Creative Confetti: Celebrate Good Times!

Hello all and Happy Tuesday! If you're looking for a little inspiration to kick start your creative endeavors, you've come to the right place! It's time for another Creative Confetti challenge and we have a fun one in store! Do you have enough cards stockpiled for those special occasions? Well, if not, this challenge is just for you! Check it out sweet peeps! 

HOW TO PLAY: The challenge is just as simple as it sounds! All you need to do is create a card to celebrate something -- a birthday? A wedding? A new baby? A retirement? A congratulatory event? No matter what the occasion, let's create a card to celebrate!

On to my creation!

My son is standing up in a wedding here in a couple of months and knowing him, he's going to come to me before the big day and say, "Hey mom, do you have a wedding card I can nab?" ;-) So, I am thinking ahead! Since this is a card given by a man to the groom, I thought it would be nice to create a kind of clean and classy understated creation. 

I chose the Power Poppy Dream Wedding set and stamped the two champagne flutes on the front on ivory card stock using Memento London Fog (grey) ink. I did color up the flutes with just a few colors - Y21 and Y23 for the champagne, C03, C01, C05 for the glass and then I topped the glass with some sparkle pen and then colored up all the bubbles with that glitter pen as well. I highlighted it with G0000 and then colored R0000 around the die-cut circle to add a little fun glow. 

I outlined the word "Cheers" from the set as well with the glitter pen to add a little razzle-dazzle and then added some sequins and rhinestones for a little something extra. 

Here's a peek at the inside. I used a few sentiments from the set and paired them up and then stamped the bottle of bubbly behind the inside greeting for a little extra POP! I also added sparkle to these words as well. While the photo doesn't really show this, it does add just that right amount of shimmer!

So, dear happy stampers, it's your turn! Let's see you "Celebrate Good Times!" Don't forget to link up your creation below so we can ALL see what you've whipped up and you'll be entered into our monthly drawing for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! 

Until next time! 

~Julie
Creative Confetti Thrower

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Inspire Me Monday ~ Free Standing Pop-Up Card

Happy Monday!  Allison Cope here for Inspire Me Monday.  Today we’re going to make a fun Free Standing Pop-Up birthday card using a whole bunch of fun stamps!

Here’s your supply list for today’s card:

• 4 1/4” x 11” card base cardstock
• 2 3/4” x 5 1/4” tag matting cardstock
• 2 1/2” x 5” tag patterned paper (You may want 2 pieces)
• paper trimmer, craft knife, stamps, ink, double sided tape, dies (optional)
• SCORING LINES: 1”, 2 3/4”, 3 3/4”, 5 1/2”, 7 1/4”, 8 1/4”, 10”

Join me in at my crafty desk today and let’s make this fun card!  Grab your favorite beverage and away we go…

Click to view in HD.

For our card today I used the cups & cupcake image from the Under Glass stamp set.  Our birthday sentiment on the back of the tag came from the Floribunda stamp set.

To decorate the card base we used the cake on a plate from the Party Time stamp set, the forget-me-not flowers and the butterfly from the Soothing Sympathy stamp set, the potted Primroses and the single Primrose bloom from the Potted Primroses, the tea cup and saucer and the little daisy and the strawberry from the Tea in the Garden set and finally the champagne glasses from the Dream Wedding stamp collection.

Here’s a photo of the front of the card…

This is the back of the card again…

This is the card from the side showing how it stands up…

And finally, this is the card folded flat to fit inside an envelope!  Hooray!

Thanks for joining me!  See you again soon!  Happy stamping!

~ Ally ~


stamps: Power Poppy (Under Glass, Floribunda, Party Time, Soothing Sympathy, Potted Primroses, Tea in the Garden, Dream Wedding)
cardstock: Recollections (Teal Collection 110#, 65# White)
patterned paper: Catherine Pooler Designs (Prickly 6x6)
dies: Spellbinders (Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles, Long Classic Rectangles), Catherine Pooler Designs (Circles Dies)
ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Catherine Pooler Designs (Fiesta Blue), Copic Markers 

Creative Confetti: Tag, You're It!

