Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Bella Blvd & Hampton Art Blog Hop: Day One

For the next four days, Bella Blvd is teaming up with Hampton Art Stamps to provide you with some stamping inspiration. Our newest cling stamps (Love and Marriage, Sand & Surf, and Kiss Me) are licensed and manufactured thru Hampton Art Stamps. We thought it was only fitting for a handful of our designers to team up with a handful of their designers, and see what they could all create using Bella’s products and the Bella/Hampton Art stamps.

“Best Wishes” card, by Laurie Schmidlin.

One of my favorite stamping techniques is paper piecing (stamping onto patterned paper and cutting it out). For my card, I stamped the heart (from the Love And Marriage Cling Stamp set) onto five different Love And Marriage patterned papers, cut them out, and then stitched them all together. I added a sticker border, Ciao Chip piece, Button Market button, and a stamped sentiment to complete the card.

Supplies:
Love And Marriage: Cute Cuts, May Eighteenth, Borders, Cake Tasting, Esther Fleming Floral, Ciao Chip Wedding Icons, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Button Market: Pink Flowers; Hampton Art Stamps: Love and Marriage

“Congratulations” card, by Carina Lindholm.

When I usually make cards I use lots and lots of colors on them, so I thought it would be fun to do the opposite for once. I stamped all the wedding images in black ink on grey heart paper. I cut out all the images and adhered them all to the white card base using pop dots. And to give my card that little bit extra and a splash of color, I adhered a teal button among the stamped images.

Supplies:
Buttons Market: Gulf Squares; Hampton Art Stamps: Love and Marriage

“Congratulations” card, by Sheri Feypel.

My inspiration for this card was the Wedding dress stamp. I knew that I wanted it to hang on a metal hanger on the front of my card. I stamped the dress twice, once on He Proposed and once on Esther Fleming Floral. I used the second stamped image for accents on the first stamped image, cutting out the scalloped waist and flower. I added a little dimension to the flower with a foam adhesive dot and topped it off with a pearl accent. I added another stamped image, the Diamond ring and attached it with Ivory twine to let it float on the front of the card. I also stamped my sentiment along the bottom of the card directly onto the floral print with a black ink. I love all of the layers on this card!

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Cute Cuts, Cake Testing, Esther Fleming Floral; Engaged At Last: He Proposed; Hampton Art Stamps: Love and Marriage 

 

Altered Gift Bag/Tag, by Sheri Feypel.

I love to personalize gifts, something as simple as adding a scrappy touch to the packaging. It just makes it a bit more personable and thoughtful. I altered a plain white gift bag with papers from the Love and Marriage collection. I cut out the flowers from the Cute Cuts and arranged them with dimension on the front of the bag. I then cut out a small tag and stamped it with stamps from the Love and Marriage Cling Stamps, which stamp wonderfully might I add! I also stamped and cut out the diamond ring and attached it with some Ivory twine so that it appead to be dangling (I used a small foam dot behind it to keep it from being damaged in transit). I love the little extra that the stamps add to my projects and this collection.

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Vows, Cake Tasting, Turner Hall Ballroom, Esther Fleming Floral, Borders, Cute Cuts; Hampton Art Stamps: Love and Marriage 

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We are doing a giveaway this week, and I think we'll start the week off with it! We will be giving away the Love and Marriage Collection Kit, along with coordinating chipboard and embellishments, to one lucky reader! We will randomly draw a winner from all four posts this week, which means you can comment each day to improve your chances. A winner will be announced on Saturday. 

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Now head on over to Hampton Art Stamps to see what their designers have created today, and also be sure to visit their Facebook page as well. They also have a giveaway happening this week, so be sure to visit each day this week.

May Guest Designer: Roree Rumph

We are so excited to introduce our May Guest Designer to you today. Roree Rumph is an extremely talented designer in the industry, and we knew she would come up with some gorgeous projects using our Kiss Me collection and our Love and Marriage collection. 

Hi, everyone! Let me just start off by saying that I am so excited to be guesting on the Bella Blvd blog this month! Here is a little bit about me:

I live in Daphne, Alabama with my husband David, our two daughters Grace and Harper, our dogs Hank and Phoenix, and our cat Ninja. I started paper crafting in 2005, when I decided to make my daughter's 5th birthday invitations instead of buying them, and my love for this hobby took off like a rocket from there.

Most people know me as a card maker, but every once and a while I do a little altering or put together a page or two. I consider my style clean & cutesy (which seems to work so well with Bella Blvd products!) I love adding lots of little details and some form of hand or machine stitching to most of my projects. (I actually learned to sew because of paper crafting!)

I have been pretty blessed with this hobby. I have worked for a handful of manufacturers and had my work featured in a number of publications. It has ultimately led to a new career with Northridge Publishing. I am the editor of Cricut Magazine^® and Cricut Magazine^® Idea Books. (So to all of you Cricut crafters—submit, submit, submit! ;) )

I received the super-cute Kiss Me and Love and Marriage collections, along with some Freestyle Sophisticates products, and got right to work!

"Love This Girl" by Roree Rumph.

