Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice!

Hello sweet peeps! Okay, raise your hand if you can't wait until fall when Pumpkin Spice Season starts!! Yes, I know I raised my hand before I even finished asking the question. The only thing better than a pumpkin spice latte would be a calorie-free pumpkin spice latte. Can't they please invent that? Pretty please? 

Since the season is here, why not add a little bit of fall flavor to our card making? I say YES! Let's do it! That brings us to this week's Creative Confetti Challenge that I hosted earlier this week over on the Power Poppy blog! Check it out! 

Want to know more on how to play along? Simply click HERE! I also have some suggestions there on some "spicy" sets you can ink up to play along with us! ;-) I'm not sure you won't have visions of pumpkin spice swirling in your heads (or a mug) before this challenge is over!

Want to see my take on this tasty challenge?

When I dreamt up this challenge, I knew I had to use Power Poppy's brand new stamp set, Fortunes of Fall! I just love the vignettes in this set and the pumpkin trio was pretty much perfect for a Pumpkin Spice Challenge! I started by stamping with Memento Rich Cocoa and then grabbed my Copic markers to color this image up. 

Here's a close up look at this colored up image....

To mat it all up, I reached for shades of olive, kraft (to bring out the nutmeg color) and orange (for my pumpkin) and ta da! It's a wrap! I added some twine, a button and some fun die cut accents and that, my friends, is it! Remember to use the link above to hop on over to the Power Poppy blog to read up on all the rules and FUN! Everyone who plays along gets their name thrown into the hat for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop!   Just capture the Pumpkin Spice "feels" and get those fingers inky! 

Want to see what one of my fellow Bloomies whipped up this week? Check out the fabulous....

Stacy Morgan

And don't forget to pop on over to the Power Poppy Blog for a dose of GOOD VIBES!

Until next time!

~Julie 

Friday Fun -- Power Poppy Style!

Hello folks! Hope you had a wonderful week! Even though the thermometer in my neck of the woods is acting a whole lot like winter, I decided to reach for a fall-inspired digital stamp from Power Poppy this week -- Apples in Season!  I can almost smell the cider with this image! I have to tell you, living in Montana where the soil and climate aren't conducive to apple orchards, I miss those days in my home state of Michigan where you could visit the cider mill, have a warm cup and nibble on a freshly baked donut with it. Ahhh... nothing like that, especially if there was a bit of a nip in the air!

So, my dear hearts, my creation for this week!

I started by printing off the image by converting the stamp to a light brown tone so that the lines of the image weren't so prominent. I also flipped the image before I printed. How do you do that? Simple! I can show you in PhotoShop! 

You simply click on Image, Rotate and then it gives you a few options. If you click on Flip Horizontal -- it will flip the image so that it is facing the opposite direction. That's just what I did here! 

Before I move on to the card details, I should point out that I chose this color palette for my creation thanks to Power Poppy's color challenge - Hues to Use. The beauty of this little challenge is the fact that it is a never ending challenge! You can go back since the beginning, and still add your linky! This challenge was from October 10th! 

So, with the palette taken care of, I used Copics to color up this image and used almost every red in my Copic arsenal - R20, R24, R27. R29, R01 to blend, YG03, UG06, YG17, G20, RV00, RV02, R81 and R83. Oh, I almost forgot! Before I colored up this image, I followed Nancy's tutorial HERE on how to use your Silhouette Cameo with digital images. That tutorial is BRILLIANT! I had no idea you could use this cutting machine with digital files, but she showed us all how! 

Here's a little close up for you! Sorry, it is a wee bit blurry... not sure what was going on. Maybe I wasn't wearing my glasses when I snapped this shot! LOL! 

The rest is just matting it all up! I added some die cut circles, stamped the green one with THIS sentiment from the Power Poppy Everything's Even Rosier clear set. Added a half doily in a kraft shade and accented with an antique gingham ribbon. And that, my friends is it!

Because I was on a little Hues to Use kick, I also colored up this image below from the digital stamp set Tree Peony, also from Power Poppy using this week's Hues to Use HERE!   While I didn't have time to craft a second card, I thought it would be fun to show it in progress! I am going to whip this one up and play along with Cindy's Power & Spark Portion Control Challenge! 

Here's the color palette for this week -- such rich shades of coral! Click HERE to see the challenge details! 

