Midsummer Stunner Collection - full reveal!

The Bloomies have been coloring like mad for weeks and tempting you with so many fabulous ideas! And the teasing isn’t even over yet, because today we have a giant blog hop to show off one more favorite image from each set. Please share a little love when you stop by their blogs, they dazzle us with their artistry and we appreciate them so much. THANK YOU soooo much to our lovely Bloom Brigade! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!!!

It’s finally time to show off every image from our seven new clear stamps sets. But first I want to share a special promo you can take advantage of when you go shopping from now until Friday. And it’s good on anything in the shop: clear, digital stamps, everything! Check this out:

You can get $10 off your order when you spend $70+... so if you’re planning to grab four clear sets (or more) from our new release, or even two new ones and two Holiday, or even stocking up on a bunch of digital stamps — you can take advantage of these savings. Just enter discount code STUNNER10 at checkout.

Let’s get to the reveal! Here’s all the goodness we have for you in the store right now...

Dream Wedding

Everything’s Even Rosier

Soothing Sympathy

Nice Things to Say

Party Time

Tea in the Garden

A note when ordering: We are awaiting receipt of our new collection from our manufacturer — sets will ship in July! If you have any questions, drop us a note here.

To get that last blast of inspiration, let’s run around to all the Bloomies blogs one last time and see what they’ve made for today’s big release:

Kathy Jones

Cindy Lawrence

Stacy Morgan

Allison Cope

Julie Koerber

Tosha Leyendekker

Christine Okken

And thank you again for all of your sweet comments!! You guys make us feel like we might be doing something right! :) I am eternally grateful to get to create for you!

One more exciting note... 

I had the opportunity to complete a Q&A for CraftingCircle.com, and it is online today! Everyday this month they are highlighting different artists and folks in the stamping/coloring world, and there are lots of prizes and giveaways involved, including a $20 Gift Code to spend at Power Poppy as a grand prize. Or what do you think of ... 10% off your order! You gotta run over to Crafting Circle to leave a comment first... fun fun!

Last day of previews, and it’s time to party!

Good morning to everyone, and thank you for your very nice notes of encouragement about our Midsummer Stunner previews the past few days. Can you believe we have two MORE sets to share today?

After the peeks you’re about to see, you may be sensing a recurring theme. It may have something to do with ... CAKE! We’ve already showcased a tiered cake with fruit and flowers as part of our Dream Wedding set, and if you’ve noticed our little graphic above, you get a glimpse at a pound cake with drippy frosting. Why stop there?

Lulu with her lemon-lavender cupcakes with vanilla glaze, made from scratch

Not being much of a baker myself (excuse me while I quietly grab the box the Duncan Hines, or more likely, stop by the bakery counter and kindly ask if they have a frosted cake that serves 12) — you might wonder where the inspiration for all this cake is coming from? Well, my daughter Lulu is so full of baking ingenuity, always on the hunt for recipes, figuring out her own spin with flour, butter, and eggs — never relying on a box. She bakes for the joy of baking! On lazy weekends, you never know when she’ll pop outside with a tray of raspberry-filled cupcakes, or maybe a tray of warm muffins or cookies. I haven’t consistently bought butter at the store so frequently in my life. I just marvel at her baking know-how and desire to experiment with ingredients.

Today’s sets BOTH feature cakes, plus a whole lot more, so let’s get to the previews! Introducing Party Time....

Do ya recognize this one? We had a big birthday party when we turned two, and we began our third year in business — throwing a party with a digital stamp called Layer Cake. Well, we’ve added to that well-loved image with bunches of sentiments and three more party images for an upbeat feeling that’s super-stacked with fun. Having this many layers in one cake provides a big opportunity to experiment with how you color it up, and the tower of patterned birthday presents adds to the festive action. This is our first “real” birthday clear stamp set, where we don’t mess around with flowers and all that, we just get right to the GOOD STUFF.

Oh wait, did someone say something about flowers? Because I have a difficult time avoiding putting them into any set I draw. As a matter of fact, the final new set of our release could have been plucked straight out of an afternoon garden party. We call this one Tea in the Garden, and it will soon be clear why.

Imagine sitting at your patio table with a big pitcher of sun tea... you know, the refreshment of that lemon, mint, and we’re being extra old school here and throwing in Chamomile blossoms for both its flavor and calming qualities. Yes, our tea in the garden is all about taking care to slow down and enjoy the small moments. Tea cake on pedestal with strawberries, anyone? I’ve drawn lots of little accents for this set, from single Chamomile blooms to strawberries — even a cup of hot tea in case that’s more your speed. Ahhhh. I think I’m ready for one of those mason jars right about now!

