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Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

nested domed arches

Simon Says Stamp Just For You Release+New Illustration!

Hi there! I am really excited for this month’s Simon Says Stamp Just For You release, not just because it’s full of fun springy products, but also because I have a new illustration included in the release: Herb Labels! I designed this set to create super cute labels for your herb garden, including Mint, Basil, Rosemary, Dill, and Tomatoes (which aren’t technically an herb, I know). Because I’m a cardmaker and have a black thumb, I also included several super cute, punny sentiments to give you multiple uses for this set! I have a couple of cards using some new and old goodies from Simon Says Stamp, so let’s get started with the details!

The world outside is slowly turning green, the light lasting longer, birds are singing… spring is definitely on the way. My cards today channel that crisp brightness with pops of verdant green. I used Field Paws-itively Saturated Ink as the primary color for both of my cards. This bright green embodies the brightness of the greens in springtime, and it was a perfect fit for both of my cards!

My first card starts by stamping the new Leaf Edges stamp with Field ink onto a panel of white cardstock, then cutting it out with one of the Nested Domed Arches. I blended some more Field ink along the bottom left edge, as well, which covered up a spot that I didn’t get stamped perfectly. (wink wink) As I was looking through my bin of dies from Simon Says Stamp, I discovered that the Privet Branch die was a very close match to the leaves on one side of the the new Leaf Edges stamp. I cut the foliage die from some Meadow cardstock from Hero Arts. You could also use the Field ink to blend your own custom cardstock to make sure it was a perfect match!

To create a background for my leaves, I used Field ink to blend all of the layers of the Radiating Squares layered stencil set. I thought this geometric pattern looked lovely juxtaposed with the graceful movement of the Leaf Edges and Privet Branch images. To prevent my leaf images from being overpowered by the busy background pattern, I trimmed down a panel of vellum slightly smaller than A2 size and layered it directly over the top of the stenciled panel. This helped to soften the pattern without completely covering it. I adhered the stamped, blended arch die cut with some liquid adhesive, then added the branch die cut with some foam tape. I flipped it over and hid my liquid adhesive on the vellum behind the solid die cuts.

I die cut a Handlettered Greetings “with sympathy” die cut from some more Meadow cardstock, snipping the individual words apart with my sharp scissors. I die cut the rectangular Thin Frames die, once for the larger rectangle, and twice for the thin frame and interior rectangle portion, which I adhered together to add a bit of height. I adhered the sentiment word die cuts on the rectangle using liquid adhesive, then popped it up with some foam tape. The final touch was to add a few Opal gems for some subtle sparkle and added texture.

My second card uses the same fresh, crisp green-and-white color scheme, this time with my new Herb Labels. I began by die cutting the large frame from Herb Labels from the center of an A2 panel of white cardstock. I layered a solid A2 piece of white cardstock behind the negative of the frame, then placed them both in my MISTI and used the opening as my guide to place the large label stamp in the center of my full piece of cardstock. I stamped it with the Field ink to create a vibrant, crisp frame behind my die cut frame.

I also stamped the dill bunch from the Herb Labels set, again using Field ink to coordinate with my frame. I used a very fine tipped black pen to outline the string wrapped around the base of my dill bunch. I also used the Field ink to stamp the smaller label, adding one of the punny greetings from the Herb Labels set and die cutting both the dill bunch and the frame using the coordinating dies.

To add a little extra texture to the large frame die cut, I ran the entire panel through my die cut machine using the Pinpoint Starlets embossing folder. I love the sweet texture this provides to this crisp white cardstock! I popped up the embossed panel on the stamped background using some foam squares, then added a double layer of foam squares to the back of the dill bunch. I also popped up the sentiment label using foam squares. The extra height and texture would help to add some interest to the simplistic color scheme of the card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have some more goodies to share with you using the Just For You release, as well as some more cards using my new Herb Labels set. Be sure to check back tomorrow! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

New Release: Simon Says Stamp Holiday Sparkle!

Hi there! Simon Says Stamp is releasing a whole slew of marvelous new holiday products tonight for their Holiday Sparkle release! You can check out the entire release HERE. Sooo many gorgeous new holiday goodies, both secular and religious, winter and holiday-specific. Something for everyone!! I have an icy holiday card to share with you tonight, so let’s get started with the details!

