Holiday Day 3: Under Glass Christmas Traditions

Happy day to you.

The mornings are beginning to be crisp and cool here at the Power Poppy HQ in St. Louis, Missouri, which means I am enjoying writing today’s blog post from my favorite spot in the house... across from the fireplace. Coffee in hand, laptop on lap, cat also on lap, puppy lapping up something or other that he probably shouldn’t be lapping... life is good. The rest of the day will likely be a blur of driving kids to and fro, scrambling to complete design deadlines while kids are at school, grocery shopping, errand running — I truly cherish quiet mornings. Breathe in, breathe out. :)

Surrounded by coziness and calm, we’re ready to launch forward with Day 3 of Happiest Holiday sneak peeks — and I’m filled with enthusiasm to introduce this one to you! Have you been able to see the first two days of bombastic Bloomie posts? Scroll on down if you want to catch up — so far we’ve had a cheery snowman with Nordic details and a rustic woodsy set, and the cards the ladies have created are nothing short of astounding! So, what do we have for our third new stamp set?

Have you noticed that everybody is going

CLOCHE CRAZY lately?

Put all the things under glass! Domes, bell jars, cloches, Mason Jars, juice glasses — I don’t care what it is, but QUICK, find something really cute and stick it underneath!! What happens when you put something “under glass”? Well, my friends, it’s a hard to pinpoint, but the between the reflection of the glass, the whimsy of the contents, and a little bit of Christmas magic, everything just looks EVEN CUTER. 

See what I mean when you take a gander at this peek from Under Glass: Christmas Traditions.

With THREE holiday vignettes, a tall glass dome with a decorative wooden base, floating ribbon accent, and a couple of sentiments, you’ve got everything you need for extreme cuteness. 

If you already enjoyed our spring-and-summer themed cloche stamp set, Under Glass, this one is a great companion. The images are a little bit larger, and as with the other set, are ideal under the dome, but are equally cute on their own.

You don’t have to take my word for it, just see what the Bloom Brigade has created with Under Glass: Christmas Traditions.

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Stacy Morgan

Eeeeeee!!! We’re those adorable?! Seriously, I want to put all the things under glass. Our kids are lucky that I haven’t popped a giant cloche on top of both of them, holding Tibbs the Power Poppy while wearing Santa hats and dappled in fake snow. Yes, they are lucky indeed. SEE YOU TOMORROW — this next one is going to make you do a double-take at just what kind of barber has been tending to Santa Claus’ beard.

Holiday Day 2: Rustic Rejoicing

Hello there beautiful people!

Welcome to Day 2 of our 2017 Happiest Holiday previews — we are doing our best to dazzle you all week with interesting clear stamp designs and inspiring cards to get your marvelous mind reeling with ideas. Be sure to pop by the blog each day for a list of the Bloomies who are sharing cards. Today we have ALL 8 of THEM!! My wonderful Bloomies, I adore them!! Just as a little refresher of how cute and fun they are, here’s a picture from this summer when almost everybody made the trip to St. Louis for a superlovefest and inspiring field trips....

We were enjoying a gorgeous day at one of my favorite spots on Earth, the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden. I miss them all dearly — you simply cannot find a more loving, giving, caring, supremely delightful group of people, not to mention their off-the-charts creativity. We are SO lucky to have them!! Thank you, Bloomies. xoxoxox

So, friends, you all know how I roll. I’m all up in the nature. LOVE THAT PLANT LIFE!  Truly, my entire holiday collection could have been a series of something leafy and green with a vintage ornament dangling from it, but that might be too repetitive. :) Instead, I’ve tried to stuff little botanical tidbits into each of the sets!!

Are you ready to see what’s behind today’s holiday stamp set?

We’re hanging out in the evergreens for this set! Pines, most specifically, their branches loaded up with sweet details, like jingle bells and retro Christmas lights and.... a dove! Introducing our second sneak peek... Rustic Rejoicing.

I’ve paired up the rustic branches with a large-scale swoopy sentiment that will lay beautifully on your holiday cards, along with a few smaller ones with wishes for peace and good will. This set has classic, woodsy charm, and is easy to color up! A second large image has a peaceful dove — holding an olive branch in its beak — resting among the branches. It takes a lot of work to spread peace, this dove deserves a break to recharge near the vintage string of lights!

Like I mentioned earlier, all eight Bloom Brigade designers are with us today to share a card made using Rustic Rejoicing — come see!!!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Kathy Jones

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Now, was that an awesome tour, or what?? And girrrrrrl, just you wait, tomorrow we have something that’s really special and unique (as if a dove in a tree with lights isn’t?). If you are a fan of our Short Stacks, Cozy Cupfuls, and Under Glass sets... then this one will be right up your alley! See you tomorrow, lovey doves!

Happiest Holiday STARTS NOW! Introducing: Snow Kissed

Welcome to our fabulous first day of sneak previews of my brand new 2017 Happiest Holiday stamp collection! As an addition to our growing range of wonderfully unique Christmas stamps, we will be sharing EIGHT new stamp sets with you all week long — and everything will be ready to scoop up in the shop on Tuesday, October 24.

