Happy Power Poppy Friday!

Hello there and a very happy Friday to you!  I have a super quick post to share with you today featuring Power Poppy's new for June Power & Spark challenge.  This month's hostess is the amazingly talented and super sweet Julie Koerber!  You can read all of the details here.

Is that not the cutest challenge idea?  :)  So for my card, I ended up using three different stamp sets...Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas, Nice Things to Say, and for my little bee image, Burst of Kindness.

I started by stamping my gerbera image, die cutting my rectangle and coloring it in with Copics.  Next I stamped my sentiment, sponged on some distress inks and tied a bit of string around the panel.  I also added some shimmer with my Wink of Stella clear brush pen.

Next, I trimmed some card stock and patterned papers, did some stitching, added some sponged distress inks and assembled all to my card base.  This card measures 3 1/2" x 5" .  Lastly, I added my image panel with some foam dimensionals.

I just love this image!!  It is such fun to color....that Marcella really knows her way around a bloom, doesn't she?  :)  Here's one last view....

So that is all for my card today, but some of my Bloomie sisters have created some beauties for your Friday inspiration.  Make sure you check them out and leave a little blog love while you are there.  Thank you so very much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  Until next time, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 

Cindy Lawrence    
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker

~Katie

Supplies not listed above:  Paper-pink and white card stocks from PTI, patterned papers from Carta Bella's "Home Sweet Home" 6x6 paper pad; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Ink in Iced Spruce, PTI's Chai and Chamomile inks; Other:  Spellbinders's A2 Matting Basics B die set, string from SU!, and these Copic colors- BG72, BG90, BG93, BG96, BG99, R30, R32, R35, R37, R59, RV10, RV11, RV14, RV17, Y13, Y19, YG01, E000, E00, E41, E43, E44, BV01, and W1.

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.

It's Time for another Power Poppy Friday AND a Special Daily Marker Hop!

Hi there and Happy Friday to you!  Today Power Poppy has teamed up with the incredibly talented Kathy Racoosin for her 30 Day Coloring Challenge!  What's that, you ask?  Well, that clever Kathy has challenged everyone to take a little "me" time and just. color.....that's it!  Just spend some gloriously quiet time coloring your troubles away.....doesn't that sound wonderful?!  You can see all of the details here.

And hey.....have you checked out the latest Power & Spark Challenge on the Power Poppy blog.  That amazing Julie has thrown down a peach of a challenge.....you can read all about that here.

My card actually works for both of these challenges!  Lemme show you what I created.....

I have a serious crush on these darling bottlebrush trees from the Bottlebrush Holiday set so I thought I would do a quick color up and pair it with one of my all time favorite little sentiments from the Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas set.  Since I was sending love, I thought why not make the card a postage stamp shape, so that's what I did!  A few simple layers, some stitching, a little sponging and my colored image now looks like a stamp...ready to send some Christmas love!  :)  

I did add a little sparkle with my Atyou Spica clear glitter pen and then some shine with some Ranger Glossy Accents on the ornaments.  The papers are from a Graphic 45 paper pad that a dear friend gave me.  Don't you just love those little trees?!  

Well, that is all for my card for today but there are beautiful cards a-plenty just waiting to inspire you so make sure you check out all that my sweet Bloomie sisters have created for you.  Leave a little love along the way....and a big hug to Kathy Racoosin for the inspiration too!   Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back soon with some new Power Poppy goodness to share.....Eeeeee!  :)  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 not listed above:  Paper-Papertrey Ink's Rustic White Card stock, green card stock from scrap; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Ranger's Distress Ink in Peeled Paint, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile ink; Other-Spellbinder's die sets in Classic Square Large, Classic Scalloped Squares Large, and Postage Stamp sets and these Copic colors- G29, G40, G43, G46, YG61, YG63, YG67, E42, E44, E47, C2, C5, C9, R30, R32, R35, and R39.

Power Poppy's Friday Challenge and a Rose...

