Inspire Me Monday - Breathe in Life

Hello Power Poppy Fans! Nancy here with this week's edition of Inspire Me Monday. I'm back today with a new coloring video featuring the Breathe In Life Digital Stamp (image also available i the Lavender Clear Stamp Set). Lavender is one of my favorite flowers so I love this image.

Coloring tutorials for metals usually show a straight white line down the center of the object to indicate shine, but I decided that I wanted to make that reflection more fluid so that the can would appear weathered and textured. So I created a shine that zig zags down the center which just felt more realistic than a straight white line. Those flowers are so tiny that I didn't worry about coloring them individually. Instead, I focused on the flower clusters, dotting in color to add some variety to the clusters.

So grab a beverage and get comfortable. It's time to roll the video!

STAMPS

Breathe In Life Digital Stamp Set
Lavender Clear Stamp Set (sentiment)

COPICS

BV20, BV23, BV25 (can); V01, V04, V09 (flowers); YG00, YG03, G46 (leaves); E21, E25 (shadow)

Be sure you check out my Power Poppy coloring videos on YouTube.

Thanks for joining me today! See you again soon!

Bloomie Friday!

Hi all and happy Friday! I am just popping on here real quick to alert you to some yummy card making samples that are perfect to kick start your weekend of creating! Our fearless leader is off having some fun in the sun. See?

So, while you sit there just a wee bit jealous of her beach time and the fact that she's catching some much-needed vitamin D, let me share these lovely ladies with all of you!

Be sure to stop on over and catch a little bit of their creativity! I know if you hop, skip and jump their way,  you won't be sad you did!

Julie Koerber
Stacy Morgan

Gloria Stengel is making a guest appearance with a fab Valentine that you'll love!
Catherine Anderson has a jaw-dropping card you need to check out!

Have a beautiful and creative weekend!

Inspire Me Monday - Think Spring!

Hello Power Poppy Fans! Nancy Sheads here with the latest edition of Inspire Me Monday. It's only mid-January but I'm ready it to be spring -- spring weather, more daylight, and best of all - spring flowers. The weatherman tells me that I should brace for more winter weather, but I'm in denial. So I browsed through my collection of digital images and settled on one that is nothing less than a breath of spring air!

For today's project, I've created a coloring video featuring Power Poppy's Spring Border One Digital Stamp Set. The set includes a border image, sentiments, and individual images of daffodils, cowslips and tulips.

The cowslip image is a personal favorite. I colored it once before when the digital set was first released, but wanted to revisit it with a different color palette. The color map below shows the markers that I chose.

Today's video shows how I colored this image. Off-screen, I printed the image onto Hammermill Color Copy Digital paper. Prior to printing, I adjusted the image so that the black lines were gray and increased the transparency of the image so that the lines were fainter. I wanted to be able to see the lines, but I didn't want heavy black lines to distract from the delicate flowers.

Grab a beverage and settle in!

Once the coloring was completed, I fussy cut the image and mounted it with foam adhesive to the front of the card for added dimension. I added a sentiment from the Strong and Beautiful Clear Stamp Set stamped in Versafine ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

STAMPS

Spring Borders One Digital Stamp Set 
Strong and Beautiful Clear Stamp Set

COPICS

V01, V04, V06, V09 (flower petals)
YG01, G24 (flower center)
YG03, G24, G46 (leaves)
BV20, BV23 (shadows)

Be sure you check out my Power Poppy coloring videos on YouTube.

Thanks for joining me today! See you again soon!

A little Friday FUN!

Hi all and welcome to the first Friday post of 2020! We sure hope you had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year! We're brushing off the creative rust after taking a little holiday break just in time to share some news that we know you'll want to get in on! It involves a coloring master, a beautiful illustration and news that has both being offered as freebies to YOU! 

Did you see this news? 

