Christmas inspiration by Karolina

I defenitely prefer to say "hello" than "goodbye", but it's time to move on. It's my last post on BFS blog, but I'm sure it's not my last projects with BFS products!  I'm really thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing DT. Thank you girls for everything! You are totally unique!

Today I would like to show you my 2 projects (one of them with mini tutorial) with gorgeous Vintage Christmas collections.

Calm

Let's start from the layout. What I love most in these collections is their versatility. You can prepare very traditional project with these papers as also more delicate and sweet, like my layout. When I look at this page I thinking about peppermint candies and candy canes, but also about something warm and cozy. I really like a combo of colours. 

Papers: Vintage Christmas 2 - Holiday Treats, Let it snow, Jolly, 'Twas the night;  Vintage Christmas - Greeting Cards, 

Embossing powder: Snow

Glitter: vintage gold

Chipboard: Serenity, Calm, Hushed, Seeing Stars

Magic and Wonder

My second project it's a Christmas canvas.  I prepared a little photo-tutorial for you.

I started from cover my canvas using old book pages. I'm pretty sure I said it few times, but I really love this effect. 

Next I cut some holly leaves and branches to make a wreath. I also cut a hoop from the common cardboard with scissors to have a shape of my wreath. It doesn't have to be perfect. it's only the skeleton of our construction and it will be unvisible. Then we can start to build our wreath.

We also need  two stripes of paper. We can make it look older using blending tool and the paper knife. We can also use stencil and modeling paste to make our background more interesting.

Next we need to prepare our chipboards. I have used copper and ginger embossing powders to colour them and I put gold glitter on a frame. Then I used a cardboard to make a distance between layers. 

And that's all! Now we need put everything together and add some extra embellishments. I made a snow paste with modeling paste, powder and gel medium.

And here is a result:

Papers: Vintage Christmas 2 - Greeting Cards, 'Twas the night;  Vintage Christmas - Magical, Deck the Halls

Embossing powder: Copper, Ginger

Glitter: vintage gold

Chipboard: Framed Winter Words, Winter Deer, Seaside Lanterns

So that's all. I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

Three Tranquility Layouts with Karine

Hi there, Blue Fern Studios fans,

I hope this post finds you well and that summer is arrived in your part of the world. I'm sharing with you today three layouts I did in the past week or so. I used one of the last collection: Tranquility. I think it's my favorite collection ever!

All You Need Is Love

For this layout, I stepped out of my comfort zone. Orange is a scary color for me, but this Keepsakes paper from the Timeless collection is so beautiful, I couldn't resist.

My main chipboard piece is the Circle Vine. I coloured it with brown ink, and then partially embossed it with Imagine Ink Honey and Chili Powder embossing powders. I just love how it turned out.

As for my background work, I used the Serendipity stamp with brown ink and the Garden Frolic stamp with orange ink. I also used some withe and gold texture paste, to add interest to the background. Brown ink drops complete the work.

My title piece is simply coloured with brown ink.

I must say, my layout is also inspired by the beautiful orange flowers, part of the Tranquil Blooms set. I just can't get enough of those gorgeous flowers. I also used some of the Courtship Blooms.

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Keepsakes paper (Timeless collection)

Serendipity and Garden Frolic stamps

Chipboards: All You Need is Love and Circle Vine 

Imagine Ink Honey and Chili Powder embossing powder

Tranquil Blooms and Courtship Blooms flowers

Serenity

My second layout features the Contentment paper from the Tranquility collection. When I got the collection, I wanted to create something special with this paper. It is just gorgeous. I decided on a layout about me, since I rarely use a picture of me.

For the background, I wanted to match what was already in the paper and that reminded me of sand or some rough texture. I used some stone effect medium with a stencil or simply applying it with a palet knife, and while it was still wet, I sprinkled some Imagine Ink Seven Seas and Honey embossing powders and heated it. I LOVE the result.

I did the same thing with my chipboards (the Crackle Bits). Look at this texture!

My title piece comes from the Serenity, Cam, Hushed set.

To mat my photo, I used the Jubilation and the Calling Cards papers, also from the Tranquility collection.

To embellish, I used two large flowers and some pale yellow lilies from the Tranquil Roses and Lilies set.

To add a bit of interest to my background, I partially stamped using the Serendipity Medley and the Making Plans stamps with blue ink, and the Postal Textures stamps with grey ink.

