Marcella is Tying the Knot Hop!

Hello there and a Happy Friday to you!  We have a very exciting surprise for our dear Marcella today!  While she has been zipping around making the final preparations for her dreamy wedding to the even dreamier Doug, the Bloomies and the Instant Gardeners have been planning a surprise wedding blog hop in her honor.  Today's post is all about showering the Bloom Whisperer herself with much love and endless well wishes for her wedding day.  The countdown is on, and tomorrow is going to get here quick....so let's hop, shall we? :)

Don't you just l-o-v-e the beautiful illustration Marcella created for their wedding invitations?  I have never seen anything as beautiful as this image....and you can tell she is quite smitten with her moto-man, can't you?  :)

For my card today, I chose to use the stunning Daffodils stamp set for my image and the My English Rose stamp set for the sentiment.  I know these blooms have a special place in our dear Marcella's heart and I wanted to color them up for her wedding card today.  I paired it with the die set of all die sets...the one I only allow myself to use for very special occasions (or I would use it every. single. time.)....my most treasured die set for sure, Anja's Squares by Marianne Designs.  I still get giddy every time I pull her out to make a card.  Sigh....

I started by stamping my image with Memento's Tuxedo Black ink onto white card stock, colored it up with lots of Copics and added some shimmer with a Wink of Stella clear brush pen.  Next, I stamped my sentiment using three different green inks to give it a gradient look.   Then I die cut the image out and set it aside.  I used two scallop circle die cuts to layer behind my image panel and then layered my card base with white card stock and some green gingham patterned paper.  I also used lots of foam dimensionals in the layers.

I can never get enough of Marcella's amazing details in her images, and these daffodils are among my favorites of all time.  I am hoping this bouquet will remind our beautiful bride how very much she is loved... 

Dearest Marcy...I cannot tell you how thrilled I am for you and Doug.  To be able to marry the man of your dreams...your best friend....the love of your life....what a blessing.  Yours is one of the sweetest of love stories and I know that together you and Doug will write page after page, and chapter after chapter of beautiful memories.  Sending you so much love on your special day, my dear friend.

Does anyone have a tissue?  :)  Happy tears for sure!  So that is all for my card today but I cannot wait for you (and for me too) to see all of the lovely creations by my Bloomie and IG sisters....mercy, there will not be a dry eye anywhere, will there?  :)  Make sure you leave a little blog love along the way and also, please make sure you pop over to the Power Poppy Blog to leave your own special wedding wishes to our darling Marcella. I am so glad you were able to stop by today and I hope to see you around again soon.  Until then, take care!

~Katie

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims <------You are here
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Jennifer Dove
Broni Holcombe
Cheryl Scrivens
Barb Walker
Nancy Sheads
Jessie Banks
Elizabeth Zaffarano

Copic colors used: YG11, YG13, YG17, YG21, G29, YR0000, YR20, YR23, YR24, YR27, BG0000, BG000, BG01, B60, B63, B66, B69, R01, R02, R05, R08, E0000, E40, E41, E43, E44, E50, E51, E55, E57, E93, E95, E97, and  E99.

Happy Power Poppy Friday with Daffodils!

Hi there and Happy Friday to you!  I hope this post finds you doing well!  Have you been getting any of the warmer than normal weather lately?  We sure have!  It's not even March and tulip trees are blooming everywhere and the daffodils are up...which inspired me to pull out Power Poppy's Daffodils stamp set for my card this week.  I decided to make a round scalloped shape card and use colored card stocks to mimic the colors I used in my daffodils.  

I started by stamping the daffodil image and my sentiment from the  Bloomin' Wonderful stamp set with Memento's Tuxedo Black ink on a circle card stock die cut.  After coloring my image with Copics, I added some shimmer with a clear Wink of Stella pen and some Martha Stewart glitter, then edged my die cut panel with a Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing pen.  I sanded it a teeny bit afterwards to age the finish somewhat  then added some pearls.  The rest of my card consists of several layers that I die cut using different shapes to give the card some texture and depth.  I sponged on some Papertrey Ink Chamomile and Chai inks to age the papers and then assembled all of the layers, using foam dimensionals to pop up some of them.

