Monday, June 6, 2016

June Attic Charm Inspiration from Cathi

I have a big interest in genealogy and when I was younger my aunt gave me copies of many photos of our ancestors, I have some really great images and this month I decided to use family vintage photos for all of my layouts! I just love preserving our history a little bit this way.


For my first layout I feature a gorgeous photo of my grandfather Ernie Jones, circa 1910. I just love the way he is dressed and how they have him seated at a table. I used the Attic Charm Attic Key paper as my base and the gorgeous Mercantile paper featuring the chair image to reflect this in the layers I added to the layout. My title Treasure came form the Calling Cards page.


In this close up you can see the gorgeous Attic Trunk chipboard piece which has been embossed with Imagine Ink Embossing Powder in Ginger and "antiqued" with Sage Embossing Powder!  I have added some Attic Charm Daisies and Courtship Blooms.


In this close up you can see the Mini Flourish covered in gorgeous Imagine Ink Fool's Gold Glitter. I did a lot of background work and I have stamped the Halftone stamps, the postmark stamp from the Desk Set stamp set and a favorite of mine the cross texture stamp from Forever stamp set.  I added mist and masking using my texture paste.


There are lots of gorgeous Blue Fern Flowers on this layout, I have used the Attic Charm Glitter Roses, Courtship Blooms and Tranquil Lilies.  I have used the Imagine Ink Fool's Gold Glitter again to color the Vintage Lock chipboard.  I finished off the layout with lots of stitching around the edges.


Blue Fern Studios Supplies:

Paper:
Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection~Attic Key
Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection~Mercantile
Blue Fern Studios Tranquility Collection~Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Attic Trunk
Mini Flourishes
Vintage Locks

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder:
Ginger
Sage

Imagine Ink Glitter:
Fool's Gold

Stamps:
Desk Set
Forever
Halftone


This next layout features my great grandmother, Helen Tobin, when she was a young girl along with her sister. I just love the pose with the flower basket and chair...they don't look too happy here but I think they had to stand still for ages back in those days to take the photos!  The base of the layout is the gorgeous Haberdashery paper.


Here in this closeup you can see a cutout from the Calling Cards paper, "The Good Old Days". I have also used the Mercantile paper to build up my layers. Lots of Courtship Blooms here and Attic Charm Daisies.


I used the Graduated Squares and embossed them in Cotton Candy Imagine Ink Embossing Powder and added these to my layers. I tucked in another cut out from the Calling Cards paper and added some kraft tags for journaling.


In my final close up for this layout you can see my trio of chipboard (Film Strip, Vintage Locks, and Adorable) embossed in the gorgeous Ginger Imagine Ink Embossing Powder. I have added some stamping of the cross background stamp for the Forever stamp set. I also love the Making Plans stamp as it is a collage of some of my favorite texture backgrounds and depending on what part of the stamp I ink up I can get book page, script, rules, blue prints, or several other gorgeous patterns! The final stamp I added to the background is the needle book stamp from the Needlework stamp set, randomly around the edges. I added some misting and some masking with texture paste and a bit of splattering. To finish off this layout I added some stitching around the edges.

Blue Fern Studios Supplies:

Paper:
Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection~Haberdashery
Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection~Mercantile
Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection~Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Graduated Squares
Vintage Locks
Adorable
Film Strips

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder:
Cotton Candy
Ginger

Stamps:
Forever
Making Plans
Needlework


My final layout is a layout I did for the sketch challenge. This photo is of my Great Aunt Marge who had it taken for my Great Uncle Les before he went off to war. He took it with him to remember her and I called this layout Patience because that is what they needed to make it through war time to see each other again and go on to have many years together and many many children!  For the base paper for this layout I chose the Attic Charm Curio paper. I took many cut outs from the Calling Cards paper to layer under my photo.  Here is the challenge sketch if you want to join in!



In this closeup you can see the gorgeous Attic Charm Glitter Roses and Daisies, as well as a Courtship Rose. I have layered the huge beautiful Roman Clock Set - Large, embossed with Imagine Ink Embossing Powder in Oatmeal underneath the photo.


I embossed the Patience chipboard piece with Imagine Ink Embossing Powder in Mushroom as well as flecks of Oatmeal.  I have added lace and pears to match her dress and necklace as part of my layout and I have tucked in some Bits of Honey chipboard pieces into the photo cluster as well.


To finish off the layout I added some background stamping using the gorgeous cross texture stamp yet again from the Forever set. I added the brick wall stamp from Essential Textures and also the clock stamp from the Bird Vignettes stamp set.  I tucked in a tag with some typed journaling about my great aunt's story and added some stitching again to finish off the layout.

Blue Fern Studios Supplies:

Paper:
Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection~Curio
Blue Fern Studios Tranquility Collection~Calling Cards

Chipboard:
Bits of Honey
Roman Clock - Large
Patience

Imagine Ink Embossing Powder:
Oatmeal
Mushroom

Stamps:
Essential Textures
Forever
Bird Vignettes

I really enjoyed with Attic Charm set of layouts with a family history theme. I love that the photos are all my relations! I just love the care they took when making photos back then and am grateful for all the gorgeous memories! I hope you enjoyed these and am glad you took the time to visit! The Attic Charm collection is a gorgeous one!




