Sixth Street Sundries

Emily Midgett

winter

Warm Thoughts in the Snow with New Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! Happy Friday! My kiddos were ecstatic to wake up to an inch of pristine white snow this morning, and so I thought it was the perfect day to share this snowy, pale blue “blackout” card with you using new goodies from the Heart to Heart Release  from Simon Says Stamp (click HERE to check out the entire release!). Embossing folders never cease to amaze me with their versatility, made even better by their diminutive price point. I used the new Wonderland Snowflakes with the “blackout” technique, this time using a pale blue to create that wintry background. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

*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!*

To start, I embossed a panel of plain white cardstock using the new Wonderland Snowflakes embossing folder. I flipped the panel over so that the details were debossed down into the cardstock rather than raised embossing. Because the cardstock is already white, all I had to do to enhance those exquisitely detailed white snowflakes was gently swipe the Simon Says Stamp Pastel Blue Pigment Ink pad directly onto the cardstock. It adds subtle wintry color to the background without taking away any of those gorgeous debossed snowflake details! For good measure, I splattered the entire background with some gorgeous glittering watercolors to add extra texture and shimmer.

One of my favorite ways to use colored ink these days is as a base layer for iridescent embossing powder. I stamped several snowflakes from the Lots of Snowflakes stamp set with Pastel Blue pigment ink onto some more white cardstock, then stamped again using sticky embossing ink and added translucent iridescent embossing powder over the top. This embossing powder adds the most beautiful shimmer while still keeping that base color true to the original. I used the new coordinating dies to cut the stamped and embossed snowflakes out.

For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer of the Warm Thoughts die set (I think the juxtaposition of the sentiment with the imagery on the card is so fun!) from iridescent white foil cardstock, then cut the shadow layer from more white cardstock. On the shadow layer, I again placed the Pastel Blue pigment ink pad directly to the die cut and swiped, continuing the color palette through each element of the card. I adhered the detail layer to the newly-pastel blue shadow layer with liquid adhesive, then arranged the sentiment and individual snowflakes on the card front, adhering them with foam adhesive squares. Finally, I added some Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to the snowflakes and tucked an Iridescent White Cord bow beneath the sentiment for one last touch of texture on this super detailed card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! This card could easily be customized to create a winter birthday card or even a thinking of you card. Snowflakes don’t just have to be for Christmas, I think! We are in for some bitter cold temperatures this weekend, so I hope you’re staying warm in your craft room. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Wintry Thinking Of You with Simon Says Stamp + Final Hours of the SALE!

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

Hi friends! It’s the last day of 2025, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I am completely ready to see this unpleasant year hit the road! I thought I would channel a little peace for the new year by creating this peaceful little winter scene, perfect for a serene thinking of you card using the newer Country Birds stamp set from Simon Says Stamp. Let’s get started with the details!

*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!*

I began my project by stamping several of the images from the lovely Country Birds stamp set. I have been seeing lots of “take away the Christmas, but keep the cozy” videos on social media, and tried to channel that with this set. It’s a great set to have in your pocket for those winter birthdays and thinking of you cards as well as traditional holiday cards! I feel like cardinals always evoke peace, especially for someone grieving, as they symbolize a visitor from heaven. I stamped several of the images from Country Birds onto Hammermill cardstock using InkOn3’s Fadeout Ink, then used my OLO Markers to add lots of vibrant color to the cardinals, letterbox, and greenery, keeping the fence “white” with some subtle dashes of pale gray and the Zero markers.

After I had finished coloring all of the stamped images, I used the coordinating dies to cut them out. I added some silver letters to the letterbox using a silver paint pen and some white gel pen to the eyes of the cardinals, as well.

To create the background, I first blended Sky and Night Pawsitively Saturated Inks around the edge of the white A2 card front, then used metallic silver ink to stamp individual snowflakes from the Country Birds stamp set. I started with the largest snowflakes and worked my way down to the smaller ones to create a wintry blizzard background. I took it one step further with some sparkling silver splatters from my glitter watercolor palette, creating several different sizes of snowflake and lots of sparkling texture to keep the background interesting!

