Cards for "LOVE" month - by Vicky Alberto

My name is Vicky Alberto (aka Simply Paper in the design world). After a 4-year break from being on design teams, I am thrilled to be designing for Blue Fern Studios for 2019... and that I finally get to renew my passion for paper art!  My blog address is http://simplypaperandcreativity.blogspot.com where I chat about my work, and share my various tutorials.  I describe my style as “a little shabby and a lot of chic”, with a vintage approach. 

I enjoy working with vintage/romantic style papers and adore adding distressed layers, doilies, lace, stamping, and putting lots of flowers and chipboard on my projects.  Therefore, Blue Fern is a match made in heaven for me... since they have it all and more!

Sometimes my projects feature handmade flowers and unique gift boxes (all of my tutorials are listed on my blog - quick links in the right sidebar).  Also, my full design gallery can be viewed at http://www.scrapbook.com/profiles/444271.html.  Now, enough about me and onto the beautiful elements I designed with this month...

The first card features a mix of the gorgeous Heartland and Homespun collections, plus love story adornments & 2 hearts set chipboards.  On the chipboard, I primed with gesso, glazed with a glass beads medium and then sprinkled BF pink embossing powder (before it dried).  Look at the gorgeous flowers and adhesive shapes that coordinate with the paper collections... wow Blue Fern makes designing so easy!  The only thing from my own "stash" is that cute heart paper doily.

The second card features once again a mix of the beautiful Heartland and Homespun collections, plus love letters chipboard.  On this chipboard piece, I simply randomly dabbed gesso to leave exposed raw chipboard.  I then dabbed a bit of clear glue and quickly sprinkled blue BF embossing powder (before it dried).  The only thing from my "stash" is the circle paper doily.  More gorgeous BF flowers that perfectly matched this project are featured here! 

Thanks for taking the time to view my projects today.  I cannot wait to create more and share new projects soon.  Blue Fern is a real treat to design for since there are so many amazing elements to design with, that all perfectly coordinate.  Blue Fern is truly one stop shopping!

Blog:  http://simplypaperandcreativity.blogspot.com 

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.ca/vickyalberto/pins/

Gallery: http://www.scrapbook.com/profiles/444271.html

Valentine inspiration by Henriëtte

Hi, my name is Henriëtte van Mierlo, I'm 49 years. I live in The Netherlands with 
my husband Robert and my 17 year old daughter Emma.
 I work parttime in financial administration and in my sparetime I love to craft, 
especially card making.

I’ve been making cards for many years, tried different styles but nowadays they are 

more shabby chic/vintage.

Besides card making I also like mixed media projects, flower making (foamiran, fabrics, paper), 

DIY projects, working with polymer clay and altering art.

When I'm not crafting I love reading books and I try to go to the gym twice a week.

Well, never a dull moment and often not enough hours in the day.

Here are the links to my blog, facebook, pinterest, instragram and you tube channel.

Blog: http://hmier.blogspot.nl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henriette.vanmierlo.3

Pinterest: https://nl.pinterest.com/hmier/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henriette_van_mierlo/

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX7cGlRveDAf22C4r5QZ1ig

I'm very excited to be on the Blue fern Studios design team and looking forward to share my creativity with you.

The first project I like to share is in style with today's occasion Valentine's day. 💘

I altered this heart shaped box using the beautiful Heartland papers.

First I cut all the paper pieces and glue them on, covering the box with the papers.

Then I decorated the box and lid with red ribbon, lace trim, BFS flowers and chipboard pieces.

I embossed the "love letters" chipboard with BFS "oatmeal" embossing powder. 

The chipboard heart and envelope are colored with inks.

Products Used

Patterned Paper:

Heartland - All you need, Love notes and Valentine party

Chipboard:

Love letters

Heart set
Remnants self-adhesive chipboard shapes

Embossing Powder:

Oatmeal

Flowers:

Garden Blooms

BFS flowers

Lace:

Red ribbon

Braided trim

I hope you like my first project. Thanks for stopping by! 

I appreciate your comments very much.

