Power & Sparklette: Mini Challenge Week 1

Always take the scenic route. :)

Hey guys! If you’ve been hanging around us for any length of time, you’ve gazed upon, participated in, or maybe even WON one of our monthly cardmaking challenges. Power & Spark is hosted by the Bloom Brigade, and the themes are designed to get you excited to use your stamps in a fresh arrangement, to give you an inspiring push, and to focus your design in a direction that may not have occurred to you.

We love seeing the efforts you all share with us each month, they range from charming beginners to the exquisitely advanced, and I have to say, I am always impressed by what I see. It’s hard to color inside the lines of those tiny drawings, much less bring them together with other design elements to create a really cool card. And you guys are improving your skills and broadening your range of talents. You’re getting SO GOOD!

In fact, I would say we’re getting to the point where we can push your creativity even further, and maybe even deeper.

We’re going to take a quick hiatus from our monthly challenges to bring you something new. Each Saturday in September I’ll be sharing a challenge — and it will only last for a few days! Then we’ll throw out another idea. Short n’ snappy-like. Then another. You get the picture. My goal is get you into a zone of open-mindedness and fresh thinking before you even sit down to make a card. We’re just doing some creative re-calibration, and I hope that as many of you as possible will join us on this ride. Oh, and there will be prizes. ’Cause who doesn’t love prizes? Introducing:

For the first mini challenge, get this — we’re not even going to color or stamp.

Power & Sparklette: Week 1

Share a favorite quote, saying, or verse that inspires you in the comments section of this blog post.

It can be a jaw-dropper with huge insights. It can state the obvious, but in a way that’s clever. Maybe it helps shift you into another state of mind. Whatever it is, it speaks to you. It makes you go “hmm” or “wow!”, feel relief, deepen your faith, or bust out laughing. I would love if you would explain what it means to you, why you return to it again and again. Or if it’s new to you, why it has captured your spirit.

I’ll get us started with a quote that seems to do this for me without fail:

Talk about a perspective-changer! “You are not just a drop in the ocean, you are the mighty ocean in the drop.” The 13th-century poet Rumi wrote this observation, and I have scrawled it on more than a few Post-Its to remind myself that we are so much more powerful than we may think. We have all the tools already within us to do whatever we need to do.

Now, you try. I am hoping that we can fill up pages of inspiring quotes. That is my goal with Power & Sparklette Week 1. So that when you share your meaningful quote, you may also see other folks’ favorites, be it a Bible verse or one of Ben Franklin’s witty quips, or that funny thing that somebody’s Grandma used to always say. We’re going to do something with these, but I’m not ready to spill the beans on that yet. For now, let’s think about words that inspire us.

Next week, I’m going to choose one of the submitted quotes to illustrate (more neatly than the one I showcased above!) as a drawing that can be colored in, and I will share it as a free download on the Power Poppy blog!

So here we go, folks, what is one of your favorite inspiring quotes?

Hello Beautiful People!

What’s your creative world looking like these days? Need a little inspiration to whet that artsy whistle? Well then, you’ve come to the right place! We’re striking up the band for another Friday Bloom Brigade Parade! We also have a winner to share and a little inside info on a fun twist coming soon to Power Poppy challenges. I hope you’re buckled and ready to go?

First things first, we had such a fun time looking at all of your entries for our August challenge....

Your range of influence was wide and goodness, your creations were just as stellar as the inspiration cards. I absolutely LOVE challenges like this because it truly brings the goodness back full circle so that the designer knows that someone saw what they crafted and liked it so much, they wanted to copy it! Can you say WARM FUZZIES??? Tons of ’em! 

So, after all the cards were in, random.org drew the number.....

And that means (drum roll please) the winner is..... LINDA PAIDER! Check out her dreamy watercolor washed card. It is a WOW card for sure using Power Poppy’s digital stamp set Created to Create....

Reading the description of Linda’s card, you see that she entered this beauty in a contest where challenge participants had to do a bit of journaling on their card. Don’t you just love the thought that someone could hug you in their thoughts? If only we could all FEEL those thoughts -- what a different world this would be. Thanks Linda for sharing your amazing artistry. Those flowy bits of colorful bands you’ve created for a background are, like I already said, DREAMY! Love the speckled accents too! 

Linda, to claim your prize, all you need to do is shoot us an email at bloom@powerpoppy.com and let us know what clear or digital stamp set you would like us to send your way!

Now it is time to turn things over to our colorful cast of creative characters also known as the Bloom Brigade so they can show you some of the crafty fun they’ve been stirring up this week!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

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

If you are wondering where September’s Power & Spark Challenge announcement is, well, I have to tell you, I don’t keep secrets very well -- especially when they are harmless to share and they deliver a little excitement. I HAVE to tell you that Marcella has a bit of jollification to share on Saturday! (Yes, that's a real word. I looked it up!) So, come on by tomorrow and see what she has in store for us! You won’t want to miss out on this flash of fun, meant to spark your creativity with a fresh supply of bursts!

