Showing posts with label Christmas Corgis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Corgis. Show all posts

Monday

You Can Make This Glittery Village Slider Card!



Ho, ho, ho and Merry Christmas! This is Catherine Anderson, one of your new Instant Gardeners.

Are you all stocked up on Power Poppy stamps after our fabulous Christmas Remix? Wow, what a flurry of artistic designs that was! Sales, giveaways and surprises galore highlighted the release of spectacular new images, holiday favorites in digital format, and a glorious clear stamp set!

But there is one thing that is even more thrilling for colorers than buying new stamps...we love using them! So grab your Copic markers, colored pencils and Distress Inks. Today I am going to show you how to make your very own version of my Glittery Village slider card!


You will need:

Glittery Village digital stamp (printed at 165%)
Christmas Corgi digital stamp (printed at 100%)
Grandma's Snowflakes clear stamp set (for the sentiment and embroidery motif)







Hint, hint! These stamps are so adorable that you've probably already bought them, but if not, here's a little secret...Marcella currently has 20% off all holiday designs.

WOOHOO!

Two of the images for this card are digital, so if you shop fast, you can be merrily coloring within the next five minutes!

My finished card is 7 1/4" x 8 1/2"...a bit larger than A7, but with so much detail, you will be very glad to have a little extra room to move.

I used Cryogen Curious Metallic 89# cardstock in white. It is perfect for multimedia projects and has a subtle sparkle that makes holiday cards extra special! 

With a 1 5/8" circle die, cut a moon shape from "X-Press It Mask It" or some other masking film. Then mask the entire village area before applying regular Distress Ink in "Stormy Sky" and "Weathered Wood." Lightly spritz the background with water and pat dry after 20 seconds.

Before removing the mask, spatter the sky with thinned white and metallic gold acrylic paint for a shimmery mix of stars and snow!

Remove the masks.




Would you like to take your artistic coloring to new heights? Combine Copic markers with colored pencils! I learned this from Amy Shulke at Vanilla Arts and it is a match made in Heaven!

Compare the difference for yourself...the first photo is marker only:



     
 The second photo shows the village enhanced with Prismacolor pencils: 

         
Ah-hh! See the depth and richness that this extra step makes? Totally worth the effort!
kkkkk


What good is a canine delivery service without dog treats? Draw some simple 3/8" bone shapes on scrap cardstock, color and cut out. Seven was too many; five is enough.

Draw a couple of bones on the ground of the village. Color.



Print another copy of the Christmas Corgi the same size on inexpensive cardstock. Cut inside the line so that the image is slightly smaller than your colored version.

Cut three strips of clear cardstock (1/8" x 2 1/2") to act as invisible supports for the dog treats. Arrange them at various lengths, shortening strips as necessary. Once satisfied with their positioning, glue these strips to the back of your colored corgi.

Give your dog image extra stability by gluing the slightly smaller cardstock template to the back. This is especially important for those delicate antlers!


Cut the Glittery Village image down to 6" x 8 1/2" so it will fit through your die cutting machine.

A clear quilting ruler is your new best friend for getting metal dies lined up perfectly! Attach the die with low-tack washi or painter's tape.

TIP: Always stick the tape on your jeans or sweater a few times to make it less tacky. The last thing you want is for the tape to accidentally tear your beautiful coloring!


Now, this is the scary part! Run your project through the die cutting machine. Ouch! It hurts to cut something that you've just spent so much time on! Keep the end goal in mind...



Putz houses, the inspiration for Power Poppy's Glittery Village stamp, were little cardboard buildings purchased in dime stores during the 1940s. They were covered in glitter, so to keep mine authentic, I added a coat of clear "Wink of Stella."



This is a large card and will need to be very sturdy to support the slider mechanism. I wanted to add a decorative cardstock border to the top and bottom anyway, so cut my pieces large enough to glue the excess behind the image for stability.

By the way, this border cardstock is Cryogen Curious Metallic in "Lustre." Isn't it GORGEOUS? All the colors in that line are off the charts for beauty.

Measurements for the top and bottom borders:
Top: 1 1/4" x 8 1/2"
Bottom: 4 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Glue these to the back of the card front, making sure that you leave 3/4" of the border cardstock showing above the front of the image at the top, and 1" showing below the bottom. 

