It feels like Spring! with Sandi Clarkson

Hello, Blue Fern fans! 

Sandi here with you today sharing my March creations using some of our newest products! 

This month I'm focusing on Courtship Lane! 

I'll be back on the 17th with a Social Media Update. 

Be sure and tag or hashtag us on Instagram because I'm looking for folks to feature!
https://www.instagram.com/bluefernstudios/

Or use the little camera icon at the top of the right sidebar!

"Today" 

I've been wanting to scrap this photo for a while even though it's not the best quality.  This sweet little family is expecting twin boys any day! Anyway, this Courtship Parkway paper seemed perfect for an outdoor family photo. Lots of earth tones mixed in with a pinch of purple. 

I prepared my background with gesso, stenciling and stamping with the Halftone and the Photography stamps. 

Next, I prepared my chipboard and decided to have fun with color this time around. The Seasonal Wildflowers piece is a combination of Sage and Lucky Embossing Powders. Then it was dabbed with gesso. My Graduated Circle piece is just one of this great set of circles, lots for your money! It was prepared with gesso, gelato and Cotton Candy Embossing Powder  .. done randomly. 

This is also a good time to point out the new Flowers! Yes, there are coordinating flowers for the Courtship Lane collection, blooms and roses.  I've added a touch of yellow to the white and purple flower and then gessoed all of them. Loving the yellow I added to that purple rose! Kicked it up a notch! 

The Today title is from the Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday set and was prepared with gesso, gelato and Honey Embossing Powder. I made the heart and bow portion of the Winter Page Dangle the same as the title and circle chips. 

Bits of Honey are left natural and lightly touched with gesso. 

Just another great shot of the new Roses and Blooms. (The peach one is from my stash.) 

I threw this photo in because you can clearly see the Halftone stamping and you get to see the new flowers one more time. 

Blue Fern Studios Products Used:

Paper: Courtship Lane Parkway, Calling Cards and West Plaza

Chipboard: Graduated Circles, Bits of Honey, Today Tomorrow Yesterday set, Seasonal Wildflowers, Winter Page Dangles

Embossing Powder: Honey, Cotton Candy, Sage and Lucky

Stamps: Halftone, Photography

Flowers: Courtship Lane Blooms, Courtship Lane Roses

***

"Happy"

I was going to save this sweet layout for next month but I decided to hold another completed project and replace it with this one! For once, my post will have 3 layouts using one paper collection! 

I prepared my background (Royal Street) with clear gesso and then built layers with stenciling, gesso and stamping with the Garden Frolic, Love Story 2 and the Photography stamps. 

I love this sweet photo of a couple of the grandkids. So precious! For photo mat layers I've used the Courtship Lane Calling Cards, and both sides of West Plaza.  Of course, my Butterfly Friends chippy provides yet another layer. It has been prepared with white gesso and then heat embossed with Snow Embossing Powder. You can also see here one of the Courtship purple Roses and a couple of the Courtship Blooms! 

My Happy title is from Arrow Words and was heat embossed with Iris Embossing Powder. I snipped off the arrow and added it higher on the photo. 

Just the other side of the Butterfly Friends chippy which I cut in half so that it could peek out both sides. Love, love, love how that Iris Embossing Powder looks on the Happy title. 

I took this photo to highlight some of the stamping done for adding dimension. 

This magnificent Gazebo piece is simply painted white and then inked, stamped randomly and popped up on dimensional tape. I added the Organic Vine Corner to one edge and wow, it looks like it is growing up the Gazebo! Love that effect. Of course, I had to add in some of the new flowers! 

The vine is simply inked .. one of my favorite ways to alter chipboard. I like a matte finish. 

Just a close-up of the purple Courtship Roses and the light green Courtship Bloom. I made them my own my adding some yellow coloring and microbeads. And isn't that vine to die for? 

Blue Fern Studios Products used:

Paper: Courtship Lane Royal Street, West Plaza, Calling Cards

Chipboard: Butterfly Friends, Gazebo, Organic Vine Corner, Arrow Words

Stamps: Garden Frolic, Love Story 2, Photography

Embossing Powder: Snow, Iris

Flowers: Courtship Roses, Courtship Blooms

***

"Anticipation"

This layout was created for our March Sketch Challenge. We hope you get a chance to play along! I decided to go purple on this one. There is lots of simple background work on this one including some stamping with the Christmas Collage stamp .. yes, really! Then I layered the papers as listed below but my primary background layer is Courtship East Plaza. 

