Wednesday, January 13, 2016

January Projects with Bec - with video tutorial

Hi, I'm so excited to bring you my first DT post for Blue Fern Studios. 

Here is a little bit about myself

Hi, I’m Bec. I'm originally from New Zealand but I now live in Brisbane Australia with my Husband and Daughter. During the week I work as a Chemist, but every other spare minute I spend in my craft space.
I started scrapbooking after my Daughter was born in 2006 and I have just become more obsessed every year. In the last couple of years I have found mixed media scrapbooking and that has become my new passion. I also love to make altered art creations, canvases and card/tags. My scrap style is girly, I have to add flowers and pearls to everything 
I’m very grateful to be on some wonderful design teams and get to spend my weekend doing what I love. 
Joining the Blue Fern Studio team and creating with their amazing products is a dream come true :)

You can find me on:

To start off this month I even have a video tutorial for you, this is a layout using the Love Story Collection. 

Amazing


Here is my video - Enjoy


And my close ups




Blue Fern Studios Products Used:
Papers: Love Story Collection - The Grand Ball, True Harmony, and Calling Cards
Chipboard - Beaded Strings, Floral Lattice Bits, Vintage Keys, and  Brilliant Amazing Dazzling pack.
Glitter - Pyrite
Embossing Powder - Honey and Petal
Stamps - Essential Textures and Postal Textures


Sweet

Next up I have a layout created using the January Sketch

Here is this months sketch, there is still lots of time to get your entries in for this.


I used the Autumn Anthology collection for this layout.  
I started the layout by using the Stamps Weathered Doilies and Brocade Texture with embossing ink and the embossing powders in Honey and Bonny Blue.  


I added my colour with mists and then some modelling paste through a stencil to give the background more texture. 


The chipboard pieces Flutter Medley and Arrow Word are coloured with the embossing powders - Bonny Blue, Petal, Oatmeal and Honey. I coloured the Floral Lattice pieces with peach mica powder.


I cut several pieces of the Autumn Anthology paper to layer under my photo, I distressed all the edges and added brown ink to give a shabby look.


Blue Fern Studios Products Used:
Papers: Autumn Anthology Collection - Robin and Le Ballon
Chipboard: Arrow Words, Floral Lattice Bits, and Flutter Medley
Embossing Powder: Bonny Blue, Petal, Oatmeal, and Honey
Stamps: Postal Texture, Brocade Texture, and Weathered Doilies. 

Thanks for joining me today - see you next time

Bec

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

It's January .. with Sandi Clarkson



Hello, Blue Fern Studios fans!
 My name is Sandi Clarkson and I am thrilled to begin my Second Term with the Blue Fern Design Team.  Having worked with the Blue Fern Studios owner, staff and many of my fellow team members, this tuly feels like home! It also doesn't hurt that I live in the same state where Blue Fern is manufactured to strengthen my sense of belonging! (Texas, USA)  Because of that proximity, I am sometimes the very first designer to get to see the new products! Talk about exciting!! 

I'm married with three grown, married daughters and a growing number of grandkids! By profession, I'm a very recently retired Audiologist (last week) and am excited to have more free time to get "lost" in creating! I enjoy trying new techniques but am usually happiest when the results still fit my "pretty" criteria. My scrap room is my happy place. I kind of love that my desks have paint, gesso and runaway micro beads all over them. I'm mostly a layout girl but love, love, love doing the occasional canvas. 

Please visit my blog at Soft Side of Sandi to see more of my work. 

So, onward with January's projects ...

"XOXO" (based on the January sketch and flipped)

This month I actually did 2 masculine layouts! Or maybe it is safer to say that I've used masculine photos and then did my own thing! For this first one, I've pulled out some older papers from the Sanctuary collection along with some older chipboard pieces. But I've paired them with some of the new embossing powders that I was dying to try .. Oatmeal and Sage. 

The background for this one was created with a stencil, super heavy gesso, tissue tape and a couple of mists, Persimmon and Jingle Bells. The Persimmon helped pull out some of the peachy, red tones from the paper itself. 


Beneath my photo layers is the Paisley and Vine Medley split in half which I've first gessoed and then embossed with the Oatmeal Embossing Powder. The XOXO title was treated the same but double embossed. I've included the Notebook Edges pieces of chipboard which lend themselves nicely to "guy" projects. For them, I've used the new Sage Embossing Powder and then splashed them with white paint. 


My lower cluster includes a Notebook piece as well as more of the Chelsea Vines which were used around the photo as well. Some variegation was created with my gelatos. 


Most of the Blue Fern paper collections come with a Calling Cards sheet which is ideal for photo layers and titles/subtitles. And I generally add some corrugated cardboard for increased dimension. 


I finished my page with flowers and specks of splattered paint, first white, then black. 


Blue Fern Products used:
Paper:
Santaury Birdsong Melody
Sanctuary Garden Plaza
Sanctuary Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Paisley and Vine Medley
Notebook Edges
XOXO
Chelsea Vines

Mist:
Persimmon
Jingle Bells

Embossing Powder:
Sage
Oatmeal

***

"Delightful"

I've been dying to scrap this sweet father/son photo and challenged myself to get it done this month. 
Since they look a little "chilly" I wanted to give the page a frosty feel, so I've pulled out the Autumn Anthology Cottage piece. 

