The Power Poppy Christmas Remix Continues!!!!

Hello Peeps! Just a little heads up that the Christmas Remix is still in full swing so you'll have to head  HERE to the Power Poppy blog to see what's in store for today! We know you're surfing, in amongst looking for Black Friday deals!

Speaking of which, Power Poppy has it's own little sale to take advantage of! You're not going to want to miss this one folks!

That's right! Buy one clear stamp and get a second for free when you use the code above! OR, if you are a digi lover, the same deal holds for you using the digital stamp set code above! And, you can use the code up to two times! What???? That's a GREAT DEAL!

And, one more little bit of excitement! Do you want a chance to win $20 in Power Poppy bucks (basically a gift code to the Power Poppy Shop?) All you need to do is leave a comment on any one of my Christmas Remix blog posts -- heck -- feel free to comment on ALL of them if you want extra chances! I will draw one a name from all of the comments to win the code and the winners will be announced on December 4th, Wednesday, on the Power Poppy Blog!! Woot Woot!

Just to make it easy on you, here's a link to all of my Christmas Remix Posts! You can even comment on this post as well!

Christmas Remix Day 1
Christmas Remix Day 2
Christmas Remix Day 3
Christmas Remix Day 6
Christmas Remix Day 7

Leave a comment between now and 4PM MST on Tuesday, December 3rd and you'll be in the running! For those of you living in the States, I wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

~Julie 

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: Day 7!

Hi all and welcome to Day 7 of the Power Poppy Christmas Remix hop! During these 12 days, Power Poppy is unveiling brand new digital images and the Power Poppy Design Team will also be putting some of Power Poppy's Christmas classics in the spotlight as well! It's been so much fun seeing each designer's take on these beautiful illustrations! And, we're not done yet!

Today's focus is on a trio of sets that all bear sweet holiday images! Merriest Berries offers a stitched ribbon with a giant candy cane or without but still overflowing with greenery and berries. Felt Leaves and Fruits Wreath shares a comfy-cozy-crafty vibe. And, Berry Sweet Holiday offers not only some of these images in a clear set but has sweet sentiments to match!

Let's get right to it!

I absolutely adore this little wreath from the Wreath: Felt Leaves and Fruits digital stamp set. I love the little pom poms and also love adding just a smidge of sparkle to them! I colored this image up with the help of Copic markers and used YG00, YG03, G07 for the leaves, RV29 and R32 for the berries and BG0000 and BG10 for the poms. I accented around the inner leaves using B60 and B63. I then colored the inside of the wreath with BG0000 so that my little die cut sentiment would pop a bit. You might not recognize this little pom pom frame! That's because it is part of a digital set that is due out... tomorrow! I love the fact that this scallop frame is a digi because you can resize it to fit any need! Just wait until you see the "meat" of this new digital set. You just might squeal! ;-) I should add that the "All is Calm" sentiment is from the newly released digital stamp set called Season of Serenity! 

Here's a close up of my colored up image!

The die and the pom pom ribbon are both from Stampin' Up. I just love that ribbon and how it is a perfect match for my card! You can see I also fussy cut the outer portion so that I could pop up this image as well as the sentiment with a little foam tape. And that, my friends, is it! 

Want to see how the rest of the team used this sweetly stitched set? I know you won't be disappointed if you pay these uber talented women a visit!

Stacy Morgan
Nancy Sheads
Barbara Walker
Gloria Stengel
Lisa Johansen
Allison Cope

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow and I hope you will too! 

Until then, 

~Julie 

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: Day 6!

Hi all and welcome to day 6 of Power Poppy's Christmas Remix Hop! Goodness, the holiday cheer is up in here with these new and classic images! I don't know about you but I think each one of the Power Poppy team is unveiling some beautiful creations this week! So much inspiration!

Today's digital stamp set being released is big and bodacious! It's petals demand attention and that's why this one is called....

POINSETTIA XL!

This digital download supplies three variations of this vivacious, velvety Christmas classic. With slightly puckered and rippling leaves, you can add lots of dimension and life to this festive plant though your coloring. This set Includes a large single bloom, a poinsettia with a stem and secondary leaves, and then the beautiful stem paired with the sentiment "Joy to the World!"

On to my creation...

