Woah.... are you ready??

Well, if that title was any indication, I have some fun stuff to share with you all today! First up, it's the day! IT'S THE DAY! It's the day when all the Bloomies join forces to bring you the Power Poppy Hop and we skip our way through to show off the Power Poppy brand new release!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MIDSUMMER STUNNER!

All of the designers will be picking one of the new sets to share just a few more ways you can use these new clear stamp designs. I love all the inspiration that has been shared over the past few days, don't you?

On to today's creation!

I chose to pick up Power Poppy's new set called Soothing Sympathy. I just think the images in this set are not only calming but beautiful as well. I am sure none of us love to make sympathy cards simply because no one loves to think of someone else in a state of grieving but honestly, what a beautiful way to use this craft that we love -- to send heartwarming messages to someone who really needs them. I almost never have any of these on hand, and so I thought this would be a great time. 

On to the mechanics of the card! After stamping the rosemary image, I decided to perch the little butterfly from the set on top as if it was just hanging out for a bit, enjoying the rosemary's scent. I colored it all up with my Copic markers and reached for YR04, YR07, YR09, E31, E33, B60, B63, B66, G20, G21, and G24 with a little BG0000 for shading around my images.

Here's a close up. You can see I added a little bit of Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Marker to the butterfly to make it sparkle a bit in the light. I really love that pen -- honestly! 

The rest is matting it up. I die cut it with a double stitch recatangle die, added the sentiment that was punched out using a SU oval punch and then added some decorative paper with washi tape accents.

Here's a peek at the inside. I used one of the sentiments from the set and then added an herb border from the Sage Advice stamp set using Pistachio Memento ink.

And that, my friends, is it! You'll have to make the rounds to see what the other Bloomies have in store!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Power Poppy Blog!

And before I go, there's some fun news to share!

That's right! Take $10 OFF when you spend $70 or more at powerpoppy.com. All you need to do is use the discount code: STUNNER10 at checkout. This special offer is not limited to the new collection. It's good on all in-stock sets! Offer ends Friday, July 1.

Thanks for stopping by and spending a part of your day with me! I will see you back here real soon! ;-)

~Julie

Midsummer Stunner!

Hello folks! Have you been following the colorful, creative and dynamic things happening these past few days over at Power Poppy? If not, man, you’ve been missing out and you’ll have to head on over to the Power Poppy blog for week long peeks at the Midsummer Stunner release! Marcella’s illustrative pen has been busy at work crafting not one, not two, but SEVEN brand new stamp sets for you to enjoy! And, they will all be live tomorrow in the Power Poppy Shop!

And here, sweet stamping friends, is the latest spark of fun just for you!

That's right, there are two new sets for the viewing today -- Party Time and Tea in the Garden -- and the Bloom Brigade is ready to show them off in grand style!

On to my creation! When I saw the Tea in the Garden set, I couldn't resist this beautifully delish cake topped with strawberries! Why? Well, I have a killer recipe for a Strawberry Lemonade Cake and this one just reminded me of those summer days when we enjoy this tasty dessert. (I will have to dig it out and share it soon!) So, off I went, coloring up a replica!

After stamping the berry laden cake, I colored it up with all kinds of fun Copic shades -- R0000, RV00, RV02, R27, R81, R83 and R85. The leaves were YG21, YG23 annd YG25 and I added a little YG00 to the berries that just weren't quite ripe enough plus I added a little E81 for the vanilla frosting -- YUM! The cake plate was YG11 -- just a fun mint colored to imitate that antique milk glass.  Then, I also added some white paint pen accents to the berries as well. 

And here's what I did on the inside -- I added a little decorative paper strip, a sentiment from the set and then a stamped flower from the Countryside Bouquet Deluxe set. 

And that, my friends, is it! I love the super sweet images in this set and I know you'll love seeing the Bloomies take not only on this set but the other new release -- Party Time -- as well! So, hop, skip and jump your way through the link list and see what fun they have to offer!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

I will say you will have to swing by tomorrow for the Power Poppy Hop! That's when all the gals will pick one of their favorites from the release to show off as the brand new stamps fill the Power Poppy Shop for all to grab up! It promises to be big fun!

See you back here then!

~Julie

Sending Prayers....

Hello all and happy Friday to you! Goodness, where did this week go? I have no idea! I hope you have some fun plans ahead. I have to say, because of the speed of this week, I didn't have a ton of time to create and most of my creative pursuits simply involved coloring. When Power Poppy released a brand new digi last Wednesday -- Rose & Chamomile -- I knew I had to curl up on the couch with some good shows and my Copics nearby to settle in for a color fest!

On to my creation! I decided to color up just the single rose in this digital stamp set. I loved the clean and crisp beauty of it!

 After printing, I grabbed these Copic Markers - RV21, RV23, RV25, R01, RV00, G20, G21, and G24. The outside of my image was shaded in a drop shadow fashion with BV000, BV00 and BV02.

Here's a close up, see?

The rest is simply matting it all up! When I went through some of my decorative paper scraps, I was happy to find this little bit of rose and rose bud adorned decorative piece of paper! I added in a few different shades of solid decorative paper, a sentiment flag featuring the sentiment from this new digi set, some paper piercing and a little fun rhinestone flourish just to bring a bit of bling! I love to have these kinds of cards "on standby" just for those times when you want to send a hug or two across the miles!

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I sent this before the month was over and if I did, it would be perfect for this month's Power & Spark challenge....