I believe I managed to capture a little of the glitter in some of the photos.  I can never get over all of the little extra details Marcella puts in to each of her images....truly amazing and always a dream to color! :)

Happy Spring to you!  I hope you have been fortunate enough to have some pretty weather in your area...even if it is a little early!  

Well, that is all for my card today, but several of my amazing Bloomie sisters have some Friday inspiration just waiting for you to see, so make sure you check them all out and leave a little blog love while you are there.  So glad you could stop by for a visit and I hope you find your way back here again soon.  It won't be long until Power Poppy's March stamp release begins....Marcella has some incredible things coming!  Hope you have a great weekend and until next time, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 

Cindy Lawrence      
Katie Sims <------You are here 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker

~Katie

Supplies not listed above:  Paper-cardstocks in yellow, orange, and rustic white from Papertrey Ink, polka dot patterned paper from My Mind's Eye's "The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine" 6x6 paper pad; Other-Pearls from SU!, Spellbinder die sets in Grand Circle, Grand Scalloped Circle, Standard Circle Large and these Copic colors:  Y11, Y15, Y19, Y32, Y35, YG21, YG23, YG25, YG63, G28, B0000, B000, B00, B01, B60, B63, B66, B69, YR02, YR04, YR07, E0000, E00, E08, E33, E39, E40, E41, E42, E44, E50, E53, E55, E93, E95, E99, and W2.

A Guest Post, A Birthday, AND a new Power & Spark Challenge, Oh YAY!

Hi there and a very happy Friday to you, dear friend!  I hope you have been doing well and I'm so glad you could pop in today....I have lots of news to share with you!  For today's post, I am participating in Becky Fleck's PageMaps April card sketch event.  This is a first for me and I am so honored to get to be a part of this....if you haven't discovered PageMaps yet, let me tell you....you really should check this site out....more creative page and card sketches than you can shake a stick at!  (Southern to English translation = a whole bunch of sketches!! ;) )  Here is a link to the PageMaps blog too!  So below is the sketch that I was given and as you will be able to see....I stayed very true to the sketch design....

When I saw all of those little bits I couldn't help but think of lots of little tags, so that is how I started and then I added the circles highlighting different blooms from Marcella's incredibly gorgeous Daffodils stamp set.  

I used an embossing folder to give some texture to the yellow background and then die cut my tags from some patterned papers out of Simple Stories' SN@P color vibe 6x6 paper pad.  I did a little stitching around where I wanted my daffodil blooms to go and also some zigzag at the seam.  Next I stamped a faint image of the same stamp and then my sentiment from one of the newest stamp sets, Bloomin' Wonderful.  Here is a little close up of Marcella's gorgeous daffodils.  I know she made many happy hearts when she created this lovely set.....

I am always in awe of how much detail Marcella can pack in to a single bloom...simply amazing!  And speaking of amazing.....can you believe that  Marcella's Power Poppy is turning 2?!  

Isn't she the cutest thing?!  Yes, it has been two years since this all of this blooming goodness started!  In honor of the big day, Marcella has planned a special sale AND a special digital image!  How about this for a darling birthday image?  On top of everything else, she can bake too!  ;)  Just take a lookie at these sweet words from the Bloom Whisperer, herself.......

Power Poppy is turning 2. WOOHOO! We want to THANK YOU, our sweet and encouraging peeps around the world, for helping us spread the botanical abundance and zest for life. Your creativity, love, and generosity of spirit is SO STRONG! We are thrilled to kick off another year of flowering and empowering together. 

From Friday through Monday we're offering 20% OFF all Stamps, Digital and Clear. Use discount code: MARCELLA at checkout to receive the special savings. PLUS, for four days only we have a special birthday digi for only TWO BUCKS! Visit Power Poppy to learn more.

AND, if that were not enough, its also time for a new Power & Spark Challenge.  This one is hosted by the incredibly talented and even sweeter Christine Okken.  

