Friday, June 23, 2017

Fun Flock Bubbles and Fizz ~ Power Poppy

 
Happy, Happy weekend y'all!!!  This week just flew by for me.  And that's a good thing because we have been visiting the 100+ degree weather all week, and it's been quite the test of endurance let me tell you.  It's 109 as I'm typing this post, and we hit 111 a couple of days ago.  Can I get an awwwwwwww?  ;)

But...this card makes me smile with it's happy colors and fun textures!!  I had some super fun making this Power Poppy card this week,  because I hauled out an embellishment that I hadn't used in....well...quite some time.  Fun Flock!!!  There's a reason its name starts with the word "fun"!!  When I saw Marcy's new digital stamp set called Bubbles and Fizz, I knew immediately that I had to bring out the Fun Flock.  It gives the blooms such fun texture.  You just have to run your fingers over it.  And I didn't stop there...nosiree!!  I added some sparkly texture to the word "bubbly" too.  Yep!!  And, an embossed background along with a sweet little sparkly tassel to the side!  Told ya I had fun with this one!!

In case you're inspired to use some Fun Flock on future cards, let me share how I added it.  I first colored the blooms with Y13 so the base would match the Fun Flock.  I then added some Zig 2 Way Glue Squeeze and Roll by Kuretake to a few blooms at a time sprinkling Fun Flock on them and pressing it into the glue firmly so it adheres well.  Then, just shake your cardstock to the side and the excess falls away leaving a beautifully flocked bloom that you just can't help but touch.

Here's a close up so you can see the texture better.  For an even closer look, click on the photo.




http://powerpoppy.blogspot.com/2017/06/black-white-read-all-over.html
Have you tried the Hues to Use it inspiration yet?  We would love to see how you are inspired with it!!  I would have used red flock if I had it, but yellow is the actual color of this bloom, and it just felt like such a happy color too.



That's it for my project today, but peeps, there is a whole lot more inspiration to be viewed by the super creative Bloom Brigade!!  Check out the following blogs:

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


CopicsLeaves ~ G28, G46, G24, YG23 Sentiment ~ V93, V91

So glad you dropped by!!  For those of you in the middle of summer, stay cool!!  I know I'm not venturing out any more than I have to.
 
  Happy Stamping!
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StampsBubbles and Fizz Digital (Power Poppy)
Paper:  X-Press It, Take Me Away (Pink Paislee)
Ink:  Printer
Dies:  Stitched Rectangle (Waltzingmouse)
Accessories:  Copics, Fun Flock, Designer Trim (Webster's Pages), 1" Corner Rounder (EK Success) 

Friday, June 16, 2017

Natural Beauties and a Bloom Brigade trip to St. Louis ~ Power Poppy



Happy Friday my dear creative friends!!  This is a special post for me today.  I traditionally post a Power Poppy card on Fridays, and today is no exception.  But I have something extra special ~ to me ~ to share too.  

Last week, 7 out of the 8 Bloom Brigaders (being that Kathy lives in Australia, St. Louis was a bit too far for her to come for a long weekend unfortunately.) met in St. Louis to spend time with Marcella and her family, as well as see some of the places that give her inspiration.  But I'll get to that in a bit.  My card for today, was inspired by the leaves below. 



We had the opportunity to walk through St. Louis' Botanical Gardens, and it was an absolute delight. There were so many different, colors and textures, as well as incredible architecture.  I never really thought so much about leaves (over flowers) before, but there was a plethora of varieties with different shapes and patterns.

I wanted to make a card for our special young hosts, and the sweet little mushroom and leaf image from Natural Beauties was perfect to color the leaves the way I wanted.  My leaves look very little like these for one main reason I believe...I have the hardest time leaving white space.  It's a big struggle.

Anyway, I colored them with Copics and burnished and layered them for some depth and texture.  I added the sentiment by using my Misti. (Love that tool!!)  Below is a close up so you can see the layers.




Have you seen Power Poppy's Hues to Use for this week?  I think my colors are pretty close, so I'm including my card.


If you'd like, continue on to see some of the St. Louis highlights that we were blessed to see while visiting.




First up is Steve and Susan's home (Marcella's step-dad and mom).  They designed the most tranquil yard I've ever had the pleasure of spending time in.  I have two photos to share: my favorite spot in the garden, and my favorite spot of their home



Their front porch below, reminded me of the home I grew up in.  
We would sit on our porch swing in the summer and hull strawberries, snap beans, husk corn, and often visit with people who just happened to be walking or biking by.  
Treasured memories, as I'm sure Steve and Marcy have of this very spot.


