Inspire Me Monday: Turnaround Stamping

Howdy and happy Monday everyone!  I'm Allison Cope and I'm your hostess this week for Inspire Me Monday. I hope you had a great weekend and took some time to create.

One my favorite parts of stamping is finding fun uses for all the smaller images surrounding the large and glorious images on a stamp set.  Sometimes I think these images are forgotten about.  So today we’re going to get lots of littles inky!

Today’s tutorial is all based around the a new stamping trend in the market, a turnabout stamp. These are large format stamps that include a variety of stamps all attached to one another and are designed to be inked up and  rotated to produce a fun back ground image.

I wanted to show you that you can create your very own version of a turnabout stamp by using a grid system and multiple smaller stamp images.

So come and join me at my crafty desk and learn about how to recreate this fun technique!  Grab a cup of your favorite warm beverage and I’ll meet you there!

Click here to see the video in HD.

This is the first turnaround back ground I stamped in my video.  I stamped all of my images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored everything in using Copic Markers.

Stamps Used: Fully Stocked (bell), Bough Wow Wow (knit snowflake), Merry Littles (Peace, mug, tree), Wreaths Plain & Fancy (reindeer), Botanical Tree (poinsettia), Artful Display (plate)

I split my large 6x6 panel into two equal sides and created these 2 cards…

Added Sentiment Used: Holly Golightly (Love * Joy * Peace to You)

Here is the second panel I stamped on the video using a variety of fun colored inks. I chose to only color in the odd item on the panel and I also added some fun Stickles for some holiday shimmer and shine.

Stamps Used: Merry Littles (bow, candy canes), Wreaths Plain & Fancy (church, Joy, Warm Thoughts), Action Santa (hillside, snowflakes), Fully Stocked (mistletoe), Bough Wow Wow (heart)

I managed to create 3 cards using this 6x6 panel as I decided to die cut some of the elements or at least use smaller pieces of the back ground on my cards.

Off camera I created this fun sentiment stamp only back ground using my grid technique.  I had a ball finding fun sentiments that fit like puzzle pieces together and using some bright festive holiday colored inks.

Stamps Used: Wreaths Plain & Fancy (Happy Holidays), Heaven & Nature Sing (Be Joyful), Botanical Tree (Peace, Merry Christmas), Action Santa (Sending a Flurry), Bottlebrush Holiday (Falalala, Warm Wishes), Cozy Cupfuls (Good Tidings), Holly Golightly (Love * Joy * Peace to You) 

I created two fun holiday cards using this sentiment panel.  I die cut some the edges into fun shapes.

Stamps Used for the Red Back Ground: Merry Littles (large poinsettia), 

Botanical Tree (small poinsettias)

I decided to keep my final panel quite simple and only use one shade of blue ink and add just a slight bit of shading using a single shade of Copic Marker.  So simple but so pretty!

Stamps Used: Artful Display (plates), Wreaths Plain & Fancy (candle),  

Action Santa (Snowflakes), Merry Littles (poinsettia), Botanical Tree (card sentiments) 

Here are the two holiday cards I created with this last panel...

I thoroughly enjoyed creating all these fun turnaround stamped back grounds for you today!  Don’t forget to try this with embossing powders too… you could get a very cool effect!  Think shiny and shimmery for the holidays.

Take a quick moment and visit my personal blog today for a fun birthday card version of this technique.  Click here!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today.  I'd love to hear what you think about this fun technique... leave me a comment! Ta ta everyone!

