Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

joyful anemone

Joyful Anemones on Desert Storm!

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

Hi friends! I’ve been busy in my office making holiday cards to send to friends, and I have been working with some of the stamp sets that I designed for Simon Says Stamp using some unusual papers to create some really unique looks! My card today features OLO markers on Neenah Desert Storm cardstock, which is an alcohol marker-friendly cardstock that looks fabulous with brightly colored images. I paired it with my Joyful Anemones, doing some partial coloring and fussy cutting to cut down on the length of time I spent coloring. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping my Joyful Anemones illustration on a panel of Neenah Desert Storm cardstock using Contour Ink to do some no-line coloring. I used OLO markers to add some vibrant, cool maroon and deep pinks to a section of the anemone illustration, one of the clusters that was complete and could be cleanly cut out. (I saw Kristina Werner do this at a retreat I was at a few months ago, and I absolutely loved the idea!) I colored the image and then used my sharp scissors to fussy cut it out. The warmth of the Desert Storm works beautifully to add a unique depth to the colored image. After fussy cutting, I used a white gel pen to add some simple accents to the stamens on the large flower and the berries.

I wanted to add some subtle texture and interest to the background to allow the colorful floral image to pop, so I pulled out the Pine Bouquet embossing folder. To enhance the pattern, I lightly brushed my white pigment ink pad over the raised areas. I also splattered the embossed panel with some glittering watercolors for a touch of color and sparkle.

I used foam adhesive to pop up the colored floral spray on the embossed panel. For the greeting, I die cut the Fancy Tidings of Cheer from some shimmering Luxe Glitter Cardstock in a similar shade to the Desert Storm cardstock. I adhered the greeting with some liquid and foam adhesive, then added some shining gems for extra sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! If you haven’t used your sharp scissors to cut out only a portion of your background stamps, you’re missing out. It adds another way to use your stamps to your arsenal of crafty tricks! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp All the Joy Release + New Illustrations!!

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

Hi friends! Tonight is release night for Simon Says Stamp’s new All the Joy collection, and it’s an utterly amazing release filled with so many holiday crafting goodies that you’re going to want the whole darn release! I am extra excited for and proud of this release, because three of the new sets feature my illustrations. Some of them you might have seen in my coloring panel sets, and now you can have them in stamp form!! The new Festive Bouquets, Holiday Blossoms, and Joyful Anemone sets all feature illustrations of which I am super proud. It’s such a surreal feeling to be using my own drawings for holiday cards! I am so darn excited about these, and this Joyful Anemone background is probably one of my most favorite illustrations that I’ve ever done. Ever since I discovered jewel-bright red anemones with black centers, I’ve always thought that they were such a dramatic addition to a holiday bouquet, and this background stamp pays homage to them. Let’s get started with the details!

I recently was at a weekend crafting retreat with some wonderful friends, and all I brought with me were a bunch of coloring mediums and my new stamps for this release. I began by stamping the Joyful Anemone background stamp onto some white Hammermill cardstock using alcohol marker-friendly black ink. I then used my OLO markers to add lots of vivid color to the image in shades of traditional red and green. I am in love with how vibrant and yet still traditional this colored background is!

To add some sparkle to the card front, I die cut the All of Us Script die once from Dazzling Diamond glitter cardstock (which now comes in full size 8.5×11″ sheets!) and twice more from white cardstock scraps, adhering all three die cuts together using liquid adhesive to create a dimensional die cut sentiment. The incredible vibrancy of the colored background lets the die cut shine (literally, ha). I love the idea of a card being from “all of us,” because my house has 6 people in it and sometimes you just want one card to speak for everyone. Easy peasy!

To accent the die cut greeting, I trimmed out one of the greetings from the CZ Designs Sentiment Strips Christmas sentiment cards. I trimmed down the colored panel a little and matted it on a piece of black cardstock, allowing the black frame to peek out from all sides. I adhered the dimensional die cut sentiment with some liquid adhesive, then popped up the sentiment strip with some foam tape. For textural interest, I added a sparkling silver twine bow and scattered a few white pearls! Simple, but elegant and so vivid.

I can’t wait to try more techniques with this stamp set! I tried to make the Joyful Anemone background stamp detailed enough that you could certainly use it as a standalone image without it feeling too bare, but also make the images large enough that they’re fun to color. The entire All the Joy release is now live, and you can check it out HERE. (Trust me, you will want to take a look. SO many amazing new products.) Be sure to check back here tomorrow and Thursday for even more inspiration using lots of new products from the release! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy release day!