I wanted this layout to be all soft and feminine, so my chipboard is simply painted with white gesso. I've used the Serendipity Anticipation title and the Township collage. 

Just a little floral close-up and some stamping and ink splattering. I've used some clusters of microbeads here and there for more texture. 

I've been wanting to use the Banner Flags chippy and when they showed up on this month's sketch. I pulled one out! So cute! 

Just s couple of dimensional shots! Love adding in corrugated cardboard to anything! 

Blue Fern Studios Products used:

Paper:

Courtship Lane East Plaza, West Plaza, Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Anticipation, Township Collage, Banner Flags

Stamp:

Christmas Collage

***
That's it from me this month!

Remember,  I'll be back on the 17th with a Social Media Update.
Be sure and tag or hashtag us on Instagram because I'm looking for folks to feature!
https://www.instagram.com/bluefernstudios/
Or use the little camera icon at the top of the right sidebar!

See you then!

March Creations by Nicole Doiron

How happy I am to be here with you again to share some more 

creations using Blue Fern Studios products.

Two of my layouts feature the beautiful new Courtship Lane collection,

starting with this romantic page inspired by the March sketch challenge.

This is the beautiful March sketch.  I'm hoping to see your take on it!

Like all Blue Fern Studios papers, Courtship Lane has elegant floral designs

and is centered on a Home Sweet Home theme.  And when I think of home, I think of love!

I used the Everlasting Love title which I covered in Imagine Ink Copper 

embossing powder and then dabbed in white paint.

Below you see the fancy Floral Vine which I embossed in Imagine Ink Copper, Sage

and Iris embossing powders.  I love the way the mix of colors turned out.

I did some stenciling on my background and mixed in different purple shades of stains.

I added a small piece of the Ironwork Accents set adorned with a purple gem.

All and all, a very soft color palette with a touch of copper to match the beautiful, 

albeit dead, rusted tree in front of which Yves and I posed in this picture.

Blue Fern Studios Supplies

Paper: Courtship Lane (Royal Street, Parkway, Calling Cards)

Chipboard: Everlasting Love, Floral Vine, Ironwork Accents

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: Copper, Iris, Sage

My 2nd Courtship Lane inspired layout brings the 'home' theme home, so to speak.

I decided to scrap this old but precious family photo.  I have very few pictures of me alone as a baby
 or with my family, and the ones I do have are of very bad 1970's quality. This one, however, is certainly
a favorite of mine and I found that it was perfect for Courtship Lane.

Slipped behind my photo is the Princess Window which I've treated with 2 shades of Imagine Ink  powders,
Ginger and Nutmeg. I then lightly dabbed on some copper and white acrylic paint.

I did the same to this piece from the Leafy Page Accents set...

and this fancy hinge from the Ironwork Accents.

Other chipboard pieces used are the Reminisce word from Serendipity Words 2 and the Shabby Brick Bits
which I simply covered with Snow embossing powder.

Blue Fern Studios Supplies

Paper: Courtship Lane (West Plaza, Parkway)

Chipboard: Princess Window, Ironwork Accents, Leafy Page Accents, 

Serendipity Words 2, Shabby Brick Bits

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: Ginger, Nutmeg, Snow

As you may know, I'm from Canada and, in my part of the country especially, we have the longest Winters!  

They always seem to drag on and on and on... So to warm myself up a little, 

I thought of using this adorable picture of my friends' daughters on a beautiful 

Summer day matched with the bright happy papers from the Frolic collection.

The beautiful blue background paper, Petits Moments, covered in different shades of blue mist reminds
me of a bright blue sky.  I decided to combine it cut out circles of the pretty butterflies
from Dans le jardin paper.  I love the combination of blue and yellow.

 I chose Sunshine Kisses as my title, using the Sunshine piece from the Optimist Word Set
that I colored in  Buttercup yellow Imagine Ink embossing powder.

Surrounding the picture is the Floral Medley Frame on which I used a mixture of Seven Seas,
Breeze and Azure embossing powders with added white paint.  You can also see below
the Mixed Media Poppies that I cut into 3 pieces to display across diagonally on my page behind the butterflies.

Lastly, I chose to add this sweet little heart and arrow from the Directions set... perfect to accentuate 

the adorable sisterly love between these two little girls!

