock. This beautiful champagne cardstock is a lovely alternative to traditional gold; it has a bit cooler undertones and so it works beautifully with cool blues and greens. To create an interesting background for my detailed pine sprigs, I used a blending brush to blend Galaxy Pawsitively Saturated ink on the top corners of an A2 Cornflower blue cardstock panel. I splattered the blended area with some coordinating champagne glitter watercolors from IUILE. After my panel was dry, I mounted the corner die cut over the blended area using liquid adhesive. I think the contrast of the Champagne matte foil with the deep blue background is simply splendid!

Next, I heat embossed some greeting stamps from the new Joyful Greetings stamp set using Platinum sparkle embossing powder onto some heavyweight vellum. I die cut the large sentiment piece using the previously-released Joyful die outline, though the Joyful Greetings set with more detailed word die is also available. I arranged the extra pine branch die cut behind the greeting die cuts, then adhered the sentiments over the top with some foam tape. Finally, I added a fewChampagne glitter drops from Pinkfresh Studio. The color combination makes for a unique Christmas card, to be sure!

My second card features the utterly scrumptious new Florence Plate. The detail on this plate is amazing and would work for so many different cards, not just holiday projects! I die cut the Florence Plate from Cornflower blue cardstock, then backed it with a piece of champagne Luxe Glitter Cardstock. The sparkle on this background is unreal and so difficult to capture in a photograph. (If you haven’t picked up the Luxe Glitter Cardstock yet, I highly encourage you to try some. The sparkle is out of this world!)

I die cut the new Fancy Holiday Cheer die from some dark blue shimmer paper that I found in my stash of specialty papers, backing it with the solid bubble piece cut from more vellum. I die cut the marvelous new Aurora Blooms dies from Rainbow Splash Buttercream, Soft Navy, and Matte Champagne cardstock. I already can tell that these spectacular blooms are going to be a favorite in my craft room! You can make them as simple or as elaborate as you like. I popped up the die cut greeting with foam adhesive, then arranged the flowers and foliage around the large-scale sentiment die cut. This card might be my favorite out of all of the projects that I created for this release!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. Now, to celebrate the new DieCember release, Simon Says Stamp is offering a gorgeous freebie die with any purchase! *Follow the instructions on the graphic at the top of the post to find the Aidan Snowflake die, then use code FLURRY at checkout to receive the die for free.* The gift with purchase promotion will expire at 11:59 EST on 12/8 or while supplies last.

Simon Says Stamp is also giving away a $25 coupon at every stop on the blog hop! Simply leave a comment on each stop on the hop for maximum entries into the giveaway. Winners will be selected and announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday, December 13. Winners must email Simon Says Stamp to claim his or her prize!

Your next stop on the hop is Keisha Charles. Don’t forget to check out the second part of the blog hop on 12/8!! More fantastic inspiration and more prizes to be had. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

NEW DieCember with Simon Says Stamp and Tim Holtz!

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

Hi friends, and happy Friday to you! Simon Says Stamp’s DieCember release launched late last night, and it is absolutely cram-jam full of marvelous die cutting fun. One of the best surprises was a collection of dies to coordinate with Tim Holtz cling stamps that are exclusive to Simon Says Stamp! These coordinating dies are Simon-branded, and so are totally exclusive to the Simon Says Stamp store. I created a colorful and sparkling project using the super sweet Tim Holtz Bottle Brush Trees cling stamps + special DieCember Exclusive Simon Says Stamp coordinating dies. Let’s get started with the details!

Just a note: because these Simon-exclusive dies are Simon-branded, they do not count towards the $25 Tim Holtz purchase requirement for the Walter freebie promotion. The Tim Holtz cling stamps with which they coordinate, however, are certainly included with the promotion!!

I began by stamping the Tim Holtz Bottle Brush Trees cling stamps onto some heavyweight vellum using silver sparkle embossing powder. Once I had finished embossing, I used the DieCember Exclusive Simon Says Stamp coordinating dies to die cut each tree. I love that there are so many different heights and widths in both the trees and the bases. The variety is wonderful and creates such amazing projects! I wanted to create the glow of colorful Christmas lights behind the bottle brush trees, and so embossing them on vellum helped to lighten the die cuts a bit to keep them from being too heavy on the colorful background.

After I had heat embossed my sparkling silver trees, I used ink blending brushes to blend Dublin, Tidepool, Cadette, Amethyst, and Taffy Pawsitively Saturated inks onto my panel, keeping the color concentrated in the center and fading out towards the edges of the card front. I have some sparkly silver bottle brush trees on my mantlepiece with colorful Christmas lights right behind them, and the lights create the most spectacular glow and colorful sparkle on the glittery trees! After I’d finished my ink blending, I splattered some sparkling silver watercolors on the background to add an extra bit of magic.

While my background panel was drying, I die cut the Merry word die twice from plain white cardstock and adhered them together to create a dimensional die cut greeting. I only did two versus three layers to keep things a little flatter for mailing, but you could definitely do three layers to add extra dimension! After my panel was completely dry, I adhered the trees using some foam adhesive, hiding the tape behind the solid embossed areas to keep the trees nice and light, like they were floating on the colorful background. I added the die cut greeting directly over the top with some liquid adhesive, and then as a final touch of magical sparkle, I added some twinkling star confetti. I just love how this card came out!!

