Power Poppy Christmas Remix Hop: Big Ol' Bow and More

Happy Small Business Saturday!  I hope all my American friends enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving holiday and are now ready to focus on Christmas.  Preparations have been underway in my stamp room, and it's time to get serious about finishing up the cards.

• To that end, Power Poppy brings you a $1 digital stamp -- Big Ol' Bow.  That's right -- $1.
• Additionally:  25% OFF STOREWIDE -- use code THINKSMALL
• Please read to the end of this post for another surprise giveaway!!

Speaking of Big Ol' Bow... Marcella says this is a remix of an older stamp, but it's brand new to me and I love it!  I'm thinking it could be used year round for birthdays, too.  Make it big enough to cover the card front, or make it small for a gift card... whatever.  It's just a bow, but you can do a bazillion things with it!  BTW, there's more than one version.  You'll just have to look.

I plan to print up a bunch more 'cause I really want to see it in all different colors on a white card base.  It's so easy to color!  For this card I watercolored with Spectrum Noir sparkle pens -- a bright green bow on a dark blue base.  I don't know what has gotten into me this year with the blue.

A better look at the sparkle... nothing like what you see in real life, but you can imagine.

Total Christmas cards:  36

Now, for the next surprise:

I'm giving away a $20 gift voucher to the Power Poppy store!!

Just comment on today's post now through December 2nd and you'll be included in a random draw.  Winner will be announced on the Power Poppy Blog on Wednesday, December 4.

This has been quite a hop, hasn't it?  It's not over yet, friends!  I hope you've been checking the Power Poppy Blog daily where Marcella announces everything that's going on, plus gives you links to the designers who are sharing that day.  You may find other surprises along the way.

See more inspiration here:

Stacy Morgan
Lisa Johansen
Gloria Stengel
Marcella @ Power Poppy Blog

See you again soon!

Power Poppy Black Friday Sale!

GET READY FOR BLACK FRIDAY SALE at POWER POPPY !!!

This is a good one, friends!

Happy shopping!

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: New Poinsettia XL

Here we are again with Power Poppy's Christmas Remix -- Nov 20 through Dec 2.  It's been a treat for me seeing our designers' inspiring creations.  There's something new everyday when you check the Power Poppy Blog.  I simply can't color fast enough to be here every day, but I'm giving it my best shot!

Today we have another of Marcella's brand new digital stamp sets -- Poinsettia XL.  Be still my heart.  This is just one version I've chosen to color.  There's more and it's all gorgeous!

I used Prismacolor pencils for this one, with Copics to shade the background.  Snow splatters are courtesy of diluted white acrylic paint.

I have to send thanks to Marcella for helping me get my Christmas cards done, seeing as how I cannot resist coloring every new thing she comes up with.

Christmas card total:  35

I hope you'll hop around to see more jaw dropping samples when you have time:

Christine Okken
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Allison Cope
Broni Holcombe
Jenny Colacicco
Gloria Stengel
Lisa Johansen
Barbara Campbell
Marcella on the Power Poppy Blog

Thanks so much, and have a wonderful day!

Power Poppy Christmas Remix: New Winter Flora Digital Stamp

Hello again!  Back today with another brand new digital stamp from Power Poppy.  This one is Winter Flora.  There are a few different versions for you to use as is, or you can crop in a number of different ways, such as this:

I used the eraser tool in Photoshop Elements 7 to erase everything but this one corner and lower edge of one of the larger images.  Placed the sentiment as shown and now I have a whole new digi.  Love that!

I colored with Copics and got a little creative with the Poinsettia.  I don't think it's all that far fetched, though.  It reminds me of how some of my hydrangeas look when the blooms start to turn.

It's such a festive and beautiful stamp!

Christmas card total:  34

Remember to stop at the Power Poppy Blog each day through Dec. 2 to see what Marcella has to say and check out what might be on sale or how you may win some Power Poppy $$.  We're having all kinds of fun!  I'll leave you with a link list to some awe inspiring creations:

Lisa Johansen
Stacy Morgan
Gloria Stengel
Broni Holcombe
Jenny Colacicco
Christine Okken
Allison Cope
Barbara Campbell
Power Poppy Blog

Thanks for your time!