I started coloring this one as if it would be white and then added a little bit of blush and before I knew it, I got lost in the coloring and made the whole thing pink! I started coloring with Copics R00, adding hints of Y00 as if the petals are a bit sunkissed. I wrapped up coloring by adding some minor depth with colored pencils along the leaves' veining.

Mat this on a light pink textured cardstock, a bit of pearl paper and a full blown glitter card base and you're almost done! I added the sentiment from the Power Poppy set Glistening Paperwhites that I heat embossed using white embossing powder on vellum. I finished by adding a few different rhinestones! 

And that, my friends, is it! You'll have to stop by and see what the rest of the Power Poppy bunch has in store for this set!

Jenny Colacicco

Stacy Morgan

Gloria Stengel

Broni Holcombe

Leslie Miller

Lisa Johansen

Barbara Campbell

Kathy Jones

Christine Okken

Ally Cope 

Marcella & the Power Poppy Blog

Swing back tomorrow when we revisit a fizzy Christmastime favorite, delivered in brand new ways! See you back here real soon! 

Until then,

~Julie 

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: Day 3!

Hi all and welcome to day 3 of Power Poppy's Christmas Remix! I sure hope you've been loving on the new illustrations as well as the looks at some of Power Poppy's classics! I can tell you that I have sure had some fun! Today's illustration comes in both digital and clear stamp sets and evokes a kind of heartwarming charm!

O Holy Night (clear set) and Snowy Church (digital set) is inspired by old country churches and sets the stage for magical holiday creations! Color it daintily or give it a simple monochromatic look. It's beautiful either way!

On to my creation! 

There's something about seeing this image at night that brings about that peaceful easy feeling! So, I love to see it colored up that way. I chose just a handful of green and yellow Copic Markers (G20, G24, G40, Y00, Y02) and then let my blue shades do most of the talking (B60, B63, B34, BV20). And, after I was done coloring, of course I had to add some sparkle with glitter glue! Who has snow on a card with no glitter! (I know, a lot of people, but not me!)

Here's a closeup! You can see the word "Joy" was actually a part of the sentiment from the clear set that said "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come" but I just inked up the word "Joy" using Memento Nautical Navy.

Mat it on some pearl paper with iridescent ribbon and.. done! I just love this image! And, to be honest with you, coloring it up this way was not only fun but not terribly time-consuming. This is one you could mass produce and "Wow" people without hours upon hours of coloring time.

While this creation above is one I just whipped up, I do have others that I have created using this stamp! Want to see?

This one above was simply inked using navy dye ink and then I took a waterbrush around the image to soften the lines and add some depth -- super easy!

And this one was stamped in red ink alone and I made a shaker card to feature falling snow! You can really take this image in so many different directions!

Well, the rest of the Power Poppy team is ready to show off this peaceful scene as well, so be sure to visit these fine ladies! Oh, and if you didn't start at the Power Poppy Blog, be sure to see what Marcella has to say about these illustrations as well!

Stacy Morgan
Barbara Walker
Allison Cope
Lisa Johansen 
Nancy Sheads 

Thanks for stopping by! Tomorrow's set is another new image and to say it's gorgeous would be an absolute understatement! It's a colorista's dream and one that produces jaw-dropping results! 

See you then! 

~Julie 

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: Day 2!

Hello all & welcome to day 2 of Power Poppy's Christmas Remix! It's a week where we are showing off some of the well-loved illustrations as well as some new and beautiful images, just in time for the holidays! I know the Power Poppy team can't wait for you to see it ALL!

Take a gander at this amazing new digital stamp set called Season of Serenity! The tranquility and peace surrounded by nature are truly life's greatest treasures! Look at this scene of snowy evergreens and mountain caps accented by a sweet bird in holly! 

I printed up this beauty and colored it up with Copic markers, adding accents with a white gel pen and glitter glue -- my fave for Christmas cards! I had so much fun coloring this one up and think this image is just too sweet for words! 

From there, I matted it all up with decorative paper, added a little grosgrain ribbon and a button and.. ta da! Done!

I hope you are having fun hopping around and seeing what some of the design team created this week during this Christmas Remix! Be sure to swing by and pay these fine ladies a visit below! They have more goodies to share with all of you! 

Lisa Johansen
Stacy Morgan

Nancy Sheads

Leslie Miller

Christine Okken 

Kathy Jones

Ally Cope

Coming up tomorrow, we revisit a cherished image in new ways! You won't want to miss this folks!

