Inspire Me Monday: YouTube LIVE Watercolor Painting

Howdy everyone!  Allison Cope here!

Today we're going to do something a little different!  Later today I'm going to go LIVE on YouTube (HERE) with a watercoloring project for a last minute Valentine's Day card.

You will also be able to see it after the live as well on the same link above.

Please join me at 2:00pm EST on YouTube and we'll have some fun together!

See you then!

~ Ally ~

Inspire Me Monday ~ Free Standing Pop-Up Card

Happy Monday!  Allison Cope here for Inspire Me Monday.  Today we’re going to make a fun Free Standing Pop-Up birthday card using a whole bunch of fun stamps!

Here’s your supply list for today’s card:

• 4 1/4” x 11” card base cardstock
• 2 3/4” x 5 1/4” tag matting cardstock
• 2 1/2” x 5” tag patterned paper (You may want 2 pieces)
• paper trimmer, craft knife, stamps, ink, double sided tape, dies (optional)
• SCORING LINES: 1”, 2 3/4”, 3 3/4”, 5 1/2”, 7 1/4”, 8 1/4”, 10”

Join me in at my crafty desk today and let’s make this fun card!  Grab your favorite beverage and away we go…

Click to view in HD.

For our card today I used the cups & cupcake image from the Under Glass stamp set.  Our birthday sentiment on the back of the tag came from the Floribunda stamp set.

To decorate the card base we used the cake on a plate from the Party Time stamp set, the forget-me-not flowers and the butterfly from the Soothing Sympathy stamp set, the potted Primroses and the single Primrose bloom from the Potted Primroses, the tea cup and saucer and the little daisy and the strawberry from the Tea in the Garden set and finally the champagne glasses from the Dream Wedding stamp collection.

Here’s a photo of the front of the card…

This is the back of the card again…

This is the card from the side showing how it stands up…

And finally, this is the card folded flat to fit inside an envelope!  Hooray!

Thanks for joining me!  See you again soon!  Happy stamping!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Under Glass, Floribunda, Party Time, Soothing Sympathy, Potted Primroses, Tea in the Garden, Dream Wedding)
cardstock: Recollections (Teal Collection 110#, 65# White)
patterned paper: Catherine Pooler Designs (Prickly 6x6)
dies: Spellbinders (Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles, Long Classic Rectangles), Catherine Pooler Designs (Circles Dies)
ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Catherine Pooler Designs (Fiesta Blue), Copic Markers 

Inspire Me Monday ~ Holiday Advent Calendar

Happy Monday everyone!  Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada so I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all the men and women who have served our country in the past, in the present and the future!  Thank you for defending our freedom.

I’m Allison Cope and today I’m going to share how I made a cute little holiday advent calendar with you.

I have used our adorable, and very handy stamp set, the “Merry Littles” stamp collection!

Join me at my crafty desk today with a warm cuppa your favorite beverage…

Click here to see in HD.

Here’s another quick look at all the boxes for my calendar…

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope I’ve inspired you to create something fun!

Happy stamping!

~ Ally ~

Inspire Me Monday: Pretty in Plaid!

Howdy all!  Happy Monday and welcome to another Inspire Me Monday!  I’m your hostess today, Allison Cope.

I do have to first apologize for my post being late.  Today is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada and I’ve had family here visiting all week so my crafty time was limited and I left my creative time until last minute.

Today we’re going to take about adding PLAID to all your creations! I don't’ know about you, but I LOVE plaid!  I could use it on my cards everyday!  I can be seasonally coloured, it can be bright and bold and subtle and soft.

For my first use of plaid, I have used my Copic Markers and have coloured in my rubber boot from the “Feeling Fall” stamp set using different shades of red, green and yellow.  Marcy’s image already indicates that these cute little fall wellies are covered with a plaid pattern so I went with it!  The grand sentiment on this card is from the “Chrysanthemum XL” stamp set.

Secondly, for your card creations try adding a fun plaid patterned paper.  Since my Mom, Mary, was visiting I persuaded her to accompany me in colouring and creating a card with me.  She chose the Autumn rubber boots image so I used the same stamp in my card too (above). She chose a sentiment from the “Under Glass” stamp set for her card.