Hugs, Henriëtte.

Leila's May Projects

Hello BFS fans

Here I'm again to show some things I made with Blue Fern products.

The first is the cover and the first page of a mini album, project "No regrets" that will do throughout the year, with reflective about my life...


In the cover's chipboards I used acrilic paint, liquid pearl and colorless relief.

In this chippie I used just acrilic paint, some gelatos and spray ink...

BFS suplies:

Blue Fern Flourish

Natural Sprigs Set

Dare to dream

Eclectic hearts

All natural set

The second is a layout (LO's 12x12 are really my passion).... Happiness:

I colored the chippies with my fav combination, acrilic paint and gelatos...

BFS supplies:

Blue Fern Garden Love letters paper
Blue Fern Garden Calling cards paper

Good vibes

Bohemian butterflies

So, this is I want to show today, I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo

Leila

The Colors of Blues and Browns by Joyce

Greetings everyone, this month I found inspiration in the colors of the blues and browns found in the Blue Fern Garden papers.

The Love Letters Paper was used on this layout:

Most of the flowers in the layout were made with a die cut and the Parlour paper,  the bike surrounded by the flowers near the photo is the Penny Farthing cycle chipboard.

 

Here's a little mixed media tag using the Signature paper as the base, with lost of stamping and gesso on top of the reverse side of the paper which was then torn into strips. The little fussy cutting ribbon came from the Calling Cards paper. The Apothecary jar was treated with some white paint, fiber paper, and blue mist applied with a fine paint brush, then it was placed on top of one of the many Ever After Frames.

And, finally here's a greeting card using one of the Calling Cards, applied on top of the back side of the Parlour paper.  The little humming bird was treated with white paint, script stamp, and some blue mist.

 

Thank you for stopping by and allowing me to share my design team creations with you.  I'll be seeing you again on June 17th with some creations from the new Blue Fern Studios Ombre Dreams paper collection. 

Some Blue Fern Garden Projects with Rae

Hello! It's Rae with you to share some more projects I have made using more of the Blue Fern Garden papers. They are so beautiful and I am down to scraps now, but I have had such a fun time working with this beyond gorgeous collection!

"Perfect" Layout

I'm trying to use up every part of each piece of paper, so I used this "Boudoir" piece that I cut an oval out of already for another layout, and went from there for this layout. The back has some green cardstock and the "Love Letters" paper that I fussy cut the lattice out of. 

Here's a closeup of the berry stems that I used as part of my floral cluster:

Primed with gesso, and then sprayed with some green gold mist, I then added some archival ink in black to these "berry stems", then added some Liquid Pearls in black for accents.

This is a close up of the "sweetheart dressform" that I treated with gold Ferro, then sprinkled black embossing powder over while still wet, and dried with a heat gun to get this distressed effect. 

"Follow Your Heart" Card

Another project I made using the Blue Fern Garden scraps. 

The bird is from the "little birds set." I just used black chalk ink on him. :)

The frame is from the "petite boutique frames set" that I primed with gesso, sprayed with patina mist in random spots, then used some gold embossing powder.

The scrolls under the flower are pieces I cut from the "large royal border." I painted it with dark olive paint, then added some bright green microbeads.

"Good Things Jar" Altered Project

And, lastly, here is an altered project I made using a mason jar. I've made a few of these, and I give them to friends as gifts. I saw this idea on Pinterest: keep a mason jar handy and when something good happens, write it down on a piece of paper, fold it up, and throw it in the jar. At the end of the year, take all of the pieces out and read all of the good things that have happened for that year. In the pin, the mason jar is plain, but it's much better to have an altered jar on the counter!

The jar is covered with a piece of "In Bloom" paper that I stamped and distressed. The little flag is from the bottom strip of one of the papers.

The bird cage is from the "grande cages set." I covered it with Perfect Pearls in heirloom gold, which gives it a perfect finish- not to shiny! I added pearl strips and accented the butterfly with Smooch inks.

Here's the back: 

Thanks for taking the time to look at my projects today!

