Inspire Me Monday: Inktense Pencils

Howdy all... and Happy Monday to all those out there in Blogland.  It's Inspire Me Monday and I'm your hostess Allison Cope!

Today on the Power Poppy Blog we're going to talk a little bit about Inktense pencils and creating cards with large sentiments.  I'm going to pull out my "Happy Crabapples" and "Potted Primroses" stamp sets and we're going to do a little stamping and coloring together.

So here is a peek at the card I'm going to share the coloring process with you today. 

So grab a good cup of something tasty and join me at my stamp table...

Direct Video Link 

For my final card, I added some clear Wink of Stella pen and some White Jellyroll Pen details to my crabapples and blossoms...

Inktense Pencils: Sun Yellow, Sherbet Lime, Apple Green, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Cherry, Shiraz, Bark

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today!  I hope you enjoyed my video tutorial and give this medium a whirl!  Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian peeps out there!

~ Ally ~

Supplies:
Stamps:  Power Poppy (Happy Crabapples, Potted Primroses)
Cardstock: Canston (90# Watercolor Paper), Recollections 110# White cardstock
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Squeezed Chevron 6x6 (My Favorite Things)
Inks:  Jet Black (StazOn), Inktense Pencils, Wink of Stella (clear), Jellyroll White Pen 
Dies:  Stitched Rectangles (Lawn Fawn), Stitched Basic Edges (My Favorite Things)
Lace:  Misc..

And the WINNER is......

Hello folks! Short and sweet post for you this Sunday! We wanted to thank all the lovelies that joined us in celebrating World Card Making Day and taking our Sketch Challenge for a spin! We loved seeing all the different color combinations and how some of you flip flopped the sketch to get even more creative with it!

Random.org drew the number 13, which means our lucky winner is.......

D.J. RANTS! 

Congrats D.J.-- we loved how you took the sketch and instead of a rectangle, you morphed it into a square orientation! Plus, we love the fusion of stamp sets you used to create this beautiful scene!!!

D.J. not only used Power Poppy's O Holy Night stamp set but she used the Merry Littles set too to create that darling sentiment accented with a bow and some sprigs of evergreen! Love the warm and cozy feel this creation exudes! Bravo!!!

D.J. to claim your prize, all you need to do is email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and let us know which three digital stamp sets or which single polymer stamp set you would like us to send your way! Congrats!!

If you want to see ALL the entries, just click on over HERE to see just how creative folks got with this one! I loved each and every one!

Thanks all! See you back here soon! Ally is "on deck" tomorrow with another episode of Inspire Me Monday that you will NOT want to miss! ;-)

~Julie

COLOR YOUR WORLD!

Wouldn't it be nice to take a little respite, a little break from the day-to-day grind to do something that adds joy and color to your life? Well, these peeps right here at Power Poppy dedicated at least ONE DAY to coloring our worlds and we're joining the ever-talented Kathy Racoosin over at The Daily Marker in her challenge to color up something every day -- YES -- every day for 30 days! She's even sharing prizes for those who participate! It may be the 9th and we may be joining the party fashionably late, but you can join in at any time at all!

HOW TO JOIN IN THE FUN.....

Pick a coloring medium, any which one, and enjoy some special downtime to recharge and color. There's no presssure to really do it each and every day. But, if you want to carve out ten minutes for a zippy color fest with your favorite cuppa, why not? Life's too short, isn't it?

WHAT? IT'S JUST THAT EASY?

Yes, sweet stamping friends, it is! Then, after you color up something fun, make sure you link your creation RIGHT HERE on the linky for a chance at some prizes! Keep in mind Kathy is urging us all to share our colorific skills. That doesn't mean you need a finished card. Just show off what you colored! You can also share via social media -- Facebook, Instagram, Flickr -- using the hashtag #thedailymarker30day3  

DID YOU SAY THERE WERE PRIZES? 

Why yes, we did! And guess what? Power Poppy is adding to the mix by donating a stamp set of choice to one lucky colorista! Kathy will pick the winner at the end of the month when the challenge wraps up! Check HERE for all the details!

WHERE DO I FIND INSPIRATION?
The Daily Marker! Kathy is posting new and colorful things each and every day for the entire month of October!

ARE THE BLOOMIES PLAYING ALONG?
Absolutely! In fact, if you hop, skip and jump your way through our link list, you'll see what they created during one of their own personal coloring sessions.

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Katie Sims

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

CAN I COMBINE THIS WITH ANOTHER CHALLENGE?
Why yes you CAN! In fact, there is so much going on at Power Poppy you have a plethora of ways to double, triple even quadruple your chances of winning some Power Poppy stamps! You have until Saturday night to play along in our World Cardmaking Day Sketch Challenge! You can nip and snip and play along in our Power and Spark Bits & Pieces Challenge! Or, you can hop on over to Splitcoaststampers and play along in their month long Hope You Can Cling To event. 

