It's Power Poppy Friday!

Well howdy do to you and a very happy Friday!  Is it just me or are the weeks flying by....Thanksgiving just around the corner and then Christmas will be here before we all know it!  I am sure you have noticed that I have been trying to get a jump start on my Christmas cards lately :).  So to add one more to my Christmas stash, I used the darling new stamp set Spice it Up for my card today.

I kept this design pretty clean and simple (for me, anyway).  I used one of the dies from Spellbinders 5x7 Matting Basics A die set and Papertrey Ink's Rustic White card stock for my sentiment panel.  I stitched a strip of green polka dot paper that I had sitting on my craft table from another project and then stamped my sentiment with Papertrey Ink's Dark Chocolate ink and added my ribbon (Papertrey Ink's Spring Moss grosgrain).  Next, I stamped my image with Memento's Tuxedo Black ink onto more Rustic White card stock and colored it up with Copics.  I added some sparkle with an Atyou Spica Clear Glitter pen and some shine on the mistletoe berries with Ranger's Glossy Accents.  After everything was dry, I die cut my image out with a die from Spellbinders' Labels Eighteen, sponged on some Ranger Distress Ink in Peeled Paint, and added some gold leafing with my Krylon 18KT gold leafing pen. After adhering my image panel to my sentiment panel with foam dimensionals, all that was left was to adhere the finished panel to a card base from Papetrey Ink's Dark Chocolate card stock and tada!  Card done!  :)

I can almost smell the citrus and spice from this sweet image, can you?  And let me say...I l-o-v-e this precious sentiment with font mix!  

So that is all for my card today, but please make sure to check out what some of my amazing Bloomie sisters have created for you....leave them a little hello while you are there and then make sure you check out all of the fabulousness on the Power Poppy Blog, or what I affectionately call Bloom Central....;)  That Copic Diva Kathy Jones ushered in a new Power & Spark Challenge that will have you digging through all your stuff for the perfect embellishments and Marcella served up a new digital image that will have you "a-maized"....lots of good stuff going on over there so if you haven't yet, make sure you check it out!  Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit...and until next time, take care!  :)

Christine Okken 

Cindy Lawrence    
Julie Koerber  
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 

~Katie

Copic colors used:    Y32, Y35, Y38, YR09, YR16,E29, E35, E40, E44, YG61, YG67, BG10, BG72, BG75, BG78.  Other Supplies used:  Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Chalk marker, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile and Chai distress inks, green polka dot paper from Carta Bella's "Merry & Bright" 6x6 paper pad.

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 July Release Day 1

Hi there and welcome to Day 1 of Power Poppy's Release!  I am so glad you could stop by!  :)  I know you have probably been wondering what on earth Marcella has been up to and now we get to start showing you.  So why don't we just go ahead and dig in, shall we?

Arranging Roses...aren't they beautiful?  Roses and strawberries together....what a recipe for a perfect summer day, don't you think?  And since this is a digital release, you can resize this sweet image to suit you and that goes for the wonderful sentiment too!  So let me show you what I created using this wonderful image and sentiment...

A little departure from my normal gold gilded cards, right?  This image reminded me of a bright, sunny summer day so I went with a cleaner look.  Ok, a little drama with the sewing machine again...this time it was not the machine's fault though...it was completely mine.  It seems I can't sew a straight line...I tried doing a saddle type stitch on each side of the yellow panel but it was a little off, so then I got the bright idea to do some alternating stitches in progressively shorter lengths to kind of draw your eye around the top of the card (and down play my first oops)....nothing bold, just a subtle little something....well, those aren't straight either.  Soooo, as they say...it is what it is.  I am going to choose to believe it adds some charm....so just go along with me, ok? And speaking of charm, I could not resist adding that little bit of yellow rick rack across the bottom of my image and card and yep...I did it with another slightly off stitched line.  Sigh.  I don't think I have shared this with anyone yet, but I am a rick rack hoarder.  I freely admit that...it really has to be a strong calling to actually get me to use any of it, but I think it looks right at home here so we're ok. :)

 Alrighty, so back to the image....I printed it out and colored it up using several Copics because there are actually three different colors of roses in this bouquet...a yellow, a cream, and a yellow-red.  I kept that sweet pitcher white to play off the the yellow, white, and gray color palette.  My sentiment is printed, then die cut and layered with another die cut.  This card is very simple in design...just a couple of patterned papers, two layers of  a dark mushroom color card stock, and my image and sentiment panels...not a button, not a bow, not a gilded edge as far as the eye can see.  

