Power Poppy's March Power and Spark Challenge

Hi there everybody!  Can you believe it is March already?  Mercy, these frigidly cold days certainly have been flying by lately!  I hope you have been able to keep up with the goings on over on the Power Poppy blog these last several weeks.  Marcella has really been kicking things up a notch with new digis every month, the addition of a digital release team-the fabulous Instant Gardeners, and the new monthly Power and Spark challenges.....whew!  It's enough to make your head spin!  Today is the day for the start of the March Power and Spark Challenge and the incredibly talented and super sweet Tosha Leyendekker is your hostess.  Now, let me just say, this girl knows the way to my heart....do you know what her challenge theme is?!?  Well, just feast your eyes on this...

I know, right?  If there was ever a challenge with my name on it, then this is it!  :)  Me and my Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen have been tight for quite a while....lol.   So let me show you what I did for this awesome challenge...

I have been smitten with that little stack of tea cups and sweet birdie from the Short Stacks stamp set since I saw this image.  Those cups remind me of some of my grandmother's old china.  It is soft blue and white with gold edging....the edging is worn in several places from lots of use, but that makes me love it even more.  I thought it would be fun to try to gives these darling cups a "well loved" look by making the gold edging look worn.  I started by stamping my image with Memento's Tuxedo Black on to white card stock.  I colored my image with Copics and stamped my sentiment from the Geraniums Take Two set with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  Next, I die cut my image and gold leafed the edge.  I have a gold pen that my dear friend and fellow pen nerd gave me so I thought I would try it out for some of the fine gold detail on these cups....and it worked like a charm!  I used it to fill in the wee leaves and buds on the cups with gold.  I wasn't sure how it would work on the handle, so I tried something new.  I took my Krylon gold leafing pen and dabbed some of the ink until it pooled on to a spare piece of paper and then took a fine paint brush and dry brushed  a little of the gold leafing ink onto one of the cup's rim and handle.  You have to have a  light touch doing this....I loaded up my brush and then blotted it before I actually painted my cup.  It gave it a great look....kind of worn, which was exactly what I was going for here! 

Next, I worked on my frame for my image.  I ended up using two of these die cuts to fit the size of my main image oval and gold leafing them with the same Krylon Gold pen.  I wanted my frame to look a little tarnished and worn, so I took a fine grit sand paper and lightly sanded the frame.  If you are careful, it will just take off the shiny top and leave the dark tint below...instant aging!  :)  My card base is A2 size and layered with card stock and patterned papers to coordinate with my colored image.  My panels are stitched and some of them are gold leafed along the edges.  A couple of the layers are popped up with foam dimensionals.   I wrapped some ribbon around two of the corners of one of the panels and added a bow.  To finish this card off, I added a really pretty rhinestone brad in the bow center.  I took another close up from a side view to try to show the aged frame and brushed gold on the image...

GAH, I still think that little bird is the cutest thing!  :)  So, are you getting inspired to go for the GOLD?  Before you start pulling out your supplies, you really need to see what my insanely talented Bloom Brigade sisters have gilded up for your viewing pleasure and inspiration.  Make sure you leave them a little love while you are there and then get going on your own gold masterpiece.  Remember to link up at the Power Poppy blog for a chance to win a prize!  I am so glad you were able to stop by today for a visit and I can't wait to see what you create!  Until next time, take care!  :)  Oh, and remember....we are only a few short days away from the next incredible Marcella digital image release and another stunning display from the Power Poppy Instant Gardeners...eeeeeeee!  I can hardly wait!  :)

Allison Cope 

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

~Katie

Supplies not listed above: 
Paper:  Stampin' Up!'s Naturals White card stock, Flourishes Classic White card stock, red card stock from scrap, patterned papers from Teresa Collins' Fabrications "Canvas" 6x6 paper pad; Ink:  Ranger Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile ink; Spellbinders die sets Classic Ovals Large, Opulent Ovals, A2 Matting Basics B; Other:  ribbon-Stampin' Up!'s Lost Lagoon taffeta ribbon, gemstone brad from The Paper Studio, Ranger Glossy Accents for the flowers on the tea cup, gold pen from Tul, and these Copic colors:  R11, R12, R14, R17, R39, BG0000, BG000, BG53, BG57, BG78, Y26, W00, W0, W2, W3, W5, and E50