Crafty Meraki ~ Magnolia Hugs

Crafty Meraki is celebrating a new Spring release.  Introducing the Meraki Harmony collection!

For today's card I used the new "Whimsical Magnolias" stamp set.  

I started by stamping the magnolia images with Distress Vintage Photo ink. and coloring them in using ZIG Clean Color Markers.

Once they were all colored, I die them all out using the coordinating "Whimsical Magnolias Dies".

I added them to my natural cardstock panel that I had splattered with gold metallic paint.

I paired them with a strip of kraft cardstock featuring the "Sahara Symphony Die" - which I love!

The final piece was to add a sentiment.  I chose the gold foiled "Hugs" greeting from the "Gilded Greetings ESP" paper.

I just love the final look of this card!  Have a great week everyone!

~ Ally ~

Sweet November Stamps ~ Spider Salutations!

Today I'm sharing a rather creepy, crawly creation featuring the new "Spider Salutations" stamp set from Sweet November Stamps.

I did a lot of distressing and grungin' on this one!

PLUS, who doesn't love a glittery spider with googly eyes?!?!!

Have a great rest of your week!

~ Ally ~

A Blue Christmas

Hey everyone!  Happy Tuesday!

I’m over on the Power Poppy Blog this week to share a fun watercolor tutorial featuring the brand new Power Poppy stamp set “Let Your Heart Be Light” and some fun ink techniques.

Here’s a little peek…

Come and take a gander HERE on the blog.  I’d love to know what you think of this technique!

~ Ally ~

Just One Ink and Some Shimmer!

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you’ve all had a great week!  I’ve been lucky this week, I’ve actually had a lot of creative mojo.  I actually have a few Christmas card tutorials coming your way…. stay tuned!

This Tuesday on the Power Poppy Blog Julie posed her newest challenge… Sparkle in the Shade…

To see more on the challenge details, click here.

So I thought I would play along with her challenge this week!  So keeping in the holiday card making mood I was in, I chose the beautiful “Glitter House Village” from our previous holiday stamp release.  Aren’t the details gorgeous!!?!?

I wanted to use some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to stamp my image.  I love the look of the Distress Ink blending with that rich Prussian Blue Brusho pigment!  Isn’t it amazing?!?

Here’s a close up of the Fine Tec “Pearl Silver” paint I added to some of the snowy bits of the image…

Hey… don’t forget to check out my Inspire Me Monday post from this week too! 

You can find it here!  I used some Distress Oxides to create a fun back drop for my delicate vellum stamped images.  This would be a great technique for some simple holiday cards!

Thanks for taking the time to gander at my card creation!  See you again soon!

~ Ally ~
 


stamps: Power Poppy (Glitter House Village)
cardstock: Acquarello (140# Extra White Watercolor)
ink:  Ranger Distress (Vintage Photo), Brusho (Prussian Blue), Sakura (Calligraphy Gold)
paint: Delta (White Acrylic), Fine Tec (Pearl Silver)
dies: Spellbinders (Labels 25, Majestic Labels 25)
embossing powder: Stampendous! (Gold Detail)

Power Poppy: Flowering Santa

Howdy all!  Today is Day 4 of Power Poppy’s newest and most fabulous Happiest Holiday 2017 release.

Today’s stamp set features the cheery face of the the beloved Santa Claus and some gorgeous holiday florals and sentiments.

Introducing… Flowering Santa

For my card to day I wanted to add some colour to not only the flowers in his beard but a little colour to his actual beard.  If you look closely, I have incorporated some pinks, purples and greens right into some of those curls.

Sorry I don’t have a Copic Marker list for you as I was colouring this cheery fella on the go at the time!

It wouldn't be a holiday card without some kind of sparkle on it...

Take a few moments and check out what my fellow talented Bloom Brigaders have created for you today…

Allison Cope

Christine Okken -- go here next!

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Power Poppy Blog

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay tuned tomorrow as we will be showcasing some sweet treats just for you!

