Monday, March 31, 2014

Good Thinking: Renewal

I just love Marcy’s theme of Renewal this month.  I think it’s powerful for us as people to be seeking renewal in our own lives, and being the kind of people that invite others to renewal too.  To me it is a deeply faith-filled theme, so based on the truths of Easter.  This lovely sentiment set has so many powerful words of renewal for really hope-filled designs.  



With on-trend typography designed by Marcella Hawley, Good Thinking: Renewal will end your search for "just the right" rejuvenating words! This all-sentiment set measures 4" by 6" and is loaded with 16 images. Take a deep breath in, exhale out and stamp up some serenity. Now doesn't that just feel better?


This is a VERY Clean and Simple design, I’m not one who usually does CAS really well, but this one just popped into my head.  I really love this sentiment.  All of us need to take some breaks in life regularly to find renewal for our spirits.  God does that for me in countless ways, especially when I’m going through difficult times, when I listen and tuck into Him.  

I really wanted this creation to have the simplicity and calm feel of going to a beautiful spa where all the colours are serene and beautiful.  And I just had to pull in another feather, cut with my Silhouette Cameo on vellum.  



The beautiful sentiment is embossed and I carefully inked up the centre of “UP” with my B13 Copic marker.  Just a few clear sequins and some twine finish it off.

Today the Bloom Brigade is stamping out some serenity and they'd love to share a bit with you! 
Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Azaleas

Welcome back for day three of Sneak Peeks of Marcy’s amazing first release at Power Poppy!  Oh my, today’s set is why this woman is my very favourite illustrator ever.  You will love what you see.  



Sweeping and free, this set simply named Azalea is begging to be colored with reckless abandon. It could inspire an outrageous upsurge in your use of pink markers, colored pencils, and paint! Use the lush blooms of these images to let a friend know how much she is missed, or to say thanks to another who is just plain amazing! This 4" by 6" set was illustrated by hand with a whole lotta love by Marcella Hawley. 


I have to tell you how this card came about.  Do you ever buy a pack of paper and look at some sheet in the pack and say, “ooh I’ll have to save that sheet for a really special card”.  I’m totally that way.  This floral paper behind the design is just that sheet and I knew as soon as I saw this set that it would be for this design.  The pack is MME - My Favorite Things Six by Six.  The combination of mint and yellow and coral are so pretty with the beautiful pattern.  So, everything revolved around pulling these two beautiful things together.  


I even found a pretty peach resin flower in my stash that looks remarkably like an azalea flower for the sentiment.  With a pretty coral ribbon and lots of sewing of the layers it’s a card I’m really in love with.  And WOW, how gorgeous to colour.  Amazing fun.  


Here’s the Copic selection I used for the design.  

And here are the beautiful azaleas that inspired me:



Doesn't that flower just make you swoon? Don't wait to exhale, breathe in the beauty and hop on over to see the rest of the Bloom Brigade!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Tomorrow's set is sure to deliver a little dose of serenity. Need some? Check on back to see the Bloom Brigade and all its Zen-like creativity! 

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Marcellas Mixtape: Volume One

Are you ready to be be-boppin’ to some music today?  It will surely give you a lift.  Marcy has this wonderful sunshine-filled, uplifting personality as I’m sure you’re starting to gather by reading her words.  She’s delightful and chooses to see the best and positive in this life.  When I listen to her, I picture her life having it’s own soundtrack playing delightfully behind her.  So, today’s set is a bit of Marcy’s soundtrack :)  


So, get that toe a-tapping, because this set will have you Celebrating Good Times -- Come On! Build up those Buttercups in your life. Tell the crazy chicks you hang with that they are way too Superfly! We can almost guarantee you'll break into song while you stamp these musical memories. Mix and match the sentiments and graphics to create combinations that will have your besties saying, "Word Up!" This 4" by 6" set -- Marcella's Mixtape Vol. 1 -- was hand-drawn from the wonderfully creative pen of Marcella Hawley.


When I saw the feathers in this set I gushed.  I really did.  Feathers are SO trendy right now in cardmaking and these ones are so special and fluffy and light and airy because they’re hand drawn - which I love.  So, I went to town creating a very layered softness with these different feathers.  Some are stamped with Memento Black ink and coloured with Copics, and others are just stamped with Memento Inks in greens and tealy blues, and then layered.  It was really fun to make.  