Hi there everybody!  I sure hope all of you are doing well!  Things have been pretty hectic here on he home front, but I just could not wait to use the new and absolutely stunning La Vie en Rose digital image from Power Poppy!  This beauty was introduced in grand style by our new digital design team, The Instant Gardeners...and if you have not had a chance to get the 411 on these incredible ladies, you are missing out! You can read all about them here.  Marcella has a whole new team of incredibly talented ladies to create inspiration just for you using her digital images!  To further celebrate the release of this new digital image, the Bloom Brigade has joined in the fun for our Friday Peep of the Week Challenge....

There haven't been this many roses around since the Tournament of Roses Parade, I tell ya!  Are you ready to get your rose fix? :) If you happened to miss the big release yesterday, here are the details on La Vie en Rose...

So now, let me show you what I created....

I printed my image out and took a little time trying to figure out the angle I wanted for my die cut.  Once I had that decided, I colored my image with  Copics.  I paired my image with one of the sentiments from the Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas stamp set.....a perfect match for a Valentine, don't you think?  And since I am sending love, I thought it only fitting to use a postage stamp edge die for some of my panels. The patterned paper is from one of the sweetest 6x6 paper pads from Carta Bella called "Words of Love" by Carina Gardner.  It is chock full of the prettiest papers just begging to be made into Valentines.  :)  Although there are many layers here, the card itself is still pretty simple and flat for mailing.  I did pop up the rose panel with foam dimensionals but there are no bows, buttons, or other embellishments to make it difficult to mail.  There is a little ribbon but it is not tied so it doesn't count, right?  And the bit of stitching is certainly flat.  Don't worry, I am not going to try to pass this one off as "clean and simple"!  :)  Can you believe Valentine's is right around the corner and this is the first card I have made so far?  Yikes!  I hope you are further along than I am!  Here's a little close up so you can see that awesome Marcella detail...

Well, that pretty much is it for my card today, but you know my Bloom Brigade sisters are ready to show you their lovely creations.....so get ready to be a-mazed!  I hope you have a wonderful Friday and why don't you come play along with our Peep of the Week Challenge....who knows, you may be our next Peep!  Until next time, take care.....

Allison Cope 

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

~Katie

Supplies not listed above:  Paper-Stampin' Up!'s Naturals White and Riding Hood Red card stocks, Classic White card stock from Flourishes; Ink-Papertrey Ink's Smokey Shadow, Chamomile, and Chai inks; Dies-Spellbinders' A2 Matting Basics B, A2 Fancy Postage Edge, Classic Hearts, and Classic Scalloped Hearts die sets; Other-Atyou Spica Clear Glitter pen, Krylon 18KT gold leafing pen, Faber- Castell Pitt Artist pen in white, ribbon from Stampin' Up! and these Copic colors:  R20, R21, R22, R24, R27, R29, R39, RV99, G40, G43, G46, and G28.

Sending Love...with Gerberas

Hi there everybody!  I hope you have had an awesome week.  It has certainly been a busy one around here, but I did want to share a card I made with Power Poppy's new stamp set Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas for this week's challenge on the Power Poppy blog.  Are you going to be our next "Peep of the Week"?

This set has some super sweet sentiments with it and I just couldn't resist using the "Sending Love" sentiment!  Let me show you what I did.....

When I saw that sentiment, I thought it would be fun to have a "mail" theme with it....so, I made a postage stamp complete with the cancellation mark!  I used some really bright and cheery papers to go with these darling gerberas.  My image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on to white card stock, colored with Copics and then die cut out.  I used a little distress ink to sponge around the image and then stamped my sentiment, then the cancellation marks.  Next, I used my Krylon gold leafing pen to edge out the image panel and tied a little ribbon across the bottom.  Then, I backed the image with a die cut postage edge panel and popped it up with some dimensionals.  The rest of the card is a few layers of card stock and patterned papers with some stitching and a little scoring and sanding to add an edge detail.  