And lastly, I wanted to create my very own plaid so I chose to work with the “Snuggle Down” stamp set which has 4 plaid making stamp images in it!  Brilliant right?!?!

I used a 1” wide masking tape and taped off stripes and inked them with Distress Oxide Inks first and then I added some of the striped stamped images over top to create that final plaid detail!  So cool!  I used the “Cabbage and Kale” stamp set to finish off my card.

So the next time you need some inspiration for your cards, think about using some PLAID!

Now go forth and create!  Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!

~ Ally ~

Creative Confetti: Feeling Fall

Hello all and happiest of Tuesdays to you! Well, yesterday we ushered in the first day of Fall. So now, we can officially love all things pumpkin spice, spicy scented candles and, of course, sweater weather! In honor of this change of seasons, I thought there was no better time than now to have a kick-off celebration and use Creative Confetti to really ramp up our use of fall-themed stamps or color schemes! So, without further ado, check out this week's challenge!

HOW TO PLAY: It's just as simple as the graphic suggests, create with Fall in mind! It could be an image. It could be a color scheme. It could be using fall themed embellishments! It's just as easy as that!

On to our creations for the week!


Because this season is so beautiful, I thought I would share some fall-themed creations, not just from me but from some of the Bloomies to show you just how far you can take the challenge this week!

I absolutely love this creation from Ally Cope using Power Poppy's Fortunes of Fall  stamp set! For those digi lovers, this beautiful-for-fall stamp also comes in a digital format and it's called Maize for Days! This card is a perfect reminder to not only celebrate the season but to show some love to the shades of colored pencils that might not get a ton of use! 

Check out this masterpiece by Christine Okken, using Power Poppy's Olive and Oak digital stamp set.  I love how Christine can make any Copic creation almost have that dreamy watercolor feel. Sigh.... just too pretty!

This image above that Stacy Morgan captured so well called Fall Wellies is a heart-warming homage to autumn -- a time when we kick up our rain boots, taking a few fallen leaves with them! I adore how she not only colored up the fall leaves on the image perfectly but added a few as embellishments to boot! (pun intended).

For my creation, (which is one I actually did a while back), I chose to use just some bits of the Olive and Oak expanded stamp set.  I kept the design rather simple, letting the mix of patterns work their magic. I let the sentiment be the focal point and then adorned the die-cut and sponged panel with the cluster of leaves and acorns in this set. The Bible verse in this set is one of my absolute favorites!

Okay folks,  now it's your turn to enjoy "Feeling Fall!" Remember, after you create and play along, link up your project using the linky below so we can all see. Every entry is one more shot at a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! Woo hoo!

AND... a little teaser for you! You're going to want to check in on October 1st! Marcy will have a digital extravaganza -- releasing more fall-themed images for you to enjoy!

Also, I mentioned this last week! DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN UPCOMING CHALLENGE? Email me at juliekoerber@gmail.com and fill me in! If your idea is used, we'll honor you on our blog for the week! Now don't be shy! I can't wait to hear your ideas! We already got a couple of emails and we can't wait to share!

Until next time,

~Julie 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Inspire Me Monday: Brusho & Copic Markers

Howdy and welcome to another Inspire Me Monday!  I’m Allison Cope and I’m your hostess this week.

Today I’m going to share a fun Fall card featuring the “Chrysanthemum XL” stamp set and some Brusho and Copic Marker coloring.

So grab a mug of your favorite warm drink and join me in my craftroom!

Click here to watch in HD.

For my sentiment, I used the “Giving Thanks” from the “Fortunes of Fall” stamp set.  Here’s a look at the final card…

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you get inspired and go and create something fun this week!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Chrysanthemum XL, Fortunes of Fall)
cardstock: Strathmore (Cold Press Watercolor), Recollections (110# White)
ink: Versamark, Catherine Pooler (Peppermint Scrub), Copic Markers
dies: MFT (Stitched Rectangles), Elizabeth Crafts (Happy Birthday)
dots: Kraftin’ Kimmie (Lovey Dots)

Inspire Me Monday: Let's Add Some Shimmer!

