Bloomie Friday & A Weekend Stamp Steal!

Well hello there Power Poppy fans, it's Friday so that means we will not only have a little eye candy from some of the Bloomies, but we have another little surprise to throw your way!  Ms. Marcella decided that it is about time for another WEEKEND STAMP STEAL! This one offers a couple of images that come complete with peaceful, easy feelings! And, to think this weekend you'll be able to get these illustrations at a discount even delivers a little more in the good vibe category. All you need to do is check out the deal, and then make a quick trip to the Power Poppy Shop!

You can nab these florals that symbolize beauty and strength at a low price — sale ends Monday at midnight central

Weekend Stamp Steal — going on now

Orchids Rock clear stamp set

Did you know that orchids really do rock? This powerhouse set features two varieties: Cymbidium and Lady Slipper Orchids. It also includes some empowering sentiments to support the “you go girl” vibe. Use this beautifully encouraging, bold set when somebody needs a bravery boost, or simply, would be rocked by an awesome Orchid.

If it’s a digi you prefer, never fear. These showstoppers can be picked up, cherished and downloaded in an instant. 💗

Orchid Cascade digital download

This showy Cymbidium Orchid is a delight to color in any rainbow of hues, with a pretty arched design that works perfectly with a sentiment tucked to the right. This is one you'll turn to again and again!

Lady Slipper Orchid digital download

This little Lady Slipper is looking so feisty, she’s sort of getting up in your face! This digital download comes with a no-line version allowing you to color up this beauty to your heart's content! It comes with a simple sentiment perfect for sharing a little hello to a friend who needs a bit of happy snail mail! 

For inspiration, we pulled a few of our Bloom Brigade favorites using these images for beautiful, soothing cards...

So, run don't walk to take advantage of the WEEKEND STAMP STEAL and save up to $5 on these classic images.

Since it's Friday, that means that some of the Bloomies are on hand to share some of what they've been working on this week. Put on your seat belt...

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Julie Koerber

Loved seeing you here today for our Stamp Steal and Bloomie round-up. Be sure to come back and see us soon! We'll have Kathy Racoosin on tap this coming week for another edition of Inspire Me Monday! See you then! 

~Julie 

Friday Feels!

Happy Fri-YAY Peeps! It's time to cue up all 

the "good feels" and bring you....

Your Good Vibe 5 Hit List

1. Playing with Poppies Jessie Banks is at it again with that wonderful water brush of hers! This time, she's taking some new liquid watercolors for a test drive and putting Power Poppy's Poppy XL in the spotlight. Click HERE to see her add all that beautiful shading with the flick of a brush!

2. Raising It Up! Be still my heart. Can you even handle the beauty Susan Wymer created with Power Poppy's Azaleas Forever digital stamp set? That background! The die cut squares lifted off the card! Check out her blog HERE for all the deets. Can you say CASE? I can!

3. What are YOU????? I can almost hear our Power Poppy Pup Mr. Tibbs checking out that creature in nature and saying, "Are you gonna play with me?" Meantime, the deer is wondering what the heck that large-eared furry ball is. I, no doubt, know that the deer's heart probably melted a wee bit at the sheer cuteness of the sight. Take it in people! Love our Power Poppy Pup!

4. Confidence Clock  Imagine looking at that beauty every time the second hand ticked? This is the brain child of Alyce over at Kit & Clowder and it is pure GENIUS! Sigh. Really, all I can do is sigh. While this little number was at the center of a recent retreat, Alyce is always sparking creativity over at Kit and Clowder HERE!

5. Shades of Blush & Bashful Anyone else love the Steel Magnolias reference? Well, Jeannean Marshall put those shades into action. She said she adored the Lady Slipper Orchid Digital Stamp Set, so she blew it up to truly take center stage! The background stamp shares "the beauty of a woman." Perfect in EVERY way Jeannean, just perfect!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Katie Sims

Tosha Leyendekker

And that,  my friends, is it! Be sure to pop back in as we kick off the week with another Inspire Me Monday! Amy Shulke -- that amazing colorista -- will be in the house to share some coloring tips. Any time that fine lady shares, it's pure gold so you aren't going to want to miss this one folks!

Until then, enjoy your weekend!

~Julie 

Good Vibe 5 -- Julie Style!

Hello folks! Yours truly is filling in for Ms. Marcella who is on one of the most eventful, fun-filled family road trips EVAH! She hit the nation's capital with the kiddos and her Instagram is lit up with all kinds of epic escapades! 

