Apples in Season digi remix; August Challenge; Bloomie Fun!

Howdy Happy Stampers! Are you ready for a wild and creative ride? We sure have one in store today, I tell ya! We have a new challenge, some winnings to announce, a brand new addition to the Power Poppy Instant Garden and a little show and tell from our fabulous team of designers! Can you even stand it?

So, first things first, being that this is the 5th and you KNOW we release new digital stamp images on the 5s -- 5th, 15th and 25th -- we have a little something to help you savor the flavors of fall!

INTRODUCING: Apples in Season

You’ll have to stay tuned because I happen to know for a fact that several of the Bloomies and
Instant Gardeners used this delish image for their creations that they are showing off today. Woot woot!

Before we get to that fab link list, we have a brand new challenge to unveil for August and this one is a super duper fun one! Why? Because you get to.....

HOW TO PLAY: What? We are actually encouraging theft here? No, not really. We want you to surf the rolling waves of creativity here in the blogosphere, on Pinterest, and in social media—and find some Power Poppy inspiration. Once you’ve picked a card to be inspired by, we want you to go all C.S.I. and Copy, Steal and Inspire. Copy the original layout, Steal the idea and then Inspire with your own take on the original. What I love about this challenge is the fact that it encourages us to share and then let other card designers know when something they’ve done really strikes a creative chord! How fun is that? We can’t wait to see what you choose to copy and how you make it your own. Remember to source your original inspiration so we can see where you got your idea.

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Use Power Poppy stamps for this challenge please! We’d love it if the card that inspired your creation was using Power Poppy stamps as well.
• 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 August 31 @ 8:00pm EST.  At that point, we’ll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday of September!

If you need a little creative inspiration to get you in the spirit -- let me share what I whipped up for this little challenge! 

First, I have to mention that THIS creation by the lovely Stacy Morgan was my inspiration. As you click on over to see her card, you'll see that it was a HUGE influence right down to the placement of the bling! I just loved the sweet result and wanted to have a little fun copying her design.

And, if you want to read up on all the card deets, just head on over to my blog HERE for all the bits and parts! What I love about this challenge is the fact that you can really just be inspired and create in the moment -- not a lot of thought, but a lot of admiration for the designer that inspired you! So, thanks Stacy! 

AND NOW, we get to --- drum roll please -- pick the winner from our July Power & Spark B Happy Challenge! Are you ready? We had so many great entries that I just loved trolling around the linky to see what new additions sprouted from day to day!

After all the entries were in, random.org drew the number....

That means the lucky winner is.....

NANCY a.k.a. HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN over on SCS! 

Check out this sweet and simple design using the digital stamp Asters Abuzz. From the embossed card base to the dainty little die cut edges, Nancy nailed it with this one! Nancy, if you want to email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and share what clear or digital stamp set you’d like us to send you along with your snail mail addy, we’ll get your goodies right to you!

Goodness, that was a lot of goodness to digest, huh? AND, we have more! The Bloomies and Instant Gardeners are on deck to share their handiwork with all of you, and many of them are bringing our freshly remixed Apples in Season digital set to life:

Allison Cope

 

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

 

Katie Sims

 

Stacy Morgan

 

Rhea Weigand

Cheryl Scrivens

Debbie Olson

 

Nancy Sheads

Barb Walker

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to tune back in on Monday when the fabulously talented Ally Cope shares some tips and tricks in the next installment of Inspire Me Monday. See you back here then!

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

A POP of Color to Feast Your Eyes On!

Hello all! Do we have a feast for the eyes for you this Friday! I scoured blog land and found me some pretties to share with you all today! Before I get to the fun, did you know we are closing in on the final days of this?

So, sweet stamping friends, if you'd like to get in on the B Happy Power & Spark Challenge action, all you need to do is create a card and have something on your card start with the letter.... B! You can read up on all the official details here and then, get creating! Why? Well, we love it when you share, that's why! ;-)

And now, it's time to share a bit of the "happy" that I found when I surfed this week! 

This first one is like a watercolor washed wonder from the ever-so-talented Jessie Banks! Goodness, the ethereal quality is just to die for in this one, huh? That Jessie, she's so talented! She used Power Poppy's Azalea stamp set to create this dreamy little number! To read up on her card, just click HERE

Linda is at it again with that hand calligraphy paired with a beautifully colored digi -- Sunshine of My Life. I am such a sucker for her style. Check out not only the way she colored these sunflowers but the little white accents which truly brings this bunch of blossoms to life! Fabulous, don't you think? You'll find more details on Linda's card HERE

Ahhh... this one bathed in just springy, feel good colors makes me smile! Polly used Power Poppy's Winter Pick-Me-Up digi and colored it up to perfection! You can check out her card HERE over in her Splitcoast Gallery!

Well sweet friends, if all of that eye candy wasn't enough for you, don't worry! We have more! The Bloom Brigade is here to show off some of the fun things they whipped up for all of you this week! So, stop on by and say "hi" to......

