Searchin' for the Mojo!

Hey peeps! It's Friday, which means the Power Poppy gals a.k.a. the Bloom Brigade are ready and raring to go for their Power Poppy Parade and today, I'm joining in on the fun!

I know more than a few of you know what it's like to sit back with plans to create, stare at the blank paper before you and come up empty. The mojo just doesn't want to flow. I was there this week and so I decided that I would grab a cuppa joe, turn to one of my favorite places -- PINTEREST -- and see if I couldn't look for someone else to help me spark that creativity. People, there is no shame in being inspired by others. I mean, isn't that why we are all here?

So, I found this blog post HERE from Olesya Kharkova, of Russia. Yes, I "traveled" five thousand miles for inspiration! ;-)

If you click on over to Olesya's post, you'll see that I pretty much CASE-d it, which means copy and steal everything. I loved the blue and pink combo, the splash of vellum, the white embossing -- I loved it all. So, I dug around my craft room for similar supplies and... here's "my take!"

So, as you can see above, this card is not really "my style" -- it was a bit of a stretch for me and that is exactly why I chose the card I did to CASE. I knew I had THIS stamp set -- Peony Muse by Power Poppy. And, I had the rest of the supplies, so all was good. The sentiment is a portion from the Sending Happy Wishes stamp that's a part of the Natural Beauties set. I just stamped, embossed on black and snipped that front portion off. 

Here's how I went about making it -- I stamped using Versamark Ink on white cardstock and then embossed with white detail powder. From there, I used my Distress Markers in Picked Raspberry and just scribbled the marker onto a palette and picked it up with my Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Pen. 

This was literally my color palette here! Acrylic Block - Check! Pink Marker - Check! Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Glitter Pen (Clear) - Check! 

And as you can see, the glitz shows when you move this card through the light. I have done this technique a few times -- you can see those cards HERE and HERE and I just love the results. It just gives the front of your card that extra "something" without being overwhelming. It's subtle flair! ;-)

From here, I took the cues from my inspiration card, cut out the vellum, and layered it pretty much just the same as Olesya did. I did add a few sequins and rhinestones instead of enamel dots-- mostly because my enamel dot stash is running a little low.

And that, my friends, is it! One way to have some fun, get that mojo a flowin' and be inspired by some of the absolutely fabulous designers out there on the web. Like I said, this one happened to live 5,000 miles away! What a BIG and yet small little crafting world we live in!

Speaking of inspiration from far and wide, it's time to turn things over to the Bloom Brigade for their weekly Friday parade! Pay them a visit, take in their artistic talents and then... be inspired!

Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me! I'll see you all back here soon!
~Julie

Who wants a deal?? :-)

Just click on the graphic above to head straight -- don't walk, RUN -- to the Power Poppy Shop!

~Julie

Grab A Sketch... or 2 ... or 3!

Hello all! Hope you had an amazing week and are looking forward to a beautiful weekend ahead! Last week, Power Poppy kicked off a brand new challenge designed to ignite that design power and creative spark! And guess what? Yours truly is the hostess! This little challenge offers not one, not two, but three ways to......

PICK-A-SKETCH!

This little challenge is as easy as picking one of the three sketches below, using that as your inspiration and clicking HERE to share your creation with the Power Poppy linky! Just that simple! I already shared these cards over on the Power Poppy blog but I thought since some of you might have missed it -- I'd recap it here on my little place in the blog-o-sphere! I'd love it if you joined me and used these sketches because -- if you are the lucky winner -- you get your pick of a Power Poppy stamp set or a trio of digital stamp sets! How fun is that? So, let's check out these sketches, shall we? 

WILL YOU CHOOSE SKETCH 1?

Want a little inspiration using this sketch? Check out my card using Power Poppy's Succulent Singles stamp set! 

HOW ABOUT SKETCH 2? 

And here, my friends, is how I put this little sketch to use! I stamped Power Poppy's My English Rose and fussy cut around it to serve as my focal point. 

OR, MAYBE YOU LOVE SKETCH 3?

For my take on sketch 3, I went bold and I also added some other elements like a sentiment oval and a little ribbon with a bow. I used Power Poppy's Potted Primrose stamps set in vivid oranges and yellows! Like I said, all of these sketches are a launching point -- a place to start in your creative happy place! So, if you want to add to the sketch, go for it! I'd love to see your "take!" 

