Sneak Peeks Day 4: BIG SCRIPTS!

Have you noticed that big words are taking center stage in paper crafting these days? Well, Power Poppy (and Marcella Hawley) sure has!

And that's exactly why Marcella grabbed her uber huge paint brush and hand crafted these sentiments that made their way into polymer. Check this out!

You are going to LOVE these edgy, hand-painted, larger than life words! Use the words from this Big Scripts set as the star of the show on your cards and creations OR pair them with other stamped images or papers to create that mega wow effect!

On to my creation!

For my creation, I chose to make this "Hello" large and in charge! I paired it with a fun Spellbinders Shapeabilities Decorative Card Front die called Contemporary Strip. I just love all the little holes and bubbles this die creates and I thought my cut out "hello" would be perfect over top! I cut the "hello" after creating a Silhouette file, inked up the word using Teal Zeal Memento Ink, added some bling, sparkly paper and a snippet of silver cording and voila! Just that easy peasy!

Here's a close up!

I can see so many uses for these big-lettered sentiments and I can't wait to try them all! I know the Bloom Brigade has a fabulous array of creativity to show off! So, what are you waiting for? Hop on over and see.....

Christine Okken
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

The Power Poppy Blog >>> click on over for more on Marcella's inspiration!

I have to tell you -- tomorrow's set is one that is big on color and sweetness. If you love Marcella's floral illustrations, this set is NOT to be missed! Swing back by and see for yourself! 

~Julie

Sneak Peeks Day 3: Short Stacks!

I don't know about you, but I love little vignettes that just share a slice of life -- no matter what it be. Maybe it's a glass of tea cozied up next to your favorite book? Maybe it's a crossword puzzle that's waiting to be solved beside your favorite pot of flowers? These images share snapshots in time and Power Poppy's newest stamp set captures these slices of life just so beautifully!

Oh my goodness? I just can't take how cute that little parakeet is perched up on those whimsically stacked teacups! This set -- Short Stacks -- offers three different and darling vignettes plus some fun-filled sentiments that are perfect for birthdays, cards that hope to deliver a little happiness or a note to a friend you'd love to catch up with! 

On to my creation!

When I first saw this image above, I had to laugh. When I was growing up, my mom adopted her late sister's parakeet "Butchie" -- this darling bird looked exactly like I colored this one up to be. He would do this little wiggle move with this head and make all of us laugh! This image brought back some fun little memories! 

On to the deets! I stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black and then started to color it up with my Copic markers using these: YG00, YG03, YG05, YG13, YG0000, B01, B04, G24, G21, G20, R81, R83, R85, W00, W01 and BG0000. You can't really see but there is a little sparkle from a Sakura sparkle gel pen at the center of the flower and along a portion of that bottom cup. The papers are a mix of BasicGrey (Lemonade) plus Echo Park Fine & Dandy. The sentiment from the set was stamped on a 1-1/4" punched circle and matted on a 1-3/8" punched circle.  Add a little Hug Snug White Ribbon and a little bling and... ta da! Done! 

And, here's a close up of that sweet 'lil birdie!  

And that, my friends, is it! I honestly can't wait to use every image in this set since they are all just so sweet! In the meantime, the Bloom Brigade has some fanciful creations they would LOVE to share! So, hop on over and see.....

Christine Okken

Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Power Poppy Blog >>> for more on Marcella's inspiration!

Tomorrow's sneak is one that's big on impact! I honestly fell in love with the concept behind this set and think there will be so many fun ways to put this one to use. Swing back by tomorrow and you'll see what I mean! Have a fabulous day!

~Julie

Sneaks Day 2: Good Thinking Love Notes!

In just a few weeks, Cupid's arrow will strike causing feelings of love to burst all over the nation! So, in honor of this special day and for all those special days that require a lovey dovey sentiment, we offer......

When you ink up Good Thinking: Love Notes, think weddings, anniversaries, and those special days when you just need to share the love! It's a fabulous set that features more than 20 loved-themed sentiment combinations plus some cute little love inspired doo-dads! 

On to my creation! 

When I saw these darling little arrows and that fun little distressed heart, I envisioned a high impact creation that would be perfect for Valentine's Day! I started with a 3" piece of white card stock that I scored every inch to create a kind of tic, tac, toe looking grid. Then, in the grid, I stamped the hearts using Red and Pink Vivid! inks. After I was done, I stamped the arrows over top using Versafine Black Onyx. Then, on a 1-1/4" punched circle, I stamped the word LOVE, also from the set. I mat it all up on a 4-5/8" square of red card stock. I stapled a little snippet of ribbon and then, using foam tape, matted it all on top of a square of decorative paper from the Carta Bella Words of Love paper pack. Oh yeah, I also added some small little rhinestones to add a little razzle dazzle to my card front. And that, my friends, is it! 

It's so fun to see all the different "takes" on this fabulous word set! The Bloom Brigades' creativity was on overdrive with this one. So, drop on in to these ladies' blogs to see what whimsy they whipped up!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Tomorrow's set that the Bloom Brigade will be sneaky peeking is as cute as the dickens! Think sweet as can be vignettes that stack up the fun! Swing back and see for yourself! 

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaks Day 1: Orchids Rock!

Hello all and welcome to an exciting week here on the 'ole blog! Today is just day one of five in all where I get to join my fellow members of the Bloom Brigade to show off the latest offerings from Power Poppy! 

This first set is nothing short of elegant! Feast your eyes on this....

Imagine a beautiful Cymbibium and a breathtaking Lady Slipper Orchid just ripe for coloring! That's what Marcella has masterfully crafted with this set called Orchids Rock! Did you know orchids symbolize beauty and strength? It's also why you'll find an array of sentiments designed to share just that kind of vibe. 

On to my creation!

I started by coloring up this beauty with Copic Markers on Cougar Opaque White paper. I used R81, R83, R95, RV00, G24, G21, G20, YG00, YG03, BG0000, E33, and E31. After I was done coloring, I cut out my image (cutting out the branches at the top and making sure that they sat above the die so they wouldn't be cut). While the die was still on, I sponged on some Ranger Distress Ink in Spun Sugar. The embossed white base is an embossing folder from Stampin' Up and the teal decorative paper is Carta Bella Yesterday. Add a little Hug Snug ribbon (Pink Aster) and a bit of bling and.. ta da! Done!  I will say that the sentiment is one that is a part of a set that will be released later this week -- so stay tuned! 

Here's a close up of those fantastically illustrated orchids! Marcella has once again outdone herself if you ask me! 

And that, my friends, is it! I've seen some of the beautiful things that the Bloom Brigade created with this set and I mean to tell you, my jaw dropped! See for yourself! Hop on my and see these fine designers!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Be sure to stop back tomorrow! The set we'll be sneaky peeking is one that's full of inspiration for love notes gallore! I know I don't use the word "darling" a lot but man, this set is just that! See you then! 

~Julie

Welcome La Vie En Rose!

Are you ready for something NEW & EXCITING? How about a beautiful image from Power Poppy that can be bought, downloaded and colored up with wreckless abandon --- in an instant? Introducing a new line of digital stamps affectionately called The Instant Garden Collection! And, here's the newest addition!

La Vie en Rose is a beautiful rose with an oh-so-sweet little love note tucked underneath. There are two ways to buy this image -- one with a couple of cute sentiments already stuck inside the note and one that is more of a DIY (blank tag that you can drag and drop sentiments into or stamp inside)! So, click on the link and see for yourself! In addition to this fabby image, did you see the news about the brand new digital team a.k.a. the Instant Gardeners that will be helping us show off these digital sets each month? You can click  HERE to learn more! And, mark your calendar too! The 15th of each month, we'll be adding a new plant to our Instant Garden! Woo Hoo!

On to my creation! When I first saw this image, I decided I wanted to make my card look a little more edgy. I wanted it to have the feel that I just dug in the junk drawer, grabbed a Post-It,  and some crumpled up scrap paper to scribble out a little love note. That's kind of how it's done in my world! ;-) Well, what do you think?

I started by printing off my image not once, but twice. You can't really tell, but there are portions of my image that are layered over the base image. I colored it up using Copic markers and I used R81, R83, R85, E40, E42, E0000,W00, W01, G20, G21 and G24.The decorative paper is Carta Bella Words of Love. 

