A Sad Farewell

This is one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to write in terms of BFS, but it's come to a point where I must close the business. Many of you know that my son was critically wounded in the war in Afghanistan.   Because he has had half of his brain removed, I have been his caregiver for the last 10 years. 6 years ago we were in a good place and I figured things were well enough for me to start Blue Fern Studios. Unfortunately things changed a few years ago when my son had brain surgery that ended up with many complications that continue to this day. Due to this, I have found it harder and harder to keep up with the day to day operations of running a business. My son has to be my main focus and although it was a very tough decision to make - I have decided to close Blue Fern Studios.   I want to thank everyone for their patronage through the years. It had been a long time dream to be a wholesaler in this industry and you ALL helped me to make it a success! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I also want to give a huge shout out to Valerie Serfozo (my right hand woman in all ways) and Michele Singh (our talented product designer). None of this would have been possible without the two of you! I also want to thank ALL of our current and past designers.  You all are so talented and helped us grow immensely through the years.  We wouldn't be here without all of you! Leslie

August Inspirations by Jennifer Jacques

Hello fanatics!

It's my turn on the blog today and I have my usual  3 layouts for you!

3 layouts, 3 different collections :)

First of all, I will start with a Remnants layout.

"Vignette" paper is my background on which I applied clear gesso, paste with a stencil and finally added some sprays and splatters.  To add more texture, some random stamping with Grungy grid stamp.

The Butterfly grid was covered with black gesso and some wax.  In layers, some flairs through my Blue Fern Studios flowers like Spring florals and some Spring peony & berries.  I've completed with some other flowers from my stash and small ornements.  Also used Devonshire paper to die-cut my leaves ;)

My title came from the chippies set Seasons and was perfect for a lilac picture from my backyard.

Simply embossed it with the magnificent Amethyst embossing powder.  As a final touch, some Tickled seedlings :)

Blue Fern products used on this layout

Papers: Collection Remnants

-Vignette

-Devonshire

Chipboards

-Butterfly grid

-Seasons

Stamps

-Grungy grid

Embossing Powder

-Amethyst

Seedlings

-Tickled

Flowers
-Spring Florals
-Spring peony and berries

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Here is an old-fashioned layout for me: no mixedmedia here!
With the beautiful In the mood collection :)

The background is Peaceful paper and I've made some tags out of Ecstatic and Pensive papers.  You can see them better just below.  The title is from Arrow words chippies set and was covered with black gesso and waxes.  Below the red tag, you can see that I've used the border of Lace #2 to add dimensions to my layout.

Above, I've placed some die-cut doilies under my clustering and 

embossed 2 of them with Pink Dust embossing powder.

Below, I've completed my flower clustering with  Natural Sprigs set and choose to embossed them with one of my favorite green color for leaves and that is Forest embossing powder.

Also done some random stamping on my background with my favorite stamp: Tattered Newsprint.

Blue Fern products used on this layout

Papers: Collection In the mood

-Peaceful

-Ecstatic

-Pensive

Chipboards

-Arrow words

-Natural sprigs set

Stamps

-Tattered Newsprint

Embossing Powder

-Forest

-Pink Dust

Lace

-#2

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Last but not least, with the latest collection that I've had on hands...  

By the way, can't wait to have Happy collection 2!!!!

Tattered Walls collection layout :)

The Sun Room is my background here.  Clear gesso, watercoloring, splatters and some white embossed stamping with Tattered Newsprint stamp again (told you it was my fav ;) and Snow EP.

You can barely see under that I've placed my focal point on Screen panel piece which is simply covered with white gesso.    Some Doodle Flowers chippies are embossed with  It's a girl EP, a soft pink glittery embossing powder.  This beautiful fuschia flower came from Heartland Blossoms.

Here, the pink flowers are Remnants blooms and the whites are from 2 different sets: 

Christmas blooms and Garden blooms.  

The delicate leaves are die-cut pieces from The Garage paper.

The title is from Tattered walls ephemeras.  You can also see some other pieces on my picture's right side.  In some places, also tucked in some Burgundy Lace 10 flowers.

Blue Fern products used on this layout

Papers: Collection Tattered Walls

-The Sun room

-The Garage

Chipboards

-Screen panel

-Doodle Flowers

Embossing Powder

-It's a girl

-Snow

Lace

-Burgundy Lace 10

Flowers
-Heartland Blossoms
-Remnants blooms
Christmas blooms
Garden Blooms

Stamp
-Tattered Newsprint

***

That's it for me!
See you next month!

August Inspiration - Megan Gourlay

Hi Everyone :)

Today I have 3 projects to share with you, one using the Wanderlust Collection and the other using the In the Mood collection.

My first project is a layout that uses lots of layers of printed and altered chipboard. My base piece of paper is Ocean Voyage.  Ive used two different stencils with texture paste and watered down different paint colours for added colour.  Some random stamping using archival ink over the background finished my base layer.