I adhered all of the colored die cut pieces to the finished card front with multiple heights of foam adhesive squares to keep the super textured aesthetic going throughout each element. I tucked a strip of silver glitter cardstock beneath the fence to pull in another silver element, then added a silver embossed and die cut greeting from Country Birds. I finished everything off with a smattering of Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for additional “snowflakes” and sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my final project of 2025.

To help 2025 and DieCember go out with a bang, the Simon Says Stamp Die Sale is still going strong through 11:59 ET tonight!

Simply add your Simon-branded dies to your cart and input code DMR25 at checkout to receive 20% off your entire Simon-branded die purchase!

On a personal note, thank you so much for being here! Whether you’re a blog subscriber, an Instagram or Facebook follower, or just happened upon my blog from somewhere else, I am so grateful to you all for your support and your kind comments on my work. I am so lucky to be able to do what I do, and I do not take a single bit of it for granted, and that includes you! Thank you for allowing me to create and share with you for another year!

Let’s manifest as much peace as we can for 2026, shall we? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and Happy New Year’s Eve!!

Snowflake Two-fer Using Simon Says Stamp DieCember Dies + SALE!

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

Hi friends! I am back today with a pair of super vibrant and dramatic projects using some new goodies from DieCember. The new Snowflake Sensation die set features some beautiful frames that also happen to die cut some gorgeous standalone snowflakes, making it super easy to create multiple projects with minimal die cutting! I paired these intricate dies with some beautiful foil cardstock. Let’s get started with the details!

*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!*

One of my secrets for die cutting is pairing intricate dies with coated cardstock, like foil, pearlescent, or vellum cardstock. The less fibrous the cardstock, the more easily the intricate design on your dies will cut! I paired the Snowflake Sensation die set with the absolutely lush Simon Says Stamp Rose Gold Metallic cardstock. This shiny cardstock die cuts superbly, making it perfect for use with these intricate dies. I also die cut the Snowflake Sensation dies from some Pinkfresh Studio Rose Gold Glitter Cardstock to add some contrasting texture to the super smooth and shiny metallic foil cardstock.

After die cutting a few different Snowflake Sensation patterned brackets, I reserved the snowflake die cuts and arranged the brackets in a symmetrical arrangement on my A2 Simon Says Stamp Rainforest Cardstock. Before adhering the foil die cuts, I used a blending brush to blend Raindrop Pawsitively Saturated Ink around the edges of the card front, adding a touch of contrast and interest to the areas behind the die cuts. I adhered the foil die cuts to the blended card front using liquid adhesive.

For the greeting, I stamped a sentiment from Making Spirits Bright on more Rainforest cardstock using embossing ink, then added rose gold embossing powder. The contrast between the pale metallic embossing powder and the deep teal cardstock is magnificent! I die cut the greeting with its coordinating die, then added a strip of vellum cardstock directly over the center of the card front, adhering the edges to the back of the card with some super strong double sided tape to keep the vellum nice and clean. I popped up the greeting with some foam adhesive, then decided to add some further metallic embellishment to the card front with some Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and a few dots of my Blush paint pen. So much sparkle and shine on this card, and it’s so easy because the die cuts do so much of the work for you!

I used the same basic technique to create my second project, this time using a chalkboard frame from the dollar store to create a piece of home decor! I used some coordinating teal paint on the frame itself, which I think is a beautiful, wintry pop of color for those bleak days after Christmas. I trimmed down a panel of Rainforest cardstock to fit within the frame, the again blended some Raindrop ink around the edges to add extra dimension behind my focal point. I used the leftover rose gold Snowflake Sensation die cuts and a couple of extra corner brackets to create the pattern on this little frame, adhering them all to the cardstock with liquid adhesive. I added a few more Peachy gems and metallic Blush dots, then used super sticky tape to adhere the cardstock piece inside the frame! It’s so difficult to pick up the shimmer and sparkle on these projects in the photos, but they’re really magical in person.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now, to celebrate the close of DieCember, Simon Says Stamp is running a fabulous sale:

From now through 1/1/2025, you can take 20% off all Simon Says Stamp branded dies!!! This is an incredible deal, and a great way to stock up on those dies that you’ve had your eye on. You can click HERE to see all of the dies included in the sale! Simply add your selections to your cart, then add code DMR24 at checkout to receive 20% off of all of your Simon dies. Such a great way to close out 2024 and get some new goodies to play with in the coming winter months.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and Happy New Year!