This challenge is all about sharing some love for no particular reason -- sending happy or loving thoughts "just because!" You'll have to click HERE to read up on all the official details! You could win a FREE Power Poppy stamp set of choice!

And now, sweet stamping friends, it is time to turn things over to the rest of my Bloomies to see what creative things they whipped up and are sharing today on this Power Poppy Friday! Be sure to head on over and see......

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for stopping by! I so love your visits and comments! Hope you have a fabulous weekend and I will see you all back here soon!

~Julie

A few of my favorite things!

Hello peeps and happy Friday to you all! Hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods and that you have some fun weekend plans for the days ahead!

I am going to show a little card I made a bit ago after I dared myself to use up some paper scraps that had been on my craft table. Sometimes, I set aside these scraps for challenges just like this one or, I might like the way certain papers look together and so I set them aside to try to come up with a game plan for them later.

So, on to my creation!

I admit, this card is a little "loud" but also very happy! The image is from the Power Poppy stamp set Short Stacks and it truly showcases some of my favorite things! Reading, coffee and flowers. Who doesn't love those things? I had already colored up this image a LONG time ago. Before it was stamped, I did cut out the image with my Silhouette Cameo. Thankfully, these little scraps of paper went with what I had already colored. It was fate, I tell ya! On some of the strips, you'll see a wee bit of paper piecing. Then, I added a little strip of coordinating pink card stock, some crochet lace and a little button that had been accented with silver cording. 

Here's a little closeup for you! You can't see it in my photo, but I did accent the center of the daisies and the pom pom flowers with a little bit of glitter glue to give it a bit of razzle dazzle....

And that, my friends, is it! Don't forget about Power Poppy's Happy Mail Power & Spark Challenge! All you have to do is make a card and promise to mail it to someone! The only rule is that this be a "just because" kind of card to brighten someone's day. You can read up on the challenge HERE!

Now it's time to turn things over to my sisters in stamping -- The Bloom Brigade! I know you'll love to see the creativity that they have whipped up for you this week! 

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

Thanks for stopping by to spend a snippet of your day with me! I love that! Have a fabulous weekend and I'll see you back here real soon!

~Julie

A Challenge & A SALE!

Hello all and HAPPY WEEKEND AHEAD!  Can I just say that Power Poppy is hopping this weekend? And, YOU could truly get in on a whole bunch of creative fun! You know that we card makers love, love, love to create and share and there is a brand new challenge, hosted by the one and only Cindy "Marathon Mama" Lawrence, that is ALL ABOUT sharing! So, let's hear it for the...

HOW TO PLAY: How many times have you created a card only to have it sit in a basket waiting for that perfect occasion? This time, let’s flip that around and create a card with someone in mind and then, slap a stamp on that baby and put it in the mail! Keep in mind, we want this to be a card “just because.” Sure special occasions are important, but THE HAPPY MAIL CHALLENGE is all about simply sharing the love – not for birthdays or graduations or anniversaries—a “just because you care” kind of card for someone you’ve had on your mind. The challenge runs through June 30th at 8PM EST for a chance at a Power Poppy stamp set of choice. Click the link above to read up on all the official rules!

On to my creation!

This creation came about kind of by accident! I wanted to emboss in white and color and before I knew it, I was sponging Ranger Distress Ink in Spun Sugar all over my die cut base. From there, I added some Inktense Watercolor in shades of pink, green, yellow and brown somewhat sparingly to just give a little oomph! When I was done, I thought the background looked too flat, so I held my breath and then splattered some water on the image to get some watermarks and create the look of texture! I also stipped on some Ranger Distress Ink in Worn Lipstick. You can see those darker dots that was created by the stippling.... See? 

I thought it was a fun effect! And, I think it is one that I will try again! The rest is just matting it up with some decorative paper, some die cut pennant piecces, a couple of sequins and the sentiment from the set, also embossed in white. Ta da! So, now that my card is complete, you might wonder who is getting got this "thinking of you" creation bathed in pink?

If you can see that little bit of name peeking out on the envelope, you can see it landed in the mailbox of my fearless leader -- Marcella herself! Being that we are one giant sisterhood here at Power Poppy, sometimes you just need to send a little sunshine, stuff it in an envelope and wish that you could just skip the card and mail yourself instead! :-)

So, share the love and join us this month in our Happy Mail Power & Spark Challenge! Before I go.....

MORE FUN NEWS!

Power Poppy is hosting a fun-filled weekend over at the Passionate Paper Creations & Friends Facebook Page -- ALL WEEKEND LONG!

Grab your favorite coloring medium and let’s see what you’ve got! Show us your finished colored Power Poppy image. Put your link as a comment in the Power Poppy post on Passionate Paper Creations & Friends' Facebook page and Ms. Marcella will draw one lucky winner to nab a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop. Want to stock up on Power Poppy stamps to play along? Enter discount code MORECOLOR at checkout to get 10% off any clear or digital stamp sets that your little heart desires!

Well, there has been a lot of blossoming going on in the stamp rooms of some of our favorite card designers. Stop by, say "hi" and as I love to say, prepare to be amazed at the creative talents of our Bloomies!

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


If all of this wasn't enough, I should tell you that Power Poppy is back on with it's "Digis on the 5s" digital stamp set releases! Sunday, Marcella will release a trio of digital stamp sets that are PERFECT for the dudes in your life. These outdoorsy images come just in time to wish those men in your life a very Happy Father's Day! So, be sure to swing by and see what our Power Poppy Peep in Chief Marcella has up her insanely talented sleeve!

~Julie