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 Blog Hop!

Howdy do to you and welcome back for the Power Poppy August Blog Hop!  Have you enjoyed all of the festivities this week? What a blooming extravaganza! All of this month's stamps will be available today!  Just to give you one last peek at these amazing sets, the Bloom Brigade has joined together for our end of the release hop, so let's get to it!  :)

For my card today, I chose to use the incredibly beautiful Chinese Lantern and Bittersweet image from the Sunny Harvest stamp set.  Be still, my heart.....these images are a-mazing!  I had never seen either Chinese Lantern or Bittersweet before so this was a real treat for me.....a little botanical lesson along with my crafting! After doing a little "field research" on these beauties, I got to work.  The stunning colors of these plants definitely pushed me in the "fall decorating" frame of mind....well, honestly I have been pining for fall for a little while (and football season....which you heard me whining about in a previous post) so I went with a fall theme complete with some die cut leaves.....

Have I said I am so ready for fall yet?  Well, I am.  So for my card, I stamped the image onto some newsprint patterned paper and colored with Copics directly on the designer paper.  What you are looking at is actually the second coloring, the first one was colored and die cut when I managed to smudge the heck out of it while finishing up my card.  I am choosing to look at it as an opportunity to change what I didn't like about it the first time around so I used a different die for my main image panel and I like it a lot better....it kind of reminds me of the shape of a real Chinese lantern.  Soooo, then I assembled my card panels using layers of card stock in cream and dark brown and patterned papers in a dark brown damask (which is pretty much covered up), dark brown gingham, and this awesome orange and red linen print.  Once all of the layers were inked or sanded or stitched or gold leafed (and let me tell you, there is a lot of gold leafing going on here-I definitely made up for not using it much lately) or a combination of all of the above the real dilemma started....accessorizing.  Normally, this is one of my favorite parts of the process (besides the actual coloring, of course) but I had a real dickens of a time deciding what to put on this card.  I finally decided on some die cut leaves but I added gold leafing to some of them for a little extra somethin' somethin'.  

For my sentiment leaf, I stamped it first then ran it through my Grand Calibur with a wood texture plate and then I inked it up and attached some twine and a button.  For my image panel, I cut a couple of slits in it to thread my ribbon through, wrapped it around the largest card panel and tied it in a bow.  Next, I stuffed extra leaves here and there until I like the way it looked.  Finally, I attached my assembled card panel to my card base and added a little Ranger Glossy Accents on my berries and a little Wink of Stella Clear brush pen to my Chinese Lanterns.

Here is one more view so you can maybe see the layers a little better.  Seriously, Marcella's image is so detailed and unique and a complete joy to color up!  These are my favorite colors to use on cards and it is a real struggle for me to not make every card look like Thanksgiving!  Well, that is all for my card today, but you need to check out all of the creations from my incredibly talented Bloom Brigade sisters....they have been rockin' the house all week and I am sure today will be no exception!  Make sure you leave them a little blog love while you're there and then why don't you pop on over to the Power Poppy Shop and make these incredible stamps your own....you know  you wanna!  ;)  Thank you so much for stopping by today for a visit....it's always good to see you!  Be checking back, because I will have some more projects using these new sets to share soon.  Until then, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

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

~Katie

Supplies:  Image and Sentiment from Power Poppy's Sunny Harvest stamp set; Paper-My Mind's Eye  Lost & Found Two "Rosy" 6x6 paper pad, Teresa Collins "Fabrications" 6x6 paper pad, Stampin' Up! card stock in Early Espresso, Classic Ivory card stock from Flourishes; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile, Colorbox ink in Chestnut Roan, Stampin' Up!'s ink in Early Espresso; Dies-Spellbinders' Labels Twenty Two and Mat Basics A sets, Cuttlebug Leaf dies, Papertrey ink's wood grain texture plate; Other-SU!'s Early Espresso ribbon, hemp twine, button, Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen, and these Copic colors:  YG13, YG17, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, R21, R22, R24, R27, R39, Y13, Y15, Y18, YR12, YR14, YR15, YR18, E71, and E77.

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.

Power Poppy's August Release Day 1

Hi there and welcome to my little corner of the internet for Day 1 of Power Poppy's August Stamp Release!  I hope you are ready for a week of festivities because this release boasts five...yes, five...days of sneaks ending with a Power Poppy Blog Hop on Day 6....whew, that's a whole lotta Marcella Magic for you to feast your eyes upon.  I feel pretty confident in saying that you are going to love what is in store for you this week....the images you are going to see, mercy!   So why don't we get started with today's fresh from the farm set, shall we?