NOTE: Leave space around the die-cut area in order for the slider to move effortlessly. 



Measurement for the back cover of card and front cover liner:
Cut three pieces of Neenah Solar White cardstock (#110): 7 1/4" x 8 1/2"

Glue two pieces together as the card front is heavy and will bow the back cover if not reinforced.

The third piece of Neenah cardstock will be a liner for the front cover. Place the Glittery Village cover on top of this liner, then trace the opening for the slider. Mark where the moon will be.

Quickly add some Distress Ink for the sky and the same colors you used for the moon. Don't fuss...this is simply to prevent white paper from peeping through the slider hole.

(Front Cover Liner)

Then, glue the strip leftover from die-cutting your village scene to the traced lines on the liner. 


Edge the backside of the cover with THREE layers of 3M foam tape. Make a separate 5" strip of three layers and cut down the length to create three skinny strips. These are what you will use to line the outside of the slider hole.

Glue a 3-layered strip to the back of a penny.

NOTE: Leave enough room for the penny to be able to pass through this slider area without getting stuck.

You could use more foam tape as filler for where you see the black areas below, but it was cheaper to just glue together layers of fun foam instead. That foam may be a different height than three layers of the 3M tape. Make the heights as similar as possible. I used two layers of fun foam glued onto two layers of 110# cardstock.




Remove backing from the foam tape strips and add glue to the fun foam. Carefully line up the bottom of the card with the cover liner. Press the two together. Make sure that the penny stays in place. 

Note: I didn't add extra glue to the foam strips in this step, but doing so would have given me some wiggle room in case I had gotten the cardstock liner a little skewed. Tape alone will grip immediately and then tear the liner if you try to shift it.



Score two lines down the length of the top piece of Lustre cardstock at 1/4" and at 1/2". This card is extra thick because of the foam tape, so this "hinge" will allow it to fold perfectly. Glue your doubled piece of white Neenah cardstock to the back part of the hinge, as shown below.



Trace a mat from turquoise glitter paper that is slightly larger than the sentiment. Then add a piece of fun foam between the two layers to give your greeting extra POP!


Glue the corgi onto the penny. The foam strips already have an adhesive backing, but since this area will take the most stress, an extra dab of glue is a wise precaution. 

Glue small patches of white Prills and iridescent glitter onto the ground. Don't glue any Prills to the snow on the rooftop as this will prevent the slider from moving smoothly.


I added four pom-poms to the front of my card. They add such a cheery candy store vibe to the little Putz village, so I couldn't resist. However, pom-poms make mailing the card a wee bit more problematic. 

If you must send your card by post, be sure to secure the corgi. Move him to one end of the slider, then place a 1" x 16" paper band beneath his paws and tape it together on the back of the card . This will prevent damage from your little dog sliding unnecessarily during transit.

Without Pom-Poms

Ta-da! The finished card!

With Pom-Poms

Thank you so much for joining me on this creative adventure! If you'd like to see more of my artwork, please visit my Carde Diem Studio blog or Instagram.

In the meantime, keep a watchful eye on the sky this Christmas Eve. I heard rumors that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer has been reassigned to candy cane production and Marcella's corgi, Tibbs is taking over delivering treats. So listen carefully! If you hear, "Meowy Christmas and Yappy New Year" just smile and know that it's Tibbs.

May the Lord bless and keep you!
Catherine



Supplies For This Project:

Copic markers in the above colors.
Prismacolor Pencils: 

PC901 Indigo                                       PC1008 Parma Violet                 PC1026 Grayed Lavender
PC1076 90% French Gray                   PC928 Blush Pink                      PC912 Apple Green
PC1088 Muted Turquoise                    PC936 Slate Gray                       PC938 White
PC1011 Deco Yellow                           PC905 Aquamarine                    PC995 Mulberry
PC1072 50% French Gray                   PC931 Dark Purple                     PC122 Permanent Red


Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens:

Dark Emerald Green (for stippling bottle brush trees)
Light Pink (for stippling bottle brush trees)
Black (outline for stained glass windows on church)


Distress Inks (regular, not Oxide):

Stormy Sky
Weathered Wood


Acrylic Paints (I used Golden Fluid Acrylics):

Titanium White
Iridescent Bright Gold (Fine)