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

As always, thanks for spending a snippet of your day with us! Be sure to tune in next Friday when we usher in a BRAND NEW POWER & SPARK CHALLENGE to kick off the new month! We'll also share July's winner too! Can't wait! 

Until then!

~Julie

Forget-Me-Not Heart, our newest digital download

While it’s a challenge for me to abide by this as a designer who loves detail and fluff, I know it to be true that the simplest design is usually the most effective. I know, seems crazy! But there’s a reason that “CAS” (clean and simple) cards have a huge place in the design landscape. They work!

Today’s gentle offering, Forget-Me-Not Heart, reflects the simplicity concept, and I am so happy to bring it to you as our newest digital download of four images!

You may recognize the wisp of Myosotis, known as forget-me-nots, as the single sprig is a part of our Soothing Sympathy clear stamp set that was introduced last month. I do have a big place in my heart for this particular flower. One of my mother’s friends from her garden club, Peg Whitmire, who was the dearest, most generous soul and a huge inspiration to many, shared several forget-me-not starts with me from her garden when my children were young. She told me that the cultivar should “take off” wherever it was planted and bloom for months! It had the prettiest blue flowers, so true to the nickname of the plant, a blue you couldn’t forget! After awhile, the forget-me-nots were so plentiful, I had a field of them in the back garden, and it sent my heart leaping to see them growing so happily.

They bloomed beautifully for a few years, until a roofer dropped shingles from a roof repair right on top of my forget-me-not field — and smashed them all with the yucky shingles. They never really did recover from that! I had to remind myself that they were “just plants” and oh, how many plants I’ve failed or have failed me through my gardening career. But this one stung, because these were a gift from Peg. They live on my heart, though, as silly as that may sound.... my little field of Peggy’s forget-me-nots.

Today’s heart-shaped design, which is just so fitting for a plant with such symbolism, was inspired by the Bloom Brigade’s, Julie Koerber. Zip over to Julie’s blog post from Friday to see how the idea to form these into a heart came to be! What fun to see how we got to this place.

We have a bunch more inspiration to share using this sweet set from our Instant Gardeners and one more Bloomie, too! Won’t you come take a look — and know that you can grab Forget-Me-Not Heart from our store right now....

Cheryl Scrivens
Barbara Walker
Nancy Sheads
Stacy Morgan

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!!

A Bevy of FUN -- just for YOU!

Hello Power Poppy Peeps! How's your week shaping up? We have been busy behind the scenes here at Power Poppy! Can I fill you in on a little secret? Marcella has been locked up in her creative place with her 'sidekick cat' Crema drawing the next clear stamp release. I have only seen a few snippets but, trust me, you are going to want to stay tuned for some beautiful images fit for the Fall season coming your way in a matter of weeks! Squee!

Monday, will be another Digi on the 5s release and I actually have a sneaky peek over on my blog HERE if you want a little "enabling" to add to your digi stash! ;-)

And.... if you want to let your creative juices flow and then share a bit of your artistic pursuits with all of us here, then check out this if you haven't already!

The Power & Spark B Happy Challenge is so fun and creative and is hosted by the marvelously talented Kathy Jones! Her challenge? To use something that starts with the letter "B" as a prominent part of your card! Buttons! Bows! Baubles! Bling! Blue! Brown! Goodness, you could really go all out on this one! Click HERE to read up on the challenge and then link up YOUR creation!

A few of you have already linked up some beauties! Are you ready for a little Power Poppy Parade by some of our Peeps? There are some lovelies this week, I tell ya!

This first one by Barbara Campbell is just too sweet. Don't you love that little budgie bird and how she colored this little guy up? My eye is drawn to the extra embellishments, die cut edges and soft peachy hues. Just dreamy and fun at the same time! This wasn't her only entry, if you have some time, click HERE and check out her "berry" fabulous creation that just pops with color and deliciousness! 

Judy Woodland created a real showstopper with Power Poppy's Spring Meadow Bouquet digital stamp set now didn't she? I love the bold colors and her card reminded me that the world is truly our oyster when it comes to all the mediums we can use to give these images life! Judy used her Prismacolor pencils and the results are just downright happy with a clean and classy card design!

Melody Rupple has always been a card designer I admired and this is why -- she has such a wide range of "looks" -- from clean and fresh with a punch of color to this sweet design that is masterfully colored using Power Poppy's Go Wild stamp set! Check out that ombre background she fashioned with her Distress Inks. LOVE! I need to give that a try! 

Well, sweet stamping friends, the show and tell isn't over yet by a long shot! I have the Power Poppy Bloom Brigade on standby to show off a bit of what they created this week! So, hop on over and see....

Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks, as always, for stopping by, saying "hi", and spending a snippet of your day with us. You're the icing on our cake, sunshine in our days, and the cream in our coffee! Basically, we love you all and wouldn't be here without you! 

So have a fabulous weekend and we'll see you back here Monday for another Digi on the 5s release! 

