It's Friday! Ready for some Good Vibes?

Hello Power Poppy Peeps! It's been a while since we've ushered in a Friday with some Good Vibes but since we are officially 12 days until Christmas, isn't today a grand day to share some heart-warming tidbits?  We think so! So... grab a cuppa joe (or your favorite warm winter beverage), settle in and take a gander at some goodness!


First Up.... The Bloomies and Instant Gardeners have been prolific with their Christmas creations lately! You can almost see the paper fly and those fingers get inky! There were some goodies shared this past week that I thought I'd re-cue, just in case you missed them!

Broni created this delightful snow guy in soft and sweet colors using Power Poppy's Twinkling-Eyed Snowman, a new digital stamp set.

Barb went a little dreamy with these darling chickadees and that super fun backdrop that looks like snow. I just love that! She used Power Poppy's new digital stamp set My Little Chickadee and worked some digital magic to flip the orientation a bit.

And Gloria packed a visual punch with this vibrant coloring using Power Poppy's Forest Finds digital stamp set! 

So, if you still need to make a few cards as Christmas creeps closer, I hope this trio gives you just the right kind of inspiration to get creating!

So, if those are three good vibes, this fourth vibe might just make you squeal! Did you read about the new addition on Marcella's IG or Facebook? Okay, wait for it....

MEET RUDY! The Power Poppy Vice Pup in Chief! 

Can you even stand it? I mean, look at that face? He is so freakin' adorable!Marce inherited this little bundle after one of Doug's uncles couldn't care for the little guy. So, they stepped in and adopted him.

And, we all know you know Mr. Tibbs. Wait until you see the two Power Pups together! Sigh... it's just too much!

With those eyes looking back at me, I honestly have no idea how Marcy gets anything done during the day. I would just want to play with those guys day in and day out! They say looking at pictures of puppies increases your endorphins -- you know, those super hormones that deliver happiness? So.... you're welcome! ;-)

And moving on to our last good vibe for the day! I thought, if you still needed a great recipe for that cookie exchange you still need to bake for, never fear! I just might have one for you! Check out this little bit of delish!

These Spritz Cookies are my go-to! they are kind of like a little shortbread base with cream cheese frosting and a bit of crushed candy canes. They are delish! So, I thought I'd share the recipe!


SPRITZ COOKIES

~makes 42 cookies

1 c. butter
¾ c. sugar
1 egg
2 t. almond extract
2-1/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
¼ t. salt
½ t. baking powder

DIRECTIONS: Cream butter until soft. Add sugar gradually, continuing to cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract; beat. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together, add gradually in three stages, beating well after each addition. Chill dough 10 minutes. Make into rolled balls, then pat into the desired shape. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in an oven preheated at 400 degrees F. Add cream cheese or sour cream frosting and top with crushed candy canes.

So, with all that sweetness....

It's time to hop on over to these fine ladies to see what they've whipped up for you this week!

Allison Cope

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Nancy Sheads

On that creative high note, we hope you have an amazing, creative and festive weekend! Be sure to tune back in to the Power Poppy blog on Monday when Gloria Stengel will be in the house sharing some tidbits on how to combine digital images. I saw some snippets of her work in progress and my jaw dropped. I actually said, "Now, why didn't I think of that??" This is one Inspire Me Monday you won't want to miss!

Until then, happy stamping!
~Julie 

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sparkle in the Shade

Hello folks! Have we got some fun for you on this Tuesday! I love challenges that are so easy, you really don't even need to think them through -- you just create! Well, today's bit of Creative Confetti that we are throwing up is just as sweet and simple as it comes! Are you ready?

HOW TO PLAY: This one couldn't get much simpler! Create with just one color in many different "shades" - then, add a little sparkle to the final creation!

On to my creation! 

If you visited my blog for World Card Making Day... you've already seen a little snippet of this creation. Click HERE if you want to know where this design started! If you click on over, you'll see how I created that raised and watercolored background. It was also many of YOU that helped me to finalize the design, so thank you!

The fussy cut magnolia image is from the Planning for Magnolias stamp set. This image is one of my all time favorites. Not too long ago, I used it HERE and this time, I loved coloring up this one in shades of blue! After stamping in Memento Tuxedo Black and fussy cutting, I reached for a mix of B and BG Copic Markers. I used B000 and BG11 for the petals, BV20 and BV23 for the center and branches and then BG70 and BG72 for the leaves. 

I should mention the sentiment I used is from Power Poppy's Tweet Tidings stamp set. Yes, it's part of a holiday set but you can use these words all year long in my book! 

