Inspire Me Monday: Turnaround Stamping

Howdy and happy Monday everyone!  I'm Allison Cope and I'm your hostess this week for Inspire Me Monday. I hope you had a great weekend and took some time to create.

One my favorite parts of stamping is finding fun uses for all the smaller images surrounding the large and glorious images on a stamp set.  Sometimes I think these images are forgotten about.  So today we’re going to get lots of littles inky!

Today’s tutorial is all based around the a new stamping trend in the market, a turnabout stamp. These are large format stamps that include a variety of stamps all attached to one another and are designed to be inked up and  rotated to produce a fun back ground image.

I wanted to show you that you can create your very own version of a turnabout stamp by using a grid system and multiple smaller stamp images.

So come and join me at my crafty desk and learn about how to recreate this fun technique!  Grab a cup of your favorite warm beverage and I’ll meet you there!

Click here to see the video in HD.

This is the first turnaround back ground I stamped in my video.  I stamped all of my images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored everything in using Copic Markers.

Stamps Used: Fully Stocked (bell), Bough Wow Wow (knit snowflake), Merry Littles (Peace, mug, tree), Wreaths Plain & Fancy (reindeer), Botanical Tree (poinsettia), Artful Display (plate)

I split my large 6x6 panel into two equal sides and created these 2 cards…

Added Sentiment Used: Holly Golightly (Love * Joy * Peace to You)

Here is the second panel I stamped on the video using a variety of fun colored inks. I chose to only color in the odd item on the panel and I also added some fun Stickles for some holiday shimmer and shine.

Stamps Used: Merry Littles (bow, candy canes), Wreaths Plain & Fancy (church, Joy, Warm Thoughts), Action Santa (hillside, snowflakes), Fully Stocked (mistletoe), Bough Wow Wow (heart)

I managed to create 3 cards using this 6x6 panel as I decided to die cut some of the elements or at least use smaller pieces of the back ground on my cards.

Off camera I created this fun sentiment stamp only back ground using my grid technique.  I had a ball finding fun sentiments that fit like puzzle pieces together and using some bright festive holiday colored inks.

Stamps Used: Wreaths Plain & Fancy (Happy Holidays), Heaven & Nature Sing (Be Joyful), Botanical Tree (Peace, Merry Christmas), Action Santa (Sending a Flurry), Bottlebrush Holiday (Falalala, Warm Wishes), Cozy Cupfuls (Good Tidings), Holly Golightly (Love * Joy * Peace to You) 

I created two fun holiday cards using this sentiment panel.  I die cut some the edges into fun shapes.

Stamps Used for the Red Back Ground: Merry Littles (large poinsettia), 

Botanical Tree (small poinsettias)

I decided to keep my final panel quite simple and only use one shade of blue ink and add just a slight bit of shading using a single shade of Copic Marker.  So simple but so pretty!

Stamps Used: Artful Display (plates), Wreaths Plain & Fancy (candle),  

Action Santa (Snowflakes), Merry Littles (poinsettia), Botanical Tree (card sentiments) 

Here are the two holiday cards I created with this last panel...

I thoroughly enjoyed creating all these fun turnaround stamped back grounds for you today!  Don’t forget to try this with embossing powders too… you could get a very cool effect!  Think shiny and shimmery for the holidays.

Take a quick moment and visit my personal blog today for a fun birthday card version of this technique.  Click here!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today.  I'd love to hear what you think about this fun technique... leave me a comment! Ta ta everyone!

~ Allison Cope ~


Cardstock: Recollections (110# White), My Favorite Things (vellum) 
Patterned Paper: My Favorite Things (Painted Prints Smitten 6x6, Tiny Check Brights 6x6), Simple Stories (Very Merry 6x8), Doodlebug Designs (Frosty Friends 6x6), Crate Paper (Falala 6x6), Your Next Stamp (Winter Knits 6x6, Winter Plaid 6x6) 
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Catherine Pooler Designs (Rockin’ Red, Grass Green, Lime Rickey, Garden Party, It’s a Girl, Something Borrowed), Versamark, Copic Markers, Sakura (Pen-touch Gold, White Gel Pen) 
Dies: My Favorite Things (Stitched Rectangles STAX 2, Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges, Scalloped Ovals), Spellbinders (Curved Borders 2, A2 Scalloped Borders 1, A2 Curved Borders 1, PageMaps On the Edge), Pretty Pink Posh (Mini Tags) 
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh (Sparkling Clear 6mm, 4mm)
Embossing Powder: Stampendous! (Detail White)  
Ribbon: Offray (Thin Green)
Other: Sulky Thread (Metallic Gold), Christmas Twine (Michaels), Stickles (Star Dust)

Bring on the Color!

Hey Peeps! Did you check out the title of today's post? Yes, this post might just have you reaching for your shades — because it’s huge on inspiration and explosive in COLOR! It’s Friday folks, which means we've spent some time combing the creative world on the web ready to deliver just the right amount of inspiration to kick off your creative weekend! 

SHALL WE TAKE A PEEK AT JUST SOME OF WHAT BRIGHTENED OUR WEEK?