See you back here soon! 

~Julie 

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: Day 1!

Hello all! What an exciting 12 days of Power Poppy fun... headed your way! It's Power Poppy's Christmas Remix! During these fabulous days, you'll see remixed digital sets, released clear sets in a new way, new digital stamp sets, a Black Friday special and focus too on a whole lot of digital fun for Cyber Monday! Whew! That's a lot of holiday hooplah!

Today, on day 1, the Power Poppy designers are shining the spotlight on a Power Poppy classic! Take a peek!

That's right, we're dressing up one of two sets! Power Poppy's clear set called Poinsettia, which brings to life an elegant poinsettia, a poinsettia topped stocking and four merry sentiments. And, Poinsettia and Pomegranates, a digital version of that lush, whirly, swirly botanical beauty!

On to my creation! 

I have always loved this poinsettia topped stocking and have turned to it quite a few times to create Christmas cards. So, this creation was a bit of a reunion! I stamped my stocking image, colored with Copics and then fussy cut to pop up the image on my card. One fun thing was, I didn't want to use decorative paper, I wanted to create my own! If you look closely, you can see that on the red piece of card stock, I stamped the poinsettia and duo of candy canes from the stamp set Merry Littles using Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink, turning the paper a quarter turn with each stamp.  

After creating the backdrop, I stamped the sentiment (from the Berry Sweet Holiday stamp set) I chose this sentiment because I wanted a long and linear sentiment so I could use these little strips as an accent. You can't really sell but the oval is a piece of die-cut vellum. I was hoping the pattern would peek through just a little more. 

Because this is a set that I love, I do have some older cards I wanted to recue to share! 

You can read the details about this card HERE. 

You can read the details about this gift card holder HERE. 

You can read the details about this card HERE.

I just love this classic Christmas stamp and digi! And, guess what? So does the rest of the Power Poppy team! Go and visit these fine ladies below and see what fun they've whipped up using this beautiful illustration!

Gloria Stengel

Stacy Morgan

Broni Holcombe

Jenny Colacicco

Ally Cope

Barbara Walker

Christine Okken

Thanks so much for stopping by! There's much more in store so I will see you back here... real soon!

Have a beautiful day!
~Julie

Power Poppy Friday!

Hello all! I have my very first Christmas card of the season to share. I know. Shocker! I am typically a "Last Minute Lucy!" This card below is actually one that I plan to use as a Thank You after the season! Since it's Power Poppy Friday, I thought it was a good time to share! I hosted Creative Confetti earlier this week (click HERE to see the challenge) and helped usher in a fun sketch for you to try your creative hand at! Check it out....

On to My Creation! 

I used Power Poppy's Snow Kissed clear set for my card. I just ADORE this little snow guy! This image is really kind of on the larger side but with my layout, I knew I wanted my snowman just peeking out of the top. So I stamped him using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then used a stitched circle die to cut him out.  On the top rectangle, I used one of the nordic patterns in the set to tie in the Fair Isle/Nordic look! I colored the snow guy up with Copic markers and really didn't use a ton of them -- a couple reds, a couple greens and then BV20 and BV23 for his hat. I accented with RV0000, some white gel pen and, of course, glitter glue! Love those little sparkles on anything snow!

 If you've not seen this set, here's a peek at the entire set for you!

I am showing you because you can see that the sentiment I used is only a part of the sentiment in the set. So.... how did I do that? It's as simple as a little bit of masking tape!

So, I added the tape covering up those top words before inking it up. I realized after I constructed my card base that the top portion just wouldn't fit. So, thanks to a little tape.... 

I inked it up, pulled off the tape and then stamped! A perfect fit! After I was done stamping, it was just as simple as matting it up, adding some fun stitched ribbon and a few little red rhinestones. Easy Peasy! To get in the spirit, I actually cued up some Christmas tunes as I created and it was so fun, I am actually looking forward to some marathon afternoons in my stamp room. Now, to come up with some ideas! ;-) 

Well, since it's Friday, you know what that means!

This fabulous lady had some time this week to create, so be sure to stop by and say"hi!"

Christine Okken

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a beautiful and creative weekend ahead! I'll see you back here real soon!

Until next time!
Julie 

It's Bloomie Friday!

Hello sweet peeps! How was your week? Did you spend time with any little ghosts or goblins this week? ;-) We had a slew of kids come by last night for candy and it is always a hoot to see the costumes and just the sheer excitement on those kids' faces. Love it! 