Power Poppy Hop: Season of Serenity

We're getting in the Christmas spirit at Power Poppy... showing new ways to use our classic stamp designs, remixing clear stamps into digital, and adding brand new holiday digis.

Please see this post on the Power Poppy Blog where you can comment to win.

There's still time to make a few cards, or if you have all your Christmas cards done it's never too soon to start on next year's.  I love the instant access of a digital stamp, and that's what I'm sharing today -- the first of Marcella's new digi offerings this month:  Season of Serenity.

There's a lot more to this set than what you see here on my card, but it's a start!

After I finished the Copic coloring I did the conifer needles with white acrylic paint as a way of brightening up the area around the bird.  Cut out the inside and layered over the sentiment.  My only embellishments are the die cut snowflakes.

Christmas card total:  33

Did you know we have a whole bunch of new designers at Power Poppy?  You'll meet all of them by the end of the hop, I'm sure.  I'll tell you, they bring a whole lot of talent and enthusiasm to the party!  Today I'm linking up with the following teamies:

Catherine Anderson
Christine Okken
Lisa Johansen
Nancy Sheads
Stacy Morgan
Kathy Jones
Julie Koerber
Allison Cope
Power Poppy Blog

Thanks much for stopping by!  I'll see you again later!

Double D Challenge: What is Your Christmas Style?

A new Double D Challenge starts today, friends!  This time Darlene has posed a question:

What is Your Christmas Style?

Please tell us your Christmas style and let it be reflected in your card.  Fun! 

That's our challenge and thank goodness because I still need a lot of Christmas cards!

So... my Christmas decorating style is definitely traditional/rustic, although I do make cards in all kinds of different styles.  At home I use a lot of green and red, pine cones and evergreen boughs, wood and metal decor items.

I also love the outdoors, and when we go for an outing in the chilly weather we always take a thermos of coffee or cocoa to enjoy with our picnic lunch.  The card I've made makes me want to head out with the dogs right now!

I've used a favorite Power Poppy clear stamp set:  Snuggle Down.  Colored with Copics.  On the red card base I embossed just the edge and then smudged with white for a snowy look.  Added a strip of designer paper and a big snowflake... another easy to mail card ready to go!

Total Christmas cards:  32

As always, there will be creative winners and a prize for a random winner.  I encourage you to go to the Double D blog to read up and see samples.  The team embraced this challenge beautifully and we hope you will, too.   Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Power Poppy 'Snuggle Down' clear stamp set  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, red, green, Graphic 45 'Twas the Night Before Christmas designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, white pigment  Coloring:  Copics  Accessories:  Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Viva Decor Glass Effects Gel (center of snowflake), Darice Ornament/Star/Snowflake embossing folder  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Double Stitched Square Set, Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes

Power Poppy Christmas Remix Hop

Hello, friends!  Just sharing a heads up -- starting Wednesday, Nov. 20th :

This is going to be fun!  We have classic clear and digital stamps, plus all new digital stamps from Power Poppy.  I've been coloring furiously on the new digital stamps and will pop in Thursday with the first of them.  In the meantime, be sure to check the Power Poppy Blog every day of the hop to see what Marcella and the rest of the team are sharing.  Psssst... there are prizes involved.

See you tomorrow!

Rubbernecker Again

Ready for another week?  I've been coloring when I can and still living the rest of my life, as well.  Sometimes I wonder how I fit it in, but we all need to find time for the things we most enjoy, right?

Today I'm back with another Rubbernecker stamp.  This one is Stacked Tea Cups and I love it to pieces.  I think it might be an older stamp, as they have a lot of old stamps mixed in with brand new stamps.  Truth is, the site can be puzzling to navigate.  Just saying', but it's worth it.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker, too -- Day in Paradise.

Little critter details revealed themselves to me as I went along with the coloring.  Some are more apparent than others:  4 butterflies, 1 beetle, 2 snails, 3 bees, 2 caterpillars.  My favorite critter is at the very top.  Adorable.  What a fun stamp!

Kept the design simple, but with a few things going on:  Scored across the top and tied with baker's twine, punched the sentiment in a circle, popped up the image panel.  Just taking a little break from the seasonal cards.  There will be plenty of that coming up the rest of the year.  Odd to think 2019 is almost over, isn't it?