Die-cut-and-emboss combos are allll the rage right now, and Simon Says Stamp has some absolutely stunning additions to that product category, including the new Pine Landscape folder/die combo! Watercoloring these beautiful three dimensional embossing folders is one of my most favorite ways to use them, so I couldn’t resist adding some color to this beautiful, snowy landscape.

I began by trimming down two pieces of Fabriano Artistico Cold Press watercolor paper to A2 size. I then die cut one section of one panel using the die from the Pine Landscape folder/die combo. The key to these die/folder combos is to do your die cutting first, then run your die cut through your machine with the embossing folder. It’s super simple to line up and stays in place nicely, though you can use a piece of washi tape to hold it if you’re worried about the die cut shifting. I wanted to offset the trees in the background of my die cut, so I made sure to check my placement on the full size panel of watercolor paper so that the embossed and die cut trees in the front were slightly shifted from the embossed trees in the background.

Once I had both sets of embossed trees finished, I taped my panels down to my watercolor board and used my Daniel Smith watercolor paints to add beautiful greens and blues to the images. This technique is similar to no-line watercolor, in that you have to keep your wet sections separate in order to maintain the integrity of the individual images (or in this case, branches). Once the paint had dried completely, I splattered the background with some shimmering white watercolor to create subtle, sparkling snowfall. I also used Fresh Snowfall Nuvo Glitter Accents to add some sparkling snow to the tips of the branches on the trees. The entire effect is so realistic… all it needs is a tiny sledder going down the slope between the trees!

To frame my trees and ground them a bit, I die cut one of the large arches from some white cardstock using the Simon Says Stamp Nested Domed Arches dies, reserving the die cut and keeping the negative A2 sized frame. I also die cut the Simon Says Stamp Season’s Greetings die twice from white cardstock and once from white glitter cardstock that I had in my stash that was simply sparkling white-no iridescence or color of any kind on the glitter! I adhered all of the die cuts together using liquid adhesive to create a dimensional die cut. I popped up the arched frame using foam tape over the top of the full embossed and watercolored A2 panel and added the die cut trees in the front of the frame using more foam tape. Finally, I added my dimensional die cut greeting using more liquid adhesive. The curve of the die cut sentiment matches the curve of the arched frame so beautifully!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have a few more projects to share with you, so I hope you’ll come back soon. You can check out the entire Holiday Sparkle release HERE. Thanks so much for reading, and have a marvelous day!

More Simon Says Stamp Cozy Hugs!

Hi there! I have a bit more inspiration using some of the new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp Cozy Hugs release, featuring one of my most favorite holiday themes: snowflakes! The beautiful new Glistening Snowflakes stamps are full of a variety of snowflakes, in tons of different sizes and arrangements, so you can create super simple and elegant cards with some heat embossing and colored cardstock, or you can go all in with sparkly embossing, ink blending, and die cuts! I, of course, had to go all in and create a festive wintry holiday card, perfect for a Christmas card or even a winter birthday! Let’s get started with the details.

I began by heat embossing many of the individual snowflakes and the snowflake “ornaments” from Glistening Snowflakes onto some heavyweight vellum using sparkly silver embossing powder. I die cut the embossed images using the coordinating dies (which are on reserve at the moment, but you can purchase with your regular order and they will be shipped as soon as they arrive at the warehouse!). I love the heat embossed snowflakes on the vellum; it creates such an ethereal look for the snowflakes, like they’re gently floating down your card front!

For the background, I started by blending Heather, Seafoam, and Morning inks on an A2 panel, then ran the blended panel through my die cut machine with the Filigree Snowflakes Embossing Folder. To help add a little bit of emphasis on the beautifully detailed snowflakes, I swiped the Hero Arts Dove White ink pad lightly over the top of the raised areas. I splattered some sparkly silver handmade watercolors on the blended panel, as well, to make it even frostier and more sparkly!

Because vellum can be tricky to neatly adhere to your card front, I decided to help “hide” some of the adhesive by adding a die cut frame, cut from some pearlescent lilac cardstock using the Nested Domed Arches dies. I popped it up on the card front using some Simon Says Stamp Foam Tape, then tucked the dangling snowflakes behind it. I also die cut a “snowy greetings” sentiment, cutting the outline layer from some pale ice blue cardstock and the detailed word layer from some Spellbinders Silver Glitter Foam. (I am slightly obsessed with these glitter foam sheets. They make adding dimension so incredibly quick and easy and come in a ton of different colors!) I popped the rest of the snowflakes using some clear foam tape, then added a smattering of Rock Candy Confetti from Trinity Stamps.

