More Days of Digis!

Hi all! I sure hope you've been checking in over that the Power Poppy Blog because there's been a ton of excitement brewing -- especially if you love Marcella's digital stamp sets! It's day four of the....

Today's offering is one that makes my heart skip a beat! I may be landlocked in Montana but I do love, love, love the beach. I love the sand in my feet, the sound of the waves and above all, just the way it makes me feel -- I know you know what I mean! So, it goes without saying that I absolutely adore this darling little vignette with shells, fern, plumeria and a handwritten note. Introducing Gifts From the Sea!

Doesn't your blood pressure lower just looking at this lovely little scene? I know mine does! Makes me want to "Seas the Day!" ;-)

On to my creation!

After I printed off the image, I reached for my Copic markers and just went to town. I wish I could share ALL the markers I used but honestly, I just grabbed on the go. There was a healthy mix of earthy shades with the rosy colors that I tried to bring out in some of the seashells. I grabbed some BV markers to color up the glass inkwell. I love Marcella's vignettes -- just such a joy to color up! 

And, here's a closeup!

I wasn't the only one that took this image for a spin. We have some of the Bloomies and Instant Gardners joining me today! And... I can't wait to see what they whipped up! 

Stacy

Barbara
Christine
Cheryl

And, my friends, tomorrow is the last day of the 5 Days of  Digis and it brings another fun illustration that can be colored up in an instant! So... be sure to tune into the Power Poppy Blog to see how this all wraps up! 

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

~Julie

Who wants a digital freebie???

Hi all! Are you ready for a super dooper fun surprise? Well, brace yourself! Power Poppy is kicking off 5 Days of Digis! And... it all starts TODAY!  This first release is one that literally everyone can enjoy! Why? Well, because it is FREE! Check it out, will you?

Kindness Is The Way is Power Poppy's first 100% FREE botanical themed digital download! Whether you've never worked with digital stamps before and want to give it a try -- risk-free -- or you are an experienced digital download aficionado in search of new flowers to color, this image is here for you! Marcella has prepared an allover pattern of Gerbera Daisies in black and no-line versions. Then you also get two versions of the background with the phrase "Kindness is the Way" superimposed, using lettering that you can color in. Lastly, a single Gerbera Daisy is included in case you want to just keep things sweet and simple.

On to my creation! While I absolutely love the words Marcy used to set inside the image, I wanted to free fly and just use the Gerbera Daisy background. I thought I would "scribble color" the background but then got caught up adding flicks of color here and splashes there. What I thought would be a quick color turned into more than an hour -- actually I have no idea how long it took because I was listening to an audio book and just got lost in time! So here goes!

I am not sure if you can tell but I tried to print off the digital background with just regular black ink. Well, my printer decided that I was out of ink and printed it kind of a sage green instead. So, instead of fret about it, I went with it! I colored the background behind the flowers with Copics and reached for G0000 and highlighted areas with BG70 and BG10. The flowers were colored with B60 and B63 for the petals and YG03, Y02, Y17 and accented with white gel pen and glitter glue. The sentiment was stamped in a light green ink and is from the Power Poppy clear set called Always Here. 

Here's a closeup! 

I know this isn't terribly realistic in the color scheme but it made me happy so.. there you have it! ;-)  I wasn't the only one to color up this little bundle of blossoms! Be sure to stop by these lovely ladies places too! 

Stacy

Christine

Barbara

Cheryl 

Since today is only day one of the 5 days of Digis -- what's coming up? Well, here's a little sneaky peek! The theme of this release is kindness, love, peace, curiosity, and meaning. Each of these images was created from the heart, with the intention of Marcella sharing parts of herself with.. ALL OF YOU, a little more than usual. We can't wait to unveil them to you in the hopes that each will bring a new kind of joy to you in your crafty endeavors! So, be sure to stay tuned to the Power Poppy blog for the latest! 

Until next time!

~Julie

Inspire Me!

Hello stamping friends!This month over on the Power Poppy Blog, yours truly had the chance to dream up the challenge for the latest Power & Spark Challenge! And.... I can't wait to see how you take it to the next explosive level! ;-)

Are you ready? Let's see what's in store!