~ Ally ~


Stamps: Power Poppy (Flowering Santa)
Cardstock: Recollections (#110 Clouds), Copic X-Press It (White)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic Markers, Ranger Distress Ink (Seedless Preserves), Ranger Distress Oxide (Candied Apple, Picked Raspberry), Sakura (White Gel Pen)
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh (Sparkling Clear Sequins)
Stencil: Altenew (Halftone Stencil)
Other: Nuvo Drops (Mountain Dew), Stickles (Star Dust)

Lots of Love Bugs & a Winner

Happy Friday everyone! Here in our household we are on the grand countdown for the last few days remaining in the school year.  My son moves on to Jr. High in the fall and only has 9 more days of school after today.  Wow… this year has gone fast!  Now… on to the Power Poppy show!

As a crafter I take inspiration from all around me.  Especially from ads, challenges and fun colour combos.  I had this cool piece of colour inspiration in my “Inspiration” file on my computer and I saw lots of fun potential with not only the colours but the design and it’s use of simple lined images.  So this is the photo I took inspiration from for my card creation today.

To begin my card I drew 3 random, rounded imperfect rectangle shapes on masking paper, cut them out to create 3 rectangular masks to use as the base for my pattern.

I tried to match all the fun shades of green, blue and orange from the image using a variety of different inks from my collection to achieve the same look.

For my stamps, I used “Burst of Kindness” for the bees, “Soothing Sympathy” for the butterfly, “Sweet Memories” for the small leaf, “Peony Muse” for the large leaf and the berries and finally the “Succulent Singles” for all the other fun details.

I even added a bit of shine...

If you haven’t already guessed, my card today goes along side with our Power & Spark Challenge for the month of using bugs or insects on your cards.  I thought the bees and butterfly would look great among the greenery here.

For more challenge details, click the link above.

Also I wanted to announce the WINNER of my birthday giveaway today too!  The lucky winner is…

Congrats Natalie!  I will be contacting you sometime today for all your mailing details.

Now… make sure you check out what my fellow Bloomies have been up to creating this week…

Allison Cope – you are here!

Christine Okken – go here next!

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Marcella on the Power Poppy Blog

Thanks again for joining me!  I hope you too get inspired to create this weekend!

~ Ally ~


Stamps:  Power Poppy (Burst of Kindness, Soothing Sympathy, Sweet Memories, Peony Muse, Succulent Singles)
Cardstock:  Recollections (110# White, Cloud Collection)
Inks:  Versafine (Onyx Black), Versamark, Memento (Grey Flannel, Cantaloupe), Ranger Distress Ink (Iced Spruce, Evergreen Bough, Rusty Hinges, Faded Jeans), Catherine Pooler Designs (It’s a Boy), Papertrey Ink (Simply Chartreuse, Spring Moss), Simon Says Stamp (Fog), Hero Arts Shadow Ink (Tide Pool), Sakura (Glaze Pen)
Embossing Powder:  Stampendous! (White Detail)
Washi Tape:  Teresa Collins (Urban Mask)
Twine:  Stampin’ Up! (Basic Black)

Power Poppy: Succulent Fields

Happy Friday one and all!  I’m off on a Scout camp weekend so I’m packing up my gear and getting ready for hopefully lots of sunshine and fresh air.  But before I go, I’m sharing a fun card using Power Poppy’s amazing products!

Today I made a card with a lot of masking!  If you haven’t already checked out my easy masking tutorial over on the Power Poppy Blog, make sure you do.  You can find right HERE.

I used one of newest clear stamp sets called “Succulent Singles” to create today’s card.  I stamped and masked off all the different succulents to create the cascade of plants.  Then I left all the masks on the plants and blended my Ranger Distress Inks all across the back ground.

Check out this card a little closer…

I’m playing along with a few fun challenges today.  First off all, I used this week’s sketch from Fresh Made Sketches, #287;

Plus I used the colour scheme and photo inspiration from the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge, #406;

Now check out what my fellow Bloomies have created for you to check out today…

Allison Cope – you are here!
Julie Koerber – go here next!
Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Marcella on the Power Poppy Blog

Marcella also has a SALE going on this weekend.  You can check out all the details on the Power Poppy Blog today!  Happy shopping!

Thanks again for joining us for today!  I hope you have an amazing weekend and to all you Mom’s out there… Happy Mother’s Day!