Well that’s all for my project today! The combination of different textures, snowflake sizes, sparkly silver splatters, and confetti helps make this card super festive and sparkly! I hope you enjoyed this wintry project. Christmas is coming, no mistake about that! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Happy and Joyful Blog Hop-Day 2!

Good morning! I am delighted to be a stop on Day 2 of the Simon Says Stamp Happy and Joyful blog hop celebrating the gorgeous new release that went live earlier this week! You should have arrived here from Barbara Tarayao, and your next stop is Miriam Prantner. You can also start back at the beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog.

I am extra excited for this Happy and Joyful release, as I have illustrated four different stamp sets that were released this week! (You can see my blog post introducing each set here.) It’s seriously such a thrill to be able to stamp my designs using so many different techniques, but I am not being hyperbolic when I say what an utter thrill it is to see the talented designers who work with Simon Says Stamp share their creations made using my illustrations. It’s mind blowing to think of where I started over a decade ago to where I am right now, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had, not the least of which is working with Simon Says Stamp! I have three projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

One of the sets for which I am most excited is the Celebrate Rose Corner. I get inspiration for my illustrations from lots of different places, including florists and gardeners that I’ve found on Instagram. Grace Rose Farm shared the most stunning rose photo last summer, and I couldn’t resist making it a centerpiece on a floral bouquet. Thus, Celebrate Rose Corner was born! I have a video sharing some watercoloring tips and process on how I made this super vibrant card. Watch the video below or on YouTube by clicking HERE.

If you can’t watch the video, I’ll share a brief synopsis here.

I started by heat embossing the Celebrate Rose Corner image on some Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper using silver embossing powder. I trimmed the watercolor paper down to A2 size, then oriented the image so that it was creeping across the front and would be perfectly sized after die cutting to fit across an A2 card base. I used Tombow markers to add lots of vibrant color to the image.

When working with watercolors, I find it very helpful to have a ceramic palette available for color mixing and for diluting the intense watercolors down to help stretch the shades that I can achieve, as well as allowing me better control over where the color goes and how intense it is. For this card, I began by scribbling some of the deep magenta pink from the Tombow markers onto my ceramic watercolor palette, then adding quite a bit of water to dilute the color down to a soft pastel, then using that for my first layer of color on the roses. The second layer was a mixture of deep teal and the same pink, creating a lovely shade of amethyst. Finally, I put the marker directly to the watercolor paper to add some incredible intensity in just those super shadowed areas. The combination of diluted color mixed with the marker-direct-to-paper makes for some intense dimension on these large blooms! I also added an icy blue halo around the outside edges of the image, just far enough out so that the die cut edge would be blue.

Once I’d finished my watercoloring, I die cut the image using the coordinating die (I love that there is a die for this set!), then mounted it on an icy blue card base using foam tape. I added a greeting from the Celebrate Rose Corner, which I silver embossed onto some more icy blue cardstock and mounted with foam tape for lots of height, finally adding a few aqua blue gems for some sparkle. This card is so vibrant. I just love those vivid colors!

My second card is a bit softer and features some of the beautiful hot foil products that were released this month. I began by hot foiling the Intricate Rose and Blooms Bouquet onto some hot press watercolor paper using gold foil. I then used my Gansai Tambi watercolors (for the first time-I’ve had them for years and just have never used them!) to add some soft peachy pink and pale blue to the image.

I also hot foiled the new Sketched Leaf Branches onto some heavyweight vellum using some more shiny gold foil. I love the effect of foiling on vellum; it creates such an elegant and ethereal look. I also love that these new hot foiling sets come with the coordinating dies, so that you don’t have to buy the die and the foil plate separately.

The bouquet itself is pretty large, and the addition of the vellum foliage made it even longer, so I decided to create a slimline card. I added a bit of ink blending in the center of the white slimline card base using Twirling Tutu and Rose Apple inks, then added some tone-on-tone texture using the Fanfare stencil. Some shining gold pearls finished it off!