Hello all and Happy Tuesday! Is your head spinning from all the Holiday Wonder shared right here over the last 12 days on the Power Poppy Blog? Gosh, I know mine sure is! What beautiful creations! And did you see that some of the designers are doing a giveaway on their blogs? 

Christine, myself, Kathy, Stacy, Broni, Nancy, Barbara, Leslie, Catherine, Gloria and Lisa JUST MIGHT be sharing a little surprise giveaway. So, hop on through all those links to see for yourself!

Moving on! I don't know about you but this time of year seems to be focused on two things -- Christmas cards and gift tags. You can never have too many in the "done" pile, can you? That's why I wanted to lend a hand and challenge you all to craft one, or two! 

HOW TO PLAY: It's just as simple as the name suggests! Make a tag! It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a holiday tag. Just make a tag in order to play along. Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them but if you don't, now might just be the perfect time to win some! When you are done, link up your creation using the linky below and you'll be in the running for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! The link is LIVE all month long, meaning, the more you play, the better your chances!

On to my creations! 

I was dying to use the new Power Poppy digital stamp set called Handmade With Love Tags. So, I thought this was the best time to do that -- with a tag challenge! Check this darling set out, will you?

You get this plump package of 8 holiday tag designs with oh-so-unique illustrations! And, get this! Not only do you get the 8 designs but you get them with and without a sentiment inside, allowing you to personalize these with reckless abandon! Too fun!

So, you can see above that I chose three of the designs and aimed for a similar color scheme with all three. I tend to only buy a couple mega rolls of wrapping paper along with some coordinating ribbon for every package I wrap during that season - so it's important -- especially for us matchy-matchy folks to, well, match! ;-)

Tag #1

I tend to do a ton of handmade gifts for my loved ones and this year is no exception. Both my mother and mother-in-law have some handmade goodness coming their way, so I know this tag above showing that I am sharing something Handmade with Love will definitely come in handy!

Tag #2

I have always loved this illustration above featured in a bit of Power Poppy's Snuggle Down stamp set! So, when it popped up on this tag, I thought, "Genius!" Marcy created a tag to coordinate with a stamp set for not only cards but coordinating tags! What? So fun!

Tag #3

And, this last tag is just one that I find so classy -- just a simple little gift with a ribbon that goes on for miles! It's perfect to attach to one of those cookie platters you like to give to the neighbors, right? I think so! This little package is also a part of the Power Poppy Merry Littles stamp set, again allowing coordinating galore! 

Looking for a little more inspiration?


Katie Sims did THIS darling tutorial showcasing a whole host of gift tags in interesting shapes using Power Poppy's Tweet Tidings set!

Allison Cope tagged up a bottle of bubbly or two HERE using Power Poppy's Dream Wedding set to help ring in the holidays! You'll have to click the link to see the three other tags she designed that are just as fun!

And, yours truly crafted a whole tutorial showcasing a few different gift tags using a multitude of Power Poppy sets HERE! 

So, "Tag! You're It!" Let's see what fun you can craft with a tag as your creation! And, as I mentioned, when you're done, just link up your creation below so we can all see AND so you can have a shot at winning a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hopefully, we'll see you back here real soon! ;-)

~Julie
Creative Confetti Thrower

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Click here to enter

Ready for Good Vibes?

Well, hello there my sweet Power Poppy Peeps and... HAPPY FRIDAY! With this fabulous end to the week comes a brand new splash of inspiration to get you started on a wonderfully creative weekend! So, are you ready for a short burst of artistry in our weekly edition of Good Vibe 5? I sure am! Let's get to it, shall we?

GOOD VIBE 5 HIT LIST!

1. Cheers to YOU! Essie's creation designed to deliver wedding cheer to a fab friend delightfully grabbed our attention! Visit the link to see how she so creatively used Power Poppy's Dream Wedding. 

