Power Poppy's February Release-Day 4

Hello there and I'm so glad you could stop by today!  We have had so much fun this week at Power Poppy HQ showing you all of the new stamp sets for this month's release.  There is so much variety in this collection....a little something for everyone!  If you are craving a little something edgy, fresh, and fun....then you are going to love today's set, Big Scripts.  There are so many possibilities and I am sure that your mind will be reeling as you hop along today seeing the Bloom Brigade's offerings for your inspiration!

This set, I must admit, made me a little nervous.  I love all of the bold script sentiments but it forced me to get out of my little gold leafed, copic colored box and explore all of the possibilities for this set.  So I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for a CAS style card again.  I know, I know..... but I am still convinced that one day that elusive style will become more comfortable for me.   Nothing like practice, practice, practice....right?  So here is to personal growth...lol.

I loved this "With Love" sentiment....I think I am still in the clouds from my Sam Cooke reunion earlier this week...so that is the direction I went.   I turned to my new Carta Bella 6x6 paper pad "Words of Love" by Carina Gardner for some pretty patterned papers, stamping the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black on one of them and die cutting a row of hearts with a border die from Papertrey Ink with another one.  I ran some Stampin' Up! Naturals White card stock through a SU! stripes embossing folder for my main panel and then attached my patterned papers to it.  I thought a little stitching would be nice for the borders and add a little more interest.  I actually stopped there and left it that way for a couple of days but I had the nagging feeling that I needed to add something else.  As much as I tried to ignore it, I just couldn't (Am I a lost CAS cause?) so I ended up using the heart die again and cutting a bit of cream felt.  I used two of the hearts and stitched them to the left side of the zig zag border.  Ok, nagging feeling better now....;)  Then, I attached the assembled panel to an A2 card base.

I love that graphic sentiment!  After I was done, I had an "ah ha" moment and thought wouldn't this look great in a bold red on a stark white card stock....almost like lipstick!  Yeah, I may have to try that next....;)  I think that would be a nice little love note to tuck away in Mr. Sims' lunch box for a surprise!  :)  Note to self......hee hee.

So, that is all for my card today but there are several more cards for you to see today from my amazingly talented Bloom Brigade sisters.  Make sure you leave a little love along the way and then get ready for the final day, Day 5, of this month's release.  I will be sitting out tomorrow but I will be joining back up with everyone on Sunday for the Power Poppy Blog Hop.  I hope you can stop back by then and until then....take care!  :)  

Christine Okken   
Dawn Burnworth  
Julie Koerber  
Katie Sims <------You are here 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Power Poppy's February Release-Day 3

Well hello there!  I am so glad to see you back!  I hope you have been enjoying Power Poppy's release thus far....I surely have loved making cards with these adorable images and today's is certainly no exception.  Today's sneak peek set is called Short Stacks.  This set speaks to my love of treasured memorabilia.  There is not a room in our house that I don't have precious items from the past tucked here and there on bookshelves, coffee tables, chests, or any where else I can find a way to display all of those sweet memories.  There is something so comforting about being surrounded by those cherished trinkets.....an old photo frame, antique bread bowls, glass candlestick holders, and one of my all time favorite things......serving trays and dishes.  You would be surprised how much stuff I can group on a single tray.....lol!  What some may think of as cluttered, I think of as warm and homey.  I love the memories these items evoke and the feeling of family and love.  And as added little bonus here.....I got a bit of a chuckle with the fabulous name for this set because we have been known to refer to our dear little dachshund as "Short Stack" from time to time.....lol.  So why don't we have a peek at Short Stacks, the stamp set....shall we?  :)

For my card, I chose to use the darling stack of a book, tiered plate, flowers, and coffee mug.  There are a few "short stacks" in this set to choose from and I imagine when you get to hopping a little later you will see them all!  :)  I thought it would be fun to play with the "stack" concept and have my image on a stack so I started by stamping my image on my die cut card stock rectangle positioning it where I could tuck in some card stock layers.  I colored my image with Copics, sponged on some ink and then ran my image panel through my Grand Calibur with a linen impression plate from Papertrey Ink.  Next, I used a blade and cut around the bottom outline of my image to allow my card stock strip to slip underneath it.  I layered a couple more card stock strips and some stitching...my papers are from Echo Parks' adorable 6x6 paper pad "Fine and Dandy" by Lori Whitlock.  To give my image a little more detail, I added some Ranger Glossy Accents to the water glass and the lenses of the glasses and added pearls and a gem to the flower centers.  A few swipes with my Atyou Spica clear glitter pen gave some sparkle and a little polka dot bow seemed to fit right in here.  All that was left was to layer the image panel with some blue paper and then adhere the whole thing to a white card stock base.  

  

I just love the detail that Marcella put in to these sweet collections. Each one is sure to steal your heart and the sentiments are pretty special too!  