My Beaded Circles chipboard has simply been painted, and then added some muslin this has also been coloured to match.  My two chipboard titles have been embossed with Wheat, and a few seedlings sprinkled around finished my layout.

Products Used

Patterned Paper: 

Wanderlust - Ocean Voyage

Printed Chipboard:

Wanderlust

Ephemera:

Tattered Walls

Embossing Powder:

Wheat

Glitter:

Russet

Stamps:

Tattered Newsprint

Journey

Seedlings:

Twig

Chipboard:

Beaded Circles

You Make Me Smile

My next project is in two parts, a little luggage trunk and a mini album.  The mini album is tiny, and fits 3x4 photos.  Both projects use In the Mood papers and printed chipboard.  This would make a fab wedding gift, or valentines day present don't you think?!

The I Love You printed chipboard was the perfect size for the front cover of my album, and because both projects are tiny, the cover needed to be flat to allow it fit in the trunk.

The mini album has a 1.75" spine with the binding being able to hold two 'signatures' - those two signatures contain a belly band, accordion fold page and a pocket.  The entire album holds 10 photos with room for journalling.

Ive used Lace 10 - the pink piece - to decorate the inside, and hide the prongs of the brads where they attach to the lid.

The detail on the lid is created by layering three layers of printed chipboard pieces.  The top piece, the heart, I have painted and while still wet applied White Gold Glitter - this just might be my favourite one, its gorgeous!

The inside front cover and the belly band on the left, both decorated with printed chipboard pieces - a great way to add dimension but which keeps it flat also.

Here I have a flap decorated with another printed chipboard piece, that ties the accordion fold piece all together, and a simple pocket page on the left.

The page on the left is a simple pocket that I have used to tuck some journalling in.  This is decorated by layering three of the triangles that come in the printed chipboard set.  The heart on the back cover is also from this set.

Products Used

Patterned Paper:

In the Mood - Ecstatic, Blissful, Attracted, Flirty

Printed Chipboard:

In The Mood

Glitter:

White Gold

Lace:

Lace 10

Thank you for popping by today, and hopefully Ive given you some inspiration in utilising those printed chipboard pieces :)

Sharon's August Layouts!

Hi everyone!  Welcome August!

Today is the day I have been looking forward to all month.  It's the time I get to share 3 new layouts with all of you!  My pages for the month of August all have a family theme  - I want to honor and preserve my family photos and share with you how wonderful (and easy!) it is to make layouts that mean something to you!

So without further ado, here they are:

Layout #1:  Life is Full of Surprises

I used a photo that I took of my daughter, Anne, in 2012.  She loves to ride her bike,  and on this particular afternoon, she got on her bike while she was still in her dress that the wore to church.  I have hidden journaling about this tucked under the photo.

For this layout, I used the gorgeous "Tattered Walls" collection.  I really love all of the beautiful paper in this collection.  This particular paper is entitled "The Sun Room."  

Here is a close up:

As you can see, I stamped and embossed directly on the edges of my page to bring your eye directly to the photo.  I also embossed my chipboard with Buttercup embossing powder.  You have to try Blue Fern Studios' embossing powder - it is a dream to use!!!

Here is another view:

Blue Fern Product List:

Paper: Tattered Walls "The Sun Room" 

Chipboard: Persian Ornament,  Blooming Curls, "Life is full of Surprises"

Stamp:  Grungy Grid

Embossing Powder: Buttercup, Celestial

Flowers: Wanderlust Vine, Fresh Florals

Seedlings: Lemonade

Glitter: Army Dust

Lace:  Lace 3B, Lace 10

Ephemera: Tattered Walls

Layout #2:  Fabulous

Here, I used a photo of my niece, Sarah, age 3, and my daughter Katie, age 8, taken for Mother's Day in 1997.  

This time, I used the beautiful and versatile "In the Mood" collection.  I love how the pinks and reds of the paper go perfectly with the pinks of Sarah's and Katie's dresses.  

To give you a better look, here is a close up:

And a different angel:

Blue Fern Product List:

Paper: In the Mood "Amused" and "Peaceful"

Chipboard: In the Mood printed chipboard, Opulence, Elegant Flourish, "Fabulous"

Embossing Powder: True Red, Black Sand

Flowers: Garden Blooms, Summer Blooms

Seedlings: Flaming

Glitter: Gilded Rose, Soot

Lace: Lace 1, Lace 10, Lace 12

Layout #3:  Our Family

This layout features the very gorgeous Tattered Walls collection.  The paper is entitled "The Carport."  (I have said this before, but I really love how each of these papers are named after a room!)  

For this layout, I featured photos of our immediate family that were taken for our Christmas photo this past year.  I especially loved using the small chipboard frames embossed in gold and the gold Lace 9C to emphasize and clearly define them.

Here are some close ups:

I stamped and embossed the edges of my paper with the "Night Sky" embossing powder.   I also embossed the chipboard "solar dangles" with Night Sky EP.  This EP is spectacular and goes perfectly with this patterned paper.

And a different view:

Blue Fern Product List:

Paper: Tattered Walls "The Carport" 

Chipboard: Briella's Mini Frames, Classic Mini Frames, Solar Dangles, A Spring Day, "Family"

Stamp: Distressed Titles

Embossing Powder: Night Sky, Goldenrod

Flowers: Remnants Blooms, Moody Florals

Seedlings: Pink Topaz

Glitter: Boysenberry

Lace: Lace 6, Lace 9C

Ephemera: Tattered Walls

It has been a pleasure sharing my August pages with you!  I love making layouts when I have Blue Fern products at my fingertips.  I hope you get a chance to make some scrapbook pages this month.  Happy Scrapping!

See you next month . . .

August Layouts and Video Tutorial by Jessica

"Our Story"

Hi everyone!  My first layout I want to share with you this August features the Tattered Walls Collection and I included a video tutorial that you can find below.

The main background paper is "The Reading Room" and I added a strip of "The Garage" paper.

The Our Story chipboard was first given a coat of gesso, then painted with white acrylic paint.  Next I embossed the whole title with Pearl embossing powder.  Then using the Super Grunge stamp, I embossed the title with Ivory embossing powder.  I love the effect!  The Bits of Honey chipboard pieces were embossed with Fern embossing powder.

The red rose buds are actually from the Homespun Blooms flowers that I took apart and made into rose buds (you can see it in my tutorial).  The rest of the flowers on the page are from the Homespun Blossoms collection and look really nice with the colors in the picture.  Below the flower you are able to see the Green Ivory embossing powder that I used with the Crackle Textures stamp.  You can also see the Marine glitter on the flowers and Lemonade Seedlings that I added around the flowered areas and other spots around the picture.

In this picture you can see more details and see the Tattered Newsprint stamping that I did around the picture.

The Tattered Walls Ephemera was a nice touch to accent the areas around my picture.

And now, here is the video tutorial I created.  I hope you find it helpful and fun. :-)

Products used:

Paper

Tattered Walls - "The Reading Room"

Tattered Walls - "The Garage"

Tattered Walls Ephemera

Chipboard

Bits of Honey

Our Story

Embossing Powder

Fern

Pearl

Ivory

Green Ivory

Flowers

Homespun Blossoms

Homespun Blooms

Stamps

Crackle Texture

Tattered Newsprint

Super Grunge

Glitter

Marine

Seedlings

Lemonade

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love This Moment"

My second layout for August also features the Tattered Walls collection.  My background paper is "The Maid's Room" from the Tattered Walls Collection.  I wanted to use the colors blue, red, and yellow so I chose blue as the dominant color, red is the secondary color, then tiny bits of golden yellow as accents.  On three small areas on the background, I used matte gel and a soft floral stencil, then sprinkled some Beating Heart seedlings and some Blue Ice glitter over top.

The title chipboard Love This Moment was first embossed with Azul embossing powder.  Then I embossed over it with Pearl embossing powder.  This seemed to soften the sparkles from the Azul embossing powder.  On this side of the picture, the white flower is from the Christmas Blooms set.  I created the two red rose buds on this page by separating the pieces of one of the Homespun Blooms and folding them into place.  I did the same thing with the off-white Chesterville Florals flower to make some rose buds.

In this picture you can see more of the Beating Heart seedlings surrounding some tiny accent flowers I had from my stash.  The oval frame chipboard piece under my picture was cut in half (to fit the size of my picture) and embossed with Azul embossing powder.  The Gold Nugget seedlings add the touch of golden yellow that I wanted for the layout.

I used the Journaling Cards stamps on watercolor paper and embossed them with Azul Embossing Powder (and added the bits of Gold Nugget Seedlings).  The Card to the left of the picture has a piece of Tattered Walls Ephemera under it for dimension.

The two off-white flowers are both part of the Chesterville Florals set.  The red rose bud was made from one of the Homespun Blooms.  And the blue flower is from the Dark Tropic Lilies set.

Products Used:

Paper

Tattered Walls - "The Maid's Room"

Tattered Walls Ephemera

Flowers

Dark Tropic Lilies

Homespun Blooms

Christmas Blooms

Chesterville Florals

Chipboard

Oval Frame

Love This Moment

Embossing Powder

Azul

Pearl

Seedlings

Gold Nugget

Beating Heart

Glitter

Blue Ice

Stamps

Journaling Cards

I hope you enjoyed my layouts and video tutorial this month!  Stay tuned for more inspiration from the other lovely designers here at Blue Fern Studios.  Have a lovely day :-)

• ~ Jessica ~