2. A Dose of Sunshine Sathya worked wonders with Power Poppy's Heart Abloom digital stamp set. That beauty of a flower is just a single image in the set but Sathya worked her magic to make that double petaled hellebore stacked and full of color and pizazz! Love it! 

3. Foiled Again! There have been so many video tutorials lately on using foil to add a little gilded bit of razzle-dazzle to cards and creations. Jenny Colacicco took it one step further to share her tips and tricks on using this accent with watercolor! Here's a link to her jam-packed video where she shares all the tips and tricks to creating a watercolor foil resist creation!  

4. ICYMI Did you happen to see the fun tutorial Tosh shared for this week's Inspire Me Monday? We thought her wrap around technique was so fun, it was worth a mention here on our Good Vibes 5! Click HERE to see how she brought out the best in one of our favorite Power Poppy illustrations -- Artistic Bouquet -- by wrapping it all the way around her card. You have to check this one out! Pure and simple genius!

5. New Digi Brewing! I know you're going to squeal (like I did) when I first set my sights on the next digital stamp set that is set for release TUESDAY! It's the second in the release of Marcy's Cafe Au Lait series! I've only shown off a snippet. Trust me, the whole image is downright glorious! Be sure to swing back and see what she has in store!

With the first full week after the holidays under our belts, a trio of Bloomies were able to steal away to some time in their stamping spaces and we are sure glad they did! Be sure to hop on over to see what these ladies whipped up for all to see!

Allison Cope

Cindy Lawrence >>> check out her video! 

Stacy Morgan

And that, my friends, is it for us today! We do have some excitement in the works to share. Like I mentioned, be sure to check back in on Tuesday for a new digital stamp set release called My Favorite Pair! And on Monday, Ally Cope has cued up some tips on coloring with ZIG brush markers! Can't wait!

Until then, have a beautiful weekend!
~Julie Koerber 

Time for some GOOD VIBES!

Hello Power Poppy Peeps! It's time for all the good feels in the stamping world right now! We hope by sharing a little fun that it does indeed trigger some soul-nurturing fun as you head on into a holiday weekend! Boy, do we have a fun-filled smorgasbord for you today! There's teasers, treats, and a little something sure to spark some happy endorphins!

Let’s get right to it! 

Your Good Vibes 5 Hit List! 

1. Do you feel the huge electric vibe coming from the creative epicenter of Power Poppy? Well goodness, Marcella’s illustrative pen has been so busy at work! Earlier this week she shared a little sneaky peek on Instagram of what's coming down soon at Power Poppy. Stay tuned for a SUPER CREATIVE and beautiful clear stamp release coming your way in September. AND we’ll be restarting our digital stamp releases on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month. Be ready for some new goodies!

2. Feeling Lucky? If so, you're going to want to visit THIS POST, take the little trip through the whole link list and leave some love for those on this one-of-a-kind hop! There's more than $1000 in prizes to celebrate Rubeena's blogoversary! You won't want to miss out! ;-) When you click on that post, you'll also see Ms. Marcy's AMAZING creation using Power Poppy's Wild Mushrooms set! Ahhhhhh!!!! 

3. You say it’s your BIRTHDAY! I just love how Kerry2 over at Splitcoaststampers dressed up Power Poppy's wedding cake from our set Dream Wedding. She loved the cake illustration and wanted to use it for birthdays too -- so she added her own candles. Genius! Just genius Kerry! Click HERE to see this beauty in its full glory! 

4. A Creative Fountain!  I was surfing the Power Poppy Rocks boards over at Pinterest and was floored when I saw just how many tutorials there are for the sampling! More than 170 my friends, from some of the most amazing card designers known to humankind! Need a little help with your mojo? Or, want to dabble in a crafty endeavor that's new to you? Click HERE to check out the plethora of Power Poppy Tutorials just waiting to be tried!