HOW TO PLAY: Every Monday here on the Power Poppy blog we invite the best of the best creative minds to share a little bit of their creative process. The hope is that they will "inspire" and spark a crafty revolution! Each Inspire Me Monday feature offers either a coloring lesson, a technique or maybe even a fun little digital "how to!" You can find all of our Inspire Me Monday features HERE on this link. Once you scroll through all these fun and informative posts, to take on this challenge, all you need to do is pick one as your source of inspiration and give that coloring lesson, technique or tutorial a try! Just that simple!

On to my creation! Goodness, this was a tough one. I literally went through every Inspire Me Monday. Did you know we've had this feature on the blog since April of 2014? WOW! That's a lot of inspiration waiting in the wings! So, after going through and revisiting a ton of fun posts, I chose THIS post by Ally Cope -- Fun With Masks! I had just bought some masking sheets and wanted an "excuse" to rip them out of the package and give them a try! 

First up, here's a peek at one of Ally's cards so you get the gist of what I did when I followed in her creative footsteps! 

I loved just how fun and easy this technique looked! While Ally used some masking sheets made by another stamping company, I found these online a few weeks back and wanted to have them in my stash for masking digital stamps. I figured if I printed the digi on the paper and cut it out, I'd be able to do some of the cool ink background techniques that Amy Shulke takes on in some of her classes! (Click the link to see for yourself!)

I realized after I took the picture above, that you can't really see the label number -- it's 6465 and I bought it on Amazon HERE, just in case you were curious! ;-)

So, as you can see below I used Power Poppy's Abundant Petals Stamp Set and after I stamped all over my 4" by 5-1/4" piece of white cardstock, I used the Abundant Petals Coordinating Dies to cut out my masks! I like the fact that when you put the mask down, you can kind of still see the stamped image below so you know that you are in the right spot!

From there, I took two daubers and started creating my sponged background. As you can see, I used Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks. Now, please don't look too close at my sponging, I am not the greatest at sponging ink on backgrounds! But, I never stop trying! ;-) I will say I was impressed at how well my masks stayed put! 

From there, I lifted the masks, added a stitched scallop frame die and the sentiment that I embossed in white from the M-Powering Words stamp set.   

All in all, this was a super easy card to create and a fun technique that I am pretty sure I'll give a try again soon! Now it's YOUR TURN to take one of these Inspire Me Mondays for a spin! When you do, don't forget to link up your creation below! 

If you want to read up on the Official Rules.... just click HERE! 

Before you go, you can't leave without hitting up these links below and seeing what some of our fabulous members of the Bloom Brigade have to share! Get ready, as always, to be WOWED!


Christine Okken
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for popping by! I hope you all enjoy your weekends my sweet stamping friends!

~Julie

Its a Digital Blitz!

Can you just feel the buzz of excitement over at Power Poppy today? Well, listen... hear it? I knew you would! Today Marcella is taking the lid of a massive Digital Blitz! What does that mean? She's releasing TEN illustrations previously available exclusively as clear stamps as digital downloads to PRINT, COLOR, & CREATE! Each image will be in black, no-line, and include one sentiment. So exciting! While all of the digital images will be available with new sentiments, I decided to cue up the clear set versions just to show you a pop of color and what YOU can do instantly thanks to these amazing works of art being available as a digi!

So, let's share! I should point out the price on all of these digital images ranges from just 4 bucks to 6! What a creative infused bargain! 

Digi 1: Dahlia

Digi 2: Lady Slipper Orchid (if you want to see the details on the faux linen technique that I used for this card, just click HERE!)

Digi 3: Lilac & Lemons

Digi 4: Irresistable Peonies - while I am showing off the bouquet from Peony Muse, this digital bouquet will be already fashioned for you! Click the link to see for yourself! ;-)

Digi 5: Perfect Poppies 

Digi 6: There's a Parakeet in my Teacup

Digi 7 Bring Home Some Sunflowers

Digi 8: Tea Cake with Strawberries

And also, these fine images as well! 

Digi 9: Wildflower Mini

Digi 10: Farmer's Market Veggies 

Want to check out what the rest of the Bloomies and Instant Gardeners did with these illustrations? We have a Digital Blitz hop... just for you!

Jessie Banks
Stacy Morgan 
Julie Koerber

Cindy Lawrence

Allison Cope

Kathy Jones

Tosha Leyendekker

Elizabeth Zaffarano

Christine Okken

Barbara Walker

And, that's not all the fun that Power Poppy has in store! 

