Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Floral Wreath Layout



Today is the day for my first blog post here at Blue Fern Studios. I am really excited to be a part of this adventure together with Leslie, Michele and all the girls in the designteam. Blue Fern Studios offers the most beautiful and elegant chipboards out there and I am proud to be designing with them.

My name is Camilla Ekman and I live in Sweden together with my husband and two children. I have been scrapping for a few years and developed a kind of romantic style where I use a lot of flowers and swirls and stuff. I love to photograph and scrapbooking is a perfect way of using those photos. I like the creativity and scrapbooking is a way for me to relax from work. I work fulltime as a montessori teacher.

My family and I love to spend time with friends and love to travel. When I am home not scrapping, I read books and listen to a lot to music. 

My blog is Camillas lilla sida.

This is my first layout for Blue Fern Studios and what's more appropriate than a layout of me saying I am ready for 2013. 


For this layout I have used the gorgeous Floral Wreath. First I applied a layer of Distress Crackle Paint (tattered rose) and then dabbed some white gesso here and there. To finish it off I inked the edges with charcoal ink.


Thanks for stopping by! Check in tomorrow for more inspiration!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

~*~Kindness, Happiness, a Smile and Blue Fern Studios~*~



First and foremost, I would like to tell everyone that I am both humbled and honored (and oh so excited)  that Leslie Kammerdiener has granted me the great honor of designing for Blue Fern Studios. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Leslie  for her faith in my work, Michele Singe for her creative vision,Valerie Servozo for her guidance, and the rest of the Blue Fern Design team, because you are all so dang creative and inspire me to no end... My vision for  Blue Fern Studios is that it will Rock the Creative World as it has already rocked mine! Being part of this Inaugural Team has me buzzing with excitement!

Hi, My name is Lisa and by profession I am a registered nurse, and has worked in a hospital for the last 15 years. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have 2 children who are now successful young adults.  I have been a crafter my whole life. I sew, embroider, crochet, paint and have dabbled in many crafty things in my life. Back in 2005, when my son was doing his senior project with his girlfriend (who is now his wife) They were creating a scrapbook of their lives. They elicited my help as I was the crafty one. We took a ride to The Dollar Tree (our local dollar store) who had a section dedicated to scrap booking  Papers, albums, embellishments, flowers, and we grabbed everything we could find. I knew about the new way of scrap booking, but never gave it any thought until that trip to The Dollar Tree. After helping the kids create their albums , which by the way turned out fabulous, I was curious as to where I could get more "scrap booking stuff". So I drove to our local Michaels and Joanns craft stores. That is when I became hooked. Then I sought out the local scrapbook stores and found stuff I didn't even know existed until then. I shopped and shopped and shopped some more. I found Scrapbook.com and saw the kind of scrap booking the artists did. I was amazed at the styles. It just wasn't cut and paste and stickers. It was 3 dimensional, it was gorgeous, and oh so inspiring. So I created a gallery, created my first layout and the rest is history. My style has changed a bit throughout the years, but playing with paper and scissors is so therapeutic for me. 
my blog is:  http://what-a-beautiful-mess.blogspot.com/
                          

For the Leaf Frame, I painted the frame with a heavy coat of white Gesso, and while the paint was still wet, I lightly sprayed on some Color Shine spray in Georgia Peach and watched it pool on the chip board. The result was a beautiful design replication of some of the patterned paper I used for the layout. 


I painted the nested Circles using Silks Glaze paint. It gave them a beautiful shimmer. 
Wasting nothing, I used the throwaway piece after punching out one of the nested circles. I thought it framed the smaller piece wonderfully. 



                                                                       Nested Circles
Model: 074455



Leaf Frame
Model: 074356

Please follow along with Blue Fern Studios, and see what the fabulously talented Design Team will be posting. You will surely be inspired, as they bring you new techniques to adorn your chip board. 
Thanks for stopping by and look forward to more inspiration to come!
xo
Lisa





Friday, January 11, 2013

Enchanting Paris featuring the Blue Fern Frame


First I want to say how incredibly proud and honoured I am to be part of the Blue Fern Studios family, infinitely thank you Leslie for taking me inboard and Michele for the gorgeous products you have designed! I am blessed to be allowed to work with these exquisite chipboards that will win the hearts of all crafters around the globe, they certainly have conquered mine!

My name is Eila Sandberg. I have been scrapping for 3 years, but it was not until early 2012 that I found my style. I love papers and flowers, cannot scrap without them! My pages are all lumpy and bumpy with lots of layers and quite ofte with texture and plenty of little detail as well. I am a very slow scrapper as I fiddle for ages before I stick down my embellies.

My hometown is Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, where I live with my small family; my husband and our 3 cats - Max, Alice and Elsa. I have a grown-up stepdaughter. I work full-time outside our home as Executive PA in the telecoms industry.

