Power Poppy's December Release- Day 2

Hello there to you and welcome back for Day 2 of December's all digital release at Power Poppy!  Didn't you just love that sweet Winter Pick-Me-Up bouquet from yesterday?  Well hold on to your hats because that Marcella has got another beauty just waiting for her debut...Camellias.

Have I ever told you about my love affair with Camellias?  No?  It's almost as bad as my azalea obsession, almost.  I have five of these beauties in different varieties in my yard right now and have plans to add a few more in the coming seasons.  Several months ago we were asked to share a photo for the Bloom Brigade debut and the photo needed to depict us doing something dear to us....well, here was my photo and yep.....that is one of my big ol' Camellias that I am pruning!  (I am also wearing my Georgia Bulldogs shirt but after yesterday's game, that is a subject still way too painful to discuss).

So you can imagine my excitement when Marcella showed us this image.  I am really itching to get a variegated Camellia....I think those are so striking, so when I saw this image I knew immediately I wanted to color one of the two varieties in this image as a variegated bloom.  

And here she is in all her glory....Marcella made me one happy girl, for sure!!  Just look at all of that gorgeous detail...again, a true dream to color up because of all of the shading cues in the image.  I used many Copics to color this image and then I used a die cut for my main panel.  Next, I printed the sentiment and used a couple more die cuts to layer it.  For my card base, I kept it to a few very simple layers and some stitching....no ribbon on this one because I did not want to cover up one tiny bit of those beautiful blooms.  I did pull out my Krylon 18KT gold leafing pen.....I mean, if Camellias don't deserve a little gold leafing, then I don't know what does!  ;)  And if gold leafing wasn't enough, I added some shimmer to the blooms with a Atyou Spica clear glitter pen.  Remember, these are Camellias!  :)

How about that sweet sentiment?  Life certainly is better with friends!  I know I am blessed to have several dear friends in my life.  Speaking of friends, don't forget to check out what my incredibly talented Bloom Brigade sisters have created for you....I can't wait to see for myself!  I know it will be swoon-worthy, for sure!  I am so glad you could stop by today and remember, tomorrow is the Power Poppy Blog Hop, so you will have another look at what the Bloom Brigade has been up to for your inspiration.  Hope to see you back here soon, and until then...take care! :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken   
Dina Kowal  
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Image and sentiment from Power Poppy's new digital set, Camellias; Paper-Classic White card stock from Flourishes, Naturals White card stock from Stampin' Up!, pink paper from my stash, and patterned papers from My Mind's Eye's Miss Caroline "Dolled Up" 6x6 paper pad; Ink- HP printer, Ranger Distress inks in Antique Linen and Tumbled Glass; Dies-Spellbinders' Labels Twenty Two, Grand Squares, Grand Scalloped Squares, Classic Oval Large, and Deckled Edge Classic Oval Large; Other- Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen, Stampin' Up!'s Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, and these Copic colors- R000, R20, R22, R24, R27, R30, R32, R35, R37, R39, RV69, W00, W2, W5, C1, B0000, E43, E55, E59, Y08, Y17, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, G20, G21, G24, and G28.

Power Poppy's December Release-Day 1

Well, hello there and a Happy Saturday to you!  Can you believe it is already time for another Power Poppy Release?!  If you are a digi fan, then this release is going to make you very happy because it is an all digital release this month!  If you haven't crossed over into using digi images yet, then may I ask...what are you waiting for?!  I know, I know....they can be intimidating if you are not the savviest of computer folks (and let me tell you, I am not the savviest.....just ask my husband....lol).  But truly, digis certainly have their place in your craft room....the thing I love the most about them is they can be altered to whatever size you want but that is not all....they can be downloaded immediately so no waiting on the mail, they are stored on your computer so no extra space in your craft room is needed, and price wise...they are a steal!  AND, the amazingly talented Julie Koerber and Allison Cope have wonderful tutorials on the Power Poppy blog that you can look at again and again until you become a digi expert yourself!  Click here for Julie's tutorial.  Click here for Allison's tutorial.  So, I can think of no reason now why you shouldn't give these jewels a try, can you?  ;)  Why don't we take a peek at today's digital image, Winter Pick-Me-Up, shall we?

