A Cozy Kind of Hues to Use!

Hello Friends! And welcome to another fun-filled edition of Hues to Use! I am going to warn you, if you scrolled down to get a glimpse of this week's color inspiration, it might have flat out busted your "cute meter!" I mean, look at that face, will you?

If you missed the MONDO news at Power Poppy Headquarters -- here goes!! Below, my sweet friends, is our Power Puppy-in-Chief, Tibbs! I know. I know. You just can't stand how darn cute he is, can you? This little multicolored furry wonder is a Welsh Corgi that might be small in stature but he's pretty BIG in personality! Since we've been overrun by totally adorable photos of Tibbs in action on Marcella's Instagram and Facebook pages, why not share some of that cuteness to make the card making world smile a bit bigger today? So, my friends, Tibbs is our color inspiration! To add a pop of color, we borrowed from Ms. Clara’s wardrobe and added a POP of hot pink!

Moving On! We are so blessed to have another ever-so-talented guest designer at the helm of 'Hues' today, who is sharing her design prowess and giving us a chance to get to know her a little bit better! So, would you please give a warm Power Poppy welcome to.....

It’s such a privilege to be sharing a card with you today from my studio in Wisconsin! My name is Tricia and I have enjoyed stamping ever since my sister-in-law gave me my first stamp set and catalog for Christmas somewhere around 20 years ago. Yes… I started stamping when I was 9. SNORT!!!! Hmm -- I guess that age thing doesn’t quite work since I just celebrated my 30th anniversary with my husband! OK, so I’m a forty-something stay-at-home mom and wife with three grown children, a daughter-in-love, a very adorable but paranoid mini Schnauzer, and the most wonderful husband in the world. To keep me busy I enjoy cross stitching, blogging about my cards and helping women manage their time and their homes through my online planning company - GraceWorks Purpose Planners. My stamping style is mostly clean and layered, I love to color, and I love to make cards to encourage people. But enough about me! Let’s stamp!

I just love the picture of Tibbs, don’t you?? I loved the pop of pink and decided to use the image from the Get Wool Soon digi set. I thought it would look warm and cozy… like when you are inside during a Wisconsin winter!

After I printed my image, I decided I would try using a combination of alcohol markers and watercolor pencils for my coloring. I started by laying down a layer of color with a variety of different markers… Copics, Spectrum Noir, Chameleon, Pro Markers, I combine them all!… and then I pulled out my Staedtler Karat Aquarelle pencils to add the final touches.

After I finished my coloring, I cut a few mats with some petite scalloped circle dies and layered my matted image over a background that I had cut out with a stitched rectangle die and then embossed with a wire fence pattern. I stamped the sentiment on a stitched strip and attached it to the card with foam dots. And then, really, I couldn’t help myself, I added Stickles to the steam and some glittery enamel dots to the sentiment strip. I like fairly simple cards, but I just have to have some sparkle!!

Thanks so much for walking through my card with me! I hope you’ll be able to play along!!

Thanks Tricia -- we love our sparkle too and... we love your "Tibbs-inspired" creation!  Just in case you want to keep tabs on Tricia, you can find her blog -- Simply Stamping -- HERE!  I am sure you won't be disappointed if you hop by and see what she's been up to! Her work is stellar folks! So, take a gander at Tibbs and join Tricia in this week's challenge! Who knows, your card could turn a few heads -- so much so that you could be our next guest designer for the week!

Get those fingers inky and then link up your creation below!

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Inspire Me Monday: Christmas Corgis with Kathy, Julie, and Marcy

Happy Monday, all! It’s Marcella here, presenting a switcharoo on how we traditionally bring you Inspire Me Monday. Today we are featuring one stamp and three ladies’ crafty takes on coloring it up. In honor of the Daily Marker’s 30 Day Coloring Challenge, we aren’t even making cards, we’re just coloring for the pure pleasure of it. 

Come see what we’re up to with Christmas Corgis clear stamp set.

