Welcome to our New Design Team Members for 2014

Hello friends!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who applied to our Design Team. It is one of the hardest decision I had to make lately that is why it took me so long to do the announcement. We had received so many amazing applications from so many talented women and I appreciate each and one of you that took time to submit it. 

Unfortunately, we can only pick so many and this is all mutual decision from me, our coordinators, and the rest of the team. 

If you didn't get picked this time, please try again on the next call. In fact, from the applications I received, I will pick guest designers for 2014. The possibility is always there. We like giving people a chance, we all have to start somewhere and if no one will give you that chance, then who will? 

We also suggest that you visit our blog and Facebook page often and join our challenges. We like meeting people and staying friends and this is the only way we get to know you.

We always welcome suggestions and if you feel that you will be a good candidate for our team as DT, please feel free to email me (Marivic...berry71bleu@att.net). I reward creative people that is loyal to our blog and our challenges.  Scrapbooking has been so competitive, but we are not in competition with other challenge blogs nor I would say that we are better than anyone else because we're not. I started this blog almost 5 years ago. My goal was always to meet friends and share ideas and inspirations with people from all walks of life all over the world. Through the years, my goal has remained the same. And I will only pick DT members that share the same goals that I have...to inspire, to create, give gratitude....and.... most important thing, always have an open door for friendship.  I have met a lot of amazing people from all corners of the earth, which I am very thankful for. So we hope by continuing this tradition we will be here for a long time. 

Thank you very much for all your support. Thank you to our Sponsors, Design Team Members (past and present),  Guest Designers, our friends who join our challenges every month and to our friends that give us support by leaving us comments...MY BIGGEST THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!

Please help me welcome our new Design Team Members...

Denise van Deventer-South Africa

Cathi O'Neill- USA/Ireland

Tracey Gregory-USA

Tusia Lech- Poland

Mandy Zimmerman-USA

and our returning DT members

Dana Tatar- USA

Kay Fatula-USA

Nature Is The Art Of God

Hi everyone, Debbie here with you today to share my take on Marivic's "Autumn Is In The Air" Challenge!  Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the cool, crisp air and the magnificent colors of the leaves when they change color.  I chose to make a canvas for my project.

It was quite an art adventure working with products from our sponsors this month, Speedball Art Products and Gelli Arts.  I started off with Speedball paint in dark yellow and added some additional paints in yellow and Orange.  I used a leaf stencil on my background but must admit as I added more layers of paint to my Gelli plate everything sort of blended in together.  I used a paper towel to dab some of the paint on my canvas and love the marbled effect it took on.

I added some stamping and masking to my canvas along with some misting and inking and flowers.  

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month for Marivic's challenge.  You can find all of the details here.

Please make sure to read our challenge rules.

We have some great prizes this month:
First Prize: 

Random Prizes:

 6x6 Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate

You will get 2 tubes of Green and Blue Speedball paint.

Main Sponsors:  

Speedball Art Products Company
facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SpeedballArt

 Product Catalog

A Tradition of Excellence: For more than 100 years, high quality art products from Speedball have created Unlimited Possibilities for Artists in both classrooms and professional studios around the world. Speedball is committed to artistic innovation and expression.

Printmaking Is A Time-Tested Craft That Is Ideal For Contemporary Art Expression: Today with the advent of new techniques and materials, Printmaking has gained renewed interest and unprecedented support. Printmaking begins with Speedball - America’s leading manufacturer of printmaking materials - unequaled for quality, safety and ease-of-use.

Economical and Time-Flexible: The Beauty of Printmaking is in its flexibility and economy. Projects can range from simple printmaking exercises lasting only for a short session to more complex projects that can be expanded to include advance detailed techniques. Printmaking is more popular than ever and Speedball Art Products is the artist’s choice!

Speedball Block Printing Inks: Give your creations all the brilliance they deserve with inks from Speedball. Speedball’s Water Soluble Block Printing Inks come in 18 brilliant colors available in 37cc, 75cc, 150cc tubes plus 8oz. and 16oz jars. These inks are easy to clean up with water, non-toxic, gluten free and super for printmaking with linoleum, wood, Flexible Printing Plate, Speedy-Carve™, Speedy-Cut™ and Polyprint. All Speedball inks are AP Non-Toxic and are excellent for use in the studio, school or home. Speedball also carries Oil-Based Block Printing Inks available in 10 brilliant colors in 37cc tubes or 7 colors available in 75cc tubes. Suitable for printing on papers and fabrics, they are non-darkening, waterproof and permanent.

