A little project do-over!

Hello dear friends! I sure hope you had the merriest of Christmases and enjoyed friends and family --- just soaking it all in! I have to say that I did. We had a beautiful Christmas Eve that was quiet and peaceful as we awaited the birth of our Lord and then, the next day we were surrounded by more family the whole day long. It was a weekend of blessings and I sure hope it was for you too!

It honestly felt strange not showcasing a Christmas card today! I had to strain not to reach for a red and green scheme when I was putting this one together! I do have something fun to share however and it is actually a "re-do" of a creation from quite a while ago. I am not sure about you, but I have a box of finished cards and every now and then I look back and see -- what's not being used and why? It's during those times that I see if there is a card or colored piece that can get a makeover to make it more user friendly. And this time, I did find a finished project that needed a "do-over!"

This was the project from back on April 6th, 2015. Yes, this little number has been sitting for THAT LONG! Way back when I thought I would give it to my mom with some seeds but then I never bought seeds and shifted gears for Mom's Day and so this little envelope ended up sitting....

Just a note before I show you the "redo" that the silhouette and digital files for this project are still live over on the Power Poppy Blog HERE if you ever wanted to follow the project above! There's even a Silhouette cut file for the little envelope featured!

Now, onto my new, more user-friendly creation!

You can see that in order to have this do-over, I needed to cut out the image and make that my focal point instead of using the full she-bang. I used a stitched circle die and then matted it on a die cut shape to really accent it. This image is the digital stamp from Power Poppy called Countryside Bouquet. If you can "see" this in the photo, the blue piece of card stock was stamped with Versamark ink using the daisy stem from the clear stamp version of this set called Countryside Bouquet Deluxe! I thought the plain blue was just.... too plain!

From there, I added the sentiment running down the side from the Power Poppy set called Cozy Cupfuls. Even though this is a Christmas set, I think this sentiment is great for use all year round! Afterward, I added a little twine and a wooden button and ta da!!! Fini! Now I have a all-occasion card that I just know will be used in the next few months! 

Here's a close up for you!

Well folks, the fun doesn't end here! Be sure to hop on over and see what some of my fellow Bloomies have up their creative sleeves too! 

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Cheers to a Happy New Year! Next time we "talk" it will be 2017!!

~Julie

I Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Can you feel the excitement in the air? Can you snap up a little bit of that joy? I sure hope you answered yes and that the beauty of this most holy season fills your heart to the brim -- no matter how you celebrate! I love this time of year and the fact that more people seem to wear smiles and seeing the wonder expressed in a child's face never gets old!! 

I am going to make this short and sweet because as we speak, there are a few gifts that still need to be wrapped and a little more Christmas cheer to be spread! And, my mom has cookies in the oven that I'd love to serve as a taste tester for! ;-)

This little creation that I am sharing is one that went out in the mail this week to a very special lady! I am not sharing who just in case it hasn't landed in her mailbox yet but I wanted to share with all of YOU!

First up, I have to apologize for the photo. I took this one at night and so natural light was non-existent. Second, for those that might have missed it, we are living with my mom as we build our house and the locations to take good pictures is limited --- especially at night! So bear with me peeps!

This card was made using Power Poppy's Wreath: Felt Leaves and Fruits. I printed it off and colored it up using my Copic markers using YG00, YG03, YG06, R27, R32, E31, and BG000 and C00. I didn't shade at all around the image like I normally do because I wanted this one to be clean and crisp and loved the image up against the country charm of the polka dots, doily, and gingham. What you can't see is that the enamel dots that I added are glittery, which matches the glitter that I added to those darling little pom-pom "flowers!" And that, my friends, is it! 

I did have a special bit of news from Power Poppy Central! If you happened to have stopped by after Thanksgiving, Power Poppy had a fun little “hunt” for a mystery digital download that you could nab for $1. GOOD NEWS!!!! Marcella is bringing it back for the next several days — go grab Candy Cane Classic for a dollar to use on those last-minute gift tags!

Moving on... earlier I mentioned that we are in the process of building a home. Early in November, I shared that we had a foundation and some framing. Well, it's amazing what a difference a little more than a month and a half makes! It's beginning to look a lot like... a house! ;-) The cold weather is hampering some of the progress on the outside but inside -- things are moving -- plumbing, electrical, ductwork and as we speak -- drywall! We should be in by March! YAY! 

That is it from me today! I'm going to turn things over to my fabulous fellow Bloomies to see what they've whipped up for you all to see! 

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber >> you are here!

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you all the joy possible during this most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and wishes of love, peace, and kindness for all!

Old Saint Nick!

Hello all and the Happiest of Fridays to you! Are we in the Christmas spirit yet? You know there's only 16 days, right? ;-) Well, even though Christmas is a couple of weeks away, this week ushered in the feast of St. Nicholas (December 6th). So, in honor of the special day, I thought I'd give St. Nick a nod with my creation! 

This card uses the Glittering Glass Santa digital stamp set from Power Poppy. After printing it up, I fussy cut the image and then colored it up with Copic markers using G20, G21, G24, G28, R24, R27, R32, C03, C05, YG00, YG03, YG11, G000 and E0000 and RV00 for his skin and cheeks. I did add a little C000 and BG0000 to the beard for a little shading, although you can't really see it all that well and I added a little glitter glue to all the fluffy parts of his jacket too! 