Kathy Racoosin, the Daily Marker

Kathy took our little leaping Corgi and put him on his tiptoes! What a clever idea. And then made a sign on which to place the sentiment, accented with a holly sprig. I wouldn’t have thought to do this in a million years. I guess that’s why we call this column, “Inspire Me Monday”. I love the playful arrangement of Kathy’s elements in the space, the doggie on his tiptoes draws your eye up to the sentiment, which even looks like it has marquee lights with her tiny white dots!

Another thing I'm loving about Kathy’s Corgi is the way she colored the fur. There is some seriously interesting texture happening - all created with light and shadow and fine strokes of her Copics. It’s like a reindeer and a Corgi went to the beauty shop and came out with this elegant coiffure.

Julie Koerber, the Bloom Brigade

Julie decided to color up her Christmas Corgi in classic “Pembroke Welsh Corgi” coloring, caramel and white. She grabbed a handful of Copies and used tiny quick strokes to bring out his fur and add wonderful shading.

As to the background, Jules didn’t know how she might use the little Corg in an upcoming card just yet, whether he would be prancing or splooting (when the dog is completely splayed out with paws fully extended out back, we call it a SPLOOT!), so she created a lovely versatile background that can go either way! So fun, simple, and quick... finished off with rosy cheeks for extra cuteness factor.

Marcella Hawley, Power Poppy

For our last example of Christmas Corgis, I got out my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. The giant mix of 150 colors was a bit of a splurge on Amazon, but I cannot tell you how worth it it is to have such a range of colors at your fingertips. I plucked out the following shades of brown, beige, and a bit of pink for the paws and insides of Tibbs’ ears.

I don’t know that I even used all of the browns... but I had them out in case I wanted to. I was sure to start with the lightest colors and build shading with each coat. I also followed the shading in the stamp to know where to put my shadows. Then I glanced over at Tibbs to get a good look at his unique coloring. Our Corgi Tibbs is a mix of Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and he has a blue merle coat on his back, which gives him some grey and black spotting.

For the background, I used two colored pencils: Pale Sage and Light Green. I thought they looked pretty against the caramels, greys, and ivory tones of Tibbs’ fur.

Lastly, I added “snow” using a white paint pen. It was being particularly gloppy today, but I decided that I like the variations in the dots! Happy accident strikes again.

Pick up a Christmas Corgis stamp set for yourself here

In case you missed this pic in our newsletter.... it snowed here earlier this week!

It all melted within a few days, but gotta say that the snow helped me get into the holiday spirit. And I know that my Christmas Corgi had an absolute blast playing in it.

Well friends, that’s it for today! I sure hope you’re enjoying your Thanksgiving preparations and the big day itself. Much love from Power Poppy HQ.

Good Vibe 5: A Mish Mash of Inspiration

Hello peeps and welcome to a smorgasbord of ideas designed to give you a la carte bits of inspiration! We call it Good Vibe 5. We hope you agree that it is nothing but positive beams of creativity designed to bring out the best in life and in your crafting spaces!

GOOD VIBE 1

You've heard of Pop Art. What about Pupp Art? Just look at the way Jane Crisci captured our very own Power Puppy Mr. Tibbs!!!! Can you even stand how cute this is? Jane mentioned using digital images to create this "scene" with Power Poppy's Easy Breezy Coneflowers in the forefront, but can you believe how awesome her rendition of Tibbs is, drawn from a photo in THIS Hues to Use challenge. Aall of us here at Power Poppy are completely taken by her creativity and talent! And Jane -- just a note -- Mr. Tibbs applauds your artistry. It reminded him of THIS MORNING when he nibbled on some of his master's precious zinnias for breakfast.

GOOD VIBE 2

When Elizabeth gets to creating and then dares to give us little sneaky peeks, you kind of feel like saying, "Dang it, Elizabeth, why do you tease us like that???" ;-) Check out her latest masterpiece in the making where she digitally mastered Power Poppy's newest member of the Instant Garden, Cherries and Berries. Okay, now that we are all on the edge of our seat, I honestly can't wait to see the colored up version.  And, if you've not given digis a try, take this tutorial for a test drive. You're almost guaranteed an instant dose of gratification when you download, color and enjoy within minutes!