I'm not usually one to mix my "blues" but I just went for it here and am very pleased with the results. I've used the Sky Imagine Ink on the background and paper and on the Floral Lattice Bits. 

For the Roman Clock set, I opted to use the new Heavenly Embossing Powder. Wow, this one really glistens! If you like sparkle, this is the one for you! It's amazing! 


My word title is from the Optimist Set and is simply lightly inked with some brown ink. 


Aren't the Clock Hands intricate and beautiful? 
And the Heavenly Embossing Powder, wow! 


The Floral Lattice anchors the opposite side of the page. You can also see a good view of the Texture 1 stamp being used on my background layer.

Blue Fern Studios Products used:
Paper:
Autumn Anthology Cottage
Autumn Anthology Calling Cards

Chipboard:

Roman Clock Set large
Floral Lattice bits
The Optimist Word Set

Mist:

Sky

Embossing Powder:

Heavenly

Stamp:

Texture 1

***


And now a girly page! 


 "True Love"

Lastly, I'm digging my hands into my new Blush collection stash! These papers are so my colors! I love me some teal with peachy-pink and a touch of yellow. They feel so warm to me. 

Lots of background interest was created on the Enamored paper, side B with Mists and stamps as listed below. And of course, some stenciling. For paper layering, I've torn some of the Enamored, side A as well as the Fondness papers and then the Valentine Cards to tuck here and there. 


I still had a few bits of the Floral Lattice Bits on my desk and decided to just paint them white and let them be a nice contrast to the other colors. I made some circles on my paper, being sure to capture those sweet red hearts near the top! Aren't they cute? 

You can also see part of the Chelsea Medallion that I've used as a photo layer. I misted it with Winter Fern and then heat embossed with Fern Embossing Powder. 


It seems fitting to start working some hearts into my creations, so I've used a couple of pieces from the Valentine Hearts chipboard set. Both were gessoed, then misted with Persimmon and finally heat embossed with the new Garnet color. The top piece with the keyhole is so fun! For that one I mixed in some 14 Karat EP with a double embossing technique. 


Just a closer look at this sweet hearts! And the wings. 


On the right, I've made a Valentine Cards cluster and layered in some flowers and resin. One little fussy cut butterfly is in the mix. He's from the Frolic collection. The Weathered Doilies stamping come into view in this close-up, as well as the Photography stamp. 


A fun dimensional shot! 

Blue Fern Studios Products used:
Paper:
Blush Enamored
Blush Fondness
Blush Valentine Cards

Chipboard:
Chelsea Medallion
Floral Lattice bits
Valentine Hearts

Mist:
Persimmon
Winter Mint

Embossing Powder:
Garnet
14 Karat
Fern

Stamps:
Texture 1
Photography
Weathered Doilies

Thanks for hanging in there with me for this rather long post this month! 
Please be sure to check out the sketch challenge HERE
See you next time! 
Sandi

Monday, January 11, 2016

My First Projects for Blue Fern Studios: Nicole Doiron

Hello all you Blue Fern Studios fans!!  

I am thrilled to be here with you today to share my very first post and projects as DT!


First, let me introduce myself properly!  I'm Nicole Doiron from Canada's beautiful East coast!
I share my home and my life with my fiance Yves and our fur baby Sugar the cat.  I love reading, music, social game nights with friends, road trips, quality time with family and spending as much time in my scraproom as I can.  I have a shabby chic romantic style and I love to dabble in mixed media techniques.  I started scrapping in 2004 and started blogging about it in 2011, and it's been a marvelous adventure ever since!  I am super excited to be creating for Blue Fern Studios as laser-cut chipboard is my #1 crafty product and Blue Fern Studios designs are the most beautiful!

You can visit my blog at http://scrap-utopia.blogspot.com to see more of my creations!

I created 3 layouts to share with you today!


This page of my 2 beautiful nieces features the Timeless collection.
The papers from this line are so gorgeous, romantic and elegant, exactly my style.
I added some added texture and design to my background with the Texture Circles stamp set.


I treated both the Flutter Medley and Grande Cage chipboard pieces the same,
by first covering them with a thick coat of gesso which I heated until it bubbled.


I then experimented with a coat of Oatmeal Imagine Ink embossing powder,
and decided to add some brown paint, topping it off with a coat of
ivory metallic shimmer paint to give it a polished brassy look.


Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Timeless (Papillons, Main Street, Calling Cards)
chipboard: Flutter Medley, Grande Cages
embossing powder: Cotton Candy, Oatmeal
stamps: Texture Circles

I gave tribute this month to the 3 most important ladies in my life,
my nieces in my layout above, and my mom in this next one.
Using papers from the Blush collection, I combined the soft feminine colors
to create layers of pretty flowery designs perfect for such a special photo.


