Category: Simon Says Stamp!

Rowhouse Greetings | Polar Antics by Penny Black

Artic Antics by Penny Black

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Saturday was our first snowfall of the season. Not really much accumulation, but enough to remind me that winter is here. Despite a major kitchen renovation a couple of years ago, we still have issues with freezing pipes. So dipping temperatures means pulling out the space heater and letting the kitchen faucet drip to prevent any catastrophes. Although the snow is lovely, we’re also on high alert to make sure that our pipes stay intact.

We’ve started decorating the house for the holidays- lights in the flower box, candles in the windows, and a big, beautiful wreath on the door – but unlike many of our neighbors, we have yet to put up the tree. Our living room is small, but somehow we’ll fit a fully decorated tree and fourteen people in here for Christmas Eve dinner. However, some decluttering needs to happen before the tree comes up from the basement and I have to finish up coloring projects for that to happen.

In the meantime, I’ve been coloring snow and polar bears for holiday cards – part of getting into the Christmas spirit. You may have noticed that I’m teaching a class next week that features the Polar Bear Pals stamp set by My Favorite Things. Polar bears are quick and easy to color and can be done with a limited number of markers. Obviously, there’s no white Copic marker, so you “color” white by coloring the shadows, emphasizing contours and depth. I start with the lightest warm gray to map out the shadows and then add layers of the darker grays to create the contours. I completed the shadows with a light wash of E30 to make the grays even warmer. Throw in some miscellaneous colors for the packages and you have another holiday card ready to cheer someone’s day.

What’s on your craft table today?

SUPPLIES

Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer for free or at a discount. All other items were personally purchased. Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; X-Press It Blending Card by Copic; Holiday 6×6 paper pad by American Crafts; Scarlett Red Dot by Authentique (I used scraps of the solid red side of the paper).
Stamps: Artic Antics (*) by Penny Black; Boxed Greetings (*) by Paper Smooches; Believe by Penny Black (inside sentiment, not shown)
Inks: Memento in Tuxedo Black by Tsukineko; Versafine in Onyx Black by Tsukineko
Dies: Stitched Rectangles by Simon Says Stamp
Copics: W0, W1, W3, E30, 0 (bear); C0, C1, C3, R35, R46, R56, R59 (scarf); YG03, YG05, YG09, Y02, Y15, Y19, B24, B28, R35, R46, R56 (gifts); BV000, BG0000, BG10, B000 (snow/shadow)

Rowhouse Greetings | Jingle All the Way by My Favorite Things

Jingle All the Way by My Favorite Things

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Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to get serious about making holiday cards. Last year, my husband went out and bought cards because I didn’t get enough ready in time for him to send out. This year, I am determined to have some ready for him to send out.

So I’ve got a production line going – so far ten cards (five variations on a design) are stamped, colored, glued, and ready to go. This is the first of the designs featuring the Jingle All the Way stamp set (with coordinating dies) from My Favorite Things. I love the whimsy of this stamp set and paired it with an equally whimsical paper by Doodlebug.

I may show the other variations in later posts. Or not! Got to have a few surprises to put in the mail.

Supplies

Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer for free or at a discount. All other items were personally purchased. Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White #80; X-Press It Blending Card by Copic; ‘Tis the Season from the Here Comes Santa Claus Collection by Doodlebug;
Stamps: Jingle All the Way by My Favorite Things; Hand-Lettered Christmas by My Favorite Things
Inks: Versafine in Onyz Black and Memento in Tuxedo Black, both by Tsukineko
Dies: Stitched Rectangles by Simon Says Stamp; Jingle All the Way Coordinating Die Set by My Favorite Things
Copics: R22, R35, R46, R56, R59, YG06, YG09, G09, Y02, Y15, Y19

Rowhouse Greetings | Autumn's Opulence by Power Poppy

Autumn’s Opulence by Power Poppy

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Welcome back to Rowhouse Greetings! I’m here with another new digital release from Power Poppy called Autumn’s Opulence. You can tell that Marcella had bouquets on the brain – she put this stamp together just before her wedding. Mum’s definitely the word when you color up this opulent fall bouquet — three mums, to be precise. Add in a mixture of fall favorites like Asters, Daisies, Oak Leaves, and Berries, and you have a large-scale image that’s ideal when used on big, bold cards! The set also includes two autumn sentiments.

Rowhouse Greetings | Autumn's Opulence by Power Poppy

When designing my card, I cropped the image, using just the lower portion of the stamp. The result is still as exuberant as the full image. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when coloring bold images like this. I break it down by coloring all of the same type – all the berries, all the asters, just the leaves, etc.  I also try to carry over colors from one element to the next to help tie them together. For example, the yellows and red in the mums and berries are repeated in the oak leaves and flower centers. In the end, it all comes together in one fabulous mix of colors for the fall season.

What challenges do you face when coloring? Where do you get stuck? What do you do to overcome the problem? Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear what you think. I read and appreciate every note!