5. OMGosh, the Cute Factor is on OVERLOAD! I know I put Mr. Tibbs, the Power Poppy Pup, in the spotlight not too long ago but how could I possible resist with a photo like this one? Can you even stand it? Look at those happy ears just flopping in the breeze? Yes, a good vibe indeed!

These fine ladies are bringing on their own heavy dose of eye candy and inspiration today. Roll through this link list and see what they have in store...

Cindy Lawrence
Christine Okken
Allison Cope

Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

And that, my Power Poppy friends, is it from home base! We all hope you leave here with some new ideas swirling in your head (and then, don't forget to share!) We will be taking a break this Monday for the holiday from Inspire Me Monday but stay tuned -- Creative Confetti will be here Tuesday and we'll not only have a new challenge but the winner of our August series of challenges! So... that's super exciting! Wednesday, September 5th we’ll debut a new digital stamp set, too. Big week!

Until then, enjoy your holiday weekend!

~Julie

Day 11: Festive Beverage Gift Tags

Howdy all!  Welcome the ELEVENTH day of our 12 Days of Christmas here at Power Poppy! I'm your hostess Allison Cope. We only have one more day to share some fun and festive gift ideas for this holiday season.

We should also point out this is a part of our Power & Spark Challenge. Instead of just one theme, create something inspired by one of our 12 days of tutorials, link up your creation HERE and you'll be in the running for this month's challenge. Just think you are creating something fun --creating a gift for someone -- AND you have a chance at winning $50 in Power Poppy Bucks at the Power Poppy Shop! 

Today I'm sharing a variety of festive beverage tags featuring all kinds of amazing stamp collections.

The beauty of wine tags is that they can be almost any size!!  Yup... you can make them wide or thin, tall or short, multi-layered or just one simple layer.  So each one of my tags today is not like the other.

If you know me, I'm a super-duper purple fan so I always find a way to incorporate it into my creations... event Christmas ones!  So my first tag is all about purple.  It features the large "Winter Wonderland" stamp set, colored in using Copic Markers.

To create the snowflake background, I used the snowflake cluster from the "Glitter House Village" and I used the simple sentiment from the "Berry Sweet Holiday" to finish off the tag.

My second beverage tag features one of my favorite new stamp sets.  It's called "Tweet Tidings".  This cheery tag has a few touches of silver to add some sparkle.

I colored my images using Prismacolor Pencils.

Not all of our hostesses are female!  So I tried to create a little more masculine feel to it.  So I grabbed my "Action Santa" and "Holly Golightly" stamp sets and created this more manly tag.

I chose to die cut the end of my tags in a little bit of a different angle.  I even matched it to my mini hanging tag.

My final beverage tag features the "Dream Wedding" stamp set.  I thought it would be completely fitting to give to your New Year's Eve party hostess.

I even made it to be a fun shaker element with some sparkly confetti inside.  Instead of die cutting a hole I chose to use a length of wide ribbon to hang my tag around the neck of my beverage.

For variations on these tags try:

• Adding a card to the tag so it opens up with a message for your recipient
• Add a pocket to drop in a gift card (coffee shop, liquor store, etc.)
• Add a detachable homemade ornament for the receipient's Christmas tree 
• Attach a gift certificate for the local taxi service or a mode of local public transportation

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Remember, if you try any one of the 12 projects featured during our 12 Days of Christmas -- be sure to link up your creation HERE so that you are in the running for the $50 shopping spree to the Power Poppy Shop! Be sure you pop back tomorrow for our final day of our Twelve Days of Christmas extravaganza as the lovely Kathy Racoosin dazzles us with her challenge inspiration! Until then... cheers! 