GOOD VIBE 3

If you've been hanging with me on Tuesdays for Hues to Use, you know that I am just not ready for fall to color our world in shades of russet, amber, and plum. I adore this season, don't get me wrong. I truly love this season. I just am not ready to say goodbye to summer. That's why when I spotted this photo above of the lovely Bloomie Christine, I just had to celebrate her living life in full bloom! Even her tootsies are colored up in a summery shade! Christine, I so wish I could have joined you!

GOOD VIBE 4

Do you ever have those days when you stamp out an image and have no idea what colors to reach for in order to bring that illustration to life? I was thumbing through the Power Poppy tutorial archives and stumbled upon this old tutorial from color whiz Ally Cope. Not only does she have a handful of samples showcasing how to mix and match colors, she prepped a video on color theory for sure-fire ways to pair different hues for stunning and visually appealing results! Grab a cuppa your favorite beverage and sidle up to the computer to give this a watch before you kick off your creative weekend.

GOOD VIBE 5

Speaking of color, have we got some exciting news for you here in the Good Vibe 5! Mark your calendar people! Kathy Racoosin is just days away from kicking off another 30-Day Coloring Challenge! Yes, you heard it here! That's not all!!! A little birdie told me that when Kathy kicks off this challenge, she'll also be sneak peeking one of Power Poppy's newest images! Squeee! Like I said.. Mark your calendars! It's going to be a fun thirty-day ride!

We hope you got did indeed get a jolt of good vibes with us today! You've got a smile from Mr. Tibbs, a sneaky peek with Elizabeth, a dose of summer with Christine, a kaleidoscope of color with Ally and an invitation from Kathy! How much fun is all of that?

Now you get to have some more fun when you hop on over to see these fine ladies....

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Tosha Leyendekker

Well, that does it for us here on the Power Poppy blog! Be sure to "tune in" Monday when Jessie Banks takes center stage with her tips and tricks for the next Inspire me Monday!

See you back here then!
~Julie

Happiest Holiday 2018: Previews Start Today!

Well hello, dear ones! 

I can hardly believe it is time to start sharing our brand new Happiest Holiday clear stamp & die release. After months of sketching and dreaming, researching, whittling, finalizing, editing, typesetting, and trusting our gut to go with ideas that we think you’ll love — here we are! From now through Sunday, we’ll show you previews of all SIX new sets, featured in totally original cards by the creative women of the Bloom Brigade. To say that you’ll be inspired is an understatement.

All six stamp sets in our new collection are the result of my endless fascination with vintage style, highlighted with botanical touches and what I think is refreshingly hip type design. 

Also, there are CORGIS.

It’s no surprise that my heart has been stolen buy this li’l shorty. Tibbs the Power Puppy came in to our lives last summer, and this character, a mix of Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi, adds a ton of spunk to the family. He also has destroyed most of our furniture, upholstery, and several pair of shoes, but let's focus on Tibbs’ good qualities. Here’s one: HE’S A REAL CUTIE!

So cute, in fact, that I had to design a stamp set inspired by Tibbs. Corgis have that adorable “smile” going on almost constantly, it’s hard to resist. Even if they are mischievously trying to get into the everything or herding your children with nips to the ankles ... you see that smile and the “side eye” and all is forgiven.

In Christmas Corgis, you’ll find three focal images with cute-and-quirky Corgis, designed especially for the holidays. Corgi-centric sentiments such as “Merry Corgmas” and “Boop the Snoot” help share your cute-and-quirky flair! I’ve even drawn a border of bones, holly, and peppermint sticks to help coordinate. You’ll have so much fun with this set — and I promise there’s nothing else out there quite like it. I know, I looked!!!

It’s time to see what these amazing ladies have created for our Happiest Holiday 2018 Preview Week... I can hardly stand it, these cards are SOOOO darn cute!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Hope today’s puppy peeks have you begging for more! Day 2 promises to delight your love of florals — with a stamp set that’s totally different than anything I’ve released before. See you back here soon,

It's Power Poppy Friday!

Hello all! Hope your harvest hearts are overflowing these days! We can see that Mr. Tibbs, the Power Poppy mascot is loving this gourd-geous season!  ;-) Sorry, couldn't resist!

