Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Friday Sketch

Who doesn't love a good sketch? It helps to take the guesswork out of the page and/or card design, but still allows you to put your own spin on things just be turning the sketch or altering it here and there. Twice a month, we'll be bringing you a new sketch, and showing you a few takes on the sketch by our designers. Today, we have our first sketch for December, courtesy of Becky Fleck.

"Christmas Boy", by Laura Vegas.

I loved working with this sketch. I stayed pretty true to the sketch, but I did use a mix of 6 different sized photos and patterned paper pieces instead of using the 6 square elements that are shown on the sketch. I trimmed down two of the 3x4" cards from the Daily Details patterned paper (the "December 25" and the "Oh Christmas Tree" pieces) to fit the space better.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Daily Details, Borders, Alpha+Bits; Winter Wonder: Toasty; Family Dynamix: Quadrants; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pickle Juice; Button Market: Snowflakes

"Snow Globe", by Leanne Allinson.

This sketch was such a fun starting point for creating my layout and I didn't need to change it very much at all. To downsize the sketch to suit my 8.5" x 11" layout style, I minimized the number of elements placed on the right side of the photo. I then used this opportunity to create layers and dimension on top of the square elements. I also love the little details that can already be found in the Alpha+Bits negative spaces. The stars reminded me of the little bits that float about inside snow globes when you shake them. Adding details to the circle punched paper pieces, also reminded me of these shaken features inside "round" snow globes.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Christmas, Borders, City Sidewalks, O Tannembaum, Christmas Cuties, Paper Pieces, Alpha+Bits, Tabs; Daily Chevies: Chevy Bell Pepper; Button Market: Blues

“Cute Little Elf”, by Kelly Holbrook.

I stayed pretty close to the sketch, but eliminated two of the squares to better fit my 8.5x11 layout. Working with a smaller size canvas, I rarely include more than two photos on a page. However, I was able to include three on this page by substituting small photos for the rectangle shapes on 2 of the squares. And of course there's always plenty of cute embellishment options to dress up the remaining 2 squares.

Supplies:
Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Scallop; Christmas Countdown: Believe, Daily Details, Borders, O Tannenbaum, City Sidewalks, Captions; Playdate: Alpha+Bits; Trick or Treat: Alpha+Bits; Flags: Patriotic, Sunshine & Happiness; Crochet Hearts: Saltwater; Designer Tape: Pickle Juice Stripe; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pickle Juice; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red

Pinterest Inspired

It's always been fun to browse thru Pinterest, looking at the endless ideas and inspirational images that are out there. Our designers always enjoy taking whatever image we provide them, and using it in whatever way inspires them the most as they work on their projects. It's amazing to see how many different ideas and designs can be inspired by just one image.

{Image Credit: Saras Party Perfect}

“Merry” card, by Diana Fisher.

I was inspired by the stars in the image to make a star-filled ornament. I love the look of the "Christmas" paper peeking out from behind the little stars. A simple, but sparkly, sentiment leaves the focus on the star ornament.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Christmas, Borders

“Merry, Merry, Merry” card, by Diana Fisher.

I used the Cameo to make a pattern of stars hanging on a garland using dashed lines. The pattern paper peeks out from behind the star cutouts, except for 3 red stars that are popped up off the front of the card. A sentiment added to the top finishes it off.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Believe, City Sidewalks, Christmas Cuties, Captions 

“December 25”, by Stephanie Buice.

I was so excited when I saw our inspiration picture, the stars all sewn together really caught my eye and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This layout did involve some trial and error for me though, at first I had the stars going all the way up to the top of the page but once I started piling on my pictures and embellishments it just got too busy. The inspiration picture gave me an airy feeling and it was just too bulky at the top for the look I wanted. When I cut down the amount of stars I also decided that my layout needed more color so I inserted some green patterned paper in some of the star centers, I like how it turned out. The star picture was so inspiring to me, I think I may find myself using it again sometime soon.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Alpha+Bits, Paper Pieces, Christmas, Tannerbaum, Captions

“Super Star”, by Jodi Wilton.