My roots are Finnish but I was born and raised in Sweden. I am an Anglofile and love everything beautiful. London is my favourite city in the whole world.

I devour English crime novels and love BBC TV series and milk chocolate. Saturday evenings when Downton Abbey is aired and Wednesdays when I get to meet the handsome Mr Jane in The Mentalist, are sacred! If I don't get a big mug of coffee with milk in the morning, I get very cranky.


My blog: www.dollopsofscrap.blogspot.com


Thanks ever so much.


Paris:
I have used the Blue Fern Frame on my page, it has absolutely delicious scrollwork! just like the ironwork of so many buildings in the City of l'amour.


Blue Fern Frame (074325)

I primed it with gessoe to start with and then started a bonanza of misting. I used Tattered Angels mists in Wheatfields, Apple, Suede and Gold before I randomly touched up the whole frame in acrylic gold paint with my finger.

For the background I used soap wrappers, they have the most delighful and romantic rose and bumble bee pattern in pink, gold and cream. I didn't remove the stickers holding the paper in place, they make nice subtle labels under the gessoe. A bit of stamping, Prima pretties of course - remember I'm a floral girl - et voilà! there's my page for you!  The photo is by Allan Grant, 1950.

Thank you so much for looking! and please do come back soon, our DT have amazing inspiration for you!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Divide & Conquer~!

Hello fellow Blue Fern Studios fans~! I'm so very excited to be a part of this incredible team of uniquely talented ladies, and to be embarking upon what is certain to be a fabulous ride with a wildly successful company! Here's a bit about me:

Hi! My name is Erin Blegen, I'm 29 years old and live in rural Northeast Minnesota, USA. There my hubby Josh and I make our home in a little cabin in the woods along with our 3 beautiful children. We enjoy anything the outdoors has to offer and we live a fairly simple lifestyle that most people would not choose (no running water for starters lol)- but it's a good, quiet life and we like it that way :) I first started scrapbooking back in 2007 when my first child was born, completed one album, and then quit until July 2010 when my second child was born. Since then, I haven't looked back! In that time I've played around a bit with my style and have broadened my interests into cards, tags, altered projects, etc. I'm a bit of a paper and flower collector, love to work with chipboard, experimenting with different mediums, and at the moment have a bit of an obsession with creating on canvas. I love staying busy (as if 3 kids don't keep me busy enough!) and currently I'm designing for Webster's Pages, Manor House Creations, C'est Magnifique Kit Club, Once Upon A..Sketch, and of course now Blue Fern Studios where I'm in charge of Marketing in addition to being a member of the amazing Design Team.

You can find me at my blog:
http://erinblegen.blogspot.com.
Let's take a look at the project I will be sharing with you today:
"Stay This Way"

I titled this post "Divide & Conquer" because I'm going to show you how to get the most out of your chipboard- and its packaging- by splitting it up. Let's start with our first piece:

Organic Vine Corner- Large {074622}

I have split this piece in half and primed it with gesso (totally routine for me- I always like to start with a primer). Next I took a flourish stamp along with some red ink and stamped randomly over the surface before covering with Glossy Accents and sprinkling with various beads.
I placed one piece to the upper right and the other piece to the lower left of my photos.

Brigitte Butterfly Set {074387}

I've taken the large butterfly from this set and again started by priming it with gesso. Then I covered it also with glossy accents before covering it with clear glitter and just a smattering of blue micro beads.
This piece was also split in half and placed on opposite sides of the canvas from one another, accenting my flower clusters.
Next, let's focus on the packaging! Blue Fern Studios products are beautiful in themselves, but with them comes a beautiful insert that is equally as pretty and meant to be used in any of your papercrafting projects. It is from this packaging that my color scheme was inspired. 
I hand cut the clock/floral images from two different packages. One of them I placed to the right of my photos, the other was cut in half and placed beneath and to the left of my photos. Effortless!
Thank-you so much for taking the time to stop by the blog today and have a look at my creative process. And check back often- there are lots more introductions to be made and inspiration to be brought all month long~!

Take care,
xErin

Monday, January 7, 2013

Medallions and More!


Welcome to another week at Blue Fern Studios! I hope you are as excited as I am about Blue Fern Studios and the beautiful chipboard designs!

My name is Patter Cross, and I am blessed and excited to be part of the first Blue Fern Studios Design Team. I have been married to the love of my life, Michael, since 1989. I was first introduced to scrapbooking in 1997, three years after our identical triplet girls were born. Paper crafting is my passion, my outlet for relaxation, and my joy. I love to create layouts, altered items, cards/tags, play in mixed media, and organize! You will probably see lots of different creations from me as I can't stick to just scrapbooking. LOL!