Saturday, June 4, 2016

Things You Find In The Attic Using The Attic Charm Collection By Blue Fern Studios~

I just love the extremely, romantic new Blue Fern Studios Attic Charm Collection! It inspired me to create projects surrounding things that you would find tucked away in your attic. This one features a wedding dress. I can just see a young girl rummaging through her grandma's attic, opening up a trunk and finding a gorgeous confection that her loved one once walked down the isle in.


The layout is based on this month's Blue Fern Sketch and you can join in on the challenge on the blog here:
http://bluefernstudios.blogspot.com/





I started with a layer of Attic Charm Merchantile Paper, then took a piece of Attic Charm Sachet Paper, heavily distressed and inked it, then sewed it so that I could lift the edges for dimension.
I added White Crackle Paint Accents that I over inked randomly onto the page to add an aged effect.


Next, I layered on some wide Sweetheart Lace, and then cut down a piece of Attic Charm Foyer Paper, inked and sewed the edges and created a matte for my photo.


I used the new Blue Fern Looped Frames Chipboard, to form a double circle layer under the photo. I treated the chipboard with White Crackle Paste, then randomly colored places with a distress marker and then sprinkled the pieces with Silver Pink Shard Glitter Glass.


Here you can see the bottom, smaller frame. I added Courtship Blooms and Mulberry Paper Flowers to each frame, and then added some of my hand crafted Debutante Glitter Glass Butterflies to add even more romance.


At the side of the photo, I used Blue Fern Tranquil Roses & Lilies, more mulberry paper flowers, foliage, and some gauze I shredded and added beads to.


I repeated a smaller piece at the bottom corner.




Here, I took a Blue Fern Serendipity Words 1 Inspiration Chipboard piece, inked it then added shading with a distress marker.



Here is a shot so that you can see all the dimension and texture that you can capture with those quality Blue Fern Products.
Blue Fern Studios Supply List:
Paper:
Attic Charm-Foyer
Attic Charm-Sachet
Attic Charm Mercantile

Chipboard:
Looped Frames
Serendipity Words 1 (Inspiration)


Flowers:
Tranquil Roses & Lilies
Courtship Blooms



In keeping with things that one would find in their attic, I created this layout using an old Vintage Photo and the Blue Fern Attic Charm Collection.



I started with a layer of Blue Fern Attic Charm Haberdashery Paper, and then took a piece of  Attic Charm Sachet Paper and punched and sewed the edging. 



I cut a Blue Fern Wild Flourish Bundle in half, heat embossed it with Imagine Ink Sage Embossing Powder, then randomly dabbed it with clear embossing powder and sprinkled it with Imagine Ink Peridot Glitter.



I added lots of Mulberry Paper Flowers, Blue Fern Attic Charm Daisies and Courtship Blooms, along with a large Chiffon Flower and foliage. I then added some of my hand crafted Oh So Butterlicious Butterflies for added Dimension and Texture.




I took a Blue Fern Fancy Bird Cage Chipboard Piece, cut the pole and then attached the cage with a rhinestone button. I treated the chipboard with Gesso, Chunky Glitter Glass and added lace and mini roses. the little bird is from the Blue Fern All Natural Set,  and is heat embossed with Imagine Ink 14 KT embossing powder, and glitter painted accents.



Here is a close up of the Bird Cage. Such a focal point piece for any project!!!



And here is a Dimensional look at all the layering and techniques.



Blue Fern Studios Supply List:
Paper:

Attic Charm Sachet
Attic Charm Haberdashery


Chipboard:
Fancy Bird Cage
All Natural Set (Little Bird)
Wild Flourish Bundle

Flowers:
Attic Charm Daisies
Courtship Blooms

Imagine Ink:
Embossing Powder Sage
Embossing Powder 14 KT
Glitter Peridot



And for my last project I created a Music Book Box with Tag Set tucked inside, because we all know that attics are full of all kinds of knick knacks with hidden treasures inside them!! I of course used the Blue Fern Attic Charm Collection to create this magical piece.




The box was covered with layers of Blue Fern Attic Charm Generation and Attic Key Papers along with lots of lace and Tulle Lace to capture the ballerina look. I added a Blue Fern Framed Trinket to the top of the box that I two tone painted added pearls to, and placed a mulberry paper into the center of , and then added some resin ballet slippers to.




The focal piece is a gorgeous Blue Fern Music Box Chipboard Piece that I did layers of techniques on. The ballerina body was painted in white crackle paint then inked with tea dye ink. She was then given a tulle tutu with rose bud. The top of the box was colored with gelatos, the bottom was painted pink then stippled with white gesso, and pearls were added as accents. The "key" was heat embossed with Imagine Ink Icicle Embossing Powder.