I loved all the neutral colors in the Pinterest challenge, and wanted to do use a tone on tone with stars. I decided to go with white and created my own neutral background by punched out white stars, and adhering them on a white piece of cardstock. I also added some machine stitching down the center of each star column, to add extra interest, and to bring out more of the linear pattern from the Pinterest photo. I then created the layout based on the colors of my photo, drawing on several collections to complete the layout! I absolutely love that all of the collections can work so well together!

Supplies:
Play Date: Catching Bugs, Daily Details, Park Play, Alpha+Bits, Tabs, Captions; Snapshots: Free Time, Alpha+Bits; Daily Chevies: We Are Family Bookplates; Birthday Boy: Alpha+Bits; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red, Blue; Crochet Hearts: McIntosh, White

November Bella Buzz Newsletter Giveaway WINNER

As usual, I'm a few days late announcing our winner for our newsletter giveaway. My appologies. In the November issue of our Bella Buzz newsletter we asked you to share Christmas themed layouts, using Bella's products, on our Facebook page. I'm going to expand this to include other Christmas themed projects, as we only had one share from a very devoted fan!

Congrats Julie!!! Email me at lauravegas.bellablvd@yahoo.com, with "NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER GIVEAWAY WINNER" in the subject line, and we will get your goodies on their way to you!

What's New Wednesday

Welcome to "What's New Wednesday"! Every Wednesday, our designers will be sharing projects using the latest and greatest products from Bella Blvd. Especially our newest collections, which our designers are having so much fun creating with!

“Merry, Merry, Merry” card, by Ashley Marcu.

Christmas Countdown is such a fun and inspiring collection. I used the bright colors, fun stickers and paper pieces to create a very merry greeting!

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Tree Park, Paper Pieces, Captions

“Joy Hope & Peace” card, by Ashley Marcu.

Subway art is such a fun trend! I cut this cheerful journaling card from Daily Details Christmas Countdown. It makes the perfect centerpiece for this Christmas card. By adding a few embellishments behind and in front of the subway art the card came to life and is full of fun!

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Daily Details, Captions, Paper Pieces; Daily Chevies: Chevy Bell Pepper; Designer Tape: Ice Stripe, Pickle Juice Stripe

“Sledding”, by Becki Adams.

Shaker boxes, transparencies, and sequins are everywhere in the scrapbooking world. They are so easy to create! I printed my journaling on the transparency and then made a large shaker box by sewing the transparency to the back of my layout. I finished my layout with my photos, title, and embellishments on the top of the transparency.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Tree Park, Alpha+Bits, Paper Pieces, Tabs, Captions; Button Market: Snowflakes; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red; Designer Tape: Pickle Juice Chevron

“Santa’s Elves”, by Patti Milazzo.

For my layout I decided to mix some of the Christmas Countdown embellishments with pattern paper from other collections that color coordinated with this holiday line. I used the Christmas Countdown Cardstock Stickers and Paper Pieces Die Cut Shapes to create layered clusters at the opposing corners and mixed chipboard and sticker alphas for my title. A pocket tucked just under the photos contains my journaling.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Captions, Tabs, Paper Pieces; Play Date: Chasing Rainbows, Daily Details, Captions, Alpha+Bits; Snapshots: Borders, Daily Details; Daily Chevies: Chevy Pickle Juice; Kiss Me: Alpha+Bits; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Scallop; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pony; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red, Black-White, Piggy Punch; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars & Hearts; Crochet Flowers/Hearts: Cotton Candy

Project Life: Bella Style + A Video

Project Life is everywhere these days, in many shapes and forms. Whether you create full Project Life albums, a few Project Life inspired layouts/spreads here and there, or even simply working Project Life style products (such as Bella's new Daily Details papers) onto your everyday layouts, there are so many ways to incorporate this popular style into your designs. We are asking our designers to be inspired by Project Life, and show us how they work that inspiration onto their own pages.

Project Life: Weeks 13 & 14, by Wendy Antenucchi.

I started Project Life the beginning of August when our 6th child was born. I no longer had the time to keep a baby book and so it seemed like the perfect time and way to document our little boys first year of life. I knew going into this project that I wouldn't be able to keep up if I made 2 page spreads or decorated every little piece that went in this album, so I found a way that works for me and allows me to stay up to date.  