Cardstock and Masking Film:

Cryogen Curious Metallic 89# cover in White
Cryogen Curious Metallic 92# cover in Lustre
Neenah Classic Crest cover 110# in Solar White (doubled and used as a card base for strength)
X-Press It Mask It...low tack, matte masking film
Clear Cardstock from Heartfelt Creations (invisible braces to hold the dog treats)


Other Miscellaneous Supplies:

"Wink of Stella" brush pen in clear
"Prills" in "Mini Pearl"
Iridescent glitter (I used "Jones Tones Lazer Gems" in "Crystal Ice")
Clear drying glue
Scotch 3M 1/2" foam mounting tape (2 packages)
Sheet of Fun Foam
Craft Knife and Scissors
"Life Changing Blending Brushes" by Picket Fence
1 5/8" circle die (moon shape for mask)
Die cutting machine
4 Pom-poms in colors of choice (mine were approximately 1/2" and 5/8")
A penny
"Slide-On-Over Semi-Circles" die by Lawn Fawn
White water-based paint pen, extra fine point (I used Sharpie, but Posco is a good substitute)






Friday

The Last Bit of Vibes for 2018!


Hi-dee Ho Sweet Power Poppy Fans! It's Friday and I have to tell you, it's been a few weeks since we've thrown a handful of good vibes your way. So, I think I know the answer to the question, "Are you ready?" I know I am! Did you have a beautiful holiday and are you looking forward to ringing in the New Year? At Power Poppy, we sure are! And so, let's throw this last little bit of eye candy your way for 2018 to inspire you all as we step into a brand new calendar full of creativity!





1. Candy Crush! This creation by Lori Johnson took my breath away. I mean, come on! Look at the depth she created in this little duo of candy canes? And that plaid on the bow? I mean, really! Lori, you killed it girl! If you want to give this illustration a try with your own special twist of artistry, all you need to do is click HERE to pick up and download your own Candy Cane Classic! Christmas might be over but Candy Canes are always en vogue! ;-)

2. For the Love of Foil! Kelly Rix just discovered a wonder with digi stamps and we thought her results were so awesome, we had to share! Check out THIS creation! She used the Chickadee in Barberry digital stamp and discovered that if you print using a laser printer -- you can foil it! Just in case you want to get in the know on this fabulous technique, click HERE for a whole slew of tutorials on the Power Poppy blog about adding a splash of foil a.k.a. razzle dazzle to your cards and creations!

3. An Attitude of Gratitude This time of year it seems we need an abundance of "thank you" notes to have on hand. While Kathy Jones created this thank you for the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day -- a day to reflect on the sacrifice of so many called to fight for their countries -- I thought her design was so classic and beautiful. I love the stenciled backdrop and who doesn't just find their jaws dropping with Kathy's Copic coloring? I thought it was a great bit of inspiration for the sea of thank you notes that, if you're anything like me, probably need to start making soon!

4. Fur Real! A few weeks ago, we shared some well wishes for the talented Ms. Amy Shulke, who is recovering from an arm injury. It was so bad, it sidelined her online classes for a bit! We hope she's feeling better! Thankfully, her next class is on the calendar for January 18th.You can check it out HERE using Power Poppy's digital stamp Christmas Corgi and learn some mad skills on how to color up animal fur. If you can't make the class, Amy has some AMAZING tips on how to color animals realistically in her blog post HERE. She also kindly tells us all what to look for in an animal stamp, before we buy, to get the best possible coloring results!

5. Thanks for the 2018 Memories! I know I speak for Marcella when I say "Thank You!" to all of our fabulous Power Poppy Customers. You wow us on a regular basis with the things you do with Marcella's images. I know for a fact, she is 100% giddy whenever she sees your creative takes on things! We want to thank you, our wonderful customers for making this year --- and every year for that matter -- so fulfilling for all of us! Cheers to you in 2019! We can't wait to see the creative boundaries you'll break through this coming year! Can't wait!

This is normally part of the post where I share some of the wonderful links to our beloved Bloomies so that they can show off their works of art that they whipped up during the week. I am so glad to be able to say that they are taking some time off to be with loved ones and make some memories! They will all be back soon! Promise! Just so you know -- Inspire Me Monday is taking a creative hiatus until the first full week of January and our Creative Confetti Challenge will be back January 8th! So hold tight and know we....

