A Fond Farewell to 2016!

Hello sweet stamping friends! All of us at Power Poppy hope you had an amazing holiday filled with the love of family and friends and seasoned with many new memories! We are also hoping the next few days bring nothing but the best because, why? Well, because that is a wonderful way to close out 2016! Because we love to showcase some of YOU and the ways you use Power Poppy's fantabulous digital and clear stamps, let's get to it! We have some "goodies" today!

For starters, remember how I said last week that I really hoped Misseke showed us how this project below turned out?

Well, I am -- squeeeeeee ---- so happy that she did! Check out this three-paneled lovely. I gasped when I saw it because I thought of all the time and care she took to make this amazingly beautiful delight for the eyes! As I mentioned last week, Misseke used Power Poppy's clear set Simply Camellias!  I am not sure what "Van Harte" means in Dutch but I am guessing it is "With Heart" or "With Love." Anyone out in blog land know? ;-)

Emily White crafted this watercolor-washed beauty with white embossed detail. I love the sweet and simple design and the dreamy quality of the finished card! She also used Simply Camellias for this creation, which goes to show just how versatile and beautiful this stamp set is when your creativity moves you!  

A.J. Bodine's sunflower sensation just makes me SMILE! I love the bright and cheery turquoise backdrop, the die cut frame, the fabulous way she colored this illustration up and then accented it with a bit of bling with sequins! It's purely delightful using Power Poppy's digital stamp set Sunshine of My Life. 

And just because the Christmas season isn't officially over until the 12 days of Christmas have passed, we needed to show off this shapely design from Patti Willey using Power Poppy's Glistening Paperwhites stamp set. I personally think this is a wonderful Christmas card or even a creation to send in thanksgiving for this beautiful season!

And that, my sweet stamping friends is it for our little show and tell Friday! But, here's the good news, we're not completely done with the eye candy! Some of our fine Bloomies happen to have some artistry to share as well! So, hop on over and see.....

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Thanks so much for stopping by! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
~Julie

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Christmas season is here and if you celebrate this most beautiful holiday, I have a few little itty bitty questions for you! Have your stockings been hung by the chimney with care? Have your packages been wrapped up in boxes with bows? Did you know the best way to spread holiday cheer is to sing real loud for all to hear? I sure hope you answered YES! ;-)

To get you in the holiday spirit, we figured it might just be one of our last opportunities this year to share some of the holiday creations of others that we spotted and fawned over here in the blogosphere!

SO LET'S UNWRAP THAT CHEER, 

SHALL WE? LET'S ACT LIKE SANTA AND TAKE A CHRISTMAS TRIP AROUND THE WORLD!

These first cards show that no matter what the language, creativity, and holiday spirit are universal! Take these decked out cards by Annette Nielsen all dressed up for Christmas from Denmark! Annette used Wreath: Boxwood and Cranberry and Snowglobe Greetings -- both digital stamps in the Power Poppy Shop! Psst! Guess what? Digital stamps are available anytime -- 24/7. So.... if you have some last minute crafty goodness to pump out, we have got the bases covered for you. Just purchase, download, color and.. GIVE! 

Oh, my. This next holiday-dressed card hails from deep in the heart of Texas! I was honestly speechless when I set my sights on this amazing Prismacolor penciled beauty done by the hands of JoAnn Danchik. I can't imagine how long it took her to bring this illustration to life but I do love with all my heart what she had to say about it. Jo Ann shares: "It gently whispers all the hope that we have for the world as we usher in the birth of our Saviour." We agree JoAnn. We truly agree!  Just in case you wondered, this stamp set is O Holy Night.

And, we'll finish our little tour up in the Netherlands, where there's not a seasonal sight but one to be seen none the less! Take a gander at this art in action shot from Misseke who is proving her coloring prowess with Power Poppy's Simply Camellias stamp set!  I sure hope she does another show and tell when she finishes this three-panel card!