My last card is bright and clean, with that vivid pop of intense fuchsia, again painted with Tombow markers using another of my new sets for this release: Just A Note Pansy. When I began illustrating this set, I originally intended for it to have an arch outline, similar to my Framed Florals coloring panel series. I decided against that, and so decided to create a card using something close to my original design by adding an arch die cut using the Domed Arch dies!

I silver heat embossed the pansies from Just A Note Pansy onto some Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper using silver embossing powder. I again used the Tombow markers to add lots of intense color to these flowers, but instead of concentrating the color in the center of the flower, I kept the center light and added color around the edges of the flowers, pulling the color towards the center with my clean, damp paintbrush. The intense pink and touches of deep purple make these flowers almost pop off of the card front!

Once I had finished watercoloring and die cutting the completed image, I used the beautiful Detail Mandala cover plate die to add some subtle texture to a white A2 card base. I die cut a Domed Arch from some more vellum to create an ethereal background upon which to ground my pansies, and popped them up with some foam adhesive. I heat embossed a greeting from Just A Note Pansy onto some more white cardstock using silver embossing powder, then die cut and trimmed them, adding them with some more foam adhesive for tons of height. The final touch was a few iridescent white pearls.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! To celebrate this release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 shopping spree at each stop on the hop. Simply leave a comment at each stop on the hop to receive maximum entries into the giveaway!

Simon Says Stamp is also doing a Gift With Purchase promotion to celebrate the new Happy and Joyful release. Simply add code GRDPTY at checkout to receive a free sheet of Garden Party stickers!

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

Simon Says Stamp Good Luck Charm Blog Hop-Day 2+Giveaway!

Hi there! I’m excited to be joining my friends at Simon Says Stamp for day two of the Good Luck Charm blog hop! You should have arrived here from Tina Smith, and your next stop is Jennifer Kotas. You can also start back at the Simon Says Stamp Blog to find the entire list! This month is Simon Says Stamp’s 20th birthday… so exciting, right? As part of the celebration, Simon is adding the exclusive Birthday Cupcake stamp set to your packages when you add code YUM20 at checkout. I have two projects to share with you today using new goodies from the Good Luck Charm release, so let’s get started with the details!

My first project reminds me of a glowing church window on Easter. I began by die cutting two different sizes of the the new Nested Domed Arches dies from some plain white cardstock. I lightly spritzed some Pixie Spray on the back of the Off the Edge Daffodils stencil, then adhered it to corner of the smaller of the two arched die cuts. I used blending brushes to blend some Duckling and Clementine inks. I think the finished product looks like a glowing sunrise on a stained glass window!! (Side note-this is the first time I’ve used the Pixie Dust spray, and I was super impressed at how crisply the stenciled image came out! Definitely going to be using that again!)

Next, I worked on the card base. I wanted something subtle and simple so as not to detract from the stenciled background, but still wanted a bit of texture for added interest. I ran an A2 panel of white cardstock through my die cut machine with the Exotic Vines Embossing Folder.

For the greeting, I used grey pigment ink and pearlescent white embossing powder to emboss a sentiment from Well Wishes stamps+dies onto some heavyweight vellum cardstock. I used the coordinating die to die cut the greeting.

I adhered the two domed die cuts together using liquid adhesive, then added them to the embossed card base using foam adhesive. I added the sentiment using clear dimensional adhesive, hiding it behind the thick letters of the embossed greeting. The final touch was to add a few iridescent yellow gems.

My second project features some watercoloring using the new Spring Stems stamps and dies. I began by heat embossing several of the images from Spring Stems onto some Arches Cold Press watercolor paper using white pearl embossing powder. I used Karin watercolor markers to add lots of color to the images, keeping the color palette a bit muted while still being quite intense and colorful. I love how the colors from the Karin markers almost glow!

After I’d die cut the finished flowers, I die cut a greeting from some white cardstock using the new Feel Better Soon die. I used blending brushes to blend Duckling and Watermelon inks on an A2 panel of white cardstock to help enhance the glow of the watercolored flowers.

I used the negative piece from one of the die cut pieces from the first project as a frame for the background of the flowers. I popped it up using some foam adhesive, then arranged the watercolored daffodils so that they were climbing up the front of the card front. I added the white die cut greeting, finally adding a few iridescent gems for sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! To celebrate this release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon for each stop on the hop! Simply leave your comments on each stop on the hop before February 22, and the winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog.

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