Creative Confetti: Feeling Fall

Hello all and happiest of Tuesdays to you! Well, yesterday we ushered in the first day of Fall. So now, we can officially love all things pumpkin spice, spicy scented candles and, of course, sweater weather! In honor of this change of seasons, I thought there was no better time than now to have a kick-off celebration and use Creative Confetti to really ramp up our use of fall-themed stamps or color schemes! So, without further ado, check out this week's challenge!

HOW TO PLAY: It's just as simple as the graphic suggests, create with Fall in mind! It could be an image. It could be a color scheme. It could be using fall themed embellishments! It's just as easy as that!

On to our creations for the week!


Because this season is so beautiful, I thought I would share some fall-themed creations, not just from me but from some of the Bloomies to show you just how far you can take the challenge this week!

I absolutely love this creation from Ally Cope using Power Poppy's Fortunes of Fall  stamp set! For those digi lovers, this beautiful-for-fall stamp also comes in a digital format and it's called Maize for Days! This card is a perfect reminder to not only celebrate the season but to show some love to the shades of colored pencils that might not get a ton of use! 

Check out this masterpiece by Christine Okken, using Power Poppy's Olive and Oak digital stamp set.  I love how Christine can make any Copic creation almost have that dreamy watercolor feel. Sigh.... just too pretty!

This image above that Stacy Morgan captured so well called Fall Wellies is a heart-warming homage to autumn -- a time when we kick up our rain boots, taking a few fallen leaves with them! I adore how she not only colored up the fall leaves on the image perfectly but added a few as embellishments to boot! (pun intended).

For my creation, (which is one I actually did a while back), I chose to use just some bits of the Olive and Oak expanded stamp set.  I kept the design rather simple, letting the mix of patterns work their magic. I let the sentiment be the focal point and then adorned the die-cut and sponged panel with the cluster of leaves and acorns in this set. The Bible verse in this set is one of my absolute favorites!

Okay folks,  now it's your turn to enjoy "Feeling Fall!" Remember, after you create and play along, link up your project using the linky below so we can all see. Every entry is one more shot at a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! Woo hoo!

AND... a little teaser for you! You're going to want to check in on October 1st! Marcy will have a digital extravaganza -- releasing more fall-themed images for you to enjoy!

Also, I mentioned this last week! DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN UPCOMING CHALLENGE? Email me at juliekoerber@gmail.com and fill me in! If your idea is used, we'll honor you on our blog for the week! Now don't be shy! I can't wait to hear your ideas! We already got a couple of emails and we can't wait to share!

Until next time,

~Julie 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

June Challenge: Let's Go Round & Round

Happy June Power Poppy Peeps! I hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods and you just feel that happy bubble of creativity that's begging to bust out! Why? Well, because with a new month comes a brand new Power & Spark Challenge for you to play along with! 

So, what do we have in store this month? It's a super easy challenge where you can still let your card making prowess shine through. It’s just a little softer around the edges. What do we mean? Well, check it out! 

HOW TO PLAY: 

This month our talented hostess Stacy Morgan is challenging us all to go “Round & Round”. Round those corners, use a rounded mat or take it to the extreme and make your entire card round. 

And, as always, our hostess is here to share a little inspiration to get those creative juices flowing! 

Ms. Stacy used not only a circular-shaped card base to grab your attention, she has polka dots, a sentiment stamped on a circle plus a fun scalloped circle mat along with button and pearl accents, which, I might add, are also round! She really let loose with this challenge! I should mention she used Power Poppy's brand new clear stamp, Precious Baby with just darling results -- so incredibly sweet!

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them. If not, it is a great way to win some!

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 $50 SHOPPING SPREE TO 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 June 30 @ 8:00 PM EST. At that point, we’ll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday in July!

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

With the new challenge, we are super excited to share the lucky card maker randomly chosen for May's Black & White with a Pop of Color Challenge hosted by Christine Okken. (Psst! click the link to see all the amazing entries this past month — such IMAGINATIVE IDEAS!!!) So, after we threw all the names in the virtual hat, here's the number that random.org drew...

