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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

layering stencil

Altenew January 2023 Marvelous Monthly Series Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

Hi there! The first Marvelous Monthly release for 2023 has arrived, and we are hopping along to celebrate! You should have arrived here from Caly Person, and your next stop is Mindy Eggen. You can also start at the beginning at the Altenew blog in case you get lost! I am focusing on two new product sets today: Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations and Craft-A-Flower: Orchids. Here’s a peek at the Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations Bundle kit for this month:

The Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations product suite comes with a large stamp set, layering stencil set, and small blending tool. You can also purchase these same products bundled together with the coordinating dies to create a complete product kit. Such an awesome value! You can even subscribe to be sure that you receive these wonderful Build-A-Garden products each month!

The new Craft-A-Flower: Orchids die set features several different shapes of layering die orchid blooms, as well as a few different options for stems, so that you can create a variety of different shapes of orchid branches. Orchids are such a unique flower, and these layering dies have such a variety of angles and shapes that you can create truly unique arrangements. These Craft-A-Flower dies are always so much fun and can be be used in such a wide variety of techniques! If you enjoy layering dies, I highly encourage you to check out the subscription plan (see all of the details HERE); then you can get them delivered monthly, and at a discount!

After lots of reds and greens for the holidays, I am having a love affair with pink and black lately, and my cards today feature bold shades of pink accented with dramatic black backgrounds. Let’s get started with the details!

Both of my cards feature bold black backgrounds, and for this first card, I chose to start by stamping the different images from Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations using Obsidian black pigment ink, the clear embossing over the top to create a nice, crisp outline for my flowers. I used the coordinating stencils included in the Grand Carnations kit with Puffy Heart and Purple Wine inks to create these vibrant pink carnations. After ink blending, I I used a black alcohol ink marker around the edges of the embossed images to create a black background. I only went out far enough to ensure that the edge of the die cuts would be black; this is easier to me than trying to color the edges after I’ve die cut the images. I die cut the finished images and set them aside.

For the card base, I wanted to create a subtly patterned background using the patterned stencil included in the Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations. I taped an A2 panel of black cardstock to the stencil, then spritzed the Iridescent Shimmer Spray over the top. This spray is truly iridescent; if you notice, at one angle the pattern has a greenish cast, but at the other, the pattern takes on a pinkish hue. So fun and so perfect to match the colors of the flowers!

I trimmed down a strip of black glitter cardstock, then adhered it to the spritzed patterned card front using foam adhesive. I white embossed a couple of greetings from the Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations on black cardstock, then trimmed the strip and used the coordinating die from the add-on die set to cut them out. I popped up the flowers using foam adhesive, then tucked the greeting amongst the blooms with some foam tape. I added a few gems for some more sparkle!

This next card is an homage to pink ombré. I began by die cutting the elements for the different flowers from the Craft-A-Flower: Orchids in three different shades of pink in light, medium, and dark. I wanted to create an ombré orchid stem. I die cut all of the layers from the same shades of cardstock, then used my alcohol markers in coordinating shades to add some subtle shadows on each petal so that there would be some extra depth and dimension on the flowers. You could also do this with some subtle ink blending!

I die cut the different stems from some deep turquoise cardstock, using the largest one to arrange my flowers and cutting off a few buds to add into the arrangement for a few more touches of that pretty jewel-green.

To create the background, I die cut the Lacy Doily die three times from an A2 panel of black cardstock, offsetting it along the edge to create a bit of a pattern. I adhered them to a different black A2 card base, creating a very subtle but super textured background. Next, I added the orchid arrangement with some foam adhesive. I love how vibrant those pink orchids are against that background! I added a greeting from the XOXO & More die set, cut from hot pink foil for the detailed sentiment and some more black cardstock for the outline layer. I adhered it using a double layer of foam tape for extra height. The last touch was to add some more sparkly pink gems!

Well, that’s all for these dramatic projects today. Now for some fun giveaway information!