Have a beautiful day!

~Julie

Inspire Me Monday - Copic Colouring

Hey Power Poppy friends! Jessie here and welcome to another Inspire me Monday, and my first Inspire me Monday post for you all. I thought for my first post I would give you all a colouring video that I hope you enjoy. I have always loved the Sunflower Power Digital stamp, and now even more sunflower love in the Sunshine of my Life Digital Stamp that I have coloured for you all today. 

I created a rectangle in my microsoft word program and enlarged the digital stamp then printed it out and coloured it up with my copics for you!

           

Have a wonderful week! 

-Jessie

Funtastic (Power Poppy) Friday!

Hello and Happy Friday to each and every one of you! We have quite the show today and we are so glad you've joined us to check it all out! Not only are the Bloomies here, as they are every Friday, BUT.... we realized that it has been a while since we have had some customer show & tell! And so, that's exactly what we're going to do today!

We had quite the eye candy in our Power & Spark Copy, Steal Inspire Challenge linky! Goodness! The talent out there in blog land is pretty darn incredible! I have absolutely loved not only looking at the creations submitted but also seeing which cards inspired them!

A QUICK NOTE FIRST: This challenge will shut down on August 31st at 8PM EST. So, if you haven't played along -- now is your chance! Who doesn't want a shot at winning some Power Poppy goodies! You can click HERE for the link on how to play along! 

Our first show and tell takes us over to Tricia Traxler’s place to take a peek at the speckled sunflower creation using Power Poppy's Sunshine of My Life digital stamp (did you know that this one just came out as a clear stamp too?). Goodness, I love the dreamy watercolor effect and the extra pop of color she added with the watercolor spots! Absolutely fabulous Tricia! 

Robyn Oliver created a card to “die” for with this fun shape and all that fussy cutting.  It is one elegant little note if I ever did see one! The shades of blue and bits of pearly bling serve as the icing on the cake for sure! Robyn used Power Poppy's Azalea set for this little number! 

When it comes to fussy cutting -- Oh Snap! -- Maria Rodriguez sure went to town with her creation. Look at all that detail -- cutting around each one of the keys! Oh my, that girl must have patience. We're glad she does because we kind of think that's what makes this card POP! Maria used the Power Poppy set Best Day Ever! 

Our final stop is to pay Barbara Campbell a visit with this card that offers not only subtle hues but little doses of vibrant color. I think that this mix is actually what drew me to love on this card A LOT! I love the inspiration she found in Cindy Lawrence's card and how she put her own spin on it using Power Poppy's Tea in the Garden stamp set!

Well, we hope you enjoyed taking a peek at some of these Must-See Customer Creations! (That link is a shameless plug for our Power Poppy Rocks Pinterest boards where we "pin" all things Power Poppy -- just to inspire YOU! Check out our Must See Customer Creation board to see some of our favorite cards done by Power Poppy Peeps a.k.a. customers).

Now it's time to turn the mic over to the Bloomies who are ready to steal the show with their handiwork! Stop by and see these fine ladies, will you please? ;-)

Allison Cope

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to tune back in on Monday when our newest member of the Instant Garden -- Jessie Banks -- heads up Inspire Me Monday. I can't WAIT to see what she has in store! 

Have a great weekend!

~Julie

What’s Up, Buttercup?

I’ll tell ya what’s up: we are introducing a new digital stamp set for our Digis on the 5s remix release. This one was selected from a clear stamp set that was a part of our very first release for Power Poppy! You may recognize the sweet teacup filled with fizzy flowers. But the sentiments for this digi are all new, and have an upbeat vibe and style all their own.

As a big fan of grabbing a handful of the tiniest stems in the garden — also the broken-off stalks, the extra buds, the errant tendrils —  and placing them in a cup, glass, or even an old bottle in my windowsill, the idea of nestling a bouquet of flowers in a teacup is right up my alley.

Coleus and Dill, chillin’ on the sill.

Nasturtium stems squeezed into an empty vanilla bottle earlier this spring. I decided to put these on my desk.

Are you ready? Here we go... Introducing Cuppa Buttercups!

If you want to add some good feelings to your morning routine, how about a spin around the Instant Gardeners’ blogs to see what they made with this sweet new digi? I promise that you will get a grin, it’s almost impossible not to with a cup of sunshine like this! Take it away, Gardeners...

Barbara Walker

Nancy Sheads

Rhea Weigand

Now, if you’ve taken a fancy to this image, but would prefer it in clear, you can find it in the stamp set called Marcella’s Mixtape. I only have a few of them on hand, and the ones I do have had a bit of yellowing in the polymer due to sunlight exposure... but they still stamp like a champ! So they are marked down to half off right now if you’re interested in picking up a set from our premier release at a supa-discount!

Go out and have the most excellent day!