Supplies

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; X-Press It Blending Card by Copic; Micro Basics Midnight Blue Dot by Authentique; Bazzill Basics in Yam
Stamp:Autumn’s Opulence (*) by Power Poppy
Dies: Stitched Rectangles by Simon Says Stamp
Copics: B60, B63, B66, B69, V01 (aster petals) V04, V09, YR16, Y02, Y19 (aster centers); B000, BG20, BV000, Y02 (daisy petals); E25, YR16, Y02, Y19 (daisy centers); R35, R46, R59 (berries); Y02, Y15, Y19, YR16, E07, E25, BV23 (oak leaves); YG03, YG17, YG21, YG67 (greenery); Y02, Y15, Y19, YR16, E07 (chrysanthemums)

Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer for free or at a discount. All other items were personally purchased.

Rowhouse Greetings | Asters Abuzz by Power Poppy

Marcy’s Tying the Knot!

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Marcy & Doug are Tying the Knot!Have you heard the news? Power Poppy’s Peep in Chief Marcella Hawley is getting married! TOMORROW! So we’re having a special Power Poppy wedding hop today to celebrate her special day. We know that she’s just agog with all the last minute preparations so we’re giving her a moment to put up her feet, give Power Puppy Tibbs an ear scritch, and take a deep breath before the big day. Come along and take a look at the special cards that we’ve put together today in her honor.

Somehow, I suspect that Marcy won’t be a traditional bride. While I’m sure there will be lots of flowers and lots of love on her big day, designing a traditional wedding card with hearts and lace just didn’t seem the way to go. So I decided to use the Aster’s Abuzz Digital Stamp – its explosion of wild flowers and bees just seemed to capture what I think will be the mood of the day – eclectic, electric, and just bursting with energy.

Rowhouse Greetings | Asters Abuzz by Power Poppy

Rowhouse Greetings | Asters Abuzz by Power Poppy

Rowhouse Greetings | Asters Abuzz by Power Poppy

So Marcy – all the best to you and Douglas on your wedding day! We can’t wait to hear all about it and see all the photos. In the meantime, take a look at what Team Power Poppy has in store for you!

Bloom Brigade
Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Instant Gardeners
Jennifer Dove
Broni Holcombe
Cheryl Scrivens
Barb Walker
Nancy Sheads (that’s me!)
Jessie Banks
Elizabeth Zaffarano

Be sure to stop by the Power Poppy Blog and leave a congratulatory note for the bride and groom!

Supplies

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; X-Press It Blending Card by Copics; Sweetie Six from Authentic; Bazzill Basics in African Daisy
Stamps: Asters Abuzz Digital Stamp Set, Dahlia XL (*) (front sentiment) and Gladioli Digital Stamp Set (inside sentiment) all by Power Poppy
Dies: Stitched Rectangles by Simon Says Stamp
Copics: BV02, BV13, BV17, V04; G20, G21, G24, G28 (thyme); Y02, Y15, Y19 E23, R05 (asters centers); B0000, BG10, BV000, RV10 (asters petals); YG21, YG23, Y02 (bee body); B000, BG10, BV000, RV10 (bee wings); RV10, RV13, RV17, RV19 (clover flowers); YG21, YG23, YG25, G28 (stems and clover); B0000, B000, B00, Y02 (background)

Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer for free or at a discount. All other items were personally purchased.

Rowhouse Greetings | Merriest Berries by Power Poppy

Merriest Berries from Power Poppy!

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings6 Comments

Good golly Miss Molly! The Instant Gardeners are back with another digital stamp release from Power Poppy. And what a treat it is! Three berry-ful options await with this festive holiday set. A bubbling cluster of Holly and Mistletoe overflows with berries, all resting on a bed of ribbon. Whether you choose the bow, the dovetails, or the candy cane option, you are guaranteed to have a good time coloring this one up. Don’t worry about which berries belong to the Holly and which go with the Mistletoe, but rather, have fun using whichever tones float your holiday-happy heart! A “Merriest Wishes” sentiment is available as a complete whole, and as individual words, to add variety to your card making.

We also have a new member in the Instant Gardener team – Elizabeth Zaffarano – who you probably know from her fabulous cards on Instagram and her blog. Be sure to give her a big welcome. And while you’re at it, take a look at what the other Instant Gardeners have for you today and be sure to stop by the Power Poppy blog for some instant inspiration!

Jesse Banks
Jennifer Dove
Broni Holcombe
Nancy Sheads (me!)
Rhea Weigand
Elizabeth Zaffarano

Supplies

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; X-Press It Blending Card by Copic; Bazzill cardstock in Red Devil and Kiwi Crush; Black Dot (reverse is gingham) by American Crafts
Stamps: Merriest Berries (*) by Power Poppy
Dies: A2 Fancy Ribbon Threader by Spellbinders; Stitched Squares by Simon Says Stamp
Copics: R35, R46, R56, C1, C3 (candy cane); G20, G21, G24, G28 (mistletoe leaves); B0000, B000, BG10, V04, V20 (mistletoe berries); for G20, G40, G43, G24 (holly leaves); R35, R46, R56 (holly berries); Y00, Y02, Y15, YR23 (ribbon); B0000, B000, BG10, V20 (background); BV20 (shading).

Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.