Merry Christmas by Pascale B.

Hello Sweeties,

Today I'm up on Blue Fern Studios with my three last projects. I chose to work the two layouts with photos that I've taken in the beautiful castle of Chenonceau. The castle is well known for his beautiful floral compositions that ornated every room. Every year in December, the castle celebrated Christmas with special decorations. The first one is a white and gold composition ...

As usual, I started to prime the background paper with clear gesso. The I added a design with modeling paste and a stencil. Before the paste was dry I sprinkled the design with Pearl embossing powder that I heat set.

I painted the Framington Medley with green-gold opal magic paint and the straws with a gold acrylic paint.

I die-cut some berry branches that I colored with different watercolors. While the watercolors were still wet, I sprinkled Lime and Buttercup embossing powder that I heat set to give some texture. 

Before gluing all the embellishments with a 3D matte gel, I added some colors to the background.

To finished the layout I added some mica flakes, glass glitter, micro beads, and glitters.

Blue Fern Studios products:

Papers - Serendipity (Fascination)
Papers - Memoires (Photographic Record)
Chipboard - Framington Medley
Flowers - Late Winter Lilies, Spring Lilies
Embossing Powder - Pearl, Lime, Buttercup
Glitter - Sunshine, Army Dust

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For the second project, I chose a photo I've taken in the kitchen of the castle: the composition was all about treats...

Again I primed the background with clear gesso before adding a design with the Christmas Collage stamp that I embossed with the Ginger embossing powder.

I added a second design with 3D gel and a stencil. When dry, I sprinkled some gold mica powder that I sprayed with water to make the powder run around the design. Then I colored the background with brown watercolors and sprinkled some white and brown inks.

While the background was drying, I covered the Ruth's Doily with a white crackle paste. I painted the French Word with a metallic paint. I painted the Blossom Branches with an acrylic paint too, I added some acrylic white ink and glitter to the blossoms.

While the chipboards were drying, I die-cut some leaves that I colored with watercolors. And I sprayed all the flowers with a gold mica powder. Then I glued all the embellishments with a 3D gel.

I finished the layout with some mica flakes, glass glitter, and glitter.

Blue Fern Studios products:

Papers - Vintage Christmas 2 (Holidays Cards, Jolly)
Papers - Vintage Christmas (Wonderland)
Chipboards - Ruth's Doily, Blossom Branches, French Word
Flowers - Late Winter Lilies
Stamp - Christmas collage
Embossing Powder - Ginger
Glitter - Pyrite

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The last project is a set of Christmas cards. I used the Vintage Christmas 1 and 2 collections.

I made the two cards the same way. First I primed the background papers with clear gesso. Then I added a design with a stamp that I embossed with the 14 Karats powder. I embossed also the edge of the background as well as the cards.

I embossed the Leafy Accent Pages with the Sand and Sea powder. I colored lightly the background with acrylic paints.

I added some flowers and some die-cut leaves that I embossed with the Antique Gold powder. 

For this one, I painted the Leafy Accent Pages with the same green watercolor I used on the background. 

With a glue gun, I added a drop of glue on each Pretty Weeds's stem that I embossed with the Poinsettia powder. 

Blue Fern Studios products:

Papers - Vintage Christmas (Greeting Cards, Deck the Halls)
Paper - Vintage Christmas 2 ('Twas the Night)
Chipboards - Leafy Page Accents, Pretty Weeds
Flowers - Memoire Blossoms, Harvest Lilies
Stamps - Christmas Collage, Ornamental Edges
Embossing Powders - 14 Karats, Antique Gold, Sand and Sea, Poinsettia.

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Time for me to say goodbye to you all and to thank Leslie and Valerie for trusting me. I have a wonderful year to work and play with their beautiful papers, chipboards and Imagine Ink.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

November's Social Media Highlights!

What?! Mid-November? I can hardly believe it! 

Sandi here with you today sharing some November Social Media Highlights! 