$300+ in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a FULL RELEASE BUNDLE to 1 grand prize winner and a $25 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by January 22, 2023 for a chance to win.Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on January 24, 2023. *The grand prize winner will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew Card Blog.

Here’s the full blog hop list:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks…

Hi there! Did you know that Pinkfresh Studio has a monthly challenge? At the start of each month, the folks at Pinkfresh Studio provide a great graphic with a challenge topic and color scheme to jumpstart your creativity. You can enter your projects for a chance to win a $50 shopping spree to the Pinkfresh Studio store! You can check out all of the details HERE. This month’s challenge prompt is the appropriately-timed Happy Holidays! I pulled out a bunch of the beautiful new holiday products from the October 2022 release along with Candy Apple, Sparkling Rose, Meadow, Evergreen, and Sky Blue inks to create this festive and colorful shaker card. Let’s get started with the details!

To start, I heat embossed the Holiday City View stamp on a panel of white cardsock using white pearl embossing powder. I used the coordinating stencils, blending brushes, and the Candy Apple, Sparkling Rose, Meadow, Evergreen, and Sky Blue inks to add lots of vivid color to the background. I love how graphic and versatile this background stamp is! It can absolutely be used outside of the holidays, maybe for a “congratulations on your new home” card or “welcome to the neighborhood”!

To add to the holiday feel of the color scheme, I used the Festive Leaves layering stencils with the Candy Apple, Sparkling Rose, and Meadow inks. I then cut the finished blended images out with the coordinating dies. I love these die cuts of simple holiday greenery! The simplicity of the images works beautifully with the equally-simple stenciled, color-blocked background.

To create my shaker card front, I die cut the Ornate Oval Frame from the center of a white A2 card front, reserving both the positive and negative pieces. I like to try to keep the cellophane packaging when I receive new stamp sets, and some old stamp packaging was the perfect backer for this flat shaker! I backed the full size negative-space A2 panel with this recycled cellophane, then nestled the die cut itself inside and adhered it with some strong tape. I added lots of fun sequins and snowflakes to the inside of the shaker and adhered it using more strong tape, not foam tape. The flat sequins still shake beautifully and it is so much easier to mail!

Once I had completed my shaker card front, I added a couple of hot foiled Brushed Sentiments: Holiday greeting die cuts, hot foiled with Champagne hot foil and die cut with the coordinating dies. I popped the greeting up with some thicker foam tape, then arranged the holiday greenery in a little swag around the sentiment and adhered them with a combination of thin foam tape and liquid adhesive to add lots of different layers of height. The final touch was to add a few Magenta Glitter Drops for one last touch of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for this project today! I hope you’ll take a peek at the Pinkfresh Studio Challenge. I have always found that challenges are such a great way to jumpstart your creativity, and can often open the floodgates for even more creative inspiration. I can’t believe we are only a couple of weeks away from Christmas… I’m not ready for the festive holiday fun to be over yet! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp DieCember Release Blog Hop-Day 2!

Good morning! Have you checked out the 10th Simon Says Stamp DieCember celebration? We are hopping along today for Day 2 of the Blog Hop to give you even more inspiration using these die-lightful new products! (Forgive me, my biggest boy has figured out why puns are funny, so I’m stuck in that “funny to a 9 year old” mindset.) You should have arrived here from Heather Hoffman, and your next stop is Lea Lawson. I have a stenciled project using new DieCember goodies to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The new Large Chevron Stencils are perfect for those minimalist masculine cards that can be so difficult to create for a flower-loving girly girl like me. These layering stencils take the guesswork out of things, because when used all together, they create a full background that just needs a greeting!

I paired these Large Chevron Stencils with this beautiful green ink trio (Aspen, Pine, and Sage) from the Paws-itively Saturated line to create my minimalist masculine card. For the darkest green section, I first blended Pine ink, then blended Charcoal ink directly over the top to create a super dark green. I love that you can create custom colors like this by mixing and matching colors that you already have in your stash!