The word 'Amazing' from the Brilliant, Amazing, Dazzling set seemed like
a very fitting title as my mother is certainly an amazing person.


There are so many beautiful pieces in the Blue Fern Studios chipboard selection,
but I have to say that the Medley designs are my favorite, this one called
Flourish Medley being no exception. I cut it into 2 pieces in order to be able to
border the complete right side of my page.


On both the title and the Flourish Medley, I used the Honey embossing powder,
and then dabbed on some yellow and white paint with a sponge.
Adding a whitewash effect with dabs of white paint over my paper
and embellishments is somewhat of a signature style that I use on pretty much
all my creations as you will be able to see in the coming months.


Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Blush (Reminisce, Fondness, Calling Cards)
chipboard: Flourish Medley, Amazing word
embossing powder: Honey

My last share for this first post is this Winter-themed layout inspired by the January sketch.


I have combined papers from 2 different older collections to create this page:
the background is from Montage and the teal paper as well as the text strips 
are from Paisley & Vine.  I loved the very Winter-y white and teal color combo!


On my background I stamped some designs from Essential Textures and Love Story 1
to create some patterns flowing out from under the Snowflake Frame (a must have 
for your Winter chipboard stash) and the flower clusters.


I first treated the chipboard with white gesso and then added some embossing powder
opting for Pearl for the snowflakes and Fern for the title.  I then dabbed on
some white acrylic paint and added a little shimmery gloss.


This picture is very special as it depicts my maternal grand parents' house,
a home that holds so many awesome childhood memories.


Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Montage (Fairyland), Paisley & Vine (Splendor, Playing Cards)
chipboard: Shabby Flakes, Snowflake Frame, Dream word
embossing powder: Pearl, Fern
stamps: Essential Textures, Love Story 1

I really hope that I have inspired you to take out your Blue Fern Studios products and create today!



Thursday, January 7, 2016

My first projects for Blue Fern Studios: Marie-Eve Bernard

Hello,

I'm so happy to present you my first three projects for Blue Fern Studios!  I'm so proud of being choose to be part of this great talented team.  I really hop to inspire you all year long.

My name is Marie-Eve Bernard.  I live in the beautiful Quebec City, Canada, with my family.  I'm the mother of two girls, Delphine and Mathilde, and pregnant of the third one (It's for July).  My husband, Laurent, will be surrounded by pink and princesses!  My family is my source of inspiration.  I'm a scrapbooker since more then 10 years now.  My style changed a lot over the past years.  I'm now passionate by mixed media.  I can't do a layout without getting my fingers dirty.  One thing that do not change over the years: my love of gorgeous papers, chipboards and flowers. So, I'm in heaven here with Blue Fern Studios products.


You can follow me there:


First Layout: Laughter

My first layout is made with the gorgeous Déjà Vu collection. I love the soft look of this collection.




On this flourish piece, I completely recovered it with the Iris Embossing Powder.  After, I emboss it a second time entirely with the Pearl Embossing Powder.  Finally, I add a little touch of Icicle Embossing powder.


The frame is simply embossed with the Icicle Embossing Powder.  For my title piece, I cover it with heavy Gesso and create texture with a stiff brush, just like stucco.  When the gesso is dry, I used a spray ink to color it.

Blue Fern Studios Products used:

Papers
- Déjà Vu Lustre (background paper)
- Déjà Vu Luminaries

Chipboards
- Laughter, Happy, Smile
- Blooming Flourish
- Ever After Frame Set

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder
- Pearl
- Iris
- Icicle

Stamps set:
-  Texture Circle

Second Layout:  Sweetheart

My second layout is ma with the brand new collection Blush!  This collection is simply gorgeous, girly and romantique.  It is completely my style and fall in love with it immediately.



On my background work, you can see that I use two Blue Fern Studios Stamp set (listed bellow).  On my Berry stems, I used Garnet Embossing Powder first and a little touch of the Otmeal one. My title is cut from the Valentine Cards paper. I use a tool to distress it on the edges.


Blue Fern Studios Products used:

Papers
- Blush Fondness  (background paper)
- Blush Valentine Cards
- Blush Celebration

Chipboards
- Berry Stems

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder
- Oatmeal
- Garnet

Stamps set:
-  Brocade Texture
- Vintage Edges


Third Layout:  Fairytale

My third layout is  made with the new Timeless Collection.  Such a wonderful collection too!  I was perfect for a picture of me in front of the Château de Chambord in France.  




I covered my frame with the Garnet Embossing Powder and ad touch of Mistic Plum.  I cut the corner flourish in two to have one on each side of my photo.  I use Mystic Plum Embossing Powder on the flourish pieces. For my title, I use the same technique from the first layout, but i apply two colours of spray ink.


Blue Fern Studios Products used:

Papers
- Timeless Maçonnerie (background paper)
- Timeless Freedom

Chipboards
- Story, Fairytale, Magic
- Corner Flourishes
- Ever After Frame Set

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder
- Garnet
- Mystic Plum

Stamps set:
- Texture Circles
- Vintage Edges

I hop you enjoy.
Thank you for passing by and see you next month!

Marie-Eve