Today with Made With Love

Hello friends, how are you?

It's the end of the school holidays now and we are all geared up for the second term of Primary One! I'm thankful that it's been a fun journey so far for eldest, not so fun for me as I juggle my part time work in digital marketing and managing these three wiggly monkeys!

But there's always time for crafting eh?

Today, I'm sharing a project I created with the lovely goodies from Made With Love. As usual, I will have a supply list at the end of this post, and remember - these gorgeous products and more can be found at MWL's store at 313 Somerset B2.

Here's the project I created with Bo Bunny's Petal Lane:

I love the set of papers DT coordinator Aida has packed for me, and they are just perfect for a LO of my little girl. As I went through them and saw the black piece with the polka dots, I knew I had to do something high contrast - which is quite suitable for this little girl who is so different from her brothers.

My background was done with first embossing white embossing powder after using a script stamp on the paper. It acts as a resist when I subsequently put the paint on.

What I got in the kit was a set of acrylic paint from Dina Wakeley and I love these. Really intense and bright colors to spruce up your projects. Now the colors were a bit strong for the softness of the papers, so instead of splashing everything on with a brush, I used a sea sponge to apply. The result is a lovely sandy look which resembles dandelions in the air. I started with the Magenta, mixed in some white for a light pink shade. The yellow I used last just as an accent. This is what the sea sponge I used looked like:



Now I love Blue Fern Studios' chipboards and they are also available from MWL. I've used a doily here which I first embossed with white embossing powder. Followed by a coat of the amazing metallic wax from Prima Marketing. The texture is smooth and I applied it with my fingers. To remove, just gently wash your hands with soap. I love the effect it had on my EP, as well as on the metal bits.

More close-ups below:

In the floral cluster, I had white roses which I painted on with the left overs of my paint for the background. Don't waste the good stuff!

That's all I have for today, catch you again soon!

Supply list (available from Made With Love):

papers: Bo Bunny - Petal Lane

flowers: Prima Marketing Inc
paint: Rangers' Dina Wakely

embellishments: Prima Marketing Inc
chipboard: Blue Fern Studios

Christmas Memories with Made With Love

Hello friends!

Can you imagine? Just 7 more days to Christmas! Time has passed by so fast that the year has been just a blurry of faces and places. Thank God for cameras that we can capture those moments to remember by!

Today, I'm on here to share a Christmas layout I created for my LSS Made With Love, using the amazing supplies that can be found at their store.

I had chosen a light and neutral paper from the Kaisercraft Christmas Wishes collection for my background paper as I wanted to use Distress Stains to create the color washes. I had a mixture of splashes (created by forcefully slamming down the tube of Distress Stains on its dabber) and washes (created by using water to dilute the paint). The brush strokes of the clear gesso applied to the background paper before the mediums were added lent a grungy look. I also had stenciled UTEE-embossed stars under all the Stains, resulting in little resist patterns all over.

More details in the close-ups:

Gold-foil words and die cuts as my embellishments. Also added in are Tree Toys chipboard (altered with embossing powder and Distress Glitter) from Blue Fern Studios and sequins from my own stash.

More Gold-foil words. These are a real treat to add to any layout! I also tucked in fussy cut poinsettias, another Blue Fern Studios chipboard (altered with embossing powder and Distress Glitter) and a wooden clock into my cluster.

Some sweet flowers and an epoxy sticker. You can see some of the finer background details like the different stamps I had used.

A lovely metal tag from Tim Holtz to top up the sentiment, nested on a bunch of sweet Christmas flowers from Prima Marketing.

List of supplies (available from Made With Love):

paper: Kaisercraft

gold foil die-cuts: Kaisercraft
Distress Stains, Distress Glitter: Ranger's
Embossing powder: WOW!
chipboard: Blue Fern Studios
metal piece: Tim Holtz

flowers: Prima Marketing Inc.

Thanks for joining me today, and have a Merry Christmas!

Memoires with Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends! 

Today is my turn on the Blue Fern blog and I'm excited to be showing you a couple of projects I've created with the beautiful new collection by Michele!

This collection had me digging up old photos from the attic. My first layout is one of my folks when they were on their honeymoon.