Those gerberas really make me smile!  Don't you think they are a happy flower?  :)  They definitely look like they are "Sending Love"!  :)  So, that is all for my card today but you have got to see what my oh so talented Bloom Brigade sisters have created for you viewing pleasure today.  Take a hop around, make sure you leave them a little blog love, and then come join us for this week's Friday challenge at Power Poppy.  The only requirement this week is to use a Power Poppy image.....how simple is that?!  I can't wait to see what you create!  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to see you back here soon.  Until then, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken     

Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller  
Tosha Leyendekker

~Katie

Supplies:  Stamps-Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas, Papertrey Ink's Postmarks; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up!'s Going Gray, Ranger Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass and Antique Linen; Spellbinders- A2 Fancy Postage Edge, A2 Matting Basics B; Paper- SU!'s Naturals White, Flourishes Classic White and Color Made Easy Poppy Collection, Echo Park 6x6 paper pad "Summer Bliss"; Other-Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen, Wink of Stella Clear Brush pen, green polka dot ribbon and these Copic colors-R30, R32, R35, R37, YG11, YG13, YG17, YG91, E55, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, Y32, YR12, YR15, and YR18.

Power Poppy's August Release-Day 3

Hi there and a Happy Tuesday to you!  Welcome back for Day 3 of Power Poppy's August Release!  Have you been enjoying the new sets so far?  That Marcella really knows how to make a stamper happy, doesn't she?  I have been plum giddy working with these new sets and I was ecstatic to see these beautiful images come back in photopolymer.....so let's take a peek now, shall we?

Dynamic Duos: Glads and Gerberas.....sigh.....and with some really darling new sentiments to add to your collection!  Here is what I created with this beautiful new set....

Ok, so my idea was to try to make something that resembled a dainty, old fashioned handkerchief... but does anyone else see a cocktail napkin instead? Oh well, I will have to revisit that card idea later, but for now whether you see a hanky or a napkin, let me share with you what I did.  My image was stamped with Memento's Tuxedo Black on some white card stock and I colored these lovely blooms with my Copics.  I die cut my image, added a little sponged ink and then for some cloth texture I ran it through my Grand Calibur with a texture plate.  Then, I pulled out my long lost but not forgotten friend, my Krylon 18KT Gold leafing pen and leafed the border of my image. Next I built up a square card with layers of card stock and patterned paper and oriented everything to the bottom left corner.   I sponged Antique Linen ink on my papers for a little age and then did some stitching on the machine.  I punched a tiny scallop border for the bottom of the card, wrapped it around and added my ribbon.  Here is a little tidbit for you.....I LOVE taffeta ribbon, it makes the prettiest bows and I find I can shape them easier but most of the ones I find are wired.  Well, don't let that stop you, just pull out the wires and tie your ribbon as usual!  

I used this super sweet sentiment that comes with the set to make a little banner....it's just a strip of card stock trimmed on the bottom with pinking shears.  I stitched it on and then attached my assembled layers on a square card base and that was that.  OH, well I did use my Wink of Stella Clear Brush pen to add some shimmer to the blooms but I can never seem to get that detail to show in my photos....but it's there, I promise!  That is all for my card today but make sure you check out what the rest of my uber talented Bloom Brigade team mates have created for you today, and don't forget to leave them a little blog love while you're there.  Can you believe we are only half way through the release?  Still plenty more beautiful images coming so stay tuned.  Thank you for stopping by today and I am so "Glad" to know you, too!  Until next time, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken   
Julie Koerber  
Katie Sims <------You are here
Tosha Leyendekker

~Katie

Supplies:  Images from Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos Glads and Gerberas stamp set; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress ink in Antique Linen; Paper-Naturals White, Primrose Petals, and Blushing Bride card stock from SU! and patterned paper from Echo Park's "This & That" 6x6 paper pad; Spellbinders dies- Grand Scallop Squares, Grand Squares, Classic Squares Large sets; Other-border punch from SU!, ribbon from Michael's, pinking shears, Texture plate from PTI, Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen, and these Copic colors-R30, R32, R35, R37, R39, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, and Y18.