And here's a closeup of the sparkle! After I was all done coloring, I added a little shimmer thanks to a Wink of Stella Clear Glitter pen! See?

And that, my friends, is it!

HOW TO PLAY:

• Create using a monochromatic color scheme... then add sparkle! 
• Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them, if not, you might win some if you're randomly chosen. Each month, we'll round up all those that play in any of the month’s Creative Confetti challenges, and draw a name from the entries to win a $25 GIFT CODE for the Power Poppy Shop!
• To enter, link up your creation below, sharing the direct link to your card from your blog, Instagram, or card gallery.
• Our link will be open all month for you to play along with us! Try one Creative Confetti Challenge or partake in them all for extra chances to win!

So, now it's your turn! When you're done, make sure to link up your creation below so that we can all see! Keep in mind, one lucky stamper will win a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! The more you play along with us during the month, the better odds you have of being our lucky winner!

Thanks everyone for stopping by and checking out what we've got in store this week! We can't wait to see your "Sparkle in the Shade" creation!


Until next time!

~Julie 

a.k.a The Creative Confetti Thrower

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 11: Festive Beverage Gift Tags

Howdy all!  Welcome the ELEVENTH day of our 12 Days of Christmas here at Power Poppy! I'm your hostess Allison Cope. We only have one more day to share some fun and festive gift ideas for this holiday season.

We should also point out this is a part of our Power & Spark Challenge. Instead of just one theme, create something inspired by one of our 12 days of tutorials, link up your creation HERE and you'll be in the running for this month's challenge. Just think you are creating something fun --creating a gift for someone -- AND you have a chance at winning $50 in Power Poppy Bucks at the Power Poppy Shop! 

Today I'm sharing a variety of festive beverage tags featuring all kinds of amazing stamp collections.

The beauty of wine tags is that they can be almost any size!!  Yup... you can make them wide or thin, tall or short, multi-layered or just one simple layer.  So each one of my tags today is not like the other.

If you know me, I'm a super-duper purple fan so I always find a way to incorporate it into my creations... event Christmas ones!  So my first tag is all about purple.  It features the large "Winter Wonderland" stamp set, colored in using Copic Markers.

To create the snowflake background, I used the snowflake cluster from the "Glitter House Village" and I used the simple sentiment from the "Berry Sweet Holiday" to finish off the tag.

My second beverage tag features one of my favorite new stamp sets.  It's called "Tweet Tidings".  This cheery tag has a few touches of silver to add some sparkle.

I colored my images using Prismacolor Pencils.

Not all of our hostesses are female!  So I tried to create a little more masculine feel to it.  So I grabbed my "Action Santa" and "Holly Golightly" stamp sets and created this more manly tag.

I chose to die cut the end of my tags in a little bit of a different angle.  I even matched it to my mini hanging tag.

My final beverage tag features the "Dream Wedding" stamp set.  I thought it would be completely fitting to give to your New Year's Eve party hostess.

I even made it to be a fun shaker element with some sparkly confetti inside.  Instead of die cutting a hole I chose to use a length of wide ribbon to hang my tag around the neck of my beverage.

For variations on these tags try:

• Adding a card to the tag so it opens up with a message for your recipient
• Add a pocket to drop in a gift card (coffee shop, liquor store, etc.)
• Add a detachable homemade ornament for the receipient's Christmas tree 
• Attach a gift certificate for the local taxi service or a mode of local public transportation

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Remember, if you try any one of the 12 projects featured during our 12 Days of Christmas -- be sure to link up your creation HERE so that you are in the running for the $50 shopping spree to the Power Poppy Shop! Be sure you pop back tomorrow for our final day of our Twelve Days of Christmas extravaganza as the lovely Kathy Racoosin dazzles us with her challenge inspiration! Until then... cheers! 

~ Allison Cope ~



Purple Blooms
Stamps: Power Poppy (Winter Wonderland, Glitter House Village, Berry Sweet Holiday)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White), MFT (Wild Wisteria, Lavender Fields)
Dies: Catherine Pooler Designs (Circle Dies, Lattice Frame Die), Spellbinders (Scalloped Circles)
Inks: Simon Says Stamp (Wisteria), Copic Markers
Sequins: Studio Katia (Crystal Rainbow Fusion)
Ribbon: Celebrate It (Christmas Noel)
Corner Rounder: EK Success
Bells: ArtMinds
Thread: Sulky 