Rae

Jackie's March Creations and Multi-Colour Embossing

Hi there! Jackie with you here today to share my March Blue Fern Studios layouts. This month I've been having a lot of fun playing with the thick, sumptuous Blue Fern Garden papers. What a fantastic accompaniment to Blue Fern Studios chippies!

I started with the Love Letters paper for my background. I wanted to add some additional details with mists and inks while preserving the lattice pattern on the paper, so I began by covering the lattice with gel medium on a paintbrush. Once dry, this allowed me to wipe away any misplaced mist.

I painted some of the grid pattern with blue mists and splattered some gold and brown mist around to further emphasize the white of the grid.

I wanted the "Natural Beauty" title from the All Natural set to have a curve to it. Because the chipboard is nice and pliable I was able to do so easily; I started by adhering the N with a bead of hot glue, then added the curve, adhering as I went. A nice easy way to add movement to your layout and to further integrate your chippy into your cluster.

For the Shabby Brick Bits, I started by inking them a dark brown, but decided it was too strong for the layout, and added some Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powder, which is very iridescent. To tone down the green I inked over it with some brown. Don't be afraid to keep playing with your chippies until you are absolutely happy with them - they can take it!

Blue Fern Studios Products Used

Blue Fern Garden Paper:

- Love Letters (2 sheets)

Chipboard:

- Shabby Brick Bits

- All Natural Set

When the Design Team first received our Blue Fern Garden papers, we were all reluctant to add media to the papers - not because they couldn't withstand them, but because they are so gorgeous we were loathe to cover them up. I have since gotten over my fear, but you will notice on most of my projects with these gorgeous papers I have everything strategically placed so that you can still see the beautiful background detail.

For this next layout, I loaded on the wet media and water, layering the tear strips from the bottom of the papers (have you noticed each paper has a pretty little banner printed on the tear strip?) with squares and grids I had cut from the Love Letters paper on another project. Because of the thickness of the Blue Fern Garden papers, they withstand media better than most other papers I have worked with. To combat the slight warping, I gripped the background paper in between my hands after it was dry, and ran it fairly aggressively over the edge of the counter to smooth it out, leaving me with a layout that lays nearly flat at the end of the day. I love that this paper can take that kind of abuse!

Because this picture of my middle son was taken at the stable where he took horseback riding, the "Charmed" dangle from the Charmed Page Dangles set, with its upward facing horseshoe, was perfect.

I wanted the dangle to stand out from the background and for the details to stand out rather than just colouring it in a single colour. I started by painting the whole thing with a sparkly dark brown paint, then added my embossing powders for dramatic effect.

Using several different colours of embossing powder on the same piece is easier than you might think if you just have the right tools. My embossing ink comes in a dauber rather than an ink pad, so it was simply a matter of unscrewing the cap and painting it on with a paintbrush. I embossed each colour separately to avoid mixing the colours. Doesn't it make the word Charmed pop?

The Bits of Honey pieces were heat embossed with the same gold embossing powder I used on the dangle, but to roughen them up I stamped them with a texture stamp while the embossing powder was still hot. 

Blue Fern Studios Products Used

Blue Fern Garden Papers:

In Bloom

Love Letters

Calling Cards

& the tear strips from each sheet of the collection

Blue Fern Studios Chipboard:

Bits of Honey

Charmed Page Dangles

Blue Fern Garden with Jelissa

Hi there! Today is my turn to share with you two projects for February. I've just come back from a family holiday in Japan and there were so many photos to scrap. And the new paper line from Blue Fern Studios is just perfect for remembering this wonderful vacation.

"Perfect Moment"

For my first layout I used "Parlour" as the background paper because of the sweet blues and greens on a neutral cream base. It also matched the colors of my photo quite well and gave me a lot of space to create my cluster. For the paper layers, I cut out and distressed the elements from "Calling Cards" - I think this particular paper must have been designed for people like me who just love to layer.

