Skip links

Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

tombow markers

Simon Says Stamp Be Creative Release-February 2023!

Hi there! Simon Says Stamp released some super cute new stamps and dies today for their Be Creative release, and I have a sweet watercolored mermaid shaker card using the new Vitamin Sea stamp set! I dug out my Tombow Dual Brush markers to create this super colorful watercolored underwater scene. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping lots of the images from Vitamin Sea onto some Arches Hot Press watercolor paper using Altenew’s Obsidian Black pigment ink, then clear embossing over the top. You could just stamp with your favorite waterproof black ink, but I prefer the crispness and intensity of the clear embossing over the top of the black lines. It helps keep them super defined!

I used my Tombow Dual Brush markers to add lots of vibrant color to the images. I couldn’t resist making an Ariel with her fiery red hair! When working with watercolor markers, I tend to use a combination of techniques to get the color to the paper, sometimes scribbling the color out onto my work surface, then picking it up with a damp paintbrush, which creates a more diluted and pastel version, and sometimes putting the marker directly to the paper itself, creating much more intense and vibrant colors. For the watery background, I scribbled the blue, aqua, and purple markers onto my glass mat, then picked each of them up with my wet paintbrush and dropped them onto the background to create a mottled, watery backdrop for my underwater scene. For the images themselves, I used both techniques, sometimes mixing colors on my glass mat to create custom colors, sometimes putting the markers directly to the paper to create super vibrant watercoloring that was true to the marker color.

Once I had finished adding lots of color to my scene, I went back in with a clean, wet paintbrush to lift some of the color from the background. I created small circles with my wet paintbrush, dried it off, then used the “thirsty brush” technique to pull the color off, effectively bleaching the area of color. To add some iridescent shimmer to the bubbles, I tapped some Interference Green Perfect Pearls onto my glass mat and added water to create super sparkly, iridescent “paint,” which I added to the bleached bubbles. It’s hard to capture the shimmer in the photos, but it’s so pretty! Once I had finished watercoloring, I added a greeting to the watercolored panel with some more black pigment ink and clear embossing powder.

To make this as festive a birthday card as possible, I wanted to create a shaker! I used my trimmer to cut a frame from some shiny, almost holographic white cardstock, which I backed with a piece of scrap stamp packaging. (Love getting extra use out of something that would just go in the trash!) I filled the shaker with some Spring Showers sequins, which look like more bubbles to me!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have a couple more projects to share with you using the new goodies from this release, which I will share later this week. In the meantime, you can check out the new Be Creative release HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero May 2022 Blog Hop+Giveaway!

Good morning! Today, Hero Arts is releasing their new May collection, and it’s such a fun and unique release, filled with all things cooking and foodie! We’re hopping along today, and you should have arrived here from Debi Adams, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. This month’s kit has so many fun elements included in it, all featuring a foodie theme. Here’s a peek at this month’s kit:

The May My Monthly Hero kit features: • 4″ x 6″ Clear Stamp Set, • Cover Plate Fancy Die, • 6 Additional Fancy Dies, • Cling Background Stamp (4.625″ x 5.875″), • 12 Sheets of Cardstock – 4 each of Pink, Mint, White (5.5″ x 8.5″), • Watermark & Embossing Ink Cube, • Cast Iron Embossing Powder (0.5 oz.), and • Blue Baker’s Twine (10 yards). The total kit value is $70, but is yours for only $34.99! These kits sell out frequently very quickly, so you can make sure to receive one each month by subscribing here. I have a crisp white-on-white project to share with you today, as well as a modern-but-vintage-inspired card, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by stamping an A2 card base using the May My Monthly Hero kit using Moonstone Pigment Ink from Hero Arts, then embossing over the top using White Satin Pearl embossing powder to create a pearlescent charcoal. (Did you know that you can heat emboss over the Hero Hues pigment inks? SO fun!)

Next, I die cut the fantastically detailed fancy die included in the May My Monthly Hero kit from some white cardstock. I trimmed off some of the sections to create a shelf just on the one side of the stove. I wanted to add a window to my scene, so I placed the Greenhouse Fancy Die to the left of the stove and die cut from the embossed tile background, then die cut a window from a separate piece of white cardstock. I backed the tiled background with another piece of A2 white cardstock, then mounted the window frame to it.