A special thanks to Speedball Art Products and  Gelli Arts for supplying the Design Team with Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plates and Speedball Block Printing Paints.

We love gelatin printing and we've developed a better way to do it!

Our Gel Printing Plate looks and feels like gelatin, but is durable, reusable and stores at room temperature. It's easy to clean and always ready for printing. Monoprinting on a Gelli plate is simple and fun. The gratification is immediate, and the prints are too cool!

September Challenge - Sketch Plus Mixed Media!

Hello everyone, Debbie here with you today hosting the Berry71Bleu September Challenge!
It's so hard to believe that the months of Summer have come and gone and Autumn will make it's appearance this month. I love Autumn.  It's my favorite time of the year. 

For the September challenge I created this sketch and also ask that you incorporate some mixed media into your project, such as gesso, modeling paste, mists or inks.  Can't wait to see what you create!

Here is my layout based on the sketch.  I used papers from Maja Design's Walking In The Forest Collection along with a beautiful photo of my grandmother.

Tucked under my flower cluster is some chipboard by Scrapiniec and beneath the cluster I used the new Prima Lace Doily #1 designed by Finnabair and some modeling paste.
  I love this new stencil!

I incorporated a lot of stamping on my layout using some Kaisercraft stamps and inks.

Here you can see the Scrapiniece chipboard along with a vintage bottlecap from Zeus and Zoe etsy shop and some more stamping.

Our main sponsor this month is Maja Design.

Maja Design Corp is based in Uddevalla, Sweden. We are dedicated to create unique and high quality vintage inspired patterned paper for scrapbooking and crafts. Maja Design was founded in November 2007, and since then, have grown to supply over 70 retailers in Sweden and 90 all over the world. Founder Marie Jansson says: "In the fall of 2004, a dear friend asked me to join her to a scrapbooking course. From that moment, I became totally amazed and thrilled by all the beautiful papers and decorations in the art of scrapbooking. After some time as a captivated scrapper, I got curious to create my own patterns. I have always had a devotion for colour and form. I had access to great printing facility, as I worked at a printers office. Since 2007, I have been blessed to be able to work with my great passion - to design and create coloured coordinated paper."

Please visit us at www.majadesign.nu

Maja Design provided each member of our DT with their Walking In The Forest Collection to work with this month.  We also have one extra collection for the winner of our September Challenge.

MAIN PRIZE:

RANDOM PRIZE:

The Porkchop Show

A fine Etsy emporium selling unique laser cut wooden craft pieces.

Your crafting dreams can come true with these wood art parts!

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/porkchopshow

Please note that if the winner(s) of this challenge are international they will be responsible for shipping costs. Pleae check out our Challenge Rules page here.

A special thanks to Scrapiniec Die-Cut Chipboard for sponsoring the Berry71Bleu Design Team this month with their chipboard.

Scrapiniec Die-Cut Chipboard

Blog: http://scrapiniec-inspiracje.blogspot.com/

Scrapiniec is the first Polish manufacturer of laser die-cut chipboard products for use in scrapbooking. They satisfy even the most unusual individual orders and are characterized by reliability, high quality and friendly customer service.

So there you have it.  A great sketch to get you motivated along with some wonderful prizes to be won!  Can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by!
. . . Debbie

A Mixed Media Canvas By Debbie

Hi, Debbie here with you today to share my project for Norma's August Challenge "Get Creative With Textiles."   Instead of creating a layout I decided to create a mixed media canvas.

I worked with papers from the DT sponsors Inkido, chipboard by Scrapiniec, 

along with various colors of gelatos by Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft.

I worked with a Prima mask and applied some modeling paste.  Once it was dry, I added some
Faber-Castell Design Memory Crafts gelatos in Guava, Chocolate, Butter Cream and Metallic Blueberry. Tucked underneath the right hand side of the picture is some lace which I colored with a mixture of Metallic Blueberry and Earl Grey gelatos.  After applying the gelatos I blended the colors with a sponge.