I added mulberry paper flowers, a Blue Fern Attic Charm Daisy,  a rhinestone and pearl button, and some of my Tiny Treasure hand crafted Love Story Butterflies.


For the page sides of the book, I took two Blue Fern Dangle Borders, painted them with white gesso and then cut them down and added them to the sides. I just love how romantic and gorgeous they look!!!



For the spine side of the book, I added Flower Girl Lace and a pink chiffon flower.


For the back side, I covered it in more of the Attic Charm Key Paper, then randomly crackle painted it and inked it with tea dye ink for a love worn looked.



The inside of the Book Box was covered with Attic Charm Papers, and the tag album tucks inside.


I created the tag album out of  pieces of the Attic Charm Papers, and the topper pieces were created with Attic Charm Calling Cards.


I used lots of laces,


Flowers,


and romantic touches,


to create sweet spots for small photos,


or journaling.

I hope you have enjoyed rummaging through the attic with me and that I have inspired you to grab some of those new Blue Fern Attic Charm Papers, Chipboards, Flowers, and Imagine Ink Mediums, to create your own attic treasures!!! Hugs ~Renea

Blue Fern Supply List:
Paper:
Attic Charm Attic Key
Attic Charm Calling Cards
Attic Charm Foyer
Attic Charm Generation
Attic Charm Merchantile

Chipboard:
Music Box
Dangle Border
Framed Trinkets

Imagine Ink:
Icicle Embossing Powder

Flowers:
Attic Charm Daisies

Friday, June 3, 2016

Today it's all about YOU!

Watching you use our products gives us such great joy.   We think you will enjoy seeing what we have found on blogs, social media, and online galleries. 

These beautiful cards created by Vera Shelemekh were made as thank you cards for teachers at the end of the year.  There is a compartment inside to tuck in a chocolate.  





We came across this beautiful layout by Robin Shakoor in an online gallery.  
Robin added the perfect embellishments to accent this paper from our Montage Collection. 




Anna Rogalska had posted this layout on her blog, and we fell in love with it!  Isn't it amazing how she has duplicated the flowers in the photo she has used?  Paper is from the Blush Collection, and the chipboard title, The Best Day Ever, has been cut apart to better fit the design of the layout.




Mei entered this sweet layout in one of our sketch challenges, using paper from the Serendipity Collection.  
The sweet photo jumps off the page with the layering of paper strips behind it.  
The chipboard title is also from Blue Fern.




We were very excited to see this layout created by Joanne.
Can you guess which paper collection she used as the background for this layout?  
If you really know Blue Fern products, you might recognize this as the backing for our larger pieces of chipboard.  What a creative example of re-purposing your packaging.  We love the design of this layout and how well the background brings out the beautiful blues in the photo. 




Last, but not least, is this artsy mixed media piece by  Djamila Khiter , which she shared on our Facebook page.  She used paper from the Timeless Collection for the background.  Did you know that Blue Fern paper is nice and heavy, and can withstand layers of media? 



Thanks to these amazing women for the beautiful ways in which you have used Blue Fern products!

We hope you will share your projects with us on Social Media!

Facebook     Instagram     Twitter     Pinterest     YouTube

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

June Sketch Challenge

It's June - the official start to summer here in the U.S.  The days are longer and most of the children are out of school for the summer.  Vacation plans are on the mind of everyone.   We hope your summer will be filled with memories and fun new photos for creating layouts and projects.

We are going to start the summer with a sketch challenge.  Michele Singh, who creates a lot of our paper, has created the sketch for us.  We would love for you to join us.  We give you the entire month to use the sketch as inspiration for a project.

Here is the June sketch:


This sketch has some great elements to work with.  To get you started, a few members of our Creative Team have used the sketch as inspiration for their layouts.  

This month, each of our designers has used paper from our new collection, Attic Charm!














Cathi shared with us such a sweet story about this photo.  We thought we would share it with you:
 "This is a photo of my Great Aunt Marge. She had it made for my Great Uncle when he went off to WWII. The title Patience is for both of them as they waited to see each other when he returned. I love that she made such a beautiful photo for him to take with him. I added pearls like she wore in the photo and some vintage lace to fit with the theme and typed my journaling onto the tag."


Now it is your turn!   Whether you are new to our Sketch Challenge or have participated in the past, we would love for you to grab some Blue Fern products and use the sketch as inspiration for a project.  We will have a prize for one lucky winner (from a random draw), and will feature a few projects from YOU at the end of the month!

We ask that you follow these guidelines:

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, but please make sure your layout resembles the sketch.

2). You can create any project you please - a layout, card,canvas, altered item
- whatever suits your mood and style! We would love to see the different 
ways our sketch can be used.

3.) 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 chipboard pieces or paper featured in the sketch. 
  You can find a list of stores that carry Blue Fern products  HERE.
 {Do not use any other brand of chipboard on your project, please!}

4.) Upload your project using the Inlinkz tool below by midnight EST on June 30, 2016.