~ Allison Cope ~



Purple Blooms
Stamps: Power Poppy (Winter Wonderland, Glitter House Village, Berry Sweet Holiday)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White), MFT (Wild Wisteria, Lavender Fields)
Dies: Catherine Pooler Designs (Circle Dies, Lattice Frame Die), Spellbinders (Scalloped Circles)
Inks: Simon Says Stamp (Wisteria), Copic Markers
Sequins: Studio Katia (Crystal Rainbow Fusion)
Ribbon: Celebrate It (Christmas Noel)
Corner Rounder: EK Success
Bells: ArtMinds
Thread: Sulky 

Chickadees
Stamps: Power Poppy (Tweet Tidings)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White , 110# Black)
Patterned Paper: KaiserCraft (Christmas Edition 6x6)
Dies: Studio Katia (Stitched Loops), Catherine Pooler Designs (Spiro Doily, Circles)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Prismacolor Pencils, Distress Oxide (Antique Linen)
Corner Punch: Fiskars

Skiing Santa
Stamps: Power Poppy (Action Santa, Holly Golightly)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White, 110# Cloud)
Patterned Paper: Echo Park (A Perfect Winter 12”x12”)
Dies: Catherine Pooler Designs (Circles), MFT (Stitched Basic Edges, Basic Stitched Lines), WPlus9 (Timeless Tags 2)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic Markers, Sakura (White Gel Pen)
Charms: Emerald Creek (Pinecone), Tim Holtz (Snowflake)
Twine: Bead Landing
Thread: Sulky, White 

Cheers Shaker Tag
Stamps: Power Poppy (Dream Wedding)
Cardstock: Recollections (110# White), Stampin’ Up! (Cherry Cobbler), Acetate
Dies: Pretty Pink Posh (Stitched Duo 1), MFT (Stitched Ovals, Let It Snowflake)
Sequins: Little Things from Lucy’s Cards (Champagne), Studio Katia (Sparkling Crystals Mix)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Versamark, Copic Markers, Catherine Pooler Designs (Juniper Mist), Pen-Touch (Gold)
Ribbon: Offray

Backgrounds and Borders ~ Using Power Poppy images in unexpected ways

Hello Power Poppy friends!! Tosh here today to inspire you to use Power Poppy images in unexpected ways.  I have 4 projects to share with you, so make yourself comfortable and follow along.

My first includes a stamp from the Play Ball set that really got me thinking.  When I saw the baseball stitches stamp, I thought...why can't I just use one side of the stamp and make it look like a blanket stitch?  I was explaining to my dear friend Katie (who just happens to be a Power Poppy Bloomie) that I wanted to use the flowers in the heart vase from the Folk Heart set with the blanket stitch, and that I wanted it to look like a quilt panel.  She asked if I'd ever seen Redwork quilts.  Well, I hadn't, so I checked out Pinterest, and found some fabulous examples.  And yes...that was exactly the look I was going for.  Here are a couple of links to some beautiful Redwork quilts that I used for inspiration:  Rosalie Quinlan Designs, Rosalie Quinlan Designs 2

I started by diecutting a square and stamping only half of the "baseball stitches" onto the edges using Love Letter Memento Ink.  Doesn't that look just like a blanket stitch?  I got giddy after seeing how it turned out.

I then decided I wanted a scalloped border.  So I traced the square die onto cardstock, and stamped the small heart, from Power Poppy's Good Thinking Love Notes set, around the entire square, just leaving to two top "bumps" from the heart showing.

Don't they look awesome together?  I was so happy with how it turned out.  I added a few extras to really give it the "quilt panel" feel too:  I scored and burnished the Folk Heart image to make it pop.  I also burnished the whole back side of the panel to give it texture like it was fabric.

I then embossed the background to give the feel of quilt stitching, and actually sewed around some of the edges and panels.

Next up is my tulip card.  I had some fun creating a "shabby elegant" border using the tire treads from the Power Poppy Move The Soul set.  I started by stamping the tulips from the Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips set with Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto X-Press It cardstock and coloring it with Copics.  I then embossed an oval shape around them using an oval die and a diecutting machine.  Then I took the tire treads and stamped them randomly around the oval using Versamark ink.  Lastly, I rubbed the Versamark pad over the edges to give a frame to the whole image and embossed it all with gold embossing powder.  I really love the "shabby elegance" that the tire treads gave the frame.

