Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

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April Showers Bring May Flowers: Copic Edition!

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

Hi friends! I am back with another installment of my April Showers Bring May Flowers series, this time with some no-line Copic coloring featuring the absolutely gorgeous sprig from Wild & Free Flowers. This stamp set was one of my favorites when it was released a few months ago, and while I had my Copics out for another project this week, I thought I’d use the same color palette to create a large A7 project, fleshing out the single bouquet with some extra standalone die cuts. I love using standalone foliage dies to enhance my colored bouquets; a full, lush bouquet is a thing of beauty! Let’s get started with the details.

I started my project by stamping the delicate floral bouquet from Wild & Free Flowers using Altenew’s Permanent Mist Gray ink onto some Hammermill white cardstock. This was my first time using the Permanent Mist Gray ink with no-line alcohol marker coloring, and it worked like a charm! I used Copic markers to add lots of vibrant color to the images, creating a lush plummy focal point bloom and adding magenta sprigs, with vivid jewel green foliage. I added some metallic Karin DecoGel pen to the flower centers to add some extra interest and contrast, which showed up beautifully due to the level of opacity for the images. I die cut the finished bouquet with the super detailed coordinating die.

I had originally intended to color an entire background panel stamped with this image, but I have been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days and didn’t feel up to coloring the entire thing, so I decided it would work nicely as a subtly-patterned background for my vivid individual die cut bouquet. I trimmed down the panel and matted it on a slightly larger eggplant cardstock panel, then adhered these two pieces to a full size A7 panel of warm champagne matte foil cardstock from the Floral Elegance foil paper pad. I also added a glittery frame, cut using the A7 Nesting Frames dies and some coordinating warm champagne glitter cardstock.

Once I had created my background, I popped up my colorful bouquet using foam squares, then die cut a Privet Branch die from some white cardstock. I snipped this die cut apart using my scissors, then tucked the individual pieces behind my colorful bouquet, helping to fill it out a bit and allowing it to spill over onto the sparkling textured frames around the edges. There is just enough contrast in the debossed details of the die cuts to allow them to really stand out from the background! I heat embossed a greeting from Wild & Free Flowers using Platinum embossing powder, then die cut the script sentiment and trimmed the strip with my trimmer and tucked the pieces amongst the flowers and foliage. Finally, I added a few Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for some extra sparkle and a bit of extra pink!

Well, that’s all for my project today. If you find your floral bouquet to be a bit lacking in size for your card front, but don’t want to color an entire second bouquet to fill it out, I highly recommend using your standalone dies to help fill things out and add extra texture. It works like a charm! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simple Two-fer Notecard Set with Simon Says Stamp!

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

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have a thing for card sets. I’ve always been someone who loves to keep everything coordinated, from my clothes to my jewelry (must always be the same type of metal!) to my accessories to the decor in my house to my artistic endeavors. There’s something so polished about all of the elements perfectly coordinating. I think that must be why I love monochromatic cards so much. Anyway, I saw the delicate new Just A Note die from the new Simon Says Stamp Just A Note Release and new I wanted to create a set of ladylike stationery that my Grammy would have been proud to send out!

This serene duo started with the Layered Flowers stencils from Simon Says Stamp. I blended one full A2 sized panel using Surf Blue, Winter Sky, Dusty Sage, and Laurel Green inks, creating a cool and muted floral background panel. I used some circle dies to die cut a window from the center of the full A2 stenciled background, leaving me with the components for two different cards!

For my first card, I trimmed down the larger window panel slightly so that I could mount it on an A2 Sea Glass cardstock front and leave a pale blue frame around the edge, then adhered it with Simon’s Dot Runner to make it nice and flat. I die cut the components of the Dandy Flower dies using white cardstock, then layered them together with liquid adhesive. The tone-on-tone adds just a hint of texture and dimension without making the color scheme any more complicated than necessary. I also die cut some Privet Branch foliage using Juniper cardstock and snipped the leaves apart so that I could arrange them how I wanted.

Before arranging the florals, I die cut the Circle Thin Frames die from some plain white cardstock and selected a circle just slightly smaller than the window opening on the stenciled card front. I adhered the frame using liquid adhesive, then die cut the Just A Note die twice from pearlescent white cardstock. I adhered the two sentiment die cuts together to create a dimensional die cut, then arranged the sentiment and floral die cuts on my card, creating a floral swag to accent the dainty sentiment!