Mr. Tibbs is heading up the household these days while this fine lady -- our Power Poppy Peep-in-Chief-- is running the streets of New Orleans with her old high school bud Laurie. I don't think they are having ANY fun at all! Aren't they just the cutest? I thought I'd share because if you place an order, it will be a few days until it gets shipped your way.

Some of you have asked about Christmas and what Power Poppy's plans are for the holidays! I have some good news for digi lovers! Sometime in the next two weeks, look for a new crop of digis, perfect for the season! Marcy's sketchbook is overflowing with concepts for clear sets but those sets won't be ready until late winter, early spring. Yes, it's a wait but as with all things Power Poppy, it's totally worth it! Stay tuned for news on our digi release and some incredibly fun things Marcy plans to unveil!

Did you catch last week's Inspire Me Monday? Oh, my goodness, it is a veritable spring of tidbits thanks to the oh-so-talented Amy Shulke of vanillaarts.com. She invites us into her Artist Sketchbook to break down color and show us how there are more ways to color a pumpkin than just to reach for an orange marker. It's a must-read!  Just click HERE if you haven't read it yet! And, if you didn't sign up for Amy's Silvered Pumpkins Vanilla Livestream, there's still a little bit of time!

Just click HERE to learn more. Remember, if you miss the LIVE class, Amy does allow you to watch the taped version if you become a Livestream Member! I've taken a few of her classes and she is an amazing teacher. I thought there was no way I could get similar results but she takes you step by step in such an incredible way and explains the "why" behind her coloring. She makes it all look so easy even though it is anything but!

And, last but not least, it's Friday so.... you know what that means!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Thanks so much for stopping by! We hope you have a beautiful and creative weekend ahead! We'll see you back here soon with new bits of inspiration that you can hopefully take with you next time you step into your stamping spaces!

Until next time!
Julie 

hApPy FrI-yAy!

Yes, my sweet stamping friends, we are a little slow on the take to share some fun little vibes to get your ready for a feel-good weekend! Sorry 'bout that! Never fear... we're here now! ;-)

As we speak, there's a flurry of activity, not only at my home base in Montana but in St. Louis as Marce gets ready for a MASSIVE road trip. Can you say 1800 miles with the family truckster packed to the gills? Yep, that's Marcy! Stay tuned for more on her adventures! Just a little note, if you place an order in the next week, Marcella and her crew will pack it up when they return!

Okay, are you all ready for some...

Let's get right to the eye candy folks! Marcella has another massive digital release just for you. Want to see a sneak peek?

Sigh... it's divine, isn't it? And, I wish I could show you more. Get ready digi-lovers. There is a smorgasbord of fun images that absolutely CANNOT wait to be colored up by your crafty hands -- flowers of all kinds, sweet vignettes, and scenes that are sure to drop your blood pressure at first sight. Mark your calendar! The new digi release starts July 20th -- JUST ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! 

This second Good Vibe is pretty self-explanatory. Puppies = good vibes. We just love that Mr. Tibbs, the Power Poppy Pup in Chief, demands that his master put down work for a little catch with his favorite red thing-a-ma-jig! You go Tibbs!

I am not sure about you, but I can almost smell the beautiful scent of lilacs when I take a glance at this AH-MAZE-ING creation by Jeannean Marshall using Power Poppy's French Lilac digital stamp set. Wow. Makes me yearn for next spring when the bushes behind my house will be in full bloom again! If you want to be WOWED by this image above fashioned into a finished card plus a few others, click HERE! 

Okay, this good vibe is clearly mine but -- you know what? We're all family here and it's perfectly fine to share those proud mama moments, right? Well, this pic above is of my daughter's softball team after their battle to win at the State Softball Tournament in Great Falls, Montana. These little ladies took 2nd place out of 21 teams. #2 in the standings, #1 in our hearts! They battled in 95-degree heat and dug so deep that many of us were shocked. They couldn't quite conquer their main rival but you know it's a good game when the other coach says to your girls, "That's how you play softball girls!" Proud. (Just in case you wondered, my daughter is the second from the left in the first row). Go 406 Playmakers!

