September Inspiration with Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends and welcome to the month of September!

Things are definitely going at warp-speed for me now that little Queen Elsa is due any time now. Sometimes I do feel like I'm getting affairs in order, which sounds so morbid!

Anyhow, I'm in today to share my September creations for Blue Fern Studios. I couldn't resist using the sketch that Michelle has created for this month's challenge even though I had a different project planned. So here is her sketch:

And my take on it:

I've never used so much purple before! But the soft palette of the Deja Vu papers made it so easy and pleasing. This is one of my favourite photos of Number 2 and hubby - don't they look so happy with their bright smiles?

Lots of close-ups:

My title, which I have left untouched but just simple priming with Ayeeda gesso. Not forgetting the paper layers I have under my photo.

Part of the Circle Vine chipboard which I used to frame my photo. I had cut out one end so that the whole piece fits and still gives me the flow I wanted for the page. This was colored with Shimmerz Inklingz and Twinkling H2Os.

Die cut doily from one of the Deja Vu sheets.

Using the collection title from the info strip as a sentiment in my top cluster. I used the Deja Vu stamp set to create a resist for my watercolor background, plus the little piece which I had snipped off the Circle Vine chipboard. I also added some beads and distress glitter for extra texture.

My next share is a educator video I've created. I had wanted a relatively simple layout without too much clusters and a comfortable amount of white space. 

Again, using Deja Vu papers. I can't seem to get enough of this gorgeous collection! The drawings on this paper is so subtle but yet they actually help to create a visual flow that framed my main cluster beautifully.

Many, many close-ups again:

The Township Collage chipboard which I had altered in a few different ways.

I've always wanted to use that bird cage stamp!

I like the dangling trinkets in the Deja Vu stamp set a lot because of the intricate details they have, just like BFS's laser-cut chipboards. 

My title piece.

Main cluster with the pretty papers all layered up and I sneaked in bits of lacy flowers.

And here is how I created this page:

have a great month ahead!

love,

July Inspiration with Blue Fern Studios and a new paper collection!

Hello friends! How has your month of July been? The weather has been blazing hot and we're doing whatever we can to cool down.

It's my turn on the Blue Fern blog today and I have two creations to share with you. The first is based on the fabulous July sketch. Here is what it looks like:

I've kept the orientation of the sketch, as well as the dark background and my papers came from a mix of Sanctuary and Love Story to create my layout.

My mixed media background was created Birdsong Melody from Sanctuary, with a lot of paint dabbing with 13@rts matt and metallic paints, and layering with watercolors, as well as textural details using microspheres, dew drops and microbeads (also from 13@rts), as well as some string and stamping. I love it that Blue Fern tries in sneak in a few dark colored patterned papers into their collections for us to create our very own backgrounds.

Some close-ups:

The La Plume chipboard which I first painted with a light brown, followed by UTEE embossing for resist and layering with more browns. Beneath are paper layers made from scraps I had left over from Love Story collection.

The Notebook Edges chipboard, which I first heat embossed and then colored with different shades of blue. To add texture to my layers, I mixed chipboard, paper, lace and trims.

A close-up of some of the textural details I have in my background.

I hope my sample has inspired you to create a project of your own to participate in our monthly sketch challenge!

And now for my video tutorial. For this project, I revisited one of my all time favourites from Blue Fern Studios, the Ombre Dreams collection. 

I used only "Susan's Dream" because the images on the paper fit my composition perfectly and had the exact type of watercolor imagery I had in mind to create for my background. I also used scraps from Dream Cards and Charlotte's Dream to build up my layers.

Some close-ups:

A die cut from Dream Cards which I used as my title, and a Bohemian flower piece tucked into my cluster. You can also see the half-tone stamp which I used to add minute details to my background.

I love the big chipboard pieces because they are simply value for money and so fun to play with. Here, you see Medley Border which I have cut up into four pieces and tucked them everywhere to maintain the flow of my composition, as well as to break up the monotony of paper layering.

Interspersed in the layers is also the Notebook frame which I had added some texture to.

Here is the start-to-finish video. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I have creating the project.

And before I sign off, Blue Fern Studios has a fabulous new paper collection with matching stamps and chipboards, and I can't wait to show this one off to you!

Here's the collection:



and the full reveal can be seen here.

So that's all I have for today. Keep safe and keep cool!

love,

xoxo for 13@rts, an Epic challenge and Color fun!

Hello friends!

I'm in today on a fabulous Monday to share a layout I created using a mix of my new collection Mental Vacation and Olga Heldwein's Starlight, as well as the gorgeous new mediums in the 13@rts store. I have also entered this for the Epic challenge over at Scrap Around the World where I was also an Epic challenge winner last year, as well as my first time entering for Words and Paintery. The sketch inspiration came from Sketchabilities which I flipped (although I'm not sure whether I'm eligible or not!). It's been awhile since I entered any challenge at all and it was really all for fun!

My background was created with four different Ayeeda paint and mist colors - over a stenciled design with modeling paste on my paper Hallerbos. The inspiration for the colors came from Word and Paintery. To create the textures, I mixed Coral matt paint with 3D fillers and sprinkled on generous amounts of sand grit, more plastic fillers and mica flakes. To seal the whole thing, I painted liquid medium over. Before everything is dried, I randomly arranged black and grey threads around the paste I have made. These were inspired by some of the photos from the SATW mood board.