And here's the Copic colors that I used! 

Look for the full creation for my post next Friday! ;-) In the meantime, I know there's more creativity floating around in blogland thanks to the Bloomies!

Be sure to pay these fine designers and even finer human beings a visit!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you all back here real soon! Have a wonderful (and warm) weekend!
~Julie

A Weekend of Creative Fun!

Hello peeps and happy Friday!  There's a flurry of Power Poppy activity to share with you all and guess what? It. Is. ALL. FUN! 

First off.... did you see the Instant Gardeners strut their creative stuff yesterday with Power Poppy's brand new digital stamp set - Black-Eyed Susan? If not, you can take a step back and check it out HERE! This little dose of fall-themed sunshine is ready and waiting to buy up, download, print and color! And if you missed THIS news, there are two new digital freebies for you to grab up too! Just click the linky to learn more!

That leads me to the second big bit of news! Power Poppy is having a first-of-its-kind bundle sale that lets you decide if you want to save a little or a LOT!

Between now and Monday at midnight CST, some of Power Poppy's most beloved digital stamp sets are going on a FAB 5 SALE  and are therefore, super ripe for the pickin'! Check out these lovelies above that you can steal buy for just $4 apiece! If you want to save even more, you can pick up all five of these sets for just $15! Woot woot! I hate to enable you my sweet stamping friends, but this sale is a doozy!

One you've picked up one of these fine fall-themed illustrations, then you can hop over to our good buddies at Passionate Paper Creations and Friends for this....

To get in the running for this festive affair all you need to do is color up (you don't even need to make a full-fledged card) Cuppa Buttercups, Apples in Season, Pure Prairie Bouquet, Sunshine of My Life or our newest - Black Eyed Susan and link it up on the Power Poppy post over HERE on the Passionate Paper Creations and Friends Facebook page. If you play along, you could be picked the winner of our random drawing for a $20 gift card to the Power Poppy Shop. So grab those colored pencils, watercolors or markers and get ready for a little colorfest this weekend! ;-)

In light of Power Poppy's little contest, I decided to print off and doll up the new digital stamp Black-Eyed Susan! Check it out!

I printed it in a dark sepia tone and then went on to color it in nearly every shade of yellow Copic marker that I had -- Y02, Y06, Y35, Y38 -- just to name a few and then the leaves were colored with YG03, YG13, YG00 and a bit of G20 to soften the glow a bit. After it was all colored a used my warm grey tones to shade around it and give it a kind of antiqued feel. Add a few dots from the white paint pen, some paper piercing, a paper pierced sentiment (also from the digital stamp set) and mat it all up! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! 

Now it's the Bloomies' turn to "grab the mic" and sing you into the next scene! We've got pretty much the whole team here so let yourself "roll" through this link list and see what they've been up to!


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


Thanks for stopping by! I hope you stop by the Power Poppy Blog tomorrow to see what Marcy has up her creative sleeve and don't forget about playing along in the Coloring Contest HERE. I just know that I will love looking at all the entries!

See you back here real soon!
~Julie

Sneaks Day 4: Olive & Oak Extended!

Hello all and happy Friday! I hope you are having a wonderful week and are looking forward to a restful weekend ahead! It's been so nice in my neck of the woods and for once, it seems like we are truly experiencing... FALL! In seasons' past, we've had early snow and that just makes the leaves fall instead of change colors. This year is different and we are being surrounded by shades of rust and gold! So, we feel blessed this year!

And, speaking of blessings, today with the fourth day of the Power Poppy sneak peeks, we have a set that once was just a digital stamp set and now it's getting a new life in polymer!

This set -- Olive & Oak Expanded -- is full of rich, natural beauty! After releasing this image above in digital form, Marcella had so many requests for it to be in polymer, she thought, why make folks wait until next year? This set offers clusters of greenery and sentiments that work not just for fall but Thanksgiving as well! The Bible verse in this set is one of my all time favorites so I had to use it on my creation for today.

On to my card!

I kept the design rather simple, letting the mix of patterns work their magic. I let the sentiment be the focal point and then adorned the die cut and sponged panel with the cluster of leaves and acorns in this set. I colored the image up with Copics and used E23, E25, E27, E33, E55, E81, Y17, Y21, Y32, YR27, E08, and E97. After I was done coloring, I did accent the clusters with a bit of white gel pen. Fussy cut around your colored image, pop it up and.... voila! See?

