A Sketch for National Scrapbook Day

Are you participating in any National Scrapbook Day (NSD) activities? I know the big celebration was yesterday; however, most people make a weekend of it. What are you working on? Why not use this new and amazing sketch from Blue Fern Studios to scrap a page today? All of the details on how to play along are in this post here on the Blue Fern Studios blog. Now let's look at the amazing May sketch:

I hope you will join in the fun. Can't wait to see what you create. I am working on my page this week using this sketch. Enjoy, and remember to see all details of this sketch challenge, click here. Happy scrapping!

April Sketch and a RAK!

It's that time again for a new sketch challenge with Blue Fern Studios. I know a lot of you already play along for your chance to win the amazing monthly prize but I know some of you do not because you do not have any Blue Fern Studios products. Be sure to read the bottom of this post to see how you can get some chipboard to play along!

The Sketch

This month's gorgeous sketch is another created by Michele Singh. She always creates amazing sketches, and this April 2015 sketch is no exception. To see all of the details to play along and enter for the grand prize, please read this post here. You will also find amazing inspiration by the design team in that same post!

Chipboard RAK

Today I am giving away a set of the Blue Fern Studios Ornate Crosses chipboard. Leave a comment below stating your favorite Blue Fern Studios paper line, stamp set, or chipboard pieces by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, April 5th, and I will randomly draw a winner on Monday, April 6th. If you don't know what Blue Fern Studios product is your favorite, be sure to look here to see all of the goodies to make your choice. Oh yum!

Have fun playing with the sketch. Can't wait to see your entries linked on the Blue Fern Studios blog! Blessings,

A New Layout and Sketch with Blue Fern Studios

Can you believe it is already February? Gracious the year is already flying by! Well, with a new month comes a new sketch challenge from Blue Fern Studios. I hope you will join us in the fun because there is an opportunity for you to win some Blue Fern Studios goodies! So, let's look at the sketch and my creation using the new Love Story Collection and stamps.

The Sketch

The sketch this month is another awesome design by Michele Singh. To see all of the details of the challenge, creations by the design team, and to enter, please see this post here. I hope you will join in the fun!

My Layout

I used the new Love Story papers and stamps for my layout along with some of the new chipboard pieces from Blue Fern Studios. I chose to use three small pictures on my 8 1/2 x 11 layout instead of just one photo. This is one of my girls in her first horseback riding competition. She just did it for fun but walked away with three ribbons. She was so surprised and excited!

I used the new Love Story Stamp Set 2 to stamps the word 'love' in white ink and then embossed it. To color the chipboard pieces (Mesh Bits, Fabulous, and Broken Rings), I first painted each piece with watercolors and then embossed them with UTEE.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Love Story Concerto, Sweet Song, Amazing Heart, and Twenty-One

Stamps: Blue Fern Studios Love Story Stamp 2, Heidi Swapp Date Stamp 

Stamp Ink: ColorBox frost white, Hero Arts India ink black 

Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Mesh Bits, Fabulous, and Broken Rings (painted with watercolors and embossed with UTEE) 

Embellishments: Maya Road vintage key,Petaloo burgundy flowering vines, Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, misc. enamel dots colors with Copic R59 and V99, May Arts black twine, sewing machine

To find a store near you or online that carries Blue Fern Studios, please click here. Thanks for stopping by, and I can't wait to see your entries for this sketch challenge. Blessings,

Happy New Year and a New {Layout}

First, I wanted to wish each of you a Happy New Year! How exciting it will be to see where God takes each of us this year! I hope that despite what comes your way, you will truly watch for the blessings each day!

Next I wanted to share my newest layout with you using the January Blue Fern Studios Sketch. This precious picture is of our 8 year old Papillon, Scout. He has decided that he loves the larger dog bed while our newest puppy, Teddy, loves Scout's tiny bed. We rescued Teddy on December 20th, and he is a 13 month old blue merle Collie. I pray that God will allow him to become a therapy dog so that I can take him to help others in nursing homes and hospitals this year. We will see how he does with his training upcoming in February.