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Contentment, Jubilation and Calling Cards Papers (Tranquility collection)

Serendipity Medley, Postal Textures and Making Plans stamps

Crackle Bits and Serenity, Calm, Hushed chipboards

Tranquil Roses and Lilies

Imagine Ink Seven Seas and Honey embossing Powders 

Perky

My last layout features the Stillness paper from the Tranquility collection. I mated my picture with the Serenity paper, also from the Tranquility collection.

I wanted a masculine feel to this one, so I used the Grid Pieces on which I used clear crackle medium and some brown paint to make the cracks stand out more. I love the result. It matches the grid pattern in the paper. I also used a grid stencil with modeling paste and a grid stamp, along with the Texture 1 and Making Plans stamps sets.

Look at the texture on the chipboards pieces.

My title is part of The Optimist Word set. I left it raw.

To embellish everything, I used the Tranquil Blooms (green) and some Courtship Blooms (kraft and dark brown). Aren't those flowers simply amazing?

Blue Fern Studios products used:

Stillness and Serenity papers (Tranquility collection)

Texture 1 and Making Plans stamps

Grid Pieces and The Optimist Word set chipboards

Tranquil Blooms and Courtship Blooms flowers

I hope you have a great day.
Karine

Tranquility inspiration by Pascale

Hello Sweeties

Today, I'm up on Blue Fern Studios blog with some new inspiration. In this first layout, I worked with a photo taken during a recent trip in  Ireland of the Kilmore Abbey (co. Galway, Ireland). 

I started to apply a thin layer of clear gesso to protect the paper, then I added a design with a stencil and 3D Gloss Gel. When dry, I added some colors to the background.

While the background was drying, I covered the Quatrefoil Panel with clear crackle paste and put it aside to dry too. Later I painted it grey..

I painted the Serenity chipboard with two shades of blue Twinkling H2Os, then I covered it with white gesso and finally I embossed it with the Pearl Imagine Ink embossing powder. The blue color show through the white layers.

I painted the Seaweed chipboards in green and added different colors of Imagine Ink embossing powder to add some texture. 

After I've glued all the embellishments, I finished the layout with eggplant glitters.

Blue Fern Studios products:

Papers - Tranquility (Peaceful, Calling Cards)
Chipboards - Quatrefoil Panel, Seaweeds and  Serenity, Calm, Hush
Flowers - Tranquil Roses and Lilies
Imagine Ink - Embosssing Powders (Mushroom, Sage, Ginger, Pearl)
Imagine Ink - Glitter (Eggplant)

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For this second layout I chose another photo taken in Ireland of a lonely tree.

I'm sure that you certainly noticed that all the Blue Fern STudios's papers have an nice strip at the bottom of each page as can be seen below. Well, I kept all these small strips and I used them to create a texture base. 

I glued all the paper strips soft matte gel and covered them with a thin layer of black gesso. When dry, I splattered some white gesso that I've watered down.

While the background was drying, I covered the Mesh Bits with the Rust Paste.

I colored the leaves with a green Twinkling H2O and added randomly some Chili Powder and Verdant embossing powders. 

I covered the Blooming Flourishes and the title with white crackle paste and let dry naturally. Then I colored them with a Primary Element and amber Izink.

I added more splatter to the background with the Rust Paste and glue all the emellishments.

Blue Fern Studios products:

Papers : Tranquility (Serenity, Calling Cards)
Chipbords (Mesh Bits, Blooming Flourish and Serenity, Calm, Hushed)
Flowers (Tranquil Blooms)
Imagine Ink - Embossing Powders (Chili Powder, Verdant)

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This third layout is based on May sketch. I took these photo of the town's belfry during a short visit of Avignon (France).

I started to stamp the background with the postmark collage of the "Journey" set, then I covered the paper with a thin layer of clear gesso.

When the background was drying, I die-cut some branches in a kraft paper that I stamped with the writing circle of the "Textures circles" set and embossed with the Ginger powder.

I colored the die-cut leaves and the "Seaweed" chipboard with green Distress inks and I embossed with several colors (Sage, Verdant, Nutmag and Muschroom).

I primed the "Swan Gate" with clear gesso before covering it with a clear crackle paste. When dry I painted it with a gray Primary Element.

When all the embellishments were in place, I added some colors with differents colors of Twinkling H2O. To finish, I added a design with the "Making Plans" stamp that embossed with the "Mushroom" powder.

Blue Fern Studios products:

Papers - Tranquility (Stillness), Serendipity (Calling Cards), Love Story (The Grand Ball)

Chipboards - Seaweeds, Swan Gate
Flowers - Courtship Blooms

Stamps - Textures Circles, Journay, Making Plan

Imagine Ink - Embossing Powders (Ginger, Nutmeg, Verdant, Sage, Mushroom).