Inspire Me Monday - Mixed Media

Hello Everyone! How are you today? I am back for another Inspire Me Monday installment. My name is Kathy Racoosin and I am always delighted to be back on the Power Poppy blog. 

I am not sure if you have heard of "The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge". If you have heard about it .... a big yah hoo from me lol. If you haven't you can click here for more info.  This current challenge is right in the middle of the 30 days and it's a great time to jump in and give it a try. 

One of the great things about the challenge is that there isn't that "pressure" to finish a card and to color just for the joy of coloring. That brings me to today ... I have been gone since Wednesday and have been coloring on the road. Usually it's not a challenge for me but, I have been finding myself with dark hotel rooms & barley a surface to create on. 

We just got home late Sunday night and I scattered my packed supplies on the kitchen table to do this post. (I usually always pack some Zig watercolor markers, a few stamps, ink, paper, sharpie, gel pen & colored pencils.)

I find it easier to start with the background. (The lily was stamped with Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink on Tim Holtz watercolor paper) 

First I scribble the marker around a portion of the flower then ...

 I wet my brush and paper to pull the color down working in sections on my paper. This jumbo Tiger Lily has always been a favorite of mine and it's fantastic to stamp and make shaped cards like I did in this post. 

Pink was my choice to start with ... so I added a purple watercolor marker to the Tiger Lily trying to keep some white areas on each petal. (the other lily's I will finish on another day)

To be honest this is looking flat without any pizazz don't you think? It's ok to be honest because I happen to agree with you. This is where the mixed media comes into play. 

Mixing different mediums on your coloring adds so much in my book. Doing this adds interest plus dimension with only three essential tools ... a white gel pen, a fine tip sharpie marker & a black colored pencil. 

 I like to point out that you don't need to know where the light source is coming from (unless that's important to you) I have heard many times that so many of you worry about the light source and where to place the darker areas on your images. You can still get dimension and interest with no stress.

 Adding some shading with a black pencil to the lines that intersect ... will really enhance your coloring with barely any effort I promise. I like to refer to this as coloring the "nooks and crannies"  The petals with the arrows are the areas that I darkened with the black pencil using a light hand and not pressing hard with my pencil. 

 


I thought a side by side might be helpful to see the difference and how adding few touches to your coloring makes a difference.

Pick up some pencils and a white gel pen to add a few highlights and see how it works for you. Thanks for your visit to day and I hope to see what you are coloring during the challenge. If you are sharing use the hashtag #thedailymarker30day so I can find your work on IG. Click here to find other ways to share. Have a great start to your week!

Hugs, Kathy

A Special Note from Marcella... 

I am offering the Tiger Lily XL for $13.99 this week only! SAVE $4 OFF RETAIL

And...

Use code 30DAYCOLORING during your checkout at powerpoppy.com to receive 30% OFF all digital stamp sets — now through the end of the Daily Marker Coloring Challenge!

POPPING with Color!

Hello Peeps! And.... welcome to one of the most colorful places on the blog-o-sphere! It's Tuesday, which means we tip our hat to a whole new host of colors to satisfy your creative palette. This one is rich in earthy colors crafted by the hands of Mother Nature. Shall we get to it then?

I have to admit, I had fun naming this trio! How about a little Sun-kissed Coral? A dash of Silver Sage? And, for an accent pop, a bit of Dandelion Dream? This little beauty above with the oh-so-pretty "face" is another one of the massive hits from Marcella's trip to the "Idea Garden" in Illinois. If you missed reading up on this fabulous place, jump back to THIS Hues to Use to see a little bit of the back story. As for this little precious-petalled plant, it's called a Grecian Rose and in the words of Marce, "What a great looking plant!" I couldn't agree more and that's why I thought it would make the perfect centerpiece for this week's Hues to Use! 

On to my creation!

First up, I have to apologize for the photo above. If you look at the color combos picked and my card you might say... What? Trust me -- the card isn't pink, blue and yellow, it is coral, sage and dandelion! For some reason, every time I tried to take a pic, it was the wrong natural light. Color correct can only go so far before your creation looks a bit "alien!"