Now onto my 8 1/2 x 11 layout featuring this cute picture. First I used the newest Blue Fern Studios paper line called Sanctuary. I then used three different pieces of Blue Fern Studios chipboard Notebook Edges, Hooks and Keys, and the title comes from the set called Laughter, Happy, Smile.

I put gesso on all three chipboard pieces first. Then I used Texturez paint on the notebook edges to give those pieces a textured look. To color the key and title chipboard pieces, I just used distress ink. Works great and fast, and I love the color. Looks a little bit like leather, don't you think? :)

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Sancutary Meadows of Time and Correspondence, Paper Trey Ink kraft cs
Stamps: Unity Big Summertime Bouquet, Our Daily Bread Designs Sweet William (small), Artful Inkables Butterfly Blessings, October Afternoon Decade stamp 
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink brushed corduroy, Archival Ink coffee 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Notebook Edges (painted with Shimmerz Texturez patina), Hooks and Keys (inked with distress ink), Laughter, Happy, Smile (inked with distress ink) 
Embellishments: Spellbinders Labels 4 die, Petaloo Dahlias teastaine and Mini Blossoms teal, Prima Innoscence flower, Wild Orchid Crafts flower, misc. enamel dots, misc. tag, thread, sewing machine

Now here is the sketch. Click here to see all of the details and join in the fun! And as you visit the Blue Fern Studios blog, you will notice our new 2015 designers using the sketch. I hope you will leave them some love. They have created some beautiful pages!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your first day of 2015! Blessings,

It's Time to Share a New {Layout}

Remember our friends that had the baby last Christmas? Mom had a problem with the pregnancy, and the Army brought dad home from Afghanistan. Well, that precious boy is now almost one. I cannot believe it! We have been watching him every Monday evening while dad has been back at his duty station in NY and mom was here for a bit. Anyway, I captured lots of photos for them, and I wanted to give them more scrapbook pages for their album. So, today I used the newest Blue Fern Studios December sketch to create this 8 1/2 x 11 layout. I also used the newest BFS papers called Sanctuary.

To color the Poppies Collage chipboard, I covered the chipboard in a thick layer of gesso then embossed with various embossing powder colors.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Sanctuary Botanical Garden 
Stamps: JustRite 100 Year Dater, Provo Craft Circa 12 pt. 
Stamp Ink: Archival coffee 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Poppies Collage (gesso with Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powders in Golden Angel Wings, Orbit Olive Gold, and Midnight Copper) 
Embellishments: Prima School Memories flower, Teresa Collins Now and Then enamel dots, Memory Box Texture Diamond stencil with Shimmerz TextureZ artie choked, drywall joint tape misted with Prima Color Bloom pressed petal, sari ribbon, misc. tag colored with Tim Holtz Distress Stain bundled sage, sewing machine

And here is the amazing sketch for December.

To join us in the fun and to be eligible for a prize, please see this post here. Thanks for stopping by today! Blessings,

A Layout, an {Update}, and a New Paper Line!

Today I have a Blue Fern Studios layout, the November sketch, and a new paper line to share with you. But first I wanted to update on my daughter's back surgery. We were told there was only a 50% chance that it would be successful. Well, as of right now, we are seeing some great success, and we pray it stays that way. In fact, when she stood for the first time at the hospital Thursday night, she was free from her leg nerve pain. She said "Mom, can I just stand here and enjoy this moment?" I could have cried! Praise God for His grace and love! She has a long road of recovery ahead, and we thank you all for your prayers. It means the world to us. Now onto some paper crafting fun.

A Perfect Day

This is my precious daughter that just had back surgery on Thursday of this week. This photo is when we took her to the Billy Graham Library for the first time. Her back issues were being controlled at that time with a TENS unit you can see her wearing. Anyway, this 8 1/2 x 11 page not only uses the new November sketch from Blue Fern Studios but it also uses the new Montage paper line. Yum!

