Friday, September 30, 2016

Ripe Raspberries




How about a pop of colour for your Friday?  Today I have a new Power Poppy design showing off the beautiful image from Berry It.  I printed it onto XPress It Blending Cardstock and made those berries as rich and juicy as I could with Copic Markers.   The sentiment I used is from the set Nice Things to Say, stamped in Memento Bamboo Leaves.  

Then the card is all pulled together with lots and lots of white!  I few layers of ovals, a panel that I used my Scor Pal and Scor Bug on to create embossed lines and dashes in an argyle styled pattern, and then some pretty glittery white velvet ribbon and some enamel dots.  Lots of layers but it still keeps that clean style because of the white on white.  

Here’s a list of the Copics I used:  RV81, RV83, RV85, RV89, YG00, YG61, YG63, YG67, BV00
 
Now, here’s the Bloom Brigade gang set to inspire you today!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Thanks for dropping by, hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!


Monday, September 26, 2016

Autumn Home




Have the cooler temperatures reached your area if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere?  We’ve had some beautiful days but I can sense that more crisp air is coming.  We have the perfect challenge this week at The Cat’s Pajamas and it’s all about using fall colours.  



I pulled out TCP’s set Home for All Seasons for the pretty house with the front porch (still a dream of mine!) and stamped it in a pretty burgundy shade (Memento Rhubarb Stalk) and then coloured in the house with some E43, E44, E47 markers.  I added the pretty autumn tree from the set, stamping the foliage in Cantaloupe ink and then adding in the other colours for the leaves with dots of Copic markers.  Next I added some of the cute little pumpkins around the tree, a bit of grassy wisps and then framed it out with one of our TCP Dies Stitched Fly, just cutting out the inside parts of the die cut so it makes a frame. 

 Next I stamped the pretty background leaves from the Wreath Building Kit set,  accenting the design with some TCP die cut leaves, and Bitty Banners, and some twine and a veneer heart.  


The background is a nice herringbone design that adds texture but still gives you that cozy fall feel.  



Here’s the inside of the card with the sentiment from TCP’s Besties set.  I thought it fit perfectly!  

Here’s how you can jump in on the Fall Colors Challenge:  

  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.  
Now here’s The Cat Pack in action....

SaveSave Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
Deborah Anton
Nancy Thomas
Wendy McGaffey
and Alma at the TCP Blog!


Faux Photo Tinting



Hello Friends!  Just wanted to let you know I have a tutorial today over at the Power Poppy Blog today on how to create a faux photo-tinted look on your creations....hope you can check it out! 




Friday, September 23, 2016

Well, Hello Dahlia



Well, hello there all you dahlia loving people :)  I coloured up another of Marcy’s gorgeous images and thought I’d pop in and show you.   Here’s Well, Hello Dahlia.  

I gave it bursts of colour using my Inktense pencils, a water brush and the lots of pops of white and black so those pretty red flowers would shine.  




I added some texture to the background of the card with embossing paste and a pretty Simon Says Stamp Falling Hearts stencil.  

Have you seen Marcy’s Power & Sparklette mini challenges this month?  They’re so fun and totally designed to stretch your creativity in ways that are fun and inspiring.  This week its all about colouring outside the lines



Be sure you check it out!  The prize is HUGE, the winner will receive every set in the upcoming 2016 Holiday Release!  Totally worth playing for!

Here’s the rest of the beautiful Bloom Brigade playing along today!  

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Monday, September 19, 2016

Patterned Wreath



We’re back for round two of the Patterns Challenge at The Cat’s Pajamas!


I was thinking about how autumn brings beautiful wreaths on doors to celebrate the beauty of changing leaves,  and earthy textures and patterns.  So that led me to create a little wreath of my own from some fun autumnal patterns and colours.  I started with some fun patterned paper (a long ago MME pack) TCP’s Grapevine Wreath CutUps die, and the Leaves CutUps Die, creating a little pattern play popping up some leaves along the wreath.  

Then I added a pretty striped bow with TCP’s Easy Stitched Bow CutUps Die and accented with some tiny buttons and twine.  



The sentiment is from TCP’s Simply Stacked Sentiments because Autumn is a perfect season to say thank you!  

You have one week left to play along in the Patterns Challenge....
Here are the 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 The Cat’s Pajamas Blog to see more patterned inspiration!