Then for that finishing touch of absolute sparkle, I took out two of my Mr. Huey’s sprays and lightly spritzed onto the design.  It really adds shimmer and almost that look of an iridescent peacock.  A wee bit of pearls and rhinestones help with that light and airy look.  


Who wouldn’t LOVE to hear that they are Superfly?


So, now that you have a little tune stuck in your head, why not dance it out? Twist on over and see the rest of the Bloom Brigade!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken  (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Tomorrow's set is sure to take your breath away. It's a beautiful botanical that symbolizes the strength and beauty of women and this illustration is 100% Marcella Hawley! Stop on back to see for yourself!

Friday, March 28, 2014

Springtime Love

Can you believe we’re finally here?!  It’s time to show off all that’s going to rock the Design World with Power Poppy!  There’s so much beauty blooming in the next few days!   So happy to have you join us!


Our first Power Poppy set, hot off the presses, may have you hearing the alluring tones of a French accordion and whispering Ooh La La. Springtime Love  is in the air and this set embodies romance -- with passionate petals and love-laced sentiments. Illustrated by Marcella Hawley as she went in for the kiss, this beauty of a set measures 4" by 6”. 


Look at this gorgeous sunshine bouquet!  Some of my all time favourite flowers are spring flowers.  I really have a thing for tulips, grapevine hyacinth (especially together), and I love the dainty look of bleeding hearts.  They are some of my first flowers to come up and I just love that they bring colour after a long winter, and to me, they speak of God’s unfailing goodness.  

Talk about beautiful to colour too...just look at all this prettiness!  Colouring is with Copics, the papers are older MME because I just loved how that background paper paired with the bouquet and I’ve added lots of pretty ribbons round the design, much like a May Day pole.  I thought it could use some dainty sewing so that’s how the layers are attached.  


A better look at the colouring above.  


And finally a look at the pretty sentiment inside - hand lettered by Marcy.  Gorgeous right?  Sigh...I love spring.  Can’t wait for it to really get here. 

Now that you've been swept away with that free-feeling Springtime Love, why not traipse around to take in some more? The Bloom Brigade has plenty to share!  I know they’re going to wow you.  What a lineup of talent and beauty!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

See you back here tomorrow, when we'll have you movin' and groovin' to a spunky and fun Power Poppy beat! 

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Sketchbook

I don’t know about you, but when I see a true artist’s work, there is a part of me the would LOVE to get inside their head and see their inspiration process, the sketches, the rough drawings, the little bits and pieces that get them to that final polished work of art.  And, all of you who are fans of Marcella Hawley know what a true artist she is.  I mean really, there’s just no one out there like her.  That’s just one of the reasons I have to keep pinching myself that she asked me to be on this team!  

What I also love about Power Poppy is that its not like other companies, or Design Teams;  there’s a great deal of creativity and originality going on that you get to be a part of.  Today you’re in for an amazing treat.  Marcy is going to open up her sketchbook and show you the behind the scenes of how this release came to be.  You won’t want to miss it on the Power Poppy Blog!

And in the meantime - here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll be starting to see from me and the rest of the Design Team, starting tomorrow!  Giddy to show you!  


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Bloom Brigade!

I am so proud and excited to stand beside these ladies today and let you get to know us better.  I think they are some of the most talented people in the industry, but what’s also special about them is that we have a really special sisterhood, we’ve journeyed through a lot of things together.  Joyful and painful, we’ve laughed and cried together.   I respect and appreciate each of them.  I know you’ll love them all too.  



With a little bit of the story of Power Poppy unveiled yesterday, today we get to share some of the "faces" that will help bring Power Poppy to full bloom! We affectionately call this fabulous and fierce team "The Bloom Brigade" because as you'll soon see - each one has a wild and beautiful facet that they bring with them to this very creative team! Want to learn a little more about this wildly talented force of artistic talent? Marcella asked each of us a question and many of them made us say... "Hmmmm...." Just click HERE to see for yourself! 

