Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

ink blending

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Exclusive: Honey Bee Stamps!

Hi friends! I am back with another STAMPtember Collaboration Release today, and we’re celebrating Honey Bee Stamps in all of it’s gorgeously vintage glory today! I have gotten to know Melissa, the owner and caretaker of Honey Bee Stamps, as a member of her Design Team and as a friend over the last several years, and she is genuinely one of my favorite people in the crafty world. She is so kind and warm and such a talented human in so many ways! The STAMPtember collaboration product is just like her: filled with beautiful details and with a touch of vintage charm. Here’s a sneak peek:

The Holly Jolly Frames (click HERE to check it out!) product suite features a variety of intricate frames and holiday imagery with which to fill the openings. I thought that the gorgeous filigree frames would be absolutely perfect to create some elegant gift tags, and so pulled out my deepest Christmas red cardstock, gold embossing powder, and some jewels and created these pretties:

Don’t the gold embossed frames just look stunning against that vibrant red cardstock? Talk about festive and oh, so elegant! For each frame, I stamped the image on Rainbow Splash Scarlet cardstock using embossing powder, then added the luminous gold embossing powder and heated it. I love how those details pop so perfectly against that deep red. After embossing each frame, I used the coordinating dies to cut them out.

Because the dies come with detachable center circles, you can cut the detailed frames with a center opening or you can leave the center circle out and cut the solid image. I die cut one more of each frame from the same Scarlet cardstock, this time leaving off the center circle die and cutting a solid backer that would fit perfectly behind the frames. I used a blending brush to blend Cherry ink on the edges of each solid die cut, adding some vintage “distressing” to the background.

To adorn the center of each frame, I heat embossed some of the holiday imagery included with Holly Jolly Frames with the same opulent red and gold color palette and die cut them with their coordinating dies. I adhered the frames to their solid, blended backers with thin foam adhesive squares, then added the holiday icons in the center of each frame, turning the frames on the diagonal so that they were diamond-shaped instead of squares. I used my Crop-A-Dile to cut a hole at the top of each diamond, then threaded some sparkling gold twine through to create the loop to easily attach the tag to a gift. Finally, I added some sparkling Cherry Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for extra sparkle and luxury!! I think these look like they came directly from the North Pole!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. Wouldn’t these be so pretty in a variety of Christmas colors and given as a gift? Or as a collage on an A7 card front? So many possibilities with these pretty frames!!

Important note: these fabulous and exclusive STAMPtember collaboration sets are limited edition, meaning that once they sell out, they won’t be restocked. Don’t wait on these! You won’t want to miss out! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: Gina K. Designs!

Hello friends! I am back with another absolutely gorgeous Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration project today. We are working with one of those superstar brands today: Gina K. Designs! I’ve had the opportunity to meet and become friends with Gina over the years, and she is just as lovely, wise, and warm in person as she is on her YouTube channel. Life’s Best Moments, the absolutely stunning exclusive, limited edition STAMPtember collaboration suite, has so many fantastic options available that fit your personal brand of creativity. Here’s a sneak peek at the set and accessories:

Stamps, stencils, dies, and even Poly-Glaze sheets…. can you even ask for anything better?? I’m a girl who loves options, never knowing which direction or mediums my fingers will reach for on a given day, and this gorgeous suite of products offers so. many. options. Click HERE to see the full suite of Life’s Best Moments products as a bundle, HERE for the stamps, dies, and stencils, or click HERE to see just the stamps and dies!

I created a set of two monochromatic cards using the stamps, dies, and stencils from Life’s Best Moments today, with lots of warm pinky peach ink blending with Ballerina, Carnation, and Rhubarb Pawsitively Saturated Inks and a couple of fun techniques. Let’s get started on the details for my projects!

To begin, I used Shading Brushes to blend Ballerina, Carnation, and Rhubarb Pawsitively Saturated Inks on two A2 panels of white cardstock. I set one aside, then used Carnation ink to stamp a lovely floral pattern from Life’s Best Moments directly on top of the blended background. The lightly blended panel allows the full-strength Carnation ink to show up beautifully without overpowering the pretty blending! After I had stamped my pattern, I used colored pencils to add peachy-pink coloring to the blooms themselves, leaving the foliage untouched. I love how the variation in the blended background still peeks through the petals and adds interest and color to the flowers as well as the foliage! I lightly splattered the panel with some iridescent watercolors for a bit of sparkling texture, then I stamped one of the greetings from Life’s Best Moments onto some more white cardstock using Rhubarb ink, then again with embossing ink, and added some iridescent embossing powder over the top to add subtle shimmer. I die cut the sentiment with it’s coordinating die, then used residual ink from my brushes to add some light blending over the top. I tucked the greeting amongst the flowers with some foam adhesive and added a blush twine bow and some Bubblegum Pawsitively Dazzling Gems.

