Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Hop to the Party of the Summer!




We’ve had a perfectly wonderful week of the Midsummer Stunner Release at Power Poppy!  You can now order all the sets, so we thought we’d throw a party and celebrate with today’s Blog Hop.  



How could you resist this tower of pretty presents?  I knew it was the only I wanted to play with today.  I found some fun paper in my stash that had a summery celebration feel (MME Jubilee - Mint Julip) and cut out rows upon rows of scallops to pair with the gifts galore.  It’s a little over the top and feminine, but it’s fun :)  



I added some embossed swiss polka-dots behind the presents and added the pretty banner, some twine and enamel dots to pull it all together.  



Inside I added another sentiment from the set with the addition of some fishtail pennant style flags.  



Here’s the Copics I used....and now how about some more fun news???

Marcy’s offering a discount code from now till July 1!  It can be on any combination of stamp sets or digitals, so it’s the perfect time to stock up for summer!




Now Hop along to visit the rest of the Bloom Brigade on our party today....thanks so much for joining us on a fun week of Sneak Peeks, we’re so glad you enjoyed them!  



Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker



Monday, June 27, 2016

Tea in the Garden



Welcome!  Let’s throw a party today shall we?  The two sets we’re showing off from Power Poppy today are full of celebration, whether it’s a Tea Party in the Garden or a big bash Birthday Party, we’ve got you covered with fantastic sets!  We’ve got Tea in the Garden and Party Time.  

I’m playing with the lovely Tea in the Garden because I just fell in love with this gorgeous pound cake on a pedestal bedecked by juicy strawberries.    


This just speaks country garden to me!  So, in creating I had to pair it with some lovely gingham, polka-dots and rich red and green.  In my world all pound cakes should be chocolate, so that’s what I coloured mine as, glistened wth some drippy white icing and looking very tasty.  



I’ve got some scallops, ric racks, a few enamel dots and some baker’s twine finishing it off.  Now we’re ready for the party....as you can see I got a little ahead of myself and had a piece already, but now that I’ve tested, I know it’s ready for company!

Party on with the rest of the Bloom Brigade today....I know they’re ready to celebrate!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken 
(you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

and Marcy at the Power Poppy blog!




Sunday, June 26, 2016

Friendly Foxglove




Have you been having fun perusing though the gorgeous inspiration in our Midsummer Stunner Release?  We’re half way through with two more beautiful sets to show off to you today, Dynamic Duos:  Foxglove and Ranunculus, and Everythings Even Rosier.  These two sets show off some of our previously release digital sets that you’ve fallen for, now redone for polymer with gorgeous sentiments added.  

I’ve started with the Foxgloves and Ranunculus set, and despite my absolute love for ranunculus....I decided to dive in with the friendly foxglove today.  


I must have been in a very bohemian mood when creating this card, because it definitely has that feel with all the colour and pattern, but these foxgloves are just so pretty that I couldn’t help myself.  I’ve given them a lot of vibrant colour with Copics (I’ll list them below), and added in some sparkle on the bees wings and some white accent dots with a white sharpie. Isn’t that curliqued sentiment fun?  

I found some fun sparkly cardstock from Bazzill at my scrapbook store and thought that the fun orange shade paired well here.  



Some fun and funky patterns from my designer paper stash, buttons and twine finish it off.  Gah, just look at those chubby bees!  I love them.  They do this exact thing in my garden in my lupine, tucking their little bodies into each bloom in search of pollen!  It always delights me to watch them.  

Sorry I didn’t take a picture of the Copics I used, but I did write them down, so I’ll list them for you. 

Leaves:  YG21, YG23, YG0000 YG11, YG13, YG17, N3
Foxgloves:  YR20, YR21, YR15, YR16, R22, YR02; RV63, YV52, RV66, RV69, B12
Bees:  Y13, Y17

Enjoy all the inspiration from the rest of the Bloom Brigade today....


Allison Cope
Christine Okken

Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

and Marcy at the Power Poppy blog.  




Saturday, June 25, 2016

Cherry Wedding Cake



Hello Friends!  We’re back with day two of Sneak Peeks at Power Poppy and today we have two sets to show off, Dream Wedding and Nice Things to Say.  I’m showing off Dream Wedding and a gorgeous cherry themed wedding cake!  The set is full of fun elements to celebrate anyone’s big day. 



I was so delighted to see this gorgeous fruit covered cake!  I love cherries, and you’ve probably heard me talk about the cherry tree we have in our yard.  

One of my favourite colour combinations to use with cherries is red, white and a soft-bluey green.  I really like how these colours look together.  The colouring and style is simple to showcase the elegance of the fruit and flowers on the cake, and it almost has a retro-fresh feel.  

On the background layer I used my Scor-Buddy and my Scor-Bug to created some embossed dashed lines to add some interest, and then added some cotton lace, sparkly ribbon and some polka-dot paper to keep it whimiscal.  



A gemmy red circle and this pretty red frame for the cake finish it off.  

Here’s the Bloom Brigade with a lot of celebratory creations to show off to you today.  

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

and Marcy at the Power Poppy Blog.


