April Inspiration by Elena Volchkova

Hi everyone! Today, I have prepared three layouts using the beautiful Blue Fern Studio materials. And I'm happy to show them to you.

Adventure's layout

My first layout about travelling and adventures at sea. Pirate spirit and eco style.
I used the Meadows of Time paper from the Sanctuary collection. It's lovely combination of colors.

Chipboard "Born to be Wild" I colored with Heavenly and Seven seas Imagine Ink Embossing Powders.

Leaves from the "All Natural Set" was covered with Imagine Ink Lime embossing powder.

Bird from сhipboard set "Birds in Flight" toned white acrylic and decorated with Postal Textures Stamp.

In my project you can seу the many eco-friendly elements such as wood saw cuts, cork, stars anise, craft, thread and stones.

Blue Fern Studio Supply List:

Paper:  Sanctuary - Meadows of Time

Chipboard: Born to be Wild, Birds in Flight, All Natural Set

Stamps: Postal Textures

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder:  Heavenly, Seven seas, Lime

Dreamy layout

My second april project you can already see. This layout I have made for the Blue Fern April sketch.
This layout is about a girl, which need to believe in yourself and know that she is beautiful!
I used the Main Street paper from the Timeless Collection as my background paper.

 "Wish" сhipboard was covered with mixture of Garnet Imagine Ink embossing powder and Merlot Glitter. I used the Burnt Copper glitter to color the chipboard Renaissance Border.

Blue Fern Studio Supply List:

Paper:   Timeless- Main Street, Serendipity - calling Cards

Chipboard: Renaissance Border, set "Wish, Wonder, Dream"

Stamps: Romantic Accents

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: Garnet, Nutmeg, Copper

Glitters: Autumn, Burnt Copper, Merlot

Flowers: Courtship Blooms, Courtship Roses

Green spring layout

Spring layout for one more wonderful young girl. Many flowers and tenderness. The mix of a great paper for background - Love Story (calling Cards) and Frolic (Allegro).

Bird Ornaments Chipboard was covered with Imagine Ink 14 Karat embossing powder and cracle past on the bird.

Сute little elements and Brocade Texture Stamp on the background.

Sprigs Blooming Foliage сhipboard was covered with mixture of Imagine Ink embossing powders in Lime and Sage, which give the the perfect combination! Courtship Blooms flowers added volume and charm.

Blue Fern Studio Supply List:

Paper:  Love Story- calling Cards, Frolic - Allegro

Chipboard: Bird Ornaments, set "Wish, Wonder, Dream", Blooming Foliage

Stamps: Brocade Texture

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: 14 Karat, Lime, Sage

Flowers: Courtship Blooms

I hope you enjoy viewing my projects. See you next time :)
Hugs, Elena

Mixed media Wedding canvas and a layout with video by Wilma.

One of my sons will marry his girlfriend in June.
Not a big wedding with white dress and all....
We just have a nice day high up on the alp where they are living in summer with the animals.
Swiss music , food and the cows .... :)

To remember the day I made them a 11x14 mixed media canvas.

It takes another 6 weeks until they get married , so I had to use a Pinterest picture for now :) 

Offcourse I will add their own picture to the canvas.

I started by adding gesso, very rough so I had some texture .

Than I painted Spring blossom , not too exact, it is just a background.

Than I cut out flowers from a old curtain I bought for 50 cents at the driftstore .

You know the thin curtains most old paople have.....

They are great for texture or cutouts like the white flowers here.

Some green tule (driftstore too ) and a few little flowers.

I had this chipboard piece for some time and this was a great opportunity to use it.

The Gazebo piece is stippled with gesso.

After it dryed I mixed gesso and lime paint to get a soft color.

I sprenkled it over the whole canvas including the chipboard and than washed it out random.

This way I keep some white which makes it more interessting for me.

I also used the berry stems , did the same, but keep the paint a little darker .

I added it with a little paintbrush, random again.

********

For my second project I made a mixed media layout.

In the video you will see how I sometimes change my mind during the process...

The chipboard pieces are both embossed .

I used the Chelsea Vines and Butterfly friends

Embossingpowder colors : Verdant and garnet

The titel is stippled with gesso...

Papers I used are from the Ombre dream and Frolic collection.

If you like you can watch my video here, hope you will like it...

Thanks for watching my April post

x Wilma x

It's January .. with Sandi Clarkson

Hello, Blue Fern Studios fans!

 My name is Sandi Clarkson and I am thrilled to begin my Second Term with the Blue Fern Design Team.  Having worked with the Blue Fern Studios owner, staff and many of my fellow team members, this tuly feels like home! It also doesn't hurt that I live in the same state where Blue Fern is manufactured to strengthen my sense of belonging! (Texas, USA)  Because of that proximity, I am sometimes the very first designer to get to see the new products! Talk about exciting!! 

I'm married with three grown, married daughters and a growing number of grandkids! By profession, I'm a very recently retired Audiologist (last week) and am excited to have more free time to get "lost" in creating! I enjoy trying new techniques but am usually happiest when the results still fit my "pretty" criteria. My scrap room is my happy place. I kind of love that my desks have paint, gesso and runaway micro beads all over them. I'm mostly a layout girl but love, love, love doing the occasional canvas. 

Please visit my blog at Soft Side of Sandi to see more of my work. 

So, onward with January's projects ...

"XOXO" (based on the January sketch and flipped)

This month I actually did 2 masculine layouts! Or maybe it is safer to say that I've used masculine photos and then did my own thing! For this first one, I've pulled out some older papers from the Sanctuary collection along with some older chipboard pieces. But I've paired them with some of the new embossing powders that I was dying to try .. Oatmeal and Sage. 

The background for this one was created with a stencil, super heavy gesso, tissue tape and a couple of mists, Persimmon and Jingle Bells. The Persimmon helped pull out some of the peachy, red tones from the paper itself. 

Beneath my photo layers is the Paisley and Vine Medley split in half which I've first gessoed and then embossed with the Oatmeal Embossing Powder. The XOXO title was treated the same but double embossed. I've included the Notebook Edges pieces of chipboard which lend themselves nicely to "guy" projects. For them, I've used the new Sage Embossing Powder and then splashed them with white paint. 

My lower cluster includes a Notebook piece as well as more of the Chelsea Vines which were used around the photo as well. Some variegation was created with my gelatos. 

Most of the Blue Fern paper collections come with a Calling Cards sheet which is ideal for photo layers and titles/subtitles. And I generally add some corrugated cardboard for increased dimension. 

I finished my page with flowers and specks of splattered paint, first white, then black. 

Blue Fern Products used:

Paper:

Santaury Birdsong Melody

Sanctuary Garden Plaza

Sanctuary Calling Cards

Chipboard:

Paisley and Vine Medley

Notebook Edges

XOXO

Chelsea Vines

Mist:

Persimmon

Jingle Bells

Embossing Powder:

Sage

Oatmeal

***

"Delightful"

I've been dying to scrap this sweet father/son photo and challenged myself to get it done this month. 
Since they look a little "chilly" I wanted to give the page a frosty feel, so I've pulled out the Autumn Anthology Cottage piece. 

I'm not usually one to mix my "blues" but I just went for it here and am very pleased with the results. I've used the Sky Imagine Ink on the background and paper and on the Floral Lattice Bits. 
For the Roman Clock set, I opted to use the new Heavenly Embossing Powder. Wow, this one really glistens! If you like sparkle, this is the one for you! It's amazing! 

My word title is from the Optimist Set and is simply lightly inked with some brown ink. 

Aren't the Clock Hands intricate and beautiful? 

And the Heavenly Embossing Powder, wow! 

The Floral Lattice anchors the opposite side of the page. You can also see a good view of the Texture 1 stamp being used on my background layer.

Blue Fern Studios Products used:

Paper:

Autumn Anthology Cottage
Autumn Anthology Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Roman Clock Set large
Floral Lattice bits
The Optimist Word Set

Mist:
Sky

Embossing Powder:
Heavenly

Stamp:
Texture 1

***

And now a girly page! 

 "True Love"

Lastly, I'm digging my hands into my new Blush collection stash! These papers are so my colors! I love me some teal with peachy-pink and a touch of yellow. They feel so warm to me. 

Lots of background interest was created on the Enamored paper, side B with Mists and stamps as listed below. And of course, some stenciling. For paper layering, I've torn some of the Enamored, side A as well as the Fondness papers and then the Valentine Cards to tuck here and there. 

I still had a few bits of the Floral Lattice Bits on my desk and decided to just paint them white and let them be a nice contrast to the other colors. I made some circles on my paper, being sure to capture those sweet red hearts near the top! Aren't they cute? 

You can also see part of the Chelsea Medallion that I've used as a photo layer. I misted it with Winter Fern and then heat embossed with Fern Embossing Powder. 

It seems fitting to start working some hearts into my creations, so I've used a couple of pieces from the Valentine Hearts chipboard set. Both were gessoed, then misted with Persimmon and finally heat embossed with the new Garnet color. The top piece with the keyhole is so fun! For that one I mixed in some 14 Karat EP with a double embossing technique. 

Just a closer look at this sweet hearts! And the wings. 

On the right, I've made a Valentine Cards cluster and layered in some flowers and resin. One little fussy cut butterfly is in the mix. He's from the Frolic collection. The Weathered Doilies stamping come into view in this close-up, as well as the Photography stamp. 

A fun dimensional shot! 

Blue Fern Studios Products used:
Paper:
Blush Enamored
Blush Fondness
Blush Valentine Cards

Chipboard:
Chelsea Medallion
Floral Lattice bits
Valentine Hearts

Mist:
Persimmon
Winter Mint

Embossing Powder:
Garnet
14 Karat
Fern

Stamps:
Texture 1
Photography
Weathered Doilies

Thanks for hanging in there with me for this rather long post this month! 
Please be sure to check out the sketch challenge HERE
See you next time! 
Sandi