Hello all and welcome to a giant dose of happy today on my blog! Why? Well, today is the very first day of the Power Poppy Sneak Peeks for our March Release. And, I have to say, we have so many surprises that you will be doing the happy dance before the week is over! ;-)

Today's stamp set is a literally a breath of spring! Check it out, will you please?

When Marcella put her ever-so-talented pen to paper to create the new set Natural Beauties, she envisioned a border of garden goodies -- think primroses, daffodils, cowslips, tulips along with other woodland flowers and foliage. Goodness, this one is a feast for the eyes and GUESS WHAT? This set also comes with coordinating dies that will soon be available for pre-order! Also, look for a special bundle price when you purchase both the stamp and die set together! Woot! Woot! 

On to my creation! First up, you can see another card using this new set HERE but for today's post, I thought I'd share a trio of little cards whipped up using these darling and dainty illustrations! I had bought some of those little bankers envelopes (coin envelopes #7) because I thought they would make up cute card sets! So here's the trio of cards I made up! 

Sweet and simple! Don't you absolutely love that Trillium with those darling little mushrooms? Sigh... just makes me happy it's so cute! I love that this set has fun little sentiments perfect for everyday cards. Senties like "Just a Note," "Hello Friend" and "Sending Happy Wishes!" So perfect! 

Here's a peek at the first card! 

 Second card for you!

And the third featuring a little bunch of Lily of the Valley!

And that, my friends, is it! You'll have to make the rounds to see how the rest of the Bloom Brigade put their own creative spin on this brand new set -- Natural Beauties!!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Power Poppy Blog -- see Marcella's inspiration for this set! 

Be sure to come back tomorrow for day two of the sneaky peeks when the Bloomies will showcase not one, but TWO new stamp sets that will soon hit the shelves at the Power Poppy Shop!


See you soon!

~Julie

Color YOUR World!

Hello Folks! Are you ready to grab your markers, your colored pencils or paints and color your world? 

Kathy Racoosin of The Daily Marker is unleashing a world of color on her blog and Instagram (@kathyrac) this month, and she wants all of us to join her in the fun!



The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge energizes us to color something every day — even if only for a few minutes. Whether your love markers or prefer paints, colored pencils or crayons, all media is welcome! CLICK HERE to find out where to share what you are coloring and join the encouraging community of happy colorists. You'll also find answers to questions you may have along the way, participate in contests and more! If you share your work on social media, don't forget the hashtag: #thedailymarker30day and if you use Power Poppy stamps or digis, add the hashtag #powerpoppy

On to my colorific creation! 

When Kathy announced that she would be kicking off her 30 Day Coloring Challenge in grand style, I knew I wanted to grab one of Power Poppy's soon-to-be released stamp sets -- just to tease you all a little bit! ;-) 

This stamp set -- called Natural Beauties -- is a part of Power Poppy's March Release, which will start being unveiled on March 10th! That stamp is actually designed as a repeating border, allowing you to stamp and keep on stamping this illustration in one beautiful row... to infinity and beyond! 

I stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and then grabbed close to every color of Copic marker that I own to doll this image up! I stamped it on an angle, just to give it a little extra interest and then added the sentiment from the set below, also on an angle! Add some paper piercing, a scalloped edge and some minimal, yet fun decorative papers and.... Voila! 

Here's a close-up! 

Guess what? You have a chance to win this set, along with 7 other never-before-seen clear stamp sets as well! How? With this.....

GET READY FOR A POWER POPPY GIVEAWAY!

To kick off the challenge, Power Poppy’s Marcella Hawley has a surprise of epic proportions! She’s giving away Power Poppy’s SOON-TO-BE-UNVEILED MARCH CLEAR STAMP SET RELEASE! That means EIGHT of the freshest, most fun Power Poppy designs to hit the market yet. It's a $144 value! Plus you can enter a friend to win.

Read all the details here!

Winners will be announced on the Power Poppy Blog/Instagram/Facebook on Sunday, March 12th, and also over on thedailymarker.com.

THERE'S ALSO A SUPER SPECIAL DEAL THIS ENTIRE MONTH AS WELL! 

Power Poppy is offering 25% off all digital stamps for folks all month long to tie in with the Daily Marker's 30 Day Coloring Challenge! Just enter the code COLORMEHAPPY at checkout! This is good on digis only to help you enjoy this beautifully colorful month!

Some of my fellow Bloomies are joining in the fun today, so be sure to pay them a visit.....


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


AND THEN -- pop back over to the Power Poppy Blog for the full link list of today's huge 30 Day Coloring Challenge Hop! Kathy Racoosin assembled a HUGE hop to give your creativity a jump start with some of her favorite stamp companies and Online Card Class Partners -- you won't want to miss out!

