Power Poppy Peeks Day 3: Daffodils!

Well folks -- it's an exciting day here on my blog! Why? Well, it's the final day of the Power Poppy Scents and Sensibility Collection Sneak Peeks and you know what that means? It means we are one day closer to these fabulous designs being in the Power Poppy Shop!

So, without further ado.....

You might recognize the "theme" of this Daffodils stamp set from one of Power Poppy's digital sets. That's right, Marcella took the lush image from Dancing With Daffodils and made it into a full clear stamp set! Woo hoo! Now lovers of clear can have a taste of this daffodil goodness! 

On to my creation!

I knew when I started this card that I wanted soft colors mixed with a pop of that bold blue. So, I went lightly on the daffodils, allowing the grape hyacinth to add that pop of drama!

To color, I used these Copic markers...

You can see too that I did a whole BUNCH of fussy cutting! You really can "lose time" when you're listening to good music, just cutting and coloring the afternoon away! ;-)

Here's a close up!

The rest is just matting! I used a Stampin' Up border embossing folder, the Spellbinders Scalloped Borders Two die, a mix of some Echo Park paper, a bit of Hug Snug ribbon, a wee bit of paper piercing and some bling thanks to some 3mm and 6mm sequins. And that, my friends is it!

Now it's time to hop on over to see how the rest of the Bloom Brigade brought this set to life!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Marcella's Post over on Power Poppy!

And don't forget -- today is the last day to enter into the GO FOR THE GOLD Challenge! Check it out HERE! And, be sure to tune back in TOMORROW when the Bloomies offer up a Power Poppy Parade showing off all the new sets and sharing how YOU can get your hands on them!

See you back here soon!

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaky Peeks Day 2: Simply Camellias

Hello all and Happy Monday! As you kick off your week have we got a special treat! It's day two of the sneaky peeks showing off Power Poppy's latest clear stamp set release! Yesterday the Bloom Brigade lavished you with Lilac. Today, we confound you with Camellias!

Simply Cameillias takes Power Poppy's beautiful digital stamp -- Camellias --  and builds on its beauty in a clear polymer stamp set! It's the second offering in Power Poppy's brand new Scents and Sensibility Collection coming to the Power Poppy Shop on April 1st!

On to my creation!

Do you ever start with a card and have absolutely no idea where you are going? I wanted to create a soft monochromatic card and so, I started coloring the leaves of this single Camellia in shades of violet grey (BV20, BV23 and BV25). I followed it up with the flowers themselves and used B60 and B63. When I was done coloring with these two colors, I blended by coloring the entire image with V0000. It gave it a wee bit of a rosy flair. The background around my flowers was colored with BV00.

After I was done coloring I did add some dots of black and then followed up and added some white acrylic paint dots. Not sure if I love that, but my goal was to just add a wee bit of POP. The ribbon is Hug Snug and then I added some BasicGrey pearls and a fun die cut frame (Spellbinders Majestic Labels Twenty Five). And that, my friends is it! Like I said, I had no idea where this card was going when I began but I achieved the monochromatic feel!

Want to be WOWED by the rest of the Bloom Brigade. I personally can't wait to see their take on this amazingly beautiful set. These fine ladies below always seem to know how to bring these breathtaking illustrations to life!


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

Marcella's Power Poppy Post


Stay tuned dear friends! Tomorrow's set is one that will offer up another irresistible breath of spring!! See you back here then!

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaky Peeks Day 1: Lilac Time!

Hello all! How's life in your neck of the woods? Is spring staring to sprout? Well, if you are still waiting for warmer temperatures and the first signs of budding blossoms, have we got YOU in mind with Power Poppy's latest clear stamp set release!

Will you check this out???

Ahhhhhh.... I LOVE lilacs. LOVE them! There is nothing like taking a deep breath and smelling their sweet fragrance in the air! It's just such a serene scent. My hubby and I both love lilacs and that's why we are vowing this spring to rip up part of our yard just to plant a trio of lilac bushes! But, sweet friends, I digress!

Marcella has added to her fabulous digi French Lilac with a gorgeous new vignette as well as beautifully scripted sentiments to bring you Lilac Time! It's a brand spanking new clear set! And, it's a part of Power Poppy's brand new Scents and Sensibility Collection coming to the Power Poppy Shop on April 1st!