~ Ally ~



Stamps: Power Poppy (Succulent Singles)
Cardstock: Recollections (110lb White & Black)
Ink: Prismacolor Premier Pencils (Spanish Orange, True Green, Dark Green, Violet Blue, Violet, Process Red, Mulberry), Ranger Distress (Evergreen Bough, Pine Needles, Seedless Preserves), Versamark, Sharpie (Fine Black Pen)
Die: My Favorite Things (Slider Channel Builder)
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh (Sparkling Clear 6mm, 4mm)
Embossing Powder: Stampendous! (White Detail)
Other: Inkadinkado (Stamping Mask Paper)

Power Poppy: Stamping with Water Tutorial

Howdy all!  I hope you all had a great weekend.

I’m over on the Power Poppy Blog this week sharing a fun day of experimenting.  I had a ball trying out some stamping with water and using a variety of fun inks.

Come and join me on the blog right here!

~ Ally ~

Power Poppy & MISTI Blog Hop

Howdy all!   Thanks for stopping by!  Today's our fabulous blog hop with Power Poppy and My Sweet Petunia, the creator of the MISTI stamping tool.

Since we have a few people to get through, I’ll get right to it!  Today I’m using the fabulous MISTI tool and the brand new “Succulent Singles” and “Loving Tulips” stamp sets on my card.

Join me at my desk…

Watch in HD.

And here’s another quick peek at my card…

Now, for a chance to WIN a $25.00 gift code for Power Poppy or a Mini MISTI from My Sweet Petunia please a comment below!

Now if you are just arriving on my blog, take a moment and start off at the Power Poppy blog at the very beginning of the blog hop so you won't miss a thing!

Power Poppy

Lydia Fiedler

Julie Koerber

Ilina Crouse

Christine Okken

Jeanne Streiff

Cindy Lawrence

Maureen Wong

Ally Cope - you are here!

Kia Gibson-Clapper - go here next!

Kathy Jones

Ceal Pritchett

Tosha Leyendekker

Giovana Smith

Stacy Morgan

Katie Sims

My Sweet Petunia

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to leave a comment to WIN!

~ Ally ~


Stamps: Power Poppy (Succulent Singles, Loving Tulips)
Embossing Powders: Stampendous! (Detail White), WOW! (Mint Macaroon)
Ink: Tsukineko (Versamark), Ranger Distress Oxides (Cracked Pistachio, Wilted Violet, Iced Spruce)
Dies:  My Favorite Things (In & Out Stitched Rounded Squares) 
Tools:  MISTI, Mini MISTI, Creative Corners
Cardstock: Recollections (110# Black)

Sunny Peonies, A Winner & A Giveaway!

Happy Friday everyone!  Today’s another another fun Power Poppy sharing day!

Today I actually have a sped up video of the making of my card today.  So grab a cup and join me at my desk…

Watch the video in HD.

Here’s a quick look at my card again.  It’s a bright and sunny creation isn’t it?!?

And here's a close up all of that fun shimmer....

Now for the winner of my 3rd Early Power Poppy Birthday Giveaway featuring the stamp set, Tea in the Garden.  Congrats goes to…

Congrats Natalie!  I will email you about your prize.

And my last Early Power Poppy Birthday Giveaway will be the gorgeous “Party Time” stamp set… perfectly birthday themed! 

To enter to win, please leave a comment answering the question: “What is your favorite kind of birthday cake?”.  Please leave your contact email in your comment to be eligible (ie:  myemailaddyATgmailDOTcom).  I'll draw a winner next Friday.

Don’t forget about our month long digital stamp sale still going on…

Now check out what my fellow Bloomies have created for you to check out today showcasing some cool Power Poppy stamps…

Allison Cope – you are here!

Christine Okken – go here next!

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Marcella on the Power Poppy Blog

 

Thanks for joining me!  I hope you have a ball hopping along with all our creations today!

~ Ally ~


Stamps: Power Poppy (Peony Muse, Short Stacks)
Cardstock: Arches (140lb Cold Press Water Color Paper), Recollections (140lb White), MFT (Spearmint)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black, Flannel Gray), Prismacolor Premier Pencils (True Green, Mulberry,Canary Yellow), Ranger Distress (Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Seedless Preserves, Cracked Pistachio)
Die: Your Next Stamp (Funky Line Panel Die), MFT (Stitched Circles)
Droplets: Studio Katia (Clear Round Drops)
Spray:  Imagine Crafts (Sheer Shimmer Spray - Sparkle)
Tools: MISTI

Critter Birthday Hooray!