Blue Fern Studios Supplies

Paper: Frolic (Dans le jardin, Petits moments, Calling Cards)

Chipboard: Floral Medley Frame, Mixed Media Poppies, Directions, Optimist Word Set

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder: Sevens Seas, Breeze, Azure, Buttercup

Whether or not it's Winter where you are, I hope I've added a little sunshine in your day with my projects!  

I can't wait already until next month's post!

- Nicole

Using Blue Fern Studios To Create Masculine, Vintage, & Shabby Chic Styles With Renea Harrison

Today, I have 3 different layouts done in 3 different styles showing you how you can use the Blue Fern Studios products to create something unique and wonderful no matter what style you like to craft in!!

If you haven't had a chance to check out the Blue Fern Studios Sketch Challenge, be sure to do so  and get entered in for your chance at one of their awesome prize packs!!

Here is this month's sketch:

And the following is my take on the sketch using the Blue Fern Serendipity Collection to show you how you can use Blue Fern Studios products to take it to the Masculine, Grungy side of paper crafting:

I started with a layer of Serendipity-Chronicle Paper, and then took a layer of Serendipity-Imagination Paper, 

did some tearing and then heavily inked the edges. 

Next, came a layer of corrugated board that I misted in different layers, and then added Black Microbeads mixed with glitter glass to the torn edges on, and randomly onto the surface. 

I am one of those people who does not like to waste, and so I took the large pieces that housed the  Blue Fern Circle Links that I used on a layout last month, (yeah the part that most people throw away), and I stamped it with clear embossing ink and stamped it with the grid pattern from the Blue Fern Essential Textures Stamp, coated it with Imagine Ink Ginger Embossing Powder, heat setting it with my heat gun.

I took more of the Serendipity Chronicle Paper, cut and curled the edges, then added my photo, and "hung" it with an Office Metal Piece.

I wanted to add some details, without adding flowers, so I splatter painted the paper and then sprinkled Imagine Ink Ebony Embossing Powder and Silver Microbeads into the paint and heat set it. I set some silver brads in a zig zag pattern and then wrapped them with silver wire.

I created this completely FABulous large piece by taking a Blue Fern Working Parts Chipboard Piece and Grunging it up. I inked the brown part, used Imagine Ink Ebony Embossing Powder on the gear pieces of the design and used Imagine Ink Snow Embossing Powder on the chain and gear teeth part of the design and then just splatter sprinkled the Snow Powder to get a worn look. I then added some bolt heads to give it a really cool industrial look.

I continued the piece, actually making it look like one large piece, using the Blue Fern Studios Cogs and Gears Chipboard. I embossed the cog pieces with the Imagine Ink Snow Embossing Powder , and the Gears with the Imagine Ink Ebony Embossing Powder and attached the pieces to the Working Parts piece with a bolt head, and attaching the cogs with some screw brads. I love how combining those pieces created an amazing focal piece for my layout!!!

For the Title work, I stamped the "Photos" using the Blue Fern Studios Photography Stamp, and embossed the stamping with the Ebony Embossing powder, then tore the piece out of the paper and heavily inked it, attaching it with an office metal clip with the word "capture" on it and adding a metal tag with the word "Collections" on it. 

To bring out the teal color in the paper, I took some Blue Fern Studios Grid Bits Chipboard,  heat embossed it with some Imagine Ink Peacock Embossing Powder, and tucked them into some of the tears and layers of my layout.

Here you can see all those layers of Masculine, Grungy goodness that the Blue Fern Products allowed me to achieve, and absolutely no flowers!!
I love doing masculine work! It completely stretches my imagination and makes me think outside the box! 

Blue Fern Studios Supply List:

Paper:
Serendipity-Imagination

Serendipity-Chronicle

Chipboard:
Cogs & Gears
Working Parts
Grid Pieces
Circle Links (Leftover Pieces)

Stamps:
Essential Textures
Photography

Imagine Ink:
Ebony Embossing Powder
Icicle Embossing Powder
Ginger Embossing Powder
Peacock Embossing Powder

Next up, I have a layout using the Blue Fern Serendipity Paper Line that shows you how you can use the Blue Fern Products to create a  Vintage/Heritage style piece:

I started with a layer of Serendipity Fascination Paper. I liked that it had that notebook edge to it, lending a perfect setting for the look I wanted to achieve. I then cut down a piece of the Serendipity Chronicle Paper, and punched the top and bottom with a lace look punch. I added some vintage look lace to add a touch of softness and femininity.