To color the Lattice Fence chipboard piece, I covered in gesso. While the gesso was wet, I added two different colors of embossing powder to emboss the chipboard. And you can see the fun result below.

The Arrow Words chipboard piece was also treated in the same way except once I embossed it, I then rubbed black gesso over the entire piece. I wanted it to pop a bit more off the page, and thus I added the touch of black to this piece. I think it ended up looking like the sepia photo a bit.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Montage Invitation, Now and Then, and Bouquet
Stamps: Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge, Becky Higgins date stamp
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink black soot
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Lattice Fence (painted w/gesso and embossed with Lindy's golden angel wings and terra cotta plum ep), Arrow Words (embossed with Lindy's terra cotta plum and hibiscus rose orange then rubbed with black gesso)
Embellishments: Stencil Girl illegible stencil, Petaloo New Camelia tangerine and Botanica yellow mini flowers, Manor House Creations wood veneer, Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, Manor House Creations die cut, Golden black gesso, drywall joint tape misted with Prima Color Bloom gilded mist, sewing machine

The November Sketch

This month brings another great sketch by Michele Singh. To enter the challenge and possibly win the great prize package, look at the details in this post here. As you can see above, I used the sketch for an 8 1/2 x 11 layout but you can use it for anything! I hope you will join in the fun. I can't wait to see what you create!

New Paper Line Coming Soon

Blue Fern Studios has another new paper line coming soon. This line is called "Sanctuary." Isn't it stunning? 

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by. Blessings,

It's a Very Special {Layout} and a Sketch

It's October 1st, and that means sketch time for Blue Fern Studios. I can't wait to share this sketch with you because I had so much fun with the photo I was able to scrap. Let's look at my layout, and then I will share the sketch.

Memories

This photo is very precious to me. This is my daughter that went on an 8-week ministry trip this summer as lead guitarist for a worship band called "The Difference." I am so proud of her. She is also my daughter with Chiari Malformation. She is in pain daily but God gets her through each day. If you do not know what Chiari Malformation is, I encourage you to read about it here, and please join us on the awareness walk across the U.S. next September! I will post more about the walk next August or so. Our goal is to educate and make people aware. It is as prevalent as MS but you certainly do not hear much about Chiari. Anyway, sorry for the speech. Yes, I get a little passionate about it. LOL! And here is my 8 1/2 x 11 layout. The photo is of her playing during chapel at school.

Now, a little more about this layout. First, I used the new Blue Fern Studios Montage paper line. I love, love, love this paper line. It is so versatile and gorgeous! And the Icon Set One chipboard set was perfect for this layout as it has a guitar in the set. I covered the guitar with Inka Gold graphite. Then I added some smudges of Gelatos in black licorice. I think it gave the guitar a nice effect. I also wrapped some twine around the top of the guitar for "strings."

For the rest of the layout, I used the Chunky Words chipboard set for the title. I covered that chipboard piece in Gelatos and Shimmerz Dazzelerz.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Montage Now and Then and Invitation 
Stamps: Penny Black Butterfly Suite, Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge, Technique Tuesday Good Times Arrows, Becky Higgins date stamp 
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink black soot, Hero Arts charcoal 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Icon Set One (guitar painted w/Inka Gold graphite and Gelatos black licorice), Chunky Words (painted w/Gelatos tangerine and mango and Shimmerz Dazzelerz dreamscicle) 
Embellishments: Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, flair from Glorie, Manor House Creations die cut, May Arts black twine, misc. cheesecloth, sewing machine

The Sketch

And now here is the wonderful 12x12 sketch. Remember, you can use this sketch for any size layout, a card, anything. Use your imagination and have fun!

To see the details of the contest and the prize package, please click here. We would love for you to join in the fun! Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed Wednesday!