Check this out peeps!

Yes.... all stamps on sale with the exception of the brand new Creative and Curious collection. Here's another fun deal, you can use this code as many times as you wish between now and June 30th. the code is above: COLORINGCHALLENGE!

We, of course, have to say before the month is over, there will be at least one more fun deal that you'll want to stay tuned in to catch! We thank Kathy Racoosin from the 30 Day Coloring Challenge for kicking off this daily creative challenge to color just a little bit each day!

It's a wrap!

Hello folks! Yesterday, I was one leg on the 30 Day Coloring Challenge hop with the gals over at Power Poppy! If you click back to THIS post, you'll see that while I set aside an hour to color up a gorgeous image -- Power Poppy's Springtime Love Roundel digital stamp -- I didn't quite finish! One of the things I heard was... "Show us the finished product!" So, here goes! With a little Saturday downtime, a cup of coffee and some jazzy tunes to fuel my spirit, my colored up roundel is done!

I love the soft look that I was able to achieve with the no-line coloring and I love that Marcella is now offering no-line digis, which certainly takes the guesswork out of printing at the right grayscale!

Also, as I was coloring up this bouquet, I really struggled with trying to choose the right colors that would meld well together. As I was hopping through the link list, guess what Christine Okken was talking about? Using the right colors in a multi-flower bouquet! No joke! So, if you are like me and struggle, click HERE to check out her post and video on the topic!

And.... afterward, be sure to join so many crafters from far and wide for this!

Just click HERE to learn more about  thedailymarker.com's 30 Day Coloring Challenge! It's a fun way to disconnect for a while and if you link up your creations, there are some super fun prizes on the line!

And.... today is the last day for this little Power Poppy Special!

*** SPECIAL SALE ***

Burst of Kindness clear - $12.99 - save $5

 Spring Meadow Bouquet digital - $2.99 - save $3

Sale price ends Saturday, June 9.

And if you do get those fingers inky and color up some beauty -- don't forget to post your images on Instagram (use hashtag #thedailymarker30day in your post)!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Julie 

Time Lapse Coloring

Hello my happy stamping friends! If you hit up the Power Poppy Blog, then you know there's a 30 Day Coloring Challenge Fest going on with the Power Poppy crew! We decided to use this day to show you all how we decided to take the coloring challenge! While I have only played along with this challenge behind the scenes and not very well, I promised myself that I would give it a go at least a handful of times during the 30 days. You might say -- well you color several times a month, don't you? Yes. But it will be those times that I said, let's take a little coloring diversion today -- the times that I didn't intend to -- that I will count! ;-)

If you need a little help getting off the ground with this challenge, just click HERE to learn more about  thedailymarker.com's 30 Day Coloring Challenge! It's a fun way to disconnect for a while and if you link up your creations, there are some super fun prizes on the line!

For my creation, I decided to extend my time to one hour and see what happened. I printed off  Power Poppy's Springtime Love Roundel digital stamp (using the no-line version) and just started grabbing Copic markers left and right! And here's what my little image looked like throughout the hour!

As I was coloring, I was going for a super soft look that was light and airy and I *think* that is what I've got so far! The reason why I stopped was the fact that I was honestly stumped as to what color the rest of the flowers might be. I didn't want anything too bold. I didn't want to repeat a color but I wanted these last flowers to compliment what I already had. So... the dilemma! I'll figure it out!

Now, you might say, "You didn't finish!" That's right! And, that's the beauty of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge! You use what time you have. It might only be ten minutes a day. So, over the next day, I'll finish up this little springtime joy and maybe, just maybe, it will be made into a card someday. :-)

Before I move on, I wanted to share another little bunch of fun! Did you see this little promo Marcy is running to try to help kick off some colorful creativity? Check it out sweet peeps!

*** SPECIAL SALE ***

Burst of Kindness clear - $12.99 - save $5

 Spring Meadow Bouquet digital - $2.99 - save $3

Sale price ends Saturday, June 9.

And if you do get those fingers inky and color up some beauty -- don't forget to post your images on Instagram (use hashtag #thedailymarker30day in your post) or share a link with us here in the comments. We would love to see what you all create!