Moving on! I wanted to use this sweet set -- Poppies -- for my creation because I just thought it worked so well with the color combo. But, I knew I didn't have the time to full out color this image this week. My life took a trip to Crazy Town and my stamping is moving more to the simple side these days.

So, I picked some fun decorative papers and decided to stamp and add a little color right to the paper! I stamped the poppy image in Rosebud Memento Ink and then accented with just a few Copic Markers -- YG91, G20, Y13, Y35, R32 and R20. When I was just adding a blush of color, I accented the center of my flowers with a wee bit of white gel pen. See?

From there, I picked a coordinating strip of decorative paper to bring out more of that golden shade, added a little texture thanks to a super fun Stampin' Up embossing folder and then, because of a stamping gaffe, I added the pennant style sentiment strip. Gaffe, you say? Yes.... tried to stamp the sentiment on the actual decorative paper piece and, well, let's say the desired result was less than ideal. Apparently, I "under impressed" and missed half the "hello." I really didn't want someone to get a card that said, "Popping in to say hell...." Yes, not ideal.

So peeps, there you have it -- a sunny, fun, and cheery creation that I will now POP in the mail! I am more than overdue on some snail mail correspondence!

What will you create with Sun-kissed Coral, Silver Sage and Dandelion Dream? I. Cannot. Wait. To. See!!!!

Remember, if you play along, you could be one of our guest stars of this column in upcoming weeks! 

To get on our radar, simply play along! We want to see you ROCK these color combos and inspire the pants off us! (No, not literally, that would not be pretty.) All you have to do is use the color combos, and then link up your creation below! If chosen, we'll share the color combo for your hosting week, gift you with a digital stamp set of your choice and then, you go to town creating! What fun! You get to inspire fellow creative peeps and get some fun little bennies too! 

So, what are you waiting for? Let's see you use this tantalizing trio to make something fabulous!

See you back here real soon!

~Julie 

An InLinkz Link-up

Black, White & Read All Over!

Hey Peeps! It's Tuesday, which means your crazy color combo creator is here to share a vivid trio of hues in the hope that it might just jumpstart YOUR creativity. I feel that -- with a little juggling of those hot spots on the color wheel --- this challenge might get you to pick up some combinations that you might not normally reach for! And getting out of your comfort zone is frankly... a GOOD thing! Right? I mean, it grows synapsies in the brain when we go outside our zone!  

So, without further ado, welcome to this week's......

Today's little inspiration point is one that's super close to our creatively fearless leader's heart. Yes, that would be Ms. Marcella!! Anyone who knew her amazing, artful, creative, joyful, exuberant, charismatic, and endearing mama --- Susan -- knew that she loved her New York Times crossword puzzles. As Marce says, she "loved to work them, excelled at completing them, and delighted in triumphing over every single square." So, when I spotted this photo below on Marcy's IG feed, I knew we had to make it the centerpiece of a Hues to Use Challenge. This is a photo of Marcy remembering her mama and rising to the crossword of all crossword challenges in honor of this special lady. On top of that, who doesn't love a good, vibrant, and "contrasty" combo of pitch black, alabaster white and cardinal red? 

On to my creation! Not too long ago, I was walking around my neighborhood and spotted the most beautiful red azalea bush in full bloom. Honestly, living in the colder climate that I do (Montana), I didn't think we could grow azaleas. So this, my friends, was a bit of additional inspiration for my Hues to Use project for the week. Take a gander at this beauty, will you? This isn't my neighbor's plant but it looks just as vivid and lush! 

Source

 And so, after gazing on these rich red blossoms, this is what I came up with! 

I started with Power Poppy's stamp set Azalea, stamped it in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and then, grabbed these Copic marker colors to get started!