Keeping the background really toned down because of the details in the paper that I wanted to show.

Close-ups:

Mesh bits chipboard which I had altered with Clover and Grassy Knoll embossing powders.I also fussy cut an element from Calling Cards which made a lovely addition to this floral cluster.

Another cluster with the other half of the Mesh Bits chipboard, layered over another fussy cut from Calling Cards and a bit of the Cuckoo Clock chipboard.

The Cuckoo Clock chipboard which I painted with copper metallic paint and added a couple of shiny bits on.

My title piece which I altered with Copper, 14 Karat and Antique Gold EP.

My second project is a video tutorial which I had created with also papers from the Memoires collection. This features a photo of my dad and me on a holiday trip.

A fair bit more details in the background as the paper was suitable for some playing around with. I also deliberately chose the Daisy Collage chipboard to match the paper because of the brick motif.

The clock piece from Cuckoo Clock chipboard, of which the main clock was used in the first layout. I also used Late Winter Lilies throughout the layout because they added so much softness to the page.

Sparkly antique feel created for the Ever After Frame.

Daisy Collage tucked between the paper layers.

More of the Daiy Collage.

You can view the creative process in this video:

Seaside Memories with Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends, how are you?

September is now upon us, and the weather here is becoming a little cooler with more rain. But I'm still very much in a summer mood because of the Seaside Cottages collection. Today I'm here to share two more creations with you. 

This has to be one of the simplest layout I have made in a long time with just splashes of paint in the background because the paper is too pretty to cover up. The photo is one of my boys on the day we landed in Okinawa after a really long flight. We had made our way to a sea salt factory and the view out is just amazing, with the sun starting to set.

Some details:

The Seaside Charms chipboard, which I had painted with gold acrylic paint and covered with a layer of crackle paint. 

My title piece which I had embossed with Breeze and Sky Blue embossing powders.

The top half of the Seaside Charms chipboard which I had snipped off.

My second share is another layout of my second boy when he was a baby. I love how the colors of the photo matched the background paper Embark so perfectly that I built the whole layout around this.

Details here:

Altered seashell and anchors matched with the seaside lilies.

My title piece

Fussy cut details

Mesh bits chipboard tucked behind my photo

More chipboard goodies!

And here is the start to finish video of how I put this layout together:

Thanks for dropping by! 

July Inspiration with Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends,

how have you been? Half the year has been gone and summer is now upon us! It has been such a great and fulfilling year so far and I'm really thankful for all the people that have come into my life.

For my blog post today on Blue Fern Studios, I have two projects to share with you using some of my favourite past collections.

First is a shadow box display which I intend as a gift to a dear friend. I've done something different this time in that, I went without my usual mixed media background but instead, focused on the Blue Fern papers and chipboards. I've been meaning to do this but couldn't find the right project to start off. The shadow box I found in my LSS was just perfect!

Here is the piece, created using Autumn Anthology papers:

I'm particularly drawn to this collection because of the beautiful shade of cobalt blue mixed with coral Michele used in the papers. If you know me by now, blue is one of my favourite colors and I can't use enough of it. It's a good thing I have two boys that I can use the color for! There are also plenty of images that I can fussy cut out from this collection and you can see that I wasted no time in doing just that.

Some details in the close-ups:

 

Love this hot air balloon! A little tea cup basket does remind me of the spinning tea cup ride at amusement parks in my childhood. I've dabbed some Sticklers on for a nice glittery effect.

Chained Bits and Berry Stems chipboard which I had altered with Imagine Ink embossing powders.
For Berry Stems, I first painted with some shimmery watercolors before using Grassy Knoll EP randomly. For Chained Bits, I first used Auburn EP, followed by Mushroom and Buttercup EP before topping it off with Copper Glitter.

Using the Marseille Frame here, which fit the display perfectly. I first covered it with copper metallic paint before brushing on clear crackle paint for extra texture.

A Flutter Page Dangle which I had snipped up. I first colored it with Gelato, then stamped and embossed with Cotton Candy and Watermelon EPs.

A flower which I altered with glitter in Sunshine and Dusty Pink.

Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Autumn Anthology - Le Ballon, Balcony, Calling Cards

chipboard: Marseille Frame, Berry Stems, Chained Bits, Flutter Page Dangle
Imagine Ink: embossing powders - Grassy Knoll, Auburn, Mushroom, Buttercup, Cotton Candy, Watermelon
glitter - Copper, Sunshine, Dusty Pink

My second project is a layout using the Frolic collection. It matches the theme of my eldest playing in the grass field. The bits of yellow and blue really brings out the mood of feeling the sun on my face on a cloudless day. 

Details in the close-ups:

A subtitle from Calling Cards. 

Whimsy Flourish which I had altered.

My title piece, altered with embossing powders and glitter.

Fussy cutting here

Looped Frames which I had altered with embossing powders and glitter.

And here is the start to finish video:

Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Frolic - Veranda, Calling Cards, Dans le Jardin

chipboard: Looped Frames, Whimsy Flourish, Glee

flowers: Tranquility Blooms

Imagine Ink: embossing powder - Seven Seas, In the Navy, Cerulean, Bonny Blue, Buttercup, Snow

glitter - Sunshine, Gulf Coast

There are also two new happenings on the blog this month!

Firstly, we have a new activity for all you wonderful people to take part in. Instead of our monthly challenge, we are starting a new giveaway where YOU tell us what you would like to see in our new designs. They can be word phrases or one single word. The winning entry will have a pack of Blue Fern goodies delivered to their door step! More details here.

Secondly, BFS is releasing a new paper collection and I'm super, super excited about this one because it's my first love - the sea!

Check out Seaside Cottages:

I'm going giddy just thinking of all the photos I'm going to scrap, the mini-albums, the canvases.... This has to be my new favourite!

For the full reveal, as well as co-ordinating flowers, chipboards and mediums, visit our blog!

Attic Charm with Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends!

Today I'm popping in to share my June creations for Blue Fern Studios, featuring another beautiful collection from Michelle Singh - Attic Charm! The papers are decked in so many gorgeous subtle details and pretty colors, not to mention reminders of the good ole days that I went to dig out old photos of my parents for the two projects I've made.

First is a layout of a photo of my folks when they were dating back in '73.

When I saw the b/w photo, I had tried to imagine what it would have looked like in color and all that came to mind was the blue sky. So I had built most of the layout around the color and chose the paper "Haberdashery" as my background paper.

More details in the close-ups:

Some bits of the Looped Frame chipboard here. I had stamped with Romantic Accents stamp and heat embossed with Imagine Ink Ebony EP before painting over with duo-toned acrylic paint.

Fussy cut flowers for layering, and subtitles from Calling Cards.

A heat-embossed image with Ebony EP using one of the Bourbon Street stamps. Love the details here!

Another view of the floral cluster.

My title piece "Always and Forever" which I had painted with Perfect Pearls.

Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Attic Charm - Haberdashery, Calling Cards, Generation, Mercantile, Sachet

chipboard: Looped Frames, Always and Forever

stamps: Bourbon Street, Romantic Accents

Embossing powder: Ebony

My second project is a video tutorial and I've repurposed an IKEA photo frame for the project. My parents don't have a lot of their photos on display so I hope they will find a good place to put this up.

The Dangles Border chipboard was a fun piece to use because it resembles lace. I had also die cut out a clock from the "Sachet" paper. One fabulous thing about Blue Fern's papers (and my students keep reminding me too) is that they are thicker than most other brands of patterned paper out there. This means that if you have delicate die cut designs, the paper is very unlikely to tear and can take the weight of any other mediums you might want to add.

Other details in the close-ups:

Attic Charm daisies are the perfect addition.

Layering Stems - one of my favourites! Seen together with Attic Charm daisies and glitter roses.

The die cut clock with lots of details in the background.

Altered Dangles Border with a bit of sparkle.

Lots of fussy cut details again.

And here is the start to finish video for this project. Sit back and enjoy!

Blue Fern Studios products used:

paper: Attic Charm - Generation, Sachet, Calling Cards, Attire

chipboard: Dangles Border, Layering Stems

Stamps: Romantic Accents set

Embossing powder: 14 Karat, Clover, Verdant