Apple Season





It’s apple season here!  My tree is so overloaded with apples that the branches are bent to the ground and we’re picking up baskets full every day.  I thought that since Power Poppy has an awesome Fab 5 SALE going on right now on 5 digi sets, and it’s almost over (tonight!), I’d pop in with an apple creation that shows off one of the sets on sale and my apple bounty at home.  



On this pretty design I used the beautiful Apples in Season on XPress It Blending cardstock and a host of Copics.  I added that blue sky in the background just like my crisp blue autumn skies are shining right now at home.  The sentiment comes from Power Poppy’s set Nice Things to Say.  

I’ve given the design some texture with some embossing paste and a Tim Holtz Gothic stencil, sponging in some of that same design on the blue cardstock.  A little topping of cotton lace finishes off the design.  

Want some more of the apple tree tour and a recipe I used for some apple bread?  



Do you see that little ladybug near the apple?  :)  



Such beautiful bounty this year.  I have been amazed by our fruit this season!  So blessed!


I tried out a new recipe for Streusal Topped Apple Pie Bread this weekend as well.  I used THIS Recipe.  The streusal topping and drizzle is completely amazing!  I think though that next time I’d add some cinnamon to the bread dough to give it a bit more flavour.  I don’t like nuts in my bread so I kept those out and I felt like it just needed a little more zip of flavour in the dough.  My husband loves it though!  I thought I’d share it with you in case you are in apple season too!




Friday, September 16, 2016

Black-Eyed Susans


We have another gorgeous Friday in my world.  We’ve seen beautiful warm fall days with lots of sunshine this week and though my spring and summer flowers are winding down, this little gem we’re celebrating today is blooming beautifully!  It’s Black-Eyed Susan time!  Marcy has illustrated another gorgeous prairie flower in digital form that also celebrates a bit of a Fall Sale (more on that later)!


Though I have the yellow variety of Black-Eyed Susans growing in my flower bed, I looked up what possible other colours these pretty blooms might come in and I found a lovely variety called Cappucino (pictured below) that has more orange and rust in the tones so I thought that this type would be fun to colour up (and it was)! Marcy captured them so beautifully!  

I printed the image onto XPress it Blending card stock in a soft rust colour for a no-line look.  



(picture source) (aren’t they lovely? I like that the colour is quite veiny too, gives you lots of ways to interpret the colouring)



Really simple accents complete the design.  I went with a couple of blue buttons as I had given the background a soft blue hue.  A little vellum strip behind the image grounds the image subtly. 


Copics used:  Petals:  YR31, YR12, YR14, YR16, E07, E08, E09;  Centers:  E44, E49, YR31;  Leaves:  G82, G85, G99, YG91, highlights on leaves - BG90 and G20;  Shadows:  BV00, BV01;  Sky B0000, B000



Now I thought I’d show you the black-eyed susans I have in one of my flower beds.  They’re so pretty right now!  Those flower centers are amazingly intricate and the petals really have that skinny-spindly look that keeps them light and airy.  They are sweet and elegant alone or all in a bunch!  You know what’s funny?  I don’t actually remember planting them.  As they were coming up in the summer I thought....hmm are those dahlias?  Then as the flowers started to unfurl I was so happily surprised that I had somehow planted them last summer or fall.  They sit where my tulips come up earlier in the spring, so I love how they fill in the space as summer goes on.  




Just so pretty and cheerful!  Like little bunches of sunshine.  

Now for the fun fall SALE news!


Here are the details from Marcy:  

Hey Power Poppy Fans, have we got FABULOUS weekend deal for you! A selection of our favorite digital designs are available a special price! These late summer flowers and fruits are in full bloom — ready for you to download, print, and color to your heart’s content! Power Poppy’s brand new Black-Eyed Susans, plus Pure Prairie Bouquet, Sunshine of My Life, Cuppa Buttercups, and Apples in Season are just $4 each (save up to $2 per set) OR, get all five digital stamp sets in a bundle for $15 (a total of $14 savings). 