And that, my friends, concludes our little Power Poppy World Tour! It’s time to turn things over to a handful of our Bloomies who have some of their works of art to share with all of you!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

One last announcement for everyone... if you happened to have stopped by after Thanksgiving, we had a fun little “hunt” for a mystery digital download that you could nab for $1. We’re bringing it back for the next several days — go grab Candy Cane Classic for a dollar to use on those last-minute gift tags!

Here’s some whimsical and wonderful inspiration from Katie Sims...

We 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 to all!

~Julie

Inspire Me Monday - Quick Watercolored Tags

Hello Friends, How are you today? I am excited to be back for another Inspire Me Monday. For my post today I was inspired by the Power & Spark Challenge. You can read about it here. 

One of our holiday traditions is to make treats for family and to make some for the stockings. I love adding homemade treats to my children's stockings & it's kinda nice that they fill the stocking up pretty quickly. 

Putting the Chex Mix in a zip lock baggie was a practical choice for me. Then I saw the Power & Spark Challenge so I decided to ramp up my homemade treats with some homemade tags, ribbon & jingle bells.

Today I am watercoloring some quick tags to jazz up my Chex Mix bags. If you want to watch the video in HD click here. 

                                        

These tags really didn't take much time to cut out & I am grateful that they really made my homemade treats more special for the recipients. 

Adding some ribbon and jingle bells make my treats much more festive.

In case you might want to give this easy recipe a try here is the link. I always double the recipe and mix it all in a roasting pan and take that straight to the oven. 

Thanks for the opportunity to share with you today and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with love. Hugs, Kathy

P.S. Yesterday I finished up some of these and they are quick to make and are always popular. If you want to see how quick here is a video for you. :)

Happy Festive Friday!

Climb aboard, buckle up and get ready for a ride around the blogosphere taking in some of the most festive handmade offerings out there! Some people jump in the car to take in Christmas lights -- we do that too -- but we love motoring around the web catching glimpses of holiday cheer too!

Our First Stop.... is to take a peek at this positively perky poinsettia from Cheryl Horvath (@cardsbycheryl on Instagram) using Power Poppy's Poinsettia stamp set. Look at those pencil strokes done "just so" to bring out the absolute best in this set with a clean and classy design!

Let’s just say Essie was a busy little crafter recently! If you click on her name and head on over to her Flickr page, you'll see a handful of gift card holders and tags designed to make the season bright! I love this decked out gift card holder with a die cut flair showing off the special digi we offered Black Friday weekend, Power Poppy's Candy Cane Classic — which will back in the Power Poppy Shop on Saturday if you want to grab it! 

If you wondered what our own Instant Gardener Jennifer Dove is up to this weekend, check out these four lovely bits of hand-made correspondence overflowing with holiday charm! If you're near Phoenix -- Sun City West to be exact -- Ms. Jennifer is teaching some of her Copic know-how at The Paper Collage using the Fully Stocked and Cozy Cupfuls stamp sets! Take a gander....

Linda Carson made my jaw drop and smack the floor with this card below using Power Poppy's Partridge in a Pear Tree digital stamp. This one, she says, was her first Christmas creation of the season and I happen to know quite a few stampers out there in cyber space who said she should just go ahead and send this sparkling and exquisitely colored creation to them!

And we saved perhaps the sweetest part of our show-and-tell for last! Check out this little wonder from Charlene Gribben's granddaughter Ella.  Now, I don't know how old Ms. Ella is but goodness, she loves her friends because she spent some time with her grandma coloring up this wreath (Power Poppy's Succulents and Baubles) with such delight. I happen to love Ella's extra "doodles!" I mean, who doesn't love a few extra hearts, stars, and snowmen?!?

Before I bid you adieu, I did want to remind you of our monthly little challenge....

Join Christine Okken and the rest of the Power Poppy gang as they deliver a little handmade cheer with the Sweet Treats Challenge! You can read all about it HERE and then, you can get craftin' in your own space to share some of your creative ingenuity with all of us!

