Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

masculine

Man Card Monday with July 2026 Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month!

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 a fun Man Card Monday project to share with you today using the brand new July 2026 Card Kit of the Month from Simon Says Stamp, called Pop Art! This kit is chock full of fantastic basics that you can use to create such an enormous variety of projects. Here’s a peek at the contents of the kit:

These kits are always incredible value; the individual components of this kit retail for over $70, but you can preorder this kit for only $44.99! Click HERE to purchase your own kit! You can save even more by becoming a kit subscriber (click HERE to see the subscription details!). If you love receiving this type of curated kit filled to the brim with goodies to make your cardmaking even more simplified and enjoyable, you definitely want to hit that subscribe button!

I used the stamps included in the kit with a fun technique involving black cardstock, white pigment ink, and colorful inks, creating this dramatic bokeh-inspired background that’s perfect for a guy! Let’s get started on the details for my project!

I began by stamping a cascade of solid circle stamps from the Pop Art set using white pigment ink. This ink sits atop the cardstock without sinking down into it, creating a barrier that is perfect for allowing the colorful ink to shine on this black cardstock! Once I had stamped all of the circles (large and small) with white pigment ink, I stamped directly over the top of the solid cirlces using Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Limelicious, Tidepool, and Surf, creating a subtly colorful background! I know there is a name for this technique, but I can’t recall it right now!)

To add a bit of extra interest to the background, I stamped directly over the top of the colorful bubbles using the circle frame stamp included with Pop Art. Such a fun way to add texture to the card!

After I had stamped the background, I splattered the panel with some shimmering, iridescent watercolors for an artistic flair.

For the greeting, I kept things simple, die cutting the Reverse XL EZ Strips Banners panel included with the kit using the Big Bold Headlines XL EZ Strips. I also stamped one of the sentiment strips from the Pop Art stamp set using white pigment ink and added white embossing powder over the top to create a crisp white sentiment on the black cardstock. I popped both sentiment pieces up in the center of the bokeh-inspired background using foam adhesive squares, then finished the project off with some sparkling Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems included with the kit!

Well, that’s all for my project today!

The Simon Says Stamp Card Kits are such an incredible value; the value of the individual elements of each kit equals far more than the $44.99 price tag, so you’re getting incredible bang for your buck. If you are consistently interested in the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month, you can sign up HERE to become a subscriber for an even bigger discount on these carefully curated products. As always, Simon also makes each individual element of the kits available a la carte, so that you can pick and choose what you would like to purchase if buying the entire kit isn’t really your thing. Options galore! Who can say no to such incredible value though, right?

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Masculine Encouragement Card with Simon Says Stamp!

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! Do you ever have days where you want to be creative, but just aren’t sure where to start? I had one of those days recently, and so I started organizing my stamp bins. They’ve been a bit of a mess over the last few months, and so I pulled them all out and started tidying. While I was tidying, my creativity was sparked, refreshing my mental catalog of products and pairing up stamps, dies, and embossing folders for new projects! I always enjoy “technique-y” cards, especially with embossing folders. I used the newer Cedar Sprigs embossing folder with some fun inky techniques to create this masculine encouragement card. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I ran a panel of white A2 cardstock through my die cutting machine using the Cedar Sprigs embossing folder. I then flipped the panel over so that the debossed side was facing up, with the patterns debossed down into the cardstock rather than the raised texture of embossing. To create my ink-swiped background, I used a blending brush to blend CabbagePawsitively Saturated Ink over the sprigs of greenery that were debossed into the cardstock, not worrying about any ink spilling over into the solid areas. Luckily, the second step covers up any over-blending; I placed the Kale ink pad directly onto the debossed panel and swiped over the solid, raised areas. The result is a lovely, multicolored patterned paper that is full of texture! To add even more interest to this panel, I used a paintbrush to splatter some Simon Says Stamp Gold Splatter Medium. I love the mixed-media feel this additional step adds to the card.

Next, I used two coordinating shades of green cardstock to die cut the Curled Fern Frond die set. When working with a single die set, I like to layer multiples of the same die in different colors to make a lush and full “bouquet,” creating a pretty focal point for my card front.