~Julie

Eye Candy Alert!

Oh goodness!  If you are just poppin' in to the Power Poppy blog to see if "anything's up," then you picked a great day to do a little surfing! Power Poppy is helping the fine ladies over at the Tuesday Throwdown Blog to usher in a little fun, fast-paced challenge! For starters, notice the name? Tuesday Throwdown! Well, how it works is they spell out the challenge and you have until the following Monday to get your cards created and linked up!  

So, the challenge this week is to use your FAVORITE EMBELLISHMENTS and then, in your blog post or gallery page, just list what that favorite is! Buttons? Ribbon? Enamel Dots? Lace? Easy. As. PIE! You can click HERE for all the official details and the linky to hook up your card or creation! 

I spent the past week making some cards for a friend who wanted some "thinking of you" type cards on standby and you can see that I added some of my favorite embellishments! If you know me at all -- I gotta have my BLING! Here's a little sneaky peek....

These are only four of 12 that were put in a box headed all the way south to Florida. Happy trails little cards -- happy trails! 

So, hop on over to the Tuesday Throwdown, use your favorite embellishment to create, link up your card and you'll be in the running for a Tuesday Throwdown PRIZE! Fun, huh? 

Hope you have a great rest of your week and I'll be back with the Bloomies on Friday! 

Happy Creating!

~Julie

Inspire Me Monday - Shaker Card

Hello Everyone, How are you today? It‘s me Kathy and I am back for my monthly feature on the Power Poppy Blog and always happy to be back. :) 

I inked up the beautiful new stamp set called, “Soothing Sympathy” to create my shaker card today. I have a fairly short video on my process using some Zig Clean Color watercolor markers. The colors are so vibrant and bold plus I love the tips. 

I used some black dye ink on some of Tim Holtz’s watercolor paper. I love that this particular paper is a bright white. 

To watch the video in HD click here. 

This is my finished bouquet before I add the background. 

I glued two pieces of fun foam together then added acetate on top of my foam sandwich. I die cut the frame again from some white cardstock for my final layer. When the watercoloring is dry I will add the sequin mix “Little Things from Lucy's Cards” on top and glue the frame with some glossy accents. Easy and fun. 

Thanks for having me and have a wonderful week. Hugs, Kathy (The Daily Marker)

Our July Instant Garden Introduction: Sunshine of My Life

At this point in the summer, our tables and windowsills are consistently dotted with garden-clipped bouquets. And is there anything that says “summer” more than a big bunch of sunflowers? I guess a few things maybe, but sunflowers are right up there. And these stalks of sunshine have long provided inspiration for artists, most notably, Vincent Van Gogh. He became known for his sunflowers after painting a large series of them in Arles, in the south of France, in the late 1880s. Van Gogh suggested to an artist friend that sunflowers could be “his” flower. I love this:

“It is a kind of painting that rather changes in character, and takes on a richness the longer you look at it. Besides, you know, Gauguin likes them extraordinarily. He said to me among other things – ‘That... it’s... the flower.’ You know that the peony is Jeannin’s, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the sunflower is somewhat my own.”

I hadn’t realized this the last time we introduced our Sunflower Power illustration as a digital stamp, when I shared several favorite Van Gogh Sunflower paintings, which have long been an inspiration to me as a painter. He painted them over and over and over, attempting to truly master the changes in color. He used the new discoveries in pigment development to create new shades of yellow (thus leading to new shades of orange!) and was able to capture variances in the flowers that are captivating.

I encourage you to do a bit of research on Van Gogh’s Sunflower series for the fun of it. A wonderful resource is right on Wikipedia, they have their own page, click here, where you can see the paintings and read all about what was happening with Van Gogh and Gauguin at the time they were painting them.

Another quote that strikes me:

“Now that I hope to live with Gauguin in a studio of our own, I want to make decorations for the studio. Nothing but big flowers.”

Taking inspiration from the pure saturation of flowers and the Van Gogh attitude, I’d like to introduce you to our newest digital stamp introduction, Sunshine of My Life:

This digital stamp set includes one large main image and two sentiments, and is ready to be downloaded and printed in an instant, so you can get right to coloring.

A quick note for clear stamp lovers. If you like this Sunshine of My Life image, you may be interested in our next clear stamp release in August. Just sayin’!

Today we are SO FORTUNATE to have a giant team of BOTH teams to help showcase our new digital set, the Instant Gardeners and the Bloom Brigade are out in force! There are a few other fun digital sets sprinkled in, too, so be sure to stop by everyone’s blogs to see what glorious and colorful imagery they are providing....

Barb Walker
Debbie Olson
Nancy Sheads
Cheryl Scrivens
 Broni Holcombe 
Stacy Morgan
Cindy Lawrence
 Allison Cope 
Tosha Leyendekker (two cards today!)
 Christine Okken 
Kathy Jones

I hope you find this an inspiring part of your Friday! We are so happy you came by the Power Poppy Blog to see what’s new. Have a great weekend, everyone.