I have to share just one picture that made me laugh pretty darn hard. Check her out, will you? She completely rocks the Colonial vibe, don't you think? hehe! Love that little lady! 

So, in the spirit of her Good Vibe 5 Friday posts, I thought I'd take a stab at sharing warm fuzzies and inspiration! So, here goes folks, buckle up and get ready for the ride!

GOOD VIBE 1

Can you even handle that smile and ... THAT FISH?? This is Bloomie Tosha's idea of a grand "girls only" getaway -- deep sea fishing off in the Morro Bay in California. At last check, she caught 9 and the day wasn't even done yet! You go -- you fish slayer, Ms. Tosh! She has some AMAZING photos from her adventure. So check them out HERE. Who knows, maybe seeing her excursion will inspire you to plan your own "girls only" getaway! 

GOOD VIBE 2

Okay, this good vibe might not be fair. This amazing glimpse of Elizabeth Zaffarano's creation is just that, a snippet. Sadly, I can't send you a link to show more of this project using Power Poppy's Orchids Rock stamp set but I can tell you this is a work in progress for an upcoming Power Poppy post. SQUEEEEEEEE! Okay, I just let the giant cat out of the bag there. Yes, Ms. Elizabeth will be doing some guest hosting of Inspire Me Monday in the not-so-distant future. Stay tuned peeps -- BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING! 

GOOD VIBE 3

Friends, take a gander at this creation above. That is not a light shining on a stamped, dimensional image. That is the phenomenal job Shelby Thomas did of creating depth with the help of grey-toned Copic Markers and Power Poppy's Hellebores digital stamp set. Can we all take just a second to breathe out a collective sigh and say "WOW!" Yes, please join me. And, if you want to see another example of her shadow work, click HERE. I dare you to give this technique a try! I know I am going to give it a whirl!  

GOOD VIBE 4

Remember playing with "plastic" as a kid -- hunkering down in front of the oven and watching all the excitement as your Shrinky Dink creation twisted and turned to create a "mini me" version of its original self? Those were the days, right? Well, as Ally Cope shares, we can all still be a kid at heart! Check out a sneaky peek above of the whimsical bookmark she created then click HERE to see her video tutorial using Power Poppy's Tiger Lily XL!

GOOD VIBE 5

Well, my sweet stamping friends, the fun continues at the Power Poppy Shop! Since Marcy's vacation was extended a bit -- guess what else is still ongoing? YES! You are right! It's our sale on all digital stamp sets! WOO HOO! Through the weekend, you'll be able to grab any of the digis in the shop for 20% off! Like the graphic says, simply use the code VACATIONDIGIS at the time of checkout!  

And with the new techno-friendly images you purchase, why not dabble in one or, maybe two of the challenges we've got going on right now! Have you seen this week's monochromatic Hues to Use? Don't walk, run and check it out! And then, of course, grab that design power and play along in this month's Power & Spark. It's a fun one because Ally Cope is challenging you to CASE a Bloomie! Not sure what that means? Never fear! You can read all about it HERE! ;-)




Speaking of the Bloomies, a few of them are on stand-by -- AS WE SPEAK -- just ready and waiting for you to stop by and see some of the fun and crafty goodness that they've been working on this week! So, stop by, will you?

Christine Okken

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for spending a little bit of your day with us! Be sure to tune back in on Monday when our good friend Kathy Racoosin will be "in da house" sharing some colorful ways to add pizazz to cardmaking en masse! You will not want to miss this one folks! 

See you back here soon!

~Julie 

Inspire Me Monday: Color Theory

Happy Monday everyone!  Welcome to Inspire Me Monday!  I'm your hostess Allison Cope and we're going to talk a little bit about COLOR THEORY!

Come and find out a little bit more about the fabulous color wheel...

Here's a quick look at the cards I used as my examples today...

Featuring Folk Heart and Short Stacks

Featuring Folk Heart

Featuring Peony Love and Potted Primroses 

Featuring Small But Mighty Affirmations

Featuring Folk Heart

Featuring Planning for Magnolias

Featuring Orchids Rock

Thanks for joining me today!  So the next time you begin to color your latest and greatest Power Poppy image, think about how you're going to use color to the fullest!

Happy coloring everyone!

~ Ally ~ 

Inspire Me Monday: Shaped Card with Kathy Racoosin

Note from Marcella:
After you check out Kathy’s gorgeous post below, scroll down to see our newest digital download from the Instant Garden, and get links to our designers’ cards!

