Inspire Me Monday: A Winter's Night

Hello, my Power Poppy Friends! It is my turn once again to share some inspiration with you. 

I wanted to share a project that stretches me out of my comfort zone...coloring a dark background with Copic markers! So worrisome to me! I think it probably scares a lot of folks, especially Copic beginners. I can never color the background first for some reason, which means once I have colored the main image it scares me to try a dark background and potentially ruin all my hard work! 

I decided to pull on my big girl mittens and give a night background a try! I used the "to be released soon" digital Feeding Blitzen image that was originally part of the Under Glass: Christmas Traditions clear stamp set. 

The original stamped image is fairly small, so having it in a digital version which can be resized...priceless! I printed the image at approximately 3" x 5" onto white Copic friendly cardstock. 

This project has a lot of dark Copic markers! Don't be afraid of them. Just grab and go! It is only paper after all. If you make a mistake, you can always start over! 

Tip: If your Copic markers are old like mine, make sure your super brush nibs are fresh and flexible. When the nibs get old they get very "smooshy" which makes it hard to get into the fine details or to hold a sharp edge. The nibs are not expensive and are easily replaced.

I colored Santa and Blitzen first, including the apples and the snow. Using cool gray for Santa's beard and fur trim, then using blues for the snow shadows seemed very dark to me, until I added the background! 

Using the dark blue for the background was a bit intimidating, and I had to go over it and darken it to get rid of the streaks, but once it was finished....wow does the white and red pop! 

Here are my colors:

Santa's suit and apples: R24, R29, R59

Mittens and leaves: YG25, YG17, YG67, with a bit of E51 and E23 to tone down the mittens!

Boots, belt, hoofs, beard: C1, C3, C5, C7, C9

Blitzen: E53, E55, E57, E29

Santa's face: E50, E51, R21, E23

Belt buckle: Y17, Y15, Y11

Snow: B0000, B000, B00

Sky: B91, B93, B95, B97

Some of that pesky blue got onto Blitzen's antlers, but let's pretend it is shadows, shall we?!

After the Copic ink had dried I went back over the image with a white Posca paint pen to add the falling snow. Thankfully the snow did not turn pink or blue! The paint is thick enough that the Copic color did not bleed through! Or, maybe because I allowed the ink to fully dry?? 

I chose the sentiment from the Garden of Gratitude clear set which I stamped onto a scrap of cardstock and cut out with a skinny sentiment die. 

Here is more "winter's  night" inspiration from the past to help you take the plunge!

I used the Cuddle in the Cabin clear stamp set, but this image also is part of the digital set HERE .  See the original post HERE.

I used the digital version of the Enchanted Branches: Nativity Angel set and the ornaments from the Enchanted Branches: Woodland set. See the original post HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Power Poppy Products Used:
Feeding Blitzen digital set (coming soon)
Garden of Gratitude clear set (sentiment)

Other Products Used: 

Copic alcohol markers

Posca white paint pen

White cardstock

Red cardstock

Simple Stories Vintage Rustic Christmas paper pad

Enamel dot

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 12: Mossy Pots with Paperwhites!

Hello Friends! Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas December Challenge and here we are at Day 12! I'm Nancy Sheads and today I'm featuring an image from the Mossy Pots with Paperwhites: Accent Pieces Digital Stamp Set. This image is also available in the Mossy Pots with Paperwhites Clear Polymer Stamp Set. 

First - let's take a look at this beautiful digital stamp set! I love paperwhites and so this was a natural for me to color. As Marcella says - they are so dainty, fresh, white, and bright! So how could I resist?

Today's project features:

• Mossy Pots with Paperwhites: Accent Pieces
• Copic coloring (see marker list below)
• Additional basic supplies listed in the directions below.

DIRECTIONS

Cut card base from from a heavy weight white cardstock to 4.25″ x 11″ and score at 5.5″ for a top fold card.

Cut pattern paper to 3.75" x 5"

Cut solid card stock to 3.25" x 4.5"

Print digital image on paper appropriate to your coloring medium. If you need help printing a digital image see Julie's blog post HERE or my YouTube video HERE.

Color image. I used Copic markers and my marker list is shown below.

Trim image layer to 3" x 4.25"

Adhere image layer to center of solid card stock.

Apply craft foam or foam strips to back of solid card stock.

Adhere to center of pattern paper.

Adhere card front to card base.

Add sentiment if desired.

Does it look like something is missing? Yeah - I didn't add a sentiment to the front of my card. I may add one at a later date when I send the card, but as it is now, it's suitable for any occasion - holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. So by adding the sentiment later, I can tailor it to the recipient and occasion.