Thanks for stopping by -- remember to mark your calendar for Power Poppy's HUGE MARCH RELEASE, which will kick off March 10th! 

See you back here soon!

~Julie

Come On SPRING!

Hello, and happy Friday to you all! I don't want to sound like a whiner today but... who's going to join me and say that they are tired of winter??? I am so tired that I decided I needed to infuse a little spring into my creation today! And.... I wanted to try a "new to me" technique along the way!

So, on to my creation!

I pray that you can't tell, but the main image on my card literally took minutes to create -- mostly because it is one that is a little on the simple side when it comes to coloring but I just had to give this technique a whirl! I used the wreath from the Power Poppy set Bloomin' Wonderful. Here's all it took -- my super cheapo markers from Hobby Lobby, a larger size acrylic block, and a Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush.  

I didn't realize that you can use the Wink of Stella brush just as you do a water brush! I scribbled the colors of marker onto my block and then picked the color up with the brush to paint my image and I gotta tell you --- it worked like a charm! 

Here's a close up of the finished image -- only from an angle where you can see all the glitter! I love how you look at the image straight on and can't really see all the sparkle until you move it in the light. 

And that, my friends, is it! An easy peasy card that ushers in a feeling of SPRING! Now it's time to turn things over to my lovely stamping sisters -- the Bloomies -- to see what wonderous things they've whipped up for your viewing pleasure this week!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >> you are here!
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you all back here real soon!
~Julie

Look Mom .... No Lines!

Goodness people, it feels like a ba-zillion years since I've posted here! Life has been a bit crazy in my world and my time to create has been nill! That's why I am so happy to be with you today! YAY! And, I have a first on my blog here. Never before in my history of card making have I tried the 'No Line Coloring' technique. 

This is why I gave it a try....

I did so because Ms. Cindy Lawrence made this fabulously artsy technique the focus for her Power Poppy Power & Spark Challenge this month! You can read up on the challenge and read up on some tips she offered on how to be a success at this style by clicking HERE!

I have to admit, I was nervous! I went in knowing, however (as Cindy pointed out) that there would be an ugly duckling phase of my coloring. Thank goodness she shared that this fact because there were a few times that I nearly ripped up my colored creation and threw it in the 'circular file'! But, I stuck with it and this was the result below! I did use quite a few Copic markers to color up this little bouquet from the Winter Pick-Me-Up digital stamp set by Power Poppy! Here goes! Background: BG0000, BG000, BG11; Greenery: YG00, YG21, YG03, YG17; Woody Stems: E31, E33, E57; Pussy Willows: W00, E41, E84; Crocus: B60, B63, B66, Y35 and Y38 (with white gel pen for highlights on stamens); Snowdrops: C00, YG00, YG13.

I should point out that before I even started coloring, I did have to open this file in Photoshop Elements and make the lines of the image super light. I changed it to a super light celery green. I should have take a photo to show you all, but forgot! If you ever need help on changing the color of the lines of a digital stamp, Power Poppy has a tutorial just for you! Just click HERE to read all about it! 

After I was done coloring, I did die cut my image with a double stitched rectangle die and while the die was still on my image, I colored using BG0000 around the outside to create a kind of shaded edge and then blended with colorless blender. The sentiment was added thanks to Versamark and detail gold embossing powder (sentiment is from the set Nice Things to Say).The rest is just matting it up! I used some scraps, added some paper piercing and a gold button threaded with twine and... ta da! Done! 

Here's a close-up! (Don't look too close -- I still have a LOT to learn about this technique!!)

And that, my sweet stamping friends, is it! I hope you give this technique a whirl! I do think that if you did it regularly, it would really give you that extra edge when it comes to realistically shading images to bring out the best in your stamped art. So, for that, I am grateful that Cindy put us all up to this challenge!

Now it's time to turn things over to my stamping sisters -- the Bloomies -- to see what they've created for your viewing pleasure this week!


Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me! Hope to see you all back here soon! :-)

~Julie

A Post So Fast You'll Freak!

Hello folks and Happy Friday! I will be honest, this little blog post is going to be a quick splash of inspiration to get your weekend GOING! Why? Well, in a matter of hours yours truly and the Chief Creative Peep of Power Poppy, Marcella Hawley herself, will be on a plane bound for Creativation 2017, formerly known as CHA! This is going to be a super special treat for me because in the nearly 10 years Marcy and I have "worked" together, we have never met in person. Never. Not. Even. Once. We have a LOT of catching up to do, don't you think? ;-)

My creation today is actually a "Hey did you see this one?" kind of post! Last Monday over on the Power Poppy blog, it was my turn to host Inspire Me Monday and so I showcased some flat-as-can-be creations that are perfect for mailing, which also -- by design -- put your sentiments in the spotlight!