Would you like to see some of the possibilities with these new images? I think you should, because they are some of my favorite cards of this whole release! Come and see...

Julie Koerber

Tosha Leyendekker

Cindy Lawrence

Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan 
Allison Cope 

Christine Okken

After you’ve basked in the pleasures of today’s trip through the Bloom Brigade’s blogs, I hope you’ll find time for one more stop back to Power Poppy on Tuesday. Because we’ll have the full reveal of our sets, and they will all be available to reserve in our store! PLUS a BIG OL’ BLOG HOP!!

Have a great Monday, ya’ll!

Day three: Four favorite digis created in clear

Hello! Happy to see you again, and so happy to be able to introduce a few more clear sets to the Power Poppy family. We get many requests to bring out various digital sets in clear polymer, and I love be able to share when that day arrives.

For those of you patiently waiting for Bees in Foxglove, this is your day! Oh, and are you a fan of the big bouquet of Ranunculus? Then it’s your day, too! In fact, we’ve paired up these two favorites and elevated them to Dynamic Duos status. That’s when you get two large floral images, each with big impact, on the same stamp canvas. I’m stoked to share with you this very sweet set that has a VERY long name: Dynamic Duos: Foxglove and Ranunculus!

In this new Dynamic Duos set, I’ve done a bit of pruning to the Foxglove. Our digital introduction boasts three stalks of foxy foxglove, and it quite a large undertaking to color. In clear we have two stalks of this cottage garden classic, two bumblees, and a new honeybee getting in on the nectar-ific action. I think you’ll find the clear version of this image to be the perfect scale for your A4 cards, with loads of detail and whimsy to spare. Ranunculus is reproduced exactly as it was in our digital set, though on a bit smaller scale to fit onto the canvas. Again, this image is ideal for A4-sized card fronts. Two sentiments that come with this set will work with any of our images, and are as light and lively as you please!

So, what else do we have for you today — as we are bringing out TWO sets today, and two more sets tomorrow...

Do you remember Everything’s Rosy, an near-instant hit with stampers when we brought it out in January?

Well... this baby is all ready for you in clear polymer! PLUS we’ve plumped it up a bit by adding the single rose image from our newest digital set, Rose and Chamomile. You’ll find two large rose stamps, plus several sentiments that pair up beautifully. Make a card that’s as showy as can be, or keep it simple with a beautiful unfurling rose. Either way, you will have highly detailed images that show you just where to put your shadows and highlights! We call this one Everything’s Even Rosier.

We’d love to show you how the Bloom Brigade has rocked these new sets, check ’em out below!

Stacy Morgan
Christine Okken

Allison Cope
Tosha Leyendekker

If that isn’t enough inspiration for you, I thought I’d direct you to our Pinterest Boards, where we have sensational stockpiles of cards made with the digital versions of these sets, and you can get an idea of what you may have in store, should you snatch these up in clear! Go peek...

Bees in Foxglove cards are here

Ranunculus is here

Everything’s Rosy can be found right here 

Rose and Chamomile is over here
(note: this image in our clear set does not have Chamomile/Rosehips)

Thanks so much for coming by today — hope we’ll see you tomorrow for our last day of sneaks, with two more new sets! We’re getting soooo close to the big release day, I can feel it!

Day two of Midsummer Stunner brings two new sets

Welcome back for our second day of previews for our big summertime stamp release. We’re going to jump right into the action today by sharing not one, but TWO sets with you! Yesterday we kicked off with Soothing Sympathy, and I do appreciate everyone’s enthusiastic comments, and sharing your own experiences with rosemary! Read that post here if you’re just joining us today.

One of my favorite things about the first set we’re showing you today is that although it has a wedding theme, it can really be used for a multitude of creative opportunities. When you want to celebrate, or if you just want something pretty and whimsical for the centerpiece of a card, this one has you covered! Introducing: Dream Wedding.

I was inspired by beautiful tiered wedding cakes with fruit and flowers, and after developing this look for the cake, went on to adapt it to wedding shoes and a festive bottle of Champagne.

I actually designed a few more companion images that I couldn’t fit on the stamping canvas — and I really do try to jam in as many images into each canvas as I can for maximum fun and possibilities — but they had to be cut at the last minute. Maybe they will appear someday in digi form to complete the wedding party! Regardless, there are still lots of images to work with — and the Bloomies have made some gorgeous cards with them to show you today!