We love looking for YOUR work when we are out and about on Social Media and seeing the amazing things you create with our product! So, whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, be sure and tag us so that we don't miss a thing! It's also helpful when you mention the name of the product you've used. With over a 1000 products in the wholesale store, we want to be sure we've not overlooked what you've included. 

Kana Abiko created this unique layout with a combination of paper collections, most notably Courtship Lane and Autumn Anthology by Michele Singh.  We love how Kana's altered the gazebo image from Autumn Anthology paper to make it look more like a little house. The window and photo behind it are such a clever idea! And look at that fussy cutting! You can see more of her creations Here and find her on Instagram at @abikokana. 

We are especially excited to see that Jennifer Evans (Jenaroo) is back to scrapping after several years of pursuing her nursing degree! Look at this shabby-licious, layered beauty! Here she has used the Frolic collection along with the Discover chipboard and added a few of her signatures .. doilies and  flowers! To visit her blog, go HERE. 

Designer Paula Calvanico has also used our Sanctuary collection to create this beauty! Photo is of her and her hubby at 15 and 17! With this the month of Thanksgiving here in the States, we were drawn to her color choices and use of the pretty leaf embellishment. Paula blogs  HERE and is on Instagram at @paula_calvanico. Isn't true love something to be grateful for?  

Next  up is this amazing layout by USA designer Heather Thompson. We love how she's altered the title piece and Persian Ornament Chipboard and used our Serendipity and Tranquility paper collection. This really puts us in the mood for a New Year's masquerade ball. Outstanding work, Heather! Please visit her at heifer21.wordpress.com and follow her on Instagram at @heifer21. You will love her attention to detail and wonderful techniques. 

Mayu of Japan posted this amazing piece on Instagram where you can follow her at @mayucrop_sbtnc. The fussy cut work is what really grabbed us for a second, then third look! She's used our newest Memoires and chose the dark red to add some drama to her photo of a traditional Japanese rite of passage. Please visit her blog HERE. 

That's it for this month ... and what a great month of inspiration it is! 

I hope you'll join me next month for a couple of special Social Media features! 

A Trio of November Inspiration by Nicole Doiron

Hello all my dear friends at Blue Fern Studios!

Nicole here today to share with you my November projects.

Let's start with this teal shabby chic layout of my niece Ella with her violin.

I used papers from the Serendipity collection to create a grid pattern collage on my page.  The brick design was made using the Essential Textures stamp and Snow Imagine Ink embossing powder.  

I combined 2 chipboard pieces to create my title, one from the Sweet & Lucky set on which I created an ombre effect with the Sea Mist, Snow and Caribbean powders, and the other from the French Words set covered with Ebony.

Obviously, most of the pretty flowers found on my page are from Blue Fern Studios!  The bigger teal flower with the fuzzy center is from the brand new Memoires Blooms set - it's gorgeous! 

Below you see the very elegant Gatsby Collage that I divided into 2 pieces to slide at either end of my photo.

The chipboard piece that inspired this whole concept is the Courtship Violin that you see peaking out from the bottom corner of the photo of my pretty and gifted niece, Ella!

Blue Fern Studios Products

Patterned Paper: Serendipity (Imagination, Fascination, Chronicle)

Chipboard: Courtship Violin, Gatsby Collage, Sweet & Lucky set, French Words 

Flowers: Memoires Blooms, Spring Lilies, Tranquil Blooms, Courtship Blooms

Stamps: Essential Textures

Imagine Ink: Embossing Powders (Caribbean, Sea Mist, Ebony, Snow)

My 2nd page is as boyish as the first one was feminine.

I started off with some vintage Paisley & Vine papers to go along with this more masculine theme.

The title was taken from the Wish Wonder Dream set which I covered with Blue Sky embossing powder.  I added some fabulous Lightbulbs covered with Sand & Sea.

Again, I divided a longer piece of chipboard into 2 pieces, this time a piece of the Printer's Bits to fit vertically above and below my photo. On this piece is the Ruby embossing powder which I dabbed with a little bit of brighter red acrylic paint.