So there you have it peeps, a handful of reasons to take time to create a little happy and color up some fun!

Can't wait to see what YOU create!
~Julie

Trick or treat?

Hello to you! The Bloom Brigade and I are all wrapped up in preparing for our Holiday clear stamp release. Busy busy busy! Fun fun fun!

In the meantime, I hope you’ll scroll down to read about some of the cardmaking challenges we’ve posted in the last few days! From World Card Making Day to our Bits & Pieces Challenge, to Splitcoaststampers’ Hope You Can Cling To monthlong challenge, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. We’ll see you all next Monday, with an all-new tutorial from our dear Allison Cope.

Our Instant Garden digi releases are going to take a brief break as well, and we’ll be back on October 25th with downloadable images and sentiments to delight and inspire!

Don’t forget to run over and see Christine Okken’s card on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog, and you could win a free stamp set just for leaving a comment.

Perhaps you’ll enjoy some Otis Redding, “Trick or Treat” to kick off this October Monday? I know I did! Have a fabulous day!

HAPPY WORLD CARD MAKING DAY!

Welcome to a momentous occasion here in the card making world! It’s a day devoted completely to... US!

That’s right folks — for today we get to create with reckless abandon watching that ink flow, paper fly, and glitter float through the air like fairy dust! 

In honor of this oh-so-special day, Power Poppy thought it would be fantabulous (fantastic plus fabulous = fantabulous) to offer up a fun challenge that would give you a reason to create and also give us a reason to give away a little Power Poppy goodness! So, here goes! It’s a Sketchy Challenge that has some extra fun packed inside!

HOW TO PLAY:  MAKE SURE YOU USE ALL 3 ELEMENTS

#1: USE THIS SKETCH AS INSPIRATION

#2: USE NON-TRADITIONAL COLORS TO CREATE A HOLIDAY CARD

Here’s a little peek at how I used the sketch! Okay, I hope I don’t get “fired” for sharing this top secret look at an upcoming Power Poppy Holiday set. That’s right, what you are seeing here is super dooper classified card making information folks! ;-) Take a gander at Power Poppy’s soon-to-be-released stamp set called Cozy Cupfuls! You can watch for upcoming Holiday Collection sneaky peeks starting October 13th with the full release on the 18th of October! You are definitely going to want to mark your calendar. This collection is buzz-worthy!!!

#3: ADD A LITTLE SPARKLE OR BLING

Anyone that knows me --- KNOWS --- I love my bling. It makes me happy! So, as you can see here, I have a plethora! I have a little rhinestone for my deer's nose, a little sparkle gel pen on the cup’s steamy drink and a little razzle dazzle on the package thanks to some glitter glue, see?

So, there you have it! Use the sketch, non-traditional colors for a holiday card and add a little sparkle! Then, link up your creation below! Use Power Poppy stamp sets if you have them, but if you don't, now is the time to win some! While World Card Making Day is only one day, you're in luck! You have a whole WEEK to play along! Contest will close next Saturday, October 10th and we’ll announce a winner sometime on Sunday, October 11th. Random winner will receive their choice of three digital stamp sets or one polymer stamp set of choice! 

Want to see how some of my fellow Bloomies took this sketch for a spin?

Cindy Lawrence

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Tosha Leyendekker

There you have it Card Making Comrades — get those fingers inky, have some fun, create and then link up your creation below! HAPPY WORLD CARD MAKING DAY!

~Julie

p.s. If you are looking for even more ways to create, see our post on Thursday about our sponsorship of this year's Hope You Can Cling To event over at Splitcoaststampers.com! It's a cause with a heart that helps you create and deliver hope along the way! ;-) 

An InLinkz Link-up

We’ve got Power! We’ve got Spark!

Okay, I left my pom-poms at home but can you hear that cheer in today’s blog post title? Yes, sweet friends! It is the dawn of a new challenge, one designed to add a bit of design power and pair it with a zap of creative spark! This one is a fun one because it challenges us all to see a stamped image just a wee bit differently! So, without further ado, take a peek at new challenge for October...

HOW TO PLAY: Yours truly is hosting this month and here’s the gist of our Bits & Pieces Challenge. Start with a stamped image or a digital stamp print out and only use a piece of it. Nip it, cut it, crop it, punch it — doesn’t matter! We want to see what you can do with a partial image. If you take a gander at the photo above you can see what I mean! 