Here I painted a metal heart with some Faber-Castell Design Memory Crafts Gesso and then applied some Chocolate gelatos.  I also dabbed some of the chocolate gelatos on my flowers.

Here I added some tulle and strands of brown burlap.

I colored two pieces of Scrapiniec chipboard with gelatos.  One in chocolate and the other one a mixture of Metallic Blueberry and Earl Grey.

Our sponsor for this month's challenge is

Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft

Blog:  http://designmemorycraft.typepad.com/design-memory-craft/

Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft is a leading manufacturer specializing in high quality art supplies including pens, color pencils and watercolor pencils for art, crafts, scrapbooking and papercrafting.

Working with the MIX & MATCH products from Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft makes designing with COLOR simple. Simply choose a color set that inspires you, choose a medium and Mix & Match as you create. The color coordinated palettes give you the freedom to design your project knowing the colors will work beautifully together. Perfect for all your design, memory and craft projects!

Sign up for the Faber-Castell Newsletter to be the first to know about new products, giveaways and events!

  
Main Prize
 

Random Prize
 

 A special thanks to Scrapiniec Die-Cut Chipboard for sponsoring the Berry71Bleu Design Team, who will be sharing projects with their chipboard for the next several months.
 

Scrapiniec is the first Polish manufacturer of laser die-cut chipboard products for use in scrapbooking. They satisfy even the most unusual individual orders and are characterized by reliability, high quality and friendly customer service.

Our design team members received Inkido's Beautiful Memories Collection.

 

Papercraft Scandinavia designs high quality stamps, patterned paper, lace, flowers and much more in a romantic vintage style for scrapbooking, cardmaking and other crafts.

http://www.papercraftscandinavia.com/

http://www.inkido.blogspot.com/

Please read the Challenge Rules before linking up your project as they have recently changed!

There is plenty of time for you to join our challenge.  

Happy creating!

. . . Debbie

A Beautiful Summer Day - by Debbie

Hi everyone!  Debbie here with a new layout for this month's challenge at Berry71Bleu - "Anything Goes"!!!

  Yes, you read it right, anything goes -  create whatever YOU want to in July and link your project up for your chance to win some fabulous prizes!

This month Berry71Bleu is also sponsoring CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration!   Our Design Team is  joining CSI as Guest Detectives for the entire month of July.  We'll be sharing our layouts here after they go live on the CSI site each week. Join us for any one of the weekly CSI Challenges for a chance to win a $35 Gift Certificate to the Zeus and Zoe Etsy Shop!

 

My page is based on Casefile #80 at CSI. I have used the colors from The Scene -

Canteloupe Orange, Chartreuse, Pale Pink, White & Taupe.  When looking through my paper stash I came across the Songbird collection by Prima, perfect for the CSI colors!

Our July DT sponsor and Main Prize sponsor is:

Heartfelt Creations with a $30.00 Gift Certificate

 

Heartfelt Creations
Blog: http://www.heartfeltcreations.us/blog.php

I used their Vintage Floret Frame set  (die and coordinating stamp) to create the background for my picture along with a corner chipboard piece by Scrapiniec, DT sponsor for the month of July.

Here I've added lots of flowers from my stash along with two chipboard pieces from Scrapiniec.  Had to sneak this for anyone wondering, yes that is me in the picture!

And here are a few more closeups of my layout:

For our July challenge we also a a random winner prize:

July Random Prize:

A one-of-a-kind Berry71Bleu Handmade Tag by Marivic Clifton

 

A special thanks to Scrapiniec Die-Cut Chipboard for sponsoring the Berry71Bleu Design Team, who will be sharing projects with their chipboard for the next several months.

Scrapiniec is the first Polish manufacturer of laser die-cut chipboard products for use in scrapbooking. They satisfy even the most unusual individual orders and are characterized by reliability, high quality and friendly customer service.

I hope I have inspired you with my layout!  You have until July 31 to create!  

Remember, "Anything Goes" . . . can't get any easier then that!

Please read the Challenge Rules before linking up your projects.

Enjoy The Little Things In Life by Debbie

Hi, Debbie here with you today to share with you my layout for our June Challenge: What is the thing you love to do most in the Summer?  I spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying the sunshine.  You can find me working in my flower gardens, or sitting out on my deck with a cool refreshing drink and a good book to read.  My favorite author is Fern Michaels. 