~ Allison Cope ~


Cardstock: Recollections (110# White), My Favorite Things (vellum) 
Patterned Paper: My Favorite Things (Painted Prints Smitten 6x6, Tiny Check Brights 6x6), Simple Stories (Very Merry 6x8), Doodlebug Designs (Frosty Friends 6x6), Crate Paper (Falala 6x6), Your Next Stamp (Winter Knits 6x6, Winter Plaid 6x6) 
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Catherine Pooler Designs (Rockin’ Red, Grass Green, Lime Rickey, Garden Party, It’s a Girl, Something Borrowed), Versamark, Copic Markers, Sakura (Pen-touch Gold, White Gel Pen) 
Dies: My Favorite Things (Stitched Rectangles STAX 2, Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges, Scalloped Ovals), Spellbinders (Curved Borders 2, A2 Scalloped Borders 1, A2 Curved Borders 1, PageMaps On the Edge), Pretty Pink Posh (Mini Tags) 
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh (Sparkling Clear 6mm, 4mm)
Embossing Powder: Stampendous! (Detail White)  
Ribbon: Offray (Thin Green)
Other: Sulky Thread (Metallic Gold), Christmas Twine (Michaels), Stickles (Star Dust)

Our May Challenge: Frame It Up!

Hello all and welcome to another fun-filled Friday here on the Power Poppy blog. Listen up peeps, we have SO much going on that we actually have TWO posts for your viewing pleasure. Why, you say? Well because today is the 5th of the month, that means that we have a brand new 'sprout' in our Instant Garden. To take a peek at what’s in store, just click HERE to see one of Marcella’s remixed illustrations, perfect for springtime cards, which you can download and color right away.

But while you're here, it's time to get your flame stoked for cardmaking in the month of May. Our latest Power & Spark Challenge is hosted by the most fab Aussie we know - Ms. Kathy Jones. 

HOW TO PLAY: This challenge is just as it sounds — it's all about FRAMES. Just hear what Kathy has to say about her challenge to us all:

“This challenge is as easy as Framing It Up! Simply frame your image on a card, decorate a frame or frame your stamped piece as a bit of home decor!”

And if you would like a little eye candy to help inspire your own work, Kathy created some charming cards to start us off. Just check out her creation below using Power Poppy’s Artful Display.  I love the pretty-in-pink accents and how sweetly all the plates and platters are framed up "just so!" ;-)

Before we move on to Friday’s especially bloom-tastic link list featuring our beloved Bloom Brigade design team, take a second to check out all the official details below and... Power Poppy has UPPED THE ANTE when it comes to the winnings for this little challenge! Now, instead of winning a stamp set, one lucky random winner will take away a...

$50 SHOPPING SPREE

AT THE POWER POPPY SHOP! 

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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
• Winner will receive a $50 SHOPPING SPREE TO 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 May 31 @ 8:00 PM EST. At that point, we’ll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday in June. 

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When we usher in a new challenge, we get to share who the lucky stamper was in our previous month’s challenge! SO MANY AWESOME ENTRIES!!! We loved seeing you all jump into April’s Pick-A-Sketch and blow your creativity to the next level.

Random.org worked its magic, spun all the numbers around in the number generating bucket and picked...

Which means our winner for April is...

*** JANINE BRAIN *** 

Check out Janine's jaunty card using Power Poppy's Easy Breezy Coneflowers digital stamp set. I love the muted colors and how she accented the background with stamped or stencilled accents plus a bit of bling as well.

Congrats Janine! Simply shoot us an email at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we'll send YOU a $50 gift code to the Power Poppy shop!  

Now, as promised, those ladies you love to visit.... THE BLOOMIES! Just click on through our linky list and see what kinds of wonderful they've been up to!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones >> stop by to see Kathy’s second card!

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

And that is it for now from us dear friends! On Monday, the fabulous Ally Cope will be in the house for another episode of Inspire Me Monday. Just to tease you, want a little sneaky peek of what she has in store?

She's got something super crafty up her sleeve this week -- playing with inks, and water and masks. That girl, I swear, she is just a creative genius.

Don’t forget to take a peek at the newest digital stamp set, debuting today, with more cards by our design team members.

Enjoy your weekend, and thank you for spending a bit of your day with us!

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

It's a Power Poppy Kind of Friday!

Hello all and happy spring to you. As I type these words, the sun is streaming in and the grass looks just a little bit greener out my window here in Montana. Yay! I hope you are all feeling the sunshine and watching those spring flowers take root and blossom -- even if it is only in your heart! 

Boy, oh boy, the talent was sure blossoming all over the web this week and we can't wait to show off just SOME of the Power Poppy goodness that we picked up on! Be ready to be wowed! Get set to be amazed! 

LET'S GET THIS POWER POPPY PARTY STARTED! 

Mindy Baxter of My Creative Scoop is sharing a gorgeous process peek of artwork she's working on for a soon-to-debut coloring class. Would you like to learn to shade and blend your Copics like THIS? Go see what Mindy’s up to with Hellebores, Power Poppy's digital set that’s long been a favorite for many. Taking your coloring to next-level realism and dimension is just a weekend away...

Stampin' Rock Star Michelle Boyer was spotted using Power Poppy's digital stamp set Cuppa Buttercups. I love the sweet simplicity of Michelle's design and all that absolutely fabulous shading! Sigh.... love.

Okay, Okay. I know I share a TON of Nancy Sturtz' stuff here on the blog. so much so, she might actually wonder if I am a stalker. (I am not Nancy, promise!) But honestly, look at this card! It is simply too sweet NOT to share. Everything about it just has a welcoming and charming vibe -- from the decorative paper to the way she so perfectly cut out those stamped and colored images,  to the alignment of all those darling dishes! If this was real life sitting area, I would have to spend an afternoon there with a cuppa somethin' good! p.s. Nancy used Artful Display by Power Poppy for this creation.

The creativity that’s happening in the card making world right now is just off the charts, and we love to see how you all are stretching yourselves. Jo Ann Danchik has come up with a personal challenge to use the same arrangement of stamps — we’re excited to see that it is our new Succulent Singles — in a series of cards, with different shades of cardstock and completely different coloring methods and color schemes. The results are absolutely breathtaking! Visit Jo Ann (@jadanchik on Instagram) to see her beautiful studies.

Need a super dose of happy? Direct your eyes above please to this colorful wonder created by Maria Sabina, who happens to hail from a small Romanian town. All I have is... WOW! Look at that no-line coloring (Maria used Inktense watercolor pencils) in so many sweet springy hues! She used Power Poppy's new clear set Peony Muse along with a few Narcissus blooms and Eucalyptus leaves from Glistening Paperwhites in such a unique way, I almost didn't recognize the stamp sets! Well done Maria, well done!

Alright -- one more for you!!!  Here's another version of no-line coloring, this time using colored pencils and Power Poppy's new set Sweet Memories. Essie's card has such a dreamy quality about it, don't you think? It's almost like those beautiful little flowers were just picked and placed so perfectly on a table, capturing the natural light just streaming over them. So sweet and beautiful!

I happen to know a few more lovely ladies who would like to share their artful endeavors with all of you! It's the Bloom Brigade and they are all on stand-by, waiting for your visit!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Before we go, have you checked out our new challenge for April?

Yours truly is the hostess and all you have to do is pick one of three sketches and then... CREATE! You can flip flop the sketch, set it on its side, use different shapes. The whole idea is to use these sketches as a launching pad! Learn more HERE and be sure to check out all the fabulous entries that have already linked up to the challenge! Of course, we would love to see YOUR take on these card layouts! ;-)

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to tune in next Monday when we'll have another Inspire Me Monday post to kick off your creative week. By the way, if you missed last Monday with Ally, hop back HERE to check it out. I can't wait to give some of her experimenting a try!

Check back at the end of the day, when Marcella will announce the winners of the two $25 shopping codes from last week’s Power Poppy/MISTI blog hop. We LOVED reading all of your comments, thank you so much for the love!

For those that celebrate this beautiful holiday, have a fabulous Easter Weekend!
Julie

Inspire Me Monday: Stamping with Water

Welcome to the Power Poppy blog! It’s Allison Cope here with another fun Inspire Me Monday!

Today we’re all about experimenting!  Yes… when you have all these fun stamps and products, sometimes you just have to experiment with them.  You know, not having a goal of an end product makes playing around with your supplies fun.

For today, I’m sharing a fun stamping with water technique.  I’m going to use a few different kinds of ink and some watercolor paper.

So grab a cuppa something fun and join me at my desk…

Watch in HD on YouTube.

For today’s experiments, here are a few close ups…

For our video panel, we used the delicate “Sweet Memories” stamp set and some cool Distress Inks…

For the above panel, I think I would have got a better image if I had allowed the water just to sit and sink into the watercolor paper.  I think the image would have been much more clear!  Live and learn I say!!!

For our cool green & blue panel, we used the fun “Succulent Singles” stamp set…

For the earthy panel, we used the whimsical “Artful Display” stamp set…

For our bright and springy panel, we used the “Burst of Kindness” stamp set…

And for our final panel, we used the amazing “Loving Tulips” stamp set.  I think this panel came out the best of the five…

Don't forget to check out the blog hop that Power Poppy has collaborated with My Sweet Petunia (maker of the MISTI tool).  Click the image below to check out the start of our fun hop... there's even a PRIZE for leaving comments for each of the designers...

Plus, don't forget to play along with the latest Power & Spark Challenge this month! It's a super fun one... three amazing sketches by the amazing talented Julie Koerber!  Click here for more details!

 Thanks for joining me today!  I hope you too get to experiment with your inks and stamping with water!  Have a great week everyone!

~ Allison Cope ~


supplies:
Paper:  Strathmore (Bristol Smooth)
Inks:  Catherine Pooler Designs (Party Dress, Flirty Fushia, Something Blue, Aquatini, Lime Rickey, Fiesta Blue), Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord), Distress Oxides (Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Faded Jeans, Peeled Paint, Wilted Violet) 
Tools:  MISTI, Mini MISTI

Spring Fling Day 4: Peony Muse and Artful Display

Hi friends! Yesterday was such a whirlwind of activity, it almost feels like a blur. We announced the winners of our jumbo stamp Giveaway (did you see who won? So fun!) along with two flower-filled stamp sets. Today we’re sharing two more sets, and we’re THISCLOSE to tomorrow’s final set and release day! 

So are you guys into decorating? Along with staring at plants, decorating is my favorite sport! I like to dream about how I’m going to decorate perhaps even more than the physical act of decorating. Paging through magazines voraciously, stopping, staring, dreaming, planning... and sometimes actually following through to bring the beauty I see in magazines into our home. Here are photos of a few spaces in our house that make me happy. You may notice a theme... check out the walls for groupings of objects. We’ll return to that topic shortly...

Our “entryway” — or more aptly called “the stuff you see when you walk in the door that’s behind the couch”. Often piled with backpacks, musical instruments, soccer bags, shoes, rollerblades, you get the picture. Where are they in the above photo? Why, I shoved them into the area behind me to take this nice photo. Because I wanted you to look at the grouping of the frames and plates on the wall. Aren’t they fun? This scene is composed of framed images that all have meaning to me: a Majolica asparagus plate given to me by my mom years ago, a framed print of seashells (again from my mom, boy was her decorating game strong!), an old French lithograph from a chair catalog that I picked up on Portobello Road in London over 20 years ago, and on the bottom row, a very cool photo of my Auntie Bea when she was a child in Poplar Bluff, MO, and a vintage plate from my Grandma Bonnie. 

In this entry area, all of the objects have a color theme of brown, cream, and turquoise — and the various shapes of the items make them all work together. Yay!

Next up is this shot from my living room leading in to our dining room. Old plates and vintage Minton tiles arch their way up the wall, and when I walk under it, I feel so happy. The colors of the objects all have that turquoise theme, but on this wall, things also have a bit of green or yellow. I purposely looked for items with turquoise accents any time I was out bebopping around antiques shops or trolling eBay. Note that we have another grouping of art and plates in the dining room. Clusters of visual beauty with colors that complement and shapes that aren’t exactly alike, but echo one another as you move room to room. And yes, we currently have an old sofa in the dining room... it’s a long story.

Hey look, more plates and framed antique-y stuff! The oyster plate up top is one of my favorite things in the house. Each oyster-cradle looks as if it’s been edged in a gilded blanket stitch. I don’t like oysters but I LOVE oyster plates!

From the dining room into the sunroom (psst... it is no longer a sunroom; last year we transformed it into a bedroom for one of our four kids). But still, check out deez plates and platters and frames! A collection of vintage lemon juicers, Portmerion botanical plates, and framed vintage prints makes my heart sing.

Upstairs in my refreshed office space, and look, more stacks of cute stuff. I haven’t finished putting up the artwork on the walls, but you can pretty much rest assured that there are going to be framed images and plates! It’s just so fun to arrange them in all different ways.

One thing I wanted you to gaze upon... do you see the doggie in the window? I mean, doggie on the shelf? That guy is a Staffordshire spaniel from the late 1800s, part of a pair (the other one is downstairs manning another vignette somewhere). These pottery figurines have been collectible for years, and my Grandmother Dorothy was a dealer of English antiques, so I inherited some doggies from her. They are quirky but eternally cool. My mother also gave me a set of Staffordshire dogs that I cherish, ones she bought at auction when she and my dad were first married. You’ve got to do a Google image search to see all of the interesting variations!

So.... was that enough decorating for you? Are you ready for something crazy? I have brought my obsession with creating arrangements of plates and artful objects into the stamping realm. Introducing: Artful Display.

The stamps in this set are like what you’d find after a day of thrift store shopping or a lucky binge at an estate sale — all the makings for fanciful cards that will delight you AND the person who gets your card. I know if I received a papercrafted treat with decoratively arranged plates, I would think to myself, “The person who sent this is quite possibly the coolest person ever.” 

Wait till you see the Bloomies’ cards!!!! You may have seen them already since I’m a a few hours late posting this blog. :) 

On to the next stamp set preview. Is it fair to say that this one ALSO tugs at my ever-lovin’ heartstrings? Yep. Due to this simple fact: I. LOVE. PEONIES.

They’re the best, no need to debate it. Above is a handful of ’em from my garden, featuring such cultivars as ‘Do Tell’, ‘Lights Out’, ‘Coral Charm’, and ‘Sarah Bernhardt’. (That sweet white plant dotting the background is Anemone canadensis, also called windflower, which I willfully allow to roam all over my yard as you can see...)

So I already have a few digital and clear stamp sets featuring Peonies. Why another one? Well, folks, because this time, I went BIG. Also, you can never, ever, ever, EVER have enough Peonies. Introducing Peony Muse...!!

Composed of two lush peonies in various phases of opening, plus a tight bud, leaf clusters, and hand-drawn sentiments offering love, light, and prayers, this set is really pretty great. You can create a whole hedge of peonies or just a single focal point. I confess to playing with these for a few hours just trying different combinations.

And.... IT HAS COORDINATING DIES!! They'll be in the shop by early next week. Happy dance, anyone?

I’ve gone on talking for WAY too long... and what I REALLY want you to see are the cards made by my artistic, adorable, highly imaginative design team, the BLOOM BRIGADE! Popping from blog to blog seeing their work is truly one of the highlights of my life — it’s a thrill to see what they do with a humble drawing to turn it into a card-sized masterpiece. Go girls, go!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Awrighty.... tomorrow, the final reveal (which many of you have already pre-ordered, tee-hee) and ALL the sets will be available for purchase! Be sure to wait till tomorrow, because we just might be having a special offer so you can save if you buy multiple sets.... :)

P.S.: Today is last day you can get in on the Kit and Clowder Online Coloring Class featuring Power Poppy. I have literally seen peoples’ coloring ability get turned on their heads — AMP UP your skills! Alyce has all kinds of package discounts and I can guarantee, you will love the feeling of community and support offered by the other students, the “Clowdies” - so cute! Visit their Facebook Group to check out some of the results of taking the class. You’ll freak out, and then realize that you could take this class and draw in this style, too. Why not? Once you sign up, you can take the class whenever you want. Just have to sign up by March 15 (which is actually March 14 in the US, Alyce is based in Australia. Oi Oi Oi)

Sending out LOVE and good vibes to you today!