I have to admit, coloring in shades of red is NOT my strong suit. Soooo....this was more than just a color challenge for me. It was an out and out challenge. Red has, in fact, always been the trickiest color for me. That's why I just breathed in the photo above before I even got started -- just to try to plan my color attack. I will say that I started dark to light with this one so that I could try to better control where the dark shades went. And this was the result.....

While it wasn't easy for me. I am rather pleased with how the coloring turned out! I actually might not shudder in my shoes next time I decide to go red! Moving on from there, it was all about the fussy cutting and matting. I grabbed bits and pieces from my decorative paper stash. Some of the paper is from My Mind's Eye. Some is from Stampin' Up. All of it is forever old! So, I was glad to be able to put some of these papers to good use! And that, my friends, is it!

BEFORE I LET YOU GO, I HAVE SOME 

EXCITING NEWS! 

Now, don't all raise your hands at once (even though I know you will want to) but.....

1. Who would love to be able to design with some of the prettiest stamp images on the market?

2. Who would love to headline one of the most creative blogs in the stamping universe? Do I have your attention yet? ;-)

If you answered YES to those questions, we'd like to see you play along in our Hues to Use all month long! At the end of the month -- starting in July -- you just might earn a spot here on the Power Poppy blog as one of our Hues to Use guest designers! Can you even stand it? How fun does that sound? So, get those fingers inky and take these Hues to Use for a test drive. We'll be watching and looking to see who might like to help us host this fun-filled challenge! Meantime, I can't wait to see how you put cardinal red, pitch black and alabaster white into creative play! 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Buzzin' With Color!

Hi all! Are you ready for another trio of colors designed to inspire and give you a creative kickstart when popping in to make a card? Well, you've come to the right place! It's Tuesday, which means it's time for another edition of......

Imagine Marcella knowing where a garden sprouting with ideas might exist just like this one -- a whimsical wonder! This one is tucked away near the University of Illinois and is an "Idea Garden" full of the skilled handiwork of the Master Gardeners of Champaign County. It's a spot, they say, that's a "delightful place to walk, get ideas for your own garden, or just to relax in the gazebo with a friend." Ahh.... what a lush and colorful delight for the eyes! Breathe it in people! When Marcella shared this sweet photo on Intsagram, her eyes locked on those beautiful purple puffs that just appeared to stand at attention and said, "Ever-charming Allium Lollipops -- always stealing the show!" And, she's right! So, this is how our color palette sprouted with shades of vibrant violet, weathered grey, and leafy green. See? 

This is how my creation began! I used Power Poppy's Asters Abuzz digital stamp set and colored it up with my Copic markers using a mix of leafy greens in G21, G24, G28, YG00, a bit of vibrant violet using V00, V01, V04 and V06, and the grey, I saved for my card layout. You can see I used some light blue Copic markers to add some pop and fizz with some stippled accents! 

So, I have a confession to make. It's actually a tragedy to share! :-( So, I colored up this image above and decided that I needed to cut out this image with a die cut circle. So, I put my little image in my Spellbinders "sandwich" and started cranking! Well, when I opened it all up, I didn't see the die that had been stuck to the other side of my die machine plate. OH. MY. GOSH!

THERE WAS A SCALLOPED EDGE DIE THAT CUT OFF THE TOP PART OF MY IMAGE! Ohhhhhhhh NooooooOOooOOOoooo! 

So, instead of throwing away my colored up and cut up image, I decided to make lemonade out of lemons! After staring at it for what seemed like an eternity, I decided the only thing I could do was to cut it up further with a 1-1/4" circle punch. So, with one eye closed, I worked to "save" what was left!

And this is what I came up with!

I have to admit, It was tough "recovering" from my mishap! HA! But, I actually do love how this turned out and made the image more of an accent to the sentiment than the other way around. 

Here's a closeup of those little fuzzy bumbles....

And, did you notice that my card is two-fold? This little creation also could be in the running for this little challenge!

So, my sweet stamping friends, now you have TWO ways to challenge yourself this week! Hues to Use.... and this month's Power & Spark Junebug Challenge, which urges you to add a little bug to your card or creation!