See me up there?  I’m on the swing that my kids made to hang in the front-yard tree last summer.  I love to swing!  And now,  here is my question :)

Q. A place I visited that made a lasting impact was…? 

A.   Last summer we packed up our family of five and headed out on an adventure.  We love to travel together because it does impact each of us in such special ways.  This trip happened because my husband and I are blessed to work at a church where Pastors earn a sabbatical break after 7 years of service.  We enjoyed every single one of those five months we had away from our jobs!  With our kids getting older we decided that as soon as they finished school for the summer we would take what we called our "American Adventure". It was full of amazing sights, memories and time that we’ll never forget as a family.  A lot of it’s impact was because of friends and family that we went to see, that was really special.  But it’s quite hard to pick just one place that had a lasting impact, so I’ll list a few places and why they were special.   In Spearfish, SD we encountered badlands, rugged mountains, gentle waterfalls and deep earth caves, there was such a peaceful old west feel to our time there.  In Colorado Springs, CO we visited places I had read about in novels, a castle, and spectacular red rock formations in the middle of the city.  I felt like it brought pages from books to life for me.  In Moab, UT we encountered enormous red rock arches and towers like I had never seen before.  The majesty, vastness and peacefulness of Moab still sticks with me.  And in Montana we saw pounding mountain waterfalls and earth heated geysers, so unique and awe inspiring.  I feel like the trip enriched our family in countless ways, but it also expanded our spirits and hearts seeing such beauty in God’s creation.   We’re so blessed to live in Canada and enjoy beautiful scenery around us, but we were full of wonder in adventuring to new places.  We often talk about our Adventure as a family, and look at our 3000 pictures we took, and I know that the riches from that time will continue to impact all of us!  

The rest of these wonderfully dynamic women all have different "sides" to their lives! Head on over to see what makes their creativity click! Learn a little more as you hop on over and see.....

Allison Cope
Christine Okken you are here :)
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Tomorrow, we get one step closer to the big sneaks with a peek into Marcella's sketch books. What inspired her first Power Poppy release? She'll share with all of YOU!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Power Poppy...Now Blooming!

The day is finally here friends!  The countdown is over!

We’re so excited to begin to unwrap the beautiful Power Poppy Package.  I’m so proud of what is coming your way in the next week.  I think you will be so touched by the innovation, the artistry and the heart behind this venture and behind the lady who’s starting it.


For the past ten days the fabulous and fierce Bloom Brigade (a.k.a. the Power Poppy Design Team) has been busy suggesting all kinds of fun and downright goofy things to get you moving and grooving to the Power Poppy beat. Behind the scenes, we've been sweating the details, keeping it real, and loving every minute of it. While you can see a sneaky peek above of what's to come above in the days ahead, today the beautiful mistress of ceremonies, Marcella Hawley herself is going to tell you all a little story -- HER story -- of how this beautiful company came to be! Be sure to stop by HERE to read all about it!!

See you back here tomorrow!

Monday, March 24, 2014

The TCP Blog Hop!


Today is the day!  It’s TCP Release time!  It was fun to chat it up with some of you over at the Release Party last night on Splitcoaststampers, and it’s been such a fun week playing along with the Cat Pack and these great new stamps.  They have been awesome haven’t they?  Today I have one more cutie to show off to you.  Its with the new set Rise and Shine and also a little of the clouds from Flying By, for this week’s TCP Tuesday Challenge to use Clouds!  They’re such cute doodled storm clouds.  

You should have come from lovely Lori’s blog on the Hop but if you get lost along the way, just head back to the TCP Blog.  


It’s always fun to pull out my Prismacolor Pencils and colour with them.  It’s such a different effect from Copics.  I’ve added a fun puddle under Bun Bun with Crystal Effects and re-inkers to give it that shiny wet effect.  He looks so cute just strolling along!


Above you can see I used the little banner die for pennants accenting the design, with a little twine and enamel dots.  




And here’s the inside - so sweet isn’t it?

Now I’m going to send you on off to the very talented Julie’s Blog for more TCP fun!   Then...go buy some great new stamps from the TCP Store!

Shine!


One!  Just one more day!   You can’t believe how excited we all are!  Tomorrow Marcy is going to shine.  Come be a part of it.  It’s something I feel so proud of too!  Powerpoppy.com

Sunday, March 23, 2014

TCP Flying By!