I backed the base of the kitchen cabinets with another panel of white cardstock (lots of layers on this card!) that I’d added some dark gray Copic to, which created the contrast for the handles of the drawers. I adhered the stove and shelves to the tiled background using foam adhesive to help make it stand out, then added a greeting from the sentiments included in the May My Monthly Hero kit, again stamped with Moonstone ink and embossed with pearlescent embossing powder. Visually crisp and simple, but with all of those layers of cardstock and details, it’s definitely not boring!

For my second card, I used the new Egg-celent stamps and coordinating frame cuts. I began by heat embossing the large image from Egg-celent onto some watercolor paper using the same White Satin Pearl embossing powder used in the previous project. I then used my Tombow markers to add lots of bright color to the images. I originally planned to go a bit more traditional with the color scheme, using reds, bisque, brown, etc. But once I took a closer look at that chicken, it reminded me of my “hen on nest” glassware that I collect, and I couldn’t resist making a jadeite breakfast set, complete with salt and pepper shakers, egg cup, and hen-on-nest glassware! Once I’d finished coloring the images using my Tombow markers and a damp paintbrush, I used the coordinating dies to cut the stamped image out.

For the background, I wanted to keep things subtle to allow the jadeite chicken to be the star of the show. I heat embossed the new Kitchen Shelf Background using some more white pearl embossing powder on an A2 white card base. I love how the pearly embossing adds subtle texture and interest to the background without overwhelming the focal point!

I die cut a white Oval Woodgrain Infinity Frame die and popped it up on the background using foam adhesive. I adhered the vivid breakfast scene with some more foam tape, then added a greeting from Egg-celent (using the same Moonstone/White Satin Pearl combo from earlier) using some more foam adhesive for lots of dimension. I love that these images can be so super traditional or vibrant and modern depending on your color choices!

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

Hero Arts is giving away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, May 8th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. Thanks so much for stopping by today, 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 Happy and Joyful Release- FOUR New Stamp Sets!

Hi friends! I am utterly thrilled tonight to share that I have not one, but four new stamp sets that I designed being released in Simon Says Stamp’s new Happy and Joyful release for April 2022! We are still pretty chilly and not terribly green here (weird for mid-April), so I’m coloring up a garden full of flowers with these new stamps: Thankful Magnolia, Just A Note Pansy, Celebrate Rose Corner, and Lisianthus!

In the video below, I share some tips on how to get incredible dimension using Thankful Magnolia. I discuss how I achieve depth and shadow using the new OLO markers, as well as how to make intentional choices with my cardmaking. You can watch below or on YouTube by clicking here.

For those who can’t watch the video, here’s a brief summary of how I created this card:

I began by stamping the huge magnolia image from Thankful Magnolia onto some white cardstock using Intens-ified Black Ink from Hero Arts. I then used the new OLO markers (which you can read more about here-the special introductory pricing is still available until 4/24!) to add lots of beautiful depth and dimension to this gigantic flower. And when I say gigantic, I mean gigantic haha-this is a 5×7 card! I designed the image so that you could use the entirety of it on an A7 card, or just have a corner peeking out on an A2 card, or you could orient it so that just the foliage and the filler flowers create a wreath around the outside of the card front. But above all, as with all of my illustrations, I wanted a large bloom that was a blast to color.

Once I had finished coloring and die cutting the Thankful Magnolia (love love love that there is a coordinating die to go with this massive bouquet!), I used the Tin Tile stencil with some Merlot ink to create a textured background for the magnolia. You can see in the video how I manipulated the stencil to be able to extend it beyond the typical 6×6 to fit almost the entirety of the 5×7 card front. I added a greeting from Thankful Magnolia stamped with black pigment ink and heat embossed with pearlescent charcoal embossing powder. A few plum gems added some more sparkle and texture.

My second card features the new Just A Note Pansy stamps. I heat embossed this pretty swag of pansies using silver embossing powder on some Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper, then used Tombow markers to add tons of vibrant pinks and purples, working from the outer edges towards the center, rather than my usual work from the center out. I die cut the finished flowers with the coordinating die.

Next, I die cut the new A2 Marquee dies from some coordinating pink cardstock, then backed the die cut with some sparkling silver glitter cardstock to help coordinate with the silver embossing powder. I love that little sparkle peeking out around the edge of the rectangular die cut!