Thanks for stopping by my friends! I'd love to see you put vibrant violet, weathered grey and leafy green to the test! When you do, make sure to link up your creation below! I cannot wait to see what you come up with! Seeing you share your creative endeavors makes my heart smile! ;-)

Have a fabulous rest of your week creative peeps!
~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Berry-licious!

Hello all and welcome to another edition of....

Today's little color exploration features a favorite of Ms. Marcella's! Just set your sights on this little firecracker on two wheels below!

If you didn't know it, Marcella's beau, Doug, loves to fix up vintage bikes. If you scroll through Marce's Ista-stream, man-oh-man you see the passion those two have -- and the soirees that they organize -- all for the love of the vintage bike! So, I thought it especially fitting since Marce just celebrated a birthday yesterday (she's not 46 -- she's forty-sassy!), that we'd honor this little number in this week's Hues to Use! Check-check-check-ity it out! So grab those shades of firecracker red, electric yellow and go-go green --- and get to creating!

On to my creation! Okay, I have a confession to make! When summer rolls around, my family literally hits the road following my daughter's softball team all over the place! Recently we were in Steamboat Springs, CO., which meant, I was hundreds of miles from my craft room! So, sweet stamping friends, I just had time to color up, but not make a card with, some Juicy Strawberries!  

Just in case you wondered, I grabbed my Copic markers for this little number and reached for YG03, YG17 and YG67 for the go-go greens! I used Y13 and Y35 for the electric yellows and then reached for R20, R32, R27 and R29 for the firecracker red strawberries! As you can see, I accented with some white gel pen and then highlighted my image with Y00 and YG0000 just to add a bit of glow!

Now, if you want to see these lush berries taking center stage on a card, all you need to do is check back to my blog HERE on Friday when I finish it up and post with the Bloomies! ;-)

Until then, let's see where this trio of colors takes you? Is it around the bend looking for adventure? Or, is it more like a peaceful, easy Sunday drive through the rolling hills? Take this challenge for a spin and.... then link up your creation below!

See you back here soon!
~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Inspire Me Monday - Loose watercoloring

Hello Friends, How was your weekend? My name is Kathy Racoosin and I am always delighted to guest for Power Poppy's Inspire Me Monday.

At the beginning of the month you might have seen that Power Poppy was in a blog hop for "The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge" If you are taking the challenge it's Day 20 . If you have been curious about the challenge and wondering if you want to give it a try .... feel free to jump in.

The great thing about a coloring challenge is it's more about coloring than card making. It's nice to have permission to not make a card and just color for the pure joy of it. For my project today I thought I would share some easy and relaxing watercoloring with distress inks. 

When you love every image in a stamp set like this "Succulent Singles" it's fun to use most of the stamps in the set by creating fun backgrounds. 

For this background I arranged the stamps in the center of the misti and rotated my card so I didn't have to keep moving the stamps. I was thrilled that my paper hanging off the edge worked. Whew!

My favorite backgrounds are one single image in a vertical row. In case you are wondering what ink I used ... let's just say next time I will use distress ink to stamp my images. 

Time only permitted to paint two of the backgrounds. I taped them off with some 3m painters tape because I wanted a boarder of white along the edges plus the tape holds them in place. 

I painted stripes in two shades of purple distress ink with a broad brush FIRST. Once the stripes were dry I painted with a variety of green distress ink on the succulents. It was nice to have a colorful background and not worry about painting around the images. 

The parts of the succulents that had purple from the stripes were easy to paint over and gave the images more of a color range. 

When everything was dry I used some glossy accents to glue them down on some green cardstock. (after glueing I stick the panel in a book so it will dry super flat)

The sentiment is from this beautiful stamp set called, "Loving Tulips" & I stamped the large hello with some black ink.

I hope you give this technique a try ... it's fun to try something different and it's great not to spend a lot of time painting a background. Thanks for your visit today and have a great week. Hugs, Kathy