For the greeting, I heat embossed a chunky sentiment and coordinating sentiment strip from the oldie-but-goodie Well Wishes stamp set, using Platinum embossing powder on coordinating deep green cardstock. I used my trimmer to cut down the sentiment strip and the coordinating die for the chunky sentiment. I adhered the sentiment pieces to the card front with foam adhesive squares, then tucked the greenery behind the sentiment, adhering each piece with liquid adhesive. Finally, I added a double twine bow and some Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for even more texture. I think this makes a perfect masculine encouragement card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! If you struggle with masculine cards like I do, hopefully this gives you some inspiration. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Sunset Valentines For Guys with New Simon Says Stamp!

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 am back with some non-traditional valentines today that are perfect for that persnickety “man’s man” in your life, one who might not love flowers and lace on his valentine! My husband isn’t too bothered by feminine imagery, but he absolutely loves sunsets and has asked me for years to create a watercolored sunset painting for him. I thought this would be a perfect visual to incorporate into his valentine using some of the new goodies from the Heart to Heart Release from Simon Says Stamp (click HERE to check out the entire release!). Let’s get started on the details!

My projects evolved from this leftover watercolored ombré background. I had an extra background from some experimenting that I had been doing, and thought that it would make a perfect sunset valentine for my husband! I knew that I wanted to incorporate stamped hearts, so I selected Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Shell, Lilac, Eucalyptus, and Morning and stamped a bunch of solid heart images using the new Tons of Hearts stamps, then cut them out with their coordinating dies.

For my first project, I started by using the shadow die from the new Love Our Story sentiment die set to cut a window in a panel of white A2 cardstock. I then backed that window with some vellum and added an iridescent white die cut “love our story” detail cut, created with iridescent mirror gloss cardstock. To add a little extra interest, I filled the area behind the vellum window with the new Lavender Hearts Embellishment to create a fun shaker card!

I created a visual cascade down the card front with some of the stamped solid hearts, working in rainbow order from pink to green, and filling in some of the gaps with sparkling white glitter die cuts created using the Tons of Hearts Frames dies. I popped some up with thin foam adhesive, then used liquid glue to adhere the glittering hearts. The final touch was a few sparkling Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems! The white space, the muted colors, the shaker component… I think this is a great valentine for a not-super-mushy kind of guy!

This card features the watercolored background that started both of today’s projects. It was from this background that I selected the ink colors to use with the solid stamped hearts with Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Shell, Lilac, Eucalyptus, and Morning. I used some of the leftover stamped hearts from the first card, as well as a die cut Lined Love You. I die cut the shadow of the sentiment die cut using Simon Says Stamp Shimmer Vellum, then cut the detail sentiment layer from some iridescent white mirror cardstock. I love the subtle iridescent shimmer that it brings to the card!

Before I started arranging the die cuts on the watercolored background, I used some sparkling mica watercolors to splatter some shimmer on the background. The color fading from warm blush to muted turquoise definitely puts me in mind of a Caribbean sunset, so I had to add some water “sparkles”! After the splatters were dried, I used clear dimensional adhesive to add the sentiment die cut to the center of the watercolor panel, then tucked stamped hearts in a variety of sizes, as well as a few standalone glitter heart die cuts. Finally, I added a few Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for some added sparkle and texture!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Do you find it easy to make valentines for the guys in your life? I have three boys so I’m going to have to keep working on this genre!! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Tiger Party with New Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! I am back today with a sweet little birthday card in perfect colors for a little guy in your life! While I have three boys of my own, I frequently find it difficult to come up with “masculine” cards for kiddos, but intentional color selections and cute critters like the ones in the new Wild Birthday stamp set from the STAMPtember release (check it out HERE) can make that difficult creative moment super simple! Let’s get started on the details for my project!

*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!*

To begin, I stamped the darling tiger with his balloon from Wild Birthday onto some white cardstock using Nocturne pigment ink, then added clear embossing powder over the top to make the black lines super crisp and bold. I used OLO Markers to add deep, vibrant orange to the tiger, then selected vibrant royal blues and intense, deep turquoise for the birthday accoutrements. These colors could easily be switched out for pink and orange or pastel shades to better fit the recipient; I needed something more masculine, and so royal blue and turquoise were perfect!