I hope you’ll find these stamps to be some of our most stimulating holiday designs yet. While drawing on traditional references like snowmen and Santa Claus, I strive to give you that extra Power Poppy twist! You simply will not find images like these anywhere else. 

Pretty fun stuff up there created by the amazing Bloomies, don’t ya think?!

Soooo.... today’s stamp set peek features a snowy scene and loads of Scandinavian-inspired stitched details to give your projects extra handmade panache. I am such a sucker for stitching and embroidery, so anytime I can sneak it into a drawing, I will try to do just that. From Fair Isle sweaters to cross-stitch sachets to lovingly needlepointed stockings, the combinations of pattern and design are endless. 

A little bit of the inspiration that helped me create this new stamp set, which I call Snow Kissed...

All manner of snowflakes, evergreens, hearts bursting with love ... these patterns instantly put me into the holiday mood. In this new set, I’ve given you lots of stitchy details to create unique repetitions for backgrounds or borders. 

Plus... we’ve got Power Poppy’s very first clear stamp snowman! I think you’ll have lots of fun customizing and coloring this cheery-faced little man...

I cannot wait to show you what our Bloom Brigade has whipped up to showcase Snow Kissed and get your mind turning towards making those holiday cards...

Allison Cope

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Huge thanks to the Bloom Brigade for pulling out all the stops on this release — as they do for every card they make, but this one has been under extra-intense deadlines, and I am so so soooo grateful to them for their sacrifice of time and energy! Thank you, Bloomies!!!

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... 

Yesterday we released the newest Instant Garden digital stamp set, and it’s ideal for Octoberfest cardmaking. Our Instant Gardener team truly knocked it out of the park on this one with creative and stylish cards. Be sure to check out Hops and Barley...

Lots of love to you, my awesome peeps! And be sure to come back tomorrow for the 2nd set in our new clear collection!

October's Instant Garden Introduction: Hops & Barley

Hello everybody, I hope this note finds you feeling happy and relaxed... 

because we are about to blow the lid off our Holiday stamp collection, and you are going to need to conserve your energy for OVER A WEEK of previews. This is seriously exciting stuff, let me show you more...

You got that right — we have 8 days of Christmas Clear Stamp Previews, culminating in a BIG BLOOMIE BLOG HOP for our release day, October 24. Look for a BIG SAVINGS promotion on Holiday stamps to come right along with it, so that you can stock up on supplies for making some of the prettiest cards on the planet! 

Today we have MORE fun news, especially if you are a fan of the art of brewing. Do you know what ingredients go into the fermented beverage of beer? Why, you gotta have HOPS. It’s a cute name for a very cute plant, and one that gives beer distinctive, individual flavors, depending on what variety of Hops is used! Throw in more plant-based ingredients like barley, wheat, and rice... and you get some of the spirited beverages that are enjoyed by so many. 

Source: Rodale’s Organic Life

The last several years, we’ve been noticing more and more artisan craft breweries popping up here in St. Louis, Missouri (home to the famous Anheuser-Busch Brewery, creators of Budweiser). We’re definitely a “beer town” as so many folks’ families have worked in the brewing industry over at A-B. I know that the craft beer trend is not limited to St. Louis - not by any stretch!! Just going down the spirits aisle of the grocery store will show you how wide-spread it’s getting, with colorful Ale and Stout labels in all manner of designs standing ready on the shelves. I am partial to “IPA”, the Indian Pale Ale with its bright, citrus-y flavor, and we have a few local craft

In the spirit of this beloved spirit, I’ve designed a new digital stamp set called Hops and Barley, with four libation-themed sentiments for birthdays, holidays, or any day! 

This image can be rotated a number of ways to create all manner of fun cards — and the best part, it doesn’t have to be just for beer lovers, it can just as easily be a pretty botanical of fall bounty. It’s all just about the plants here, my botany-appreciating friends.

Wait until you see what our Instant Gardener team has designed for today’s big release... beauty is brewing!

Broni Holcombe

Nancy Sheads

Barbara Walker

Elizabeth Zaffarano

Hope you enjoy this new digital stamp set —and psssssst — this one will be coming out in clear as well, so if you are a fan of clear polymer, fear not! We can appease everyone’s tastes. 

A little peek at Elizabeth Zaffarano’s creative use of Hops & Barley...

Please do come back tomorrow for our VERY FIRST PREVIEW of the 2017 Happiest Holiday Collection.... it’s kissed with snowy sweetness, for sure! Then follow us all week long for beautiful interpretations of my EIGHT new stamps - prepare for Holiday coloring bliss!

Big hugs and Happy Sunday!

Bloomies on parade!

Hello all! 

I’ll be updating this post shortly with this week’s awesome Good Vibe 5... but until then, I want to be sure to share the links to our wonderful Bloom Brigade’s creations this week. As always, there are some supreme showstoppers to inspire you!

Come soak up the beauty created by 

Tosha, Stacy, and Christine

See you back here in a bit... love you, my peeps!