Our Design Team sponsor for the month of June is 7 Dots Studio. 

We were lucky to be furnished with some collections to work with.  I used papers and tags from their Domestic Goddess, Hopefully and Love Is In The Air collections.

Our prize sponsor this month is Jacquard. 

 

I was furnished a couple of colors of their PearlEx Power Pigments to work with and used them on the chipboard and lace on my layout.

I first covered my chipboard with some bronze ink.  Then I applied some distress crackle paint and PearlEx Green-Purple and Violet-Brass.  Once dried, I repeated the process.  I also randomly inked the lace below my picture and added some of the PearlEx colors.

A few closeups:

There is plenty of time for you to join our challenge.  

Please check out all of the details and prize information here.

Happy creating!

. . . Debbie

Fifty by Debbie

Hi everyone, Debbie here with you today to share my May project with you.  This month Berry71bleu is collaborating with Once Upon A Sketch.

To enter this month's challenge you must use the sketch provided by OUAS & incorporate numbers anywhere on your project.  In addition, you'll need to use chipboard on your projects which is Berry71Bleu's part of the challenge and then enter your project on our sidebar.
Here's my take on the challenge...

This month we worked with papers from our main sponsor, Lucky 7 Factory's Technology Collection and chipboard from Scrap FX. 

To create my colorful background I misted using several colors, did a little stamping and inking.

I worked with thee different chipboards from Scrap FX.  Here I used the word Fifty and sprayed it with some Heidi Swapp Iridescent Spritz in Black Velvet. 

 Here I used a blossom stem  and small butterfly circle  chipboard from Scrap FX which I sprayed with some Heidi Swapp Black Velvet Iridescent Sprtiz and then embellished with some stickles.

 A beautiful cluster of gorgeous flowers, a little stamping and some tulle.

Here is the lovely sketch I worked with from Once Upon A Sketch:

We have lots of prizes for this month's challenge and there is 

still plenty of time for you to join us!

Main prize for May:

Lucky7 Factory
 

The Lucky7 Factory is a young company in Quebec, Canada. It all started around a table practicing our favorite hobby, scrapbooking. Our friendship circle then added another string to its bow; by becoming business women.

For 3 years now, we offer collections that include double-sided papers and handmade ornaments. We are now in our seventh collection (Technology). With the latter, we offer handmade flowers, buttons and alphabets stickers. Together, they are perfectly coordinated.

Our goal is to create a quality product while respecting our beautiful planet. That is why our paper is 100% recyclable. It is thick enough to make cards and is the perfect support for mix-media techniques. It is quite versatile. The handmade ornaments are made with lots of love and care. To ensure customer satisfaction, we try to surpass ourselves with each new collection.

In addition, via our blog, we love sharing tips and tricks to create while recycling everyday objects. Twice per month, we create challenges that help motivate or get you out of your comfort zone.  It is also a great way to get to know each member of our Design Team (DT) and follow the evolution of the company.

Through this adventure, we love talking to our customers and share our passion with them.  These moments are always filled with small joys and madness. This represents us very well!

Come discover us by visiting our blog, our Facebook page and Pinterest.

Blog: http://thelucky7factory.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Seven-Factory/104851736221583
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/frarin/lucky-7-factory-scrapbooking/

First Prize winner will receive these new collections from Lucky 7 Factory

Second Place Prize:

Rapakivi

Rapakivi is young Polish company that designs original scrapbooking papers. We love our work which is also our hobby and we want to share our passion with other scrapbookers. Our papers are always full of colours and beautifull patterns. For our designs we use only acid & lignin free, thick (250 gsm) paper with FSC certification. In our plans we have also other product dedicated to paper crafters. 

Second place winner will get Just a Note collection from Rapakivi.

 The owners of Rapakivi were so nice to get you two sets of it!

Just A Note Collection

and a collection from

Sweet Melody Collection

6 double sided papers

Third Place:

 3rd place winner will get a collection from Rapakivi BE OPTIMISTIC. 

The owners of Rapakivi were so nice to get you two sets of it!

 

Random prizes:

ScrapFX

and

Studio75

We are a polish producer of scrapbooking papers and other craft embellishments.

Special Moments collection:

You can until midnight, May 31st to join our challenge.

I hope I have inspired you to create and join us this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

. . . Debbie