Jackie's April Creations

I have two new projects to share today using the gorgeous Blue Fern Garden papers along with some stunning Blue Fern chipboard. Spring is in full swing here, and I couldn't resist playing along with some springy greens, flower motifs and outdoor photos. And for a change - no kid photos (gasp!).

Once again, I loaded my Blue Fern paper down with media. I know I've said this before, but I'm so impressed with how this paper holds up to media. Gesso, mists, paint, ink - I threw them all at the paper.

I love the new Eastern Lantern chippies, and used this one as an elaborate hummingbird feeder. I simply painted it with graphite paint and added some script stamping; the nice thing about such an intricate piece of chipboard is that it doesn't take much.

The birds from the Little Birds set are just too sweet. To add some texture, I dabbed on some Texturez Dazzlerz, then misted overtop.

One of my favourite things about Blue Fern chipboard is all the different titles and words available. I have to admit I am lazy about titles, so having such a large selection of words ready to go is fantastic.

Blue Fern Studios Products

Blue Fern Garden Paper:

- Timeless

- In Bloom

Blue Fern Chipboard:

- Little Birds Set

- Eastern Lanterns

- The Optimist Word Set

The background for my next layout is inspired by a great Irish restaurant we frequent, that has decorative holes in the plaster to reveal the brickwork underneath. The leftover bits from the Shabby Brick Panel have been sitting on my desk, waiting to be used, and they paired brilliantly with the stone viaduct in my picture (which happens to be the one from the Harry Potter movies).

I wanted to keep the bricks understated, but add some subtle texture, so I painted them with super heavy gesso, and once it dried I sponged some on for dimension.

The Manor Hinges were painted, then heat embossed in places with Distress Embossing Powder for an aged patina look.

I love the drama of these Pretty Weeds, and painted them with metallic green paint to make a simple statement in my cluster.

Blue Fern Studios Products:

Blue Fern Garden Papers: 

- In Bloom (x2)

- Timeless

- Calling Cards

Blue Fern Studios:

- Shabby Brick Panel

- All Natural Set

- Pretty Weeds

- Manor Hinges

We always love seeing what you create with Blue Fern Studios products, so please remember to share your projects with us in the Blue Fern Gallery!

A Little Bit of Spring

Hi, it's Valerie today, and I've got spring on my mind.  With Easter approaching, I pulled out the Blue Fern Garden paper collection, along with a few chipboard pieces, and created an Easter layout and card.

First up is a layout using the "Picnic"  and "Timeless" paper and a photo of my niece that was taken last Easter. 

I chose the Cosmos Basket as a backdrop for the photos, tucked in a Bohemian Flower with the cluster, and painted some Checker Bits green, as a page accent.  

Here are a couple of close ups of the chipboard pieces:

 

Next, I created a little Happy Easter card using the Timeless and Calling Cards papers from the Blue Fern Garden collection.  I painted the bunny in the Bunny Basket chipboard set, and used the smallest circle from the Beaded Strings set.  

Lastly, I've had this sweet photo of my nephew that I took when he an infant, that I wanted to use with the Parlour paper.  I first worked with the background to create a grunge look (the Blue Fern Garden paper is perfect for this, since it's good and heavy).  I primed the Lattice Gate with gesso, applied a coat of Inka Gold (Old Silver), and unevenly sponged on some gold Prima Metallic Chalk Edger, to give it a distressed look.  I also primed the Broken Rings, and inked them with black ink.

Here is a close-up of the chipboard pieces:

That's all from me this month.  I love trying to achieve different looks with this chipboard!  

Be sure to stop by tomorrow when Jackie will share a few of her projects with you!

Tutorial "Fran-táge & ink" with Leila Cardoso

Hello Ladies

Leila's here today to show you a different use of fran-táge. I hope you like it!

First choose your Chipboards, plaster and fran-tage, I used Shabby White.

(Excuse me for the quality of the photos of the step by step, because my place to make scrap is a bit dark.)

Apply the gesso in Chipboards, with it still wet apply the fran-táge ... ideally leave some points with little powder for the effect look good in the end. Use the heater emboss as usually.

Now grab a spray ink, but not use it as a spray, open the lid and with the applicator inside go through the whole chippie.

Them use the heater emboss again (the ink will be incorporate in emboss).

And it's done. Now just use it in your projetc. I used mine on a layout...

In details with better photos:

Blue Fern Products used:
- Blue Fern Garden Collection - Signature
- Country Picked Fence
- Tweet Friends

So, this it's. I hope you enjoy it!

xoxo

Leila

A layout and a card with Camilla

Hello!

I have some new Blue Fern Studios projects to share - a layout and a card.

The papers are of course from the Blue Fern Garden collection. I have used some tearing both up and down. And then I have used some misting and some masking. The chipboards - The Lattice Fence and the Village Sign Post - are just dabbed with some gesso and some Inka Gold.