But first, we have one more set that we hope will be a go-to for those times you want something nice to say in a card, but don’t want to have to hunt through all of your sets to find the right sentiment. This one has a whole bunch of nice things to say all in one place. And just to hammer home what this set is all about, we’re calling it: Nice Things To Say.

I’d love for you to grab a seat and take a stroll through the Bloom Brigade’s blogs, I know you’ll be wowed by their ingenuity with these new sets, and I hope they start the wheels turning in your mind about you might do with these images....

Take it away, girls!

Cindy Lawrence

Allison Cope

Kathy Jones

Tosha Leyendekker

Stacy Morgan

Christine Okken

Thank you again for coming by! Tomorrow we will have TWO more sets that you are not going to want to miss. Enjoy your day...

The Midsummer Stunner starts here!

Five Days, Seven Clear Stamp Sets. Illustrations, sentiments, and creative goodness to fit so many occasions! So many, in fact, we’re calling it the Midsummer Stunner Collection. Come visit us now until Tuesday for glimpses into the possibilities with each of our new clear sets. We kick off today with a tour into our Bloom Brigade’s creative confines! The imaginations of these ladies are always a STUNNER. Wouldn’t you agree?

I’d love to introduce the first set we are previewing today, and as you know, all of my sets are near and dear to my heart — how could they not be? I draw and nurture each one from infancy in my sketchbook, through its childhood as we work through various combinations of images and typography, handlettering, details. Through maturity into a physical stamp set using the best photopolymer etching to create the crispest images available. And then, THEN, I get to watch it go out into the world, where it travels far and wide, and is nurtured by crafters who in turn extract a unique beauty and creative implementation for the images. My goodness, do I really get to do this for a living? Pinch me!

Coming back down to earth... let’s look at this picture from my garden real quick:

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.
Pray you, love, remember.”
Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Our first set to preview is one I hope you’ll turn to often in times when you need to comfort someone who has suffered a loss. Most of you know that we lost my mother, Susan, in February, to cancer. The support and love that I was shown (and continue to be shown!) by friends and my dear, sweet customers was so helpful and will never be forgotten. I felt it was high time to create a sympathy stamp set with phrases and gentle botanical images that would offer love and support, just as I had been shown.

Rosemary has been a symbol of remembrance since way back in Shakespeare’s time, and it continues to serve that purpose for me with its unique and glorious scent. It transports and transcends. In fact, I’ve grown it in my garden or in pots nearly every year (Rosemary is typically an annual in the Midwest) and I feel that grasping a fresh sprig in your fingers, rubbing it a bit to release the oil in the leaves, and then inhaling that scent — a flood of memories and a real sense of calm overcomes. We even had a very large pot of Rosemary at Mom’s celebration of life last month, brought over by dear friends, members of the St. Louis Herb Society.

In our new set, you’ll find a sprig of flowering Rosemary to use in your cards. And you’ll find a few more symbolic flowers, a lilting butterfly, and words of sympathy to share in your creations. We call this set Soothing Sympathy.

We’d love to share some of the possibilities with this clear stamp set, so I’ll turn it over to the incredibly capable hands of our mega-talented designers, the Bloom Brigade... they always know how to wow us!

Stacy Morgan
Christine Okken
Kathy Jones
Tosha Leyendekker
Cindy Lawrence

Tomorrow we’ll have TWO sets to share with you — with all-new images that I think you’ll love! Thanks so much for coming by to see us! Have a wonderful day, and you can find me out in the herb garden... (did you happen to see my Instagram yesterday? We have a dill flower head that is seriously larger than my own head.) Goodbye for now....

Inspire Me Monday - Book Mark Cards

Hello Friends, How are you today? It's Kathy from The Daily Marker and I am always super excited to be a guest for Inspire Me Monday. With that said I always worry and hope that I have a nugget ... something to inspire you with. 

Today I have two folding book mark cards for my mom & bonus mom. I know how moms always hang on to every word one writes in a card so I thought why not a book mark card. 

To create my bookmarks I was going for a more linear look. Using white embossing powder and a wash of watercolor I was finally able to achieve a more pastel look. (believe me this was a challenge) 

It's fun to use some of the small stamps in a stamp set that often get over looked. Stamping them on horizontally gives it a more graphic look. 

The stamp set I am using today is called, "Countryside Bouquet" In the stamp set are some tiny sentiments that fit perfectly with the smaller images. Yay!

I trimmed my watercolor paper to 2"x7" and started stamping with some embossing ink & embossing powder. 

Once you have your arrangement on the misti or on your stamping block you can mark off with a pencil where to move you paper around so you don't have to keep moving the stamps (if you are using the misti). 