Some more of the Printer's Bits layered over the Triangle Eclipse covered in Stellar Night and dabbed with brown paint. On the background paper, I stamped the netting design from the Essential Textures stamp set.

You've seen this little cutie before... he is  my friend's son.

Blue Fern Studios Products

Patterned Paper: Paisley & Vine (Whimsy, Pathway)

Chipboard: Wish Wonder Dream set, Triangle Eclipse, Printer's Bits, Lightbulbs

Stamps: Essential Textures

Imagine Ink: Embossing Powders (Ruby, Blue Sky, Stellar Night, Sand & Sea)

Last but certainly not least, I share with you a closer look at my layout

that was part of the November challenge reveal, featuring the latest collection, Memoires.

The November challenge is simply to use a Blue Fern Studios chipboard title on your project, ANY title so hopefully you will play along!

I had the perfect title in my BFS chipboard stash for this Autumn layout... An Autumn Story. 

 I simply covered it with a new favorite shade of Imagine Ink embossing powder called Golden Brick.

On my background, I sprayed different Autumn shades of mists plus used the new Crackled Textures stamps with brown ink and added some stenciling with modeling paste.

After treating it with a mix of Golden Bricks and Chili Powder powders, I cut the Treasured Floral Frame into several pieces to adorn my page with it here and there, combining it with the Fall Foliage set.  On the leaves, I mixed some Chili Powder, Tangerine and Nutmeg.

Another chipboard set that I am totally in love with is the Pretty Pumpkins set and here you see the smaller version. Totally gorgeous!

Finally, here is a closer look at the 'Autumn story' that I chose to document on this layout, a very beautiful shot of a splendid Fall day spent with my man, and framed with beautiful earthy tone flowers, including BFS Tranquil blooms.

Blue Fern Studios Products

Patterned Paper: Memoires (Songbird's Drama, Grand Sequel, Chronicles)

Chipboard: An Autumn Story, Treasured Floral Frame, Pretty Pumpkins, Fall Foliage

Flowers: Tranquil Blooms

Stamps: Crackled Textures

Imagine Ink: Embossing Powders (Golden Bricks, Chili Powder, Tangerine, Nutmeg)

See you back next month for a very special December reveal!

- Nicole

Blending the Old with the New; October Inspiration with Sandi

Hello, hello!
Sandi here with you today sharing my October creations.
I've used 3 different paper collections but one thing remains the same: awesome Blue Fern Studios chipboard!

I received the new Memoires paper collection just a few days ago along with a new batch of chipboard, flowers, stamps, embossing powder and glitter. I love taking time to admire everything and start formulating ideas for projects.

"True Story"

The Memoires paper are my new favorite … they are kind of a blend of the "Serendipity" feel paired with the warm colors of our "Autumn Anthology" papers. So hard to decide where to start because each one is so beautiful! 

The base layer is Twilight Fable layered with some torn Nature's Novel and Calling Cards for my photo layers. I did some mixed media work and then stamped randomly with the Crackle Textures stamp. Behind my photo you'll find the Persian Ornament chipboard piece which was embossed with the new Mocha Embossing Powder. It sure does shine! I treated the title piece from True Story, Big Drama the same way. I wanted the colors to mimic the papers, so stayed in that color family.  

The Spring in Paris chipboard piece is divine! I chose Black Sand embossing powder for that one as well as for the border piece, Mina's Border. I thought is would work well for architectural pieces. Here you can see some of our new flowers, Memoires Blooms. So yummy! 

My border is only attached in one spot since it is layered over the Persian Ornament piece, so it looks a little crooked although it's not. It's just dangling a bit. See how much shine you get with Mocha Embossing Powder, wow!

I'm dying over all the new stamps I received this time! Some of them have been available for a few months but my previous DT order went in before their release. I love stamps that have textural effects and have used this one around the edges of the paper and then randomly thoughout the design. 