Now this just makes me want to curl up with an afghan, a cup of coffee and the best book ever....what about you?  Oh, let me not forget.....our own little "Short Stack" is sure to be curled up by my side too!  Speaking of....here is a photo (from a few years ago) of our little guy, Baxter, aka Bax Man, Baxie, Short Stack, and an assortment of other silly names.  He has some distinguished looking gray on his face and he moves a little slower now, but he is still our sweet boy....

So, how about those short stacks, hmm?  Are you itching to make this stamp set your own and get to coloring up these precious images?  Well, you won't have to wait long, because the entire release will be available on February 1st!  I hope you found a little inspiration here today, but please make sure you check out what my incredibly talented Bloom Brigade sisters have created for you....you know it will be out of this world gorgeous, right?  Make sure you leave them a little love while you are there and then get ready for Day 4 of Marcella's fabulous release.  Hope you'll be able to pop back by tomorrow....until then, 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
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies not listed above:  Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass; Paper- Stampin' Up!'s Naturals White and Island Indigo, Flourishes' Classic White card stock; Other-Spellbinders' die set 5x7 Matting Basics B, Ranger Glossy Accents, Stampin' Up!'s pearls and gems, ribbon from stash, and these Copic colors-BG0000, BG000, BG53, BG57, YR14, YR15, YR18, E40, E44, E55, E59, Y13, Y19, Y32, Y35, YG11, YG13, YG17, G40, G43, G46, B93, B97, R21, R22, R25, RV55, RV63, RV66, and RV69.

Power Poppy's February Release- Day 2

Howdy all and welcome back for Day 2 of Power Poppy's fabulous February stamp release!  Have you recovered from yesterday's inspirational extravaganza with the Orchids Rock stamp set?  That was pretty wonderful, but wait til you get a load of this sweet new set, Good Thinking:Love Notes.  As the name suggests, this one is all about the love, and that's a real good thing!  ;)

Now I have to tell you, I had an absolute blast working with this stamp set.  I chose to use the sentiment "You Send Me" and if you are a Sam Cooke fan then this will definitely put you in a happy place.  Picture me at my work table stamping, cutting, and pasting to my heart's content...my little dachshund/stamping partner at my feet snoozing....and me humming along to Sam Cooke crooning "You Send Me" on my computer.  That song is such a classic....oh, be still my heart!  Now if you don't know who Sam Cooke is....you simply must hear this song....you will be an instant fan, I am sure!  By the end of the day, I guess my sweet husband had heard me play it so much that day that he was actually humming the tune in the kitchen!  :)  Seriously, go find Sam on the 'net!  Play it for someone else...and like ripples on a pond the good vibes will spread and so on, and so on.  I think I may be getting a little carried away, but Sam can do that to you!  :)  Ok, before I really get started and go off on the golden oldies, maybe I should show you my card.  

Is that not the sweetest sentiment and font?!  It was begging to be stamped in a heart so I happily obliged.  Next, I used the darling little heart stamp in this set to stamp the two hearts over the "You" and "Me" and traced them with my Atyou Spica clear glitter pen to make those words sparkle.  My card base is a few layers of some of the most perfect papers ever for a Valentine....Carta Bella's  6x6 paper pad "Words of Love" by Carina Gardner.  I used a fabulous mixed font paper piece and ran it though my Grand Calibur with Papertrey Ink's wood grain impression plate.  I roughed up the texture a bit by sanding it and I love how it turned out.  I did do a lot of stitching on this but I wanted it to have a vintage Valentine feel to it.  I added a little cream seam binding ribbon that I recycled from a package I had recently received from a dear friend.  A few die cut flourishes from a My Favorite Things die added a little extra pizzazz behind my sentiment heart.  Lastly, I added the button on the bow and the heart.  Now this may be a historical moment.....I am trying to remember the last time I didn't either color or gold leaf on a card and I am having a hard time.  I guess I need to look back through my blog to see!  ;)  

Marcella has done it once again....this time with the perfect sentiments.  This set is chock full of sweet, lighthearted, and sentimental expressions that can be used not only for Valentine's Day but any time you are celebrating love...you pick the occasion and surprise your sweetie with a handmade original work of heart from you!  :)  As for this card, it will be going to a certain Sam Cooke sound-a-like that I know... ;)

Well that is all for my card today, but you know what's next....my fabulous Bloom Brigade sisters have an amazing display of creativity and just plain heart felt hand made goodness to share with you, so make sure you pay them a visit and leave a little love while you are there!  Are you ready for Day 3?  Well, just fasten your seat belt 'cause we aren't even half way through this month's release!  I am so glad you could stop by today and I hope you can pop in tomorrow for another peek.....until then, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 
Cindy Lawrence    
Julie Koerber  
Katie Sims <------You are here 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies not listed above:  Ink-Tsukineko's Versafine in Onyx Black, Papertrey Ink's Chai ink, Stampin' Up!'s Raspberrty Ripple ink and Whisper White craft ink; Paper-Stampin' Up!'s Naturals White and Riding Hood Red card stocks; Other-Spellbinders die sets in Classic Heart and 5x7 Matting Basics B, buttons and twine from Papertrey Ink.

