Natural Beauty

I'm up on the Blue Fern Studios blog today with my March projects. This month I've been having a lot of fun playing with the thick, sumptuous Blue Fern Garden papers. What a fantastic accompaniment to Blue Fern Studios chippies!

Here is my second project this month (my first was for the Blue Fern Studios sketch challenge - there is still lots of time to play along here):

I started with the Love Letters paper for my background. I wanted to add some additional details with mists and inks while preserving the lattice pattern on the paper, so I began by covering the lattice with gel medium on a paintbrush. Once dry, this allowed me to wipe away any misplaced mist.

I painted some of the grid pattern with blue mists and splattered some gold and brown mist around to further emphasize the white of the grid. I also added rings of ivory embossing powder to the background.

I wanted the "Natural Beauty" title from the All Natural set to have a curve to it. Because the chipboard is nice and pliable I was able to do so easily; I started by adhering the N with a bead of hot glue, then added the curve, adhering as I went. A nice easy way to add movement to your layout and to further integrate your chippy into your cluster.

For the Shabby Brick Bits, I started by inking them a dark brown, but decided it was too strong for the layout, and added some Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powder, which is very iridescent. To tone down the green I inked over it with some brown. Don't be afraid to keep playing with your chippies until you are absolutely happy with them - they can take it!

Thank you for stopping by today - I hope Monday is treating you well!

Blue Fern Studios Products Used

Blue Fern Garden Paper:

- Love Letters (2 sheets)

Chipboard:

- Shabby Brick Bits

- All Natural Set

WCYDW Tutorial - Worry Free Misting

Hi Unis! It's Jax here with another instalment of What Can You Do Wednesday. Today I'm going to share a simple technique that changed my mixed media experience from one fraught with anxiety (am I going to spoil this layout I've spent hours working on when I mist or paint on it?) to one that is virtually worry free. I am going to teach you how to make your misting mishaps erasable. I am also going to introduce you to a fabulous new media in the Flying Unicorn Store: Clear Gesso.

Here is a layout I made using the gesso background technique. I started with one of the subtly textured white Authentique papers from the March kit and coated it in clear gesso, then misted through the stencil from the kit using 13 Arts Sky Blue Pearl Mist. When this was nearly dry I smudged over it, leaving the circles clearly visible but creating a lighter blue wash across the rest of the paper.

I accented some of the circles with watercolor pencils, which I blended with water. 

The Blue Fern Studios chipboard is coloured with the watercolor paints from the kit and accented with Shimmerz Dimensionz and Viva Pearl Pens.

The fussy cut flowers from the Authentique papers were also coloured with the watercolor pencils.

I hope you enjoyed the video and learned a little something and I can't wait to see what you create using this technique!

Flying Unicorn March OTP

This month's Off-The-Page project included in the Flying Unicorn kit of the month is a latched wooden box. The Authentique Classique: Elegance papers were perfect for transforming it into a dramatic little trinket box.

The beautiful black Prima chalkboard flowers from the main kit are perfect for customizing. Because they are black it might take a little outside the box thinking for altering them, but Prima chalk edgers work perfectly (I've used Turquoise Stone here). Watercolor pencils work as well - I used a pink one on the little hearts on the chalkboard ATC.

Tucked in with the chalkboard flower are some of the gorgeous Textured Elements flowers from Petaloo, some of my favourite little Prima Encore flowers (both from the Mixed Passion Add-On) and some up-cycled gold wire.

To help the white and black Authentique paper I chose for the lid of my box coordinate with the rest of the project I edged everything in Turquoise Stone chalk edger for a cohesive look.

Thank you for stopping in today. I hope Monday is treating you well!

Mermaid Canvas - Flying Unicorn KOM

Howdy Blogger peeps! How's your weekend going? It's cold here, we're finally getting some of the winter the rest of the continent has been experiencing.

Today's project is a little bit summery. I mean, I'm sure mermaids might live in cold water, too, but you can't fault me for imagining they're warm water creatures.

The Mixed Art add-on from Flying Unicorn always contains a canvas - this month's is a 6x12 wrapped canvas, and along with it there is a package of watercolor paints. I started by painting my background blue and green, then spritzing with water before heat setting. I then liberally sprayed on Lindy's Stamp Gang mists for an incredible shimmer.