Here's a closeup for you! 

The decorative paper is Stampin' up and the die is a stitched rectangle die from MFT. And that, my friends, is it! So far I have about 20 down, ten to fifteen more Christmas cards to make! Normally we do a family Christmas letter but I decided to put a personal spin on the holidays and make each and every card I send! Ask me on Christmas Eve how I did! ;-)

Before I go, don't forget to check out some of my fellow Bloomies' blogs to see what they've been up to this week! 

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful (& warm) weekend!

~Julie

A Little Birthday SURPRISE!

Hello all and Happy Tuesday! Do we have a special surprise! Do you know....

WHO'S SASSY AND SPECIAL AND FABULOUS AND 50???

Well, I happen to know it's the creative and talented Ms. Rhea Weigand! To help her celebrate, Power Poppy is honoring this oh-so-special day with a special birthday digi in honor of the birthday girl's special day! Say hello to......

Isn't this just as lovely as the lady of the hour? Orchid Dreams comes not only with a beautifully scripted sentiment but a book with an island spin since one of Rhea's favorite places on earth just so happens to be Hawaii!  And, we've also been told that she's apparently prone to misplacing her glasses, so what a fitting and fun way to celebrate her! ;-) This little digi will be in the shop for $3 this week only. After that, it will stay in the shop but will be $5. So, get this beauty at a bargain now! 

On to my celebratory creation!

Recently, one of my stamping friends Nancy Sheads gave me some tips and tricks on how to print and cut images using the Silhouette Cameo. Well, after she shared, I couldn't help but give it a try! Don't worry, a little birdie told me that Nancy is prepping a tutorial for the Power Poppy Blog to share these tips with everyone so -- stay tuned! 

After the Orchid Dreams image was print and cut, I used Copic markers to color this image up! I used R81, R83, R85, RV00, G20, G21, G24, G28, E09, YR24, YR01, E31, and E33. After it was all colored up, I used some Stampin' Up decorative paper to mat it all up! Add some gold cording and a little pink button and.. done! Here's a close up for you! 

And here's a peek at the "dreamy" sentiment!

I happen to know that I am not -- by far-- the only one lighting the candles and cueing up the music to help Rhea celebrate! First up, be sure to share birthday wishes and see all the fun happening over at the Passionate Paper Creations and Friends Facebook Page HERE! And while you're hopping, I know these ladies below have some fun birthday creations to share as well!

Allison Cope
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Barb Walker
Nancy Sheads
Jessie Banks

And be sure to pop into the Power Poppy Blog to see what Marcella created using this new illustration! Thanks for stopping by!

  HAPPY 50TH RHEA!! May you have the absolute best day ever and CHEERS to an even more blessed and beautiful year ahead! 

~Julie

Sweet Treats!

Hello Sweet Stamping Friends! Welcome to another Power Poppy Friday that's designed to share a healthy dose of positivity and creativity in one fell swoop! It's the first Friday of the month, which means that The Bloom Brigade is here to help kick off a brand new Power & Spark Challenge! 

This month's hostess is the wonderful Christine Okken and today, she's challenging us all to make up some.....

HOW TO PLAY: The idea behind this Power & Spark Sweet Treats Challenge is just as easy as it appears. As Christine shares, it's really all about the spirit of giving! 

"The idea is to create something that will be a sweet treat for someone else (so think card, tag, hostess gift, etc) designed to help with those quick Christmas gifts."

You can read up on all the official details and check out Christine's fabulous creation HERE!  And just in case you missed it, a few weeks ago I whipped up a tutorial on making gift card tags for one of Power Poppy's Inspire Me Monday posts -- below is a peek at what I did and you can see all of the samples with step-by-step instructions HERE!

MOVING ON! I have to say that for Christine's challenge, I had the  best of intentions to whip up some tags after the release of Power Poppy's digital Whimsical Wreaths stamp sets! But, all I managed to do was color them up and boy what a treat that was!!! Here's a peek at all four!

And here's a peek at each one, starting with Wreaths: Succulents and Baubles! I will say I used a mix of Copic markers for all. On the Wreaths: Boxwood and Cranberry, I accented with a white gel pen. On Wreaths: Felt Leaves and Fruits I added a bit of glitz thanks to glitter glue! If you can't tell, I had a blast coloring them up! 

Here's Wreaths: Birch and Evergreens.....

And Wreaths: Felt Leaves and Fruits! 

Last but not least, Wreaths: Boxwood and Cranberry! 

I have to say that I took close to an hour to color each one up and while I could have most certainly done it much faster, I just took my time and let the peaceful easy feeling that I get when I color just wash over me! These are just images to be cherished and the varieties in design are just charming! I should tell you that you can buy each wreath individually or in a bundle for a discount! You can click HERE to see for yourself! They work well in so many different ways - tags, as a focal point on a card or to dress up boxes or bags! Perfect for this time of year! 

Now it's time to turn things over to the best bunch of designers in all of blogland -- the Bloomies! They've been busy in their creative spaces and I know you'll want to see firsthand what they've been up to! ;-)

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan

Stay tuned to the Power Poppy blog because on Monday, Marcella will have a treat for you all! It's the 5th, which means we'll have another Digi on the 5s release, adding another illustration to the ever-expanding Instant Garden i.e. digital stamp collection of Power Poppy! See you back here soon!

~Julie