Inspire Me Monday - Thinking of Spring!

 

Hello, Power Poppy Fans! It is my turn again to bring you the Inspire Me Monday project. I continue to be plagued with migraines, exhaustion, and joint pain. I appreciate everyone who has prayed for me over the past months! It is so frustrating and debilitating! I have been trying to do EVERYTHING on my good days, which is not that...well that good for me! 

Now, what an uninspiring opening! However, I know that many of you are also battling "stuff" right now, and you can relate. I also know, like me, you are probably looking for that light at the end of the tunnel. For me that light is spring and Easter. I live where the weather is pretty fine all year round, but for those who live in snowy climates, you must be ready for SPRING!

To get that spring feeling, I pulled out a bunch of spring images and printed them in a large, coloring book page size. If you go to the Power Poppy Store, and do a search on "spring" you will see many amazing stamps pop up!

I pulled out some colored pencils and started to color and experiment. I tried this pencil brand on that paper. I tried this color combo of green, and then that other one. I played and flitted around like a butterfly! I spent a lot of time planning, which is my normal mode of operation. 

However, I really needed to just get to it! I knew that I may only have one good day out of three, and here I was fiddle-faddling around! Mercy sakes!

In the end, I settled on printing this image (Lilac and Lemons) onto kraft cardstock to color with colored pencils. This is as far as I got because, I continued to be bothered by the fact that this brand of pencils does not have color names! They each have a unique number, but no names! Because my brain cannot let go of something once I latch onto it, I decided to give each and every one of the 168 pencils in this set a name! Yes, I did! (If you are interested in such things, visit my personal blog on March 11th to see the end product.)

I had a few happy days researching colors and thinking up descriptive color names, and just having a creative party for myself! Which did not translate into a finished project in time for today's post, but it did give me a fun boost of creativity!

At this point in time, I have been allowing my creativity to go off on adventures. If I don't I am simply unable to create at all. But, although I did not actually MAKE anything I still wanted you to have something to look at. Here are a few of my past spring inspiration pieces!

I colored this project last month, over a few weeks time. The image is the Volumes of Beauty digital stamp. I colored this with only Crayola colored pencils! I was proving a point about coloring with inexpensive materials. I love how this turned out, even with budget products!

This is the Shimmering Flight digital stamp colored with Copics and glitter gel pen. I love the different textures on this project!

This bright "pop in the eye" project was also colored with Copics. The image is the Luminous Bouquet digital stamp. This panel is one of  a series that I colored a few years ago. I place these panels on my desk each month for a spot of color and inspiration! I highly recommend surrounding yourself with your own creative efforts! 

I hope that you get inspired to grab some spring images, some spring colors, and have a day of colorful play! Don't feel like you must have a finished project at the end of it. Just explore your creative spirit and see what happens! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Creative Confetti: Quick Color!

Hello all! Are you ready for a fun and speedy challenge this week? I will give you a clue, if you checked in yesterday to my Inspire Me Monday, you might already have an idea what this week's challenge entails!

HOW TO PLAY: Choose a design, technique or layout that adds a bit of quick color to your creation. This is not the week to spend hours upon hours coloring. Show us the ways you add a quick splash of color!

Need a little inspiration? Of course, my tutorial HERE yesterday is a great place to start, but that's not the only way you can take part in this challenge! Here are some other ideas below to spark a little creativity!

Spotlight Coloring

Distress Ink Resist

Embossed Silhouette

On to my creations! 

If you click over HERE, you'll see a step-by-step on how I did this but I will give you a hint! I used stencil brushes and then, just dabbing them in the ink, and then dabbing on the paper to give my images a quick splash of color! For both cards, I used Memento Bamboo leaves to stamp my image for a softer than black base. I used the stamp sets Simply Camellias and then the clear set (retired) Lilac Time. This image is available in digital form though in the set French Lilac.

So, now it's your turn! Use a fun technique to add quick color to your card, then when you're done, enter your creation using the linky below. Every link is one more shot at a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! 

Before we go, with a new month comes a brand new winner! After all the names were thrown into the virtual hat from our April Creative Confetti Challenge, Random.org drew the number...

And that means the winner is.....

* * * * ESSIE of ES Cards! * * * *

Woot Woot! Essie, all you need to to do claim your prize is to email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and Marcy will get your gift code right to you! With the sale still underway, your winnings have a little extra buying power! ;-) 

Before we go, you have to see Essie's beautiful creation! 

Essie used Power Poppy's digital stamp called Pansies and in her Instagram post she said, "Power Poppy helps me love flowers even when I am (stuck) indoors!" We agree Essie! But with spring here, that shouldn't be the case for long! As you can see by scrolling through Marcella's IG feed, it's good medicine to be out in the midst of all those spring flowers! Click HERE and you'll see what I mean!  

Well folks, thanks so much for stopping by! I hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods or, at the very least, in your hearts! 

Happy creating!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Bloomie Friday and..... A WEEKEND STAMP STEAL!

Well hello there Power Poppy fans, this time of year is my absolute favorite because in a wee bit, the flowers that I see above will be sprouting in my back yard and I truly feel there is nothing like the smell of lilacs! It's glorious! That's why today's post is a super special treat! Why? Because lilacs are taking center stage for our latest Weekend Stamp Steal! All you need to do is take a trip over to the Power Poppy Shop to check it all out!

Shop now through Monday at midnight central, you can nab these sweet-smelling blossoms and use them to create with reckless abandon!

Lilac Time clear stamp set

An old fashioned flower gets a fun and fabulous update in our Lilac Time clear polymer stamp set! You’ll find yourself turning to this set to give any project an air of relaxation and joy. The Lilac vignette has a vintage pitcher, a good book overflowing with lilac flowers, and citrus fruits on a handkerchief, and it colors up to be a very sweet scene indeed.

If it’s a digi you prefer, we love these lush buds that you can handpick — and download in an instant.

French Lilac digital download

Inspired by one of spring’s most memorable scents, this plume of French Lilacs is ready to be brought into vivid color! French Lilacs is a digital stamp set, illustrated with love by Marcella Hawley. This lilting lilac image is simply lovely whether it’s positioned upright, sideways, OR rotated completely upsidedown, as if dangling from the tree. Accompanied by a sweet lil ladybug, just for fun, and includes the versatile “Thinking of You” sentiment.

Lilac & Lemons digital download

This digital set takes the lilac vignette with a vintage pitcher and bits of lemon and makes it one you can instantly enjoy in this digital download. Pair it with this beautifully scripted sentiment and you have a great combo to send the warmest wishes to someone who is facing a new and exciting change in life.

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For inspiration, here are a few of our Bloom Brigade favorites using these images (and others too!) for beautiful, soothing cards...

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Loved seeing you here today for our Stamp Steal and Bloom Brigade Parade! Be sure to come back and see us soon!

~Julie