 

Hello Friends, How are you today? I am delighted to be back for another installment of Inspire Me Monday!  :) Have you heard about The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge? I am the creator of the challenge and we are in the middle of the fourth challenge. I have found that crafters like to have permission to color & to have the freedom to NOT create a card. Just to color for the sake of coloring.

Today I wanted to share a little bit of both. Let’s start out with this beautiful stamp set called, Orchids Rock. When I am coloring something every day I find myself reaching out of my comfort zone. I might use an unusual color combination or color a background that I might not normally go for. Case in point my coloring today. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this background but, I went for it. Let’s just say it looks artistic? I like the color combo but, I think next time I will square off the background. Lots of dots with the Copic markers and a white gel pen softened the harsh background but, I enjoyed doing it and that’s what’s important here. 

The orchids were super easy to “blend” with the colors I chose. I hope this mini tutorial helps you out if you aren’t comfortable blending colors. 

 I have been having printer issues and was finally able to print this beautiful digital stamp set called, Climbing Clematis (I printed the digial flower on 80 lb neenah cardstock).

Our printer is pretty basic and I didn’t have any problems with the ink on the paper smearing. Whew! My big decision of the day was to color this beautiful print over the course of a few days & frame it or cut out the flower to make a shaped card for the post today. 

That’s the beauty of digital prints .... they can be enlarged! I printed the Clematis again and cut out both flowers. I used a black marker along the white edges to give my card a polished look. The back of the card was scored and glued on to colored flower.

Thank you for letting me share with you today and I hope you take some time to do something you enjoy.

Hugs, Kathy

P.S. If you are interested in the coloring challenge it's never to late to join in at The Daily Marker. 

Inspire Me Monday with Faux Linen!

Hi all and Happy Monday to you! I am here on this Inspire Me Monday with a short and sweet, easy-as-can-be background technique that adds a splash of texture in a jiffy! In fact, what I am showing you today is really a refresher. It’s a technique I learned when I first started to stamp -- 15 YEARS AGO! Yep, 15 years! I often feel that as we grow and change and move through a craft, it’s a wonderful thing to go back to those things you learned when you started, revisit them, and possibly tweak them to change with the times! 

So, that’s what I’m doing with all of you today! Let’s take a trip back in time to learn or re-learn the Faux Linen Background...

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED

• Glossy cardstock
• Pigment or Solvent-based Ink
• Sandpaper
• Sponge
• Orchids Rock Stamp Set
• Lilac Time Stamp Set
• Decorative papers and embellishments of choice

STEP 1: Taking a glossy piece of card stock, use your sandpaper and sand in one direction, moving horizontally, and then turning your paper and sanding in a vertical line just like the arrows below show. 

STEP 2: Using your ink of choice, sponge ink over top. I used Shabby Shutters Distress Ink for a really nice and soft look. After I was done, I went over top of the ink with Brilliance Gold because I wanted a fun, metallic sheen. You’ll see that more in the finished photos!

STEP 4: While I loved the linen look that I so easily achieved, I wanted to add another layer of dimension with a little background stamp. 

STEP 5: I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Black Onyx in the lower right corner. I chose this ink because it is one that is a super vivid black and it also dries on glossy surfaces. Even though you sanded a lot of the shine off the paper, it isn’t super porous. You can also see that when I turn the paper toward the light, the gold accents do shimmer a wee bit! ;-) It is truly a fun and elegant look in real life!

FINAL STEP: From here, you can use your faux linen background however you like! I chose this technique because orchids have a Far East feel for me and with the linen background, I thought it would bring on the mood of a Shoji Screen -- textured, light, and airy! 

And here’s one last look with a close up so that you can see not only the sheen but the texture this technique creates as well! 

Thanks so much for stopping by on this Inspire Me Monday! I hope you like my step-by-step look at one easy way to add interest and texture to your cards! Like I said, It’s one that I learned more than a decade ago and it’s one I am glad I dug out of my bag of tricks to share with all of YOU!

Have a fabulous week and we’ll see you back here soon! 

~Julie

O is for Orchidaceae

Let’s let this post ooze with affection for Orchids, can we do that today please?

To give you splashes of inspiration to create with our new Orchids Rock stamp set, which features Lady Slipper (Paphiopedilum) and Cymbidium Orchids, I’m sharing photos from my recent paparazzi fling through the Missouri Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show. The show runs until March 22, and if you are near St. Louis, I highly recommend it.

