Here Comes Santa Claus!

Hi all and Happy Friday! I have an extra special affair for you today. Power Poppy has something to share that just sprouted in their  Instant Garden. I have to say that it is so stinkin' cute...you will just HAVE to have it in your digi collection! It sparkles. It glitters. It's FULL of Christmas flair! 

Let's get right to it and give you a little sneaky peek of Glittering Glass Santa! 

After printing this little guy on Cougar Opaque White Card Stock, I grabbed a few of my Copic Markers to bring him to life! I used R01, R14, R21, R24, R27, R29. C00, C01, C03, BG0000, BG01, YG13, G20, G07, G20, G40, G43, G48, E00, RV00, RV02. Once I was done, the rest is pretty simple! I used a stitched border die, added a little grosgrain ribbon, a little gold cording with a mini jingle bell added and then matted it all up! The sentiment is also from this digital stamp set. I colored with the same reds and blues that I used in my main image. And, as you can see, I did add some white paint pen accents and glitter glue! 

Here's a peek at the inside! I used a sentiment from Power Poppy's Poinsettia stamp set (used Espresso Truffle Memento Ink) and a little accent stamp (used Toffe Crunch Memento Ink) from the Bough Wow Wow stamp set. 

Here's a peek.....

And, here's a close up!

And that, my friends, is it! This whimsical Santa is a perfect addition to Power Poppy's already chocked full holiday collection! Sure, it might be a wee bit early to think Christmas, but we have lots of cards to dole out during the holiday season! It's a list you'll be adding to and definitely checking twice! So, get a jump start! ;-) You can find all of Power Poppy's Instant Garden Digital Stamps RIGHT HERE! Adding Santa to your stamp room is as easy as clicking a download link from the email that’s sent to you after purchase, then printing, coloring, creating, and (most importantly) enjoying! 

My fellow Bloomies have been busy bringing this little Santa to life! You'll have to stop on by and see their take on this sweet image! For the full link list, please visit.....

The Power Poppy Blog!

Before I go, I do have an important announcement for all those in Power Poppy Land! If you haven't taken part in this month's Power & Spark Challenge, now's your time! There are only six days left on this challenge and it too is somewhat holiday themed! Just show your spin on gift giving. Share a handmade creation that you plan to gift. Share a gift tag you've made. Or, show how you dress up a box thanks to a stamp or two or three! Then once you're done, click on over to THIS CHALLENGE POST and link up your creation on the linky! The winner will get a choice of a free or digital stamp set from the Power Poppy Shop! Woo hoo! Contest runs through September 30th at 8PM EST.


Thanks for popping in to say “hi!” I hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead and have a little down time to get crafty! ;-) See you back here soon!

~Julie

Peace & Strength

Hello happy stampers! I have a card to share today that showcases Power Poppy's newest member to the Instant Garden -- Olive & Oak.  What I never knew was that the olive symbolizes peace and oak symbolizes strength. What a beautiful fusion of images to send this message to someone you care about!

I have a friend who just started radiation for breast cancer. As I sat and colored this image from top to bottom, I had her in mind with every colorful stroke of my marker. I knew when I was done, this card was going straight to her mailbox! ;-) 

When Marcella penned this beauty, she said it would be perfect for not only fall but for more mascculine cards. I think it's a classic image that could be used in so many different ways! 

On to my creation! After I printed this image on to Cougar Opaque white card stock and die cut it using a faux stitched border die, I picked up my Copic Markers to color it up. Here's what I used: E31, E33, E23, E25, E27, G20, G21, G24, G28, YG21, R59, R32, R01, E09, E04, Y38, Y35, Y21, Y11, YG13. After the leaves, acorns and olives were colored up, I did use W00, W01 annd W03 to shade around the image. 

I will say that the sentiment is from Power Poppy's stamp set called Lilac Time. In the stamp set, you'll see it's a stacked sentiment. I actually just inked up each word separately so that I could put it on this sentiment strip. (I used Memento Rich Chocolate and Potter's Clay inks). The paper is BasicGrey and the button is a gold one from Stampin' Up. I also added just a wee bit of white gel pen to add highlights to the acorns.

Here's a close up!

And that, my friends, is it! Now it's time to hop on over to see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade whipped up this week. I have a feeling you'll see a little more of this image too! ;-)


Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan


Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I've been up to! I wish you the best of weekends. I'll be watching some high school football, watching some college football and watching my daughter kill it at softball tryouts. Should be an action packed weekend! Hope you have fun in all you do! See you back here soon! ;-)

~Julie

Hello Friends!

Happy Friday Y'all! Since it's Friday, that means I'm here with my Bloomies to share a little creation from my crafting space! While this beauty that I'm showcasing today was released a few weeks ago, it's the first time I had time to use it -- and I had a blast coloring it up!

On to my creation! Say hello to Easy Breezy Coneflowers! It's a new digital stamp set from Power Poppy! 

Before I printed this beauty off, I did change the color by lightening to more of a brown tone. If you still are new to digital stamps, I did a tutorial a while back on how to use these images to their fullest. You can check it out HERE to see some of what I did today!