What’s even better? FRIDAY kicks off a Coloring Contest on Facebook! Use one of the five stamp sets above and you could win a $20 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! Sale ends and contest closes Monday, September 19th at midnight. A winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 21th. To enter the coloring contest simply leave a link on the Passionate Paper Creations and Friends post to your card or creation. (Starts on Friday, Sept. 16th, folks, so start coloring and be ready to pounce!! 
Now we’ve got even more fun for you with the rest of the Bloom Brigade playing along today, they’ll have lots to show you with these digis that are one sale:
SaveSave
Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker



Monday, September 12, 2016

Happy Whatever




It’s Tuesday and I’m here to wish you... happy whatever!  

We’ve got a new challenge going on at The Cat’s Pajamas, this week we’re inviting you to mix your patterned papers.  Just find 3 or more different patterns and play!



As I was perusing through my TCP stamps I spied our favourite sock monkey dude from Sock It To Me and I thought he’d be pretty fun to paper piece with some different patterns.  I added some layers in there so he’s even more 3D and then gave him his favourite birthday treat, a cupcake in hand, from the other adorable TCP set Show Me the Monkey.  He’s got 3 patterns going on with his socks, polka-dotted body and his red mouth and hat.  

I had the picture of the Barrel Full of Monkeys game in my head and thought he’d look pretty cute hanging from TCP’s Framed Up 2 CutUps, with a little banner from Bitty Banners CutUps die over top.  



A couple of buttons and twine accent the finished design! Perfect for a birthday, but could be used for “whatever” occasion!

Here are the details for the Patterns challenge:

Every other Tuesday a new challenge will be posted on The Cat’s Pajamas blog and our Facebook page.

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.  
You are not required to use a Cat’s Pajamas stamp or die but if you have them we would love to see them.

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.


Heres the TCP Cat Pack playing along with patterned inspiration today!

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

Friday, September 9, 2016

Inktense Azaleas

 Another Friday has rolled around and we’re bringing you some new Power Poppy inspiration!


I realize it’s inching into Autumn, but I remembered a lovely spring card I had created a while back that I thought I’d show you today.  It’s with the gorgeous Azalea stamp set that I pull out every now and then because I love it so much and it’s great to colour.  This time I stamped it on watercolour paper and coloured it with my Inktense pencils, washing in the lovely shades of yellow flowers, green leaves and blue sky.   

In the background I stamped the sentiment “Azalea” in a soft blue ink for a subtle effect.



I’ve added some stitching around the layers, some stitched ribbon and a wee little bit of twine as accent.  

Now have you seen the fun new month of challenges at Power Poppy this month?  Take a peek!


Every week in September Marcy will issue a new challenge on Saturdays.  This week’s challenge is...

Power & Sparklette: Week 1
Share a favorite quote, saying, or verse that inspires you in the comments section of this blog post.

Marcy will pick one of the quotes and hand letter it into a free digital stamp!  Isn’t that cool?  Tomorrow Marcy will issue a new challenge too...so get in on the fun!

I’ve entered my quotes in the Power Poppy Blog, but I thought I’d let you see what some of them are.  I have a board on Pinterest of quotes so there’s a lot of wonderful ones here if you want to see them.  

My life verse is found in Isaiah 58, and here’s a portion of it:  “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring who’s waters never fail”.  

“Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters” Dau Voire

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it”  Henry David Thoreau

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending” Maria Robinson

“It’s ok to be happy with a calm life”

“I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse” Phillip Yancy. 

Hopefully those inspire you a little...make sure you add your favourite quotes on the Power Poppy Blog today!  


Be sure to pop by and see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade has to show off today...

SaveSave
Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Stacy Morgan


Monday, September 5, 2016

Sunflowers Two Ways




Hello friends.  Today I’m bringing you some end of summer sushine in the form of sunflowers with The Cat’s Pajamas and the last week of our Embossing Challenge.  I have two designs to show you, because once I got started I had another way I wanted to colour up these pretty flowers.  

First off is the black embossed multi-coloured sunflowers.  



Sketchy Flowers is one of my favourite new sets from The Cat’s Pajamas.  It’s got so many pretty blooms in it, and it’s so versatile, because of it’s sketchy feel.  I stamped all of these pretty sunflower and leaf outlines onto watercolour paper and heat embossed.  This gives the watercolouring a bit of a “resist” for the water to move around.  

I coloured up the blooms with my Inktense pencils, because I really wanted some nice deep pigment.  