For my second project, I used the remaining blended panel, this time stamping the large floral bouquet from Life’s Best Moments in the center with more Carnation ink. I then used the coordinating layering stencils to add color to the blooms and foliage using the same ink colors that were used on the card front itself. Once I had finished blending, I used the coordinating die to die cut the finished image. I also splattered the remaining negative space panel with more iridescent watercolors for added texture and shimmer.

For the greeting, I repeated the process from the first card, stamping a sentiment from Life’s Best Moments using Rhubarb ink and covering it with iridescent embossing powder for added shimmer. After die cutting the greeting with it’s coordinating die, I again blended the residual ink from the blending brushes over the top of the embossed sentiment, so that each element would color coordinate for a striking effect. I placed the blended and splattered negative space panel on my card front, then used thin foam adhesive squares to pop the floral die cut up within the die cut opening, I used another layer of foam adhesive to add the greeting, tucking it amongst the foliage and flowers, and finally finishing everything off with some more Bubblegum Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and a twine bow.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Gina K’s STAMPtember collaboration sets always sell out super quickly, so don’t wait to purchase… once it’s gone, it’s gone for good! Upcoming collaboration sets are all listed HERE (though the photos are not updated until the set is revealed each day!) and you can add your email address to the “notify me” box for those sets that you know you will want so you can be sure to not miss out. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!

Fun Vellum Trifold with New Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Release!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I have such a fun card to share with you today featuring my new Floral Follies background stamp that was released with the mega STAMPtember Simon Says Stamp collection (click HERE to see the full release!). Whenever I create a new background stamp set, I always try to share multiple ways in which it can be used for papercrafting, whether you are a colorist or just like the pretty patterns. I chose to use it in a more subtle way today, allowing it to accent the background on my fun vellum trifold card, rather than adding tons of color and detail to bold flowers. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I placed the Floral Follies Background in the center of a 5 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ panel of vellum cardstock, then used my MISTI to stamp the detailed background stamp in the center of the panel using embossing ink. I added Platinum Sparkle embossing powder to the stamped background and heated it, then used my trimmer to cut right down the center of the panel to create the opening for my trifold card! (It was a lot easier to cut this one in the center; cutting the panels that I’ve colored makes my heart stop momentarily, ha!) I used a Scoring Board to score the vellum at 1/2″ inside each edge so that an A2 panel of deep green cardstock fit nicely inside. I adhered it with some super strong double sided tape, creating my trifold card base.

To adorn the front of my floral vellum card front, I decided to add a vibrant magenta bloom to the cigar band around the center of the card. Though the Blushing Blooms die includes a stem and multiple foliage options, I ignored the stem and die cut only the blooms and foliage from vibrant magenta cardstock and soft sage cardstock, respectively. I used Shading Brushes to blend Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Pine + Taffy on the die cuts, adding some extra dimension and depth to the images, before adhering the die cuts together with liquid adhesive.

After I had finished creating the bloom and foliage, I die cut a Modern Teardrops shape from some deep green cardstock and blended more Pine ink around the edges to add a bit more interest on the flat die cut. I also heat embossed a greeting from the new To Friendship stamp set on another piece of green cardstock using plain Platinum embossing powder, cutting the image out with it’s coordinating die. I arranged the die cuts on the blended Modern Teardrop shape and then created a belly band to keep the card closed when not being read; I simply cut an 11″ x 1 1/4″ strip of the same light sage green cardstock used for the foliage, then wrapped it around my card base and scored it in the appropriate spots. I trimmed off any excess, making sure that the seam of my belly band would be covered by the teardrop die cut.

Once I had created the belly band, I adhered the blooms, foliage, and sentiment with foam adhesive, then tucked a twine bow beneath the greeting and added some Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit of extra sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Sometimes, it’s so fun to think outside of the box and do something different like this trifold card. I just love how unique and elegant this one ended up! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Collaboration: CZ Design!