After printing, I colored this duo of flowers up with a mix of Copic markers: G20, G21, G24, G28, V01, V04, V0000, E09, YR01, R01, and RV0000. Then, once done coloring, I did add a little razzle dazzle with the help of some glitter glue!  The layout is pretty easy peasy. I used one of MFT's dynamics -- Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner. Add a sentiment (from the Simply Camellias stamp set), some bling... and that, my friends, is it!

Okay... moving on! Did you see that Power Poppy  kicked off a new challenge last week? Check it out folks!

HOW TO PLAY: All September long, share your gifts from the heart and showcase ways you might creatively package up goodies, adorn them with stamped tags, or set them in handmade bags or boxes. Have a fun gift card holder? Share it! This Power and Spark Challenge is all about your creative gift presentations or handmade gifts! Show your art.... and your heart! You can read up on all the Official Rules and link your creation right here on THIS CHALLENGE POST. The winner will get a choice of a free or digital stamp set from the Power Poppy Shop! Who wouldn't want that? Contest runs through September 30th at 8PM EST. 

Now it's time to go check out what these lovlies have been up to and don't forget to say "hi" while you're there!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Stacy Morgan
Leslie Miller

Thanks for sharing a bit of your day with me! Hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead and I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

Sweet Little Sumpin' Sumpin'!

Hi all! How's your September starting out? I hope that a new month brings a whole new spark of creatitivy and what better way to get that mojo a flowin' than to usher in a new  Power Poppy Power & Spark Challenge! This one is hosted by the amazing colorist and super sweet designer.... KATIE SIMS! 

HOW TO PLAY: This month Katie would love nothing more than for you to get great ideas for your gift giving season! Here's what Ms. Katie had to say about her September Challenge!

"Hello and a happy September to you!  This month’s Power & Spark challenge is all about giving.  We all know the paper crafting community has some of the biggest, giving hearts around so let’s celebrate that with “Gifts from the Heart." Show us your creative gift presentations or a hand crafted gift….or both!  Try stamping  your own wrapping paper, decorate your own gift bag or tag, craft a gift set of note cards....you choose how to show your art and heart for a special someone.  Even though the holidays are just around the corner, any time is a great time for gift giving so this challenge is open for any occasion." 

If you'd like to read up on the Official Rules, just click on over to the the challenge post HERE!Remember, if you play along, you just might win a free clear or digital stamp set of choice from the Power Poppy Shop! You have until September 30th to enter!


ON TO MY CREATION!

For my little bit of show and tell today, I decided to share one of my favorite gifts of all time -- my favorite Lavender Coconut Oil Lotion. This stuff smells absolutely delish and I love the fact that it has three ingredients in it -- all of which I can pronounce! I use it every day and in addition to making my skin soft and glossy, it brings a dose of aromatherapy as well! Who doesn't love the smell of coconut and lavender? ;-)

So, here's a peek at the gift set -- a cute little 4-1/4" square card to serve as a little gift note! And then, the mason jar can be dressed up by stamping the lavender onto a 2" punched circle that fits -- oh so perfectly -- on the top of your mason jar!

For the stamps, I used Power Poppy's Lavender stamp set -- perfect! After stamping in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I grabbed my Copic markers and used BV00, BV02 and BV04, G20, G21, G24, BG0000, BG000, BG01, and G0000. For the jar topper, I used the same marker colors but added the little background lavender stamp with Vivid Violet Mist and then stamped the word Lavender in Lavender Vivid ink.  

Here's a peek at the card...

Here's a look at the jar topper -- sweet and simple with a little bit of glitter glue sparkle and a little bit of gingham ruffle! 

And, since I know you'll love this recipe, I thought I'd share! It's super dooper easy! 

LAVENDER COCONUT LOTION 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil. I bought Nutiva Coconut Oil at Costco and it will likely last me forver!
• 1 teaspoon of Vitaminn E Oil
• 6 to 10 drops of lavender essential oil 

DIRECTIONS

Because coconut oil is a hard oil, you need to heat the oil to get it more fluid to mix the vitamin E and essential oils with it. I soften by sticking in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. Mix in additional ingredients. Stick in fridge until it solidifies to a soft butter feel. Using a hand mixer, mix until lotion is whipped. Store in a cool, dark place in a jar of choice. Keep in mind, coconut oil has a very low melting point, so on hot days, this lotion may return to liquid form It's okay! Just let it harden and rewhip if desired. I usually just let it set back up and use as normal. 

And that, my friends is it! I hope you whip some up and know that you can always turn to Power Poppy to make your gift extra special with our Lavender stamp set! 

Now it's time to hand the baton to my fellow Bloomies so that they can run off with all their creative ideas and inspire you ALL! So, stop by, say hi, and let that inspiration fly!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Katie Sims

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for sharing a bit of your day with me! I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead and for those of you in the States -- Happy Labor Day! Enjoy some rest and creative relaxation! ;-) See you back here soon!

~Julie