The lucky number is ten, which means the winner is....

***AMY MARSHALL *** 

Congrats Amy! You've won a $50 Shopping Spree to the Power Poppy Shop! Contact us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we will send your shopping code.

We do have to take a minute to share Amy's card, which is not only fun but thoughtful as well. Check it out! 

Amy used Power Poppy's stamp set Vibrant Thanks to make sure some of the teachers that educate her kids knew they were appreciated during National Teacher Appreciation Week. I absolutely love the pop of lime and the way she added the fun accents of sponged color, sequins and who could miss that die cut butterfly. Fab job Amy! I am sure the lucky teacher that received this beauty was wowed by your handiwork! 

Before you go, you can't leave without hitting up these links below and seeing what some of our fabulous members of the Bloom Brigade have to share! Thank you, Bloomies, we love you!

Christine Okken

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

TODAY is the kickoff for the JUNE edition of the Daily Marker’s 30-Day Coloring Challenge with Kathy Racoosin — woohoo!!

Guess what? Kathy decided to color up Big Sexy Leaves by Power Poppy to launch the challenge, and we are so excited at what she’s done. Color explosion — all done with Sharpies and Bic pens.

Be sure to visit Kathy today — she has a giveaway that will make your home more colorful, and all you have to do is leave a comment on her blog.

-----------

Saturday, June 2, Power Poppy will be a part of a GIGANTIC blog hop featuring some of Kathy’s favorite stamp companies (tee hee, we are one of them!) — and we’ll be having giveaways and Marcella will share something she’s been coloring up from our latest release. Hope to see you.

-----------

Oh, and one more note!! Be sure to swing back on Monday when one of our favorite coloristas, Mindy Baxter, will be in the house to share a fabulous way to get ready for Father's Day.... which is fast approaching! We can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on, Mindy!!

Until then... we can’t wait to see your ROUND & ROUND card ideas.

Julie 

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy New Hues!

Hello all and Happy New Year to you all! As we ring in this New Year, know we are sending wishes for all the blessings possible for 2018! And, if we have anything to say about it, we are going to try to make sure it's your most creative year yet! ;-)

Boy, oh boy, do we have a special treat for you as we kick off the very first color cues of 2018! 

Just take a look at these lush daffodils and breathe in their soft color! Were you one of the lucky ones to get in on our latest Weekend Stamp Steal featuring THIS amazing stamp set or THIS digi? I should have had Marcella tease you a bit and share why these stamp sets would be PERFECT for this week's hues! 

Moving on! I know many of us -- myself included -- are in the middle of a Snowpocolypse. So, seeing these fresh shades of spring might just be what the creative doctor ordered for us all! Just in case you wondered, these snippings were direct from Marcella's mom's garden. If you didn't know it, Mama Susan LOVED her daffodils! And this is a beautiful array if I don't say so myself! 

GUESS WHAT? WE HAVE A SUPERSTAR IN THE HOUSE TO SHARE THIS COLOR COMBO! 

The lovely and wonderful and kind and creative STACY MORGAN is here to share a bit of her creativity with this trio of colors! Let's take a look at how she taste-tested these delish hues!

 
Here's what Ms. Stacy had to say about this gorgeous offering!

"My thought when I saw these colors were soft and early spring feeling -- the Lilac Time stamp set was perfect! Now if you don’t have this set, don’t worry as the digi version is just as great. It's called French Lilac. My Lilac is stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. The petals of each flower are colored with Copic markers Y11, Y13 and a hint of Y15. To make the blooms stand out a little bit more I added some B000 and B00 to the small spaces in between the branch and petals for depth. The leaves are colored with G40 and G82 with a touch of YG00. Then I simply die cut with a standard circle die the main panel.

