Inspired by Nature!

Hello sweet folks! If you clicked on over to the Power Poppy blog earlier this week, you might have gotten a glimpse of this card below since it was in the spotlight over in our weekly color challenge HUES TO USE! If you've never played along with me for the challenge -- it's rather simple and so much fun! I steal a photo from Instagram and then, let that photo dictate the color cues for creativity! 

Want to see the photo I picked this week?

Well, I have to say that I have no real idea what is going on with the photo above but Marcy nailed it when she posted this pic and said simply, "Nature, being all awesome!" I couldn't agree more! This little number was posted almost a year ago, so, whatever this is being awesome, it's probably being awesome again as we speak! 

HOW DO YOU PLAY? Playing along with us for Hues to Use is easy as 1-2-3 -- use all three colors in your card or creation and then make sure to share a direct link to your creation so we can all see! YIPPPEEE!

Moving on to my card! Now, I have a few birthdays coming up and when I chose this color combo, I knew in my heart of hearts that I would use it to create a few "man cards!" My brother-in-law is a beer lover and it's funny when we hit happy hour together every now and then, he often reads the craft beer menu and he will look at me and say, "Will I like that?" So, more times than not, I end up choosing his beer for him. I figured this image below -- Power Poppy's Hops and Barley -- would be perfect for him! 

I started printing this digital image in a kind of sepia/brown tone and so that's where that color on the 'Hues' is used along with some of the accents in the barley. Then, I grabbed these Copic colors for the barley.....

And these colors for the rest of the image -- the hops and some of the highlights around it! 

After I was done coloring with my Copic markers, I did go back in to add some depth with a few Prismacolor pencils -- using an indigo pencil along with a burnt umber shade as well. I am really loving how a sharpened colored pencil can add that intricate detail that a Copic marker tip can not. 

For the inside of my card, since I knew how I would be using this card and who I would be giving it to, I went ahead and did this (below) on the inside! Printing a faint version of the hops and barley image with one of the sentiments that is included in this digital stamp set! Love! 

And that, my friends, is it! An earthy mix of colors inspired by nature herself! I hope you hand-pick these colors to use next time you create and will play along with me!

Before I go, some of my fellow Bloomies have been busting through creative barriers to share a little Power Poppy goodness with all of you! So, be sure to pay these fine ladies a visit, will you?

Allison Cope

Julie Koerber >>> you are here! 

Katie Sims

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

The power of PINK!

Hello stamping friends! Okay, I'll admit it. Before last week, I was a complete newbie to live coloring classes on the web. I thought --"Hhhmm... that looks fun. I should try that sometime." But, I never did.... until this little class by Amy Shulke of Vanilla Arts caught my eye. I don't know about you but reds and pinks are two of the toughest colors to blend. My pinks either look too shocking or too dull. So, I thought I would give this one a try....

The cool thing about Amy's classes is the fact that you can watch them live, or join up later to catch her class archived on video. I chose the latter so that I could delve in, recue things if I wanted to, and just focus on parts of her coloring technique. She is a whiz and I never thought in a million years I could pull off a similar look. Well, I have a ton to learn about color layering but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the results! Check it out, will you? This class teaches you not only how to add shades of grey to create depth but how to texture with not only markers but colored pencils and water-based markers as well!

Amy has a class coming up tomorrow using Power Poppy's Heart Abloom digital stamp set that I wish I could attend -- it looks so yummy! You can click HERE to read all about it!

And that, my friends, is all I have for you today! I will have to make this little number above into a card and show that off at a later date! Until then, be sure to hit up the Power Poppy Blog today for your weekly dose of Good Vibes!

And, while you're hopping, be sure to pay these fine ladies a.k.a. the Bloomies a visit to see what fun they've whipped up to share with you all this week!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for popping in! Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back here real soon to share a little kick of creativity to brighten your day!

~Julie 

Two fun challenges just for YOU!

Hello friends! If you were over on the Power Poppy blog earlier this week, you might have spotted this post. For those who weren't -- you're in luck! I have some fresh creative eye candy to share and it's something YOU can have fun with as well if you play along with me for this week's......

If you didn't know it, every Tuesday, yours truly helps host a color-fueled challenge that's a super fun way to stretch your creativity AND get some free stamps too if you're chosen as one of Power Poppy's guest hostesses! It's called HUES TO USE and all you need to do is use this little trio of colors in your next card or project. Yep, just that easy! 

MOVING ON TO THE LATEST COMBO! When Marcella spotted this amazing swirl of color above, she was at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in our nation's capital. This, my friends, is Tight Malachite and as Marcy said when she first set her sights on it, "Dare you not to swoon!" Well, I did indeed swoon and then I decided this would be a wonderfully fun color combo for.. HUES TO USE! I'll admit, it's a bit tricky at times to pull off monochromatic color combos. But, you know what? I know you can do it! And, I can't wait to see how you pull it off! Want to play along? Just click HERE for all the deets! 

Want to see how I took these colors for a whirl?

For starters, I picked up Power Poppy's Succulent Singles and Prairie Cheer stamp sets (for the sentiment). I stamped two of the smaller leaves directly on my decorative paper and then, stamped a bunch onto white cardstock to cut out later. Actually, I could have used the Succulent Singles Die Set that goes with this stamp set but I had a lapse in judgment and forgot to do that! EEK!

Now, here's the fun part. I decided that instead of letting ink play a prominent role in my creation, I would heat emboss. I dug deep into my drawer of embossing powders. Deep! I have so many embossing powders and many of them are more than 15 years old -- so underused! Take a look at the three powders I picked. They are from a company called BMuse. The company is still around but no longer makes these amazing colors of embossing powder. I have Copper, Aged Copper and Bronze. Here's a peek at what they look like, pre-emboss.

And, because you really shouldn't use Copic Markers with embossing powder (I hear that it damages the tip of your marker), I decided to reach for my Distress Markers and picked up these colors below. I never color directly onto my image when using Distress Markers. I scribble them onto a plastic palette or even a large acrylic block and then pick up the marker with either a blender pen or water brush. This time I used my Dove Blender pen. I love how this allows you to add color gradually and almost with a watercolor effect.

And here's a close up of how those embossing powders turned out! It's so hard to photograph the metallic sheen but they are really quite fun in real life. The Aged Copper has that bit of navy in it, which picks up on the navy in the base portion of my card. I love that blue tint, the distressed bronze and the copper. LOVE!

And here's a little better shot of the coloring! I love the almost dreamy wash on each petal. And, to be honest with you? I just scribbled on the color -- didn't really spend a ton of time on it! Isn't that the best?

And that, my friends, is it! Now it's your turn to take these colors and put our own spin on them! After you're done, don't forget to link up your creation below and let us all see your take on this color combo challenge!

But, guess what? This isn't the only active challenge right now over at Power Poppy! Today, Ms. Ally unveiled a brand new Power & Spark Challenge and it's a super fun one! Check it out! 

 

That's right, all you need to do is be inspired by a piece of fabric, a fabric look, and then, create using a bit of that inspiration! You can read Ally's details HERE! 

I happen to know some of the "Bloomies" are on standby, just waiting to share a bit of their creativity with YOU! So, stop on by to these lovelies if you will! 

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me! I love your visits! :-)

~Julie