Creative Redo!

Hi all and Happy Friday! Hope your week is ending well and that you have some fun plans ahead for your weekend! I am going to be out under the summer sun taking in my daughter playing softball -- fun stuff! Wish her luck if you could! ;-)

Today and have a bit of a remix to share with you. I was going through some old cards that I keep in little baskets in my craft room and I came across two that really needed a redo. So, instead of just letting these two fall by the wayside or go unused, I decided to rip them apart and give them both facelifts! Want to see?

CARD #1: I loved the colors and I actually liked the layout as well. But, what I struggled with was the fact that this card was way too big for any of the envelopes I had on hand. Why I created a 6" by 6" car is beyond me! So, it was time to rip this baby apart.

BEFORE

AFTER
For the finished card, I focused more on simplicity. I have to admit, I did look for the patterned papers that I used on the original creation but they were long gone. I did love them all! I chose instead to go for a mostly white look with a wee bit of embossing. The good news? This card is an A2, which means I have a TON of envelopes that I can slip this card inside!

As you can see, I kept the little tag, the twine and button! If you want to see my original post for this colored up trio of Gerbera Daisies, you can check it out HERE. This image is a digital stamp set from Power Poppy.

CARD #2
Moving on to my second remixed card! As you can see, this is the front featuring the window and button enclosures...

which opened up to this.....

Sure, it's a fun fold but it didn't have a ton of writing space on the inside and the buttons made it a bit too bulky to mail. So, I went back to the drawing board and made something a little more on the simple side!

AFTER

As you can see below, I managed to salvage some of the decorative paper and added a wee bit of light blue to pick up on the stippled backdrop for my Gerbera Daisies.....

I also added one of the buttons back, a wee bit of white crochet lace and rounded a couple of the corners just for a little something extra! The sentiment, "A Cheery Hello" is from Power Poppy's Potted Primroses stamp set.  Much more mail-ready! I should mention, if you want to see the Copic colors I used, feel free to visit my original post HERE.

So maybe you have some cards that need a little facelift for one reason or another? Don't throw them in the circular file -- give them new life with a new twist or a new layout!

Before I go, have you seen Power Poppy's latest Power & Spark Challenge hosted by the lovely Leslie Miller?

Simply grab at least three decorative papers and put them into play on your card or creation! Couldn't get more easy peasy than that! If you want to read up on all the official rules, simply click on over to our CHALLENGE POST HERE . That's also the place where you will link up your extra special creation once you've whipped it up! You have plenty of time to enter -- the contest is open through July 31st and guess what? If you play along, you get a shot at winning one of the Power Poppy stamp sets that you've been dreaming about!

Now, onto my sisters in stamping -- the beloved BLOOMIES! A few of them checked in and have some of their handiwork to share. So, stop on by, say hi, and hopefully be inspired when you hit your own stamping spaces soon!

Kathy Jones

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit of your day with me! I can’t wait to see you Hang Some Paper in your upcoming creations! Get those fingers inky and get in on all the fun! See you back here soon!

~Julie

Just Abuzzzzzzz With Colorful Fun!

Hello all and happy day after the Fourth of July! Hope you had a star studded celebration with family and friends! I know I did! ;-)

Today brings a different kind of celebration -- an explosion of color and fun! It's one that kick starts a brand new offering from the ever-so-fabulous Power Poppy! Today marks the start to the Digis on the 5s releases! What does that mean? Well, it means more digital stamps, more flowers, more fun, more offerings in Power Poppy's Instant Garden! Now, on the 5th, 15th and 25th, you'll be able to look for a brand new or remixed illustration from the fabulously artistic Marcella Hawley!

So... let's get to that first release, shall we?




Asters Abuzz is available RIGHT NOW to purchase, download, print and color up with reckless abandon!

And, that's just what I did! On to my creation! 

