Storm of Creativity: 5 New Sets Available Today!

Hello to everybody! It’s been such fun to read your enthusiastic comments all week long in preparation for our big release today. Thank you so much for the awesome support! xoxo

Well, let’s get right to the action, here is the ALL NEW Storm of Creativity collection — come and get yourself swirled up in the fun, presented in the highest quality clear photopolymer: 

Orchids Rock

Good Thinking: Love Notes

Short Stacks

 
Big Scripts

Potted Primroses

 

As if this week’s showstopping previews weren’t enough (I’m still reeling from seeing the Bloom Brigade’s cards!) they have ONE MORE to show you, to really put that excitement over the top. Come tour around, and then let’s get a Storm of Creativity into all of our craft rooms!

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

Ever-so-fondly yours,

Bring on the cheer!

Howdy!! This week has worn me out! Days of showcasing eye-poppingly cute cards compliments of the Bloom Brigade design team has left this girl with just a few sparks left in my arsenal. But I’ll use those sparks in the name of the last new set we’re sharing.

Today’s set is kind of special. I mean, they are all special, but this one, THIS ONE... is Primroses. Primroses. Primroses. Primroses!!! Eeeee!!! I’ve had a crush on primroses since I first spotted them in British decorating magazines years ago, and thought, now, those plants are di-VINE! I used to plant bevvies of them along our driveway. I’d tuck them under trees. Nowadays I like to have a few pots of them in the house to usher in a sunshiney feeling as spring approaches. But—I had yet to illustrate the little bright-eyed darlings. UNTIL NOW!

Do we really have to herald the virtues of the primrose: the cheerfulness of their very appearance, the rainbow of hues, the mossy terra cotta pots they often live in, the jauntily ruffled, puckered leaves, the lollipop-like standards of the Auricula varieties, the pure unadulterated JOY they imbue—are we all on the same page here?!

Let’s get right to the examples of the my new set, Potted Primroses! Bloom Brigade, show us whatcha got...

 

Kathy Jones

Leslie Miller
Tosha Leyendekker

Christine Okken
Allison Cope
Cindy Lawrence

SPECIAL NOTE: Power Poppy Peeps of the Week took a break for our fabulous release week! We hope y’all will tune in next week when we reveal our winners, and a the recipient of the free stamp set, PLUS (drum roll) a NEW WAY to challenge yourself with bits of Power Poppy goodness!

And... TOMORROW, the entire Storm of Creativity collection is available in the shop. Along with a GIANT BLOG HOP with even more examples of the five sets we’re releasing! So come back, ya hear? I want to see what YOU will do with these sets. I have a lot of faith in you!!

Rock on, my dears...

Handlettering gone wild

Hello there!

I hope you’ve been having a great time with us during our 5 days of previews for Sunday’s big release day. Today we’ve got a set that stands out from the rest—in a cool kind of way—and I hope you’ll give it a whirl in your craft room!

Do you ever find yourself musing about handlettering, sign painting, typography, font design, and wood type? (It’s OK to say no, I’m an admitted lettering nerd.) There are just so many lettering styles, and so little time! From the script on the window of a beauty shop, to the scrawl on a punk rock show flyer, the world of lettering is endless and inspiring! If I ever take a sabbatical, it might be to learn more about this fascinating topic, and spend more time honing my skillz. (Can you take a sabbatical if you work for yourself? Thinking that’s a no...)

Meanwhile, a hand-crafted lettering style that I’m fond of using involves grabbing a pointy paintbrush, dabbing the brush somewhat gloppily into gouache paint, and pretty much just going at the paper like a wild person.

It’s not a dainty look, but it’s a REAL look. It’s authentic, and it gives a personal touch. It’s kind of bold, and has moxie!

At times I press down hard with the brush, but as I curve around to form the next letter, I may use more delicate pressure. I’ve been working with this rustic look for many years on personal projects and for some client work, too. Here are a few examples just to show ya....