Hello Everyone!  OK....just so you know, I think this is my FAV card I made for this release!  :)  

It is new from The Cat’s Pajamas and will be released....tomorrow!  YAY!


If you’ve been following the release you know that Alma has designed a fabulous die set that makes slider cards easy as pie, today I created a slider with Sprinkles the Cat and it’s adorable!    



First, here’s a closeup of the front of the card.  I used the fun and funky Cut Ups Die - Framed Up 2 to create the spot for Sprinkles the Aviator using just the frame of the die and then adding vellum to the inside of the frame to give it some structure and to give it that “muted-sky” look.  The fun and funky clouds are stamped, cut out and popped up on the design.  Love how they look.  The adorable paper is Carta Bella Rough and Tumble.  

Now here’s the fun part - the slider!  


The die is so easy to use and it gives such a fun effect to have an interactive element on your card.  Sprinkles lifts up for takeoff to reveal a fun design inside the slider.  


And here you can see it closeup, the red tab, part of the die has “pull” embossed into the design, so you don’t have to sit there and instruct your card recipient :)  That tab in the die serves a double purpose because it’s what grounds your slider in the groove too!  (As you can see with the little bit of red behind the airplane).  So smart.  And isn’t that the cutest sentiment too? 




And the Release Party is HERE!  Come on by splitcoaststampers tonight and pop into The Cat’s Pajamas Forum!!  

Grateful for the Positive!


We are getting so close!  Don’t miss a thing at powerpoppy.com

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Hang in There Baby!


Today’s The Cat’s Pajamas set is oh so sweet!  Perfect when you want to send a word of encouragement and support to someone!  


I happen to already love TCP’s little Sock Monkey set, so to see the little guy holding a ballon with these great sentiments is SO cute!  I thought he could use a monochromatic theme to really showcase the feeling of being up in the air.  He’s coloured with Copics and the balloon popped up.  



I created those cute denim scallops with a TCP Topper die cutting a few and placing them together to give you the feeling of a wavy border.  With all that pretty blue I knew some silver accents would look great so there’s a paper clip, silver Candi and brads.  And for the sentiment I used the inside of the “porthole” die - so versatile!  




Only one more set to Sneak Peek tomorrow (and it may be my favourite!!), so I hope you can drop by again and then join us for the Pajama Party!  

Good Advice


Amen! :)

And I’m counting off the days...we’re so close!  Make sure you don’t miss anything at  powerpoppy.com.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Rise and Shine!

I absolutely love today’s set from The Cat’s Pajamas.  I’m such a fan of 'da bunny as it is,  and then you put him with an umbrella and rain boots, too cute!  

This set (sentiment) is totally me!  I’m so not a morning person!  


I stamped Bun Bun and did a little Copic colouring and paper piecing with some adorable paper I had in my stash Simple Stories - Summer Fresh.  I’d totally wear flower patterned rain boots wouldn’t you?  


I seem to love the asymmetrical theme a lot so that’s what I did with this cute recessed window.  Some pale blue cotton ribbon accents and that’s that!  

Check out the rest of the gang playing along with this set at:  The Cat’s Pajamas Blog!

Happy Saturday to you!  

Poppin’


Ok, I’m so not a dancer...but I do appreciate those that can :)  I think I’d do more breaking of me than anything! LOL!

Dance on over to powerpoppy.com and join in the fun! 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Besties

How can you argue with an adorable pair of penguins on a bike?  Doesn’t it just speak friendship to you?  This is a very sweet set from The Cat’s Pajamas I get to show off today during Sneaky Peek Week.  


They’re just out for a stroll on a sunny spring day :)  I coloured up this cute pair with a wee bit of copics, darkening the blacks, popping up one of the penguins for some fun.  And to me, whenever I colour a bicycle it should always be red!  



Here’s another look at the embellishing and colouring, you can see that behind the main image I used one of the fantastic new dies peeking out, which you can see below.  Really great pieces in this die set!  I’ve had a lot of fun with it.  




Here’s a few release week details for you....

Be sure to join the Cat Pack and me at the Release Party on Splitcoaststampers
And there’s lots of chatter over at Splitcoaststampers in the TCP Forum, where just talking can win you each day’s sets!


See ya tomorrow!