Hi friends! As part of our STAMPtember fun, Simon Says Stamp collaborates with some of our favorite companies to create fabulous, limited edition stamps and die sets (and sometimes stencils, too!). Many of these collaboration sets are truly limited edition-once they’re sold out, they’re gone for good!- but today’s collaboration products are from CZ Design, and that means that they *will* be restocked if/when they sell out! Today’s collection (click HERE to see everything from CZ Design!) features lots of unique products for a variety of occasions, from Halloween to encouragement to flowers, all in Cathy Zielske’s distinctively clean style. I have a soft project featuring some stenciling, some stamping, and some embossing, all with sketchy flowers and my favorite shades of aqua. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I wanted to create one of those simple but oh-so-effective stenciled frames for which Cathy is renowned using the new Cropping Panels stencils. I placed one of the stencils in the center of my A2 card panel and kept it in place with some washi tape while I completed my blending. I used a Shading Brush to blend Seafoam Pawsitively Saturated Ink on the stencil’s opening. Keeping the stencil in place, I also selected some stamps from the new CZ Sketch Florals and stamped a variety of flowers and foliage on the bottom right corner of the blended area using Surf ink. Once I had finished stamping the pattern, I splattered some iridescent watercolor before removing the stencil, keeping the crisp white frame nice and clean.

After I had completed the background, I decided to create a couple of special floral accents for my focal point, so I stamped some more flowers and foliage from CZ Sketch Florals using Surf ink so that it popped a bit more from the background pattern. I also stamped directly over the top of the stamped image with embossing ink and sprinkled some iridescent embossing powder over it to help it pop from the background even more beautifully! I used the coordinating dies to cut the images out, then blended a touch of Seafoam ink on the die cuts to help them coordinate better with the overall color palette.

For the greeting, I stamped a sentiment from the new Fresh Sentiments again using Surf ink and adding iridescent embossing powder over the top. When heated, the iridescent powder over the colorful ink creates the most beautiful sheen! I arranged the die cuts over the stenciled area on the card front, adhering them with foam adhesive squares, then added a smattering of Surf Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for additional sparkle. I just love how this one came out! Definitely simple to replicate, and how pretty would it be as a card set in multiple colors?

Well, that’s all for my project today! As a reminder, the CZ Designs STAMPtember release *will* be restocked if and when they sell out, so if things are out of stock, be sure to add your email address to be notified when they come back. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!

Happy Birthday Little Fox with New Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hello friends! I have another project to share with you today featuring some adorable and festive new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release (click HERE to see the whole release). I find that I never can have too many birthday cards, and I especially need child-friendly birthday cards with four kiddos and all of the birthday parties that come with so many kids! I absolutely love the “fable” line of critters that Simon Says Stamp has been releasing the last few months; they are drawn in a sweet storybook style that is not too “cutesy” but still has a sweet and whimsical aesthetic. I combined several different dies to create this cutie pie birthday card. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I die cut the pieces for the Fable Dancing Fox and the Party Balloons dies from plain white cardstock. I used OLO markers to add lots of color to the individual pieces, selecting a somewhat neutral color palette, tempering the pink and peach balloons with green and blue. In hindsight, I wish I would have colored the fox in a bit more of a pastel palette, but c’est la vie. I assembled the die cut pieces with liquid adhesive and set them aside.

For the background of my little birthday scene, I die cut the largest of the Fiesta A2 nesting dies from white cardstock. I selected Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Cheeky, Ballerina, and Morning to coordinate with the balloons, avoiding the green in the balloon bouquet’s color palette to prevent the pink and peach mixing with it and creating a muddy mess. Once I had finished softly blending a colorful halo onto the background of my die cut, I splattered some shimmery iridescent watercolors on the blended area and adhered the die cut to my A2 card base with thin foam adhesive.

I die cut the new Celebrate die to add a chunky, bold sentiment to my cutie fox’s birthday scene. I cut the detail layer from iridescent white mirror cardstock and the shadow from vellum. I adhered the detail layer to the vellum with thin foam adhesive strips, then added more thin foam adhesive strips behind the solid die cuts on the vellum to create a double layer of foam tape that helps that sentiment pop from the background. I placed it over the blended and splattered background, then adhered the fox and balloons with more foam adhesive. Tons of dimension on this project!! Finally, I added some Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for even more gorgeous shimmer on this festive birthday card.

Well, that’s all for my project today! The Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember company collaboration celebrations are starting tomorrow, and you won’t want to miss these limited edition sets. Be sure to bookmark my blog or become a subscriber so that you don’t miss anything fun! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy STAMPtember!!