Farmer's Market....isn't that the sweetest name for a stamp set?  Oh, the fun you will have coloring up these darling images.  Let me show you what I created using this set.....

So how do you like them apples?  When I first saw this set, my mind immediately went to a "back to school" theme....I am guessing because school is going to be starting back pretty soon here.  I know, where did the summer go?  So, with that in mind, I started looking for some fun papers to use.  I thought a round card would be fitting to mimic the shape of the apples and that is when I saw these sweet papers from a couple of October Afternoon pads I had squirreled away...and they came with a little school themed pattern too!  Jack pot!  My favorite apples are Granny Smiths, so these papers are perfect for some green apples, don't you think? 

 I stamped my image with Memento's Tuxedo Black and colored it with Copics.  Then I went to work on my sentiment tag....I l-o-v-e this sentiment and I wanted some of the apples on the tag with it so I stamped off once and then stamped a portion of the apple crate image on my tag while it was still in the die.  I did a little light Copic coloring and then stamped my sentiment.  A little sponging with Antique Linen Distress ink and a hand cut layer in gray card stock finish off the tag.  My card is a few simple layers, some stitched, all sponged with more Antique Linen ink to age it a bit. I fussy cut my colored apple crate and adhered it with the absolute best thing in the world for delicate cut images...a product called Collall.  That crafty guru, Jenny Gropp, at Impressive Ideas put me on this product  a while back and once I got the hang of using it, it has been wonderful !  It is like a dimensional glue....you might want to give this stuff a try!  To finish things off, I added a ribbon bow, a button and a bit of string.  I also glittered up my apples with my Wink of Stella Clear brush pen....

Round card....check, Granny Smith apples....check, gorgeous Marcella image....check, check.  I cannot tell you how much I love this sentiment!  ( I think I have already said it, but it certainly bears repeating).  Isn't that kind of what we, as card makers, do....share what we love?  I am so blessed to get to be a part of this awesome group of ladies, designing with images that truly speak to my heart, and sharing what I love with all of you......really, it doesn't get any better.  I am so glad you were able to stop by today, but you still have some gawking to do, because my Bloom Brigade team mates have been busy creating projects to share what they love with you too....so go check out what these incredibly talented ladies have for you and leave them a little blog love while you're there.  I'll be off tomorrow, but I'll be back for Day 3 of the Power Poppy Release, so I'd love it if you could come by then and until then, take care!

Allison Cope 

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

~Katie

Supplies:  Images- Farmer's Market from Power Poppy; Paper-Gray card stock from Papertrey Ink, Classic Ivory card stock from Flourishes, patterned papers from October Afternoon's "Schoolhouse"  and " The Thrift Shop" 8x8 paper pads; Spellbinders- Grand Circles, Grand Scallop Circles, Labels Eighteen, Standard Circles Large; Other:  ribbon and Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch from Stampin' Up!, button and string from scrap, Collall dimensional glue, and these Copic colors-YG17, YG21, YG23, YG25, YG61, YG63, YG67, R11, E50, E53, E55, E57, and E59.

Power Poppy's Friday Challenge with some "Special" Tulips

Hi there and a Happy Friday to you!  I hope all is well with you.  Are you enjoying your summer?  It really has flown by this year.  Speaking of flown by, this week went by pretty fast too and you know what the end of the week means, right?  Yep, it's another Power Poppy Challenge and this week it's a Peep of the Week Challenge.

You can see all of the details here but you know you've gotta play with us, right?  You could win a feature on the blog, be added to the Power Poppy Pinterest board AND have your name in a drawing for a prize!  So c'mon and play along with us, k?  Let me show you what  I created using the digital Tulips set image and a sentiment from the Sassy Succulents stamp set!

So how about these for some big ol' tulips?  That is the wonderful thing about digital images, you can make them whatever size you want and I wanted these tulips to take up most of the card....mission accomplished, I think.  :)  I started by printing my image, coloring with Copics and then die cutting the main panel.  Next, I sponged some ink around the image and also added a little ink spatter with a ink spritzer (my new kick since I haven't been using the gold leafing pen, I guess).   Next,  I stamped my sentiment and die cut it out, layering it with another die cut.  A little more ink sponging and some pearls finish the sentiment circle.  For my card, I used some simple layers, a little punched border, and some stitching to build up where I wanted to put my main image.  Next, I took a deep breath and used a craft knife to cut a couple of slits in my now colored image and ran my ribbon through them wrapping it around my layers and tying it in a bow.  I used a button and thread to cover up the hole on the left where the ribbon comes through then added my assembled image to my black scallop card base.  