Isn't that a lovely quote?  I love mixed font sentiments...they really add so much interest, don't you think?  And what do you think about that gorgeous pitcher of roses and strawberries?  Does Marcella know how to draw 'em, or what?  So, while that is all for my card, there is much, much more for you to see.  My Bloom Brigade sisters have all been busy behind the scenes with their projects and boy, are you in for a treat!  So hop on around and check out all of their beauties and make sure you leave them a little blog love while you're there!  If you'll notice on the link list below...Marcella is on there....she has a blog post to share with you about this amazing new set so make sure you check it out!  :)I am so glad you came for a visit and I hope to see you back here for Day 2 of the release.  There is lots more to see so come on back tomorrow, you hear?  Until then, take care and have a wonderful day!

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
Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Paper-My Mind's Eye "Breeze" 6x6 paper pad, Flourishes Tonal Neutrals  and Classic White card stock, Stampin' Up!'s "So Saffron" card stock; Spellbinders dies-Card Creator A2 Matting Basics B, Classic Circles Small, Lacey Circles; Ink-HP Printer, "Soft Stone" by Papertrey Ink (sponged around image and sentiment); Other-Medium Rick Rack by Wright's, Singer Sewing machine, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush (on strawberries and rose centers) and these Copic colors:  W0, W2, W3, W4, W5, E50, E51, E70, E71, G20, G24, G28, G40, G43, G46, YG91, BG90, BG93, Y21, Y23, Y26, YR20, YR21, YR24, YR27, C0, C2, C4, C5, R20, R22, and R24.

Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday #261

Hi there everyone and happy Tuesday Wednesday!  :)  Here we are for another Timeless Tuesday Challenge, the wonderfully talented Allison is our hostess and the theme this week is "Mask"eurade! That's right....today we get to either mask off part of our project or use a stencil or if you really want to get into it, you can do both!  You can read all of the details here.

Ok, so lately these challenges have really been pushing me out of my little comfort zone of card making....which is a good thing, but it really makes me nervous to then have to turn around and put it out there for everyone to see...lol! I would like to say that I only  made this card once but...there was indeed a little mishap with my embossing folder, soooo this is actually card #2.  For this card, I used the adorable Wild for Watermelon set.  I thought it might make a really cute edge for the side of my card.  I also used an embossing folder to give embossed edges which created a little channel for my masked image strip. There are a lot of great products out there for masking, but I do this technique so infrequently I just use good ol' Post It notes plus some extra removable adhesive and they work great for me!   I first masked off the strip so I could stamp my watermelons using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then, I added masks for my watermelons so I could stamp my seeds.  Next, I removed the masks from the watermelons (leaving the masks along the edges) so I could color my images.  After the coloring was done, I sponged on some Ranger Distress ink in Mowed Lawn to give the image strip a little more dimension.  After that I removed the masks from the edges to reveal my finished strip.

The rest of the card came together super quick....I stamped my sentiment, tied on a little twine and a button and then layered my panel with some gingham paper and then some black card stock and that was it!  Another CAS card.....maybe I am starting to get the hang of them!  I really like the embossed edge on both sides of the images!

Well, that is all for my masked card this week!  I hope you got some inspiration here to create your own...but before you do, please check out what my team mates have created for you!  I am sure there are amazing things for you to see...and make sure you leave them a little blog love while you are there!  Also, make sure you link up your creation to the Flourishes site....I can't wait to see what you come up with!  :)  I am so glad you  could stop by today...you take care and I'll be seeing you again soon!  

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims--that's me!

~Katie

Supplies:  

Stamps:  Wild for Watermelon

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Ink "Mowed Lawn"

Paper:  Flourishes Classic White card stock; black and white gingham paper-Making Memories; black card stock

Other:  green and white baker's twine-American Crafts; button; Cuttlebug "Pinking Stitch" embossing folder for border; Post it notes; Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics B die set

And these Copic colors: YG11, YG13, YG17, YG67, R20, R22, R24, R27, R29, and R59.

Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday #229

Hello there and Happy Tuesday to you!  I am back with another Timeless Tuesday Post...today our hostess is the wonderfully talented Jenny and she has challenged us to "Make it Mini"!  That's right...make a mini card....or a set of three mini cards to be exact (FTTC229).  Aren't mini cards just the cutest thing....and they are kind of like potato chips, you can't just have one, am I right?  You can see all of the challenge details here.  

First, I decided to use the Strawberries set then midway through my first mini card I decided to add other berries too, so I also used the new Berry Sweet Frames set.  I just couldn't commit to one berry, I guess....I love them all so much!  :)  These minis are really simple in design....just a few square layers.  I didn't even use a single die to make the cards, just straight cutting on my paper trimmer.  I stamped the different berries and colored them in with Copics and added sentiments for each. Then I paper pierced them, sponged on a little distress ink and added them to my cards.  Here they are all lined up and waiting for their close up....

I also took photos of each one so you could better see the detail in each stamp....they are such lovely images!

The strawberry...

The Blackberry...

And last, but not least, the cherry...