My second card uses some of the leftovers from my first card. I selected another circular frame die cut, slightly smaller than the circle floral die cut and adhered it in the center. I trimmed down another panel of Sea Glass cardstock (isn’t that color just dreamy??) and added the circle to the front with some more Dot Runner adhesive. I arranged some leftover florals and foliage, adhering them with foam adhesive.

To help make the sentiment stand out a bit from the patterned circle background, I die cut the outline layer from the Just A Note die set from some heavyweight vellum and adhered my pearlescent detail die cut. The vellum helps to soften the pattern behind it and helps to draw the eye to the white sentiment. I arranged the flowers, adhering them with some foam adhesive, then added a few iridescent white gems for some sparkle!

Well, that’s all for me today! Do you like to send little notes in the mail? If not, this is the perfect time to start! Who doesn’t love receiving a card in the mail? Something to look forward to besides bills! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

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!

Simon Says Stamp Hugs & Kisses Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hi there! I am thrilled to be a stop on Day 1 of the Hugs & Kisses Release Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Alberto Gava, and your next stop is Vicky Papaioannou. You can also start back at the beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog. After a little holiday break, we are celebrating both the Simon Says Stamp Hugs release from December 2022 and the brand new Kisses release from January 2023! Both of these releases are love-themed, and many of the products work beautifully together. I have two blushing projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

Every few weeks, we get little glimpses of springtime with some lovely mild temperatures, and I was channeling those memories of pleasant spring days when I worked on these projects. I realized after I created them that the color palette was very similar to my projects from the November Holiday Sparkle Blog Hop, this time with a floral springtime vibe! I can’t seem to get enough of that blushy cardstock paired with metallic accents, and both of these cards feature that soft pink, this time paired with the new Champagne Matte Cardstock and a ton of new and old goodies!

My first card features the Heart Panes die from the Hugs release, die cut from the new Champagne Matte Cardstock. The heart opening in the center is the perfect size to fit the “sending love” greeting from the new From the Heart Messages stamp set. I cut a piece of blush colored cardstock down to A2 size, then arranged my champagne cover plate die cut over the top of the blush background and placed the entire panel inside my MISTI. I placed the stamp from the From the Heart Messages set in the center and closed the door, then removed the die cut.

I heat embossed the greeting using Metallic Platinum Sparkle embossing powder, which was a near-perfect match for the Champagne Matte Cardstock. After I had embossed the greeting in the center, I lightly blended some Cheeky ink around the edges to add a little extra dimension to the background. I adhered the cover plate die over the top of the blended, embossed background panel.

To accent the heart, I wanted to add some simple die cut flowers from that same blush cardstock. I die cut the Etched Magnolia Blossom and Blossom Vine dies from the blush cardstock, then die cut some foliage from the leftover panes of Champagne cardstock using the Privet Branch die. I lightly blended some more Cheeky ink around the edges of the die cut magnolia pieces using a small blending brush and adhered the pieces using both liquid and foam adhesive for lots of dimension. I arranged the die cuts in a swag around the foil heart and sentiment, adding a sentiment strip and some Champagne Glitter Drops for some more sparkle!

My second card features the same color scheme, this time using the Flourishing Bloom cover plate die to create a lovely floral background! I began with another A2 panel of the blush cardstock, blended around the edges with Cheeky ink to add some extra interest to the background. I then die cut the Flourishing Bloom cover plate die from the Champagne Matte Cardstock and mounted it on the blush background using liquid adhesive.

To accent the foiled foliage, I die cut the Flourishing Bloom cover plate from another panel of the blush cardstock, then used my sharp scissors to trim each of the individual flowers off of the large die cut. I used the same small blending brush with Cheeky ink to add some extra dimension to the blooms. This helps them pop from the background a bit! I adhered all of the die cut blooms to the floral background using foam tape to help give them even more interest and dimension.

For the greeting, I used the brand new Hi There sentiment die set. I die cut the background layer from some heavyweight vellum, then adhered the detail layer cut from some Champagne Matte Cardstock. I popped the sentiment up with some thin strips of foam tape, hidden behind the solid portion of the die cuts to keep it from showing through the semi-transparent vellum! I also added some Champagne Glitter Drops to the center of the flowers. Lots of height and texture on this card’s background!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaways and freebie information!

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to each stop on the hop. The winner will be selected from the comments and announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on January 25, 2023! To be entered to win, simply leave a comment on each blog across the hop. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Simon Says Stamp is also adding a sweet little freebie with purchase. Simply add code RBW23 at checkout to receive the Rainbow 3×4 stamp set with your order!

Your next stop is Vicky Papaioannou Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!