After printing my image, I grabbed, of course, my Copic Markers! I have a lot going on color wise but these are the markers I picked up: V01, V04, V0000, G20, G40, G43, C01, C03, BG0000, Y15, Y17, and Y35. When I was done, I did add a wee bit of white paint pen to the clover to bring out the lighter tones on the leaf. See? Oh, yeah. Don't forget the glitter glue! You know I need a 12-step program to NOT put bling or sparkle on my cards! I'm sorry but the sparklies just make me happy! ;-) You can see I added some bling on the little die cut heart as well! 

And that, my friends is it! I will mention that all die cuts (even the fancy borders) are from Spellbinders and I had fun layering all those up with decorative paper! The paper is a mix from my decorative paper stash (Echo Park mostly).

Now it's time to buzz on over to my fellow Bloomies and Instant Gardeners to see what they whipped up using this brand new digi!


Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Julie Koerber >>>>> you are here!
Cindy Lawrence
Cheryl Scrivens


Thanks so much for dropping by! Hope you have a marvelous rest of your weekend and I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

Hello Friday!

Hello everyone! Hope your week is ending on the highest of high notes! I have a little bit of fun to share today. It's the first Friday of the month, which means that Power Poppy is ushering in a brand new Power and Spark Challenge -- a challenge that delivers design power with a creative spark.

So, what's this challenge all about? The talented Leslie Miller is hoping you'll dig through your stacks of decorative paper to.....

HOW TO PLAY: This one is all about patterns folks! In the words of the lovely Mrs. Leslie Miller........

"Many of us have more designer paper than we know what to do with, so this month let's "Hang some paper"! I'd like to see you get creative and use at least three patterns or colors of designer paper on your card or project. Mix it up! Plaids, dots, flowers, stripes, you name it. It could be as simple as a trio of flags in different patterns, or all mixed up in your favorite sketch. Just remember -- think three! Enjoy!"

If you'd like to take a peek at the Official Rules, just click on over HERE!

On to my creation! 

I don't know about you, but there are times when I just love to curl up on the couch at night, grab my little lap desk, my Copic markers and a few pre-stamped images And. Just. COLOR! ;-) These little flip flops (from the stamp set Best Day Ever!)  were the fruits of one of my late night color fests! What's AWESOME is the fact that I colored these flower studded sandals and found some paper to match after the fact. That never works! And, I found not one, not two, but three patterns to boot! 

Here's what I dug out of my paper stacks!  

And from there, I cut a couple strips of decorative paper, added a main decorative paper mat, threw in some fun aqua and white twine and a orange button for good measure too! The sentiment, also from the set, was stamped on a sliver of white paper that I notched out the end of with a little fish-tail cut. When it comes to colors, I used RV00, RV02, YR01, YR04, BG00, BG11, RV55, Y15, Y19, Y35, V01, V04 and then a little C01, C03 to shade the little flippy flops. Oh, I did also add a wee bit of sparkle thanks to some glitter glue as well. See?

And that, my friends, is it! A fun little card to share your thanks with a friend in a summer loving, fun-filled way! Now you'll have to hop, skip and jump on over to see some of my fellow Bloomies to see what they've been up to this week!

Allison Cope
Julie Koerber >>>> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit of your day with me! I can't wait to see you Hang Some Paper! Get those fingers inky and don't forget to link up your card or creation over on the Power Poppy Blog HERE!

~Julie

Pencils... part deux!

Hi all and a very happy Friday to you! Just like every Friday here on the ole blog, I have a little Power Poppy fun to share! I am not sure if you saw, but last Monday HERE, Power Poppy released a brand new addition to the Instant Garden! This one can literally be created in an explosion of color too! What fun!

Welcome to.....

Isn't Garden Fireworks a floral feast for the eyes! We have Allium, flowering Catnip and, of course, the star of the show -- POPPIES!  What a bold summertime display, don't you think? I sure think so and I couldn't wait to color it all up!

So, let's get to my creation!

Since this is such a large image, I printed my image on white card stock and then planned to use my Nestabilities Labels Four and Grand Labels Four to create some fun layers. Because of the "Pencil Me In Challenge" going on over at Power Poppy, I decided to color these blooms up again with pencils! If you haven't heard about the challenge, just click HERE to learn all the fun-filled details! 