Friday, June 24, 2016

Peaceful Peony




We’re kicking off a brand new set of Power Poppy Polymer!  Marcy is releasing SEVEN new sets and calling it all the Midsummer Stunner!  I think you’re going to love what’s in store over the next few days.  We’re so excited to show them to you!

Today we’re kicking it off with a beautiful new set that is design to send messages of healing and hope in difficult times.  It’s called Soothing Sympathyand it’s so very lovely.  In this set you’ll find botanical illustrations featuring symbolic images: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance", wrote Shakespeare in Hamlet. A simple peony stem symbolizes peace. And the curling sprig of forget-me-not for reasons we don't have to explain.




I started with the beautiful sprig of peonies, colouring them in rich burgundy shades to really give it a rich pop of colour, then pairing it with some soft buttery-yellow designer paper.  I think these two colours give it a warm and comforting feel. 



I added some embossing on the simple strip of burgundy paper and some pretty creamy lace, with a few enamel dots to finish it off.  Nicely clean and simple, but I think that often works best when you’re creating a card like a sympathy card.  


Here’s the Bloom Brigade bringing you beautiful inspiration today!

Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence

Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


And you’ll want to visit the Power Poppy Blog to see what Marcy has to say about this beautiful set. I’ll see you back here tomorrow with more in store!






Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Folk Heart Friend




Hi Friends!  Happy Summer!  In my neck of the woods we have sunlight right now from about 4:30 am until 10:45 or 11 pm, it is so beautiful, and so full of hope and rest.  If only I could get my hectic schedule arranged better so I could enjoy it more!  

Just a friendly card for no reason other than to say hello and have a happy day!  Did you know that a new Power Poppy release is just days away?  I can’t wait to show you what’s in store with this sweet new group of stamps!  

But back to today, it’s created with Power Poppy’s Folk Heart Stamp set and some cool palette colours.  



This one’s really easy to put together a quick colouring job and have a sweet little design.  Paired with some embossing, some stripedy dp, seam binding, baker’s twine and some rhinestones.  



Here’s the inside of the card and below are the Copics I used to colour below!  


See you later this week with some fabulous brand new Power Poppy!  Can’t wait!





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Monday, June 20, 2016

Red, White and True-Blue Super Friend



Hello and welcome to another fun challenge at The Cat’s Pajamas this week!  Getting ready for patriotic activities this week we’re asking you to use red, white and blue and some sparkle!  



Red, white and blue made me think of think of our favourite little bunny superhero from My Hero. He’s all coloured up with Copics and I trimmed him out to pop up on this fun layout.  



I embossed the top part of the sentiment onto some dp that I had run through a striped embossing folder, then adding the friend strip underneath.  The little bits of sparkle come in my enamel dots. Our bunny looks wonderfully epic to celebrate a great friend!

Copics I used are pictured below.  


Here are the Challenge Details:

  1. Every other Tuesday a new challenge will be posted on The Cat’s Pajamas blog and our Facebook page.
  2. If you want to play along you just upload your design to The Cat’s Pajamas blog page using the InLinkz button by the Monday, 11:55 EDT before the next challenge.
  3. You are not required to use a Cat’s Pajamas stamp or die but if you have them we would love to see them.
  4. On the following TCP Tuesday, the winner will be chosen from the previous challenge and will receive a Cat Cash Voucher for $10 or $15 if a TCP product is used.


And here’s the Cat Pack playing along with some inspiration for you...

Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)

Julie Elak
Stacey Schafer
and Alma at the TCP Blog!

Friday, June 17, 2016

Rosy Prayers



Marcy’s done it again with another gorgeous digital image perfect for June!  It’s called Rose and Chamomile and I managed a few minutes to put a card together with this pretty image.  



There are two versions of this image, one with the chamomile and rose hips and one without.  I decided to play with the chamomile combination and the beautiful sentiment in the set too.  How precious it is to me to tell someone I’m praying for them, or to hear they are praying for me.  

I paried up the beautiful blooms with Echo Park’s Bundle of Joy papers for a very feminine look.  



A bit of ric rack and some enamel dots are all it took to complete.  


Here are the Copics I used to colour this beauty up.  



Don’t forget about the Happy Mail Challenge at Power Poppy this month!  Enter a creation and you could win a Power Poppy set of your choice!


Here’s the Bloom Brigade playing along today...


Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker



Monday, June 13, 2016

Ballooning for Boys



This past weekend we got to celebrate with a friend who has adopted a 3 year old son!  It’s a beautiful story, but it’s not been an easy journey.  A group of us who were all together in a leadership study a year ago gathered together and threw them a "welcome to her family shower," and I made the card that we gave to them.  I wanted it to be all boy, full of joy with a dreamy summer feel.  

I started with The Cat’s Pajamas - Drop In stamp set.  I knew it would be perfect for the a "precious-but-not-so-little-boy".  We decorated for the shower with a world travel theme, so it was a good pairing.    

Stamped onto XPress Blending Cardstock, paper pieced with Simple Stories So Rad dp, and then coloured in with a little bit of Copics.  The sentiment is from TCP’s Words of Love set.  