To create a simple background that tied the colors together even further, I blended Royal & Tropic Pawsitively Saturated Ink in the center of my A2 card front, then used shimmering iridescent watercolors to splatter some added texture on the colorful background. These sparkling little droplets add the perfect amount of texture and festive shimmer!

After I had completed the background, I popped up the festive tiger on the blended background using thin foam adhesive squares. I heat embossed two sentiment from Wild Birthday using the same Nocturne and clear embossing powder combination, then die cut them and placed them on the card front with more thin foam adhesive squares. Finally, I added some Royal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for one last, simple embellishment!

Well, that’s all for my project today! My birthday is coming up on Monday, so I am preparing to go on an adults-only weekend trip with my redhead. I am excited to eat some yummy treats and meander around some fun stores with no time limit and no sighing from those (children) accompanying me, ha! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Gorgeous Denim Blue with New Embossing Folders from Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! The new Simon Says Stamp Celebrate Release is now live, and some of my most favorite items are the new Ink Trio 25 and the wide variety of new embossing folders! I have become absolutely obsessed with the embossing folder+ink pad swiping craze, and the dark blue in the Ink Trio 25 is absolutely perfect for use with this technique. It’s dark enough that it can easily cover up most lighter colors (as I showed in THIS post last night). I loved making that navy and coral card so much that I wanted to try it out with all three blue inks from the Ink Trio 25 and the new gender-neutral embossing folders to create some more masculine-friendly projects. I have two blue-tiful cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The trick for the ink swiping technique is to make sure that your blending inks are significantly lighter than your swiping ink. You want to make sure that any blending that gets “outside the lines” is covered up by the ink swiping. Luckily, the Night ink from Ink Trio 25 is practically navy blue, so it works beautifully for this purpose! And the super springy foam pad gives great coverage on your debossed panels, almost creating a suction effect to get intense and vibrant inking.

For my first card, I embossed the new Flower Buds Unfolding Embossing Folder onto some Hammermill white cardstock, then flipped the panel over so that the pattern was debossed rather than raised. I then used blending brushes to blend the lighter two inks from Ink Trio 25 randomly all over the pattern, simply adding color to the debossed images. Once I had finished blending, I pressed the Night ink pad directly to the paper and swiped, being careful not to press down too hard to avoid ink smudges inside my patterned debossed areas. I love that this technique picks up the details within the debossed image!! I trimmed down the finished panel slightly and mounted it in the center of an A2 sized dark blue glitter cardstock card front, creating a sparkly mat around the edges of my textured and patterned panel.

For the greeting I chose to heat emboss the “anniversary” from the Happy Combos stamp set, using white embossing on navy blue cardstock, which I paired with the coordinating Happy Die cut from iridescent white mirror cardstock and a vellum shadow. I popped these die cuts up on my debossed and inked panel, then die cut the Ornamental Fine Leaves die from some more dark blue glitter cardstock. These delicate leaves are just simple enough that they can easily be used for a masculine card. You could definitely switch out the “anniversary” die cut for “birthday” and cut the leaves from plain navy cardstock to have a perfect masculine card! Finally, I added a trio of Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit more sparkle.

For my second project, I used the same technique with the new Feather Spiral embossing folder to create a simple Father’s Day card. I first embossed a panel of white A2 cardstock with the embossing folder, flipped the panel over, and blended the lighter two inks from Ink Trio 25 in the debossed areas. I swiped the entire panel with my Night ink pad, again putting the pad directly to the paper and picking up those details beautifully!

For the greeting, I heat embossed a poignant sentiment from Papa and paired it with the new Fancy Father die set, cutting the detail layer from some more navy blue cardstock and layering it with a vellum shadow. To accent the sentiment and ground it a bit so that it wasn’t just floating in the center of the card, I trimmed down a strip of Ocean Breeze glitter cardstock and thinner strip of navy blue cardstock, adhering them to the right hand side of my card front with liquid adhesive. I popped up the sentiment pieces with some foam adhesive, orienting them over my accent strips.

I absolutely love this technique; I think that the possibilities are endless when you change up your ink colors. I think it would be fun to try with watercolored images, too! I can’t wait to experiment more! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Day 1 of the Celebrate Blog Hop. Inspiration abounds with these blog hops, so you won’t want to miss it!