{SCRLLC14} Scripture Lesson #17, He Knows

These past couple of weeks, God has been talking to me about burdens. First, as I was listening to KLOVE driving to an appointment, I heard Lisa TerKeurst say, "Don't miss the blessings because you are focusing on the burdens." I immediately called my daughter and asked her to write it down for me so I would not forget. Such a beautiful quote that I needed to hear. Then my second daughter calls me from college, and she asked me if I have heard of the new song by Jeremy Camp called "He Knows." I told her I had not, and she told me that I needed to listen to it. So, off I went to search for the song. It is a new release so it's a bit hard to find but if you click here, you can listen to it. Look what the chorus says:

Chorus

He knows, He knows

Every hurt and every sting

He has walked the suffering

He knows, He knows

Let your burdens come undone

Lift your eyes up to the One

Who knows, He knows

To read all of the lyrics, click here. I encourage you to read them because they are very powerful.

And did you notice that word again—burdens? Moses in Numbers 11:14 cries out to God "I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me."

Notice how Moses turns to God with his burdens. Are your burdens pushing you towards the Lord to seek Him and trust Him more? Or are you heavy on complaining? Our reactions to our burdens and trials reveal our true spiritual maturity. We need to trust Him, depend on Him, and glorify Him. When we truly rely on Him, we are not shaken by the burdens and chaos among us. He gives us purpose in our trials. His love and peace are abounding! If you feel like you are burdened and your load is too heavy, remember the Lord is there to help you. Will you trust Him?

Psalm 68:19 "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You."

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

1 John 5:3-4 "In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

I decided to do an 8 1/2 x 11 page today. I printed some black and white images of the things that are going on in our family now—spinal problems, canine epilepsy, Chiari Malformation, etc., etc., etc. If I focused on these things instead of the Lord, I would be utterly overwhelmed, miserable, and defeated. Do I struggle each day? Yes, but I must remember to make Him the focus knowing He has a plan and that we need to glorify Him through it. I trust that, and it's what keeps me going.

I used black and white photos because these 'things' needn't be my focus. The colorful paper with the scripture is what should be my focus. I need to cling to Him and His Word! I also used a sketch that I have had pinned for a while. You can see the sketch by clicking here.  And finally, I used the new Blue Fern Studios paper line called Montage and the chipboard pieces Circle Code and Adore, Love, Cherish.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Montage Wisdom and Invitation, Paper Trey Ink cs 
Stamp: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 7 
Stamp Ink: Versa Fine onyx black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink black soot 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Circle Code (painted w/Adirondack Dabber lemonade and Jenni Bowlin Dabber malted milk), Adore, Love, Cherish (painted w/black gesso and Glossy Accents)
Embellishments: Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, Prima Bistro Blooms Nugget and Soubrette orange flower, Prima packaging, Bella Blvd. washi tape, misc. cheesecloth, sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword SCRLLC14 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Blessings, and I pray that you allow Him to carry your burdens!

It's Sketch Time!

I am excited to share the newest Blue Fern Studios sketch challenge with you. Have you played along yet in any of the challenges? Oh I hope so! You can do anything with these sketches! I turn these 12x12 sketches into 8 1/2 x 11 layouts, art journal pages, and cards. Today I am going to share a card with you that I created using the September Sketch.

To cover the Roman Clock set chipboard, I put on a layer of gesso. Then I spritzed with three different colors of Prima Color Bloom Mists to match the Blue Fern Studios Ombre Dreams paper.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Ombre Dreams, Memory Box nc 
Stamp: Anna Griffin Chalkboard Sentiment Stamp 
Stamp Ink: Jenni Bowlin soap powder, Tim Holtz Distress Ink brushed corduroy 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Roman Clock Set Small (colored gesso and Prima Color Bloom Mists in soft teal, glistening waves, and lime wedge) 
Embellishments: Petaloo pistachio and teal botanica mini flowers, Tim Holtz mini paper clip, misc. doily, misc. lace,cheesecloth, sewing machine

And here is the gorgeous sketch.

To see all of the details and to play along, please see this post here. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will join in the fun and maybe even win the awesome prize package! Blessings,

It's a {Card}, a Sketch, and a New Paper Line!

Happy Sunday!!! Today I have several things to share with you. So, sit back, and I hope you find something you like.