The designer paper is from Authentique Latest and Greatest paper pack which was the perfect to tie in more of the green color. That was then layered onto some white cardstock and pierced around the edge before adding it to the yellow base. Stamped the sentiment from the Lilac Time and die cut with a matching scallop circle for behind the sentiment circle. Finished it off with some added sparkle and sequins. Voila!"


Thanks Stacy! We are so glad you decided to show our Hues to Use for the week!

HOW TO PLAY: To play along with us is simple -- use these three colors as inspiration for your card or creation and then, when you're done, link up your creation using our linky below! Easy peasy!  

We're so glad you decided to stop in this week! We hope this color combo and Stacy's beautiful sample will inspire you to play along with us for this week's Hues to Use. And remember.... if you would like to be a guest hostess and share the weekly Hues, all you need to do is play along with us. We grab all of our guests right from the weekly link lists! So get those fingers inky and let’s see how you put these Hues to good use!

Until next week!
~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 7: Snow-Kissed Altered Gift Tins

Hello all, Stacy here! Welcome to day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas festivities! That's right! We are sharing some easy tutorials and gift ideas that might come in handy during this fast-paced time of year. We should also point out this is a part of our Power & Spark Challenge. Instead of just one theme, create something inspired by one of our 12 days of tutorials, link up your creation HERE and you'll be in the running for this month's challenge. Just think you are creating something fun --creating a gift for someone -- AND you have a chance at winning $50 in Power Poppy Bucks at the Power Poppy Shop! I can't wait to see what you create!

We tend to give several gift cards at this time of year and I always try to find a different way to give them other than just the card. These generic brand crystal light containers have been sitting here on the shelf waiting to be altered, so now is a perfect time! Your tutorial today is to ALTER something! It can be anything a box, tin, binder, notebook whatever you want to ALTER. Have fun with it!

Let’s get right into how to make these glittery, altered gift containers!

I have the container, glue, glue dots, Snow Kissed stamp set, ribbon, glitter paper and desired dies. Please excuse the slight difference in the pictures, my camera was acting funny or maybe it was the operator. ;-)

This container is the larger generic brand of crystal light packages. First, cut a piece of decorative paper, I used glittered paper 10 inches in length by 6-5/16 inches wide to fit around the container.

Wrap your paper around to see how it fits just holding it, at least that is what I always do. Add adhesive to the front of the container and turn over to seal.

You can see that I added glue and adhesive strip to the back to start. This container is not a straight up and down, so I start with a little bit of an angle when I wrapped it around. This helps with the "pocket" it leaves at the base. Fold over and secure the last edge.

See what I meant about the little "pocket" at the bottom? When this is standing up you can't tell that there is a little gap which is perfect. Now wrap the desired ribbon around the top and secure.

I used Power Poppy’s new Snow Kissed set for the front decorative panel along with some jewels. The sentiment is from Winter Wonderland.

Here are two of the four containers I have altered. This glittery paper adds just the right touch without having to spruce up the base so much. There are nugget chocolates and gift cards sticking out with some chocolate sticks inside. These turned out super cute and I know that the recipient will appreciate the gesture.

Now, it's your turn to go alter and create something of your own! Be sure to link it up to the Power and Spark challenge found HERE.  Tomorrow brings day 8 of our 12 Days of Christmas! Ms. Cindy Lawrence will be here to share a little holiday goodness, so be sure to swing by to see what she has in store!

Happy Stamping!

Stacy

Day 2: Gift Card Holders

Hello everyone! Stacy here with Day 2 of Power Poppy's 12 days of Christmas! If you missed Katie's post yesterday, you can check out the kick-off to our festivities HERE!  Instead of offering up one theme for our monthly Power & Spark Challenge, we are giving you 12 days of Christmas-themed ideas. All you have to do is try one and then link up your creation here on the Power and Spark Challenge post for December. Each time you try one of our projects and link it up, you are entered to win a $50 shopping spree to the Power Poppy Shop! Ideas & chances to win? That sounds like a win-win to me! 

Today, I am sharing an easy way to whip up a gift card holder for this time of year. So let's get started...