WISH YOU A WONDERFULLY HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Until we meet again in 2019! Blessings to you and yours!
~Julie 

Tuesday

Givers Gonna Give!

Hello my sweet stamping friends! Today's bit of Creative Confetti is all about the cheer and more importantly... sharing it! It's why we love this craft --- to give a little bit of our (he)art with another human being! So, to capitalize on this, this week's challenge is all about throwing up the love, watching you grab it and give it to someone else! ;-) 


Just that simple! We also hope that as you are making it or after you make it you create some plans to actually give it to someone special!

On to my creation! 

If you checked in for yesterday's Inspire Me Monday, you saw this little guy dancing and prancing already! If not, you can click HERE for the full tutorial that showcases a little digital manipulation and masking to get the job done!


Like I mentioned yesterday, I made this little corgi bookmark for my darling daughter who needed one while she read her latest book for AP English. She adores Corgis and we always love on our neighbor dog Zeth. Isn't he the cutest??? This was him as a pup having a major war with some natural grass! Hehe!!


Here's a little closeup of my project to show off some the sparkle I added!


And that, my friends, is it! Like I mentioned, if you want details on this project just click over to yesterday's post and see all the little tips and tricks molded and folded into this project! ;-)

Now, since it's the first Tuesday of the month, that means we get to throw all the entries from last month's challenges into a virtual hat to see who will win our $25 shopping trip to the Power Poppy Shop! So, without further ado...



That means this month's lucky winner is.....


***  HEIDI JAKOBS!!  ***

And here's a glance at her beautiful work of art using Power Poppy's Glistening Paperwhites stamp set! Be still my heart! Love all the fussy cutting and the beautiful work with watercolor markers! We should mention, if you want to see the full project, simply visit her blog HERE! 


Heidi, to claim your prize, simply email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and we will get you your code to shop right away! Congrats and thank you so much for playing along and sharing this GORGEOUS work of art!

And that, my friends, is it!  We can't wait to see what you create to gift!  Once you're done, of course, be sure to link up your creation so that everyone can see your awesomeness! And, if you do, you'll be in the running for a $25 gift code to the Power Poppy Shop! One random winner is chosen every month. We could all use a little extra Power Poppy goodness, right? So dig out your favorite stamps create with a little random kindness in your heart and get those fingers inky! ;-)

Happy Stamping! 

~Julie
Creative Confetti Thrower


Monday

Doggone Good Project for Book Lovers!

Hi sweet peeps! Today, I have a fun little project that shows you one more way to put a twist on digital stamps! You know I love taking a digital stamp and making a few edits to maximize how I can use it. Recently, Marcella released a new digi that took one of the images from the Christmas Corgi clear set and made it a digital stamp -- or one you can instantly enjoy!


Recently, my daughter started reading a book for a school book report and told me she needed a bookmark. When I said I'd make her one, I asked if she had any requests. She said, "a Corgi bookmark!"

At first, I thought about making her a Christmas theme with the set Christmas Corgis but when Marcella released this latest digi, I knew exactly what I would do!



I started by opening up the image in Photoshop Elements and had one goal in mind -- erase those antlers! While they are darling, I thought it would be fun to have a little dancing Corgi bookmark! I started by using the ink dropper tool and clicking on the white background. From there, I clicked on the paintbrush and then instead of "erasing," I colored over the antlers to essentially erase them.



From there, I created a new file that was 2.5" wide by 5" long and started dragging and dropping the anter-less corgi onto the canvas....


In order to make sure the corgis were flip-flopped in different directions...


I clicked on "image," then clicked on "rotate" and "flip horizontal" to make the corgi move in the opposite direction.

The next step is coloring up my trio of fur balls! I printed and trimmed down to 2.5" by 5", adding a little paper piecing as well. I also knew that I wanted to create a little pizazz in my background, so I used my removable full sheet Avery labels and printed the image again to create a few masks.


After placing all the masks, I used Post-It Notes to mask the paper pierced edges. I wanted the outside portion of the paper piercing to remain white for a little extra pop.