Power Poppy's February Release-Day 1

Hi there and a happy howdy do too!  Hope all is well with you this fine Tuesday morning!  I have been about to burst with excitement because of Power Poppy's February stamp release. The day is finally here to debut the first set....and she is quite a beaut, let me tell you!  If this set doesn't get your heart a'racing, then I don't know what will! Let me introduce you to Orchids Rock, an incredibly intricate and totally fierce stamp set that showcases both the delicate and fiesty aspects of orchids.

 Didn't know they could be fiesty?  Well just check out this little piece of business and the snappy sentiment to go along with her......I would say she has sass and class....:)

The sentiment says it all, don't you think?  Leave it to Marcella to rock the orchids, right?  Well this little lady is actually called a Lady Slipper Orchid and I don't know for sure, but I think she is sayin' "so you wanna a piece of me?!"  Hee hee..ok, maybe not but she does look like she could hold her own.  I did a little research on these blooms and discovered that they can be colored in a multitude of ways, so I chose a fiery coral/red with some burgundy and chartreuse accents.  I'll list the copic colors below for you!  :) I stamped my image and sentiment with Memento's Tuxedo Black. Once colored, I die cut her out and sponged on a little ink for shading.  I chose a couple of papers to coordinate with my colors and stitched them together before adding my ribbon.  I adhered the assembled pieces to a black card base and then gold leafed my main image panel, added some shimmer to the blooms with my Atyou Spica clear glitter pen, added foam dimensionals, and slid her in under the bow.  

I also added a wee pearl in the centers of the staminodes to mimic their appearance in real life....ok, I did not know the name of the little hangy down thing before this week, but I learned a great deal about orchids when I was researching color choices.  Just call me a botanist-in-training.....lol!  See, a card and a science lesson.....and I will be completely mortified if I find out later that I have incorrectly named the staminode....lol!  

So, what do you think of Marcella's first stamp set for February?  This is only a small portion of what comes with this set.  Make sure you check out what my incredibly talented Bloom Brigade sisters have created for your inspiration....I am sure you will be a-mazed!  Try to leave them a little love while you are there and then check back tomorrow for Day 2 of this incredible five, yes...I said FIVE day release.  Hope to see you then, and I am so glad you were able to stop by for a visit!  Take care and see you soon!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken   
Dawn Burnworth  
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Image and sentiment from Power Poppy's new stamp set-Orchids Rock; Paper- Basic Black from SU!, Classic White cardstock from Flourishes, My Mind's  Eye's 6x6 paper pad "Rosy" from their Lost & Found Two Collection, and Carta Bella's 6x6 paper pad "Yesterday" by Lori Whitlock; Ink- Memento's Tuxedo Black, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile, Ranger Distress ink in Peeled Paint; Other- Spellbinder's Labels Twenty Eight, SU!'s satin ribbon in Certainly Celery, Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen, SU! pearls, and these Copic colors:  R00, R01, R02, R05, R39, R89, RV99, YR02, Y02, Y08, YG21, YG25, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, YG99, E40, and E44.

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.

A Poinsettia Thank You

Hello everybody and a Merry Christmas to you!  I hope you all had an amazing holiday spent with those dearest to you!  I think it's about time I ambled on back to my very neglected blog to share a little Power Poppy goodness with you.  I think I mentioned we had  moved back into our house a few weeks ago after some renovations....well throw in unpacking, getting ready for Christmas, some family medical issues, work, and just life in general and you get a blog in need of updating.....sooooo, here I am!  :)  I could not resist using the beautiful poinsettia image from Poinsettia again for this week's Power Poppy challenge.  We'd love it if you'd come play along with us and who knows, but you might be selected as a Peep of the Week!  How fun would that be?  :)

Ever since this image was released, I have wanted to use this image without coloring it.....I know, me and my Copics are pretty tight, but sometimes you just wanna do something a little different, right?  So, I decided I wanted to make my own toile pattern with that gorgeous poinsettia and since I am going to be needing some thank you cards in the next few days I thought I would go ahead a get started. 