In this poster for a monthly motorcycle event that Doug and I put on in St. Louis, I combined my painted lettering with a crisp and snappy, condensed font. I also drew my first motorcycle dude. By the way, If you’re curious about vintage motorcycles at all, check out our Kick-It Vintage website, which features details about our local event, plus all of the posters I’ve designed, and lots more lettering styles. I really get to experiment there, and I love having that freedom.

Had a great time scrapping together this red-white-and-blue treatment for our July bike night, using an old envelope and sticky notes for my canvases. All stuck to my red 1968 Yamaha.

Here’s a logo I designed years ago for Lisa Fontanarosa Collection. Lisa is a lovely and inspiring person who is an artist’s representative working with some of the world’s most talented creators of decorative objects. She selects “true artists the world hasn’t discovered yet,” and seeks out “works that invite the touch” like the hand-cut, appliquéd velvet pillows shown above. We thought that the rough-hewn lettering was ideal to support her brand.

A special banner for Lisa’s blog is a collage with photos of French artist Marie Christophe’s work, along with my handlettering, fonts, and scans of scribbling on notebook paper.

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OK, MARCY, WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH STAMPING?

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Well, lookee here at what I made for you to stamp with...

I’ve been wanting to plow outside my typical stamp design zone, and I sure hope you dig it as much as I do. You may find that it works well alongside crisp and snappy sentiments (remember that Vintage Bike Night poster!), and give some bold freshness to our beloved botanicals. Used on their own, these stamps are stylish enough to be the main element.

Big Scripts kicks your cards up a notch in the coolness department!

To help show you what I mean, look at what the Bloom Brigade hath wrought with this set:

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker
Katie Sims
Christine Okken

I do hope you’ll come back tomorrow for ONE MORE set. And we may have saved the very best—if not the cheeriest!—for last! :)

Have a superfun day!

Stacks are Fun!

When I look around the room, I see stacks. Stacks and piles and heaps. The stacks are typically composed of cute things like teacups and dishes, books with interesting spines, pieces of nature, and spools of ribbon. Actually, I find most of my stacks decorative and quite fun to look at. If I may quote one of my mentors:

“I like to have everything out where I can see it.”
Mary Engelbreit

When it’s time to dust, my stacks, piles, and heaps are not nearly as fun. They are kind of a pain. Here’s a small corner of our dining room hutch to help illustrate the point. (I had to blur the picture a little bit so you can’t make out the dust as easily. Thanks, Photoshop!)

So, one of the convenient things about being an artist is that you can design stacks of cute decorative objects and they do not have to be dusted. Not ever! Want to see an example of this fantastic concept? For Day 3 of our release preview, herrrrrre’s Short Stacks!

I hereby hypothesize that you will find many, many, many uses for Short Stacks. It’s got birthday sentiments, words to give a friendly hello, and some straight-out words to live by (“But First, Coffee.”). And then three stacked-up images that are a hoot to color!

Want to see how much of a hoot? Look what a good time the Bloom Brigade is having with this set — everyone is in on the act. ROLL CALL:

Kathy Jones

Leslie Miller
Tosha Leyendekker

Christine Okken

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Allison Cope
 Katie Sims
Cindy Lawrence

I would just love to see you back here tomorrow, as we have a very cool set to share with you — one that reflects my inner scribbler, inner renegade, and the inner voice that told me to try something a bit different.

xoxo!

Make Love Notes

Valentine box I designed, built, and handlettered for Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion magazine

Sweet nothings are really something to me. I think they should be shared with the ones you love, like, every hour. Maybe every 20 minutes. Does it ever get tiresome to be told something loving? Not in my world. Get that love flowing... on the phone, in a quick text or email, with a little squeeze or a quick smooch, whispered in their ear or shouted from the rooftops for the whole neighborhood to hear! (Yes, my poor neighbors.)

To be really, really exceptional at sharing those sweet nothings, you will make loving cards and write love notes. Pieces of amorously constructed ephemera with thoughtful images and words are treasured, remembered—and they just keep those sparks alive! Love notes endure.

Not just on Valentine’s Day, my good people.