Okay, I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can get into the rest of this day.  I hope your day is a good one!

Strange and Wonderful

Hey there!  Something fun today... I suddenly went shopping at Rubbernecker because I just couldn't resist certain stamps any longer.  I was really holding myself back by picking out only three image stamps, one with a matching die.  Then, because they do have some great sentiments, I picked out a couple of those that I felt went well with the images I'd chosen.  So you see how it goes... and why I have so many not-yet-used stamps waiting to be colored.  However, I am working on it and not complaining one bit!

Do you think this is the cat talking, or the bird?  I think it's the cat, because the bird is pretty strange looking, but also wonderful.  I love him!  I did quick and simple Copic coloring and left a lot of white space on the image panel.  It has sort of a retro look, I think.  Image stamp is called Bird and Cat.  I could not find it on the site to link to it.  What... did I buy the last one?  Sentiment is called Strange and Wonderful.

I covered the card base with a rather strange and wonderful background panel I pulled from my stash.  I have a few different backgrounds I made with regular Stampin' Up! reinkers and 90% alcohol.  This one is on photo paper.   I don't know why the ink did that funny granular-looking thing.  Strange... and wonderful!

Once again... The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge.  I'm all behind on my blog, but keeping up on Instagram.

Thank you so much for coming to visit.  I wish you a happy day, and if it's a little strange and wonderful, that's good, too!

Let Your Heart be Light

Hello again!  I'm excited to be sharing another Christmas card today... not only because it means I'm another card further along, but also because I love how this one turned out.  I've used a Power Poppy clear stamp set -- Let Your Heart Be Light -- and made an outdoor scene.  You can imagine this as a fence or a weathered wood wall... however you want to see it.

This is definitely a favorite set from Marcella's 2018 holiday release.  It's gorgeous, lots of sentiments, and many different card designs are possible.   I made my card long and low -- 3 3/4" x 9" -- and happily have some pretty blue envelopes to match.

It's colored with Copics.  The wall (or fence) is white cardstock scored every 1/4" and swiped with gray ink.  I used an old Spellbinders die set for the sentiment, attached with brads.  The snow splatters are lightly diluted white acrylic paint.

Inside is this skinny sentiment with one little holly sprig and a whole lot of white space.

Total Christmas cards:  31

I'm still keeping up with The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge, doing a little something every day.  It's been fun!  I've even done some non-Christmas cards.  Back soon!  Have a happy day!

Christmas Bouquet and Wreath Joy

Well, here we are again, friends... a new week, and today I have two cards to share.  These were part of my coloring for the 30 Day Coloring Challenge.  I forget which days they represent.  This challenge has made it apparent to me that I really don't color every day and it has been somewhat of a push to make it happen.  I generally go to my stamp room with my morning coffee first thing, but not always to color.  I might die cut, stamp a bunch of images, prepare card layouts, finish the insides of cards from the day before, maybe just tidy up or organize.  Does that sound familiar to you?

So now I color... and, happily, it's helping me get my Christmas cards done.  The two cards today were both made with digital stamps by AlexSyberiaDesign.  Images are hand drawn and, I kid you not, she has some gorgeous stuff over there.

First card is Christmas Bouquet.  5" square, watercolored with Spectrum Noir sparkle pens.  Much prettier in real life.  Glossy accents on the sentiment panel.  It was not quite dry when I photographed it, so it's actually more clear now that it's dry.

The next card is a very simple Wreath Joy.  I die cut a curve and added a patterned paper border, but honestly, I think the wreath is prettiest when left very simple on an all white card.  I could make a bunch of these very quickly in all different colors.  I do not feel a need to be concerned about color authenticity.  Just have fun with it.

Total Christmas cards:  30

I'll be back here again as soon as possible.  In the meantime, I'll pop around to visit my bloggie friends and see what you're up to.  I've been falling behind, sigh.  Never enough hours in the day for all the things I love to do.  Have a wonderful day!

Twofer Card Challenge #22: Holiday Greenery

Welcome to another Twofer Card Challenge!  Our prompt this month is "Holiday Greenery" -- BUT -- there's a twist this time!

First, to clarify the prompt:

Holiday is any holiday.
Greenery is defined as: foliage, growing plants, vegetation.  It does not have to be green.