Some close-ups of the chipboards and the background:

And then...the card. The base is made with Blue Fern Garden papers and then I added just a few embellies. The Grande Cage is covered in blue embossing powder.

A close-up of the cage:

I hope you enjoyed my projects!

March Sketch Challenge Winners!

It's time to announce the prize winner and Top 3 Features for our March Sketch Challenge!

We had 15 beautiful entries last month and we appreciated each and every last one :)

Here is the chipboard prize pack that was up for grabs last month:

And our luck winner is................................

Frezja!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to you! Please email me {erin@bluefernstudios.com} within 7 days to claim your prize!!

Now, our Top 3 Features:

Amaya

Irina Gerschuk

Buffy Burnside

Thank-you to our fabulous features and to everyone who played along with us last month!!!

Spring Is In the Air!!

 Hi, Lisa here with 3 new layouts. Spring is in the air, and that means the flowers bloom and gardens flourish. To get you in the mood for spring I used lots of flowers and spring colors. Blue Fern Studios has lots of floral inspired chipboard for your projects.

 On the first layout I used the Graduated Circles to frame my photo. I painted it with acrylic paint and after it was dry, used glossy accents on it to stick my micro beads to.

Once the frame was dry, I added some Doodle Flowers to the circle. I primed the Doodle Flowers with white gesso, then sprayed them with mist, then I topped each with a rhinestone.

 I used the Angel eyes word from the Spiritually Speaking set. I used the same colors and technique as on the Doodle Flowers.

On this next layout, I used the Best Of Times chipboard frame from the Memory Frames set.  The design was inspired by using the April Blue Fern Studios Sketch Challenge. It is a beauty, so give it a go and you'll have a chance to win some beautiful Blue Fern Studios chipboard!

The paper I used is Blue Fern Gardens. I did a little mixed media with gesso, ink and masks for the background.

For the frame, I primed it with gesso, then colored it using  Gelatos in 2 colors, spritzed it with water, and rubbed it into the frame.

I used the Mini Ring Things in various parts of the page. The little heart is one of the pieces  from the Blue Fern Bits. Don't throw away those pieces that fall off of your Blue Fern Panels chipboard, they make great little fillers.

 Here is a close up of the Memory Frame, and a border from the the Doily Bunting set.

This next layout was put together in 30 minutes. I practically closed my eyes and just started throwing things onto my paper.  I let the Blue Fern Studios chipboard dictate the design. I used a brick mask to mimic the Shabby Brick Bits, the word Believe from the Spiritually Speaking set to evoke emotion from the beautiful photo I found on Tumbler (I know the last name of the photographer is Mueller) and the Spring Branch to signify the season. I simply am in love with concrete angels.

I primed the word with gesso and sprayed it using 2 coats and drying it in between each coat.

 
I primed the Spring Branch with gesso. Once it was dry. I sprayed the leaves  using my mists and then painted the branch part with acrylic paint. Then I used a pearl pen in the same brown'gold color and rubbed it into the branch. I did the same with the brick bits.

Thank you for joining me for my April Blog Post. I hope you have been inspired. Until next time, Happy Spring!!

April Sketch Challenge!

Hello and welcome to a new month and a new sketch challenge!

We're so happy you've come by and we sure hope you can play along with us this month. As usual, we've got a beautiful sketch, a load of designer inspiration, and of course some goodies to be won! So bookmark or pin this one now because you don't want to miss out :)

April Sketch

This one can easily be flipped or turned to suit your photo! 

Let's check out what the designers have come up with:

Joyce Lawrence

 Rae Moses

Camilla Ekman

Jelissa Mei

Maja Stokk

Jackie Clark

Lisa Griffith

Leila Cardoso

Patter Cross

And we have a brand NEW batch of goodies for you too- including some of our NEWEST designs, hot off the press! Take a look at what one lucky randomly drawn winning participant will win from this month's sketch challenge:

In addition to our prize winner, we will also select a Top 3 to feature in our winner post!

 

We have just a few simple rules to follow if you would like to participate in our sketch challenge:

1.) Feel free to interpret the sketch as you please by means of taking it as-is or flipping/turning/mirroring it to suit your needs! **Please note that you can do whatever type of project you please- a layout, card, tag, canvas, altered item- whatever suits your mood and style! We would love to see the different ways our sketch can be used.**

2.) You must use at least one piece of Blue Fern Studios chipboard OR use Blue Fern Studios paper on your project. Please note that you do not need to use the pieces featured in the sketch- use whatever suits your fancy! You can find the store nearest you HERE. {Do not use any other brand of chipboard on your project please!}

3.) Upload your project using the Inlinkz tool below by midnight EST on April 30th, 2014.

We look forward to your entries!

An InLinkz Link-up