Get inspired by the idea of sharing your love, sprinkling loving words and quotes into your projects, and you may even find yourself feeling that loving goodness. Put more love out there, and we ALL benefit.

To help you along in this process, I have created a new set with 23 loving phrases (and just a few tiny images) to transform any card into a love note. Introducing my almost all-sentiment set, Good Thinking: Love Notes!

To help illustrate some of the loving ways to use this set, the Bloom Brigade has made some love notes of their own. Let Love Rule your morning, afternoon, evening ... and check out wonderful projects created by wonderful women using my newest stamp set! It will be available to purchase in the shop on Sunday, February 1.

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan
Katie Sims
Cindy Lawrence
Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for stopping by to read about the “good thinking” behind this set. Come back tomorrow to see more sneak peeks from the Storm of Creativity collection!

All my love and sealed with a kiss,

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!

 

Inspire Me Monday: Gradient Stained Glass

Good morning Power Poppy Fans! It’s Christine greeting you on this Monday morning. I’m so excited to help kick off this week’s New Releases with an Inspire Me Monday Tutorial. It's a SUPER sneak peek of a set that will be releasing this week, called Orchids Rock, and it is amazing.  

Today I’m going to show you a twist on a beaded stained glass window, making use of a gradient theme.  Gradient is the change from light to dark or gradual change of colour in an image.  Using the theme of a stained glass window in this way, is a new twist I thought I’d try.  I love how it turned out, it’s a very elegant way to show off a beautiful design.  

I began by stamping and colouring the image, here I’ve used the beautiful lady slipper orchid stamp.  Then I took out my Standard Circles Spellbinders die and a Copic Multi-liner and traced around the outer edge of the circle and inner edge of the circle.  You just want to be careful to take your time and hold the die firmly.  I mainly wanted to give it a framed feel, like a stained glass border.  From here I took the two main colours of deep burgundy and deep green and coloured out the opposite sides of the border in an Ombre style.  Deepest colors at the bottom and top and then fading out to softer colours at the middle.  You can see a bit of the border colour in the following step.  

Next I grabbed some Sticky Strip.  Though Scor Tape is my go to for most crafting, on this style of card you need a very firm clear adhesive tape, so I’ve found Sticky Strip works best.  

In the middle of my image I placed three strips of tape, butted firmly together, leaving a section of white-space open.  Then I placed two strips of tape together, another white space and then finally one strip of tape toward both the bottom and top of the image.  So, thickest gradient in the middle moving out to thinner gradient strips along the bottom and top.  

You’ll want to be sure that wherever your tape lands is where you want it.  You can’t pull it back up once it’s down or it will tear your image.  After all the tape was secure and smoothed down with my fingers I trimmed off the pieces that were stuck over the edge.  Use a good sharp scissor for cutting off the edges, the sticky strip is really sticky.  

Next, you’ll want to grab some sort of container with sides, I just grabbed a ziplock style leftover container.  Peel off the top layer of your sticky strip and lay it in the bottom of your container, sticky side up.   Then you’ll need some clear micro-beads (if you’re like me, you have some lying around in your craft drawers too).  

Carefully pour your beads onto your sticky image.  You’ll want every bit of the sticky spots covered with micro-beads, so use your fingers to make sure it’s completely covered.  Then turn your image upside down in the dish and gently push on every part of the image to make sure your beads are firmly adhered and evenly burnished onto your image.   You want the beads to be smooth.  

Just look how pretty it is!  The gradiant areas really give that stained glass feel to the design, but I also like how the other areas are also peeking through.  It is such a great effect.  

Here are a couple of pictures of the finished card design.  I placed the image onto a belly-band style card where the scalloped section pulls out.  

The micro-beads give it a light reflective, glittery effect that’s really lovely.  

Here are the Copics I used for colouring the image.  

Tomorrow you’ll see so much more from this beautiful set, and a lot of creativity from the Power Poppy Team all week long!  We can’t wait to show you all of the beautiful things Marcy has created for us to work with!  See you then!