Hey everyone!  Happy Monday!  I’m Allison Cope and for today’s Inspire Me Monday, I’m not only going to share a fun coloring tutorial but also how to add some cool shimmer to your crafty projects.

For today I’ll be using the awesome “Poppy XL” stamp and it’s coordinating die, found here.  I’m going to be coloring this stamp set’s image using ZIG Markers plus adding some cool shimmer details using some Fine Tec metallic paints.

Come and join me in my studio…

Click here to view in HD.

Here is another look at my lean card creation…

And here’s a little closer image of that fabulous glitz…

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope I’ve inspired you to pull out something glitzy from your stash!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Poppy XL)
cardstock: Bristol (Smooth), Recollections (110# White)
inks: Versafine (Black Onyx), ZIG Markers, Polychromos Pencils, Fine Tec (Metallic Paints), Versamark, Ranger Distress Oxide Inks (Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet, Candied Apple)
dies: Power Poppy (Poppy XL Dies)
other: Nuvo Crystal Drops (Ebony Black)

Inspire Me Monday: Spotlight Card Using a Back Ground Stamp

Howdy all!  Welcome to Inspire Me Monday here at Power Poppy!  I’m Allison Cope and I’m your hostess this week!

Today I thought I’d using the spotlight technique to create a card with.  All the spotlight technique is, is highlighting one spot on your card… this can be done by cutting a shape from your image and only colouring in that shape… or just colouring one object within your image… and that’s what I’m going to do today!

I’ve chosen the glorious “Big Sexy Blooms” back ground stamp to use. Since I am using a water based medium, ZIG Clean Colour Real Brush Markers, I have chosen to stamp with my Versafine “Black Onyx” ink.

I chose the one large bloom to highlight along the bottom left edge, so that the image I coloured and and popped up using foam adhesive.

I also chose to use the lovely “It’s Your Day” sentiment from the “Strong and Beautiful” stamp set to accompany my blooms.

Come and check out this really easy way to create a card…

Click here to view in HD.

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope this inspires you to pull out your back ground stamps and create a spotlight area of colour!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Big Sexy Blooms, Strong and Beautiful)
cardstock: Strathmore (Smooth Bristol White)
ink: Versafine (Black Onyx), ZIG Clean Colour Real Brush Markers
patterned paper: Pink & Main (Frosty 6x6)
dots: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps (Underwater Dots)

Inspire Me Monday: Partial Die Cutting

Howdy and Happy Monday!  I’m Allison Cope, your hostess for today’s Inspire Me Monday!

Today I’m going to pulling out the glorious “Natural Beauties” stamp set and it's coordinating dies to play with.

I decided to make my cards very clean and simple today.  Just black and beauties!

So grab a cup of your favorite cool beverage and join me at my desk…

Click here to see it in HD.

So here is the card I created on the video…

Plus I created two more cards using the exact same technique but different shapes for the window.

This card I used a semi-circle die and the second one I used a heart shaped die…

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope you’ll get a chance to make a few of these partial die cut cards for yourself!

JUST A REMINDER... the Power Poppy shop will re-open this coming Thursday!  Happy browsing!

Happy creating!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Natural Beauties)
dies: Power Poppy (Natural Beauties Dies), MFT (Stitched Arch), Simon Says Stamp (Stitched Rectangles), Hero Arts (Hearts Infinity Dies)
patterned papers: My Favorite Things (Black and White Stripes 6x6)
ink: Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps (Wicked Black)
rhinestones: Studio Katia (Star Foil Crystals)
cardstock: Recollections (White 100#)

Inspire Me Monday ~ Colouring on Coloured Paper

Happy Monday to you all!  I’m Allison Cope and I’m your hostess today for Inspire Me Monday.

Today I’m going to be heat embossing on coloured cardstock and then colouring in my images using Polychromos Pencils.  This technique is very easy and takes a relatively short time to colour.  I decided to use the beautiful “Peony Muse” stamp set for my images and then the “My English Rose” stamp set for my sentiment.

 Come and join me at my crafty desk today for a fun and easy tutorial.

Click here to see in HD.

Here’s a quick peek of the final card again…

I hope you’ve enjoyed this simply tutorial today and give a try sometime soon.  Happy creating!

~ Ally ~

Inspire Me Monday: Shrink Plastic Fun

Howdy all and Happy Monday to you!  Welcome to another fun Inspire Me Monday!  I’m Allison Cope and I’m here to have some fun today!

Stamps aren’t always used on cards… I know! Crazy idea right!!  Today I’m going to share a fun gift idea using stamps and some fun crafty products.

The products I’m using today include:

• “Wild Mushrooms” and “M-Powering Words” stamp sets
• Staz-On ink
• Mini MISTI tool
• Heat tool
• Shrink Plastic
• Copic Markers
• Hole punch

Let’s check out how it’s all done.  Join me at my crafty desk…

Click here to see in HD.

And here’s a close up of our little creations.  Aren’t they adorable??

And here’s a pic of the whole gift set; mini box, card and earrings.

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope I’ve inspired you to create something with those amazing stamps today!  Now, go get crafty!!!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Wild Mushrooms, M-Powering Words)
cardstock: Recollections (110# White), Ranger (Shrink Plastic)
inks: Staz-On (Jet Black), Versafine (Black Onyx), Copic Markers
patterned papers: MFT (Black & White Stripes 6x6)
other: Blue Moon Beads (Metal Ear Wires), Silver Craft Wire

Inspire Me Monday ~ Spring Inspired Phone Case

Hello fellow Power Poppy lovers! I’m Allison Cope, your hostess for Inspire Me Monday today.

With having such a brutally cold February and start of March here in Southern Alberta, I needed to welcome some fun and flirty Springtime blooms to my craftroom so I printed out a copy of the glorious “Magnolia Sunshine” digital image to create with today.

A little over a year ago I finally got my hands on a new clear case for my Samsung phone and made a customized decorative panel to put on it.  You can see the process of my first phone panel here.

So join me in my craftroom as I create a brand new panel to pop in and accessorize with today!

 Click here to see in HD.

Here’s another quick look at my new Spring inspired phone…

So the next time you pull out your crafty supplies, think how you might use them in your everyday life to bring light and love to yourself and others!

Hope you have an amazing week!  Now go get crafty!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Magnolia Sunshine)
cardstock: X-Press It Blending Cardstock
inks: Copic Markers

Inspire Me Monday: Faux Stained Glass & Starry Bloom

Howdy all!  Happy Monday and welcome to another fun edition of Inspire Me Monday!  I’m Allison Cope your hostess for today!

Today I’m going to be sharing how I created a fun faux stained glass card.  Some of the supplies you’re going to need for this project include:

• heavier weight cardstock
• acetate or “clear paper”
• anti-static powder tool
• embossing powder
• a window/frame type die
• no-line ink color
• and some fun coloring mediums!

Today I decided to create with our fabulous “Poppy XL” stamp set.  This stamp set includes 4 large Poppy parts to build a bouquet of your liking.  It also includes 3 special sentiments.

So grab a cuppa of something warm and join me in my craftroom!

Click to view in HD.

Here’s a quick look at all the cool aspects of the card…

Here’s the inside panel with the starry bloom.

And finally a close up of the starry bloom one more time…

For those who love to know what colors I used, here's a chart for you...

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope I’ve inspired you to create today! Have a great week everyone!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Poppy XL)
cardstock:  Recollections (White & Black 110#), My Favorite Things (Vellum), Staples (Acetate), Tim Holtz Ideology (Metallics 2)
dies: Catherine Pooler Designs (Lattice Frame), Honey Bee Stamps (Hugs Honey Cut)
inks: Ink on 3 (Fade Out), Copic Markers, Polychromos Pencils
stencil: Catherine Pooler Designs (Twisted Sunburst)
embossing powder: Stampendous! (Detail Copper)
paint: DecoArt (White Acrylic)
tool: Copic Air Brush System