A few of the Bloomies are on standby ready to share some of the things they've been working on this week. So, if you have a little time, hop, skip and jump on over to see what they have in store!

Cindy Lawrence

Stacy Morgan 

Tosha Leyendekker

That's it for us this Friday! Hope you swing by Monday to see what the fabulous Kathy Racoosin serves up for another edition of Inspire Me Monday! 

~Julie

Inspire Me Monday: Quick & Easy Gift Idea

Howdy everyone!  Welcome to Inspire Me Monday!  I’m Allison Cope, your hostess this week and today we’re talking a little bit about that last minute gift idea.

I’m always on the look out for a few items that I can tuck away somewhere in the house so that I know I have as a last minute gift to grab.  I especially love edibles in fun and funky tins or cool containers.

For today, I’m featuring some festive digital stamps we offer here at Power Poppy.  I’m using Hollyberries, Wreath: Felt Leaves & Fruit and Wreath: Succulents & Baubles.  You can see both of these wreath stamp sets plus TWO more in our fun Wreath Multipack Collection.  Psst... it's on sale right now!!!

So join me today while I jazz up a simple candy tin for a quick and easy gift using these fabulously festive digital stamps…

See it in HD.

After all my videoing was complete, I broke down and coloured up my foiled creations for my tins.  So I used my Copic Markers to quickly colour up my holly and parts of my pretty wreath.  I used some bold yellows and soft greens to complete it.

Copics Markers: Y15, YR23, E47, YG00, G43

I think my little tin topper turned out cute and was so quick to make!

So the next time you’re looking to jazz up a gift and make it your own, think digital stamps and fancy foil!

Don't forget to play along with our Power & Spark Challenge this month.  For more details, please visit HERE.

Thanks for joining me today!  Have a great time decorating and personalizing your holiday gifts this month.  Happy Holidays all!

~ Ally ~

stamps: Power Poppy (Hollyberries, Wreath: Felt Leaves & Fruit, Wreath: Succulents & Baubles)
paper: XPress It (Copic), Green Foil Cardstock (DCWV)
dies: Stitched Circles (MFT), Scalloped Circles (Spellbinders)
foil: Green (iCraft Deco Foil), Gold, Teal (Heidi Swapp)
ink: Copic Markers

Holiday On Parade!

Hello all and Happy Friday! I don't know about you but goodness, my neck of the woods is beginning to feel a lot like winter! It's been a perfect time to bundle up, grab a hot cup of coffee and see what you have all been up to in your crafting spaces! And, I have to tell ya, you've been busy whipping up heavy doses of inspiration! I have not one, not two, but FIVE Must See Customer Creations to share today! Yee-Haw!

LET’S GET ON WITH THE SHOW! 

This first little number is actually one of a handful of stamped creations from Heidi over at Heidi Stamps! She took Power Poppy's digital Wreaths Collection for a spin with charming results! I loved what she did with Wreath: Boxwood and Cranberry! The result is so soft and inviting -- don't you think?

Over on Instagram, Judy (@judejude53) used the same Wreath image but took it in a completely different direction with bold color choices. I love the Christmas plaid ribbon and trio of rhinestones that Jude added as well -- super duper festive with beautiful coloring! What a fresh look to color some of the leaves in a light, bright green — supplying a burst of contrast.

Tranna posted the serene scene below over at Splitcoaststampers using Power Poppy's Simple Joys clear stamp set and I just had to take a deep breath to take it all in! I love this shade of icy blue — it’s got such a peaceful vibe! And, many of you already know, I love a card that has a bit of BLING! 

While on my surfing expedition, I also spotted this incredible beauty from Ellen Bornstein using our new digi, Wreaths: Succulents and Baubles. Her coloring is out of this world and her background looks like it is too, with a bit of a Northern Lights feel! Go poke through Ellen’s Insta gallery, you can see several photos of her coloring process on this card. Beautiful job, Ellen. The shading of your succulents is something for all of us to aspire to. (And don’t get me started on those shiny glass balls!)

