January Inspiration by Elena Volchkova

Hi! I'm really happy to be part of this amazing team and to inspire you on the blog.

My name is Elena Volchkova. I live in the Kiev, Ukraine.  I love to be creative and create many different projects. But they all are very tender and fabulous :) Scrapbooking fascinated me 4 years ago and I am now a true fan of this. I love to create and give cards. I like to keep the memory in layouts. In my projects I like to use romantic designs which is so easy with Blue Fern Studio products. I like flowers and lace. I like tenderness, and a natural style.  And sometimes I create teddy-bears and their friends, and even participate in exhibitions. 

All of this is my lovely job;)

You can find me on: My Blog, Facebook, Instagram

and Instagram for teddybears

I'm so happy to present my first projects for Blue Fern Studios!

Romantic orchid layout

My first layout for today is with the gorgeous new Timeless collection and a photo of my sister with her flowers.

Beautiful chipboard Chelsea Medallion added charm to Layout. I used the Imagine Ink 14karat embossing powder to color the chipboard.

I used the Romantic Accents stamp with Imagine Ink Petal embossing powder to create some details on my background.

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I cut a few pieces of paper from the Timeless collection to layer under my photo, I distressed all the edges. I also added lace, stones and pieces of vellum on which you can see Weathered Doilies Stamp with Imagine Ink Mistic Plum embossing powder.

Blue Fern Studio Supply List:

Paper: Timeless: Maconnerie, Papillons, Song

Chipboard: Chelsea Medallion

Stamps: Romantic Accents, Weathered Doilies

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: 14karat, Petal, Mistic Plum

School Graduation layout

My second project is a layout of a school graduation on summer day with happy children.

Background of the layout - beautiful and delicate paper Keepsakes from Timeless collection.

 Celebration adds elegant chipboard Royal Border, colored with Imagine Ink Heavenly embossing powder. This powder is so beautiful! So festive!

Rings from the Mini Ring Things set become wonderful jewels with this embossing powder.

Chipboard Birds in Flight covered with acrylic primer and colored top with Imagine Ink 14karat embossing powder.

The composition is decorated with flowers and pieces cut from Vineland paper from the(Paisley & Vine Collection.

Blue Fern Studio Supply List:

Paper: Timeless: Keepsakes

 Paisley & Vine: Vineland

Love Story: Cotillion

Chipboard: Royal Border, Birds in Flight, Mini Ring Things

Stamp: Vintage Edges

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: 14karat, Heavenly 

Romantic card for Valentine

Very soon we are waiting for the most romantic holiday. It is impossible not to make a couple of valentines. Especially when we have this wonderful romantic collection - created for Valentine - Blush! 

Here are two of my cards.

The first card is the music of love. Many flowers and tenderness,  all thanks to the Blush collection.

There are a lot of florals that can be cut from this paper.

Inside there is a pocket for a romantic letter. It is also decorated with paper cuttings from the  Blush collection.

My second card is also about love. And especially about love letters.  There are lots of wonderful images you can cut from Calling Cards (Blush collection).

I have added Sprigs of chipboard from Layering Stems and colored them with Imagine Ink 14 Karat embossing powder.   Today - it is my favorite powder! ;) And Heavenly, of course!

Play of colors - gold and silver - are created using Postal Textures Stamp
 and two powders -  Imagine Ink 14 Karat embossing powder and  Imagine Ink 14 Pearl embossing powder. 

Blue Fern Studio Supply List:

Paper: Blush: Charmed, Reminisce, Cupid's Folly, Calling Cards

Chipboard: Layering Stems

Stamps: Postal Textures

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: 14karat, Pearl

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

Hugs, Elena

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