If you want to learn more, all you need to do is click HERE. Alyce over at Kit and Clowder is a master at bringing illustrations to life and in this free class she will personally teach you real art fundamentals covering blending basics of markers and pencils, finding your light source to give your coloring depth along with tidbits on making petals and leaves a little more realistic.

And, before you sign up for the class, you can get your hands on this beautiful illustration HERE at the Power Poppy Shop! Who wouldn't want a beautiful rose to color up like this?

Do you want to play along?

On Tuesday, Creative Confetti kicked off the new year with a small and sassy bang! Sound enticing? I sure hope so because this week's challenge is all about creating those smaller than normal cards to send a little pint-sized cheer to a friend! Check out the cards I created below and then click HERE to check out this week's fun-filled challenge!

Well, really, get inspired by one Bloomie! The fabulous Nancy Sheads has an amazing creation that comes complete with a coloring map for you to use if you want to create with the same results.

So hop on over and see Ms. Nancy! And.... we'll see YOU back here real soon!
~Julie 

Just in time for the holidays

\

Exciting news if you’ve yet to hear: Alyce at Kit and Clowder Coloring Classes is bringing back two favorites from the archives that feature Power Poppy illustrations.

Create some colorful holiday magic — just taking a few hours for yourself of relaxing coloring. All the while, you'll be learning and broadening your skills.

Read all the details at Kit and Clowder — here are direct links:

Festive Florals Colored Pencils Class 

Festive Florals Markers Class 

Once again, Power Poppy is participating in Kit and Clowder’s Advent Calendar of Craft Giveaways. We will be making TWO appearances during the 25 days with giveaways and offers — so be sure to check in every day with K&C’s Facebook Group - HERE.

Come see the latest work by our talented designers, and get ideas for your next project:

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Have a great weekend, everybody, I’m running outside to plant bulbs!

It's Power Poppy Friday!

Hello all! Hope your harvest hearts are overflowing these days! We can see that Mr. Tibbs, the Power Poppy mascot is loving this gourd-geous season!  ;-) Sorry, couldn't resist!

Mr. Tibbs is heading up the household these days while this fine lady -- our Power Poppy Peep-in-Chief-- is running the streets of New Orleans with her old high school bud Laurie. I don't think they are having ANY fun at all! Aren't they just the cutest? I thought I'd share because if you place an order, it will be a few days until it gets shipped your way.

Some of you have asked about Christmas and what Power Poppy's plans are for the holidays! I have some good news for digi lovers! Sometime in the next two weeks, look for a new crop of digis, perfect for the season! Marcy's sketchbook is overflowing with concepts for clear sets but those sets won't be ready until late winter, early spring. Yes, it's a wait but as with all things Power Poppy, it's totally worth it! Stay tuned for news on our digi release and some incredibly fun things Marcy plans to unveil!

Did you catch last week's Inspire Me Monday? Oh, my goodness, it is a veritable spring of tidbits thanks to the oh-so-talented Amy Shulke of vanillaarts.com. She invites us into her Artist Sketchbook to break down color and show us how there are more ways to color a pumpkin than just to reach for an orange marker. It's a must-read!  Just click HERE if you haven't read it yet! And, if you didn't sign up for Amy's Silvered Pumpkins Vanilla Livestream, there's still a little bit of time!

Just click HERE to learn more. Remember, if you miss the LIVE class, Amy does allow you to watch the taped version if you become a Livestream Member! I've taken a few of her classes and she is an amazing teacher. I thought there was no way I could get similar results but she takes you step by step in such an incredible way and explains the "why" behind her coloring. She makes it all look so easy even though it is anything but!

And, last but not least, it's Friday so.... you know what that means!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Thanks so much for stopping by! We hope you have a beautiful and creative weekend ahead! We'll see you back here soon with new bits of inspiration that you can hopefully take with you next time you step into your stamping spaces!

Until next time!
Julie 

It's Power Poppy Friday!