You can find me at my blog: Triple the Scraps

My precious dad will turn 70 on January 16th. In celebration of his 70th, I created a "70 Things" book for part of his gift. For the cover, I used a Blue Fern Studios (BFS) medallion from the Ornate Medallions set and the arrow from the Icon Set One. This is not a "frilly" creation since it's for Dad. :) Inside the book, my girls and I have listed 70 things we love about him, written notes, etc. The cover includes a crossword he did at our house during Christmas week while he was here. He LOVES crosswords. I scanned the crossword he completed from the newspaper, and I printed it on a grocery bag so it would match the cover. Then I spritzed the awesome BFS chippies with Heidi Swapp tinsel color shine, and then I threw on some black gesso. I also stamped Jan. 16, 2013, on the BFS arrow for his birthday. I pray he likes it.
Pin It

Blue Fern Studios Chipboard Used:

Ornate Medallions 074462

Icon Set One 074448

Thanks for stopping by but don't let this be your last visit. I am here to tell you that the DT has some AMAZING pieces to share each week. There will be several creations shown each and every week so get ready to be blown away by some gorgeous inspiration using Blue Fern Studios chipboard! Subscribe to the Blue Fern Studios blog so you don't miss a thing! Blessings,

Saturday, January 5, 2013

And the free chippies go to...

I am so pleased to announce the winner of the big bundle of free chippies!  I do want to quickly thank all of you for supporting and sharing on your blogs and facebook about Blue Fern Studios.  We appreciate the feedback from each of you as well!

So...without further ado...our winner is:


Miss Rita Barakat is our winner!  Rita - please email me with your name and a address and I'll get your goodies right out to you!

Thanks for playing along!!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Today's Design Features the Floral Clock



First, let me wish Blue Fern Studios and the faces behind Blue Fern (Leslie Kammerdiener and Michele Singh) a future with overwhelming success.  Congratulations on the launch of this wonderful, elegant new product line.  May your wildest dreams come true.

My name is Jennifer Snyder.  I have been scrapping for several years, but really focusing on trying new techniques and styles within the last few years.  I am trying to find my place and see what style suits me best.  I am not sure I have settled upon anything yet, because scrapping depends on the papers, the photos and the story I am planning to tell through my layout/project.  After a page is done, I have just as much fun writing the story behind the piece; sometimes fanciful, sometimes heartfelt, sometimes historical.

I am over the moon excited about designing for Blue Fern Studios.   I am humbled, honored and thankful for this opportunity.  I look forward to watching Blue Fern shoot to the top of the paper crafting world and helping in that endeavor as much as I can.

I live in New York with my husband, two sons and two cats.  Ahhhhh I mention my cats because I scrap one of them extensively.  Her name is Escape Kitty and I love to dive into "character " and give her personality.  She has the attitude one would expect of a cat; aloof, curious and in charge of her owner - me. I absolutely enjoy my Kitty character and writing her adventures. It keeps my mind sharp.

In addition, I love photography and Photoshop.  I took many classes in order to improve my skills in these areas just to bring Escape Kitty to life.
However, please do not tell Kitty she is simply a product of my imagination.  She would not believe you anyway.  I'm certain, if asked, Kitty would tell you she was the better, more accomplished scrapper.  Just let her believe that.  (eye roll) 
Thank you.

My blog is Scrap Escape and Miss Kitty's blog is Escape Kitty's Scrappy Adventures.











Angels:
This is a piece I created using the Floral Clock, which is shown below.  It is truly an exquisite piece whether used as a clock form, delicate frame or accent piece.   I opted to use as a frame for my little cherub.  It has a very similar pattern as the ornate cupcake wrapper that is underneath the cherubs.

Floral Clock 074684

Now a little about this piece.  I love a fascinating bargain that can be used in my scrapping.  I found the cupcake wrappers in a big name hobby store in the clearance bin... yeah!   I think they were a bomb of a product in the baking industry, but in scrapping -  ohhhhhh my, so pretty.   

The beautiful Blue Fern Floral Clock has the same intricate scroll work so it was the perfect choice for me.

I painted it with a whole bunch of Adirondack acrylic paints - first in Sandal, then dabbed some Snow Cap white here and there, followed by some Lemonade Yellow, a little turquoise paint and finally completed with Adirondack Gold.

  

I have mounted my cherubs on some 1/4 inch thick cardboard so that the layout has some dimension.  rarely do I bother with pop dots anymore. 

My background paper was a bit of a mistake that I took out of the garbage. It was some test paper for mists used on a different project.  I pulled out a bunch of bottles of different mists and sprayed them in vain trying to find that color I needed last week.   It was aggravating last week but this week it's all good. 

I stamped some script on the page to add some filler in Tim Holtz Peacock and  Memory Ink Chestnut. 




Thanks so very much for  looking today.

Stop back daily to see what the rest of the Design Team has dreamed up for you.  The Blue Fern Studios products are utterly amazing and will inspire you in unthinkable ways.