For the greeting, I silver embossed a few of the coordinating greeting stamps from Just A Note Pansy onto some more bright pink cardstock, then die cut and trimmed them. I added the marquee die cut to a coordinating pink A2 card base using foam tape, then added the watercolored pansies and greetings with even more foam tape. (So much height on this one!) I finished it off with some pink gems for sparkle!

My next card features my new Celebrate Rose Corner stamps. I used these in a bit of a non-traditional way to create this chalkboard card. This is one of my favorite ways to use super detailed images; adding some subtle white shading to the white embossed images is relatively quick and creates a neat impact on the overall card. I white embossed the Celebrate Rose Corner onto some black cardstock using white embossing powder, then added some white highlights to the flowers only using a white pencil. Such a neat effect!

For the greeting, I embossed the new XL Stacked Greetings using white embossing powder on the same black cardstock. I used the new Paws-itively Everything T-square to add a white pencil frame around the edge of a black slimline card base. I also blended a bit of white pigment ink on the one edge and splattered it with a bit of white gouache to add some extra texture and touches of white. I popped up the sentiment and the rose bouquet die cut using foam tape, then added some white iridescent pearls for some sparkle and shine.

My final card was a labor of love, for sure. I used my new Lisianthus stamps and dies with the Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils to create this super saturated and brilliantly purple card! I began by stamping the Lisianthus image onto some pale lavender cardstock using no-line coloring ink, then used the colored pencils to add lots of intense color to the image. Colored pencils are always a bit time consuming, but I am so pleased with the result! I die cut the finished image using the coordinating die.

Next, I stamped the new Soft Plaid Background stamp using some Deep Purple ink onto some more pale lavender cardstock. I used a blending brush to lightly blend the same Deep Purple ink around the edges of the plaid card base to create a kind of vignette for the background of my flowers. I love the tone-on-tone look with all of the different layers of purple!

Once my card base was complete, I adhered the flowers to the card front using foam adhesive. I white heat embossed a greeting from Lisianthus onto some strips of the same pale lavender cardstock, then popped them up wtih some more foam tape. Finally, I added a few pale purple gems for some sparkle.

Whew! Have you made it this far? That was a long one! I am so very excited to be sharing all of these new products and the projects that I created with them… such a thrill to see my illustrations come to life! I hope you’ll take a peek at the entire Happy and Joyful release-so many fun new products!

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

Where Creativity Meets C9: June Edition!

Good morning! As today is the 9th of June (ahem, HOW did that happen?!), it means that it’s not only a new release for Concord and 9th (have you seen the sneak peeks!? So cute!), but it’s also the start of a new challenge for Where Creativity Meets C9. This month’s theme is:

Now, we all know that I like to add sparkle wherever I can. It’s one of my favorite ways to girlify my projects. Unless it’s a card for Man Card Monday, you can rest assured that there will be some form of glitter or shimmer or sequins resting upon it. I chose to scale back the crazy glittery-ness that I wanted to do for this project and use some subtle silver glitter embossing powder and add a little bit of shine to my die cut letters. Let’s get started with the details!

To start, I heat embossed the floral image from Concord and 9th’s Banners and Blooms using silver sparkle embossing powder onto some Arches Cold Press Watercolor paper. Next, I used my Tombow markers to do some watercoloring in summery shades of hot pink, peach, and lime. I fussy cut both flower bouquets, then die cut the Bitty Thank You from black card stock, as well as the banner from vellum.

Before adhering my bouquets and greeting with foam tape, I blended a touch of Hero Arts’ Soft Apricot ink on my card base. I used a natural card stock for my card base, because my watercolor card stock had a slightly creamy tint to it and I’m just that particular. 😉 As a final touch, I added some Crystal Glaze to the sentiment die cut to make it really stand out and fit in with the “shine” theme for this month’s challenge.

Now it’s your turn! Create a project using one of the many floral stamp and/or die sets from Concord and 9th and link it to our link up. (Be sure to read all of the rules for the entries to ensure that you’re eligible if your project is chosen!) Your qualifying entry could win a $25 shopping spree to the Concord and 9th store! (Also, have you seen the gorgeous new release that’s available right now??) Have fun, and good luck!