I print out pictures for 2 weeks at a time, grabbing only the highlights and a picture of our newest to document his growth. I then choose a color scheme to use on the spread - you can see in my week 13 I stuck with oranges and with week 14 I used green and navy blue. I choose my cards then for the few empty spots - I always keep one title block and at least one place to record the highlights of our week.  

My next step is to add stickers; the new sticker sheets by Bella are perfect for this because of all the cute sayings and they are small enough to not overpower my pictures. I add journaling and then I add a few other embellishments (wood veneers, stamps, paper clips). For me to be able to continue this project and still enjoy the process I have to make this manageable and by following these steps and not requiring multiple pages I have found that I do enjoy doing Project Life, who would have ever thought!

Supplies:
Trick or Treat: Daily Details, Alpha+Bits, Captions; Snapshots: Borders, Paper Pieces, Alpha+Bits, Captions, Everyday Bookplates; Daily Chevies: Chevy Carrot, Family Bookplates, Arrows Black & White; Play Date: Daily Details, Tabs; Baby Boy: Chipboard Icons; High Five Alpha Stickers: Black & White, Green; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars & Hearts

Project Life spread, by Jennifer Chapin.

Today I wanted to try something different and show you a video of how I put my spread together. Instead of talking, I set it to music and added a few captions along the way. Hope you enjoy!

 

Supplies:
Snapshots: Family Chaos, Borders, Daily Details, Captions, Tabs, Bookplates, Paper Pieces; Daily Chevies: Chevy Gulf, Everyday Bookplates, Black & White Arrow; Trick or Treat: Leaf Storm; Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Christmas, Christmas Cuties, Paper Pieces, Alpha+Bits; Winter Wonder: Alpha+Bits, Miniatures; Sophisticates: Calendars; High Five Alpha Stickers: Blue; Designer Tape: 12mm Combo

Monday Morning Challenge: Quote Inspired

Welcome to Monday Morning Challenge, where we offer up a challenge, and share with you our designers take on that challenge. Today we asked our designers to use the following quote to inspire the title of your page/card – “Don’t be afraid; Just believe” Mark 5:36.

{Photo credit: Health Heaven Tumbler}

"Believe" by Jamie Harder.

I was inspired by this quote and pulled the word "believe" from it for the theme of my page. I love this magical time of year and really enjoy seeing it through the eyes of my children. On this page I included a note I found that my youngest wrote for Santa Claus … so sweet! I just love the bright colors in this collection and found myself drawn to all the heart and star elements!

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Daily Details, Captions, Paper Pieces; Designer Tape: Gray Chevron, Cotton Candy Chevron, Pickle Juice Chevron; Button Market: Text

“Believe”, by Kay Rogers.

I scrapped our Christmas Card from last year using the Christmas Countdown Collection. Every year I send a Christmas card with a photo of my girls. And every year I make a page with the card so I remember it! I loved the red with blue combo, and accented a bit with white. It was a super simple page, but now I can remember my card for years to come!

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Paper Pieces, Captions, Alpha+Bits, Borders, City Sidewalk, Christmas Cuties

“Believe” card, by Kathy Martin.

During the holidays with to-do lists miles long and many cards to mail, I kept this design clean and simple to show that handmade greetings need not take a lot of your time. With just a couple of the new Paper Pieces, a button, a couple dies and two tiny jingle bells this card was quick assemble! Now I have time to spare to put my feet up and sip some cocoa!

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Paper Pieces; Button Market: Red Flowers

“Elf Magic” card, by Kathy Martin.

Do you believe? Believe in magic, in Christmas or in Santa and his elves and eight tiny reindeer? ‘Tis the season for believing, for creating, for having fun and eating a stocking full of sweets! I put this card together in no time with just a couple papers and accents from the Christmas Countdown collection and some of Bella’s beautiful buttons.

Supplies:
Christmas Countdown: Oh Tannenbaum, Captions, Paper Pieces; Button Market: Orange Stars, Merlot Flowers, Outdoors