Lee Ann Barrell -- stunning doesn't even begin to cover what you've accomplished here with this Azalean beauty! (Yes, I made that word up). I love the rich reds and how they play off the patterned paper and neutral backdrop -- simply a delight for the eyes! If you wondered, Lee Ann used Power Poppy's stamp set Azalea.

Goodness. Speechless folks. Seriously. Can you even imagine the time and attention given to this card above by Elizabeth Zaffarano using Power Poppy's new digital image Tree Peony? Again, speechless. The depth of color and how she so perfectly created a digital frame — Elizabeth told us she played around using GIMP, the free downloadable photo editing software —perfectly showing off the Happiest of Birthdays message! Excuse me... I need a minute here. Wow. 

G-L-O-R-I-A!!! Now that you have that Van Morrison song in your head, take a gander at this card above by Gloria Stengel who, in my humble opinion, knocked it out of the park with her creation! She picked the perfect match of patterns and polka dots to make the main image sing! Gloria used Power Poppy's digital image Everything's Rosy and just to get a few little extra brownie points, she entered this card into this month's Power & Spark Pick-A-Sketch Challenge! 

Check out that bold splash of color on that pristine and clean white backdrop, will you please? This is the handiwork of the talented Hazel Parr and this creation most definitely grabbed my attention. I love the die cut backdrop paired with a kind of ombre sentiment and the beautiful digital image Countryside Bouquet taking center stage. What was the most touching about this card was the fact that Hazel took time out of her day to make it for a family friend who lost the love of her life. The woman loves flowers and so Hazel wanted to "brighten up her home which was darkened" from her loss. Truly thoughtful.

Leslie Miller is ALREADY making her list and checking it twice -- in April! Apparently, this wonder woman makes so many Christmas cards, she has to start NOW! Kudos to you my friend and former Bloomie! Major kudos to you! If you check out her post HERE, you'll see not only this card but two others that are decked out in Christmas spirit using Power Poppy's stamp set Fully Stocked. And, while you're hopping over to Leslie's place, be sure to check out THIS card she did with Power Poppy’s set Peony Muse. It’s another sure-fire hit.

Well, how's that for inspiration? It kind of, sort of rocks now doesn't it? And, my sweet stamping friends, there is MORE! Be sure to check out the Bloomies below and their fabulous works of (he)art this week!

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Be sure to swing by Monday when Nancy Sheads will be in the house with an AMAZING tutorial on how to get the most out of your digital stamps AND your digital paper cutters! This tutorial rocked my world and I know it will yours as well.

AND JUST A NOTE: Don't forget this month's Power & Spark Pick-A-Sketch Challenge. Next week Kathy Jones will be here to share a brand new challenge for May! So get those fingers inky before April is out of the picture! ;-)

See you back here soon!
~Julie

Holiday Preview Day 4: Fully Stocked

While it may seem early to be getting into the Christmas spirit (the leaves are still plenty green here in St. Louis, Mo) we are feeling all kinds of festive here at Power Poppy and on all the Bloomie’s blogs. We are showcasing super-creative cards made with my new Holiday stamps all week long. Have you been hanging out with us to soak up some inspiration and get giddy about our new offerings? Start here if you’d like to go back to Day One and read what propelled this collection to take shape. And thank you SO much to everyone who has a left a comment, I appreciate reading them, and the time you took to share your thoughts and feelings.

A quick throwback today as I introduce the preview of this new set of clear stamps. A few years ago I did a post about my children’s Christmas stockings, which I made out of felted wool. (Read the complete post with a few detail photos.)

These were crafted completely with vintage fabric and trimmings, and you know, looking at them here, I can say two things: I was inspired by the stockings my mom hand-stitched for my brother and I were little (quilted and appliquéd with velvet, buttons, and beads), and, that I absolutely adore little details! Especially details that have a nostalgic quality. What a ball it was to come up with the ideas for each of these stockings and then seek out the trims in my stash, the perfect green rick-rack or pearl buttons (much of it sourced on eBay or from local estate sales). In fact, I love little details so much, that it is a challenge for me to imagine a simple stocking without any fluff adorning it. Why even bother? If those things are gonna be hanging on the mantel for days, might as well be something super swell to look at during their tenure.

In this vein, I’ve created a stamp set that features three stockings that are loaded with little details. Each one has a theme, and each one is stuffed with gifties and greenery. I’d love to share with you... Fully Stocked.

You’ll see in the Bloom Brigade’s cards today a whole bunch of examples of what you can do with these stockings. In Fully Stocked, you’ll find a stocking to fit the gardener on your list, another one for children and the young-at-heart, and yet another with vintage European flair — it is made from a linen tea-towel with embroidered details. I’ve included an accent image to coordinate with each stocking, plus three sentiments to suit them all.

Sound like something you want to see in further detail and full color? Me, too!! Let’s traipse around the web and check out what our talented Bloom Brigade designers have made with Fully Stocked:

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

I hope you haven’t gotten enough of us yet, because honey child, we are STILL ROLLING OUT another preview tomorrow, and this one, well, it’s pretty sweet! I would love to see you ’round on Thursday for a peek!

Enjoy your day and thank you so much for spending a little time with us!