Last but not least, this color-pencil-shaded stunner from Jeannean Marshall using Power Poppy's digital stamp Partridge in a Pear Tree really caught my eye. Jeannean colored this up for our good friend Kathy Racoosin's 30-Day Coloring Challenge with rich, warm, wonderous results! Love how some of the pears have an orange blush, and the partridge is delicate and divine.

Aren’t those creations just dripping in FABULOUS? If that doesn't get you in the last minute holiday card making spirit — I am not sure what will! ;-)

I happen to know a few of the Bloomies have holiday inspired creations to showcase today, but before we get to that little linky list, please don’t forget about THIS, sweet peeps!

Get those fingers inky and play along with us for this month's Power & Spark Challenge -- stamping up some Sweet Treats! Dress up a tag! Stamp up a box of goodies! Whip up a gift card holder! You can do any and all of those things and more. The only limit is your imagination! You can read up on all the official rules HERE. That's also where you can link up your creation as well! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Now it's time to turn things over to our beloved Bloomies! Make sure you click on over to give them all a little “hello!” ...

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

And be sure to tune back in for another Inspire Me Monday to help kick off your week with a creative flair! Ms. Ally Cope will be “in the house” sharing some of her amazing talents to add a whirl of inspiration to your craft table.

Have a wonderful (& warm) weekend!

~Julie

Celebrate our designer's 50th Birthday with us!

What an exciting day for a lady who is filled with excitement and enthusiasm for life! We’re so excited to wish our friend, colleague, Instant Gardener design team member, and Inspire Me Monday contributor Rhea Weigand the HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY EVER, she is feisty and 50!

There is so much going on today over at Rhea’s Facebook group, Passionate Paper Creations and Friends — scroll on down to see all kinds of contests and giveaways.

Power Poppy is joining in the fun, too, with a special tropical remix in honor of Rhea’s love of the Islands, and she just returned from a birthday trip to Hawaii, how exciting is that!?

Grab my Orchid Dreams digital stamp set download for only $3

then, join in a coloring contest over at PPCF, and you could win three free digis of your choice!

Special price and coloring contest end Friday, December 9 at midnight est.

Our Bloom Brigade and Instant Gardeners are joining in on the birthday celebration for Rhea — run ’round and see what they have created in honor of our friend, who is lovely and talented and funny and zany and exuberant and should I go on?

Julie Koerber
Cindy Lawrence
Allison Cope

Nancy Sheads
Barbara Walker

Jessie Banks

Happy Birthday, dear Rhea, we hope you are having the best birthday party ever! Lots of love from all of your friends at Power Poppy. xoxoxoxo!!

New Digi on the 5s: Stand Here (under the Mistletoe!)

Who’s ready for a smooch under the Mistletoe? We have the perfect illustration ready for you to print out and plant onto any surface you like, a handmade card, or perhaps directly over your forehead... plus a directive to “Stand Here” to be sure your intended kissee gets the message.

The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked, the privilege ceases.
—Washington Irving, “Christmas Eve,”
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1820)

Well! Whether it’s the old-school young men “having the privilege of kissing the girls” or it’s the more current women-take-charge attitude, in the spirit of giving a Christmas kiss, our newest digital stamp set is called, “Stand Here.”

I have to confess that as much as I love to draw Mistletoe (it is included in several of my holiday drawings, and the new Fully Stocked clear stamp set has stocking trimmed with it, plus a tiny posey of the stuff!), I have not actually had the opportunity to hang it in my home, and I don’t know that it grows wild near St. Louis.