Hello everyone! Well, we are in the thick of fall and if you haven't busted out the orange, rust and shades of olive yet on your cards or creations, what are you waiting for? There's a bevy of beauty outside (in most parts of the world) that's sure to inspire! I thought I'd round up a little fall inspiration for you, just to help you kick off your creative weekend.

If you want to see more of this creation, you'll have to scroll down to our Bloom Brigade Blog Roll and click on Christine's name. This is just a snippet of the amazing card she shared on her blog today using The Fox and the Moth digital stamp set. I just absolutely am awestruck by the depth Christine always brings to her colored works of art. Truly incredible.

I thought I'd share one of my favorite fall cards. I remember distinctly spending oodles of time coloring up this fall wagon full of pumpkins and gourds --taking time to "google" different gourds to see how the color variation played out in nature. The Fall Haul Digital Stamp (which is on sale right now for $2.99) is a super fun image and one that is perfect for this time of year! 

Who doesn't love a pair o' wellies when the cold, wet weather hits and this one is decked out so cutely by the lovely Katie Sims. She used Power Poppy's Fall Wellies Digital Stamp Set (this one is on sale for $2.99 as well!) I absolutely adore the plaid paper she added along with those stitched elements. So cute! 

Don't you just love the touches of teal in Ally Copes creation above using Power Poppy's Fortunes of Fall stamp set? And those painted touches on the pumpkins? Adorable! Of course, her coloring is to die for as well and the way she always ties all the colors and patterns together in every creation she makes!

I don't know about you, but just seeing these fall hues brings a peaceful easy feeling over me! I hope they inspire you!

Christine Okken

Stacy Morgan

Julie Koerber

Thanks so much for stopping by and getting our little dose of fall inspiration! You might notice that when we shared a few projects, some of those images were on sale. Have you checked out Power Poppy's Sale Page lately? There are some goodies on there just ripe for the picking! Okay, that was your enabler alert! 

Hope you have a blessed weekend and we will see you back here Monday with the fabulous Amy Shulke for another Inspire Me Monday! She's going to be previewing her latest Power Poppy Livestream Class with a beauty of an image that's perfect for Fall!


See you back here then!

~Julie 

Fall is happening - let’s do this!

Happy Friday to you.

It’s finally starting to get fall-ish around these parts, and even though I have yet to gather a single pumpkin, I did plant a whole bunch of ornamental cabbages and kale, which, although they were feasted upon by cabbage moth caterpillars, are putting me in an autumnal state of mind.

We have a fantastic project this week from Julie Koerber to help you get in the trick-or-treating spirit, check out this pumpkin-packed cuteness:

Find instructions on how to make this perky patterned treat basket right HERE.

The image in Julie’s project can be downloaded from the digital set: Boo Cat and Pumpkins, which includes four core images plus lots of Halloween-y sentiments! Why, just look and see what Leslie Miller made with a few of them...

Isn’t that something?? And if you want to learn to color pumpkins like a superstar, you’re going to want to sign up for Vanilla Arts’ upcoming class... here’s a peek:

CAN YOU EVEN??? I want to color like this! Seriously, it’s hard for me to fathom how Amy Shulke does it... and then she teaches us how to do it too. Ain’t life grand?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Speaking of GRAND, here are two incredible new cards to put you into a creative state of mind.... totally WOW cards from these special ladies, one is autumnal, and one is in the holiday spirit!

•  Stacy Morgan  •  Allison Cope  •

See you guys next week, I need to get back to drawing!! Sending hugs,

It's Time for Friday Fun!

Hi-Dee-Ho Happy Stampers! I hope your week is going well and that you're looking forward to some more Friday fun here on the 'ole Power Poppy Blog! We'll have some cards to share from the Bloomies, but first.... Last Saturday was one of our favorite times as card makers! It was a day devoted completely to the craft we love! Did you celebrate....

WORLD CARD MAKING DAY 2019?

We hope you did! I know more than a handful of you played along in our WCMD Challenge where we asked you to make a card with one of three things or all three things! We asked you to:

• Create with a fall theme
• Show a little gratitude with your sentiment
• Use Power Poppy Stamps if you have them!

You could have one entry for each of the challenge prompts you used! So, by the end of tallying everyone's beautiful creations, we had 49 entries! Random.org drew the number....

And, that meant the winner was......

**** ASHA MARTINS ****

You'll have to check out Asha's beautiful creation using Power Poppy's new digital stamp set called All Things Apple! 

Asha used colored pencils to create this fall-themed beauty and I just love the depth that was created with her coloring! That pie looks good enough to eat! :-) Asha, all you need to do is email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we will get that $25 gift code sent your way!

Thanks everyone for playing along! So much beauty and creativity! Speaking of creativity, a few of the Bloomies are in the house and have some creations to share as well!

Be sure to stop by and say "hi" and see what we cooked up for you!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber (that's me!)

Oh, and before I let you go, did you know this fab coupon code below is still LIVE until October 14th? Who doesn't want $5 off the next Power Poppy purchase? I mean, come on! ;-)

Thanks everyone for hopping on over to pay us a visit! We hope you have a beautiful weekend and we'll see you back here real soon!

~Julie 

It's Bloomie Friday!

Hey all! Just a little note to pop in and say a couple of the Bloomies have been busy in their creative spaces (including ME)! So, you'll want to run, not walk, over to their places to see what they've been up to!

Julie Koerber 

Stacy Morgan

And, just a note! Kathy Racoosin will be in the house next week for another edition of Inspire Me Monday!  Don't you want to see what the peep in chief over at The Daily Marker has been up to? I sure do!

Until next time! 

~Julie 

Ready for a Bloom Brigade Parade?

Hey all! Just a little note to pop in and say a couple of the Bloomies have been busy in their creative spaces (including ME)! Before we get to all that fun stuff, I did want to share just a few things with y'all!

First up, did you see this amazing class Amy Shulke is ushering using a bit of Power Poppy at the center of it all?

Wowza! Look at that coloring, will you? Well, you can join Amy for an entertaining yet valuable lesson on how to visualize and use accurate values in all your coloring projects. This lesson will not only improve the depth of your projects but it will simplify the color selection process for you in the future! And, she uses Power Poppy's Baseball Vignette -- just in time to get some fun colored up before the race toward the World Series begins! Want to learn a little more about what Amy will cover? Click HERE! The class will be LIVE...

Saturday, September 14th at 11am EDT

And if you can't join the class, the recorded version will be available after the class when you become a member through the Vanilla Arts website! Also, rumor has it that Amy will be in the house on Monday with a few of her tips for our next episode of Inspire Me Monday! 

Before I leave you with a little Bloomie Link List, wonder what Ms. Marce has been up to these days??? Well, if you've checked in on her IG feed lately, you can see she has been busy living life in full bloom!

She's baking fresh peach pie right down to that delish looking bubbly crust! She's hand lettering correspondence for the garden club she belongs to -- she's the secretary of the club and in her words, "correspondence has to be cute!" We agree Ms. Marce! And she's been taking in a little fall ball with her darling son at the center of all the slugging action! These are the times, eh?

So, with that bit of news and good vibes, shall we turn things over to our beloved Bloomies? I think so!

Ally Cope

Julie Koerber 

Stacy Morgan

And, just like I mentioned, Amy Shulke will be in the house next week for another edition of Inspire Me Monday!  Don't you want to see what the peep in chief over at Vanilla Arts has been up to? I sure do!

Until next time! 

~Julie 

Hey, Hey, Hey.... it's Bloomie Friday!

Hey all! Just a little note to pop in and say a couple of the Bloomies have been busy in their creative spaces (inluding ME)! So, you'll want to run, not walk, over to their places to see what they've been up to!