And that, my friends is it! Again, all you need to do is click on over to this post HERE for all the "official rules" as well as the linky to share your creation! 

The Bloom Brigade just so happens to be on stand-by, ready to share some of their latest creative endeavors! So, hop on over and see....

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me! For those that celebrate, I hope you have a beautiful Easter Weekend!

~Julie

Power Poppy & Sweet Petunia HOP!

Hello all and welcome to a super fun post! If you came here from Lydia Fiedler's blog you are in perfect order for the Power Poppy & My Sweet Petunia Hop! If not, you can start HERE and track back to the Power Poppy blog. I'm so glad you joined us for this fun, creative and collaborative hop! 

Because Power Poppy just unveiled a brand new line of dies to coordinate with its new Spring Fling Collection, I thought it would be great to showcase how you absolutely CANNOT live without the MISTI when trying to stamp on super fussy die cut shapes. Check this out, will ya? I used the Mini Misti for this tutorial. 

I decided to use the stamp set Natural Beauties with the set's coordinating dies and this, my friends, is the card I made! 

One side note before I get to the "How To" of using the Misti with dies, I am loving my Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Pen. To color my image -- literally in minutes -- I scribbled some watercolor pencil (Derwent Inktense) on my stamped image and then blended using the Wink of Stella glitter pen. You can't see the glitter when you are looking at the image straight on, but check this out-- little flakes of sparkle all over! That just makes my heart happy! It is one of those tools that just leaves a bit of "Wow" behind and is a breeze to blend with.

OKAY, MOVING ON! How do you get a perfectly stamped image on a super-detailed die cut shape? Here's how my sweet stamping friends! First, I started by cutting out a piece of white cardstock with the large Natural Beauties die for the long grouping of flowers. 

Remove the die cut, leaving just the cut-out frame and secure the piece of paper using either the Creative Corners for the Misti or the super strong magnets that come along with your Misti! 

From here, lay the clean stamp face down on the cut-out frame so that the cut out perfectly frames your stamp. I know my stamp looks like it has ink on it but it is just stained from using permanent inks. It really is clean! Also, it is hard to tell that my stamp is lined up perfectly. It is a lot easier to see this in real life! ;-)

Close the "door" of the Misti to make sure the back of your stamp clings to the plastic cover. Open it back up and, as you can see below, put the die cut shape back inside the frame.

Ink up your stamp....

... and then "shut" the door again, letting your inked stamp fall perfectly over the die cut shape!

Look at that will you? A perfectly stamped die cut shape, each and every time! I timed myself as I did this -- FIVE TIMES -- just to prove how quick and easy it is to cut, line up, ink and stamp to get a perfect image. I kid you not, it took 64 seconds from start to finish. ;-) It would take a whole lot longer for me to eye-ball and then, not get it lined up "just so" and line it up again and... well, you get my point! The MISTI makes it amazingly easy!

So, how amazing would it be to WIN a MISTI or a $25 Gift Certificate 
to the Power Poppy Shop? Well YOU can!

All you need to do is whip on through this blog hop and leave a comment on each of the blogs on the hop for a chance to win not only a MISTI (either original or mini)but a $25 Power Poppy Gift Certificate with two different winners! So, my friends, comment away for your shot at one of three fabulous prizes!

MISTI Winners will be announced on this page of the My Sweet Petunia blog on April 14th. Power Poppy Winners of (2) $25 gift certificates will be on the Power Poppy Blog on the 14th.

Like I mentioned if you came here from Lydia's blog-- fabulous! If not, go back to the Power Poppy Blog at the top of the link list and make sure you comment on each blog for your chance to win!


Power Poppy
Lydia Fiedler
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Ilina Crouse >>> hop here next! 
Christine Okken
Jeanne Streiff
Cindy Lawrence
Maureen Wong
Ally Cope
Kia Gibson-Clapper
Kathy Jones
Ceal Pritchett
Tosha Leyendekker
Giovana Smith
Stacy Morgan
Katie Sims
My Sweet Petunia

Thanks for stopping by and hopping along! Good luck and happy commenting! ;-)

~Julie