But in seeking out inspiration, I came across a blog that could provide all of us much Mistletoe merriment and plant-loving entertainment. Jonathan’s Mistletoe Diary is the creation of Jonathan Briggs of Glouchester, England, and it seems to be the epicenter of all things Mistletoe! In his latest post, he visits a Mistletoe auction, where growers from all over England bring giant bales of berry-laden plants to be scooped up by folks ready to spruce up for the holidays. Here’s a beautiful sample of his photography:

Source: Jonathan’s Mistletoe Diary, Mistletoe Matters

Isn’t this spectacular, shimmery, and swoony? That is precisely the type of photo and article that gets me excited about plants. Call me a plant nerd (you won’t be the first!), but I have such admiration for people who seek out unusual species and varieties of plants and share them with others. But I digress...

Today we have a number of magnificently merry cards made with my Mistletoe digital download, Stand Here. Won’t you come along to see what our talented designers have made for today’s digi introduction? I wish I could pay a visit to each of their houses and give them a smooch on the cheek to say thanks. Take it away, ladies!

Cheryl Scrivens
Stacy Morgan
Nancy Sheads
Barbara Walker

And thank YOU so much for stopping by today to see our newest digital download — and remember, you can shop for our digis now, and be coloring them within a few minutes. Enjoy!

Some Sweet Treats for YOU!

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 we not only kick off a brand new Power & Spark Challenge, but we share the winner from last month's challenge as well! 

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."

And here's a peek at an amazing little sweet treat that Christine whipped up for this challenge using the 'Scooter Santa' from Power Poppy's Action Santa set to pull off this small but mighty display of creativity! Red M & Ms with a little Santa inspired black belt? Well, that is darling and yummy at the same time if I don't say so myself! 

If you need a few extra gift giving ideas, please check out Christine's Inspire Me Monday tutorial HERE for a step-by-step on a trio of positively festive ideas! They are all wonderful to sock away for not just this most wonderful time of the year but really any occasion that lends itself to gift giving! 

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them, if not, it is a great way to win some! 
• Link your creation below using our Linky (please use the exact URL from your post instead of a generic blog address.)
• Please mention Power Poppy in YOUR blog or gallery post with a link back to THIS challenge
• The winner will receive a free clear or digital stamp set of choice from the Power Poppy Shop
• Enter as many cards as you’d like, as long as they fit the theme of the challenge!
• Deadline to enter is December 31 @ 8:00pm EST. At that point, we’ll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday of January!

Because it's a new month, it also means we have to dig our hand deep down into the virtual hat, mix it up and pull out a name to win last month's challenge! So, the fabulous Random.org drew the number....

Which means our lucky winner is......

CAMILLE SHORT!

And here is Camille's beautiful pearl encrusted creation using Power Poppy's digital stamp Hollyberries! 

I personally love how Camille fussy cut and layered her beautifully colored images just for that extra bit of pop. And, let's not forget the fun die cut and layered card! This is a beauty -- and it's one that the recipient will most certainly swoon over!

And, just because we love to share--- here's a sampling of some of the WOW WORTHY cards and creations that were submitted over the last month! ;-)

This first one by Anita Madden using Power Poppy's Bottlebrush Holidays stamp set just made me smile. Everything about it is just perfect in my book -- from the delicate background paper to the sentiment flag to the color of sequins she used to make this a shaker card. It's all perfect! And, I didn't even mention the soft colors she used to deck out the trees! Well done Ms. Anita! 

Gloria Stengel's  whimsical and wonderful holiday creation used not only real life jingle bells but Power Poppy's Bough Wow Wow stamp set! I love the layers, the ribbons and the bold and bright colors she used to bring this Christmas creation to life!

And last but certainly not least is this ombre delight by Pauline Godfrey using Power Poppy's Simple Joys stamp set! Goodness, I love the gradation of color and how it all just feels so mellow! Can you say -- perfectly balanced? I love the non-traditional colors as well!

Now it's time to turn things over to the best bunch of designers in all of blog land -- 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

Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan

Stay tuned to the Power Poppy blog because on Monday, we've got a treat for you all! It's the 5th, which means we'll have another Digi on the 5s release, adding another illustration to our ever-expanding Instant Garden i.e. digital stamp collection! See you back here soon!

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up