Is that not the prettiest little bouquet? I love how Marcella combines so many unexpected blooms in to her bouquets....and the name of this image couldn't be more fitting!  This would certainly perk me right up during those long winter days and remind me that Spring is just around the corner.  :)  Let me show you what I created using this sweet image...

Ok, I had in mind to do something totally different for this card but that pretty spring green paper was calling my name, so I went with it.  I sized my image and sentiment to fit the dies I wanted to use and printed them out.  Next, I colored my image using Copics and sponged on some ink.  I also sponged ink on my sentiment panel.  Then, I layered several papers and did some stitching to give some extra detail.  Once I had layered my colored image on the black scallop die cut, I held my breath and punched two holes in it to tie my bow.  All that was left was to assemble the rest of my card layers and add my sentiment.  I did layer the sentiment too so it would stand out a little more.  I don't think you can see it in the photos but I added some shimmer with my Atyou Spica Clear glitter pen to the blooms.  

I love this pretty mixed font sentiment....just the thing to send to a dear friend, don't you think?  I know I will be using it and this lovely image again and again.  That is all for my card today but you really need to hop around and see what my sweet Bloom Brigade team mates have created for you...pure gorgeousness awaits you, of that I am sure!  Make sure you leave some blog love along the way....And, just wait til you see the newest addition to Marcella's garden tomorrow!  I can honestly say, it had my little ol' southern heart beatin' double time.....yep, I still get giddy thinking about it and I know you will love it too!  Hope you have a wonderful day today and I look forward to your next visit.  Until then, take care!  :)

Christine Okken  
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Images from Power Poppy's new digital set, Winter Pick-Me-Up; Paper-Classic White card stock from Flourishes, black card stock from Stampin' Up!, patterned papers from My Mind's Eye's Lost & Found Two "Rosy" 6x6 paper pad, green card stock from stash; Ink-HP printer, Ranger Distress ink in Antique Linen and Peeled Paint; Dies-Spellbinders Grand Ovals and Grand Scalloped Ovals, Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Classic Window Template; Other-  Ribbon "Certainly Celery" from SU!, Atyou Spica clear glitter pen, Singer Sewing machine, and these Copic Colors:  BV000, BV02, BV04, BV08, BV20, BV34, Y04, Y08, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, Y26, E35, W0, W2, W5, C1, YG 00, YG11, YG13, YG17,  E71, E77, E84, and E87.

A Little Black Friday News...

Hello there everybody!  Hope you are having a wonderful week and for all of my USA friends....a wonderful Thanksgiving "Eve"! Speaking of Thanksgiving....I wanted to share with you a little Power Poppy news.....our first ever Black Friday Sale!  Yes, you heard it right here...Power Poppy is having it's first ever Black Friday sale for all in stock clear stamp sets so be getting your shopping list ready because you can save 20%!

AND....a little more news....Power Poppy now has gift cards!  While gift cards aren't eligible for the Black Friday discount, you can still toss a couple of these in your shopping cart for stocking stuffers!  That Marcella thinks of everything, doesn't she?

 That's all the news I have today, but make sure you check out the happenings at the Power Poppy Blog starting on Saturday because the new digi release starts then and you won't want to miss that! Until then, here's wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with precious time with your families, lots of memory making, and, of course, plenty of turkey!  ;)

~Katie

Ho Ho HO!

Hi there friends and Happy Friday!  Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?  There will be lots of cleaning and unpacking going on around here this weekend.....we have just finished up some renovations around here and are finally moving back in!  Whew...what an adventure that has been!  Anyways....it's Friday and you know what that means....another Power Poppy Peep of the Week Challenge!

Are you up for a little challenge?  Why don't you c'mon and play along with us this week?  For my card, I decided to use one of the adorable sets from the Happiest Holiday Collection, Bottlebrush Holiday.  I used the "HO" stamp and also the sentiment stamp "Sending Holiday Cheer" from the set.....but, I only used a small portion of the sentiment stamp (two letters to be exact...lol).  I wanted a Ho Ho Ho card but I wanted the card size to stay on the small side so I used the "H-O" letters from the word "Holiday".  What do you think?  

