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!

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 

Hues En Masse!

Hello all and happiest of Fridays to you! I have some old to me but new to you creations to share today and.... I hope you enjoy!

So, for starters, with both creations I am picking up on the color cues from Power Poppy's Hues to Use! If you've never played along with this weekly color challenge, you're missing out! You can click HERE to check out the archives and then, below, I am going to share a couple color combos from recent weeks along with my creations!

First up.... CARD #1

This little number was the color combination from January 9th. Yes, that might have been a few weeks ago but.... guess what? The linky for our Hues to Use challenge is never-ending, which means you can scroll through the archives, pick a color trio that tickles your creative fancy and then, put it into play in your creation! I loved this color scheme above because I am a fan of plum. I love, love, love me some purple and this shade is especially rich. Now, I admit, I would never have put these three colors together on their own but in nature, it looks so beautiful! So, I gave it a try!

When I check out the hues, I often stare at the palette and say - "What stamp set would rock this color combo?" Sometimes, the choices are easy. Other times, not so much. For some reason, I kept coming back to Poppies. I am not sure if I have been craving a color-fest with this stamp set or if I really, deep down felt that stamp set was the perfect pick. Regardless, I inked it up and let it fly!

After stamping in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I grabbed my Copic Markers and these were the ones I picked! The reds were used on the poppies, the yellow plus YG03 and YG06 were used for the centers, the BV0000 and V01 were used to shade my flower and the greens took care of the leaves and stems!

After coloring up my image, the rest is just matting it up! I actually picked some Stampin' Up and My Mind's Eye scraps from my decorative paper stash and felt lucky that I had just the right purples, reds and yellows! I should also mention that the sentiment is also from the Poppies set.

Here's a little close up for y'all! You can see that I did go ahead and add some white gel pen accents to the center of my poppies.

And that, my friends, is it for the first card!

Next up..... CARD #2!

Will you look at those steely blue hues? If you missed this little shot on Marcella's Instagram,there is a super duper fun story behind this particular trio of colors that you see here....

She and her friend, Trenna, decided to make candy agates over the holiday season and this is one in progress! Once baked, THIS is how they turned out -- little color infused candy slices that could be edible or could be spray sealed to enjoy as ornaments for seasons to come! You can click HERE, HERE and HERE for more progress photos! Marcy decided to seal some to treasure down the road so she painted the edges but you can choose non-toxic edging that makes these little numbers as delicious as they are eye-catching!

I have to admit, when I sat down to create, this card was not what I anticipated or saw with my mind's eye, but, I do like it! I used all of the colors but did so in a very soft way. The navy is in the ink that was chosen when I printed out my Tree Peony digital stamp. And then used as well in my Copic markers that I picked to add a little color here and there. Here's a peek at the markers that I used. As you can see... not many!

After I colored up my Tree Peony, I did use the sentiment from the Peony Muse clear stamp set and using Versamark ink and silver detail embossing powder, I added the sentiment on a punched heart shape. Add a little silver cording and that's pretty much it for this card other than the double mat in silver and light blue papers! Actually, I forgot a step! I did lay down a stencil and using Summer Sky Memento Ink, I sponged on some ink through a Tim Holtz dotted stencil. I love the depth it added without being over the top!

Here's a closeup for you!

And that my friends is it! I am so glad you decided to stop in this week! I hope one of these color combos will inspire you to play along with me with Hues to Use! If you need a little more inspiraiton, there is a trio of designers who are ready to share more creative bits with you! 

Christine Okken

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

And..... I hope you have an amazingly creative weekend! I decided I need to bust out of my cabin fever a bit and try something new. What that is right now, I have no idea! LOL! But, I am feeling a bit adventurous! Any ideas for me??? hehe!  ;-) Hope you seize the weekend and I will see you back here soon! 

Until next week!
~Julie

A Pop of Pink!

Hello folks! Hope you had a wonderful week! It sure went fast for me, how about you? We were lucky here, we had gotten some snow and it truly felt like we were skipping or shortcutting fall for winter. Well, today was in the 50s so, I. Was. Happy! I like each and every season so, when another season tries to jump in line, I am not a fan! ;-)

So, my dear hearts, my creation for this week! Remember this little snippet that I shared with you last week?

Well, as promised, I am here to share my creation and show how this all played out! After coloring up my image, I knew that I wanted to keep my card on the simple side, just add a sentiment and maybe a little bling and call it good. So, that's what I did!

Instead of reaching for pink decorative paper, I decided to let the pink on my image shine by NOT leaning toward that shade in my layout. Instead, I added strips of blue and green and incorporated a little razzle-dazzle with the help of an iridescent-edged ribbon tied in a bow. In case you didn't recognize the image -- it's called Tree Peony -- by Power Poppy, of course. This little number is a digital stamp, which makes creating so fun. Simply download, print and color to your heart's content!