4 Sketches, 1 Digital Stamp!

Hello Power Poppy Peeps and welcome to another Inspire Me Monday -- a quick fix of inspiration to jump start your creative week! I thought instead of showing you a technique or sharing a tip, I would share four sketches and show off four different, yet color-coordinated cards using Power Poppy's  Leaping Trout digital stamp set. I just love this image for "man cards." It's also perfect for my neck of the woods, where fly fishing reigns "King." Use these sketches in your own stamp rooms or see how the gentle mix of decorative papers can bring about a positive visual vibe in a set of cards!

Here's a peek at the four cards I'll be sharing today!

So let's get to it! 

I will say that all of the trout were colored up exactly the same way. I used some warm grey tones (W01, W03), a few vibrant blue green shades (BG000, BG11 and BG72)  and some lighter rose shades (R81, R83 an R14) to color these up as rainbow trout. There are also some olive green bits in there as well (YG91 and YG93.)

Here's Sketch #1

Here's Card #1

And here's how I put this sketch in play using some stitched edge dies, a wooden button adorned with a little bit of natural cording and a mix of blue decorative papers to try to pick up on the fish's fresh colors!

Here's Sketch #2

Here's Card #2

When it comes to card layout, I have always been a fan of the fishtail pennants. I thought since my main image was a fish, why not use one of my favorite accents? I included the same stitched rectangle die and some of the same decorative papers from card #1 to let these two designs play off of each other. I accented my image with the same twine but added a few extras with some gold brads and even an honest to goodness fly. I picked this little guy up at the fly shop and had fun choosing this little "Woolly Bugger!" :-)

Here's a little close up for you so you can see just how that trout is colored up! 

Here's Sketch #3

Here's Card #3
I love wonky sketches, when one piece of paper or two are at an angle. So, this sketch takes on that flair! I added some distressed edges, wood grain paper and even a wee bit of paper piecing. See those same bits of paper from the othe two cards? Yep, they're there! I also added the twine and a bronze brad. See?

Here's Sketch #4

Here's Card #4

Okay, which one of these does not look like the others? I admit, this one is a bit of a stretch when it comes to creating a cohesive set of cards. The decorative paper here has the same beige tones in card #2 and card #3 and then I picked up the denim decorative paper that is in card #3. After I photographed this one, however, I see it doesn't gel as well as the other three. That's okay though! My intent was there! Here I layered up a bunch of decorative paper, added a ribbon border with some silver paper dots and some fun decorative shapes. 

There you have it peeps -- four sketches, four cards, and just one digital stamp image! I hope you like the designs and even more, I hope you take these sketches for a test drive in your own stamping spaces! Most of my cards are on the simple side so why not add a few more embellishments or put a twist on these layouts to make your own mark on them! If you do use one or all of these sketches, please share a link to your creations so that I can see your take on them!

Have a fabulous week & thanks for stopping by!

~Julie

Release Day, Free Shipping, and HUGE SAVINGS!

Hello dear ones! Today there is so much going on, I just want to get right down to the action...

Let’s celebrate the release of our Nature and Nurture Collection of clear polymer stamps, and help you save some $$! Here’s what you can get over at powerpoppy.com:

FREE SHIPPING

When you spend $50 or more

Select FREE SHIPPING OVER 50 at checkout

Offer good for customers in US and Canada 

DISCOUNTED 

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Ship for $2.50 USD when you spend $50 or more

Select SPECIAL OFFER SHIPPING at checkout

Offer good for all customers outside the US

*  *  *

25% OFF ALL DIGITAL STAMPS

Prices lowered on ALL digis in the shop

*  *  *

SALE ON SELECT CLEAR STAMPS 

Stock up on spring and summer botanicals, sentiments, and all-occasion stamps throughout the shop — big savings on tons of favorites!

Offers end Monday at midnight central time.

And now.... back to our big release today!! All of these sets are in-stock and ready to ship, and I couldn’t be more pleased to share the full contents of each set with you right here. Introducing:

Prairie Cheer

In Praise of Sunflowers 

Feeling Fall

 

Ok, there we have ’em! I have loved hearing folks’ sweet comments this week on the blog and on Instagram, thank you for letting me know what you think of these stamp designs, and for cheering on the Bloom Brigade during their delicious sneak peeks all week. If you have missed any of the posts, now would be a great time to catch up on all the sweet action. And guess what? Today we have ONE MORE CARD to indulge in from EACH of our designers. Can you believe our good fortune? Let’s all go see!!

 

Katie Sims

 Stacy Morgan
Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Kathy Jones
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

 Tosha Leyendekker

Thank you so much for your encouragement and your warmth — I love being able to bring some joy to your stamping, coloring, and creating routine! And thank you sooooo very much to my Bloom Brigade team for all of their work bringing my stamp designs to life. You each showcase how to live in full bloom every day, and I am honored to work with you, my dear ladies!

Let us know if you have any questions about how our sale works. You can drop a note to: bloom@powerpoppy.com any time!