On to my creation!

I started with this beautiful image by stamping on white cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. Then, like I love to do, I grabbed my Copic markers and used G20, G21, G24, G28, B60, B63, B66, Y00,Y06, Y35, B00, B0000, BV0000, BV00, E81, E0000, R0000, RV00 and R01.

When I was done, I did add some Waterfall Stickles (blue shimmer) to the flowers. You can barely see it in the close up, but trust me, it's there and it sparkles! I cut my image out with a Spellbinders LG Circle die and then used my paper piercer to add a little accent around my image. The bottom band is done with a Spellbinders border die (Scalloped Borders Two). I added some Hug Snug ribbon, and a mix of BasicGrey and Stampin' Up decorative paper and... ta da! The sentiment, also from the set, was stamped and punched out with a 1-1/4" circle punch. And that, my friends, is it!

Goodness, if you love lilacs as much as I do than you most certainly will want to hop along the Bloom Brigade trail to see what the rest of the Bloomies whipped up with this beautiful set!

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

Marcella's Power Poppy Post


Stay tuned dear friends! Tomorrow's set that the Bloomies will sneak has just as much of a botanical flair! In fact, it has squeal factor! I'll see you back here tomorrow!

~Julie

It's a BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

Hello all and welcome to a super duper extra special kind of post! Why, you ask? Well, it's only because it is the ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY OF POWER POPPY! 365 days ago, Power Poppy brought sunshine to card makers far and wide when it opened its virtual doors and we, members of the Bloom Brigade, couldn't be more honored to be a part of this colorful, creative powerhouse!

Marcella, you have a way of drawing flowers like no other! Not to mention, you are a super human being too - generous, kind, spirited, and honorable with a one of a kind joy de vivre!! I am blessed beyond words to get to "work" with you and over the moon excited that you've hit this milestone! I know that only GOOD TIMES are ahead with you cranking out the beautiful art that seems to come oh-so-naturally to you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THIS BEAUTIFUL DREAM OF YOURS GIRLFRIEND!

In honor of this SPECIAL DAY Power Poppy wants all of YOU to get in on the celebration and so, if you click HERE on this post, you can read up on how YOU can wish Power Poppy a Happy Birthday and win this.....

So check it out and get in on all the FUN! 

To help wish Marcella & Power Poppy a Happy 1st Birthday, the Bloom Brigade is joining forces to share birthday creations in honor of this special day! So... on to mine!

Of course I had to have a splash of pink and a little bit of sparkle in my birthday wishes! So, I grabbed the Short Stacks stamp set (I had cut the image out beforehand with my Silhouette Design Software) and then, stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic markers! I used RV00, RV02, RV83, RV81, E53, E55, R32, R35, B00, B0000, YG23, YG00, and G20. 

From there, the rest is matting up! I actually got my hands on the embossed paper that was a part of SU's Sale-e-bration. The polka dots are glossy and embossed and so when you use a spray, it will resist the embossed areas. I sprayed it with Shimmerz Pop Art Pink Vibez spray. I had never used this spray much and man, oh man, a little goes a LONG way! :-) You can see below not only a closeup of my coloring but how the spritz really works! It's glitter based too which makes it shimmer!

From there, I matted my main image onto some sparkly background paper. The embossing folder is From Stampin' Up and the iridescent ribbon is from Michaels. An easy peasy lemon squeezy perky and fun birthday creation fit for Power Poppy's 1st Birthday!!

Now, the rest of the Bloom Brigade has a party of its own for Power Poppy over on each designer's blog -- so be sure to stop on by with a birthday "Hi!" and, don't forget to stop HERE to see how you can win a $100 gift card!

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


Thanks so much for stopping by! We'll see you back here soon --- Mark your calendar -- SUNDAY starts the sneaks for Power Poppy's April Release!!! Trust me when I say that you won't want to miss one minute of that action! ;-)

~Julie

Let's Dance!

Hello all and happy Friday! Today not only brings the verge of the weekend BUT..... it's the first official day of SPRING! And, in honor of this lovely transition into flowers and showers, we bring you a special Power Poppy treat!