Here's a peek at what I did!

And here's the link to see how I did it HERE!

Like I said folks, short and sweet post for you! I still have to pack! EEK! So, now it's time to 1. remind you to play along in Power Poppy's Power & Spark Winter Blooms Challenge! You can read all about it HERE. And, 2. share the linky so that you can "Oooo" and "Ahhh" over my fellow Bloom Brigade's latest Power Poppy Creations!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker 

Thanks for stopping by and as the kids used to say.... "See Ya on the Flip Side!"

~Julie

Winter Blooms

Hello all! Hope your week is ending on a creative high note! I am not sure about you but my neck of the woods could use a warm up! That's why it was fun to take some time this week to snuggle in, grab a cuppa joe and just take some time to color and create!

Here's a little peek at what I whipped up!

And here's why I decided to color up the flower that I did! 

Just in case you missed it, you can click HERE to find out all about this month's Power & Spark Winter Blooms Challenge hosted by the lovely and talented Stacy Morgan! 

On to my creation! I started by stamping bits and pieces from the Power Poppy clear stamp set Glistening Paperwhites. If you look at the set, you can see there are buds and branches and single flowers just waiting to be stacked, cut and colored up! 

And so.... that's what I did! I stamped the pine and berry branch first, then strategically stamped the buds and then on scrap pieces, stamped the flower and the buds and leaves again, knowing I would cut out just the leaves and just the flower to create some dimension. After the images were stamped, I colored them up using some watercolor markers (You can click the link to see which markers I used). It's funny, these markers were ones that I bought at Hobby Lobby with a coupon for $7. I wanted to give them a try! And, they did okay. I love the fact that they have a medium size tip and fine tip. The fine tip came in handy more than a few times for many different projects! To color this image, I had to scribble the color onto a palette and then put it on my image with a Dove Blender Pen. But, I enjoyed using a different medium! After my image was colored, I cut and then added a little bit of razzle dazzle to the center of the flower and the berries with glitter glue! 

Here's a close up for you! 

The rest is just matting it all up! The sentiment is from the Play Ball stamp set. I loved the scripted "Thanks" and wonder why I haven't used it more often! The paper is a mix of Echo Park patterned paper pads that I've stashed away over the years. And that, my friends, is it! This one is going in the mail pronto because I am WAY behind on my post-Christmas Thank Yous!!

As your making your creative rounds, don't forget to pay these fine ladies a visit and see what crafty little things they've been up to this week!


Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber>>> you are here!
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you all back here real soon!

~Julie

Birthday Tulips for a Friend!

Hello all and happy Friday! Happy 2017 too! I pray this year brings nothing but happiness and "sunshine!"  Speaking of sunshine, it's one of my New Year's resolutions to make cards that I actually send. I started a birthday calendar and hope to actually stop my day to send off cards here and there to brighten someone else's day! 

This card below went to a friend who is just one of the best. Our kids are friends and play sports together. What's funny is she didn't have a clue I was a card maker. So, I surprised her with a handmade birthday card! 

I started by printing off the Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher by Power Poppy onto white card stock and then picked up my Copic Markers. I used YR04, R14, R00, YR07, YG00, YG03, YG06, E40, W00, E81, BV000, BV0000 and BG0000. I think that was all. I really need to photograph the markers used like some of those other savvy stampers! 

Here's a closeup below! You can see that I used a double-stitched rectangle die. While the die was still on, I used a wee bit of Broken China Distress Ink and sponged around the edges. I created the bottom beige portion by using the same die and then cutting off a portion of the piece. On that, I used some beige ink and the tulip stamp from the Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips. I also printed the sentiment from this digital stamp set, created a sentiment flag and laid that over the seam of the two papers. And... ta da! 

And that, my friends, is it! I do have a little fun tidbit to share! Being that it is a new month, there's a brand spanking new Power & Spark Challenge on the Power Poppy Blog for you to try your hand at! 

The WINTER BLOOMS challenge comes with a 100% smile guarantee because our hostess with the mostess Stacy Morgan wants to see your creations in full bloom! Here's what she had to say about this month's quest for colorful creativity! 

"When winter comes, many of us long to say goodbye to the chill and say hello to those cheerful and fresh spring flowers! Did you know there are lots of blooms that sprout at the end of winter? How about camellias, crocus, paperwhites, holly, snowdrops, or poinsettias? Let's see how you can bring these pretty little petals and glorious greens to life and enjoy this last bit of winter as well!"