I have a few birthdays coming up in the next few weeks so I thought I’d better get my act in gear and get my cards finished and in the mail.
 
Today I’m playing along with the SugarPea Designs “Mix It Up Challenge”.  I was inspired by the sketch in Challenge #29:

For my card I wanted to feature the critters from the “Everyday is Christmas” stamp set.  And that fabulous little froggy is popped up on a mini Action Wobble to make him do a jig!  LOL!

Copic Markers: YG00, YG01, YG03, YG17, BG000, C4, C5, C7, R17, R29, E50, E51, E53, E55, Y17

I also included a turtle in the inside of the card.

That fun sentiment and confetti is from the “Bring on the Cake” stamp set.

Don't forget to check out my current GIVEAWAY, right here!  Last week's prize still hasn't been claimed.  The silly thing is, is that the winner commented on the post but never really read it and didn't realize she was the winner.  If she doesn't claim her prize before Friday, this week's winner will win BOTH stamp sets!  Hooray!  Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoyed my card!

~ Ally ~


Stamps:  SugarPea Designs (Everyday is Christmas, Bring on the Cake)
Cardstock:  Recollections (110# White & Black)
Dies: SugarPea Designs (SugarCuts – Everyday is Christmas, Stitched Flags)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black, Lady Bug), Ranger Distress Inks (Twisted Citron), Copic Markers, Spectrum Noir (Sparkle Pen)
Patterned Paper:  My Favorite Things (Dots & Stripes Neutrals 6x6)
Sequins:  Pretty Pink Posh (Mini Gold Stars)
Other:  Nuvo Crystal Drops (Morning Dew), Mini Action Wobble

Power Poppy: Introducing Peony Muse & Artful Display

Woohoo!  We’re on Day 4 of our amazing Spring Fling clear stamp collection reveal for Power Poppy!  Again today, we have 2 more ah-mazing stamp sets to sneak peek.

Introducing… Peony Muse!

This stamp boosts two big fat peony blooms, a bud, several leaves, a stem, and two berry clusters for making any kind of arrangement you want. Sooo many ways to create with these stamps.  This set too, comes with coordinating dies for pre-order beginning March 14th!

For my card today, I was actually first inspired by the colour palette of the striped paper.  I’d been staring at me for days to create with it so I grabbed some matching Ranger Distress ink colours and created a very simple water colour display of Peonies.

Ranger Distress: Pumice Stone, Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood

I love the end result of this more masculine creation with all those ornate Peony florals.

And secondly, introducing… Artful Display!

This collection is very dear to our Marcella’s heart!  It’s a grouping of decorative objects that folks can play with to create "room scenes" with dishes, platters, and even a vintage Oyster plate.  Think of all the fun possibilities!!!

For this card, I wanted to keep things simple too so I created a fun almost quilted back ground and created a dish display from my fun “antique” blue china.  I created some very simple designs on my plates too with just ink and a very unsteady hand… LOL!

Now, don't forget we have a month long sale going on too!

Now check out what my fellow Bloomies have created for you to check out today showcasing this two fun stamp sets!

Allison Cope – you are here!
Christine Okken – go here next!
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Marcella on the Power Poppy Blog

Come back again tomorrow for our final brand new stamp set!  And this last one’s a doozey!  See you tomorrow!

~ Ally ~


Stamps: Power Poppy (Peony Muse)
Patterned Papers: Bo Bunny (Woodland Winter 6x6)
Cardstock: Canson (90lb Cold Press Water Color Paper), My Favorite Things (Vellum)
Ink: Ranger Distress (Pumice Stone, Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood), Versamark
Embossing Powder: Stampendous! (Detail White)
Dies: Spellbinders (A2 Scalloped Borders 1)
 
Stamps: Power Poppy (Artful Display)
Cardstock: Misc. (Cream)
Ink: Ranger Distress (Blueprint Sketch), Versamark, Sakura (Gold Calligrapher Marker)
Dies: Spellbinders (A2 Bracket Borders 1), Essentials by Ellen (Stitches Cover Plate)
Other: Gold Embossing Powder