I used my Inktense pencils by Derwent and basically picked up three colors -- a periwinkle blue, a red and an olive green. I colored off color to get the variations and blended it all using a Dove Blender pen. When I was done, I used the Spellbinders die to cut out my main image and when the die was still on my image, I sponged Adirondack Peri Cool ink around the outside. Add some paper piercing and a wee bit of glitter glue and.... ta da! The rest is just matting up! I used a mix of Echo Park papers, a little white crochet lace and a white cotton ribbon bow to finish it all off!

Here's a close up! 

And that, my friends, is it! And now, it's that part of the post where I share the blog roll of some very talented "Bloomies!" Hop on over to see what they created using this brand spanking new digital stamp and imagine the possibilities in your own stamping spaces! 

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

Thanks folks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend ahead and I'll see y'all back here... real soon! ;-) Blessings!

~Julie

Pencil Me In Please!

Are you ready for a wee bit of fun this Friday? Well today, Power Poppy unveiled the next Power & Spark Challenge and I just couldn't wait to play along! Here's the challenge folks....

To play along, all you need to do is use colored pencils on your creation! How easy is that? With all the Copic coloring that I do, I thought this was a fun change up! If you want to learn more about this fun-filled challenge, all you have to do is CLICK HERE to the Power Poppy blog to learn all the official details!

On to my creation! I had to dust off -- quite literally -- my Derwent Inktense pencils for this one!

I started by stamping this beautiful image from the Poppies stamp set by Power Poppy using Versafine Black Onyx ink. Even though I didn't have to, I heat set the ink just in case. 

When I use these colored pencils, I always keep a scratch pad near by to color off the extra color on my Dove Blender pen. This is how it looks when I start.....

And this is what it looked like when I finished! I color the actual image by figuring out the shading first and then start to color over the lines, coloring off when I feel like I have too much color on the pen. For my shading, I actually scribble on the scratch pad and pick up the color, coloring off until I have just the right intensity. See?

And here's one more peek at the outside of the card with it's Echo Park Fine & Dandy patterned paper, silver cording, Stampin' Up punched sentiment (also from the set) and a splash of paper piercing and bling!

I also gave the inside of the card a wee pop of color too by stamping the other poppy image from the set using Memento's Love Letters ink.....

And that, my friends, is it! Now you'll have to hop, skip and jump over to see what the rest of the Bloomies have in store!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!

Katie Sims
Kathy Jones

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Mark your calendar for Monday! Why? Because over on the Power Poppy blog, the Instant Gardeners will help share the brand new addition to Power Poppy's Istant Garden! This image is one that will make your heart skip a beat! Think Floral Fireworks!

See you back here soon!

~Julie

Big Day is HERE!

It's the BIG DAY folks! All last week, we shared bits and pieces from Power Poppy's Cultivate Love Collection and today -- guess what? It's all LIVE in the Power Poppy Shop! Woo Hoo! And with the big day comes a Power Poppy Hop with all of the Bloom Brigade on board to show off one more look at this brand new release!

SO, LET'S GET TO IT! SHALL WE?

For my Power Poppy Hop card, I decided to go a bit earthy and pick up the brand new Sage Advice stamp set!

To start, I stamped my image in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then grabbed a whole mess of Copic markers to color up this sweet image. I used G20, G40, G43, YG61, YG63, YG00, BG00, BG01, BG05, C01, C03, V01, and V17. After I was done coloring it all up, I did use YR0000, and YR01 to shade around my image along with W01. I also grabbed my Copic Spica markers to add the color to the gingham check. Then..... I cut out using a Spellbinders Beaded Oval die and then sponged on some Peach Bellini Adirondack ink. The rest is just matting it up! I used a mix of BasicGrey papers and then added a wee bit of sparkle thanks to some sequins and silver cording! Just that easy! 