Once I had finished all of my cards, I had the idea to make a little holder to keep them in for a future gift.  I stumbled across an adorable berry basket on the Silhouette America site and purchased it for my Silhouette.  I proceeded to accessorize my basket with a bloom I created from Spellbinders' Blossom Three and Circle nestie sets, a couple of ribbons (Mrs. Bonnie I am using your red ric rac ribbon!) and a couple of little strawberries that I made from another Silhouette cut file....a strawberry box.  I sized it way down so it would be teeny tiny!  And here is the finished project with my little berry basket to hold my mini cards...

I am definitely going to be making more of these for little gifts!  I never think to make mini cards, so thank you so much Jenny for this awesome challenge!  Now make sure you check out all of my team mates' projects....there is a lot of incredible inspiration out there just for you and when you are done, why not make your own set of mini cards?  You could win a prize for playing along, so c'mon and play!  Looking forward to seeing all of your creations and thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you have a great rest of the day!  

• Allison Cope
• Broni Holcombe
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema
• Katie Sims-that's me!
• Margaret Gilmer-Our July Guest Designer!

~Katie

Supplies:

Stamps:  Strawberries, Berry Sweet Frames, Apple of My Eye

Paper:  Flourishes Classic White card stock: Black Gingham, Pink Polka Dot, Green print dps; Black, green, and yellow card stock

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink, Ranger Iced Spruce Distress Ink

Other:  Green ribbons, red ric rac, twine, Spellbinders Nestabilities Blossom Three and Large Circle die sets, Silhouette America digital cut files Berry Basket and Strawberry Box

Copic Color Combinations:

 

 

And YG91, R22, YG00, E50

Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday Challenge #223

Hi everybody and welcome back for another Timeless Tuesday Challenge!  I am the hostess this week and the theme is "From The Garden".  We are challenging you to create a card or project using some kind of fruit or vegetable.  You can find all of the details here.  I cannot wait to see what everybody comes up with for this one!  I'll bet the Flourishes gallery is going to look like the most wonderful garden ever!  I decided to use the Wild for Watermelon stamp set and actually make my card base the shape of a slice of watermelon!

  It was really quite easy to get the shape by using Spellbinders' Grand Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities. I used a Grand Scallop Circle, scored it in half (making sure that the bottom of the card would be sitting on two scallops to provide some stability) and then added half circles of different patterned papers.  Once I had the patterned papers cut and adhered to my card base, I added the white rick rack using some 1/8" Scor Tape....you gotta love this stuff.  It will hold anything to a card!  I stamped my sentiment on a Spellbinders Labels Eleven die cut from Classic White card stock with Versafine Onyx Black ink, sponged on some Tim Holtz distress ink in Peeled Paint, and pierced a border around the tag while it was in the die.  {A little side note here....sometimes I will use Versafine ink for my sentiments, especially if the font is bold because I have had better luck with getting good coverage.  I don't know why, but for some reason this works a little better for me so I just go with it!}  I then stamped my melon slice and seeds on some more Classic White card stock with Tuxedo Black ink, colored them with Copics and fussy cut them out.  I used a white gel pen on my colored melon slice to disguise where my red came over a bit (oops!) and to brighten it up some. A wise crafter once said, "There are no mistakes, just opportunities to embellish....lol!  So true! Ranger's Glossy Accents on the seeds and melon  gives them a little shine.  A bit of die cut vine under the melon slice and some seam binding and twine finish it off.  I actually had some green seam binding ribbon but you could easily color your own with Copic refill ink if needed.  The tag and little melon image are popped up on foam dimensionals. 

 I took a little close up of the tag....isn't that little bite out of the melon the cutest?!  It makes me hungry for watermelon, that's for sure!  Now, I am not sure if you've noticed, but there is very little coloring on this card...which is not my norm at all!  Even if you are not a huge fan of coloring, you could easily paper piece this little slice and it would be adorable!  I hope you'll join us this week, remember you could win a prize....and if you use Flourishes stamps your odds go up!  Make sure you check out all of the wonderful creations from my fellow design team members.  I am sure you will find plenty of beautiful inspiration from these talented ladies!  Also, we have a new Guest Designer for June...Berni Cuttino.  We are so happy to have you join us this month, Berni!

• Allison Cope
• Broni Holcombe
• Deborah Anton
• Denise Marzec
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema
• Katie Sims-that's me!
• Berni Cuttino-Our June Guest Designer!

Katie

Supplies:                                        

  
 
 


  

Other supplies used:  Spellbinders Grand Circle, Grand Scallop Circle and Labels Eleven dies; MFT's Die-namics Fancy Flourish; Patterned Papers from MME 6x6 pads Love Me and Lost & Found Breeze collections; white rick rack-scrap; green seam binding-SU!; twine-scrap