Christmas In July: Holiday Cheer with a Holiday Cardinal!

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

Hi friends! I am back with another post for my Christmas In July week here on my blog! As a St. Louis native, Cardinals have always held a special place in my heart, and the symbolism of cardinals representing visitors from heaven has always given me comfort. We have lots of cardinals in our yard, and it seems like when I am having a stressful day with my kiddos, a cardinal will appear in the window, reminding me of the immense patience that my grandparents showed my sister and me. I love the winter imagery of a vivid red cardinal amongst the beautiful snowy landscape, which is what I tried to create with this crisp white card, adding pops of holiday color with cherry and cranberry red. Let’s get started with the details!

I started my project by die cutting the cardinal from the Honeybee Stamps Lovely Layers Winter Birds using three different shades of red cardstock. These Lovely Layers die sets from Honeybee Stamps are super detailed and very simple to assemble, with incredible results! I also die cut the beautiful Corner Pine Frame from some white glitter cardstock to create the snowy branches for my cardinal. I die cut a few extra sprigs of pine using some iridescent white foil cardstock and the Pine Needle Trio die set. The combination of different types of white textured cardstock creates a lush pine bough for the bright crimson cardinal!

Once I had die cut all of the different foliage elements for my project, I ran a panel of A2 sized white cardstock through my die cutting machine using the Threaded Snowflakes embossing folder. The beautifully detailed snowflakes add marvelous texture behind the delicate pine die cuts. I adhered the glittery white Corner Pine Frame to the textured snowflake background using liquid adhesive. Before arranging the rest of the die cuts, I turned my attention to the sentiment.

For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer of the Fancy Holiday Cheer die set from some deep cranberry cardstock, then layered it on the shadow layer cut from vellum cardstock. I also trimmed down a pre-printed holiday sentiment (that I think may be discontinued, but THESE are similar!). I arranged all of the different die cuts and sentiment pieces on the white-on-white textured background, adhering them with a combination of liquid and foam adhesive for lots of different levels of height and dimension. I had some leftover die cut berries from THIS card, so I nestled some berry clusters amongst the pine boughs for some extra pops of red. Finally, I added a few Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for extra sparkle. The sparkly, shiny white specialty cardstocks with the pops of bright, cheery red make for such a festive color palette!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I have a few more holiday projects up my sleeve to share with you, so be sure to come back again. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Snowy Greetings with New Inks from Simon Says Stamp!

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

Hi friends! The Sweetheart release from Simon Says Stamp featured a trio of absolutely gorgeous new teal inks that I have been swooning over for weeks! As soon as I saw the new Pawsitively Saturated Ink Trio 26, I knew that I wanted to create an ink blended background featuring those gorgeous shades of teal. Rather than my usual ombré down the card front, I thought I would switch things up with a diagonal blend, almost creating the look of a tiger’s eye gemstone. I paired the blended background with a new embossing folder, as well: Tessellating Snowflakes. Let’s get started with the details!

I began my project by blending Mist, Dew, Raindrop Pawsitively Saturated Ink from corner to corner on my panel of A2 sized Hammermill white cardstock. I think this blending orientation is so fun and different from the typical top-down light-to-dark blending that I normally use, and it’s definitely going to be put into my rotation to use again!

After I’d finished blending, I ran the panel through my die cutting machine using the Tessellating Snowflakes embossing folder. To enhance the delicate embossed snowflake pattern, I lightly brushed a white pigment ink pad over the top of the raised areas. I also splattered the entire panel with some shimmering holographic glitter watercolors from my stash. Such a sparkly, colorful, textured background!

In keeping with the diagonal orientation of the ink blending, I die cut the Sensational Snowflake dies from some white glitter cardstock and arranged them on the card front, concentrating the snowflakes in the center of the lightest ink shade, on the diagonal from top left to bottom right. I die cut a greeting using the Snowy Greetings die, cutting the detail layer from Simon Says Stamp’s Aqua holographic cardstock and the shadow layer from vellum. I adhered the sentiment to the snowflake background using tiny dots of liquid adhesive. Finally, I added a few shimmering aquamarine gems for one last touch of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! It is so bitterly cold outside that this card felt appropriate for today. I hope you’re keeping warm (or cool, if you’re in the southern hemisphere!)!! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!