Some close-ups:

My title which is a chipboard piece from Blue Fern Studios. It was primed with a mixture of black gesso and plastic fillers, and glazed over Violet metallic paint. 

The resin frame was colored with random splatters of Lilac chalk mist. The tags were created with Olga's papers (Sagittarius) which I had distressed the edges with first: a layer of black gesso and secondly, gold embossing powder and sand grit. This was inspired by one of the pictures in the SATW mood board where there was a ring of confetti on the martini glass.

I like to layer Blue Fern chipboards and for this layout, I primed them with white gesso, followed by Lavender matt paint and Violet Purple paint. Then I painted on Lilac chalk mist and watered it randomly before some stamping. Lastly it was a layer of tinted embossing powder and distressing with black gesso. 

One of the fun bits I enjoyed creating are the leaves and vines. These were craft colored when I got them, and I was debating whether to alter them or not. Adventure got the best of me and I primed them with black gesso. Then it was a layer of glaze using Violet metallic paint, followed by stamped script which I embossed in gold. Then I took Gold pearl paint and glazed over the vines 

Wow, that was a lot of altering and layering! I hope you enjoyed the techniques I shared here and use them in your own projects. Thank you for dropping by the blog!

Entered for:

 

love,

February Mood Board Reveal 2 for OTRS

Hello friends!

In again today with a little card I made for the Feb mood board challenge over at Off the Rails Scrapbooking. Here's the gorgeously colored mood board:

Below is how I put everything together.

Step 1

I started off with a sheet of white cardstock (12" x 6") and folded it into half. Taking some papers from Maja Design, I trimmed them further into 2 sizes for layering - 5.75" x 5.75", and 5" x 5". Distress the edges and ink them.

Step 2

Take some distress stain and paint (I used the same shade) and color the edges of the white cardstock. Ink the edges again.

Step 3

Adhere the 3 layers together. I also added some twine underneath the second layer for a nice little bow later. Twine also because I saw the balloons in the image and the strings they were drifting from.

Step 4

To make my floral paper a little more interesting, I added some modeling paste over a stencil.

Step 5

And some splatters of color by mixing paint with liquid medium, both from 13@rts.

Step 6

Adding a die cut doily with the edges inked.

Step 7

Scrounge up a piece of canvas cloth and glue it onto the card, followed by pompom trim. I added the canvas for a fabric texture, which I figured the lady in the image must have been a fashionista (from the oversized sunnies of course!). Pompoms because they look like cute little balloons.

Step 8

Colored a piece of mini flourish chipboard (Blue Fern Studios) with a few different types of pigments. Assemble everything else (flowers, embellishments etc) and voila!

You can see the purple, deep red, pink and just a tiny bit of green. 

I didn't have anything stickers with "awesome" in it, so I guess being yourself is another way of being awesome :D

The Eiffel Towel trinket was just begging to be used after being hoarded for so long!

So that's all I have for today. Do check in with the blog for more details on the challenge!

love,

This is Life - a special project for Once Upon A Sketch with 13arts

Hello everyone!

How was your first week of December so far? I'm just absolutely stoked because it's nearly the end of 2014 and new adventures beckon in 2015.

But first, let me share a special project with you, created for the final sketch at Once Upon a Sketch, using beautiful mixed media products from 13arts. As you may all know, our beloved leader Nadia is closing the challenge blog next year and it is indeed a sad time for everyone. OUAS holds a special place in my heart as one of the first few challenges I took part in, won something and even got on the DT. Working alongside so many talented people have taught me much and I've made many friends along the way. So here's a special project as my way of saying goodbye.

This is the sketch:

And journaling theme:

Journalling Theme: "It's December..." 

You are free to interpret our theme ANY WAY you like. It is for your inspiration and this theme word DOES NOT need to be part of your title or journalling. But please make sure your layout is based on the sketch below and includes journalling (hidden journalling is fine). Acceptable journalling is MORE than just a sentence, or generic writing such as date/place etc. It needs to be present and at least 3 lines long. Remember, hidden journalling (under a photo/tag or behind your page) is perfectly fine but please DO let us know in your post where your journalling is! 

And my take on the sketch and theme:

Here at the equator, all we get in December is rain. Lots and lots of rain. And wonderful monsoon winds that brings a respite to the hot humid weather we get for the rest of the year. With rain comes puddles. And with puddles... well there's no way you can stop a kid (or a young-at-heart adult) jumping into one of those and making a splash.

December is also a time when I cuddle up (because it's cold and windy) and start to take stock of the year that has passed, to reflect on how I have lived my life the past 12 months. If any time is a good time to come up with "emo" philosophical metaphysical life quotes, December is the time to do it LOL

My journaling (on the back page) reads:

"December. A time of rain, a time of reflections. Jumping into puddles, making a splash. In this year that has past, I hope I have made some splashes, had some fun and made ripples that would result in small but meaningful changes to other people's lives."

Here are some close-ups:

The layout was created with tons of 13arts products, which I absolutely love. Featured are the new metallic paints by Olga Heldwin, the new mist colors as well and the new paper collection Cozy Evening by my boss Aida. Tucked in between the layers are also the Splattered Circles chipboards from Blue Fern Studios. It was such a joy making this and provided the art therapy that I sorely needed.

And lastly, a start-to-finish video of how I made this layout:

That's all I have for today. Thank you for dropping by. If you have the time, please go by the Once Upon A Sketch blog to leave your farewells and wishes for Nadia and the rest of the team.

love,