I then wanted to capture the feeling of time, so I took the 2nd Sized Clock from the Blue Fern Large Roman Clocks Chipboard Set, 

and I heat embossed it with Imagine Ink Oatmeal Embossing Powder. I then stamped it randomly with the pattern stamp from the Blue Fern Bottled Sentiments Stamp Set, used the Imagine Ink Garnet Embossing Powder on the stamping and heat set it.

I created some layers to place my photo on using more of the Serendipity Fascination Paper, and a piece that I cut from the Serendipity Calling Cards Paper that repeated the notebook paper pattern, and then topped it with my photo. 

 I then added a metal office clip topped with a pearl and let it "hold" one of the Calling Card Paper pieces with the "Serendipity" definition.

I created a base for my flower layers using the Blue Fern Whimsy Flourish Chipboard Set that I heat embossed with Imagine Ink Sage Embossing Powder,

 stacking the 2 pieces to make a continuous base to place my flowers and foliage onto.

I then added some of my handcrafted Secret Crush Butterflies on, and they pulled out the pattern in the background paper wonderfully!

At the top of the clock, I added more flowers and foliage. 

Here is a side view to help you see all the Vintage elements and how you can achieve a time worn look using the Blue Fern Products.

Blue Fern Studios Supply List:

Paper:
Serendipity-Chronicle
Serendipity-Fascination

Serendipity-Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Roman Clocks
Whimsy Flourish

Imagine Ink:

Oatmeal Embossing Powder
Sage Embossing Powder
Ginger Embossing Powder
Garnet Embossing Powder

Stamp:
Bottled Sentiments

For my last layout I created a super romantic, Shabby Chic look using the brand new Courtship Lane Line that has just been released:

I started the layout with a layer of the Blue Fern Courtship Lane-Bourbon Avenue. 

For the next 2 layers, I wanted to create torn, book page layers to carry out my Fairytale Book theme from the photo, so I used a piece of the Courtship Lane-Town Gossip Paper, tearing a side piece off, flipping it and using the backside for the under layer and the front side for the top layer.

To get the wrinkled look, I just water distressed the edges and then kept working the paper with my hands to break it down a bit and then pushing it until I got the look I wanted and then drying it with my heat gun to form the look of pages.
I then used a Doily Stencil and texture paste to create the raised pattern on the papers.

I layered my photo on and then topped it with the Circle Flourish Chipboard that I heat embossed with Imagine Ink Snow Embossing Powder and then added faux pearl accent to.
The butterflies are some of my handcrafted Snow White Butterflies and really added to the soft look of my layout.

I love how the Imagine Ink Embossing Powders give the chipboard a wonderful, textured look when heat embossed. It makes creating gorgeous chipboard pieces a snap!

To add some Shabby Chic softness, I layered on some frayed cheesecloth, 

Then added on Mulberry Paper flowers and foliage, and a sweet metal adornment that I coated with Gesso and added a little silver key to.

For my Fairytale title, I used the Fairytale piece from the Blue Fern Story Fairytale Magic Chipboard Set, that I first coated in Gesso then inked with a pink ink, and then created a coating using a mix of glitter glass and Imagine Ink Dusty Rose Glitter. After that dried I inked randomly with a tea dye ink to get an aged look. I then distress crackle painted areas on my layout to add to the aged look of the piece.
I created a book latch using a metal latch coated with Gesso and added it to my "pages"

I then took some Blue Fern Garden Lattice Bits Chipboard that I painted with Gesso and then coated with some more of that glitter glass and Imagine Ink Dusty Rose Glitter mix, and added some more faux pearls and tucked the pieces under the water distressed edges. 

I just love how you can use the Blue Fern Studios products to achieve so many different looks!! The papers are so high quality and hold up to technique abuse and heavier layering, the chipboard allows you to create such amazing focal points and accents, the stamps allow you to create beautiful images or textural accents and the Imagine Ink Embossing Powders and Glitters allow you to create amazing colors and textures easily. I hope you get a chance to try some out for yourself! I promise you will be hooked!! Hugs ~Renea

Blue Fern Studios Supply List:

Paper:

Courtship Lane-Bourbon Avenue

Courtship Lane-Town Gossip

Chipboard:

Circle Flourish Chipboard
Story Fairytale Magic Chipboard (Fairytale Piece)
Garden Lattice Bits

Imagine Ink:

Snow Embossing Powder
Dusty Rose Glitter