I previously posted a project using the other image from this set. You can take a look at it HERE.

If you missed any of the days of our fun little Power Poppy 12 Days of Christmas extravaganza, just click HERE to scroll through all the days and.... get ready to be inspired! 

Thanks for stopping by!

SUPPLIES

• Mossy Pots with Paperwhites: Accent Pieces Digital Stamp Set 
• COPICS:  BV00, Y38, B60, B63 (flowers); YG03, YG25, YG67 (leaves); E21, E23, E25 (bulb); YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99 (moss); C0, C1, C3, YG03, YG25, YG67 (bowl); BV00, B60 (shadow)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9!

Hello all! Hope these 12 days of Christmas the Power Poppy way are just making your heart bubble with holiday inspiration! I am popping on the Power Poppy Blog today for DAY 9 to share some clean and classy creations from Christine Okken. We all know that Christmas cards can prove challenging when it comes to layers and postage and just getting a larger creation in the mail. So, Christine is peeling the layers back, literally, to show us you can have a "WOW" creation without a ton of extras. And, to make it even easier, she used one stamp set --  Cuddle in the Cabin -- to create 4 different and beautiful cards.

Let's first take a peek at this beautiful set! Its imagery is so serene with a retreat in the woods just sitting and waiting for you to enjoy! What's wonderful about this set is that there are so many interchangeable scenes that you can create with just this ONE set! 

For those who love digital sets instead of clear, GOOD NEWS! These images are available in digital format as well HERE! 

So, let's get right to the magic that Christine created! 

CARD 1

In this creation, Christine stamped the tree from the set multiple times using Rustic Wilderness Distress Ink on watercolor paper. Now, here's the fun part. She used a water brush to drag down the color from the ink to ground the images and give it so much depth. Brilliant! Add a little torn-edge on the paper, a wee bit of bling and you have a card that just screams classy! 

CARD 2

This creation is not only a breath of fresh air with those cool tones, it just underscores Christine's artistic talent. First, she stamped the sentiment from the set onto watercolor paper, added some color to the open block letters with some watercolor and then, added the watercolor pine branches to form a wreath by hand. I have never done this myself, but seeing how beautiful it is, I am tempted to try freehanding like she did! I am pretty sure I'd need to lightly trace a circle first before I started the handpainting. She used Daniel Smith Watercolor paints and then embossed the sequins to serve as the "berries" on the wreath from the Let it Glow stamp set. If you aren't brave enough to try hand painting, you could use the elements from the Enchanted Branches Nativity to try crafting a wreath with stamps! 

CARD 3

Well, it really doesn't get more simple than this beautiful creation above! Christine stamped the Be Still scene, colored with Copics and Prismacolor pencils and... ta-da! Fini! I love the visual effect she created by coloring in the sky to create that round effect above the mountainscape. 

CARD 4

I don't know about you, but I think there's something whimsical about stamping on dark papers and using light pencils or even bleach (as Christine did) to help create contrast. This card is the perfect example of that! Christine stamped and embossed the cabin from this set on navy card stock, painted bleach into the highlights and light sources for the moonlight and lamplight glow and then used white acrylic paint splatters to serve as her snow! She then used white ink for the sentiment (from the Let it Glow stamp set). The whole effect is soft and inviting! Christine did want to point out when using bleach, sometimes the bleach reacts differently with different papers. It's not a bad idea to test drive the bleach on a scrap before you begin. In this case, the effect is not white but more cream or light yellow, which is perfect for the glowing moon!

I hope you've enjoyed these clean and classy and easy to replicate creations using, for the most part, just one stamp set! So creative and fun! 

If you missed any of the days of our fun little Power Poppy 12 Days of Christmas extravaganza, just click HERE to scroll through all the days and.... get ready to be inspired! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Inspire Me Monday - Season's Greenings

 

HEY EVERYONE! Nancy here and I'm back today with another Inspire Me Monday post for Power Poppy. Today's project features an image from the Season's Greetings polymer stamp set, also available in digital format as Season's Greenings: Wheelbarrow. I love this stamp set and knew that I had to color this image!

Want to know how I colored the image? Well, grab a favorite beverage and a comfy chair because today I've got a coloring video for you. So sit back and let's roll the video!

In case you missed it in the video, here are the Copic markers used for this image. 

That's all for me today! Hope you found some crafty inspiration!

Nancy

SUPPLIES

• Season's Greetings polymer stamp set
• Season's Greenings: Wheelbarrow

Creative Confetti - Let it Snow!