Chickadees
Stamps: Power Poppy (Tweet Tidings)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White , 110# Black)
Patterned Paper: KaiserCraft (Christmas Edition 6x6)
Dies: Studio Katia (Stitched Loops), Catherine Pooler Designs (Spiro Doily, Circles)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Prismacolor Pencils, Distress Oxide (Antique Linen)
Corner Punch: Fiskars

Skiing Santa
Stamps: Power Poppy (Action Santa, Holly Golightly)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White, 110# Cloud)
Patterned Paper: Echo Park (A Perfect Winter 12”x12”)
Dies: Catherine Pooler Designs (Circles), MFT (Stitched Basic Edges, Basic Stitched Lines), WPlus9 (Timeless Tags 2)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic Markers, Sakura (White Gel Pen)
Charms: Emerald Creek (Pinecone), Tim Holtz (Snowflake)
Twine: Bead Landing
Thread: Sulky, White 

Cheers Shaker Tag
Stamps: Power Poppy (Dream Wedding)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White), Stampin’ Up! (Cherry Cobbler), Acetate
Dies: Pretty Pink Posh (Stitched Duo 1), MFT (Stitched Ovals, Let It Snowflake)
Sequins: Little Things from Lucy’s Cards (Champagne), Studio Katia (Sparkling Crystals Mix)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Versamark, Copic Markers, Catherine Pooler Designs (Juniper Mist), Pen-Touch (Gold)
Ribbon: Offray

Day 3: Gift Bag Topper

Hello!!! Hello!!! Hello!! Tosh here with Day 3 of our super fun 12 Days of Christmas December Power & Spark Challenge! If you haven't seen Katie's tags, or Stacy's Gift Card Holder, be sure to click on the links. You won't want to miss either of them!! They are clever and gorgeous!!

If you play along with us during any one of the 12 days and try our project at hand, link up your creation HERE and you’ll be in the running for our Power & Spark 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. That’s right – you’ll have 12 ways to enter. Play along once or try all 12 days for more chances to win a $50 shopping spree to the Power Poppy Shop!

Okay...now for today's project!!

A couple of decades ago, I started making Gift Bag Toppers. I actually learned how from a Stampin' Up demonstrator, but since it was about 22 years ago, I can't for the life of me remember her name. The basics are pretty much the same, I just make my borders a bit different. I made a tutorial for it a few years ago that you can find HERE.

Now, for today's bag, I used three different Power Poppy Stamp sets: Tweet Tidings (front panel), Holly Golightly (border and tag), Glitter House Village (top of topper and background tag).

For the border of my topper, I cut out the size, and scored where instructed. Then, I stamped the holly all the way around with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I colored it with Copics and then stamped the snow background (from the Glitter House Village set), with Versamark and embossed it using Clear Embossing Powder (SU!) Then came the challenging part...fussy-cutting around all the holly.

 
I didn't get really particular, and it turned out beautifully, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Lastly, I ink distressed the whole topper with Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger), so make the snowflakes pop, and to age everything so it blends with the kraft gift bag. The flakes are hard to see in the photo, but in real life, they are a subtle charming little addition.

Next came the main panel. I started by die cutting the square (6x6 Matting Basics B - Spellbinders) and while the X-Press It cardstock was still in the die, I stamped the two separate Tweet Tidings Chickadees onto it with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. That way I could maintain a clean white border. I then Ink Distressed the panel with Antique Linen Distress Ink again, and colored the images with Copics. Lastly, I added some White Liquid Applique to the snow portions of the image, sprinkling some Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU!) on it before heating it with my heating tool. I love the sparkle and fun dimension.

Lastly, every gift bag needs a tag. And fortunately for us, Marcy has designed a fabulous set with a charming tag included. So, I stamped the tag along with one of the sentiments (from the Holly Golightly set), colored it with Copics and cut it out. I felt like it needed a base, so I took my Spellbinders Christmas Tag Set, die cut one of the tags using a piece of decorative paper from Echo Park's I Love Winter 6x6 paper pad. It was kind of plain, so I added an evergreen branch and a portion of a sentiment from the Glitter House Village set. It was stamped with Smokey Gray Versafine ink.

I hope you'll try your hand at decorating a gift bag with a topper. They are easy, and they eliminate the need for tissue paper, and the temptation of the recipients to peek. The topper makes it a bit harder after all. ;) If you do try this project, make sure to share by linking up your creation HERE! Of course, we would all love to see and if you link up your project, you'll be in the running for a $50 shopping spree to the Power Poppy Shop! 

Please stop by again tomorrow to see how Mindy Baxter makes a little treat aimed at keeping better tabs on all your hoiday gift purchases!

That is finally it y'all!!  Happy Stamping!!

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!!!