Well, that’s all for my project today. If you haven’t taken a peek at the new Simon Says Stamp DieCember products, you’re missing out. There are so many fun new products with which to get super creative!! Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the first part of the DieCember Blog Hop. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp DieCember 2023 is Here!

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

Hi friends! The start of Simon Says Stamp’s month-long celebration of all things die cutting, called DieCember, has officially begun, and I am so darn excited to share everything I’ve been up to for the last couple of weeks. STAMPtember is a celebration of stamping and the stamp industry, and DieCember celebrates dies in all of their glory! This release has the most amazing assortment of products that are just plain fun to use and cover such a huge variety of styles.

Die cutting is a favorite technique of mine, because I love that you can create so many different looks just by changing up your papers, inking technique, and color combinations. I have a weakness for unique textured and coated papers; I am always on the lookout for beautiful colors of glitter or foil papers to add to my stash. It’s amazing what a difference having just the right shade of cardstock can make to a color scheme, and I think the right type of luxurious paper can truly elevate a card design! My card today showcases two different kinds of specialty cardstock using the brand new Boho Chain Die and Cozy Wishes sentiment die from the DieCember 2023 Release! Let’s get started with the details.

I began my project by blending a warm ombré background using Cheeky, Blush, and Paprika Pawsitively Saturated inks with blending brushes; I love how the new Paprika ink (from last month’s All the Joy release) tones down the sweet peachy-pink of the Cheeky and Blush ink to create this lovely background.

Next, I die cut the elegant new Boho Chain die from the brown glitter paper in the Hero Arts Fall Glitter Paper pack. The Boho Chain die includes some extra individual dies that you can use to accent the chain die cut, so I die cut the circles and diamonds from Metallic Rose Gold cardstock. I popped the die cuts up on the blended card background using small pieces of foam adhesive, orienting them to the side of the card to allow plenty of room for my die cut greeting.

For the sentiment, I die cut the detail layer of the new Cozy Wishes die from some more Metallic Rose Gold cardstock. I love the unbelievably smooth mirror finish on this cardstock, and the shade of rose gold is so unique; it truly stands out amongst other metallic rose gold papers. I die cut the background layer from some heavyweight vellum and adhered the two together using liquid adhesive, then popped both pieces up with some foam tape. Finally, I added some super sparkly iridescent gems to the center of the circle die cuts, as well as a smattering of jewels around the greeting.

Well, that’s all for my project today! The new DieCember release is chock full of beautiful new products: simply smashing dies, stamps, hot foil plates, and embossing folders, not to mention new ink colors, and some awesome coordinating dies for Tim Holtz holiday stamp sets! Be sure to check back this weekend for more inspiration using these marvelous new products. Thanks for stopping by today, and happy DieCember!!

Let the Holidays Begin (Officially!) + SALE!

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

Hi friends! Has everybody recovered from their turkey coma? We had the most delicious weather for our Thanksgiving day, and the kids spent almost the entire day playing outside! Such a glorious day for which to count our blessings! But tomorrow promises to bring with it the cold and damp more typical for the end of November, and so it’s totally appropriate to officially ring in the holiday season. (Not that I haven’t been doing that for months, ha!) My husband is a bit of a grump when it comes to Christmas, having his birthday right around Thanksgiving, so he gives me grief if I start celebrating too early. Luckily for me, he doesn’t get a say in when I start decking the halls of my studio! Today, I wanted to share a super festive shaker project that I created using some new goodies from Simon Says Stamp. Let’s get started with the details!

The focal point of this card is the shaker window with the pretty floral ornaments in the background. To create this custom patterned background, I used the same technique that I used to create the ornament card for THIS POST a couple of weeks ago. To start, I arranged my Ornament Masks on my white card front and lightly blended around the edges using blending brushes and the pink and red inks from the Red Berries ink cubes. While the masks were still in place, I used the Red Berries and Green Trees ink cubes to stamp floral images from the Winter Wishes stamp set, creating a pretty floral pattern on each ornament. Removing those masks was absolutely magical; the combination of the blended shapes with the floral pattern creates such a festive and feminine patterned paper!

After I had removed the stencils, I used small pieces of washi tape to add the masks for each ornament from the Ornament Masks set. While these were in place on the card front, I used a blending brush to lightly blend more red ink around the edges. I also splattered some shimmering handmade watercolors over the background while the masks were in place to add some magical sparkle to the background.

Once I had finished creating my background, it was time to create the shaker portion of my card. I die cut a Pinkfresh Studio Nested Hexagons die from the center of a panel of coordinating red cardstock, then backed it with some clear acetate. I used some residual red ink to blend at the top and bottom to add a little extra interest to the shaker card topper. Next, I filled my shaker with Red Berries sequins and adhered the top using foam adhesive. For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer of the Flourished Merry Christmas die set from gorgeous and shiny red mirror foil cardstock, backing it with the vellum outline layer to help it pop from the colorful background. Finally, I added one last bit of sparkle with a glittery gold twine bow!

Now, to celebrate the official start of the Christmas season, Simon Says Stamp is having a fabulous Black Friday Sale!

Until 11:59 eastern time on 11/24/23, you can take 20% off your entire purchase with code BFS23. Such an incredible sale, and a great time to buy crafty gifts for friends or for yourself!

Well, that’s all for my post today. I will have more sales information tomorrow for some other stores, so be sure to stop back by or subscribe to receive blog posts via email! Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy shopping!