Earlier this week over on the Power Poppy Blog, I ushered in a challenge for all of you who LOVE freebies! Check it out! 

HOW DO YOU PLAY? Simply use one of Power Poppy's Free Digital Downloads to create this week! Since the images we are using are FREE -- what's holding you back from joining us? Go shout it to your best stampin' buds! Tell a neighbor! Heck, shout it in the streets! :-) Bottom line, we want to see you join us and fill up the link list HERE ON THIS POST with tons of creativity!

Now, here's part of the challenge. I am not going to tell you where to find these lovelies in the store but, trust me, they are there, ready and waiting for you to download, print and color up with your own personal style! Just click HERE to travel to our digital stamp pages! I will tell you there are FOUR free images for you if you look! ;-)  While you're there, make sure to check out some of the "not" freebie digis. There are some beauties in the Power Poppy Shop! 


On to My Creation! 

For my creation, I used one of the newest Freebies called Sending Warm Hugs! I just love that little sunflower -- totally adorbs! I printed, colored up with Copic Markers and reached for G21, G24, G28, Y32, Y35, Y38, E25, E27, E23. I accented with a little BG0000 and BG10. And, when all was said and done I scribbled on some lines using a white gel pen. Why? No idea. I just felt like it! LOL!

Here's a close-up for you! 

From there, it's just matting it up, adding a button and... ta da! Easy Peasy! You have a few more days to play along! The link list is open through Monday night -- so I hope you make some time to get creative and join me! Every entry has a shot at winning a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop!

Christine Okken

Stacy Morgan

Julie Koerber

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you back here real soon!  

Until next time,
~Julie

Bloomie Friday: A treat for you!

Hi all! Since it's Bloomie Friday at Power Poppy, I thought just in case you missed my little tutorial on the Power Poppy Blog, I thought I'd share a snippet here and then, if you like, you can click HERE to see the step by step tutorial! I was the hostess this past Monday for Inspire Me Monday! I figured with the 'Night of Fright' upon us, I would share a SUPER EASY, SUPER CUTE project that you can literally whip up in a jiffy! The folding portion of this project takes less than a minute -- no joke -- allowing you to just take your time and enjoy dolling up this little treat bag for the little ghosts and goblins in your life!

Here's a peek at the finished project 

It's made with a square piece of paper --- really any size! It just depends on how big you want your pocket to be when you are done! The one I made, above is from 8" by 8" piece of paper and as you can see, it creates the perfect little pocket for fun-sized candy bars!

It's just the right size! 

I wanted to show you just how big or small you could go with this treat bag! I started with a 6" by 6" piece of paper and honestly, this is small enough for a few Hershey's kisses, a Ghiradelli square, or one fun-size candy bar. Maybe this one would be best for dollar bills? ;-) As you go up in size, the more you can fit! I actually started with a 12" by 12" piece of paper but when I was done, I thought, wow -- that's pretty big! That might actually make a nice little gift bag in a jiffy for smaller gifts? So easy! 

After seeing Instant Gardener Nancy Sheads color up this cute kitty from Power Poppy's Feeling Fall stamp set, I knew I wanted to give her video coloring tutorial a try - so I stamped with Memento Ink Tuxedo Black and cued up the video and colored away following all her cues! If you missed this tutorial, you need to check it out HERE. It was so fun to follow along! Just a little note, if you want instant gratification, Power Poppy just released this cat image in a Halloween digital stamp set called Boo Cat and Pumpkins.  So many fun images in this digital set!

So, when I was done, this is what my treat bag looked like! You can stuff it with candy -- I chose mini Ghiradelli squares -- and even hang this little treat on a doorknob as a sweet surprise!

I hope you like this little tutorial (click HERE to see the step-by-step version) and I hope you give it a try yourself! It can be used for so many different occasions --- Christmas (maybe you use these instead of an Advent calendar?), Easter, Valentine's Day, May Day! So many opportunities!

Be sure to stop by these ladies' homes on the web to see what crafty awesomeness they've whipped up for you this week!

Stacy Morgan

Ally Cope

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful and creative weekend ahead!
~Julie 

Just Take Ten!