There's little doubt that both Katie and I are squealing at this photo above. You see, we're both avid knitters. When Marcy asked what she should do on that mondo car trip, I suggested she learn how to knit! Well, her grandma taught her years ago and all she needed to do was get "reacquainted!" So, she hit up the Kirkwood Knittery and snagged these lovelies above! She says she plans to try her hand at knitting a scarf. Watch out folks! We all know what happens when Marcy falls in love with something new -- remember her mushroom craze that's still ongoing? I am excited to see where this one goes!


With all those vibes out there now sitting somewhere in cyberspace.....

Be sure to check out these fine ladies and their fresh cut Power Poppy creations!

Cindy

Katie

Christine

Ally

Stacy

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking in before you hit up your crafting spaces this weekend! We love your visits!

Until next time!
~Julie

Hues to Use honors... Mr. Tibbs!

Hello sweet peeps! Are you ready for a super cute, fuzzy, and sometimes comical bit of inspiration for this week's Hues to Use? Well, I sure am! It's been a while since we've put this little guy in the spotlight and so, we thought it would be fun to have not only a guest hostess today but a debonair man at the center of it all! Are you scratching your head, confused as to what the heck I am talking about? Well, check it out, will you? 

IT'S MR TIBBS! Can you even stand how incredibly cute he is? Oh, my. Don't you wish you could just sit on a giant pillow all day and stretch like this? Yep. Pretty much! So, to play along this week, all you need to do is grab this color combo above -- Navy, Denim and Tan -- and create! Just that simple folks! 

And guess what? We have, like I mentioned above, an absolutely fabulous guest hostess to show off these color cues for us all! Are you ready to meet her? Say "Hello" to this fine lady as we hear her share a little bit about herself and her gorgeous creation! 

"Hello, I'm Tress Smyth. I'm currently retired and living in SW Florida with my adorable and craft-spending forgiving husband, Greg (He's says I am more of a collector of craft supplies than a user, LOL -- each month I eagerly await Marcella's new digi offering). We celebrated our 10th anniversary this month. I have two grown children, a married daughter and a son who is in the Army. In addition to my family, crafting and travel are passions of mine. We are headed to Paris in June (first time overseas for my husband). I have not been there for nearly 40 years and I am looking forward to rediscovering the city! When we are not traveling, we enjoy spending our days hanging out in our pool with family and friends, hosting parties, golfing, and crafting.

My crafty hobbies include coloring digi stamps.  I actually detest physical stamps and I am so VERY happy Marcella is creating beautiful images for us digi gals. I love scrapbooking, and making Christmas ornaments and wreaths (stitched felt, ribbon, cross stitch, decorated pinecones). I just invested in some watercolor pencils and am eager to give them a try. My workspace is a total wreck when I craft. The piles grow until I cannot stand it and have to clean before starting the next project. I'll begin with a large area to work in and by the time I finish my project I'm down to about a 6 x 12 space and that is only because I move my keyboard out of the way, lol.

My creative process for Hues to Use is a tad different from my usual approach to card making. Typically I search my digi library/stash for an image that suits a specific project or just because I think it would be enjoyable to color (Marcella’s being my favorite for sheer indulgence). The next step is picking colors to work with. Playing in a Hues to Use challenge makes me switch up the order of picking a stamp and picking colors. Hues to Use pushes me to consider colors first, then choose an image that works with those colors. With a prominent butterfly, a Clusiana Tulip (I took a bit of liberty with color here), and a wild Anemone, a cropped version of Sunset Sway seemed the best candidate.

For this particular challenge, the colors appeared to me as camel, grayed turquoise, and indigo. The Copic markers that best matched were E31, BG18, and B99. The highlight and shading colors were built around this foundation. This color combo is outside my comfort zone (I gravitate to the bright spring hues), but it was fun to work with a more subdued palate.

After coloring the image with Copics and adding a touch of colored pencils, I chalked the background. I use chalk rather than Copics or other inks as the chalks are more subtle and more forgiving. The color or blend can be changed if the first try doesn’t look quite right.

Then it’s on to picking papers. Hmmmm….both a pleasure and a pain. If the process comes together quickly, it’s a joy. When I search my hundreds (yes, I sheepishly admit to hundreds) of 6x6 paper pads and still cannot find the “right” paper for the “right” look, the process is a total frustration. Thankfully by looking at a few of my unloved boy themed paper pads I was able to find a pleasing combination!