Berry-licious Hues to Use

Yee-haw!! Is it Tuesday already? It is! It is! With this special day of the week comes a brand new trio of color cues for you to use when you hit your craft space for your next creative endeavor! So, let's get to it, shall we?

This week's Hues to Use are a breath of fresh air -- pink hydrangea, russet Coleus, wild red raspberries, and gorgeous foliage to back it all up! Check out this delicious dose of color peeps!

HOW TO PLAY: It's as easy as 1-2-3! Yep, just that easy! All you need to do is incorporate all THREE of these colors into your card or creation. Once you're done, just link up your project below so that we can all see and then "Oooooo!" and "Ahhhh!" over it! You never know -- that card just might land you a spot as a guest designer for an upcoming Hues to Use Challenge! What fun, right?

And guess what's even better than this delish trio of colors? We have a Guest Designer to help show these hues off! Say hello to this lovely lady, will you?

I have a card-making crush on Lee Ann Barrett's style. She is an amazing card designer and we are sooooooooo honored that she agreed to host this little ole post here on the Power Poppy Blog! So, let's let Lee Ann introduce herself and get to her gorgeous creations for the week!

"Hello! I'm Lee Ann. I live in St Louis. I have one adult son and a rescue greyhound. I am thrilled to be guesting for Power Poppy; Marcella's images are some of my favorites because I love nature and I love to color; currently Copics are my go to medium. Besides crafting, I love to travel-especially to the mountains. I also love interior decorating, which is why my house is a continual work in progress! Recently, I have started training for a 5K- the big day, my first race- is this weekend. Wish me luck!

On to my card for this week's Hues to Use! I actually have two to share with you all....

This first creation uses Power Poppy's Peony Muse stamp set. I stamped the large peony in the corner of the card front, then masked it off and stamped the smaller peony above it. I masked that off as well and stamped the leaves, then masked the leaves as well and stamped the third and final peony. 

Lastly, I added the berries, masking off the peonies before stamping them. All of the images are colored up with Copic markers. I heat embossed the sentiment in white embossing powder on vellum and then adhered to the card front by folding the left side of the vellum layer underneath card front. Using dots of Tombow Mono liquid glue behind the embossed sentiment, I adhered the right side of the vellum layer down to the front of my card. I also added some sequins for an extra pop of sparkle. 

Here's a close up...

For my second card, I picked up Power Poppy's Cozy Cupfuls.  

Using the MISTI, I masked off the teacup and then stamped the Christmas tree on watercolor paper with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink. Using a paintbrush, I brushed on small amounts of water to move the color around. Once dry, I stamped the tree again in Mowed Lawn, to redefine the branches. Once dry, I used a micron fine black pen and outlined the ornaments. Next, I masked off the tree and stamped the cup using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. The ornaments and cup were colored with Copic markers. Once all was colored, I added Crystal Effects to the large ornament in the saucer. While that was drying, I layered, patterned papers, a doily and sentiment strip on the card base. The image panel is popped up on dimensional tape. 

Here's a close up...

Lee Ann, these cards are truly beautiful, both of them! What a fun display  -- showing two very different cards using the exact same color schemes!

Now peeps, it's your turn to take this week's Hues to Use and see what fun cards you can whip up using this fun-filled color recipe! Once you do, don't forget to link up your creation below. It's a never-ending linky, meaning you can enter your creation at any time! And as we always say, your creation could spark an invitation for YOU to be a guest designer for one of our upcoming Hues to Use blog posts! We put you in the spotlight and you get a fun new digital image to create with. So, as I always say, Get those fingers inky and play along with us!


Thanks for stopping by! We can't wait to see what you create!
~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Inspire Me Monday: Coloring with Copics & Pencils

Hello and Happy Monday to you all!  I'm Allison Cope your hostess for today's Inspire Me Monday.

Today I was inspired to color and share the process of making a card with only one layer.  I know sometimes people find making a single layer card challenging so that's what I've made today.

Grab a cup of something warm and join me in my craftroom...

To watch in HD, click here.

For my card I used the stunning "Peony Muse" stamp set.  I chose to leave off a sentiment because I'm not 100% sure of what I'm going to use it for.  Leaving off the greeting allows it to become anything from a sympathy card to a birthday to even just a happy hello type card!  

Here's a close up of my card for you today...

Here is a list of the Copics and Prismacolor Pencils used:

• Leaves:  BV34, YG17, YG13, YG01, BV32, Dark Green, Apple Green
• Pink Peony:  R56, RV34, R21, BV34, RV00, Y11, Mulberry, Violet, Yellowed Orange
• Peach Peony:  RV000, V000, R00, BV32, Spanish Orange
• Lavender Peony:  BV23, BV31, V000, V01, Spanish Orange, Violet
• Berries:  RV00, Y11, Spanish Orange, Light Umber, Tuscan Red

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope you enjoyed my video.  If there is any particular image you would like to see used in a future tutorial, please leave me a comment below.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians today!  Happy Turkey Day!

~ Ally ~

stamps: Power Poppy (Peony Muse)

ink:  Memento (Desert Sand), Copic Markers, Prismacolor Pencils

cardstock:  Recollections (110# White)

corner rounder:  EK Success