To finish it off I added some of our TCP Stitched Clouds CutUps, ‘cause they’re my favourite!  Then a button and twine finish it off.  




Here’s the Copics I used.  



Don’t forget that you too can join in on our Summer TCP Challenge, you have one week left to create!  And, by entering you can win up to $15 Cats Cash for the TCP store!  

Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
Deborah Anton
Jessica Rone
Julie Elak
and Alma at the TCP Blog!

Borrowing Design Principles Tutorial


Hi Friends!  Today I’m up on the CardMaker Blog for my last guest tutorial.  It’s a fun one where I show how to borrow design principles from areas like photography, floral design and even hairstyle!  I hope you can pop on over and take a peek.  Here’s a peek at one of the design principles in action that you’ll see there....







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Friday, June 10, 2016

Rainbow Trout



How about something masculine on a fab Friday?  I was so excited to see that Marcy remixed a number of her masculine images in the fishing theme.  I think they are some of her best masculine illustrations, so I was very excited to use them again in digi form!  This one is called Leaping Trout and oh what a beauty!  

I really had a great time colouring this one!  First I printed the digi in a slightly lighter grey so it would soften the edges a little.  Then,  I looked up what rainbow trout look like (as I am not a fisher-person), and tried to mimic some of that colouring in the design.  I also found some old fishing themed paper from Kaisercraft - Hunt and Gather and thought the papers worked really well here.  



I sewed the layers together, added some copper string, a paper button and some brads to finish it off.  



Inside the design I added a strip of the fish paper and a punched out sentiment piece also found in the paper pack.  


Isn’t this a fabulous digi set?  And there’s two other fishing themed digi sets too, Fly Guy and Reel Deal.  Marcy really outdid herself here and all of these images are perfect for that guy in your life, or for Father’s Day coming up quickly!  


Here are the Copics I used...



Don’t forget to enter our Happy Mail Challenge this month and have a chance to win a Power Poppy set of your choice!  

Pop on over to see the rest of the Bloom Brigade bringing you inspiration today.  

Allison Cope
Christine Okken 
(you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Monday, June 6, 2016

Bloom



OOO yesterday and today have been sizzlers in our neck of the woods!   Not quite summer, but feeling the summer temperatures, that’s for sure!  Today’s TCP Tuesday Challenge is kicking off that summer vibe with a new challenge and the theme is simply - summer!  Think of all the fun possibilities!  



I pulled out this sweet little TCP set, Bloom.  A lot of my flowers are blooming now, including my orange lilies, so it seemed like a perfect pairing.  It’s all coloured with Copics and a little bit of prismacolor pencil in the grass and sky.  It’s all pulled together with some fun papers from MME - Jubilee Tangerine, and then a little Icing CutUps border.  As I was digging through my stash for some cute little embellishment I came across these felt flowers from ages ago that worked perfectly.  



A great celebration of all that blooms in the summer season.  



A quick look at the inside of the card too...


Now here’s the challenge details...

  1. Every other Tuesday a new challenge will be posted on The Cat’s Pajamas blog and our Facebook page.
  2. If you want to play along you just upload your design to The Cat’s Pajamas blog page using the InLinkz button by the Monday, 11:55 EDT before the next challenge.
  3. You are not required to use a Cat’s Pajamas stamp or die but if you have them we would love to see them.
  4. On the following TCP Tuesday, the winner will be chosen from the previous challenge and will receive a Cat Cash Voucher for $10 or $15 if a TCP product is used.
Pop on by and visit the Kitties in The Cat Pack who are bringing you inspiration today …


Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
Jessica Rone
Julie Elak
Nancy Thomas
Stacey Schafer
Wendy McGaffey
and Alma at the TCP Blog!

Saturday, June 4, 2016

The Gratitude Project - Week 22


\ˈgra-tÉ™-ËŒtĂ¼d, -ËŒtyĂ¼d\

The quality of being thankful:  readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. 




What a beautiful weekend we’ve had, warmth, sunshine, lots to be grateful for.  My little garden is coming up, and I’m very thankful for that.  This is the first year I’ve had any time to plant a vegetable garden in years, but this spring I made a committment to putting those little seeds in the soil.  We always have fruit growing in our yard, but now we’ll finally have more than just fruit and herbs.  In our little yard this year we have rhubarb, raspberries, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, peas, peapods, carrots, spinach and lettuce, cherries, apples, jalepeño, roma tomatos, beefsteak tomatos, and herbs.  I feel grateful for the abundance.  



Some baby apples growing in the sunshine today. 



Baby cherries.  Oh my goodness we'll have so many of these if they all mature properly.   I’ll be making pies and jams forever, plus sharing tons!  I’m grateful for the good things coming!



And tonight our older son had all his best friends over to celebrate his birthday. and together they demolished 12 lbs of hot wings!    These 7 boys have known each other for a very long time, some since birth.  We just love these kids.  They are seven of the best guys to have around.  They are funny, loud, goofy and becoming great young men.  Their loyalty to each other and their love for Jesus is really inspiring.  We’re so grateful for their friendships.  



I called them the Magnificent 7.  They thought a snappier title would be better but I’m thinking that this is just perfect for them.