Hello! I am hosting the Creative Confetti Challenge this week and with all the brand new sets just released by Power Poppy, I thought I'd be great so showcase scenes from winter! 

HOW TO PLAY: Create a snowy scene or a winter-inspired project. 

On to my creations! 

I confess that I am using my projects from the new release, because, well, the new release took up a lot of time! And, we may as well get double the fun of looking at it right?

My first card fits the theme perfectly...a snowy scene! With the NEW Cuddle in the Cabin stamp set, creating a snowy scene is so EASY! Just stamp (or print the digital version) and color! 

After I colored the image, I used some white paint to "splatter" the whole project, thus creating a snowy night!

How about a different style of winter scene? I used the images from the NEW Season's Greenings set to create a little scene. I used the digital images of Santa and his wheelbarrow to create this scene. For this version, I give the illusion of snow without actually coloring any snow! I simply created a "blotchy" background with pale blue Copic markers and then added a few white enamel dots to look like snow (or snow balls). When you look at the card, you see a snowy day!

For this card, I again did not actually color snow, but give the illusion of a cold, snowy day with the pale background and the addition of tiny dots of paint. I stamped the bear from the NEW Forest Fellas set and colored him with Copics. He looks like he is standing in the snowy outdoors, doesn't he?

This last project shows another way to portray a winter theme without actually having snow in the scene! I printed the digital versions of the Enchanted Branches: Nativity Angel set and the ornaments from the Enchanted Branches: Woodland set. I colored everything with Copics, then I used various distress inks to create a "frosty" background. I also added some glitter pen and some glitter enamel dots. Your eye sees a winter's day, but...look, no snow! 

I hope you enjoyed my versions of the challenge for this week! If you want to join me and show off some of your Power Poppy Projects, please be sure to share what you come up with by using the linky below! Every entry -- no matter what the week -- is thrown into a virtual hat for our random drawing at the end of the month for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! 

Have a great week! I can't wait to see what you create! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Creative Confetti: Let there be peace

Hello all! While I know we have some international fans, for most of us, today is a day when our right to vote will be honored. In light of that, I thought we'd do what we do best here on the Power Poppy blog -- usher in peace. We have beautiful gifts that we share with our time, our talents and our love for each other. So, let's take this day, push any negativity surrounding it to the side and let our hearts be light. That's what today's Creative Confetti Challenge is all about -- Peace! 

HOW TO PLAY: Make a card or creation that gives you peace - maybe it is the coloring process, maybe it is the message, maybe it is the image you used or the person you plan to send the creation to. Just be sure to share in your post why this card gives you peace. We all need that right now!

On to my creations!

Instead of share a new card, I decided to dig into the vault of creations to share those cards that I have made in the last year with a peaceful message and vibe! Like I mentioned above though - your card doesn't have to use Peace as a sentiment, it can just be colors or imagery you find peaceful! 

I created this card above using Power Poppy's new set Heavenly Peace Dove. I just love the imagery and think it is so powerful not only for the holidays but, quite honestly, right now! 

This creation was done using Power Poppy's digital stamp set Handmade with Love Tags. I blew up one of the images to really capture that darling deer. I love, love, love this image and had so much fun putting this creation together. 

This is an oldie but goodie creation from last holiday season using Power Poppy's digital stamp set Season of Serenity. 

And this last card was crafted using Power Poppy's digital set Sunset Sway. I love the pops of red in amongst all those pastels and the soft bits of shading around the image. 

So, there you have it folks! A little parade of peace for you to hopefully spark a little inspiration for this week's challenge! I can't wait to see what you come up with and what you find peaceful. Let's let this beautiful craft we love wash over the web with all kinds of good vibes. What do you say? :-) 

MOVING ON....with this being a new month, it's time to see who won our Creative Confetti Challenge for October! So, let's get right to it, shall we? We put all the cards in a virtual hat to draw from and after all the entries were in, random.org drew the number.....

That means our winner is.....

* * * * HEATHER MILLS! * * * * 

Heather played along in our Birthday Wishes challenge and created this darling scene to help someone "Party Like a Pirate!" I love it! If you want to see more of Heather's creations, all you need to do is hop on over to her blog HERE. There's a lot of fun bits of creativity there!

 

Heather, to claim your prize, all you need to do is email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we will get your winning code right to you for $25 in the Power Poppy Shop!

So, get those fingers inky and usher in a little peace within your heart or to be given to someone you care about! I can't wait to see what you create! Make sure when you finish your project you link up using the linky below! Every link is one more shot at winning goodies from the Power Poppy Shop, and who wouldn't love that? 