I stamped my poinsettia image using Memento's Rhubarb Stalk on to some white card stock that had been die cut with Spellbinder's Labels Twenty Two.  I left the die frame on while I stamped so I could keep a nice edge on it and then sponged on some more Rhubarb Stalk ink before removing the frame.  Next, I die cut my sentiment  layer and stamped my sentiment.  Next I used Spellbinder's Classic Squares Small die set and Marvelous Squares set for the rest of my layers.  I used some ink to distress the edges of my layers, did a little stitching, added some gold leafing with my Krylon 18KT gold leafing pen, and assembled my layers.  At the last minute I added some sparkle to some of the pomegranates and the poinsettia centers with an Atyou Spica clear glitter pen....you can't really see it in the photos but it does add a nice subtle shine to the image.

Have I said how much I love this poinsettia image?  I am sure I probably have, but it certainly bears repeating.... the detail on this is stunning and I think it makes a fabulous toile print!  You could very easily stamp off a whole sheet of this and then do several die cuts from the sheet for mass producing. Well, that is all for my card today, but I know my Bloom Brigade sisters are rockin' the house so make sure you check out what gorgeousness they have for your inspiration and then get busy on your own Power Poppy creation, link it up to the Power Poppy blog and YOU could be our next Peep of the Week!  I can't wait to see what you create, and until next time.....take care!

Allison Cope 

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

~Katie 

Supplies:  Image-Power Poppy's Poinsettia stamp set, sentiment from Papertrey Ink's In the Meadow stamp set; Ink-Memento's Rhubarb Stalk, Stampin' Up!'s Cherry Cobbler, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile and Chai inks; Paper-Classic White card stock from Flourishes, Naturals White card stock from SU!, patterned paper from Melissa Frances'  "Deck the Halls" 6x6 paper pad; Dies-Spellbinders sets in Labels Twenty Two, Marvelous Squares, and Classic Squares Small and Papertrey Ink's Photo Finish Strips die collection; Other-Krylon  18KT Gold Leafing pen, Atyou Spica clear glitter pen,  pearls from SU!

Power Poppy's December Blog Hop

Well hello again, and welcome back!  I hope you have been able to check in on the goings on over at the Power Poppy Blog....or what I like to call, Bloom Central!  :)  Lots of good stuff to see with December's all digital release and that brings us to today...where the Bloom Brigade joins together for one last look at all of the Marcella goodness for this month...

How about those lovely images?  Marcella has once again brought to life some of the most beautiful scenes for our crafting enjoyment.  Well you heard the Bloom Whisperer, let's HOP!  :)

So for my card today, I thought I would revisit the Camellias image but this time I paired it with a sentiment from the Geraniums Take Two stamp set.  I have in mind to send this card to a friend and I think she will like this image and sentiment.  I decided to color these two varieties of Camellias like two of the varieties in my yard.  I have two extremely large Camellia Japonicas  (sorry, do not know the proper names for these because they were here when we moved).  These particular ones have the prettiest deep pink blooms....they border on a violet and the blooms themselves are huge.  The leaves are also a good size.  These bloom around Christmas to as late as February and the blooms last for several weeks.  The photo I shared yesterday in my post has one of these in it.  One of the other varieties I have is a Camellia Sasanqua 'Setsugekka'.  It is espaliered at the front of our house and it blooms in the late summer/early fall.  The blooms on this variety are the prettiest white with a double row of ruffled petals and the daintiest yellow stamens.  The leaves on this one are smaller and darker green, the blooms are smaller, but the impact is still the same...but then again, I have never met a Camellia I didn't like!

It really is uncanny how closely these two blooms resemble two of the varieties we have in our yard. For this card, I kept it really simple.....I guess you could call this my "clean and simple" design style....lol.  I think this is as simple as it gets for me!  ;)  

No buttons, no bows....just a few layers of designer paper and card stock, an image colored with Copics, a little sponging, a little gold leafing and there you have it!  So that is all for my card and garden tour today but you really must make sure you check out all of the goodness that my Bloom Brigade teammates have created for you...AND as an added bonus, if you leave a comment on each of the Bloomies' blogs you could win this month's digital release!  So make sure you leave a little love while you hop!  Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope we can get together again real soon...until then, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 
Cindy Lawrence   
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and .....
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Images-Floral from Power Poppy's new digital image "Camellias" and sentiment from Power Poppy's "Geraniums Take Two" stamp set; Paper-Classic white card stock from Flourishes, Naturals White and Night of Navy card stocks from Stampin' Up!, navy patterned paper from The Paper Studio's "The Classics" 4.5" x 6.5" paper pad; Inks-  HP Printer ink, Ranger Distress inks in Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap; Dies-Spellbinders Marvelous Squares set and Classic Squares Large set, Marianne Designs Petra's Square Frames set; Other-Krylon 18 KT Gold Leafing pen, Atyou Spica Clear Glitter pen, and these Copic colors:  W0, W3, W4, W7, C1, C3, B0000, RV52, RV55, RV63, RV66, RV69, BV02, E41, E44, E49, Y13, Y19, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, G28, G40, G43, and G46.