And that, my friends, is it! You'll have to stop by to see my fellow bloomie Christine Okken to get a glimpse of what she whipped up with this set and then, hop on over to Marcella's place on the Power Poppy Blog to see not only the inspiration behind this set but some of her favorite creations using it!

Tomorrow brings the final sneaky peek and then -- we let loose and have a Bloom Brigade Parade on Sunday with all of the stamp sets available in the Power Poppy Shop! Can't wait!!!

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

Time to Grab a Cup!

November brings crisp, cool days that might find you heading into your favorite coffee shop to grab a cup of warmth, and dwell in that inviting aroma that only a cozy cafe can bring.

    

This month the Flourishes Design Team is inviting you to “Grab A Cup” with us and be inspired by this fantastic photo above as you create something equally warm and inviting!!

Next week, we’ll be bringing you our November edition of new Flourishes Stamps, and we can’t wait! They’re absolutely fabulous! Because we know you want a chance to win these great sets, “Grab A Cup” and be inspired by this great cup of coffee as you create. Play in the challenge and you could win our whole November Release!

On to my creation!

I have a confession to make! I created this card a few months ago and never shared it because it was a part of Flourishes' Class in  Box (which has been long ago sold out!) -- so when I saw the photo Christine picked for this challege, I thought -- I have just the card to share! 

I used Flourishes' Autumn Blessings stamp set on Flourishes Classic White paper. From there, I used all of the items in the kit -- the Autumn Harvest paper from Bazzill, the twine, the wooden buttons and the copper pearls. I stamped using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink and then colored the image up thanks to my Copic Markers! (See the list below for the color collections that I used!) The rest is just matting it up! Easy peasy! 

Here's a close up! 

And that, my friends, is it! You'll have to see what the other designers did with this challenge by hopping your way on over to see their creations! But first......


THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Simply create a card or project inspired by the photo above.
• Entries need to be in by Friday November 15 at 5 PM EST
• Those entries using Flourishes Stamps will be counted twice
• You must link your creation on our InLinkz Widgit to be counted
• You must have a link to our challenge in your blog post or gallery post
• Please DO NOT combine challenges from other sites or locations. Only those entries that don’t combine will be in the running. Because this challenge means winning new Flourishes sets we want to see your beautiful creations made specifically for this challenge.
• If you upload to SCS please use the keyword FLLCNOV13
• We’ll announce the winners on Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post here on the blog on Saturday November 16th, so check back then to find out if you are a winner!

Thanks for stopping by today and we look forward to seeing what you create! Enjoy the inspiration and creating!

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber -- you are here!
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

We’ll see you here on Wednesday November 13th when our delicious November Sneak Peeks start!

~Julie

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Hey pumpkin!

Hey Pumpkins! How is your week shaping up? Things here are good -- the leaves are starting to turn and fall here creating quite the pretty scene! Autumn has arrived! And with autumn, Torico over at Birdie Brown ushered in a darling freebie image to get you all ready for the change of seasons! You can see her new image and download it HERE. 

And... here's my take on it!

Before I forget, the challenge over at Birdie Brown is to print this off and use it on a creation and then... link up on her post HERE to be in the running for three free images. Fun stuff!

I started by printing the image on Flourishes Classic White and then... I grabbed my Copic markers and went to town. I had a blast coloring up this little guy --- who wouldn't? I mean, isn't he the cutest thing? (See the list below for the Copic colors that I used) After I colored him up, I did use some white gel pen to add some accents. Mat it all on some kraft card stock and some Echo Park Reflections Fall paper and you're almost done! I added a border thanks to a Martha Stewart punch and then I added a wooden button and some fun jute twine. Ta da! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Here's a close up!

And that, my friends, is it! If you have never colored up digi stamps before, you really should travel over to Birdie Brown and see all that Torico has on her blog and in her Etsy shop -- too cute for words! I am a fan (as you can see by all my recent Birdie Brown cards). Sadly, she is going to be closing up shop at the end of November. I am so sad! So, I know I will be stocking up on images before it is too late. Check out what she's got to offer -- it's all good stuff!

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

~Julie

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