I love this new mermaid stamp from Prima! I paper pieced her with pieces of 6x6 Authentique Classique: Elegant collection from the Small Art Big Passion kit, then added detailing with a mix of Shimmerz sprays and watercolor pencils.

I added some extra details to the background with the watercolors, and added some white dots using a Faber-Castell Artist Big Brush Pen.

I love the depth of the 13 Arts stencil included in the add-on. I used 13 Arts Modeling Paste, then painted it once dry with Silks in Mallard and Pretty Peridot.

To create the seafloor, I applied gel medium to the canvas and scrunched kraft-colored tissue paper, then went over the top with more gel medium, followed by glass bead gel and lots of mist, including the Bucaneer Bay Blue Moonshadow Mist from the main kit.

 
A closeup of the colours and textures of the tissue paper.

And finished off with the amazing resist alphas from the main kit.

Thank you for stopping by! Pick up your March kit if you haven't had a chance yet, and check out the Julie Nutting stamps (and other new Prima products) in the Flying Unicorn Store.

Blue Fern Studios March Sketch Challenge

It's a new month, and that means it's time for a new sketch challenge at Blue Fern Studios!  Did you know that you can create any type of project for the sketch challenge, including layouts, tags, cards, ATCs, canvases, off-the-page projects - anything you'd like, as long as you follow the sketch and use Blue Fern Studios chipboard on your project.

This month I chose to make a spring-inspired card (ironically, I made it on one of the 2 snowy days we've had this year) using the gorgeous Blue Fern Garden papers.

I treated the Tweet Friends branch to several layers of paints, building and blending until I was happy with the result, including chalk edger, Silks, Shimmerz Shimmerz and Dazzlerz and Distress Ink. I love that Blue Fern Studios chipboard is sturdy enough to stand up to this type of layering, as I tend to tinker with my chipboard until it is just right.

I painted both the Bits of Honey and Veranda Cage Set with Silks in Emperor's Gold, then added some shading with Distress Ink in Walnut Stain.

Have you noticed that the cut strips at the bottom of each of the Blue Fern Garden papers are beautiful little banners? I've used some here as layers. Aren't they lovely?

Here is this month's gorgeous sketch, designed by the uber-talented Michele Singh.

I hope you'll play along, check out this amazing Blue Fern prize pack up for grabs:

Blue Fern Studios Products Used

Papers: Blue Fern Garden In Bloom

Blue Fern Garden Calling Cards

Chipboard: Bits of Honey

Tweet Friends

Veranda Cage Set

Flying Unicorn March KOM - Part 2

The March Flying Unicorn Kit of the Month is so elegant. The black and white papers and curlicue motifs just lend themselves to classic, dramatic projects.

This month's Small Art Big Passion add-on includes a giant tag, and as soon as I saw the large format I knew it would be perfect for one of the new Prima Bloom Girls stamps.

I started by covering the tag with some of the Authentique paper and added some stamping with the rocking Bo Bunny stamp from the main kit. The random word stickers you have leftover after you've completed your other projects make great background elements.

I loved the way the scrolled oval from one of the papers looked like a fancy mirror. The Bloom Girl herself is stamped straight onto the Authentique paper, which held up gorgeously to Copic markers, which I used to colour her skin. Her hair, top and the flowers in her hair are fussy cut from paper in the kit, I then painted the flowers with Twinkling H2Os, and the leaves and her eyes with the watercolour paints included in the kit. Add in some trim and Liquid Pearls and voila!

If you haven't had a chance to pick up the March kit of the month, be sure to get one quick - they are sure to sell out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Flying Unicorn March KOM - Part 1

Good morning! How is it the last day of February already? It's been a bit of a crazy month around our place; I'm really looking forward to putting February behind me.

Amidst all the chaos, I did have some time to create with the lovely March Flying Unicorn kit of the month. Have you had a chance to check it out yet? Blue, black and white - swoon!

My first project is an elegant little card. The stickers in the Mixed Passion kit are perfect for cards! And the feathers? Perfection.

A couple closeups:

Thanks for stopping by!