First, it's August so it's time for a new sketch challenge at Blue Fern Studios. Here is the awesome August sketch:

To see all of the sketch details, please click here. I hope you will join in the fun because you just might win that awesome prize package!

So, what did I do with the sketch? I decided to use it to create a card. I used just a portion of the sketch to create this card. I used the Blue Fern Winter Page Dangles chipboard and cut off the top portion of the chipboard to add the detail to the upper left corner of the card too.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Ombre Dreams Gingers Dream, Paper Trey Ink cs 
Stamp: Cornish Heritage Farms Forms on the Desk 
Stamp Ink: Archival library green 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Winter Page Dangles (painted with gesso and Prima Color Bloom sunshine mist) 
Embellishments: Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, misc doily, Hug Snug hand-dyed seam binding, Hero Arts pearls colored with Copic BG32, sewing machine

And lastly, I have some great news! Blue Fern Studios is getting ready to release their third paper line!! Here is a little sneak peek for you:

Oh it looks so yummy! I can't wait to play with this new line. Be watching for a future release date! And thanks for stopping by. I hope you will join in on the sketch challenge. Blessings,

Two {Love} Layouts with Blue Fern Studios

(Note: Today's Scripture Lessons and Lyrics Challenge will be posted tomorrow. Be on the lookout!)

Hello Blue Fern Studio fans! It's the 29th so it's time for me to share my June Blue Fern Studios creations with you. Let's take a look!

I Love You More
For my first 8 1/2 x 11 layout, I used a photo of two of my daughters that I took while we were on vacation in May. As a family, we say "I Love You More" a lot to each other. I felt that this photograph looked like a time they would be saying that to each other. The Blue Fern chipboard title "I Love You More" was perfect for the page. I also used the Blue Fern Garden Parlour papers.

To color the chipboard, I coated it in white gesso. While it was still wet, I spritz on several different mist colors then let dry. Some of the color pooled in some areas but I liked that because of the effect it gave the chipboard.

And notice below how I left the branding strip on at the bottom of the patterned paper. The branding strip contains the paper name, UPC code, etc. Sometimes I cut them off, sometimes I leave them on the paper as I did here, and sometimes I use the strips on cards and layouts. On the far left hand side, you can still kind of see the word "garden" at the bottom. I covered it mostly in modeling paste but still some showed through which is fine. Don't be afraid to keep those branding strips on your pages! Have fun with them.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Blue Fern Garden Parlour and Calling Cards 
Stamp: Bo Bunny Stained Textures, Memory Box Rings and Dot, Becky Higgins date stamp 
Stamp Ink: Archival jet black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink tumbled glass 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: I Love You More (painted w/gesso and Prima Color Bloom glistening waves mist and Shimmerz Coloringz mama sings the blues) 
Embellishments: Kaisercraft Kaleidoscope Collectables, Petaloo burgundy/pink assort. Blossoms and blue/green daisy, Prima Princess Castle flower, Inksesstials craft tag #5, misc. wood veneer, misc. lace, sewing machine

Love Remember
For this 8 1/2 x 11 layout, I used the new Ombre Dreams Joyce's Dream paper. I also used the beautiful chipboard piece called Circle Flourish Small.

To color the chipboard, I coated it in white gesso and let it dry. I then used a paint brush to paint on several different mist colors. By using a paint brush I was able to control where the colors went and how dark they appeared.

Papers: Blue Fern Studios Ombre Dreams Joyce's Dream 
Stamp: Becky Higgins date stamp 
Stamp Ink: Archival jet black, Jenni Bowlin soap powder 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Circle Flourish Small (painted w/gesso and Prima Color Bloom iris and summer sky) 
Embellishments: Prima Serenity flower, and Avante Spring flowers; Prima wood veneers and Corine flower; Wild Orchid Craft flowers; 7 Dots Studio Illumination elements; Liquitex light modeling paste; Golden black gesso; joint tape; misc. enamel dots; sewing machine

Thanks for joining me today! See you again tomorrow with our Scripture lesson! Blessings,