For the sentiment, I stamped and embossed some more of the flowers onto another piece of watercolour paper and then used my Hello There CutUps Die from TCP.  All I did was trim off the “there” from the sentiment and then cut it again in Crafters Foam so that I could stack it up.  I LOVE this crafters foam because one side of it is adhesive, so it works perfectly for little word dies.  

For the next sunflower design I went with a more impressionistic design.  



On this card I spritzed some watercolour paper, stamped the solid stamps for the sunflowers and  leaves, then moved the ink a little with my water brush.  After the whole panel was dry I embossed the gold outlines of the sunflowers on just a few of the flowers.  




For the sentiment I used the Sending CutUps Die, and embossed it by squishing it in a VersaMark pad and adding gold embossing powder on top.  I offset the Pool Party cardstock so that it would add a little colour behind the letters, and then added the Sunshine sentiment from TCP’s Sending You set.    A couple of sequins and some gold twine finish it off.  

There are lots of ways you can use embossing, so we hope you join us on the challenge as there’s only 1 week left!
Here are the 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 to see some more TCP Embossing inspiration here: 


Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
and Alma at the TCP Blog!

Friday, September 2, 2016

Peace Brother


So quickly life can change (just so you know, heartfelt personal post ahead).

August 12 found our family heading back home after a family reunion with my husband's siblings.  There were 24 of us there with 3 generations together, it was important time with family.  Driving back home means about 24 hours of driving time and we were about three hours from our house when I pulled out my phone and opened my email to learn that one of our dearest friends had suddenly passed away from a heart attack.  His name was Randy and he was just 54 years old.  He leaves behind a beautiful wife of 30 years and a 15 year old son.  I actually wrote about him in this gratitude post HERE in February as he spent the weekend with us at a conference at our Church.  After we found out the news of his death it was a whirlwind the next several days as we got kids where they needed to go and flew back down for the funeral.  

Randy's life impacted our lives in such profound ways, and his loss has shaken us.  I know that as we walk authentically through grief that God will meet us there, and more than anything else, as we do that, Randy's influence will live on.  I want the life he lived to continue to impact me, propel me, challenge me, deepen me.  But right now, we just miss him so much.  

So, even as I show you the card I made for his wife and son that we love, I'll tell you more about what made Randy so amazing, and how blessed we feel to have known him.  


Randy lived a life that engaged people to be authentic and deep.  He had this way of asking a level of question that was both challenging, encouraging and would have you pondering for days.  He chose to listen and value people and their stories, their journeys, and the experiences that made them unique.  When you were with Randy you felt like you mattered, your story mattered, your calling mattered, your future mattered, and not only that it mattered to him, he reminded you that it mattered deeply to God.  He was so willing to speak truth and hope, and also to get under your skin and make you uncomfortable.  He believed in us and mentored us, and walked this very real life in front of us at really significant moments in our lives.  He was an author, a runner, a coffee lover, a goofy and good friend, and built an leadership organization that put three important questions in front of thousands of people around North America through curriculum he wrote.  They are,  "Who is God', "Who am I", "What does God want to do through my life"...prompted by Ephesians 2:10; “For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Randy lived out love because he knew he was loved by Jesus.  

I wish we had more time.  I'm not ready for him to be gone.   And in the midst of it all, we feel so blessed for the time we had.  

So, that's why it's been quiet over here on the blog.  We're pondering and wrestling with a lot of things.  All good things, but they are hard things too.  



Randy had lots of signature phrases he'd use.  Everyone knew them, and they made him goofy and fun and real.  One of them was how he'd say "peace" and hold up his two fingers in the peace sign, it was sort of his little blessing he'd extend to others.  So, when I was putting together this card I had to include that word on it.  He extended peace to others, he dwelt in peace with God, he knows the full measure of peace now, and I know his wife and son are comforted by peace in these days.  


This was Randy running a marathon just 6 weeks before he passed away.  Look at that smile!  We sure loved him.  

Here’s the rest of the Power Poppy team bringing you inspiration today:

Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan


Stamps:  Power Poppy - Soothing Sympathy;  Paper:  XPress it Blending Cardstock, SU Pool Party, SU Barely Banana;  Accessories:  Copics:  Y11, Y21, Y23, Y26, BG11, BG000, YG41, YG45, YG00, MFT Scalloped Circle Die, Firefly Embossing Folder, Satin Ribbon, Corner Rounder.