A really good look at the Persian Ornament chipboard! 

Another sweet Memories Bloom off to the side. 

I finished with some black ink splatters. 

Now I can't wait to create my next Memoires project! 

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Paper: Memoires Twilight Fable, Nature's Novel, Calling Cards

Chipboard: Persian Ornament, Spring in Paris, Mina's Border, True Story, Big Drama set

Stamps: Crackle Textures

Embossing Powder: Mocha, Black Sand

Flowers: Memoires Blooms

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"Reminisce"

Serendipity is the collection that just keeps on giving for me! I have used almost all I have and am saving my tiniest scraps because it is so cherished! This time another engagement photo with a sunburst which captures the joy between these two lovebirds! 

I did some texture work on the Merriment paper and then starting preparing my chipboard pieces. First the Rose Collage and then the Destiny Collage. This time, I decided to colorize with gelatoes after priming my chipboard with white gesso. Then I kicked the pieces up a notch by adding some random Auburn Embossing Powder. The Reminisce title piece from Serendipity Words 2 is simply inked and then dabbed with white gesso. 

For flowers, I've used a combination of Tranquil Roses, Memoires Blooms and Late Winter Lilies. Layers were built with torn pieces of the Fascination paper and corrugated cardboard. 

 The Calling Cards that come with each paper collection are perfect for layering and as seen here, for using as a subtitle or title phrase. I've tucked in a bridal pearl spray from my stash and added a few art stones to my design. Of course, everything was dabbed with gesso to blend. 

The Destiny Collage piece is a knockout on its own but the Auburn Embossing Powder is perfect for providing warmth to the page. 

Just a close up of both the right corner of my design.  

And finally a good close-up of the chipboard pieces themselves. 

Blue Fern Products used:

Paper: Serendipity Merriment, Fascination and Calling Cards

Chipboard: Rose Collage, Destiny Collage, Serendipity Words 2

Embossing Powder: Auburn

Flowers: Tranquil Roses, Memoires Blooms and Late Winter Lilies

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My last project was based on this month's Sketch by Michele Singh. You can find the October Challenge HERE.  We hope you'll find time to play along! 

"Yesterday"

I've been waiting to scrap this sweet photo since last November. As a Designer I am always working ahead, so I was using Christmas paper by the time I got the photo. This is sweet granddaughter Zoe with a pumpkin almost half as big as her! 

I dug back for an old favorite of mine, the Ombre Collection, specifically Leslie's Dream and Shannon's Dream. I took this opportunity to use the French Ironwork chipboard to anchor my design. I doubled my photos and nested then on some Calling Card, Shannon's Dream, cheesecloth and flowers! 

The Seasonal Wildflowers are a favorite of my as well, especially for outdoor scenes. Tp add color I've used a combination of Lime and Sage Embossing Powder. 

The French Ironwork is a majestic piece that I could used over and over. There are so many ways you could alter this for your designs. Here I've inked the piece and then added Nutmeg, 14 Karat and Chili Powder. The Yesterday title was treated the same. 

My Attic Charm flowers seemed a perfect match for my little pumpkin patch, so I used the Glitter Roses and Attic Charm Daisies to complete my design. I added a few simple textural pieces such as cheese cloth and seam binding. To draw the eye to the center of the page, I use Persimmon Imagine Ink Mist around the central design to blend everything together and then to splatter on the page. 

Just a dab of gesso and I'm done with this one! 

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Paper: Ombre Dreams Leslies Dreams, Shannon's Dreams and Calaling Cards

Chipboard: French Ironwork, Seasonal Wildflowers, Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday

Embossing Powder: Nutmeg, 14 Karat and Chili Powder

Stamps: Halftone

Flowers: Attic Charm Glitter Roses, Daisies

Mist: Persimmon

I think that wraps up October for me. 

You'll be seeing me here next month with some more Memoires creations! 

Thanks for coming by! 

Sandi