Hello All! Happy Friday! Did you happen to checkout this week's Creative Confetti Challenge? It's a fun... and easy one and involves a kind of card that we should ALL love to create. What card is that? The quickie kind of cards that are fun to whip up but don't exactly look like you just took 10 minutes to assemble! And that, my friends, is what this week's Creative Confetti Challenge is all about!

Let's get on to my creation! 

You can see above that my MISTI stamping tool and Power Poppy's Big Scripts stamp set (on sale now for $9.99)  are two things at the center of my 10-minute card. I also decided to focus on my colors - card stock, ink, embellishments - before I got to creating. I wanted to make sure that everything was a perfect match before I got creating. 

Once I narrowed that all down, I lined up my cardstock in the MISTI and then, after every color, I wiped off my stamp and moved my paper down three lines on my MISTI, keeping my paper vertically even as I went. These inks are all really old colors. Do you remember Vivid! ink? Well, I have the whole line with reinkers and I swear, I have had them for close to 20 years. I remember when I started stamping saving up to buy a few ink pads a month to build up my collection. ;-) Ahhh... memories!

Here's a closeup! You can see, when I was done with the linear stamping, I die cut my wonky rectangle and trimmed the coordinating cardstock to give me 1/8" around the outside. Add some decorative polka dot paper, add a sentiment from the Poppy XL clear set. Add some sequins and... ta da! Done!

This one is an easy peasy design that you can do in almost any color scheme to let a friend know that you are thinking about her! Sometimes the message is more important than the time it took to create a handmade card, don't you think?

So, why don't you try your hand at a quickie card and join me this week? Remember, each and every link up with our linky ON THIS POST HERE is one more chance at a $25 gift certificate to the Power Poppy Shop!  



I know my stamping sister STACY MORGAN has some fun to share with you all! And, if you haven't been over to the POWER POPPY blog yet, Marcy has some exciting news to share, so you'll want to click on over and check that out! Hope you have a wonderful and creative weekend!


Until next time!

~Julie

Bloomie Friday, just for YOU!

Hi all! How has your week shaped up? While the week was good, we got a major snow storm a few days ago and man, I was not ready for it! One day it was 72 degrees, the next, 31. No joke! So, needless to say, coloring in my craft room was a joy - a warm, toasty joy! ;-)

Speaking of joys -- did you check out Power Poppy's Creative Confetti this week? It was hosted by the creative Lisa Johansen! And, she put an interesting spin on the challenge this week! Check it out! 

HOW TO PLAY: Just pick a flower that you think best represents your personality and color away! Are you a demure Easter lily? Maybe you are a fun-loving daffodil or a wild and crazy dahlia? There are so many possibilities with this challenge!

On to my creation!

When I thought about this challenge, I thought long and hard about what flower I might be. I'm not a rose -- beautiful and temperamental. I'm not a Dahlia - big and bold. After letting it all simmer a bit, I said, 'I'm a sunflower - a wild one.' It's not a flower that often takes center stage but it's one that loves being out in nature - wild and free. It loves sharing sunshine and grows wherever it's called to sprout. It's there, hopefully, bringing joy to those who pass by.

Now, I know my image is supposed to be a Gerber Daisy, but I colored it up like a sunflower because wild sunflowers are a little smaller than their seedy cousins. I colored the background the same as my patterned paper using Copic markers and then just let that yellow pop off the page, adding pops of black for contrast.

Here's a closeup....  

You can see above that I did add a little glitter glue. I always seem to want to add a little to the flowers' centers because it makes me happy! ;-)

And here's a photo of the wild sunflowers that grow right behind my house. I love these flowers. They just love showing up where you least expect them, always with their face to the sun!

Okay folks, now it's your turn to show us what flower represents YOUR personality! Remember, after you create and play along, link up your project OVER HERE on the Power Poppy Blog so we can all see. Since this linky is up all month, every entry with our weekly challenge is one more shot at a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! Woo hoo!

Oh.... and there's still time to take advantage of this fun little sale below! Use the code and take $5.00 off your purchase of $15.00 or more. If you haven't grabbed this great deal yet -- now is a perfect time! It's good until Oct.14th!

And, since it's Friday, that means some of my fellow Bloomies are on standby to show you some of what they've been working on this week! You'll have to stop by and see this sweet lady!

Christine Okken

Thanks everyone for hopping on over to say "hi!" I hope you have a beautiful weekend and I'll see you back here real soon!

~Julie