Just in case you missed it, last Sunday the Instant Gardeners popped the top on a brand new digital stamp set that is just, dare I say, luscious! What's better than buttery, twirly, swirly daffodils? So, check this out, will you?

Petals unfurl and foliage twists and twirls in this new digital stamp set called Dancing With Daffodils illustrated with love by Marcella Hawley. Daffodils and periwinkle vines almost appear to dance as they celebrate the arrival of Spring. A swirled up snail appears ready for a good time, too! Use the “Just Because” sentiment to have a springy card on hand, or use with a more seasonal sentiment to set the perfect tone.

Today, the Bloom Brigade is showing off this beauty so.... on to my creation!

I printed off my image on Cougar Opaque White card stock and then colored it up with Copic markers. I hate to say this but I used so many that I honestly couldn't share all. It was one of those moments that I grabbed a marker and decided on a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I added a little Hug Snug seam binding in yellow, a Stampin' Up gold button with some May Arts gold cording and.... a fun Spellbinders A2 Fancy Ribbon Threader Die. This die is perfect for those big images that are too large for an intricate layout but need a little somethin' somethin'! ;-)

I matted it all up on some Echo Park Fine and Dandy paper and... ta da! Done! I just love this image and think it truly is a wonderful way to honor this most wonderful time of year! 

Guess what? The rest of the Bloomies have gotten in on the "Dancing with Daffodils" act and have some beautiful creations to share! 

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Dawn Burnworth
Dina Kowal
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

And, if you are ever looking for more inspiration for this digital stamp set, it's out there! The Power Poppy Pinterest Boards have ALL of Power Poppy's stamp sets ripe with ideas to spark your creativity. Check out the Dancing With Daffodil's board HERE!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have an fantabulous weekend ahead -- one that's full of JOY! See you back here soon! Oh, oh OH! I almost forgot. Mark your calendar for MARCH 29TH! That's when the next round of Power Poppy clear stamps will head off the production line and into the Power Poppy shop! Stay tuned, it's gonna be FUN!

Have a good one!

~Julie

Let's Go for the GOLD!

Hello all! It's the first Friday of the month and that means it's time for the brand spanking new Power & Spark Challenge! Can you feel the raw excitement? I can dear stamping friends! I CAN!

Today's challenge is brought to you by one of the sweetest ladies on the planet -- TOSHA LEYENDEKKER! And, this month she's challenging us all to......

HOW TO PLAY: Here's what dear Tosh has to say about the GO FOR THE GOLD challenge!

"March 17 just happens to be my husband's birthday. So, even though he's not Irish, I can't help but think of St. Patrick's Day. However, I don't want to focus on Shamrocks, Leprechauns or rainbows because, face it...it's really the gold everyone is after, right? And I struck gold when I married this man 25+ years ago. So, make a card that has gold incorporated into it: embossing, paper, embellishments, etc.!"

There you have it folks! Use a little gold on your card, link up your creation using the linky ON THIS POST HERE! Just that simple! You can also follow that link to all of the official rules!

On to my creation!

I tried to create with a trifecta of gold for this one! I have a snippet of gold cording, a gold colored decorative paper and even the use of gold-ish yellow marker in the color of my primrose! And, while Tosh said not to worry about St. Patty's Day, I threw in some green for good measure! ;-) I stamped the primrose from Power Poppy's Potted Primrose stamp set using Memento Tuxedo Black and then colored up my image using Copic Markers. Trim around my image, attach it to my decorative paper using foam tape and then, add a little razzle dazzle with the help of some glitter glue! The sentiment is from the Big Scripts stamp set and the shape before I stamped the sentiment in Teal Zeal Memento had been cut thanks to a Silhouette cut file I created. Mat it on a couple layers of paper die cut thanks to Spellbinders Labels Seventeen and... almost done! I paper pierced the decorative paper (from Carta Bella's Yesterday collection), mat it all up and... ta da! Done!

Here's a little close up for you!

And that, my friends is it!  Want to see the Bloom Brigade's spin on this sparkly, 24 karat challenge? I know I do! 

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Katie Sims

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

So..... get those fingers inky and Go for the Gold! We can't wait to see how your creations shimmer and sparkle with that Midas Touch! ;-) Happy Friday and have a fabulously creative weekend! 

~Julie