Now, you've probably seen many variations of this next card.  I just took 3 different sentiments from the Power Poppy Nice Things to Say stamp set, and stamped them onto a precut rectangle that I taped off the edges of, so I could maintain the border.  

After stamping the sentiments, I photocopied it onto black cardstock so I could Minc it with gold foil.  (For some background information on how I use the Minc Machine, click HERE.)  I love how clean and crisp it turned out.  To finish it off, I added a "So Happy For You" sentiment from the Dream Wedding set, as well as a couple of gold cardsock punched flowers.

Below is a look at how I taped off and stamped the panel before Stamping it.

And finally, my last card.  This one was just plain fun!!  I took the "smoke" image from the Power Poppy Move the Soul set and randomly stamped it with three different Ranger Distress Ink colors:  Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron and Squeezed Lemonade.  After I had my background, I splattered some diluted black acrylic paint over it and stamped the "hello" sentiment from Power Poppy's Big Scripts set.  Aren't those "splotches" fun?!?!?

Whew...right!?!?!  That is finally it.  I had some fun using these stamps in unique ways, and I hope I've inspired you to look at some of your images in different ways!

Thanks for sticking with this long post!

   Happy Stamping!!

Flowers & Fizz!

Happy Friday Peeps! If you wondered what our post title is all about, it's about YOU and the tour we took around the World Wide Web, searching for inspiration! There were lots of you who chose to let your presence blossom, others shared their talents with the clink of a glass! So, as we do every Friday, let's take a gander at just some of the oh-so-fabulous creative inspiration we found along the way! 

CHEERS TO YOU!

This first creation is one we spotted on Instagram over @SiNeiaDesigns, which is actually a sister duo -- Sofia & Andreia -- who create and post together! We absolutely love the gilded bits on this card made using Power Poppy's Dream Wedding stamp set. It's definitely one worth celebrating!

SUNNY DAYS

Normally, I like to feature cards that I've spotted over the last week, but this beauty below captured my attention in such a way that I thought I'd share this "new to me" card that Rita Wright posted a few months back using Power Poppy's Sunshine of My Life digital stamp set! I love the depth of color and the sweet and simple design!

LOVE-LY!!!

Patti Willey is always good for a head-turner of a card and this one is no exception! Goodness, look at that coloring session she had using Power Poppy's My English Rose stamp set! Those lovely layers! The depth in shading! Well, I tell you, I admire all of it!

WATERCOLOR WONDER

Now, to one of my all-time favorite stampers in the whole entire universe. This lady knows her way around a stamp room and this happy little daffodil just shows her watercolor prowess! Leslie Miller said she experimented printing this digital stamp -- Dancing with Daffodils -- on watercolor paper. Well, this doesn't look like a test run, it's a masterpiece! 

We found Leslie's creation above in the linky list for this little challenge that was ushered in last Friday! 

You can check out all the details on this month's Winter Blooms Power & Spark Challenge by clicking HERE! Read up on the rules, click through our list of possible flowers to give color and life to and then... play along with us!

DO YOU LOVE SURPRISES?

I DO! And, here’s one little surprise to share -- just in case you missed it on Power Poppy's brand spankin’ new Facebook page! 

Squeeeee! I can't wait, can you? I mean, who doesn't LOVE a little sprinkling of Sweet Peas drawn up by the whimsical hand of Ms. Marcella? Tune back in on January 15th -- Sunday -- to see what the Instant Gardeners created with it before you run over to the Power Poppy Shop to snag this digital stamp set for yourself!

Now it’s time to turn things over to our beloved Bloomies to see how they washed their world with color this week!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with us! Be sure to tune back in when we'll share another fabulous Inspire Me Monday to kick off your creative week!

~Julie