Some chippy goodies: I painted the picket fence with gesso and plastered texture paste randomly over. I snipped the Organic Vine into two and used it in both corners of my main cluster. Tucked in are also pieces of the Berry Stems. Leaving the stems bare, I covered the rest of the two pieces with gesso and painted over with watercolors. As a final touch, I added some shimmery-colored texture paste.

I fussy-cut out the corner element from another sheet of "Parlour" and tucked it underneath the Petite Window, which I covered with texture paste randomly.

Blue Fern Products used:

Blue Fern Garden "Parlour"

Blue Fern Garden "Calling Cards"

Country Picket Fence

Petite Windows

Berry Stems

Organic Vine

"Mini Album"

My next share is a mini which I created using the Blue Fern Garden papers. The colors from the line matched my entire vacation so well (how often does that happen?) that I just had to use them for this project. 

On the cover, I used a piece from the Ever After Frame set and covered it with two different shades of embossing powder for a duo-toned effect. I then fussy-cut out an element from Blue Fern Garden "Calling Cards" as a mat for the title.

I layered Bits of Honey under my photos and painted it with gold paint. 

Here's a tip: don't discard the extra strip at the bottom of your Blue Fern Garden papers. There are beautiful patterns on them and I found the thickness to be just perfect for layering banner strips. I've used these throughout my mini. 

I painted the Heart Panel Chunky with some water colors, inked the edges and layered it under my photos. I also did the same for the Spring Branch chippie below.

Blue Fern Products used:

Blue Fern Garden "Parlour"

Blue Fern Garden "Calling Cards"

Blue Fern Garden "Boudoir"

Blue Fern Garden "Love Letters"

Blue Fern Garden "In Bloom"

Bits of Honey

Heart Panel Chunky

Ever After Frame Set

Spring Branch

This is all I have for now, thanks for stopping by!

 love, Jelissa 

3 New Projects by Lisa Griffith

Hello everyone! It's my turn to share my February projects today. I'm sure you've all

seen by now the gorgeous new line of papers by Blue Fern Studios. I love the soft 

colors and the sweet girly feel, I was inspired to create this...

"Flowers for Lily"

This is a photo of my niece Lily. My sister told me that last Valentine's Day her Daddy
brought her her very first bouquet of flowers, Lily just loved them and thought they were so special.
So, so sweet. I used the paper "In Bloom" as the background, and then cut up some pieces
of the "Calling Card"paper as layers underneath my photo. I have taken a piece from the
Manor Hinges and a piece of the Ironwork accents and painted them with cream colored paint

and then stamped them with Ranger Distress ink in Vintage Photo. For the

word 'Delightful' from the Optimist Word Set, I painted with the cream colored paint,

added a touch of pink mist and then a coat of Glossy Accents. 

Here is a close up:

Blue Fern Studio products used:

Blue Fern Studios "In Bloom"

Blue Fern Studios "Calling Card"

Ironwork Accents

Manor Hinges

Optimist Word Set

Next is a tag I created using Blue Fern Studios paper and several chipboard pieces, which I embossed 

in white and then splashed with a bit of blue and orange mist to match the flowers. I cut out 

some of the diagonal pieces of the Love Letters paper so that it would highlight the pattern.

And a close up:

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Blue Fern Studios "Love Letters"

Tattered Diamond Bits

Hearts from the Chunky Heart panel

Ever After Frame Set

And lastly I have a card to share. I really enjoyed making this. I am madly in love with

Blue Fern Studios panels! I love to give them a really distressed look by cutting them up

in jagged pieces and then adding different mediums, they add such a great textural element to any

project.  I painted both the Turkish panel pieces and the butterfly  with Ranger Antique Linen Distress 

paint, did just a touch of embossing with Ranger Antique Linen embossing powder and then 

once that was all dry, painted them with some Silks paint in Emperor's Gold.

I have to admit I haven't made many cards, but after seeing how adding a few

pieces of altered chipboard to a card makes it so pretty, I will definitely

be making more! It's so nice to send someone special something hand made 

and from the heart.

Here is that beautiful butterfly:

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Butterfly Grid Panel 

Turkish Panel

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs, Lisa xo