Until next time!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Inspire Me Saturday ~ Festive Tag Fun!

 
Happy Saturday everyone!  Ally here!  I also want to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Canadian crafters!  I hope you've had a great holiday last weekend.

Welcome to Inspire Me Monday Saturday!  I have to confess. This was supposed to go live on the blog on Monday morning but I came down with an ugly flu late Saturday night and I was in bed until late Thursday before I was feeling well enough to even venture out of bed. But as of yesterday, I'm feeling almost 100% again... thank goodness. 

So today I'm going to highlight the amazingly fun and festive "Holly Golightly" stamp set. This clear stamp set contains a 3 beautiful images (a tag, a spray of holly and also a tiny bouquet) and 4 festive sentiments with a few special extras.

PLUS... we also have a complimentary digital stamp that allows you to create tags in any size and it's called "Holly Jolly Tag Digital Stamp".  Perfect for your quick download, print and create projects!

So now that you're familiar with today's stamp set, let's get creating!

So, to start, make your card sweet and simple!  Yup... some fun patterned papers in a fun color palette...

I love the pinks, turquoise and greens of this paper!

Next, go a little more detailed. Add some sparkle!  Whether it be some frames of glitter paper (Sorry, it's hard to see & photograph - it's the white border in between the plaid and cars!) or add some sparkle mediums like Stickles or Nuvo Drops, you can never go wrong with some some shine on your holiday cards and creations.

Next, why not try a shaker tag for your cards?  Our digital stamp version, the "Holly Jolly Tag Digital Stamp" would be perfect for this as you can enlarge your tag image to create a larger tag therefore, a larger shaker.

Now don't forget to decorate your packing!  Or heck, why not make your own! Grab some fun kraft wrapping paper from the dollar store and grab those fun colored inks and your stamps and go cRaZy!  When you're done with your wrapping paper, add that final touch of a tag to identify your recipient. 

 

QUICK PROJECT TIP: Try cutting your tag in a long rectangular shape instead of fussy cutting it out, stamp your tag in a fun ink color along with the "To" and "From" sentiments to create fun, fast tags for all your holiday gifts!

Plus, I think this tag would make a great name place holder for your Christmas table! You could make all your name place holders match your festive table colors!!

Thanks for sticking around for the end today.  I hope I've inspired you this weekend to go and create for the up and coming holiday.

Join me again next time!  Happy creating!

~ Ally ~

Creative Confetti: Sketch It Out!

Hello all and happy Tuesday to you! Today, I thought I'd do something I love and offer up a brand new sketch here on the Creative Confetti Challenge! It's always a good time when you can just try someone else's layout design, take the guesswork out and just color and create!  

HOW TO PLAY: All you have to do is create using the sketch below. Use Power Poppy Stamps  if you have them but if not, this is a great way to try to win some Power Poppy goodness! Just that simple!

Let's take a look at the sketch....

And now, on to my creation! 

 

A few weeks ago, I followed along with Nancy Sheads as she colored up an image from the Holly Golightly set.  I love her Inspire Me Monday coloring videos. It's just so peaceful to have a coloring companion! ;-) You can CLICK HERE to see this tutorial for yourself! She shares what Copic Markers she uses as she goes, making it super easy to pause, grab the color and then hit play and follow along. 

After I was done coloring, I used a stitched edge circle die and matted it on top of a few layers of different decorative paper, add a little doily, some twine and... ta da! Done! The little tag sentiment features a portion of a sentiment from the stamp set Simple Joys. 

Here's a look at a closeup of my card front. You can see, when I was all done, I did add a little sparkle thanks to a Wink of Stella Glitter Pen. Gotta have a little sparkle! 

So, there you have it folks -- that's my take on a brand new sketch! I hope you join me for this week's challenge! 

That means the winner of the September challenge is.....

SUSAN SUDBURY! 

Susan created a beautiful card for our Free For All Challenge using Power Poppy's Chickadee in Barberry digital stamp!  Check it out! And, if you want to see more of her creative process, all you need to do is click HERE to hop on over to her blog! 

I love how she used an effect to create the look of snow falling in her background. Amazing! Susan, to claim your prize, all you need to do is email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we will get your winning coupon code for $25 in the Power Poppy Shop to you! 

Want to join me and take this little layout for a test drive? Please, get those fingers inky and be sure to share what you come up with by using the linky below! Every entry -- no matter what the week -- is thrown into a virtual hat for our random drawing at the end of the month for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! 

Have a great week! I can't wait to see what you create! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter