Monday, May 16, 2016

May creations by Maja

Welcome, dear Visitors, to the Blue Fern Studios blog today :-)

It's Maja here to share some projects I made for today's post.

Let's begin with the layout you already could see  - my sample for the BFS May sketch challenge.


As usually, I followed the sketch quite closely, trying to incorporate all the elements. I used the Timeless collection. For the background, I layered the Freedom and Maconnerie sheets and then repreated the brick pattern from Maconnerie using bricks (mine were leftovers from the Brick Panel, but you may also get them in the Blue Fern Bits set) I coloured white:



Under the photo you may see the tags I cut out from the Calling Cards sheet. Then I embossed the Merriment word first with Garnet ep, and then with Mystic Plum - as it is semi-transparent, it resulted in a new, shimmering colour :-)


I decorated the Love This word from the Arrow Words set, and placed it on an ornament I cut out from one of the Calling Cards tags. I completed my page with a piece of lace and mini roses:


Merriment:
Papers: Timeless: Maconnerie, Freedom, Keepsakes, Calling Cards
Chipboard: Arrow Words, Serendipity Words 2, Shabby Brick Panel/Blue Fern Bits
EP: Garnet, Mystic Plum

 For my second layout I used our latest release, the Tranquility collection - I just fell in love with the wood patterns included!


I couldn't resist using one of those beautiful woods for the background ;-) Then I matted the photo with the darker wood pattern and placed it onto the largest of the Splattered Circles chipboard set and added flowers from the two sets that match the collection. Then I surrounded the photo with pieces from the Seeing Stars set.



I coloured my chippies with four different embossing powders, re-heating and adding pinch of various colours here and there to get a varied, distressed look:


For the title I used a piece from the Spiritually Speaking set and embossed it with In the Navy ep - I just love this deep dark blue it gives! And then, as a cherry on top, I added yet another star in the form of a metal charm from my stash :-)



Angel Eyes:
Papers: Tranquility: Serenity, Jubilation, Calm, Patience
Chipboard: Seeing Stars, Splattered Circles, Spiritually Speaking
EP: Mushroom, Icicle, Oatmeal, 14 Karat, In the Navy
Flowers: Tranquil Blooms, Tranguil Roses and Lilies


Mother's Day is celebrated on different days around the world, but many countries celebrate it in May. And so, last but not least, come two cards I made for this occasion:


I also used papers and flowers from the tranquility collection - as you can see, it's perfect for boy themes and romantic creations too :-) I went for the pink palette with one of the cards and combined some chipboard pieces from various sets, painting them or embossing with embossing powders:


The other card features one of the chipboard sets that go with the collection, Jubilation Corners, and the aqua-green flowers from the collection blooms.


I first coloured the chipboard with various mists for a delicate shiny look and then accentuated the butterflies with white crackle paint. I just love the shabby chic effect!



Mother's Day Cards:
Papers: Tranquility: Hushed, Peaceful
Chipboard: Veranda Cage Set, All Natural Set, Jubilation Corners, Mini Flourishes
EP: Oatmeal, Cotton Candy
Flowers: Tranquil Blooms, Tranguil Roses and Lilies, Courtship Roses


And that's all for today, thank you for visiting and do visit us later for more inspiration :-)

hugs, Maja

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Three layouts ideas with the new tranquility collection made by Wilma Voermans..

Today I would love to show you three different mixed media layouts .
All three made with the tranquility collection.
I love the line , it has many possibilitys.


My first layout is one with a grunge beach look.
On the beach you always find things like old wood, bitses and pieces.
On most of my beach layouts I like to use that feeling by adding things I find around me.
I started with the Contentment paper.
The B-side is perfect for a beach look.

I wanted a sandy feeling to the whole layout.
I added many layers, starting with joint compound in my background .
It has already a sandy feeling.
Two colors glimmerspray ,  turqoise and sandcolor.
Next some paper from a old notebook , very light swimmpearls
 (the ones you use in flowerarrangements).



Around my picture pieces of a old shirt .
A little story about the titel ....
I came home and found my best shoes half eaten by my dog.....
I was very angry and dissapointed, but it is a dog that was found on the streets of Spain
She still has to learn some domestic things :)
So I thought, take the pieces and use the brandname as a titel.
On the layout you see more pieces I collected on the ground from my beloved shoes.


I used two chipboard pieces, seaside charms and Frolic mesh.
 Stippled light gesso and than used three different embossingpowders .
I sprinkled them all three in the wet gesso and just heatet it here and there.. 

I did the same in the background, but did not heat at all.
The three colors: oatmeal, ginger and mushroom.
They gave me the perfect sandy look I wanted.

*******




My next layout was based on the Stillness title that comes with the Tranquility collection.
The background paper is the b-side of the Serenity paper.
I used the May sketch for the design:



I totally love the tranquil foliage chipboard piece .
With the title and mood of the picture I did not want too much on the page.
Sometimes enough can be enough for me.
The circle is a negative piece of chipboard that I never throw away.

ITo all the chipboard I stippled gesso .
When it was not completly dry I sprenkled orange Peel glitter .
After that a little sage embossingpowder.
I heatet with the heatgun, but not too much.
It gave me a rough surface.
On the title also the gesso, orange Peel glitter and some orange paint.
When it was still wet I went over the under part with gesso .
Just lightly to get the ombre effect. 

*******




For the last layout I wanted a soft babyfeeling without getting sweetness all over the place.
I think the picture has enough sweet in it :) 
I used the Stillness paper as my background aswell as behind the picture.
Behind and between I used a chipboard piece that comes to the Attic Charm collection.
This collection will be released soon !
I embossed it with Pearl embossing powder .
After that it got some gesso with pinkish ecoline here and there.
The heart was embossed with Garned Embossing and dulled down with gesso.
The title was very easy, just some black ink that gets into the chipboard very easy.
*****

Thank you so much for visiting the blog and looking at my monthly post.
x Wilma x














Friday, May 13, 2016

May inspiration by Bec

Hi there, today I have my May projects for you.

Beach Wedding Canvas


First up I have a canvas I made as a belated wedding gift for a friend


I began by covering the canvas with the new Tranquillity Collection papers: Serenity and Jubilation. I then used what was left over from these papers to make a photo mat.  


I distressed the edges of all the papers and I added modeling paste with a stencil to the background of the canvas.


I used the Persian Ornament Chipboard piece to go under the photo, I coloured this with the Mushroom Embossing Powder.
For the title Love Always I used two different embossing powders in Snow and Seven Seas.


To finish off I embellished this canvas with some of the gorgeous new Blue Fern flowers. I used Courtship Blooms, Courtship Roses and Tranquil Roses and Lilies.


Blue Fern Studios Products used: 
Papers: Tranquillity Collection -  Serenity and Jubilation
Chipboard:  Persian Ornament  Love Always
Embossing Powder: Mushroom, Snow and Seven Seas
Flowers: Courtship Blooms, Courtship Roses and Tranquil Roses and Lilies.

Mini Beach Shadow Box


My next Project is a mini shadow box made with the Tranquillity Collection


I used the Tranquillity paper Jubilation to line the squares inside the box as well as the outside edges and bottom of the box.


Then I used the Seven Seas Embossing powder to colour the top surfaces of the box.
I filled the mini bottles with the Gulf Coast and Blue Ice Glitters


I coated all the Seaside Seashells chipboard pieces with white sand texture paste, and when this was dry I rubbed a little distress ink over the surfaces.


I finished with off with a few real sea shells and Courtship Blooms, Courtship Roses and Tranquil Roses and Lilies.



Blue Fern Studios Products used: 
Papers: Tranquillity Collection -  Jubilation
Chipboard:  Seaside Seashells
Embossing Powder: Seven Seas
Glitter: Gulf Coast & Blue Ice
Flowers: Courtship Blooms, Courtship Roses and Tranquil Roses and Lilies.

The Future Belongs to Those who Believe on the Beauty of Their Dreams


And finally today I have a layout to share which I made with the Serendipity collection


I used the Serendipity Fascination paper as my background for this layout, I added some mists and texture pastes for colour and interest. Then I used the Serendipity papers Glee and Calling cards to make a photo mat.


I used the whole Natural Sprigs Set pack and covered all the pieces with white crackle paste. When the paste was dry I coloured them with a green mist and brown distress ink.


To colour the Folkart Frame I used Liquid Pearls in Bisque
For my title I cut one to the calling cards up and spread the words over my page


Blue Fern Studios Products used: 
Papers: Serendipity Collection - Fascination, Glee & Calling Cards
Chipboard:  Natural Sprigs Set & Folkart Frame


Thanks for Looking

Bec

Thursday, May 12, 2016

May Inspiration with Sandi Clarkson

Hello, Blue Fern Studios fans!

Sandi here with you today sharing 3 projects using 3 different collections. Because I work ahead, only one of these is done using our newest Tranquility collection. However, that gave me a chance to catch up on some faves. 
This month it seemed that "my jam" was using a mix of embossing powders and glitters on a single chipboard piece. So fun!


"Memories Captured"

My new favorite! This is one of those projects that is so sparkly in real life but is hard to capture with the camera. I've used the gorgeous Serendipity papers and layered and stamped them to create a unique effect. The darker pattern is Reminisce, side B. It provides such a dramatic backdrop.




The Deja Vu Atelier chipboard, as well as the Captured Words title chipboard were altered with black gesso as a primer and then glammed with Oatmeal, Garnet and Cotton Candy Embossing Powders along with some Dusty Rose glitter.




The contrast of the Oatmeal Embossing Powder on the blackened chipboard almost gives a silvery sheen. I love experimenting with different combinations! Here I've added a fussy cut butterfly and some of the Courtship Lane Roses and Blooms. I used the Courtship Lane branding strip as a subtitle.  Off to the right you can spy some of the Halftone stamping. 



The title is from the Captured Words set and is treated the same as the Atelier chipboard. To the right and under it, I've layered in a Whimsy Flourish that was colorized with a gelato and then enhanced with some random embossing using Lime Embossing Powder. Again, some Courtship Lane blooms were added. 



The Aloha Flower chipboard was primed with white gesso, then colored with gelato and and again randomly embossed. For consistency, I've used Lime on the stem and leaves, Cotton Candy on the flower itself. 

Blue Fern Studios products used:
Paper: Serendipity Contemplation, Reminisce, Anticipation and Calling Cards, Courtship Lane branding strip
Chipboard:  Captured Words, Deja Vu Atelier Chippie, Aloha Flowers, Whimsy Fourishes
Stamps: Halftone
Embossing Powder: Oatmeal, Garnet, Cotton Candy, Lime
Glitters: Dusty Rose
Flowers: Courtship Lane Roses, Courtship Lane Blooms

***


"Dream Big"

This next layout was so fun for me because it's a little different from my usual style. But with a photo this cute, you just have to let it inspire you!
 This is my sweet granddaughter MacKayla and her new foal.

Since this girl loves going to the barn, I thought this particular paper from Autumn Anthology (Cottage) might fit the bill. I used a few others for layers and stamped the background with the Dreamy stamp.
I grabbed some of the older Chicken Wire chipboard, inked it and tucked it in.




The right corner flourish you see is actually a trimmed corner from the Rose Frame chipboard piece which is almost 11x11 inches. Once again I went with priming with black gesso and adding a combination of fun Embossing Powders. This  time I've used a combination of the paper and the photo for my inspiration.  So, first, Seven Seas, then Tangerine and lastly Honey Embossing Powder. At the end of my composition, I dabbed with white gesso. A couple of Courthsip Lane blooms and that part was done! The little left hand corner piece was treated the same.

Since the Pretty Weeds flowers are right there to the left, let's talk about them. The flowers were embossed with Bonny Blue Embossing Powder while the stems were inked. Love how they brighten things up! 




I needed my title chipboard "Dream Big" (from the Optimist Set) to be light in  color, so I used the Bonnie Blue Embossing Powder again. Then later dabbed with white gesso. Here you can also see that left hand piece of the Rose Frame and more of the Pretty Weeds. And of course, good old Chicken Wire! All that was left was to add some more of the Courtship Blooms.




One more Pretty Weed over to the right of the little house image … which I'm imagining as a barn! 

Blue Fern Studios products used:
Paper: Autumn Anthology Cottage, Mercantile, Newsworthy, Calling Cards
Chipboard: Chicken wire, Rose Frame, Pretty Weeds, The Optimist Word Set
Stamps: Dreamy
Embossing Powder: Bonny Blue, Seven Seas, Honey, Tangerine
Flowers: Courtship Lane Blooms

***


"Blissful" 

Last but not least is my example for the Tranquility Reveal. 
My primary background paper is the B side of the Hushed paper. More Hushed paper was utilized as torn photo layers to help build the background along with a Calling Card. I've done some stenciling and added some random mist colors from my stash. 

All my chipboard pieces were treated the same to create a cohesive look. I've again done multiple embossing powder over clear gesso. 



Some Organic Coins were used as a photo layer and embossed with In the Navy, Nutmeg and Garnet Embossing Powder.  Fool's Gold Glitter was also added in for sparkle. The Scalloped Border chipboard is just barely peeking out on each side of the photo. My Blissful title was treated the same as well. 
I enjoyed using the new Tranquility Flowers on this page, so added them generously! 



A better look at that Scalloped Border chipboard and Blissful title. 
You can see bits of the Making Plans stamping that was done as I was preparing my background. I've used black splattered paint as a finishing touch. I also added some black dots to my lilies to make them more life-like. 



Just wanted to share one more image of these gorgeous Tranquility Roses and Lilies. 

Blue Fern Studios products used:
Paper: Tranquility Hushed and Calling Cards
Chipboard: Organic Coins, Blissful, Jubilation, Patience set, Scalloped Border
Stamp: Making Plans
Embossing Powder: In The Navy, Nutmeg, Garnet
Glitter: Fool's Gold
Flowers: Tranquil Blooms, Tranquil Roses and Lilies

That's it for this month! 
I hope you've found something to inspire you! 
Sandi