Julie Koerber 

Stacy Morgan

And, just a note! Kathy Racoosin will be in the house next week for another edition of Inspire Me Monday!  hDon't you want to see what the peep in chief over at The Daily Marker has been up to? I sure do!

Until next time! 

~Julie 

Time for some Good Vibes!

Hello all and happy Friday! Being that all of us could use a little jolt of happiness, never fear, I'm here to share some! We've scoured the world wide web in search of good vibes and so... here's our top picks for this week! 

GOOD VIBE HIT LIST! 

Let's take our little list clockwise starting with that adorable Corgi at the top!

1. Corgi Christmas: This image has been on the net for a while but because some of you are gearing up for holiday card making already, I really thought this one was worth putting in the spotlight. Marcy shared this creation, I believe, in one of her newsletters, so ICYMI, I share! If you want to see Marcy's illustration, click HERE. And then, set your sights on how Catherine Anderson adapted and drew in pieces of this amazing and heartwarming scene. I am in awe every time I look at it!

2. Fall Feels: I had to spotlight this beauty in all autumnal colors. I love the gerbera daisies colored up by Dedra Wolff, the die used to add a little interest and that fun pop of color added by the die cut sentiment. This card packs some visual punch! (Dedra used Power Poppy's stamp Big Sexy Blooms)

3. Mushroom Huntin'! As we speak, Ms. Marcella is out exploring to the hilt in the hills of Colorado! Because this summer has all about just living with zest to the max for Marce, I just had to share this one of her on the trails looking for native mushrooms. That woman. I just love, love, love how she sees the beauty, every day, in all things big and small.

4. Seaside Sweetness! The easy-breezy vibe of this card using Power Poppy's Seaside Sweetness stamp just made me sigh. It might be because my family took a vacation to the beach a few weeks ago and man, I miss it already. So, I look at this beauty by sunnysummercards and just breathe it in, pretending I can still hear the ocean waves crashing to the shore.... just lovely!

5. Autumnal Treasure: Saskia Van Den Berk stole my heart with this colored up beauty showcasing Power Poppy's Autumn Opulence. Her no-line coloring is downright dreamy. If you've never seen her work, her IG is one to scroll and enjoy! Just click HERE to see some of her other Power Poppy work -- It. Is. Incredible!

The Bloomies have been at it again and are here to share a little of their Power Poppy goodness! So, be sure to jump on over to their blogs to see for yourself!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Jessie Banks will be in the house on Monday to share some tips and tricks with all of us for Inspire Me Monday! So swing on back to see what she's got cookin'! And... enjoy your weekend!

Until next time!

~Julie 

We're on VAY-CAY!

Hi all and Happy Friday! This little post is going to be short and sweet because, as you are reading this, Marcy and I are on a pair of much-needed family vacations! She hit the road in the Blue Beauville. I boarded a plane. But,we wanted to get you in on the excitement!

So, we've packed our bags.... (I cheated, this was from our Creativation trip a few years ago!)

And set our sights on adventure! Based on the pictures below, can you guess where Marcy is? Can you guess where I am? Leave a comment listing both cities and you'll be in the running for a $10 gift code! That could buy a digital stamp or go towards that clear set you've been eyeing! So, get your guess on and let's see who can figure this out!

What is Marcy's destination?

What is Julie's destination?

Remember, just leave your answers in the comment section for a chance at...

Winners will be chosen when we get back and announced on our Friday, August 2nd post!

 

PLEASE NOTE: Marcy will be back on July 30th! So, if you place an order now, orders will be shipped when she returns! 

Be sure to visit these fine ladies below to see what fun things they cooked up for you this week!

Ally Cope
Christine Okken

Julie Koerber (that's me!)
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for popping on over! Ally Cope will be in the house on Monday for another edition of Inspire Me Monday! That girl always knocks it out of the park, so you will definitely want to swing back to see what she has in store!

Until then, Happy Stamping!
~Julie