The Blossom Challenge: Christmas in July

Welcome to another round of The Blossom Challenge friends!  It’s Christine here today and we’re excited to jump into another theme that’s become quite popular in the summer, it’s Christmas in July!  Marcy’s images for the Christmas and Holiday season are always show stoppers, and it seems a shame to only pull them out in the winter, so this month we can create to get a jump start on our Christmas cards and packaging.   

Today I pulled out a couple of Christmas sets from Marcy to create a mini-slimline card and coordinating tag.  The mini-slimline uses Garden of Gratitude: Trellis Digial Stamp to showcase this pretty trellis Christmas tree made of oranges.  It’s so charming! 

The colouring is done with Copics, with patterned paper really helping to achieve that citrus feel I was going for.  A bit of paper ric rack accents the top.  

  

These sweet sentiment stamps are something we could use a little more of don’t you think?  I’ve added some enamel stars to highlight the sentiments and to tie back to the star on the tree.  

The gift tag is created with Power Poppy’s Handmade with Love Tags placed on some Kraft paper that has a slit in it for tucking in.  After I took the first picture in this series, I realized the tag looked a bit bare where the slit is, so I added a little circle punch to the tag which will also help with stability.  

So now it’s your turn!  Your Challenge this month is to create anything Christmas or Holiday using at least one stamp from Power Poppy.  You can make a card, tag, gift packaging, or frameable art.  Show us what you’ve got!  You could win a $20 Gift Code to the Power Poppy Store, just for playing along.  Entries close on August 15.  Be sure to add your link below!  

BUT before you go....there’s a SALE!  Marcy has kindly discounted ALL of our Christmas Digi’s in the Happiest Holiday Category for you if you want to pick up something new to create with. If you know Marcy, you know they’re all beauties! 

Now for last month’s randomly selected winner....congratulations goes to:  Carol Dee with her lovely forced hyacinth design.  

Carol Dee please contact Marcy at bloom@powerpoppy.com for your prize code!

For more inspiration here’s two other gorgeous beauties from The Bloom Brigade:

Lisa

Gloria

Stunning isn’t it?  We look forward to seeing your creations this month friends!  

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Inspire Me Saturday ~ Festive Tag Fun!

 
Happy Saturday everyone!  Ally here!  I also want to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Canadian crafters!  I hope you've had a great holiday last weekend.

Welcome to Inspire Me Monday Saturday!  I have to confess. This was supposed to go live on the blog on Monday morning but I came down with an ugly flu late Saturday night and I was in bed until late Thursday before I was feeling well enough to even venture out of bed. But as of yesterday, I'm feeling almost 100% again... thank goodness. 

So today I'm going to highlight the amazingly fun and festive "Holly Golightly" stamp set. This clear stamp set contains a 3 beautiful images (a tag, a spray of holly and also a tiny bouquet) and 4 festive sentiments with a few special extras.

PLUS... we also have a complimentary digital stamp that allows you to create tags in any size and it's called "Holly Jolly Tag Digital Stamp".  Perfect for your quick download, print and create projects!

So now that you're familiar with today's stamp set, let's get creating!

So, to start, make your card sweet and simple!  Yup... some fun patterned papers in a fun color palette...

I love the pinks, turquoise and greens of this paper!

Next, go a little more detailed. Add some sparkle!  Whether it be some frames of glitter paper (Sorry, it's hard to see & photograph - it's the white border in between the plaid and cars!) or add some sparkle mediums like Stickles or Nuvo Drops, you can never go wrong with some some shine on your holiday cards and creations.

Next, why not try a shaker tag for your cards?  Our digital stamp version, the "Holly Jolly Tag Digital Stamp" would be perfect for this as you can enlarge your tag image to create a larger tag therefore, a larger shaker.

Now don't forget to decorate your packing!  Or heck, why not make your own! Grab some fun kraft wrapping paper from the dollar store and grab those fun colored inks and your stamps and go cRaZy!  When you're done with your wrapping paper, add that final touch of a tag to identify your recipient. 

 

QUICK PROJECT TIP: Try cutting your tag in a long rectangular shape instead of fussy cutting it out, stamp your tag in a fun ink color along with the "To" and "From" sentiments to create fun, fast tags for all your holiday gifts!

Plus, I think this tag would make a great name place holder for your Christmas table! You could make all your name place holders match your festive table colors!!

Thanks for sticking around for the end today.  I hope I've inspired you this weekend to go and create for the up and coming holiday.

Join me again next time!  Happy creating!

~ Ally ~

Creative Confetti: Tag, You're It!

Hello all and Happy Tuesday! Is your head spinning from all the Holiday Wonder shared right here over the last 12 days on the Power Poppy Blog? Gosh, I know mine sure is! What beautiful creations! And did you see that some of the designers are doing a giveaway on their blogs? 

Christine, myself, Kathy, Stacy, Broni, Nancy, Barbara, Leslie, Catherine, Gloria and Lisa JUST MIGHT be sharing a little surprise giveaway. So, hop on through all those links to see for yourself!

Moving on! I don't know about you but this time of year seems to be focused on two things -- Christmas cards and gift tags. You can never have too many in the "done" pile, can you? That's why I wanted to lend a hand and challenge you all to craft one, or two! 

