It's Power Poppy's January Power & Spark Challenge!

Hi there friends and welcome!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.  We certainly did!  It feels like it has been ages since my last post.  It was nice spending time with family and friends, but I was sure itching to get back to my craft room and play!  :) Today's project features Power Poppy's new Power & Spark challenge for January being hosted by the incredibly talented, super sweet card diva Tosha Leyendekker!  This one's a goodie.....let's take a peek, shall we?

Yep, it's a two 'fer!  For January, Tosha is asking us to "stretch" ourselves with this challenge...make a tall card and incorporate a new (for you) technique or new product!  If this doesn't get you to stretch your crafty muscles, I don't know what will!  So, for my card I patterned the design after another tall card I had made a couple of months ago and for my new technique, I decided to make my own patterned glitter paper.  

These gerberas from the Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas stamp set always make me smile....they are so cheery and bright-eyed!  I colored the trio up with Copics and fussy cut them out.  I added some shimmer with my Atyou Spica glitter pens in clear and gold then added Ranger's Glossy Accents to the centers for more shine.  While that dried, I went to work on my background glitter panel.  I started by embossing some polka dots on white card stock.  Next, I die cut my rectangle, then lightly tapped my glue pad on the embossed panel.  Next, I added my glitter and shook off the excess.  Surprisingly, it worked pretty well.  I was kind of thinking I might end up with quite a mess, and I did have glitter everywhere (I think that is pretty normal when one is working with glitter though, right?)  but overall, I think it turned out ok.  I actually wanted to use a Versamark pad and heat and stick powder to adhere the glitter, but alas, my Versamark pad was dry!  Sooo, in came the glue pad.  I think you can see the glitter shimmer in the photos.  The rest of the card came together quickly with a couple of patterned papers, some stitching and then my card base.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  The finished card size is 3 3/4" x 6 7/8".  **Little tip here....If you want to make a card base that is larger than an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of card stock will accomodate, try this.....instead of cutting then scoring your paper to make your card base from a single piece, cut two equal panels from your paper, on one of the panels score a horizontal line about 1/2" from the top and then adhere the two panels together at the top...instant card base!  You won't have a fold, but instead you will have your two panels adhered across the top....the score line you made will act as a hinge.  This does decrease the inside dimensions of your card, but not enough to really make a difference.  Then I just adhere my assembled stitched and colored card panel onto my card base....this keeps any stitching from showing on the inside of the card and makes everything all neat and tidy!  :)

Can you ever have too many polka dots?  Nah.... :)  These gerberas look positively prissy, don't you think?  Well, that is all for my card today, but as always, my Bloomie sisters have created some mighty spectacular cards for your Power & Spark inspiration....so make sure you take a peek and say hi while you're there.  Then, why don't you get crafting on your own masterpiece and come play along with us...the challenge runs all month and you could win a prize!  Yay!  We always love seeing what you create, so c'mon!  Thanks so much for popping in and I hope you'll stop by again soon...until then, take care!

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 

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

~Katie

Supplies: Image and sentiment- Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas stamp set;  Paper-Rustic White Cardstock from Papertrey Ink, Red polka dot paper from Recollections,and blue print from My Mind's Eye; Ink- Memento's Tuxedo Black; Dies- Spellbinders' Long Classic Rectangles Large; Other- White Stampin' Chalk marker and Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon from Stampin' Up!, Atyou Spica glitter pens in Clear and Gold, Ranger Glossy Accents, Tsukineko's Essential Glue Pad, Martha Stewart's Glitter in Crystal Fine, Lifestyle Crafts "Spotted" embossing folder, and these Copic colors- BG70, BG72, BG75, BG90, BG93, BG96, BG99, R20, R22, R24, R29, R32, E02, E50, YG21, YG25, Y13, Y18, and Y26.