While I’ve highlighted Orchids included in my stamp set, the Orchid Show has mannnny more rare and wonderful types from all over the world, from ruffled Cattleya and butterflylike Phalaenopsis to spidery Caladenia and vivacious Vanda, to mysterious species Orchids that most of us have never heard of before — all in bloom, and displayed with gorgeous complementary foliage plants, moss, ferns, and statuary. Get thee to the Garden!

1. Grandiphyllum divaricatum  2. Paphiopedilum (did not get name on this fella)  3. Paphiopedilum Naomi II  4. Paphiopedilum Orange Sunset  5. Cymbidium Red Back 'Solid Gold'  6. Paphiopedilum Millmanii

1. Paphiopedilum Varuna  2. Cymbidium Jill 'Katalnica'  3. Cymbidium Valley Blush 'Magnificent'  4. Paphiopedilum Olona 'Open Arms'  5. Cymbidium Mini Beacon 'Red Torch'

1. Cymbidium Maluka 'Brilliant'  2. Paphiopedilum MacBeth’s Ghost  3. Paphiopedilum Ilemianum ('Rudolph' X 'MO')  4. Cymbidium Starbright  5. C. Starbright with P. Rainbow   6. Cymbidium (missed the name on this beauty)  7. Paphiopedilum hybrid

1. Paphiopedilum hybrid Veribest X Paph. Lunar Orbit  2. Paphiopedilum Insigne 'Brilliance'  3. Cymbidium Sleeping Angel  4. Cymbidium Sylvia Miller  5. Paphiopedilum (did not get name, drats!)

Are you ready to bring the Orchid stamps to life? These clear photopolymer beauties are ready to roll out... and I’ve noticed in my informal stamping trials (yes, I made that up) that the Big Scripts lettering looks quite cool paired up with Orchids Rock!

One more teeeny, tiny thing to share.... just a wee snippet of the Instant Garden digital set that will debut on February 15th, a week from Sunday...

What do you think it is? As I mentioned before, G is for Giveaway: Leave a comment below with your guess — or about anything in today’s blog post — and I’ll draw a random winner to receive the February Digital Stamp Set FREE! Winner will be announced on Feb. 15th.

ADDENDUM - January, 2017 — This Giveaway is from a blog post from 2015, the offer is now closed and the winner received her free digital stamp! :) Entries are now closed.

xoxoxo and enjoy this rockin’ day!

Storm Chaser Update: Reporting from the scene of Power Poppy’s new release

Hello, hello! And thank you for tuning in. We’ll be sharing all of the updates about the storm.

Yes, lately I’ve been drawing up a storm. A whirling, swirling, howling storm I tell you! A storm of brushstrokes, wild scribbling, intense periods of stippling and crosshatching followed by pencil shavings piling up so high, they blocked traffic from the studio to the living room. It could almost be described as a torrent of fresh ideas smashing through weeks of holiday busy-ness and deadlines.

Not to make light of the current storm situation... I’m no weather girl, but I believe there’s another kind of storm whirling and swirling right this moment in the Northeast. One that’s blanketing entire states with fresh pow. From what I can gather, folks have been told to stay inside with their stockpiled supplies, and get underneath their afghans and cozy up with their hot coffee, and get this, the main thing being touted for maximum snowbound entertainment is the Power Poppy blog hop. We’re previewing our fantastic, fun, and fiesty February release—FIVE ALL NEW CLEAR SETS—starting today.

Let’s distract ourselves from the snowy stuff and get tropical! Who’s up for orchids?

For the flower lovers out there, I’m going to go out on a limb and announce that Orchids Rock is going to be a must-have.

I mean it, it just may be one of my favorite sets I’ve drawn—ever!!! The initial Storm of Creativity (which is also the name of this collection), that put this set in motion is about to hit the cardmaking countryside. I can already tell, because I’ve gotten sneaky peeks at what the Bloom Brigade have been making with these images, and every single thing I’ve seen has knocked my socks off. Just check out what Christine made for our Inspire Me Monday tutorial yesterday!

Still skeptical of the fun you can have with Orchids Rock? May I share some really incredible examples to help you see the light? Bloom Brigade, let’s rock!!!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

I hope you’ll stop back by tomorrow, because we have FIVE FULL DAYS of this good stuff to share... in the meantime, stay cozy, and above all stay safe. xoxoxo!