I only colored one tulip white to go with my sentiment and I really like the way it turned out.  I tell you, I don't think I will ever tire of Marcella's gorgeous details on her images.  All of her drawings are fabulous, but her botanicals really make my knees weak and my heart flutter!  So, that is all for my card today, but you still need to check out what some of my incredibly talented Bloom Brigade sisters have created for your inspiration.....all will be show stoppers, for sure!  Then, get to creating your own work of heart, link up, and maybe YOU will be our next Peep of the Week.  I can't wait to see what you do.  Don't forget, it is also almost time for another release, so be checking back soon.  Trust me, you do not want to miss that! Until then, take care and thanks so much for stopping by for a visit!

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken  
Danielle Kennedy   
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 

Supplies:  Images:  Power Poppy’s Tulip Digital image for front of card, Power Poppy’s Sassy Succulents stamp set for sentiment Papers:  Cardstock-Flourishes Classic White, Papertrey Ink True Black.  Designer Papers- My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found Two “Sunshine” 6x6 pad  Inks:  HP Printer ink for digital image, Ranger Distress Ink in Antique Linen for sponging around die cut borders, Papertrey Ink’s Fresh Snow ink pad, Tsukineko’s  Versafine ink in Onyx Black for sentiment,   Atyou Spica Clear Glitter pen, Stampin’ Up!’s Early Espresso marker,  Dies: Spellbinders sets in Grand Scalloped Squares, Grand Squares, Standard Circle Small, Lacey Circles,  Labels Twenty-Two Punches:  Stampin’ Up!’s Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch Other:  Stampin’ Up!’s  Color Spritzer tool, Foam Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers and Jewels Basic Pearls, Button from Papertrey Ink, Ribbon from Michael’s, and these Copic colors: Y21, Y23, Y26, Y35, Y38, YR23, YR24,E40, E42, E43, E44, E47, E55, E57, YG00, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, G29, B0000, C0, and C1

Go Big G!

Hi there and Happy Friday!   So, it has been a little while since our last visit...but I am back today to play along in the Power Poppy Challenge with a card to share.  I had a lot of inspiration for this card.  First, did you happen to catch Stacy Morgan's gorgeous creation several days ago.  You can see it here.  She used oranges, but it reminded me of those black and white photos where there is a little something in red and I thought these geraniums would work great.  Second, I don't know if you know this about me, but I am a huge college football  freak!  In particular, I love my Georgia Bulldogs (Go DAWGS!) and so red and black are pretty common colors in this house.  Can you tell that I am ready for the season to begin?  And you thought Big G meant geraniums, right?  ;)

This card is made using several simple layers...some die cut, some cut with a trimmer....all to frame up the real piece de resistance.....the lovely Geraniums image.  Ya'll didn't know I spoke French, did ya?  Ok, I just got a giggle because the thought of me speaking French with my Southern accent....well, it's pretty funny.  Mercy Bo Coops, ya'll.  ;)  Ok, back to business....since I am in such a red and black frame of mind....I thought I would just make my whole card that way!  I used Copics R 20's and Toner Grays and added a little Black 100 for the darkest part of the leaves.  My papers are from My Mind's Eye, and you will have to forgive me, I do not know which 6x6 pad they came from.....they were some scraps I had laying around.  Some stitching, a little die cut tag, a stamped sentiment from the Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips set and some ribbon make a pretty sweet greeting, don't you think?  Good advice for us all...Live a Little!  :)   

Here is a close up of Marcella's handiwork....Mercy, I love this image!  She really captured the sweetness of these blooms, don't you think?  So, that is all I have to show you but you really must check out what my fellow team mates have created for you....I am sure it will be a lovely display created just for your inspiration!  Make sure you leave them a little blog love while you are there too!  I am so glad you could stop by today and be checking back soon....I'll have another project to share with you and THEN it will be time for the August Power Poppy Release and can I just say.....you will not want to miss that!  ;)  So until then, take care!  

Allison Cope 

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

~Katie

Supplies:  Images-Geraniums digital image and Dynamic Duos:  Peonies and Tulips sentiment stamp set by Power Poppy;

Paper-My Mind's Eye patterned papers, black card stock from Papertrey Ink, Naturals White card stock from Stampin' Up!, Classic White card stock from Flourishes; Ink-Versafine by Tsukineko in Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Ink in Antique Linen, Going Gray ink from Stampin' Up!; Dies-Spellbinders dies in Grand Squares, Classic Scallop Squares, Classic Squares Large, Marianne Createables die set in Petra's Square, and tag die from PTI; Other:  red ribbon from scrap.