As I mentioned last week, these were the Copic Markers that I used to color this image up!

And if you didn't know, I was playing along in last week's Hues to Use! Check it out!

Here's a little close-up for you! I should point out that the sentiment I stamped on that image panel is from Power Poppy's clear stamp set called Burst of Kindness! I think it is perfect for those thank you cards that you just need waiting in the wings!

And that, my friends is it! Now it's time to check in with these fine ladies! 

It's time for the Bloom Brigade Parade! And, these amazing designers are all ready to show you what they've been working on this week! YAY!


Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

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

Fluttering Hues

Hello folks! It's Friday, which means it's time to show off a little Power Poppy goodness! I had some time to play and so, before I got rolling, I cued up the latest....

I love these figs Marcella photographed on one of her trips this summer to the Farmer's Market in her town of Webster Groves. So delightful in color and she swears they were just as delish! I must admit to a bit of a snafu. When I looked at these hues on my phone screen, they looked far more purple. So, please excuse the lack of plum and the more purple flair! When I took a photo and popped this into my blog post, I shrieked! How could I have been THAT off! Oh well, such is life, right?

I had printed off the Power Poppy digi Sunset Sway months ago and never took the time to color it up! That's just plain wrong, isn't it!  After printing, I reached into my trusty bag of Copic Markers and these are the colors I grabbed!

Because this is a little larger of an image, I wanted to make sure it took center stage on my creation. So, I left the layout rather simple -- pairing up a few different, yet coordinating kinds of decorative paper, adding the sentiment from Easy Breezy Coneflower, and then accenting with some natural twine and a greenish yellow button!

Here's a little closeup for you! You can see that I did accent parts of this image with some of my favorite white gel pen!

And that, my friends is it! I hope you take some time to play along with Hues to Use before next Tuesday hits and we unveil a brand new color scheme. Keep in mind, however, if you don't play along this week, you can always visit HERE and go through all of our Hues to Use archives to play along in weeks or even months past! It's a never-ending linky, which means there's no timeline to play! :-)

Speaking of playing, the fabulous Cindy Lawrence is hosting a brand new Power & Spark Challenge which kicked off TODAY over at the Power Poppy Blog HERE! But, before you go hopping, here's a little peek at the challenge!

I will let you click on the link above to read all about the challenge! Yes, I will just tease you like that! I hope you check it out -- there's a $50 shopping spree on the line! And if you're in the mood to hop, I know these fine ladies below would love to show off some of what they've worked on this week!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing a bit of your day with me! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

Krafty Christmas Coloring!

Hello all and happy Friday to you all! I have a fun little card to share that's actually showing off not one, but two Power Poppy Challenges going on as we speak! On top of it all, I actually have a Christmas card to sock away for when I need it later this year. I know! Say it isn't so!

So, let's get right into all this fun, shall we? Earlier this week, Kate Sanders ushered in this little color challenge for Hues to Use showing off a bit of late summer flair! You can check out the deets on this fun-filled party HERE! 

Earlier this month, Christine urged us all to partake in....

You can read all about this little challenge HERE! 

And so, my sweet stamping friends, I decided to tackle both with my creation for today!

I knew I wanted to use one of Power Poppy's brand new additions to the Instant Garden for this one! Who doesn't just love coloring up new images, so I printed off this baby -- Merriest Berries -- which offers up three different images with a few beautifully scripted sentiments to match! I printed it off on kraft card stock and then.... grabbed these!

 I honestly don't think I've touched my Prismacolor Pencils in an eternity. So, this was good to try my hand at a different medium for a change. When I started coloring, you can see my little mistletoe branches had quite the shade of mint going on there....

 The beauty of colored pencils, as many of you know, is the fact that layering color can be done with ease. This shade still peeks through but you can tone it down by reaching for greens that are more grassy or even olive as I did! See?

You can see that I also took some cool shades of Copic and added a bit of a shading underneath my image. I should say that I did this before I started my coloring. I've been told that because of the waxy nature of Prismacolor pencils, you do not want to touch your Copic marker nibs to this because it will likely get gummed up thanks (or no thanks) to the wax.

And this, my friends, is my finished card! I added some antiquey decorative papers, a half doily and some gilded twine and... ta da! Done!

Here's a close up for you! You can see that do add back in some definition, I did use a Copic Fine Liner over top. I know I just told you that I didn't want to touch my Copic Markers to this waxy surface but for the liner, I did. I risked it! ;-) I think the result was worth it, just to bring back some of that fine line....

And that's it from me today! Be sure to hop on over to see....

These ladies have some fine works of art on display and they'd love it if you hopped on over to pay them a visit!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me! I have some coloring projects on my desk... as we speak... so I know I'll be back soon to share with you all! :-)

Have a great weekend!

~Julie