HOW TO PLAY: It's just as simple as the name suggests! Make a tag! It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a holiday tag. Just make a tag in order to play along. Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them but if you don't, now might just be the perfect time to win some! When you are done, link up your creation using the linky below and you'll be in the running for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! The link is LIVE all month long, meaning, the more you play, the better your chances!

On to my creations! 

I was dying to use the new Power Poppy digital stamp set called Handmade With Love Tags. So, I thought this was the best time to do that -- with a tag challenge! Check this darling set out, will you?

You get this plump package of 8 holiday tag designs with oh-so-unique illustrations! And, get this! Not only do you get the 8 designs but you get them with and without a sentiment inside, allowing you to personalize these with reckless abandon! Too fun!

So, you can see above that I chose three of the designs and aimed for a similar color scheme with all three. I tend to only buy a couple mega rolls of wrapping paper along with some coordinating ribbon for every package I wrap during that season - so it's important -- especially for us matchy-matchy folks to, well, match! ;-)

Tag #1

I tend to do a ton of handmade gifts for my loved ones and this year is no exception. Both my mother and mother-in-law have some handmade goodness coming their way, so I know this tag above showing that I am sharing something Handmade with Love will definitely come in handy!

Tag #2

I have always loved this illustration above featured in a bit of Power Poppy's Snuggle Down stamp set! So, when it popped up on this tag, I thought, "Genius!" Marcy created a tag to coordinate with a stamp set for not only cards but coordinating tags! What? So fun!

Tag #3

And, this last tag is just one that I find so classy -- just a simple little gift with a ribbon that goes on for miles! It's perfect to attach to one of those cookie platters you like to give to the neighbors, right? I think so! This little package is also a part of the Power Poppy Merry Littles stamp set, again allowing coordinating galore! 

Looking for a little more inspiration?


Katie Sims did THIS darling tutorial showcasing a whole host of gift tags in interesting shapes using Power Poppy's Tweet Tidings set!

Allison Cope tagged up a bottle of bubbly or two HERE using Power Poppy's Dream Wedding set to help ring in the holidays! You'll have to click the link to see the three other tags she designed that are just as fun!

And, yours truly crafted a whole tutorial showcasing a few different gift tags using a multitude of Power Poppy sets HERE! 

So, "Tag! You're It!" Let's see what fun you can craft with a tag as your creation! And, as I mentioned, when you're done, just link up your creation below so we can all see AND so you can have a shot at winning a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hopefully, we'll see you back here real soon! ;-)

~Julie
Creative Confetti Thrower

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Creative Confetti: One Challenge, Three Ways!

Hello all! So sorry for the delay today! It's been a bit nutty in my neck of the woods! ;-) But, I'm here now and excited to usher in this week's Creative Confetti Challenge -- when we throw up bits of creativity and you decide where they fall in your own artsy endeavors! Now... speaking of "neck of the woods", that's kind of the topic today in our challenge this week!

HOW TO PLAY: While this challenge may seem a bit all over the map, once you see my creation and the reason behind it, hopefully, it will all make sense! So, just as the graphic suggests, you have THREE options this week!

OPTION 1: Create a card or project inspired by nature -- either with the color scheme or the image!

OPTION 2: Create a tag!

OPTION 3: Create with a charity or charitable giving in mind!

On to my creation! 

You might be asking yourself what on earth does a knitting project have to do with this week's challenge? Let me explain! Last Friday, I got a note from my local yarn shop saying that they were going to start taking donations for a program called Casting For Recovery.  The non-profit hosts retreats -- fly fishing retreats -- for women with breast cancer who are on the road to recovery. Just a little bit about Casting for Recovery, did you know that fly fishing -- the gentle motion of casting can be a little like physical therapy? That, along with being with other women going through the same thing, AND being out in some gorgeous countryside is what the program is all about. 

So, to make a long story even longer, my local yarn shop was collecting cowls that the women could be gifted during their September retreat in Bozeman, Montana. So, I got knitting right away and whipped up this cowl using THIS pattern (Broken Rib Cowl) and it came together after just a few nights of TV watching. I will mention, the color scheme is not what I would have chosen but the yarn shop owner said it was earthy and even had some of the same colors as a brown trout -- so, I snatched it up! I am going to raid my yarn stash and whip up a few more. I'm thinking THIS one looks fun too! Or, maybe THIS one! ;-) 

And you can see, this is where my challenge comes into play! I wanted to make a tag to go along with my gift and I chose Power Poppy's Leapin' Trout digital stamp. I sized it so that I could use my 2-1/2" circle punch and added the words "Handmake just for you!" 

I colored the fish up with Copic Markers using YG91, YG91, Y32, R81, R83 R85, and BG72 and BG000 for the water. I also added some white gel pen for the splashes! 

And here's what I printed on the other side. Since the yarn is 100% Merino, I wanted them to know that this is a hand wash in cool, lay flat to dry kind of accessory. The good news is, it's soft to the touch and hopefully nice around a woman's neck! I will also add a nice little note letting her know I am sending blessings for her on her road to recovery. 

And that, my friends, is it. Just a little project that is super quick but from the heart none the less! So, take my lead -- create with nature in mind (like my leaping trout!), create a tag, or create with a charity in mind! Just that simple!

Thanks for stopping by y'all! I hope you have a fabulous week and remember, to play along, all you need to do is create, link up your card or tag below and then, once a month, we draw one random and lucky stamper to win $25! Can't wait to see what you come up with.  

Until next time!
~Julie 

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