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Sunday, May 15, 2016

Seeds of Today

Hello, dear friends! Can you believe it's already the middle of May? School will be out soon, and it's time for graduation. With that in mind, I get to share the brand new Instant Garden digital image from Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley called Seeds of Today.
A daisy-like trailing vine sprouts from a flowerpot, twisting and curling around a very special sentiment in this new illustration from my imagination. But I give you the choice here to use the image with or without the sentiment provided, and you can swap it out for anything in your stash! If you do choose to keep the "seeds of today" quote, you may want to use the other sentiment in this set to congratulate a new graduate. Enjoy!
Power Poppy, Marcella Hawley, Seeds of Today, Instant Garden Digital Release, May 2016

Before I decided to use the full image with the sentiment, I did try a number of sentiments from my clear stamps that worked (depending on the size you make this image). So this new digital set has a lot of possibilities. I started with a pretty piece of plaid paper to use as my color palette and decided to use a new die set with the mini scallops that I thought looked pretty and delicate. And how could I pass up paper piecing, right? Hehe! As always, I auditioned my image (after making a quick color copy of it) and decided to add a bow and some buttons. I used one of my Copic markers to color white seam binding, and the tip about coloring it is to use a piece of plastic similar to what you use with the Stamp-a-ma-jig and then keep coloring with the chisel end and don't let it dry -- otherwise, you will end up with color changes. 

So here she is, and I hope you like it. I really fussed around with the layout, and it usually takes me longer to decide how to put a card together than to color it! Ah, well, at least I finished it, and I always enjoy making a card.


Power Poppy, Marcella Hawley, Seeds of Today, Instant Garden Digital Image, CherylQuilts, Designed by Cheryl Scrivens, May 2016

This lovely pot with the flowering vine reminds me of what Paul says about how he planted the seed by sharing God's Word and that another co-worker Apollos watered the seed by the works he did. But it is always God Who brings His Word alive in our hearts. We might say that God causes His love to bloom in our hearts and gives us life. Then He allows us to shine so that others might see His mighty works.

I planted the seed,
Apollos watered it,
but God has been making it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6


Now it's time to visit some of the Instant Gardeners for more inspiration. After that, I'm sure you stampers will definitely want to hop over to Power Poppy to purchase this new digital release to use today. Don't forget to check out the entire digital collection that keeps growing. And stop by the Power Poppy blog to read and see what Marcy has to say about this image and about her creative journey from years past...fascinating!
Thank you ever so much for visiting and sharing a comment, thought, or question. I love hearing from you and am always happy to answer questions, so please don't hesitate to email me. I love to help whenever I can. (I am entering this in this week's Word Art Wednesday challenge and in Simon Says: Flowers Challenge.) 

Blessings,


Stamps:  Seeds of Today (Power Poppy) 
Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Blue Bayou (SU), Subtle Plaids paper pack (MFT), white textured paper (Bazzill)
Ink: None (printer)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Scalloped Circle Layering dies (Tonic), Ocean Tides buttons (PTI), seam binding dyed with Copic BG72, white DMC floss, Perfect Layers tool, piercing tool, Zots adhesive dots, red tape
Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word, paper piercing, fussy cutting
Card Size:  5¾” square

Thursday, May 05, 2016

Peony Love

Hello, dear friends! Did you have a wonderful May Day? It was a beautiful day here in South Florida, and I know everyone is looking forward to seeing more beautiful flowers grow, even up north. Today I'm sharing a card using the remixed digital set from Power Poppy called Peony Love, and it's just in time for Mother's Day.
"By now most folks know that I am a peony lover from way back. This myriad of peonies in this halo was inspired by those hybridized by the Klehm family. I designed and illustrated mail order catalogs staring in the early '90s for these renowned plantsmen, Klehm's Song Sparrow Farm & Nursery, and learned so much from rare and wonderful plants from this experience! This circle of peonies includes various forms you might find in an heirloom garden: single and Japanese types, bobs and doubles. This image is rather large at 4.125" and can be sized down, but I wanted to leave it pretty large so all petals could get some coloring love! Complete with two sentiments and a small accent peony. Also there is an alternate version of "World's Most Awesome Mom" -- using "Mum" for our friends up north, across the pond, and way over on the other side of the world!"
Power Poppy, Marcella Hawley, Peony Love, Remixed Digital Release, May 2016

When you see my card, you are going to wonder: "Where is the wreath?" Wanting to show my stamping friends that you can watercolor using digital images (easily), I decided to use the small accent peony. I enlarged the single peony and added my sentiment (in Microsoft Word). If you want to move the sentiment closer to the image, you will have to use a photo-editing program to remove the backgrounds (as I did by using GIMP). Once I was happy with the size and placement, I printed it on watercolor paper. I used yellow FrogTape to secure all the sides to my cutting mat, gently rubbed a Sanford Magic Rub eraser across the entire image, sweeping away the eraser crumbs. (Before you apply the FrogTape, press it on your clothes a couple of times to reduce the amount of adhesive to keep it from tearing your paper when removed.) Then I started to color, doing one section at a time. Since this is only the second watercolor card I've posted, it's clearly not my best work (and I'm not a watercolorist by any stretch). However, I love watercoloring, and this was an experiment on how the watercolors worked using my HP PhotoSmart 7510 inkjet printer. I would encourage you to try yours. So here she is with sequins and all -- hehe!


Power Poppy, Marcella Hawley, Peony Love, Digital Remixed Image, CherylQuilts, Designed by Cheryl Scrivens, May 2016

Sunday is Mother's Day, and I remember how much my mom loved flowers! Each spring on hands and knees she would prepare the flower beds and plant lots of beautiful flowers. She loved to make her house beautiful inside and outside -- and I miss her and have deep, loving memories of her. But she is with Jesus now, and I have the assurance from God's Word that I will see her again because of her faith in Jesus. I know that in the same way a beautiful flower springs from a seed, we will be given new, perfect bodies when united with Jesus in Heaven.

Every time you plant seed, you sow something that does not come to life
[germinating, springing up, and growing] unless it first dies.
1 Corinthians 15:36 (Amplified Bible)

Be sure to visit Power Poppy blog to see some of my other teammates have in store for you. For my stamping friends, you might want to hop over to Power Poppy to purchase this new digital set to use today -- just in time for Mother's Day or for that special friend in your life. And it's so exciting to see the digital collection continue to grow -- such fun!

As always, thank you so much for visiting with me. You always delight my heart with your precious comments. I am always happy to answer questions -- especially since you may have questions about watercoloring using digital images. Please don't hesitate to email me. (I am entering this card in the current Word Art Wednesday challenge.) 

Blessings,


Card One:
Stamps:  Peony Love (Power Poppy) 
Paper: Watercolor paper, White (PTI), Cool Caribbean (SU)
Ink: None (printer)
Tools/Accessories: Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, and Broken China), aqua brush, FrogTape (yellow), Sanford Magic Rub eraser, Sweetheart Mix sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Perfect Layers tool, Irresistible Pico Embellisher adhesive
Techniques: Digital images using GIMP and Microsoft Word
Card Size:  A-2