Here's a close up to show off the Copic Spica pens I used to color in the gingham pattern. You can "kind of" see the sparkle!

And that, my friends is it -- and earthy card that really shares a bit of summer's bounty! Speaking of bounty, you could use that word to describe the hop and all that our sweet Bloomies have to show off today! So, hop on over and see these lovelies! I know you won't be disappointed!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Thanks for joining us these past few days! Hope you have had as much fun as we have! ;-)

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaks Day 5: Best Day Ever!

Hello all and welcome to the grand finale of the sneaky peeks for the Power Poppy June Release!!! Tomorrow the sets will be LIVE in the Power Poppy Shop, so have fun hopping and checking out this last set! It's one that is all about seizing the essence of summer and soaking in all the fun possible!

Best Day Ever is a fun set that truly takes the spirit of summer for a serious ride! It's got three whimsical images with a mix of sentiments that is sure to keep you busy for months! 

Let get to my creation! 

When I first set eyes on this image, I laughed. Who doesn't love a great "beachy read" that you just can't put down? Oh my, that's how I spend my summers -- reading the page turner that everyone is talking about! I just knew that I had to color this image up first! I stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then, grabbed my Copic markers. I grabbed E31, E33, E55, B00, B23, B34, R81, R83, Y11, Y38 plus C01, and C03. You can see that I paper pieced the blanket/towel that is underneath the hat using Echo Park Fine & Dandy paper. In fact, all of the paper is from that paper pack! I cut around the image and just used a bunch of circle dies to set up the look of my card front. I wanted something fun with a care free feel!

Here's a close up folks!

Add in some paper piercing and some fun rhinestone embellished paper flowers and ta da! Done! I know that the other Bloomies are sure to have a fun spin on this set! So, you'll have to saunter on over to their places on the web to see what they have created!

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


Tomorrow we wrap up the release with one BIG OLE BLOG HOP with all of the team. We'll pick up our favorites from this release and give 'em one more show! And, guess what? All of the sets will be live in the store and ready for the picking! It's going to be a fun day!!

So, we'll see you all back here soon! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaks Day 4: Move the Soul!

Hi all -- it's DAY FOUR of the Power Poppy release here on the ole blog and today's set is sure to rev a few engines out there in blog land. Do you have a man in your life who rides on two wheels -- or heck -- better yet -- do you? Then Move the Soul is one "must have" set!!! Inspired by our Power Poppy Peep in Chief, a.k.a. Marcella Hawley's "moto love!" Even she lives life at full speed on her spunky red Yamaha! Oh my gosh, I love that girl's zest for life!

 On to my creation!

Since I had a blast with yesterday's card being influenced by the graphic Marcy created to intro the set, I decided, "Hey, why not try that again?"  So, here goes! A little black and green implosion here! I stamped my main image in Memento Tuxedo Black and then accented it with C01, C03,YG00, YG23 and YG05 Copic Markers by literally scribbling here and there! 

If you look at the close up below, you can also tell that I added a bit of sparkle with a Sakura Stardust Gel Pen. And see that splotch at the bottom corner of this close up below? Well, that little grunge effect is in the set as well! 

And so is this little number on the left of my image. It was hysterical -- when Marcy was in the middle of designing this set, I told her that it needed some of these grungy elements -- like a fun tire track. Wow, did she take me seriously because she literally took some muck and ran over a piece of paper with her tire, ultimately shrinking down the image to this fun border. This is Marcy's ACTUAL tire tread! HA! Love it!  I thought that accenting it with a few fun screw head brads would add pizzazz. 

And, here's the inside! LOVE this little sentiment and the fun stars, which are also in this set! 

I thought this card was fun because it stretched me a bit. I realize now that you can really add whimsy by coloring something up in a way that you normally wouldn't. I also learned that pairing lime green and gray is a super fun color scheme! 

Okay folks, kick start yourself on over to the rest of the Bloomies' blogs and see how they got in on the action with today's set! 

Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

FINAL DAY OF THE POWER POPPY SNEAKS IS...... TOMORROW! So, be sure to swing by and see what we have in store. Tomorrow's set just might have you saying... "BEST. DAY. EVER!!!"  ;-)

See you back here soon!

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaks Day 3: Go Wild!

Hello folks and welcome to DAY THREE of Power Poppy's June Release! Woo Hoo! Today's set -- Go Wild -- offers good smelling flowers that you can pretend that you snipped and bottled up after your morning walk. How incredibly charming! This set is extra special because it offers not only something beautiful in nature but it helps us all to use the love of card making to send along extra special wishes! And, guess what? We have someone EXTRA special to send wishes to today! Wanna know who?

IT'S MARCELLA HAWLEY'S BIRTHDAY TODAY! 

So. let's get to the well wishes, shall we??? Marcy is the kind of gal that once you get to know, you just feel like she's family. She's a keeper!!! So, with that kind of warm nature about her -- she deserves a proper birthday! Marce, I hope you surround yourself with everyone you love and have a truly wonderful day! If I was there, I'd be taking you to Nacho Mama for a 'rita and some yummy Mexian fare! Cheers sweet lady! Enjoy your day!

And here's the card I made in honor of Ms. Marce's special day!

I have a confession to make..... I had NO idea what any of these plants were. Honestly! So, I literally took the graphic that Marcy made and used it as my coloring guide! HA! How's that for majorly cheating? ;-)  I stamped my image using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then... grabbed these Copic markers!

As you can see, I used quite a few but I felt I needed to in order to get the same "look" that Marcy created! And here's a close up! Guess what folks? No glitter or bling on this one! OH MY, what's wrong with me????

I used My Mind's Eye, Close to My Heart and Basic Grey papers for this one and accented with a bit of paper piercing, some yellow and white twine and a wooden button. And that, my friends, is it!

Now it's time to GO WILD and see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade created with this fresh-picked set!

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

Marcella & the Power Poppy Blog  >>>Wish Marcy a Happy Birthday Today!!!!


Tomorrow brings DAY FOUR with the Power Poppy release -- be sure to swing by and see what's in store. This set will play on your rebel side a bit and truly will "Move Your Soul!" Come back and see what I mean, will you? ;-)

~Julie

Power Poppy Sneaks Day 2: Sage Advice!

Hello all and welcome to  DAY TWO of Power Poppy's June Release. This collection of clear stamps really offers a wee bit of something for everyone and today, well today is no exception! If you know Marcella, you know she loves all things botanical -- blossoms, fresh herbs, flowering trees -- if it grows, she loves it. Today's set is all about the things we cook up in the garden to bring a little flavor to life! Sage Advice offers a mix of images and hand lettered sentiments that are all "seasoned with love!"

On to my creation! 

One thing you'll see when this set is released is the mix and match items that allow you to do SO much more with the set. The card I am showcasing today shows off one of the "brackets" that Marcy drew offering a wee bit of thyme, sage and chives! I thought to have it wrap around one of the sentiments would be just too sweet! So, that's what I did! I stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black and then picked up my Copic markers. I reached for V01, V04, G40, G43, G46, E50, E51, E55 and YG00. I cut out the image with a Spellbinders oval and then, while the die was still on, I sponged on some Distress Antique Linen ink. The embossing folder that I used on my main panel is a paisley folder from Spellbinders. I paired it with an old Flourishes oval paper pierced die, a kraft doily and some Stampin' Up ribbon and... ta da! Done! 

Here's a close up for you! You can see I did add a bit of sparkle to the flowering chives with a bit of glitter glue! 

And that, my friends, is it! An easy, peasy, lemon squeezy creation that shares a little love! You'll have to see what kind of creativity is sprouting with the rest of my Bloomie buddies! Hop on over and see......

Julie Koerber >>>> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Tosha Leyendekker
Marcella & the Power Poppy Blog


And be sure to head on back tomorrow when you'll surely "Go Wild" for the next set that we are sneak peeking! See you back here soon!

~Julie