This awesome challenge a few different levels to it...you get to choose just how creative and brave you want to be.....intrigued?  Well, make sure you check this one out over on the Power Poppy blog  :)  

Whew!  As you can see.....lots going on at Bloom Central!  I am so glad you stopped by today.  Many of my Bloomie sisters have created all sorts of beautiful cards in celebration of all of these events so make sure you check them all out and leave a little blog love while you are there.  I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing weekend and manage a little crafty time too!  Until next time, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 

Cindy Lawrence    
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
Cheryl Scrivens
and Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies not listed above:  Ink-  Memento's Tuxedo Black and Papertrey Ink's Classic Kraft, Chamomile, and Chai inks:  Paper-Rustic White and Lemon Tart card stocks from Papertrey Ink; Other- Embossing folder from Lifestyle Crafts, tag dies from Papertrey Ink,  3/8" corner rounder from We R Memory Keepers and these Copic colors:  Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, YR18, YR65, YR68, E18, and E35.

Power Poppy's April Blog Hop!

Hey there friends!  I am so glad to see you back today for Power Poppy's April Blog Hop!  The Bloom Brigade is all together today to give you one last look at the stamp sets in Marcella's Scents and Sensibility Collection.  Do you think your heart can take one more hop?  And even better....all of the stamps are available today in Power Poppy's store!  So wait no more, go forth and grab up all three of these gorgeous sets and add them to your own personal garden today!  ;)  But before you do, can I show you my card?  I chose to use the Daffodils set for today's hop...

When I saw that glorious bouquet of daffodils, I knew that was the one for me.  I mean, the whole set is amazing, but I just knew I had to color that bouquet up.  And I also knew I would probably end up using most of the Copic markers in my bag....lol.  I wanted to make a wide variation of colors in the bouquet so that calls for extra markers, right?  ;)

I wanted the entire focus to be on this beautiful bouquet so I kept the card layering to a minimum (for me, anyway) and amped up the color on my image.  I will admit I spent a good little while coloring up this image, but I think most of the time was spent ogling all of the daffodil varieties online trying to decide how I wanted to color each one. I stamped my image on to white card stock with Memento's Tuxedo Black ink and then set in to coloring.  Once I was done, I die cut my image and sponged on some Ranger Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass.  Next I stamped my sentiment, die cut it out, sponged on more of the distress ink and layered it with another die cut.  For my card I embossed a piece of yellow patterned paper, sanded it a bit, and then added a strip of blue patterned paper and some die cut edging that resembled a postage stamp.  I added my stitching and then adhered it to my card base.  Finally, I added my image panel and sentiment panel and hit some of the blooms with my Wink of Stella Clear Glitter pen for some sparkle.  

And there they all are, with all of that Marcella incredible detail, sending daffodil hugs to you!  :) I love this sentiment....I am SO a hugger, so I'll be using this sentiment often and sending hugs all over the place!   Oh, and lest I forget the Grape Hyacinth....no small players in this bouquet for sure!  I love the contrast that they bring with the many varieties of daffodils and jonquils...all so beautifully orchestrated by our floral conductor, Marcella.   In fact, if you listen close....I'll bet you can hear Vivaldi's "Spring" right now... ;)  

Well, that is all for my card today but the rest of the Bloom Brigade has the most beautiful things to show you for this last hurrah, so please make sure to hop around and see for yourself.  And....once you're done a-hoppin' you can go a-shoppin' because like I said before, all of these amazing sets are available today!  Thank you so much for stopping by today and for all of your sweet comments.  I always enjoy our visits!  Oh, and Power Poppy will be having their next Power and Spark Challenge coming soon....you don't want to miss that!  So, until next time, take care!  :)

Allison Cope 

Christine Okken 

Cindy Lawrence  
Dawn Burnworth  
Julie Koerber 
Kathy Jones 
Katie Sims <------You are here
Leslie Miller 
Stacy Morgan 
Tosha Leyendekker
and Marcella Hawley

~Katie

Supplies:  Paper-Naturals White card stock from Stampin' Up!, Classic White card stock from Flourishes, Patterned papers from Carta Bella's "Traditions" 6x6 paper pad; Ink-Memento's Tuxedo Black ink, Papertrey Ink's Chamomile and Chai inks, Ranger Distress ink in Tumbled Glass; Other-Wood grain impression plate from PTI, Spellbinders dies in Classic Square Large, Classic Circles Small,  A2 Fancy Postage Edge, and Lacey Circles and these Copic colors:  YG21, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91, B21, B26, B28, B63, E000, E01, E40, E43, E44, E57, E59, E93, E97, Y00, Y04, Y08, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, Y18, Y19, Y21, Y23, Y26, Y32, Y38, YR18, YR27, YR30, YR31, and YR27.