The Bloomies .... and some members of the Instant Garden .... are getting in on today's fun! So, be sure to hop on over and see what colorific creations these fine ladies have created... just for you!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Tosha Leyendekker
Barb Walker
Nancy Sheads
Elizabeth Zaffarano


And don't forget to check out Kathy Racoosin's thedailymarker.com. Every day, Ms. Kathy is sharing some color-infused fun, designed to spark inspiration and help you cultivate that creative side of yours!

Thanks for stopping by and spending a little bit of your day with me! Happy stamping! ;-)

~Julie 

Buzzing with Fun!

Hello happy stampers! I have some fun things to share with you all this Friday. First up, I have a peppy little card that was super simple to make AND I have news of a brand new Power Poppy challenge that could land you a shopping spree to the Power Poppy Shop!

So, let's get to the action, shall we? This month, Stacy Morgan is hosting the Power & Spark Challenge and she's challenging us to go "Round and Round!" How? Well, all you have to do is round those corners, use a rounded mat, or take your project the extreme and make your entire card round! Just that easy peeps!

For my creation, I decided to combine a couple challenges. I'm playing along in the Power & Spark Challenge and I'm using this week's Hues to Use too!  Click on the link to see the racy little color combo at the center of this week's challenge.

After the release of Power Poppy's Creative & Curious collection, I knew I wanted to take the Bee Kind Toile for a spin in a really traditional way. Google Toile Prints and you'll see so many monochromatic takes on this beautiful design element. So, with the black, grey and yellow color scheme in this week's "Hues" -- I had the perfect palette to work with. I started by stamping the floral elements all over my main matted panel in black ink. Afterward, I colored the flowers and leaves with Copic Markers, reaching for C00, C01, C03 and C05. I then die cut a double stitched circle and cut the outer stitch off. I matted it on a black die cut circle and then on the white piece, stamped one of the flowers from the set along one side to create a frame.

The beautiful thing about this stamp set is that it features mirror images so that I could take the mirror image and create the frame along the other side of my circle. When I got close to the top, I was stumped. I had a white space that wasn't big enough to stamp another flower. But, I didn't want that white space. So, I grabbed one of the little bees from the set! Ta Da! Here's a close up for you!

You can see I added some glitter glue to the leaves for a little extra razzle dazzle and some white gel pen to the centers of the flowers to help those little petals pop a bit more. Mat it up on a yellow piece of decorative paper to help that little buzzy bee command a little more attention, add a bow and a little bling and... done! And that, my friends, is it! to enter this little creation in Stacy's challenge, I used a double circle mat and created the circular frame as my "Round and Round" elements! So check out this month's challenge HERE and I really hope you play along! 

Before you go, you can't leave without hitting up these links below and seeing what some of our fabulous members of the Bloom Brigade have to share!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little bit of your day with me! I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend!

Julie 

Creative & Curious Collection - It's Release Day!

Howdy Ho Happy Stampers! It is the day you've all been waiting for! It's the day when all the stamps you've been lovin' on and drooling over are now for the taking in the Power Poppy Shop! YIPPPEEEE!!!!! We have two final sets and... some dies as well! Yes, dies are back into production at Power Poppy and we couldn't be more excited!

So, let's get to the action, shall we?

We have wonderful news! A baby set has been born at Power Poppy at last! With a theme of budding flowers and marveling at the miracle of life, we introduce three core images that welcome baby with sweetness and love. Introducing Precious Baby -- featuring a baby carriage overflowing with flowers and hearts to congratulate the growing family, a little sweet pea is ripe on the vine and ready to share warm + healthy returns with the new couple and lastly, a scene straight from a vintage nursery with retro lamb planter and wooden blocks makes for a card unlike any other!

When Marcy tried to dream up the ultimate DIY bouquet set, this set -- Abundant Petals -- is the set she imagined! One impossibly fluffy Peony, three incredible Ranunculus in various stages of unfurling. two French Tulips that are dying to dazzle a crowd! And then, the supporting players: three clusters of tiny daisies to tuck in and around, two berry-bedecked leafy stems for trailing down, and lastly, a Maidenhair fern frond to drizzle and dangle. This 6 x 8" set is going to be a go-to, the combinations are too many to mention!

Moving on to my creation!

