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Monday, June 15, 2015

Power Poppy Instant Garden Release - June Release

Hello, sweet friends! Today we have beautiful new digital image for you from Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley called Garden Fireworks. 

Let's hear it for the red, white and blue, or pink, or purple, or...? Our newest addition to Power Poppy's Instant Garden is an explosion of color that is just in time for the Fourth of July! Color this up with a patriotic spin, or let the rainbow of colors these flowers come in serve as your inspiration. Allium take center stage with their showy blooms. When paired with Poppies and Catnip, you have a glimpse of summer in full bloom. This beauty is paired with an elegantly scripted Bible verse that's perfect for cards of encouragement. The good news? Both are ready to download, print, and color, and create as we speak!

Power Poppy, Instant Garden Digital Stamp Release, Garden Fireworks, June 2015

Once again, the possibilities are endless for the colors of these beautiful blooms! I chose a soft trio of colors, but I was totally surprised at all the different colors of allium - even blue! Catnip is generally purple, and poppies grow in a wide range of colors. What fun! And tell me the allium don't remind you of the large bursts of fireworks in the sky?

For my card, I opened Microsoft Word, pulled in the image and resized it, and then added the sentiment from Dancing with Daffodils. I was inspired by some beautiful blue allium, soft pink poppies, and purple catnip. I used a sheet of diagonal plaid designer paper to guide my soft color palette, die cut my square, matted it with a soft gray, and pierced around it (by now you must know I love piercing!). I added some DMC perle cotton with a button and adhered the focal layer to the matted designer paper. I adhered that to the card base with red tape. Print, color, mat, pierce, add cotton and button, and adhere to the card base - and it's done! (And remember, while you are printing out one and have the markers out, do two per sheet and color them both...preferably listening to beautiful music!) 

Power Poppy, Instant Garden Release, Garden Fireworks, Dancing with Daffodils, Digital Image, CherylQuilts, Designed by Cheryl Scrivens

Now it's time to visit my amazing Instant Gardener teammates! Be sure to visit Power Poppy to get this new digital release to use today. While you are there, check out the entire digital collection

This month's Instant Garden release is extra special to me since it includes a Scripture verse that I will use both inside a card and on the front. What a blessing to know that our lives are in the hands of our loving Heavenly Father.
For I know the plans I have for you
plans to prosper you
and not to harm you,
plans to give you
hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question, and I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Blessings,

Stamps:  Garden FireworksDancing with Daffodils (Power Poppy) 
Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Smoky Slate (SU), Vintage Bliss (Simple Stories), Textured White (Bazzill)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Grand Squares dies (Spellbinders), Perfect Layers tool, piercing tool, DMC perle cotton #746, Fine Linen button (PTI), red tape
Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word, paper-piercing
Card Size:  5¾”
Copics used:  Allium - BG23, BG01, B14, BG000; Poppies - RV00, RV02, R30, R32, RV34, RV55; Catnip - V01, BV01, V12, V04; Leaves - G40, G21, G24, YG61, YG63, YG67, G43, YG21; Background - YG30, YR31, 0; DP paper edging - T2

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Teacups with a Budgie on Top

Hello, sweet friends! I hope you are having a good week so far. It's hard to believe it's Wednesday already.

Sunday afternoon I decided to check out the Featured Stamper Challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I was inspired by a card that had a stack of sweet teacups with a bit of designer paper.

I have long wanted to color up this cute little budgie (aka parakeet) atop the teacups (or coffee cups, if you so desire). I just love the detail of Marcella Hawley's artwork. The designer paper I used was my color palette, and I sponged my focal image before I took it out of the die - then added the sentiment. I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch for my layout design, and it took me longer to figure out the layers with their mats than coloring it. Then I punched two holes in my focal image to thread and tie the bow with a blue button to compliment the blue cup. I have always admired the bows Katie Sims "nestles" up to her images and decided to brave it...it was a bit scary, since there is no going back once those holes are punched! But it does make it all lay nicely, and that bow will not come off easily...hehe!

Power Poppy, Short Stacks, Good Thinking: Renewal, CherylQuilts, Designed by Cheryl Scrivens, Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

Just as the smallest sparrow does not fall to the ground without the will of our Father, how much more He deeply cares for us. We are called to trust in Him and to run to Him with all our cares and burdens. He's always there, no matter the hour.

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests
be made known to God.
And the peace of God, 
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts 
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question, and I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Blessings,

Stamps:  Short Stacks and Good Thinking: Renewal (Power Poppy)
Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Vintage Cream (PTI), Ruby Red (SU), The Sweetest Thing - Lavender (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Black (Versafine), Antique Linen (Distress Ink)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Stitched Rectangles dies (Simon Says), Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon (SU), Linen Thread (SU), Ocean Tides button (PTI), Perfect Layers tool, Japanese screw punch
Techniques: Sponging
Card Size:  A-2
Card Size:  Cups - R30, R32, B70, B72, G40, G43, E81, E41, W0; Budgie - B000, B00, YG11, Y11; Background - E50 smoothed with 0

Thursday, June 04, 2015

Camellias - Color Challenge

Hello, sweet friends! I've been busy with other things the last week or so and have to catch up on my weekly card commitment to myself. 

When I saw yesterday's Color Challenge on Splitcoaststampers, I knew it would work with this gorgeous digital image. The colors are Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, and Basic Grey. But the best part is that "dessert" is allowed by using blue and/or green, which works for my flowers. So I had half a dessert! Thanks to this week's hostess Karen Barber, who just loves coloring flowers (and she surely makes gorgeous cards)!

I used watercolor paper and "fussy water-colored" this image - a first for me. A couple of weeks ago I watercolored my first flower with great abandon. But not this one...hehe! Next I fussy cut this image (it was a lot of work), and then I colored the edges with a black marker for a finished look. My Empressor tool and an old mouse pad were used (on the back of the image) to give the flowers and leaves dimension. (Oops, and I nearly forgot that I added some clear Wink of Stella for some glimmer.) Wanting a pretty background, I used the main Tranquil Moments die in white against Crisp Cantaloupe, and matted it with Basic Grey. There are many itty-bitty pieces of 3M dimensional tape behind this fussy-cut image to adhere it to the background (using tweezers!), along with some regular adhesive for the branches. Added the word "joy" between a couple of the leaves, and it was done and ready to be mailed to a very special person in our lives. She is a joy to us.

Power Poppy, Camellias, Digital Image, CherylQuilts, Designed by Cheryl Scrivens

When I was looking for ideas for coloring my camellias, I found some vibrant colors and was surprised at how vivid some of them were. Isn't it just amazing how many beautiful flowers and colors God has created? I can only imagine how much more beautiful heaven will be some day. We truly are so blessed! It reminds me of the wonderful hymn by John Rutter that we used to sing in choir. Here are the first two stanzas.

All things bright and beautiful, 
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The LORD God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question, and I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Blessings,

Stamps:  Camellias (Power Poppy), Mixed Messages (PTI) 
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Solar White (Neenah), White (PTI), Basic Grey and Crisp Cantaloupe (SU)
Tools/Accessories: Distress Inks (Ranger), Tranquil Moments dies (Spellbinders), Perfect Layers tool, Wink of Stella, Empressor tool for dimension, 3M dimensional tape, Glue n' Seal adhesive
Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word, watercoloring, fussy cutting
Card Size:  A-2