On the base image, I stamped a few different background stamps using Distress Antique Linen Ink and then, afterward I sponged and used a ripped notebook paper die cut to serve as an edge. Add a little twine, a brad and a few staples and... ta da!

Here's a close up! 

And that, my friends, is it! If you want a little eye candy from the Bloom Brigade showcasing what they created with this beautiful digi, click on this fabulous link list and pay them a visit!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber >>>> you are here!
Katie Sims
Kathy Jones
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

And don't forget to visit this link HERE to see our new digi design team and all the fun creations they whipped up as well! Thanks so much for stopping by! See you back here soon!

~Julie

Thinking of You!

Hello all and happy Friday! Hope your week is ending on a high note! Last Friday, I shared a little sketch from the latest crop of Cardmaps sketches over at pagemaps.com and today, I am bringing you another! So, let's get to it, shall we?

Here's a peek at my card.....

And, here's a peek at the sketch I used!

I started with digital stamp from Power Poppy called Camellias. Isn't it a lovely image? I sure think so! I printed on white Cougar Opaque card stock and then colored it all up with Copic markers! I used RV0000, R81, R83, G20, YG61, YG63, Y21, Y35 and BG0000. 

The rest is just matting it all up! The paper is from My Mind's Eye. I used a Classic LG Circle die from Spellbinders and while the die was still on, I added a splash of paper piercing around the inside edge of the die. I also added some glitter glue Add some Stampin' Up buttons threaded with twine and... ta da!!!

And that, my friends, is it! I have to say that I love using sketches, I grab some fun coordinating decorative papers and let the paper fly as they say! I have found that putting together my card without my stamped image is actually so much easier than stamping, coloring and trying to match up the papers afterward. For so long, that's how I did it! Leave it me to make things harder than they ought to be! ;-)

Want to see some more Power Poppy goodness? Well, the Power Poppy Bloom Brigade is at it again -- sharing their talent and creativity in the blogosphere! So, be sure to stop on by and say "hi" to these lovely ladies!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend ahead and I'll see you back here soon! In fact, mark your calendars! On the 15th of January (next Thursday) we will have a brand new release from Power Poppy that's ALL DIGITAL. In fact, on the 15th of EACH month, the Bloom Brigade will be showing off new images in its Instant Garden (all digital blooms and plants!). We'll also have some fabulous designers joining us for the big reveal! So, come on back now, y'hear? :-)

~Julie

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hello all and HAPPY NEW YEAR! And, on this first post of mine for 2015, do I have a treat for YOU! There's a whole new crop of sketches over at Pagemaps.com's CardMaps! So, if you need a little help with your mojo, or just want to try a new layout, head on over HERE and see all the cardmaking fun you could have! 

The fun thing about these latest sketches is the fact Power Poppy's Bloom Brigade took the sketches and put their creative spin on them! Want to see my creation?

Above is my card and below is the Cardmaps Sketch! 

Instead of hearts, I simply used one of Power Poppy's Digital stamps called Winter Pick Me Up in the lower right corner. I printed it directly on decorative paper and then added a splash of color thanks to Copic Markers. I used YG03, G20, YG13, E23, B02, B00, BG0000. Once I was done coloring, I did add a bit of razzle dazzle thanks to some glitter glue! I also used BG0000 around my image to highlight it and then blended with a colorless blender. 

See?

The papers I used were a mix of My Mind's Eye, Bo Bunny and Bazzill. The ribbon is May Arts and the die is one of the Fancy Tag dies from Spellbinders! While the die was still on my paper, I did sponge some Adirondack Willow ink around the die. Add a few Prima sparkly gems and start matting it all up!

The sentiment is from the Sassy Succulents Power Poppy stamp set. It just fit perfectly in the center of my die cut ribbon slide. Don't you think?

And that, my friends, is it! Like I said, the Bloom Brigade took this latest round of sketches for a test drive. Again, you can find the sketches HERE. And, after you've taken a gander at the sketches, roll on over to these talented ladies below to see their spin on these different layouts!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber >>>> you are here!
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie