The Last Bit of Vibes for 2018!

Hi-dee Ho Sweet Power Poppy Fans! It's Friday and I have to tell you, it's been a few weeks since we've thrown a handful of good vibes your way. So, I think I know the answer to the question, "Are you ready?" I know I am! Did you have a beautiful holiday and are you looking forward to ringing in the New Year? At Power Poppy, we sure are! And so, let's throw this last little bit of eye candy your way for 2018 to inspire you all as we step into a brand new calendar full of creativity!

1. Candy Crush! This creation by Lori Johnson took my breath away. I mean, come on! Look at the depth she created in this little duo of candy canes? And that plaid on the bow? I mean, really! Lori, you killed it girl! If you want to give this illustration a try with your own special twist of artistry, all you need to do is click HERE to pick up and download your own Candy Cane Classic! Christmas might be over but Candy Canes are always en vogue! ;-)

2. For the Love of Foil! Kelly Rix just discovered a wonder with digi stamps and we thought her results were so awesome, we had to share! Check out THIS creation! She used the Chickadee in Barberry digital stamp and discovered that if you print using a laser printer -- you can foil it! Just in case you want to get in the know on this fabulous technique, click HERE for a whole slew of tutorials on the Power Poppy blog about adding a splash of foil a.k.a. razzle dazzle to your cards and creations!

3. An Attitude of Gratitude This time of year it seems we need an abundance of "thank you" notes to have on hand. While Kathy Jones created this thank you for the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day -- a day to reflect on the sacrifice of so many called to fight for their countries -- I thought her design was so classic and beautiful. I love the stenciled backdrop and who doesn't just find their jaws dropping with Kathy's Copic coloring? I thought it was a great bit of inspiration for the sea of thank you notes that, if you're anything like me, probably need to start making soon!

4. Fur Real! A few weeks ago, we shared some well wishes for the talented Ms. Amy Shulke, who is recovering from an arm injury. It was so bad, it sidelined her online classes for a bit! We hope she's feeling better! Thankfully, her next class is on the calendar for January 18th.You can check it out HERE using Power Poppy's digital stamp Christmas Corgi and learn some mad skills on how to color up animal fur. If you can't make the class, Amy has some AMAZING tips on how to color animals realistically in her blog post HERE. She also kindly tells us all what to look for in an animal stamp, before we buy, to get the best possible coloring results!

5. Thanks for the 2018 Memories! I know I speak for Marcella when I say "Thank You!" to all of our fabulous Power Poppy Customers. You wow us on a regular basis with the things you do with Marcella's images. I know for a fact, she is 100% giddy whenever she sees your creative takes on things! We want to thank you, our wonderful customers for making this year --- and every year for that matter -- so fulfilling for all of us! Cheers to you in 2019! We can't wait to see the creative boundaries you'll break through this coming year! Can't wait!

This is normally part of the post where I share some of the wonderful links to our beloved Bloomies so that they can show off their works of art that they whipped up during the week. I am so glad to be able to say that they are taking some time off to be with loved ones and make some memories! They will all be back soon! Promise! Just so you know -- Inspire Me Monday is taking a creative hiatus until the first full week of January and our Creative Confetti Challenge will be back January 8th! So hold tight and know we....

WISH YOU A WONDERFULLY HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Until we meet again in 2019! Blessings to you and yours!
~Julie 

Holiday Day 7: Tweet Tidings

Yikes, we’re already on Day 7 of previews, how did that happen?? Happiest Holiday 2017 is rolling right along, chirping a merry tune, and ready to show you today’s clear stamp set..

So... more than a few little birdies have told me that our Chickadee in Barberry digital design should come out as a clear stamp. What a wonderful idea! This rather simple and lovely image is one you don’t have to spend hours working with to get an elegant holiday or wintertime card. As I reworked the bird/branch image to bring him out in clear, our Bloomie Allison Cope suggested that we add a little “friend” to the set. Marvelous suggestion, dear Ally.

What happens when two little birdies hang out in the Barberry bushes?

I aimed to find out the answer to this daunting and highly serious question! Do I add a birdie to the same branch as the original design? Are they sweethearts or friends? Do I have the second chickadee just sitting on the ground? Is he flying by with a holiday Hi? What would be the best way to draw a bird that could hold his own, and yet also integrate with the other chickadee, to be usable in multiple configurations? 

Tweet Tidings is what I came up with, and I am very pleased with the results, hope you are too!

Check out the little Chickadee buddies — they are separate stamps that can be used together or on their own. In Tweet Tidings, we’ve added a plethora of new sentiments to this set that are some of my favorites of any I’ve offered, with that hand-wrought look that we love (not by my hand, but by another talented typographer). Several of the sentiments were provided by Miss Ally Cope—she is so brilliant and clever!—with themes that can be used all year long. Music notes help add to the whimsy and can be used with our other bird-themed sets like Heaven and Nature Sing.

You must spend a few moments with the new cards by these sweet Bloomies featuring Tweet Tidings:

Allison Cope

Julie Koerber

To see a BROAD RANGE of highly creative cards made by the Instant Gardeners and Bloom Brigade designers using the main large image from Chickadee in Barberry, be sure to visit THIS PAGE.

See you back here on Monday for our very last stamp set of the new collection... warning, it’s a really good one. As in, OMGeeeeeeee!!!

Inspire Me Monday: Fussy Cutting Digital Images with your Silhouette Cameo

Hey Power Poppy fans! It's Nancy Sheads here with another fun Inspire Me Monday.

I'm here today with a tutorial on using your Silhouette Cameo to fussy cut a digital image. OK - I realize that for some of you, it's probably just as easy to fussy cut an image with a pair of scissors. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people - my edges are always ragged and frankly, I just don't enjoy the process. So my solution was to figure out how to use my Silhouette Cameo to do the heavy lifting for me. 

Here's an example of the Chickadee in Barberry digital stamp that I fussy cut using my Cameo.

Yep - I know it's only May and I'm showing you a holiday card, but aren't you just wowed with the level of detail that you can achieve by using a cutting machine? When I saw this image, I knew that I wanted to overlay it on top of a patterned cardstock to make it stand out and to give the card dimension. However, I’m notoriously bad at fussy cutting an image so I used my Silhouette to trace and detach the image from the background. It's a small cheat that saved my sanity, but then this versatility is the advantage of using digital stamp sets.

So how’s it done?

First of all, if you are just starting out using digital images, be sure you take a look at Julie Koerber's blog post I Just Bought a Digital Stamp ... Now What?? and then when you are ready, take a look at the step-by-step directions below to make your Silhouette do the work for you. I've made the assumption that your Silhouette is just out of the box so I've provided a lot of detail below. If you are more experienced, skip down to the section that you need.

BEFORE YOU START

Please note that these instructions were developed based upon the Windows version of Silhouette Studio which you can download HERE. The MAC version should have the same functionality, but the screens may have a different appearance. You may need to update your software to the latest version of Silhouette Studio. If you are unsure which version you have, click on the Help tab at the top of the screen. Select “About Silhouette Studio” from the menu. A new screen will appear with the version information.

IMPORT AN IMAGE TO SILHOUETTE STUDIO

To start, you will need to import your image to your Silhouette library, if you haven't already done so. If you are not sure, click on the Show Library icon on the left side of your screen. Your library will appear and you can check to see if you previously imported your image. If your image is available, you can skip to the next section. If not, follow the directions below to import an image to your library.

Select the File tab at the top of the screen and select "Library -> Import to Library" from the menu. Navigate to and select the desired image and click on the OK button. 

The newly imported image will be highlighted in your library.

OPENING AN IMAGE IN YOUR WORKSPACE

Go to your user library and double click on the image you want to work on. The image will appear in your workspace. Your image may appear oversize and cover your workspace. You can resize the image as desired by clicking on the image to select it and dragging a corner inward to resize as desired. Since Silhouette Studio includes basic image editing tools, you can also rotate your image, erase portions of it, add text to it or modify it in other ways. Explore the tool icons at the top of the screen or check the Silhouette website for information on the editing features.

TRACING AN IMAGE

We need to trace the image to remove the image background. The tracing function is used to define the shape of the image minus the white or transparent background of the image. Open the Trace window by selecting the Trace icon on the upper toolbar.

The Trace window will appear on the right side of your screen, displaying all the trace options. To start, click on "Select Trace Area."

Using your cursor, draw a box around the area of the image you want to trace. The lines in your image will be highlighted in yellow.

In the Trace window, uncheck the High Pass Filter and check the Low Pass Filter. Adjust the Threshold setting until all the lines of in your image are clearly and thoroughly highlighted in yellow. You want to make sure that the outer line of the image is completely highlighted and unbroken. In the Trace window, select "Trace and Detach."

If you move your image off the workspace, you'll see that the background has been cleanly removed from the image. If this is not the case, you'll need to reopen the image and experiment with the Threshold setting (and possibly the Value and Scale settings) until you get the desired result.

SAVE YOUR WORK! Select the Save icon on the toolbar at the top left of your screen. Navigate to the location where you want to store your Studio projects and save the Studio file.

ADD CUT LINES TO YOUR TRACED IMAGE
Open the Cut Settings window by selecting the Cut Settings icon on the upper toolbar. 

Make sure that your traced image is located on your workspace. Click the image to select it. In the Cut Settings window, select "Cut Edge" to set the cut style for the shape.

Your traced image will be outlined in red to show the expected cut line. If the line is not smooth and continuous, you may need to retrace the image.

ADDING REGISTRATION MARKS & PRINTING THE IMAGE

Before you can cut your image, you need to add registration makes and print your image to onto your cardstock. The registration lines are important because they clue your Silhouette where your image is printed on the paper and where the cut lines are located. You need to add registration marks BEFORE you print the image. To add registration marks:

Make sure that your image is on your workspace (at this point it should already be sized, rotated, etc. exactly as you want it to appear). Open the Registration Marks window by selecting the Registration icon on the upper toolbar. The Registration Window will open.

Select the style based on the type of Silhouette you are using. For this example, the style is set for the Cameo Portrait. 

Once you select the style, you will see the registration marks appear in the corners. You can adjust the length, thickness, and insets in the Registration Marks window. Usually, the default settings are sufficient. You can also cut more than one image (either the same or different image) at the same time by copying it to your workspace. Make sure that your images are within the boundaries of the registration marks.

Print your image. The registration marks will appear on your paper.

CUTTING THE IMAGE
Once your page has printed, line it up on your Silhouette cutting mat, matching the registration marks on the paper with those on the cutting mat. Load your mat into the Silhouette, lining up the left edge of the mat with the second edge guide on the machine and press the forward feed button. From your computer, select the open the Cut Settings window by selecting the Cut Settings icon on the upper toolbar.

If you haven’t already done so, select the paper from the material type settings. When you select a material type, the suggested blade setting will appear below. Make sure the setting on your ratchet blade matches the number shown in the settings. Click the “Send to Silhouette” button. The Silhouette will attempt to read the registration marks. If read successfully, the Silhouette will start cutting.

Sometimes the Silhouette is unable to properly read the registration marks. If that occurs, see https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/printer-friendly/faq/registration-mark-reading-or-print-cut-misalignment-issue for troubleshooting tips.

HINT: Cut the image first and then color just in case your Silhouette misreads the registration lines and cuts across your painstakingly colored image. Don't ask me how I know this.

OK - I provided A LOT of detail, but it's really not so complicated! And look at the fabulous results! Hope I've inspired you and let us know how you use your cutting machine with your Power Poppy images.

Hope we see you back here soon!

~ Nancy

Inspire Me Monday: Paper Piecing with Digital Stamps

Welcome to another fabulous Inspire Me Monday!  I'm Allison Cope and I'm your hostess this week.

I don't know about you but when I first started creating with digital images I did a lot of experimental printing of them.  I wanted to see how they would print using my inkjet versus my laser printer and how the quality would turn out.  So after much experimenting, I decided to go a little bit further.  I decided I wanted to experiment with printing my images out on patterned paper.  After all, I LOVE to paper piece so I figured if I could do it with a regular stamped image, then I surely could do it with a digital image.

So after testing non-permanent adhesives and different thicknesses of patterned paper products, I learned a few things.  So today, that's what I'm here to do... teach you some tips and tricks to paper piecing with digital images!

I'm going to be showcasing a very dear to my heart image today, the "Chickadee in Barberry".  It holds a special place in my heart as it reminds me of my childhood home all nestled in the maple bush in Ontario where we would have Chickadees, among other birds, visit our bird feeders all winter long. They were so fun to watch!

So grab your favorite beverage and join me in my craftroom today for a fun adventure...

View in HD here.

And another quick look at my final card...

To add a quick sentiment to my card, I used the beautiful new holiday clear stamp set "Simple Joys" to add that finishing touch.

I'd love to hear what you think of my tutorial and I'd love to know if you'd attempt digital paper piecing yourself the next time you create with digital stamps.

Thanks for joining me this week!  I hope you have a great week and have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

Happy printing, cutting and creating!

~ Ally ~ 


Supplies:
stamps: Power Poppy (Chickadee in Barberry, Simple Joys)
cardstock:  Recollections (110# White)
patterned papers: Lili of the Valley (Snow Princess 8x8), Lawn Fawn (Peace Joy Love 6x6)
dies: SugarPea Designs (Stitched Flags), MFT (Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges)
corner punch:  EK Success
ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
other: Marvy Uchida (Liquid Applique)

Instant Garden Introduction for October: Chickadee in Barberry

May we interrupt your regularly scheduled seasonal celebrations (all things autumn, pumpkins, costumes and candy corn) for a quick peek into winter? We want to give you a jumpstart on your holiday projects and so, for the next several days we’re going deep into Christmas card territory here at Power Poppy.

I hope that transitioning into winter territory is a little softer when it’s accompanied by a sweet little chickadee chillin’ in the shrubbery! This new illustration, Chickadee in Barberry, is available as a digital download that you can pop over and grab right away. It comes with not one, not two, but FOUR sentiments using very sweet typography and even sweeter messages.

Inspired by the wintery scenes looking out the window into my garden, where I can see my special Barberry (Berberis is the botanical name) called ‘Pee Wee’ go through its brilliant fall color, develop adorable dangling berries, and delight the birdies come winter. Check out this snowy cacophony from a few years ago! The Barberry is over on the left, and its branches were so heavy with snow, it’s looking a bit out of sorts.

Now, of course YOU can color up this branch any way you please, in fact, I love to see folks take my artwork and try new colors, whether they be impossible to be found in nature or if they mimic another similar plant. Isn’t that the fun of creativity, to just do whatcha want?

Speaking of doing what you want creativity, I can’t WAIT for you to see the cards created by the magnificent Instant Gardener team. Their birds are each so sweetly shaded, their snowy branches and berries each colored in uniquely — there is so much here to inspire! Come and see...

Debbie Olson

Cheryl Scrivens

Barbara Walker

Nancy Sheads

Jennifer Dove

Broni Holcombe

Hop on back to PowerPoppy.com to pick up a Chickadee for yourself, and get started on those holiday or winter-themed cards. The sentiments allow for all kinds of friendly expressions, they aren’t limited to Christmas, so you can get lots of use out of this digital set!

And folks.... TOMORROW we’ll start previewing the Happiest Holiday 2016 clear collection. I really cannot wait to start revealing glimpses into what you can make with these special new offerings.