Embellishments are minimal on most of my cards. A fishtail banner and three enamel dots complete this card.

Thank you for asking me to be a part of this Hues to Use Challenge! It was a privilege, and I cannot wait to see how others will use this palate for their creations!"

Thanks, Tress! I absolutely love your card and the serene elegance you whipped up here! And to think that you reached for some "unloved" boy-themed paper packs to get the job done! LOL! I have to say that I am with you. I have a few of those myself and you've inspired me to dig through them and pick a few papers that I wouldn't otherwise use! :-)

Do you want to play along with us this week? Pick up these three colors, create, and then, link up your card using the linky below! We'd not only love to see what you create, you might just be like Tress in the future and be the hostess with the mostess here for an upcoming Hues to Use! 

Thanks for stopping by & thanks again Tress for hosting!

Julie 

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank Goodness it's FRI-YAY!!!!!

Hello, sweet peeps! What's going on in your neck of the woods? We here at Power Poppy are jam-packed with good vibes so get ready for a fast moving, high powered, combustion of creativity with the latest edition of....

With the official first day of spring just a week away, I have the FEEE-VAH folks -- a bit of spring fever! That's why when I was strolling through my Instagram feed, my heart skipped a beat with this one by Karen HERE using Power Poppy's stamp set Go Wild. Don't you just love the huge blast of color and the clean design?  I sure do! Good vibes Karen -- Good Vibes! 

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love progress shots showing coloring in action. They all remind me of my "happy place," when I can take a deep breath, grab my favorite coloring medium and... color. So, that's why I picked this little snapshot HERE by Kathy Jones using Power Poppy's Graceful Still Life.  Ahhh... love! I can't wait to see how Kathy finishes up this little colorful wonder!

Good Vibe #3 is all about the Power Pup! It's been a bit since we've seen the notorious Mr. Tibbs in action. This one shows him out with one of his fearless leaders, Doug. I am not sure which is more regal, the rich-in-history St. Louis statue in Forest Park... or the four-legged gentleman Mr. Tibbs! I don't know about you but I just really wish I could crash through the computer screen to get a little cuddle from the Power Pup himself!

Tomorrow is the big day when we can pretend that we are all a wee bit Irish! So, why not let the luck 'o the Irish rule the day and snap up one of Power Poppy's luck-inspired digital stamp sets??? Did you see this lovely set  --- Wish You Luck --- is on sale now through tomorrow for just a buck and 25 cents? Yep, you heard me right -- $1.25! You can't even buy a coffee for that! Hit the Power Poppy Shop before the sale ends on this digi designed to bring nothing but good vibes!! And, if you're looking for some ways to use this fun stamp set, Ally did a video showing how she colored up this set and even has a schnazzy little Irish tune underneath her coloring tutorial! Click HERE to check it out!

 

This last little snippet just made me happy at first sight. Look at that little baby succulent. It appears as if it is just "reaching" for the sunshine to soak it all in! Christine Okken shot this little guy, who just happens to be hers. So, soak up the happy and reach for the sunshine in your own lives -- #moregoodvibes! 

Well sweet peeps -- how's that for some good vibes? Hopefully, you'll leave here smiling just a little bit more than you were before you came this way! 

We have a few... just for YOU!  First up, have you checked out our monthly Power & Spark Challenge? This one is hosted by the fabulous Ally Cope! All you need to do is dig into your fabric stash and be... inspired! Check out the challenge HERE that could send you to the Power Poppy Shop as the winner of a $50 Shopping Spree! Yipppppeeee! 

And, of course, you can always get in on the action with our weekly Hues to Use. This week, we pulled the lid off on a new trio of colors that are springy and fun and just begging to be used the next time you hit your crafting space! Click HERE to see for yourself!

And fine folks, it's that time when we turn things over to the ever-fabulous Bloomies, who would love nothing more than for you to hop on over to their place on the web to see what beautiful things they've whipped up to share with YOU!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for popping in! Enjoy your weekend and we'll be back here real soon to share a little kick of creativity to brighten your day!

~Julie