I know it's a little hard to see here but, you might notice that once I stamped my grouping...I flipped my paper and stamped it again. (so it's upside down) This way you can read the bookmark from any angle plus I find it more interesting to stamp  this way sometimes. 

Today I am using my Windsor Newton watercolors but, anything will work to get a pretty pastel wash. Fill a palette, some small cups or bowls with some clean water. 

Dip your brush into the color one time loading  your brush ... then dip that color into the clean water. wipe clean and repeat. (I did this with each color so each color is very diluted.) This way the only way I was able to achieve soft pastel colors. 

As most of you probably know that the embossing on the paper acts as a barrier holding the water in. 

It's always best to start at the top and work your way down. 

Ah... don't you find watercoloring ... or coloring so relaxing! :)

Once you are finished ... go do something else so the paper can dry. 

When you come back dip your brush back into the diluted color of your choice and sprinkle the paper with your wet brush. Set aside to dry then add your layer or layers of cardstock. 

Add some sequins with some matt medium, punch a hole in the top and add a variety of ribbon. 

Have a great day and thank you for your visit. Hugs, Kathy

A NEW Green Thumb! ;-)

Hello all and happy Friday to you! Ready for a little Power Poppy Parade? We sure have one and it is just for YOU! We scoured blog land for some inspiration and boy did we find it! So without further ado.....

IT'S POWER POPPY SHOW & TELL TIME! 

Leslie Miller is a name you've surely come to know and love over the years, not only because she used to be a member of our beloved Bloom Brigade, but because she's an amazing artist and all around awesome person too! When I stumbled upon this card she made using the Juicy Strawberries digital stamp set, I couldn't help but 1. squeal and 2. want to share! I love the perfect decorative paper she found and then, the addition of the little die cut leaves and flowers that truly take on the blossoms of a strawberry plant. Add in coloring perfection and a fun layout and BAM -- we have a winner folks! Don't you agree?

Speaking of perfect, I think Jessie Banks knocked it out of the park with this Simply Camellias creation. Ee Gads! Look at that coloring, will you? I love how the sentiment takes center stage but the flowers truly bolster the beauty! Way to go Jessie, we love sharing pretty much anything you create! 

Goodness, I love our Show and Tell time here at Power Poppy! Before we turn things over to our Bloomies to see what they have up their creative sleeves, I wanted to share something that you may have missed! First up, on Wednesday, Power Poppy released a brand new addition to the Instant Garden called Rose & Chamomile. This digital set features not one but two stunning rose illutsrations and a sentiment that helps share words of comfort. You can check out the set HERE. 

When it comes to new additions -- we also have a brand new paper crafting green thumb that we've added to the team of Instant Gardeners! We briefly introduced her the other day but I'd love it if you gave a big round of applause and heck, if you're a hugger, send along a virtual hug while you are at it to......

NANCY SHEADS! 

Nancy is the creative genius behind Rowhouse Greetings, where she shares her creations on her blog and at her Etsy shop. Here she is above with her hubby at "the happiest place on earth!" Here's what Ms. Nancy had to say about her creative pursuits! 

I’ve been a crafter for years – my grandmother taught me to crochet when I was five years old – and over the years, I’ve learned how to sew, knit and cross stitch. A couple of years ago, I wandered into Photo Scraps, my local scrapbook store, and Tracy Beck and her staff introduced me to the world of papercrafting. On a whim, I tried out Copic coloring at the store’s Demo Day and the rest, as they say, was history. I had found my medium! I’ve had the opportunity to study with some of the best instructors – Rhea Weigand, Jennifer Dove, and Cindy Lawrence -- who have always gone out of their way to help me improve my craft. I live in a nineteenth century rowhouse in the heart of Baltimore with my husband and three very spoiled cats. My husband is my biggest cheerleader and has encouraged me every step of the way. More importantly, he looks the other way when I run up my credit card buying Copic markers (and even MORE scrapbook paper). He’s my home team and I wouldn’t have come this far without him to cheer me on.

Thanks Nancy! How sweet is it when you have beautiful people to support you, teach you and cheer you on! You can rest assured that when you joined this Power Poppy family, you added more than a dozen extra cheerleaders to the mix! :-) Welcome sweet lady!

Time now to move things along and see what our sisters in stamping, the Bloom Brigade, whipped up this week to share!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to tune in next Monday when Ms. Kathy Racoosin of thedailymarker.com swings by to drop a little stamping and coloring knowledge on all of us! Can't wait! See you all then!

~Julie