A Power Poppy Friday with Flowering Branches!

Well hello there and a very happy Friday to you!  I hope you have had a great week.....got any exciting plans for the weekend?  Working on any crafty projects?  Speaking of crafty projects, did you enjoy the festivities over on the Power Poppy blog earlier this week for the newest digital stamp release- Flowering Branches?  Those Instant Gardeners put on quite a show!  Well today, the Bloom Brigade gets to play with that beautiful image.  So here is another look at Flowering Branches...

If you didn't get a chance to see Marcella's post for this release, you really need to check that out here.  All of the inspirational photos she shared were amazing!  It inspired me to do a little research on Flowering Crab apples and guess what I discovered.  There is a weeping variety that has dark pink buds that turn to white flowers with a slight blush and the fruit is a yellow hue with a pink blush....doesn't that just sound heavenly?   And the very best part of all is the name....."Louisa"!  It was almost too good to be true...so I had to color my image up like that variety in honor of our very own crab apple illustrator extraordinaire, who just happens to hail from Saint "Louisa"!  :)

I started by sizing and printing my digital image out and colored it up with Copics.  Next, I die cut my image out with a die from Spellbinders' A2 Matting Basics A set.  After that I ran it through my Grand Calibur with a wood grain impression plate from Papertrey Ink.  I added a little Chamomile ink from PTI around the edges and then layered it with some pink patterned paper.  After adding the stitched border, I adhered my layered image on a Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake card stock card base.  A little Whisper White ink sponged around the edges softens the card up a bit.  For my sentiment, I printed it out and die cut it with a tag die from Papertrey Ink, then sponged on Ranger Distress ink in Scattered Straw, Peeled Paint, and Festive Berries to mimic one of the crab apples on my card.  I added a green satin bow and adhered the tag to my card with dimensionals.  A few sweeps across the blooms and crab apples with my Wink of Stella Clear glitter pen finished everything off.  This set comes with two extra sweet sentiments for Mother's Day.  My mama certainly taught me how to bloom so this will be going to her soon (and if you are reading this mama......surprise and love you!)

Isn't that font lovely....not to mention the incredibly gorgeous and oh so dainty crab apple buds and blooms.  The darling little crab apples are an added bonus!  The inside of the card will have the other sentiment from this digital set, "Happy Mother's Day". I think I just outed myself that I haven't finished the inside of the card yet....oh well.  :)  Just pretend it's all done for this post, ok?  So, that is all for my card today but some of my Bloomie team mates have some truly beautiful things to show you so you've just got to go check that out.  Make sure you leave a little love while you're there too!  Then, if you haven't made this digital image your own yet, I would highly suggest that you take a stroll over to the Power Poppy store where you can purchase and download this beauty today!  

And speaking of mamas, I thought I would share a little photo of me with mine.  She is quite an amazing lady...in the last four years she has gone through breast cancer treatment and gone through two knee replacements....she's a regular Steel Magnolia!  :)  

I am so glad you could stop by today and I hope that you have a wonderful and restful weekend.  If you are able to squeeze in a little crafty time, even better...right?  There is still plenty of time to enter the Power Poppy Power and Spark Pastels challenge and wouldn't this image make a pretty pastel project?  Hmmmmm.....:)  Thank you again for your visit and until next time, take care!

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken     

Julie Koerber  
Katie Sims <------You are here 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker

~Katie

 Supplies not listed above:  Paper-Classic White card stock from Flourishes and pink patterned paper from My Mind's Eye; Copic colors:  R30, R32, R35, R37, R39, Y02, YG21, YG91, G40, G43, G46, E40, E42, E44, and E47.