Under Glass Christmas Traditions is the stamp set I choose for my gift card holder and some designer paper. Decorative die is optional.

Cut a piece of solid cardstock 3-3/4 inches in width by 6-13/16 inches in length. Score along the length side at 2-1/4 inch and then 4-1/2 inch. Pre-fold score lines as above.

As you can see, I used an oval die shape. You can use an oval punch if you have one instead. This is used to create the opening needed to see the gift card inside. Die cut or punch desired opening.

Add adhesive along the edges as shown. Fold over and adhere to secure pocket.

Voila! You have your easy peasy gift card holder. Decorate as desired. You will see below that I have added a few layers to the front of the gift card holder. There are several decorative die bases that fit this which makes for an extra special touch.

I will admit -- I think I adore this little globe on the front of the gift card holder. Santa just looks so cute with his reindeer, doesn't he?  :-)  I colored the image with various Copic markers and then adhered it to some black cardstock and cut around for an edge. This is popped up using dimensionals as well. Some gold cord is wrapped around the base layers before adding to the gift card front. 

In the inside, I added a sentiment panel on the left using the globe. I then colored over the word YOU. For an added touch, I stamped a bow and popped it up in the corner of the pocket and added some sparkle. Voila! 

Hope you have a chance to create and have fun with us during our 12 Days of Christmas festivities! Again, if you try this little gift card holder, be sure to link your creation back to the Power and Spark Challenge HERE. 

You'll want to swing back by for day 3 and join the wonderful Tosha tomorrow! She will be joining us with an idea on how to give the average gift bag that hand-crafted charm! 

Have a great day,

Stacy

July Challenge: Copy a Bloomie

Hello folks and Happiest of Fridays to YOU! This month, we're back with a new challenge designed to deliver a little design power full of creative spark!  Last month you blew our socks off with your June Bug Challenge entries and we just know you'll do the same this month! If you missed out on the action last month, visit our challenge post HERE to see all the AMAZING cards and creations submitted. I have one word -- "Woah!!" You guys rocked it!

This month, we have a new hostess and she's challenging you to sleuth around the web to find creative inspiration thanks to our beloved Bloomies! 

HOW TO PLAY: Instead of letting me share all the deets for this month's challenge, let's let the hostess with the mostess -- Ms. Ally Cope -- share!

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

“Your challenge for the month of July is to CASE a Bloom Brigade member! What is CASE-ing you ask? CASE stands for Copy And Share Everything! It's as simple as being inspired in any old which way by another person's card. Most people copy a few aspects of the card, like the layout of the card layers and basic elements but change up a few things like the embellishments, colors or even the theme. So, copy a few things but change a few things too!”

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

I chose to CASE this recent glorious holiday card below by the lovely Stacy Morgan. She featured the festive stamps from Power Poppy's Merry Littles stamp set. 

Here's my take on Stacy's card featuring Power Poppy's Sweet Memories and Burst of Kindness clear stamp sets. I loved Stacy's design, so I chose to take the basic layout of her card and rotate it to fit a top folding A-2 sized card. While I loved the bold holiday colors, I chose to change my card to a softer, more subtle color palette instead. 

Instead of grabbing some patterned papers, I chose to stamp a greeting all over my background and create my own. Stacy's card is a holiday theme and so I changed my card to be something different, a Thank You (& Miss You) card. 

So there you go! Go and get inspired by our Bloom Brigade members by clicking on our Bloomie Blog Roll off to the right. Remember to link up the Bloomie's creation that you chose to CASE in your own blog post and then link it up your version below on our challenge linky! Happy creating! ~Ally

Thanks so much Ally! Remember folks, if you get your fingers inky and your lucky name is drawn at the end of July, you win a......

$50 SHOPPING SPREE

AT THE POWER POPPY SHOP! WOOT WOOT!

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

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them. If not, it is a great way to win some! 
• 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 $50 SHOPPING SPREE TO 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 July 31th @ 8:00 PM EST. At that point, we’ll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday in August. 

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

Moving on, we have a winning name to draw! After random.org put all of the names in the virtual hat, the number drawn was...

                                                  

Which means the winner is.....

MARSHA DRAIN! 

You have to check out Marsha's beautifully colored and distressed creation that comes complete with a fluttering butterfly! She used Power Poppy's digital stamp set Pure Prairie Bouquet to perfection!

CONGRATS MARSHA! You've won a $50 Shopping Spree — contact us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we'll send you your shopping code!

Before I let you go, I do have a few fun-filled announcements! 

I'm sure you've heard the old saying when the cat's away, the mice will play? Well, since Marcy decided to hit the road on a fun-filled family vacation, Power Poppy hopes you get... SHOPPY! See what I did there? Anywhoo, if you need to stock up on some digital stamps, NOW IS THE TIME! All digital images, ALL OF THEM, will be on sale through July 14th when you shop and use promo code VACATIONDIGIS at the time of checkout. How fun is that? 

Keep in mind, if you purchase clear stamps during that time frame (between July 6 and July 14), orders will be mailed on or after July 17th. The store isn't closed, the mailing department is just taking a little nap! ;-)  

And now, let's turn it over to some of the most talented card designers in all of blog land!

Stop by, say "hi" and see what these fine ladies have been up to this week!

Cindy Lawrence

Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to swing back by Monday when Ally Cope will be at it again -- wowing us with her mad stampin' skills for another edition of Inspire Me Monday. She'll share an oft-forgotten supply that not only is fun to use but creates a little wow factor on your cards and projects! Here's a hint -- it changes before your eyes! How's that for a teaser? Have a fabulous weekend and we'll see you back here real soon!

~Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Inspire Me Monday: Gift sets (part two)

Good morning Peeps! Stacy here with another gift presentation idea to help inspire you. So grab your coffee and let me share with you today a beautiful gift box. 

Here is the final box and one of the cards inside. This box is what I call an open faced box with just a little side panel to hold the contents of the box. What a clever way to show off a few of the goodies inside AND when they use the cards inside they have a beautiful box to display afterwards. So let's get started. 

Supplies: Card stock, designer paper desired, adhesive, scissors, decorative dies, scissors and Countryside Bouquet Deluxe stamp set. 

Step 1: Cut a piece of card stock 9 inches length x 7 inches width. Score a 1 inch border on all four sides of card stock. Pre-fold and snip ends as shown. 

Step 2: Add adhesive to end tabs that are snipped. Fold inward to form box base. This is what it should look like. Basic box bottom, set aside.

Step 3: Cut a piece of card stock 4 1/2 inch width x 7 inch length. Score a 1 inch border on three sides. 

Step 4: Take desired die (shown A2 Curved Borders One) place at an angle above the scored line edge. Leave enough space to have a triangle look to the box. Hopefully that makes sense. 

Step 5: This is what it should look like after cut. Cut the right (1 inch scored ) panel off. See below picture if needed. 

Step 6: Snip corner tab along scored line. Add adhesive to edge of each 1 inch panel. 

Step 7: Start with the bottom panel and slide into box base and adhere. You will have the panel sticking out like this. 

Step 8: Before we adhere the left side, snip off the edges of the corner tab as shown. This will help the box flex a bit when you fold in the tab. Fold in and adhere to the box base. 

Step 9: Box is ready to decorate as desired. 

My final box has added gingham to the bottom (and side panels) so when the cards are used they have a splash of pattern. My flowers are from Countryside Bouquet Deluxe clear stamp set. They are all cut out and popped up for dimension. 

Here is the box with one of the cards inside and envelope. Easily this can fit anywhere from 6-8 cards and envelopes if they are not bulky. The sentiment is from Best Day Ever stamp set. All the flower petals have added sparkle for fun. 

One of the cards in the box to match. Some of the paper that was left over from the sides was used to match the die cut edge. Hope you are inspired to create your own gift box. Thanks for stopping in today.

Stacy