A greenery element is required, and it must be the same greenery element on each of your two different designs.

Now, for the twist:

For this month only, the "two different occasions" rule is optional!  You can make two different designs using the same greenery element for two different occasions; OR you can make two different designs using the same greenery element for the same occasion.  It's up to you!

All other rules of the challenge apply. If you have any questions about specifics of the challenge, please take a few minutes to review the updated Definitions/Examples tab on the Twofer Blog, so you'll be eligible to win. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support and want to see you stretch your stamps, stencils, dies, and design skills!

Also, a reminder that there will be no Twofer Card Challenge in December.

Ultimately I went with two different occasions, using the same evergreen branch in two different designs.

I made my greenery white for the Christmas card.  The kraft with black pattern is some cool DCWV paper called Foiled Elegance.  I added a black oval and red die cut sentiment.

The dies for this card are as follows:  Tutti Designs Arched Fir Branch, Memory Box Warm Christmas Wishes, Memory Box Oval Master Frame (used just the inner oval)

For the birthday card I cut that same Arched Fir Branch in green, but then snipped off the snowflakes and added the bird and birthday sentiment.   All is arranged on a wood grain card base.  Additional dies:  Poppystamps Happy Birthday Melody, Memory Box Finnegan Fronds

So..... just remember... your two cards need to use the same greenery element on each, and they need to be two distinctly different designs, BUT this month only they can be the same occasion.  Consider it a little gift from Darnell.

Christmas card total:  28

For fun and inspiration, check out the samples on the Twofer Blog.  We have an awesome guest designer this month, so hop over to meet and greet!  Enjoy!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Hi there!  I hope it was a beautiful day in your neighborhood.  We've been enjoying a rather nice fall here and not believing it's November already.  I suppose the rain will start soon enough, but for the time being, it's looking a lot like the blue sky and green grass pictured below.

I wasn't sure I'd have time to use my Art Impressions Feast Mode set again this season so I colored all the rest of the critters into one scene.

It took a village of Gansai Tambi paints and Tombow markers to get it all watercolored, then I just stitched it up and put it on a grocer's kraft card base. 

This represents Days 4 and 5 of The 30 Day Coloring Challenge.  I've been keeping up with the coloring, but it sometimes takes a while to get them posted.   Some days I can do a whole card, some days I can get only part of an image colored.  On Thursday I had a routine medical procedure and felt awful the whole rest of the day, so no coloring was done at all.  Today I'm feeling good and back to my usual morning coloring before the rest of the day takes hold.

I'll be back with the Twofer Challenge on Sunday, the 10th.  I hope you're having a good day!

Hanging Basket

Hello there!  More coloring today and I thought perhaps it might be nice to take a break from Christmas and fall cards.  Therefore, I've got a pretty basket of flowers which I recently found at All Dressed Up.  It's a digi stamp called Hanging Basket.  They have some very cute stuff over there!  I still have a few from All Dressed up that I haven't colored yet and, again, I'm hoping the 30 Day Coloring Challenge will encourage me to get more of them done.

This card represents the coloring I did on Days 2 and 3.

I colored this one with Prismacolor pencils on X-Press It Blending Card.  It's not the best for pencils, but the original plan was to do a Copic and pencil combo.  However, some of the detail in the image was so fine it was ultimately best to stick with the pencils.  I did not use Gamsol for blending.  It's just pencils.

A retired sentiment from my stash, retired splatter stamp, a Doodlebug Matte Sprinkle to hold up the basket...  A simple design and colorful.  I like this one!

By the way, I'm not going to complain about the discomfort of my "golfer's elbow", but it's interesting that my hand started going numb while I was coloring this.  I always seem to tense up and grip too hard when I use pencils.  Still trying to manage and not overdo it.

Thanks for coming to see me today!

Stamps:  All Dressed Up 'Hanging Basket' digi, retired JustRite 'A Warm Hello set', retired SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds (splatters)  Paper:  X-Press It Blending Card, green, blue  Ink:  Printer, Memento Tuxedo Black, Creamy Caramel for splatters  Coloring:  Prismacolor pencils  Dies:  Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklets, Memory Box Stitched Circle Layers, Spellbinders Standard Circles Large