When it came to the background, I took my inspiration from Amy Shulke's creation HERE, using two of the inks she did for her background - Weathered Wood and Stormy Sky Distress Inks - and adding Broken China. (Just an FYI, Amy has a class on how to color fur using Christmas Corgi -- click HERE to learn more!)


And this is what it looked like after sponging on the ink. I followed Amy's lead and used a little water to sprinkle on some water dots to give it that mottled look. Love that!


Then it was time to give these little guys some color, so I grabbed my Copic markers and went to town coloring! I used E31, E33, C1, R01, and E21.

After I was done coloring, I decided I wanted to add just a little more pizazz, so I grabbed Power Poppy's stamp set Small But Mightly Affirmations and decided to use the little hearts and starburst. Before I stamped, I put my masks back on so that none of the starbursts would be stamped over my already colored corgis.


And here's a look at my finished bookmark...


I did add a little sparkle thanks to a Gellyroll sparkle gel pen...


And that, my friends, is it! Add a little ribbon, a silver button and some twine and you're good to stick this little number in your next great read!

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I cooked up for you! I'll be back tomorrow with this week's Creative Confetti challenge! I have to warn you, my project today is a bit of a teaser for what's to come! ;-)

See you then!

~Julie

Inspire Me Monday: Christmas Corgis with Kathy, Julie, and Marcy


Happy Monday, all! It’s Marcella here, presenting a switcharoo on how we traditionally bring you Inspire Me Monday. Today we are featuring one stamp and three ladies’ crafty takes on coloring it up. In honor of the Daily Marker’s 30 Day Coloring Challenge, we aren’t even making cards, we’re just coloring for the pure pleasure of it. 

Come see what we’re up to with Christmas Corgis clear stamp set.

Kathy Racoosin, the Daily Marker

Kathy took our little leaping Corgi and put him on his tiptoes! What a clever idea. And then made a sign on which to place the sentiment, accented with a holly sprig. I wouldn’t have thought to do this in a million years. I guess that’s why we call this column, “Inspire Me Monday”. I love the playful arrangement of Kathy’s elements in the space, the doggie on his tiptoes draws your eye up to the sentiment, which even looks like it has marquee lights with her tiny white dots!


Another thing I'm loving about Kathy’s Corgi is the way she colored the fur. There is some seriously interesting texture happening - all created with light and shadow and fine strokes of her Copics. It’s like a reindeer and a Corgi went to the beauty shop and came out with this elegant coiffure.

Julie Koerber, the Bloom Brigade


Julie decided to color up her Christmas Corgi in classic “Pembroke Welsh Corgi” coloring, caramel and white. She grabbed a handful of Copies and used tiny quick strokes to bring out his fur and add wonderful shading.


As to the background, Jules didn’t know how she might use the little Corg in an upcoming card just yet, whether he would be prancing or splooting (when the dog is completely splayed out with paws fully extended out back, we call it a SPLOOT!), so she created a lovely versatile background that can go either way! So fun, simple, and quick... finished off with rosy cheeks for extra cuteness factor.

Marcella Hawley, Power Poppy


For our last example of Christmas Corgis, I got out my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. The giant mix of 150 colors was a bit of a splurge on Amazon, but I cannot tell you how worth it it is to have such a range of colors at your fingertips. I plucked out the following shades of brown, beige, and a bit of pink for the paws and insides of Tibbs’ ears.


I don’t know that I even used all of the browns... but I had them out in case I wanted to. I was sure to start with the lightest colors and build shading with each coat. I also followed the shading in the stamp to know where to put my shadows. Then I glanced over at Tibbs to get a good look at his unique coloring. Our Corgi Tibbs is a mix of Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and he has a blue merle coat on his back, which gives him some grey and black spotting.

For the background, I used two colored pencils: Pale Sage and Light Green. I thought they looked pretty against the caramels, greys, and ivory tones of Tibbs’ fur.


Lastly, I added “snow” using a white paint pen. It was being particularly gloppy today, but I decided that I like the variations in the dots! Happy accident strikes again.



In case you missed this pic in our newsletter.... it snowed here earlier this week!


It all melted within a few days, but gotta say that the snow helped me get into the holiday spirit. And I know that my Christmas Corgi had an absolute blast playing in it.

Well friends, that’s it for today! I sure hope you’re enjoying your Thanksgiving preparations and the big day itself. Much love from Power Poppy HQ.