To create the greeting, I created a dimensional die cut with the “hello” die from the new Basic Trio dies, cut twice from plain white cardstock and once from Snow White Velvet cardstock and layered together with liquid adhesive. I also die cut a thin frame from some white cardstock using the A2 Thin Frames die set, which I backed with some vellum to soften the bold patterned background. I centered the dimensional die cut “hello” in the vellum rectangle and adhered it on my chevron card front. I trimmed down a greeting from the Well Wishes Sentiment Strips set and adhered it beneath the rectangle die cut using some foam adhesive.

I always struggle with masculine cards, so I was super excited at how nicely this came together! The relatively neutral green makes this appropriate for any person, and the bold graphic Large Chevron Stencils background makes it acceptable to even the pickiest guy. (Ha!)

Well, that’s all for this project today! It feels weird not having any sparkles on my card, but sometimes the design just doesn’t need any!

To celebrate this fantastic new release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 gift code to one winner selected from each stop on the hop. Leave a comment on all of the stops for maximum chances to win! The winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on December 7, 2022. Be sure to check out and comment on all of the stops on Day 1 of the hop, too!

To sweeten the shopping, Simon Says Stamp is offering a fantastic freebie with your $25 purchase! Simply enter code MERRY to receive a free Merry On A Line die with your order! You can check out the entire DieCember release HERE.

Your next stop on the hop is Lea Lawson. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

November 2022 Trailblazing Inks Release + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!) | Dye inks with a brand new look and adjusted formula

Hi there! Today, I am thrilled to be part of the new Trailblazing Inks Release Blog Hop introducing these beautiful new inks from Altenew! You should have arrived here from Mindy Eggen, and your next stop is Nathalie DeSousa. You can also start back at the beginning of the hop at the Altenew Blog in case you get lost! These new Trailblazing dye inks feature a brand new shape, screw on tops, and a brand new ink formulation, and they come in three color families, each containing four shades that layer beautifully together: Frosted Foliage, Woodland Escape, and Blue Mountains. Here’s a peek at all of the colors:

Aren’t they just the most beautiful subtle shades? I particularly adore the greens in Frosted Foliage; they are a charming, muted silvery green that is a gorgeous addition to the Altenew color family.

I’ve used all three new sets of ink for these two cards using two different techniques to showcase how beautifully the colors work together! I kept the colors simple to allow the beautiful new colors from the Trailblazing inks to be the stars of the show. Let’s get started with the details!

My first card highlights the stunning greens from the Frosted Foliage quartet. I used blending brushes to blend the Frosted Foliage inks with the Meadow Burst layering stencil on a mini slimline card front. This stencil has lots of foliage, which makes it a perfect companion for the silvery green Frosted Foliage inks. Don’t they layer beautifully? Such gorgeous shades of green that will surely be staples at my desk with all of Altenew’s floral layering sets! I also added some charming blue flowers using the new Water Hyacinth and adding touches of Crystal Violet ink to add some color variation for the flowers.

I also created some custom colored cardstock (say that three times fast!) for my greeting using the Indigo Skies ink, which is the darkest shade of the Blue Mountains ink quartet. I simply die cut both the detail and background layers of the “for you” sentiment from the Sweet Sentiments die set, reserving the negative outline. I placed my sentiment detail layer back inside the negative space, then used a blending brush to blend Indigo Skies on the entire die cut. Placing this intricate die cut back inside of the negative space helps to keep it stable when you’re ink blending! I adhered them together and added them to my stenciled card front using some foam adhesive, adding some simple accents with some shiny sequins.