Next up are photos of a rare treat I'm sure.  Marcella used to work for Mary Engelbreit, and arranged for us to meet her in her studio while we were all in town.  She is such a warm, unassuming, creative woman who openly shared her space, memories and mementos.  I will never forget the treasured time there.





The following photos are just a few that I took at Missouri's Botanical Gardens.  It was so hard to pick and choose.

The Japanese Garden

Ox-Eyed Daisies


They had a Glass Sculpture display around the rose garden that I thought was incredibly creative and striking!


 

We spent a delightful afternoon at Forest Park which has quite a number of things to do.  We ate lunch at the Boat House and went Paddle Boating.  Below is a picture of our lovely hosts:  Marcella, Finn, Sylvia and Lulu...the most charming and delightful family!!!


Just a velvety leaf outside the Boat House Restaurant in Forest Park.  I have never seen anything like it. 


The Nathan Frank Bandstand in Forest Park.  Beautiful!


Cindy and I had time to kill before catching our plane the last day, so we visited the Art Museum in Forest Park.


We also visited a charming Nursery/Gift Shop, called Bowood, with a beautiful Restaurant inside.  A must stop if you're in the area.


Hydrangeas are quite prominent all around St. Louis.  The most common variety I saw was Oak leaf, but I was partial to this soft colored variety.  They had a lovely Victorian feel to me.


I just had to include this Hibiscus because of its ruffly petals and rich coral color. 


More leaf patterns and shapes.  Don't they look hand-painted?

We also had an opportunity to see a Cardinals game.  This photo was taken at the very top.  What an incredible view with the Arch in the background!


Lastly is a photo taken of a few of the Bloomies in Marcella's backyard.  I didn't include group photos of us in other places because the others had so many photos that I figured they would share those.  The one below is a good representation of how serene Marcy's backyard is.  It also is a lovely reminder of what a wonderful time I had spending time with these incredible ladies.




If you've made it this far, I applaud you!!  St. Louis is quite the city.  I really had no idea.  We sure packed a lot in a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each other on a more personal level.  And Marcy was just the sweetest, most kind host!!

For some more inspiration, check out the following Bloom Brigade Blogs:

Thanks for dropping by today.  
  
Happy Stamping!!
   
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StampsNatural Beauties (Power Poppy)
Paper:  Take Me Away (Pink Paislee), X-Press It
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies:  Stitched Rectangles (Waltzingmouse), 
Accessories:  Copics, Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Enamel Dots (Prima and Teresa Colins) 

Friday, June 9, 2017

French Lilac ~ Power Poppy


 

Hello, hello, hello!!!  It's Friday, and that means another Power Poppy post.  For this month's, Power and Spark Challenge Julie is challenging us to get buggy with a June Bug challenge.  I decided to use the French Lilac Digital stamp set so I could enlarge the image to focus on the sweet ladybug on the lone leaf.  I love ladybugs, always have.  I think they are such a beautiful red (and other colors, but I'm partial to the red ones), and just sweet with their unique little black dots.  I used Photoshop to enlarge the image and diecut it using Labels 28 (Spellbinders).

There is so much inspiration going on at Power Poppy right now. You really need to check it out.  Click HERE for the Good Vibe 5 post that will surely get those creative juices flowing.  And HERE for some color inspiration with the Power Poppy post Hues to Use.

I am beyond excited to share that I am currently visiting St. Louis with most of the Bloom Brigade and our dear fearless leader Marcella.  I met a few of these lovely ladies 3 years ago for the first time, and now I get to meet a few more.  What a blessing:  visiting, exploring, laughing, and just plain having a good time! 

Want to see what these incredible gals have created today?  Here are their links:


CopicsLilacs ~ V17, V15, BV02, BV000, V000 Leaves ~ YG67, YG17, YG07, YG01, YG91 Ladybug ~ R37, R35, R32 Background ~ B97, B95, B93, B91

 I hope y'all are experiencing many blessings this weekend also.

  Happy Stamping!!

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StampsFrench Lilac Digital (Power Poppy)
Paper:  X-Press It, Charms of Spring (FabScraps)
Ink:  Printer
Dies:  Labels 28, Decorative Labels 28, 5x7 Mystical Embrace (Spellbinders)
Accessories:  Copics, Pearls (Pizazz Aplenty), Sheer Ribbon, White Kirarina Pen 
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