Power Poppy's July Blog Hop!

Hi there and a big howdy do to you!  Have you enjoyed all of the release week goodness this week?  Marcella really knows how to host a shindig, doesn't she?  The flowers we have seen this week are nothing short of spectacular. Today is the official Power Poppy July Release Blog Hop.  This is your opportunity to get another round of inspiration from the Bloom Brigade, and let me tell you.....my team mates have quite a lot to show you today!  So....let's hop, shall we?  ;)

I chose to use the amazing Geraniums set again but I paired it with the sentiment from the Countryside Bouquet...it's ok to mix and match these things....no rules here.  :)  I think that while geraniums are quite showy in their color, they still strike me as a more humble flower.  They are not necessarily the swans of the flower garden, they just kind of "live simply" but "bloom wildly"....their gorgeousness is absolute but they just have that homey quality....ok, if good ol' home cookin' comfort food were a flower, I  personally think it would be a geranium...lol.  Your thoughts?  :)  Using that line of thinking and my recent adventures playing in the dirt in my own yard lately, I chose to do a more earthy, homey, feel good kind of card....and this is where geraniums fit right  in!  And  if you are going to color geraniums, why not go all the way with fire engine red?  Hee...so let's go RED !  :)

I first sized and printed my image out.  Next I die cut it out using the "Out of the Box" technique.  There is an awesome tutorial for this on the Splitcoast Stampers site here....if you have not seen it yet, it is wonderful! I usually color my image first then die cut, but not when I am doing the out of the box technique...you could accidentally render your image that you painstakingly colored...absolutely useless.  I still get chills thinking back to the horrible "Cherry Blossom Incident of 2014".....it was not pretty and it's still hard to talk about.  Anyways, if you can....just cut before you color for this technique.  

Sooo, geraniums being the "home-body" flower that they are, I thought a little dirt was in order.  I still had my spritzing tool left out on my table, so after coloring her up with  Copics, I set in to sponging and spritzing it with ink-it was loads of fun to get it all "dirty" and I love the effect!  There are so many ways you could color these geraniums up....there are leaf variegations and bloom variations so have fun finding your perfect geranium specimen to color!  I chose to do a leaf variegation with my bold red blooms. 

 Next up....the card layout.  This shape seemed to lend itself to a nice big square, so I went with it and just used a few layers of papers to build it up....if you are going to go rustic and homey, I think gingham and ticking stripe are the way to go, don't you?  Next I did some stitching around those pretty papers.  A little punched border to look like eyelet, some brown polka dot ribbon and a bit of twine feel right at home here too.  Of course, everything is getting a nice sponging of distress inks to age them up and now we can move on to our sentiment. I wanted my sentiment treatment to be simple, so I used  some kraft paper, printed my image and trimmed out a piece to have a little banner.  Some pinking shears made a nice edge, I spritzed and sponged more ink then sewed it to my assembled panel with a random back and forth stitch and then added a little paper clip just because.  To make your tag look really nice and worn, ball it up in your hand and then smooth it back out.....instant age!  ;)  I wanted it to look like the brown paper the nursery gives you to put in your trunk when you buy flowers so you don't get dirt everywhere and the rustic look of it does go with the overall feel of this card.  

Here is her close up....Hello, Pretty!  Didn't Marcella capture the beauty of geraniums to a tee?  The detail in all of her images really makes coloring them up pure joy.  And remember, this is a digital image, so you can make it as big or as small as you like....AND it is available for purchase now!  What could be better than that?!  Well, that is it for my card today....I hope you got a little inspiration here but you have got to see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade has created for you.....you are going to love it!  So go have fun!  Thanks so much for stopping by here...so glad you did and I look forward to your next visit soon!  Until then, take care!

Allison Cope 

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


Supplies:  Images- Geraniums and Countryside Bouquet digital sets from Power Poppy; Inks-HP printer, Ranger Distress Inks in Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, and Peeled Paint, Stampin' Up markers in Early Espresso, Soft Suede, and rumb Cake (for use with spritzer tool); Paper-Patterned papers from My Mind's Eye 6x6 pad, Crumb Cake from SU!, Tonal neutrals and Classic White card stock from Flourishes; Dies-Spellbinders Labels Twenty Two and Grand Scallop Squares; Other-ribbon from SU!, twine from May Arts, paper clip from Tim Holtz, ink spritzing tool from Stampin' Up!, and these Copic colors:  G40, G43, G46, G29, YG91, RV95, RV99, R20, R21, R22, R24, R27, R29, and R59.