My second card features the Woodland Escape inks, this time blended onto each layer of a layering flower die cut! This is a great way to create your different layers if you don’t keep a ton of colored cardstock around. I simply die cut each of the layers from the small peony from the Peony Dream layering dies, then used a blending brush to blend each of the four inks from Woodland Escape on the four die cut pieces. Because these inks are designed to layer together, they work beautifully for the layers on layering dies, as well! I used the same technique on the foliage, using the lightest two shades of the Frosted Foliage quartet and adhering all of the die cut pieces together using liquid adhesive.

To create a simple background for my colorful peach peony, I hot foiled the frame from Adorned Frame Hot Foil Plate + Die set using some metallic gunmetal hot foil. I adhered it to a white card front using some thin foam tape squares. I added my peony and foliage with some thicker foam adhesive to add some extra height, then added a foiled greeting from the Sweet Sentiments Hot Foil and Die set, foiled using the same gunmetal foil as the frame. A simple card, but I love how that peach peony just pops from the simple background!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 11/19/2022 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 11/21/2022.

Your next stop is Nathalie DeSousa. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

VIDEO: Watercoloring with Stencils using New Pinkfresh Studio Holiday Products!

Hi there! I am up on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube channel today, and I’m sharing a fun faux no-line watercolor using the new Festive Leaves stencils, two shades of ink, and a bit of watercoloring. Here’s the video:

Or you can watch the video HERE.

This technique is a super fun way to get more mileage out of your standalone stencils! The Festive Leaves stencils are a standalone stencil set, meaning that they do not have a coordinating stamp set. (There are dies though!) These layering stencils create beautiful, modern, graphic holiday foliage images, but I am a traditionalist, and I love figuring out new ways to tailor products to suit my own style. This standalone stencil set was perfect for this technique, because the simple layering stencils created full images without needing a stamp set to complete them, as some stencil sets do.

I began by blending Fresh Pear on the foliage stencils and Coral Reef Pinkfresh Studio inks on the berry stencils from the Festive Leaves stencil set onto some Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. I blended very lightly on all of the layers, as the main purpose of this blending is to give us a basic outline for our watercoloring. You could also use no-line coloring ink, like Contour Ink from Hero Arts, but that might create a bit muddier watercoloring. The Pinkfresh Studio inks are water-based, so they work seamlessly with the Holbein watercolors that I used for this technique. I simply laid the watercolor over the top of the ink blended images. I used a bit looser watercoloring technique for these images; I wanted a bit more whimsical feel, rather than super controlled and detailed, to fit with the modern aesthetic of the images themselves. While the wet watercolor was still quite damp, I dropped in some darker green, allowing the color to “bloom” on the wet areas. Once the images were finished, I used the coordinating die to cut all of the images out in one fell swoop. That one-stop die cutting never ceases to amaze me with its cleverness!

For the background, I used the embossing mat from my Platinum 6 machine’s Universal Plate System with the Lush Vines Hot Foil Plate. This creates a lovely and subtle embossed background without having to go through all of the hot foiling process. I splattered some sparkly gold handmade watercolors on the background just to add a little extra interest. I also die cut a Nested Diamond frame from some white cardstock as a ground for my foliage and sentiment pieces.

Because I can’t keep my hot foil system out on my desk all the time, I like to foil bunches of stuff at once to have ready when I need it. I had foiled a Noel Hot Foil sentiment using Matte Gold foil, then die cut it with the coordinating die. I heat embossed a greeting from the Ornaments stamp set (this set has so many great sentiments, in addition to the beautiful ornament stamp!) using gold sparkle embossing powder. I also added a slightly wider strip of gold glitter cardstock behind to help the sentiment stand out a bit more. I adhered all of the components on the embossed background panel using double and single layers of foam tape. This card has lots of white space, so that extra foam tape helps to add lots of texture and interest to the card front. Finally, I added a few Matte Gold pearls for one last element of golden shine!

Well, that’s all for my project today. I encourage you to take a look at your standalone stencils to see which ones would work with this faux no-line watercoloring technique. Such a fun way to make your cards look even more unique and truly handmade! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!