With last weekend being Mother's Day, I reached for this set to make my own mama a card that popped off the page! I love the layering elements of this set and it was a perfect holiday for a DIY bouquet!

I stamped each of the flowers used, colored with Copics and then fussy cut to create my bouquet! The good news is, there are dies to coordinate with this set! I just didn't have the good sense to use them! (Yes, even I am shaking my head!) Also, what you can't see really is the lattice die cut that created an overlay over my opal glitter paper. That was the perfect backdrop and provided just the right bit of glitz! 

And, here's a close up!

As you can see, I did add just a wee bit of glitter glue to the center of my little daisies to add to the bling factor! Just a quick note! This isn't the only stamp set being released that has a coordinating die set! You can check out the entire collection and matching die sets HERE! 

And, if you are feeling lucky, there's still time to enter our giveaway that could land YOU and a FRIEND the entire collection! What?? Really?? Yaaaaassss! Really! Check it out!

And that, dear friends, is it! While that's all I have to share, this is definitely not the end of the inspiration and fun! 

And as we bid farewell to sneaky peek week, these ladies have a fanfare of awesomeness to show off today! So, pay them a visit, will you?

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

So glad you spent this week with us all! It was so fun creating this flurry of samples! Oh... I almost forgot! If you like this collection, Marcy has a special deal just for you! What a treat this is, right???

That's right, use the code IAMCURIOUS and you'll get 10% off the stamp and die collection! Thanks so much for spending some time with me and the rest of the Bloom Brigade this week! We loved your comments, your visits, and we could almost hear your squeals as we unveiled each new set!

We hope you love these sets as much as we do! 

~Julie

Creative and Curious Collection Day 3!

Howdy Ho Happy Stampers! Welcome to day three of one of the most marvelous clear stamp releases in Power Poppy's history! It's surely the largest! With 11 sets being released, you KNOW there is something for everyone in the mix. And, guess what? Did you know you could WIN this release? Yes, you heard me right. You could WIN IT my friends! Check it out!

What fun! Speaking of fun... it's time to unveil the next two sneaky peeks in this collection!

The epitome of Spring, captured in a heart -- that's what you'll find in Power Poppy's newest clear set Always Here.  You might recognize this one since it has been available in digital form as Heart Abloom. Now, all those clear stamp lovers have access to this heart-shaped bouquet that comes alive with a variety of Hellebores, Daffodils, Trout Lilies, and — wait, what? — Blueberries! Such a bounty of color you will be able to create with this set! Stylishly designed sentiments help express that you are always here for your friend or loved one.

Bee Kind Toile: A do-it-yourself toile kit, composed of vintage-inspired botanical snippets that, when stamped in a pattern or frame, highlight flowers' best friends: BEES! Showcase the bee skep, beehive cake, or a sentiment inside an undulating floral pattern. Create a repeat background the watercolored honeycomb design. Stamp tiny phrases inside the small vintage banner for a subtle but chic message. Bee Kind Toile can be combined with any of our other stamp sets to create backgrounds and frames that command a second look.

Moving on to my creation!

While this set is all about the toile, I decided to take pieces of this amazingly beautiful set and make it more about the bees! :-) There is a tiny honeycomb in this set that can be used to create a repeating background and I was dying to give that a try. I used Memento Cantaloupe ink and just went to town repeating this for my image backdrop. The little honey bundt cake was perfect for a birthday wish, so I stamped that, coloring it up with Copic Markers. I stamped the banner, added the little birthday wishes sentiment and cut it out, attaching it below my hive cake.

And here's a peek at the inside, a little more honeycomb, a fun sentiment for the birthday girl and... a bee! I love this set and know that the options are truly endless when you think of all the stamp combinations you can create with this set. 

And that, dear friends, is it! While that's all I have to share, this is definitely not the end of the inspiration and fun! 

Check out these ladies.... will you? It's time for a Bloom Brigade Parade standing at attention ready to show off more from this Creative and Curious Collection! 

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Now we know that this release has likely caused some jaws to drop and some involuntary swoons but, I kid you not, this release is far from over, we have five, yes five more sets to feature that are packed with empowering words, sweet sentiments, cute-as-a-button images, beautiful botanicals and... more! So, be sure to swing back by tomorrow to see what AWESOMENESS is on tap!

Until then,

~Julie