Thanks Stacy! Now, if you are a little stumped on what qualifies as a winter bloom -- Marcella has taken the guesswork out of it for you and created a link to all the stamps in the Power Poppy Shop that would work beautifully for this challenge! Just  CLICK ON OVER HERE to see all the beauty that awaits!

Moving on... I happen to know that some of my fellow Bloomies are on standby, ready to show you some of the fabulous things they've worked on this week. So.... stop by, say "Hi!" and prepare to be amazed! ;-)

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for stopping by my little place on the blogosphere! I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead and I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

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

Hey there Chickies!

Hello all and happy Friday! I don't know if you "tuned in" last Friday but if you missed it, you can click HERE if you want to catch up! I decided to color up Power Poppy's Chickadee in Barberry for Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Color Challenge. I didn't make a card, but promised to show the card once I actually put it together and so....... here it is!

Because this image is on the large side, I decided to keep my layout rather simple and just dressed it up with some decorative kraft and red papers. I added a half oval that was die cut thanks to a double stitched oval die and the sentiment was from the Power Poppy Poppies stamp set. I thought it worked since birds can "pop in" can't they? ;-) I added a little twine and a wooden button and... ta da! Done! 

Here's a close up of the little guy!

You can click HERE if you want to see what markers I used to color up this cute image! Sorry to be so short and sweet today! I happen to know there's more out there in blogland for you to see since my stampin' sisters -- the Bloomies -- have been in their craft rooms this week and are ready to share! Stop on by and see......

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

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

~Julie 

Happy Friday!

Hello all! Boy, do I have a short and sweet post for you today! It's been one of those weeks that I really didn't have a ton of time to stamp and so, instead of sacrificing crafty time, I colored! And, I had a good excuse!

If you haven't heard or played along with Kathy Racoosin's 30-Day Coloring Challenge over at The Daily Marker, you're missing out! It's her "schtick" that all it takes is 10 minutes each day if that is all you have! So, I took her up on the challenge and colored up an image that I had been longing to color since it was released -- CHICKADEE IN BARBERRY -- by, of course, Power Poppy. 

And here's how it turned out!

I do love that little guy, don't you? I colored him up using these colors below (sorry for the not so great photo!) and shading with the BV markers shown. You can also "kind of" see that I added glitter to the snow as well as streaks of white gel pen to accent the birdie's feathers. 

I have to say that the reason why I haven't had a ton of time to craft is because of this.....

Right now, we're building this place. Take a peek at our basement! I could move in right now, don't you think? Well, long story short, we are living in my MOM'S basement as our new abode comes into being. So, living out of boxes doesn't really lend itself to crafty endeavors. Thank goodness my mom crafts too and she carved out some space for me in her craft room. Pretty sweet of her, huh? I think so!

Okay, that's enough of my jabber. Hope you take some time to color and join in Kathy's 30-day Challenge. Coloring-- it is good for the soul, don't you know? 

Have a fabulous weekend and I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

A Little Friday FUN!

Goodness, gracious! Doesn't it seem weird to be talking about when you're going to carve pumpkins one minute and then, sharing a card you've already got in the bag for Christmas? Well, I think it is! But, that's exactly why I am here today!

While Power Poppy popped the lid off its 2016 Happiest Holiday Collection, I did have a card I made for release, and can you believe it, forgot to share! Fully Stocked is one set that has a mix of whimsical, elegant and earthy all packed into one stamp set. I love that! So, here's my take on the stocked stuffed for those who are young and... young at heart!

I just love this little teddy bear popping out the top! I had a blast coloring this image up and then fussy cutting it so that it took center stage on a holiday-themed piece of background paper. I used Copics, of course, and reached for nearly every family of green and red that I had! After I was done coloring, I added some sparkle thanks to a Spica glitter pen and some accents thanks to a white paint pen. You can't see the glitter, but trust me, it's there! 

Here's a close up view for you!

From there, I just matted it all up, added some grosgrain ribbon and gold cording and then stamped the little cluster of buttons from the stamp set on strips of kraft cardstock to create my own kind of decorative paper. It's all ready to be stuffed in an envelope and mailed to someone across the way!

Want to check out what some of my fellow Bloomies whipped up this week... just for you? Well, head on over and see these fine ladies, will you?

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


Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a snippet of your day with me! I so appreciate and enjoy it! I'll be back Monday with a little teaser of a holiday gift giving idea that you can literally make in minutes!

See you back here then!
~Julie