As you can see, I am trying out the CAS style again....channeling my inner Stacy Morgan, because I am still convinced one day CAS will become easier for me.....but not yet.  That girl does CAS style like nobody's business!  Oh well, there's always next time.  I added a little stitching "sampler" detail across the bottom of my image panel because it looked a little bare and needed something to kind of ground it.  I colored the main "HO" with copics and added a little sparkle with my Atyou Spica Clear glitter pen and added a little shine to the berries with some Ranger Glossy Accents.  A button in the center of the wreath adds a little something unexpected.  The rest of the card a few very simple layers and a bit of stitching.  

I just love that sweet little wreath!  Ok, so that is all for my little CAnsS card....(Clean and NOT so Simple) card.  I wonder if that sweet Stacy could give me a few lessons....lol.  Make sure you check out all of the gorgeousness from my Bloom Brigade sisters and leave a little love along the way.  Then.....get cracking on your own Power Poppy masterpiece and link it up on the Power Poppy blog!  Maybe YOU will be the next Power Poppy Peep of the Week!  :)  Hope you have a great weekend and until next time....take care!

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 
Cindy Lawrence 
Dawn Burnworth 
Julie Koerber  
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller  
Tosha Leyendekker

~Katie

Supplies:  Images from Power Poppy's "Bottlebrush Holiday" stamp set; Ink:  Memento's Tuxedo Black and Rhubarb Stalk inks; Paper:  SU! Naturals White card stock, red card stock from scrap, patterned papers from lilybeedesigns; Other:  Die from Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics A, button, string, ribbon, Atyou Spica Clear glitter pen and these Copic colors-  R22, R24, R29, YG 61, YG63, YG67.

Power Poppy's November Blog Hop!

Well hello there and welcome back for one last look at all of the fabulousness from this month's Power Poppy Release....the Power Poppy Blog Hop! 

 Marcella has really outdone herself.....adding four new sets to her Happiest Holiday Collection and what beautiful sets these are!  I decided to use the totally gorgeous Heaven and Nature Sing.  My idea was to make the sweet little birds look like the Black Capped Chickadees that I see so often around my feeders in the yard.

I stamped my image with Tuxedo Black ink from Memento and colored it in with Copics. Next, I die cut my image out, sponged on some ink and used my Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen around the edges.  I layered a couple of pretty Christmas papers, punched a border, stitched it all together, added a bow and adhered it to a cream card stock base.  To finish it off, I stamped this beautiful sentiment and adhered it to my card with some foam dimensionals.  I did cut out a little notch so the bow could cozy up to my flowers.

Oh, I did also use some Ranger Glossy Accents on my berries and my Wink of Stella Clear glitter pen to add a little shimmer in the flower centers.  I love this sweet sentiment and beautiful image...there is so much detail and it really does color up more quickly than you would think.  Actually, I think it would look gorgeous stamped in a single color with no extra coloring.....I may test that theory a little later on and will report back if I do .....I have never know a Marcella image that didn't look amazing no matter what you did or didn't do to it though....;).  

So, that is all I have for you today but the rest of the incredible Bloom Brigade has some pretty amazing things for you to see....make sure you leave them a little blog love while you're there and then if you haven't already, start making your wish list because all of the amazing sets from this release go on sale today!  You could get an early start on some Christmas shopping for friends, or even for yourself!  ;)  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and can stop by again soon....until then, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 
Cindy Lawrence 
Danielle Kennedy 
Dawn Burnworth
Dina Kowal  
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Image and sentiment from Power Poppy's "Heaven and Nature Sing"; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress ink in Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap; Paper-Stampin' Up!'s Naturals White card stock, Classic White card stock from Flourishes, and patterned papers from My Mind's Eye's Lost & Found Christmas Special Edition; Other:  A2 Matting Basics A die set from Spellbinders, Stampin' Up!'s Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, White Stampin' Chalk marker and foam dimensionals, ribbon, Ranger Glossy Accents, Wink of Stella's Clear Glitter pen, and these Copic colors:  N1, N3, N5, N7, N9, E40, E42, E44, E47, E50, Y02, YG0000, YG11, YG13, YG17, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, R32, R35, R37, R39, R56, R59, R89, and RV99.