On to my creation! I have to say that my creation was definitely inspired by the fabulous Nancy Sheads over at Rowhouse Greetings. I saw THIS sweet card here and I was captivated by it. I loved the mostly white card and how those little bees and flowers just seemed to pop off the front of her card! So, I used her card to “CASE” it (copy and steal everything)! I did ask Ms. Nancy’s permission and thankfully, she was a-okay with it! 

Here’s my card...

Nancy may have used squares, but I opted to let my windows to these little Crabapple bits from Power Poppy’s clear stamp set Happy Crabapples be circles! If you want to know more about the details of this card, just hop on over to my blog HERE to read all about it! 

Here’s a close up of those little windows! 

And, as always, I had to add a little sparkle!!! So that, my friends, is it! I hope you join me this month for our Power of Spark Challenge and find a new way to look at some of those larger stamp images to highlight just a bit or piece! 

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them, but if you don’t, this is a great way to WIN them
• Link your creation below using our Linky (please use the exact URL from your post instead of a generic blog address.)
• Please mention Power Poppy in YOUR blog or gallery post with a link back to THIS challenge
• The winner will receive a free clear or digital stamp set of choice from the Power Poppy Shop
• Enter as many cards as you’d like, as long as they fit the theme of the challenge!
• Deadline to enter is October 31 @ 8:00pm EST. At that point, we'll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday of November!

.... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ...

Before we get to our beloved Bloom Brigade’s cards for Power Poppy Friday, we do have a winner’s name to draw for our September Gifts From the Heart Power & Spark Challenge! Random.org threw all the entries into its computeristic hat and drew the number 10, which means last month’s winner is......

*** MINDY BAXTER ***

And here’s a picture of Mindy’s creation using Power Poppy’s digital stamp set Olive & Oak. Just take a second to breathe it all in......

I just could stare at the way Mindy colored in this autumnal image all day!!! If the shading and rustic hues don't get you, the stippled shadows sure will! I also love the elegant simplicity of her layout -- perfect for such a showstopper of a colored image, the card is a gift in itself! 

Mindy, please email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and let us know which three digital stamp sets or which one clear stamp set you would like us to send your way and we’ll get that right to you! 

Now to our stars of the show -- our Bloom Brigade! It’s always a Friday treat to check in and see what they’ve been up to in their stamp rooms! So, hop on over and say “hello” while you're there!

Allison Cope

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Before we go, don’t forget to tune back in tomorrow when we help celebrate WORLD CARD MAKING DAY! We’ll have more to share from the Bloomies and we’ll tell you even more ways you can win some Power Poppy stamps! So, we'll see you back here then! 

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Partnership in Healing and Hope

Today kicks off not only National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it’s an important day at Power Poppy and we wanted to share a very special partnership. 

Today marks the launch of Splitcoaststampers.com’s Hope You Can Cling To Campaign. Words can’t explain just how much this cardmaking, spirit lifting, virtual hugging, inspiration building event means to me. It’s because of this woman…

My sweet mom, Susan Smith, whose love, inspiration, and all-around awesomeness I have mentioned many times on the blog, newsletter, and any chance I can get a word in edgewise, is currently undergoing intensive treatment for metastatic breast cancer. After nearly 3-1/2 years after her initial treatment, she found out that the cancer was back in her brain and her lungs. My dear friends, we have asked for prayers and positive thoughts, and so many people have sent them, and we are SO GRATEFUL!! We feel encouraged that the chemo and radiation are working, and although this is the toughest ordeal we’ve ever faced, remain hopeful that my mom will return to full health. A quote I love: “I am realistic. I believe in miracles!” ~Wayne Dyer

When SCS asked if Power Poppy would like to be a partner for their Hope You Can Cling To campaign, it took me 0 seconds to say YES. What this campaign does is provide an entire month of cardmaking challenges to inspire us, the cardmaking community, to create and inspire with the simple hope of lifting up those currently in the fight of their lives. Once you create a card, please donate it to the cause. All cards will be sent to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to deliver a little hope and sunshine to a woman in the midst of cancer treatment and care. As SCS says so eloquently: Hope is powerful medicine. Let’s deliver some!

As a Silver Sponsor to this event, Power Poppy will be proudly giving away four $50 gift certificates to the Power Poppy Shop. How can you be in the running to win? All you need to do is participate in one of the dozens of cardmaking challenges offered all month long! Just that simple. The event kicks off today and runs through the 31^st of October, so you have plenty of time to create and inspire! Of course, stay tuned here to the Power Poppy Blog because our Bloom Brigade will be sharing their HYCCT designs during the month too!

Blessings, sweet Stamping Friends! And thank you so much for your support of this wonderful campaign!