Since I am not much of a scrapbooker, I tackled the layout first. I absolutely fell in love with the B side of Bouquet Kisses from the Kiss Me collection, so I used it for the background of my layout about my daughter, Harper. I then added paper strips from Borders & Cute Cuts, mixed and matched chipboard and cardstock letter stickers for my title, and added a few extra details with hand-cut flowers, cardstock stickers, some white twill ribbon, and a couple of jewels, brads, and a button. I am just crazy about the color combo of this collection!

"I Love You" by Roree Rumph.

Again, I used the Border & Cute Cuts strips from the Kiss Me collection for the background of my card, along with a strip of green Chevron Tape. I added a a cardstock label and letter stickers for the sentiment, along with a brad, jewel, and pink baker's twine to finish. The images in this collection are so fun and playful, and I absolutely love them!

"Hello Beautiful" by Roree Rumph.

For this card, I used the Love and Marriage collection. The colors in this collection are so soft and pretty. I used the B side of the Turner Hall Ballroom paper for the background and layered cardstock stickers and a strip from the Borders paper on the center of the card. I was dying to create a flower using the Crochet Hearts, so I did that and finished it by layering a flower cut from the Cute Cuts paper, a button and jewel, and some strips of ribbon for the leaves. Aren't those Crochet Hearts the cutest?!

"Bride & Groom" by Roree Rumph.

For this card, I got out my Cricut Expression^® machine and Sweethearts cartridge to create this cute little car and couple silhouette with the Love and Marriage collection. I used the B sides of the Cute Cuts and Borders papers for the car. And instead of cutting out the bumper, I used a cardstock sticker from the Alpha+Bits sheet. I took the pin off "Bride&Groom" flag to use it as the license plate on the car, and added the "Love" pennant stickers from the Alpha+Bits sheet in place of the cans. I placed it over a May Eighteenth paper panel, doubled up strips of green Chevron Tape, and a scalloped cardstock border sticker. I think this would be such a cute card for any couple getting married!

"Flower Jar Favor" by Roree Rumph.

I have been totally obsessed with jelly jars lately. So for my last project, I decided to create a cute little favor with the Love and Marriage and Freestyle Sophisticates collections. I found this cute little wide-mouth jelly jar at my local home improvement store. I used my Cricut Expression^® 2 and Sweet Treats cartridge to create a layered flower for the top of the jar. I added a cardstock sticker and button to the center and two green Crochet Hearts underneath the flower to finish. I then hand cut a tag from the Smokeys In Love paper, added initials in the heart, and tied the tag to the jar with some green ribbon. It would be perfect for a wedding favor or for any number of other special occasion (birthdays, picnics, etc.)

I hope you enjoyed the projects I shared with you today as much as I enjoyed creating them with these beautiful Bella Blvd products. Thanks so much to everyone at Bella Blvd for having me!

Bella Blvd + Silhouette + Chipboard

 

Silhouette's May Promotion went live today, and we are excited to help them spread the news, while sharing some new project inspiration along the way. One of the newest additions to the products you can use along with your Silhouette and Cameo digital die cut machines is chipboard!

“Welcome Baby Boy” mini album, by Laurie Schmidlin.

I was so thrilled when I first saw the Silhouette Chipboard! It's perfect for creating mini albums, embellishments for cards, home decor items, and even for fun packaging! For my first project, I created a little Baby mini album! I cut out album pages using my Silhouette Cameo and some Silhouette Chipboard. I then cut some Baby Boy pages using the same cut files. Both the front and back have different patterns (all from the Bella Baby Boy collection). I decorated the front of the Album using some coordinating Baby Boy Ciao Chip pieces, Alpha+Bits Stickers, a couple of Saltwater Feathers, and a Star Button.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Momma's Boy, Borders, Baby Boy, It's a Boy!, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Feathers: Saltwater; Button market: Stars

Blooming Thanks Gift Basket, by Laurie Schmidlin.

One of the projects that I couldn't wait to create using the Silhouette Chipboard was a gift container! The heavier weight lends itself nicely to holding heavier gifts! I started by cutting out the Fruit Basket shape using my Cameo, assembling it, and then adding some white wash paint over it. I decorated it with a strip of Bella patterned paper, Ciao Chip, and a Button Market button!

Supplies:
Birthday Girl: Miles of Smiles; Sophisticates: Sprinkles & Lace Punch, Ciao Chip Icons, Miniature Card Sentiments; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers

“Super Great Friend” card, by Laurie Schmidlin.

I love adding both dimension and texture to my cards, so the idea of being able to create my own custom chipboard pieces really appealed to me! I used my Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Chipboard, and various Bella patterned papers to cut out the tree and heart shapes for my card. For embellishments, I added a Miniature Card Sentiment and two Button Market buttons!

Supplies:
Birthday Girl: Miles of Smiles, Party Dress; Sophisticates: Sprinkles & Lace Ice, Sprinkles & Lace Punch, Miniatures Card Sentiments; Love And Marriage: Smokeys in Love; Button Market: Pink Flowers

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Silhouette makes some amazing products, and scrappers everywhere are addicted to these machines. If you've been thinking about purchasing either the Silhouette Portrait or the Silhouette CAMEO, now is a great time to make it happen. You can find these great chipboard promotions HERE, with prices lasting until May 15th.

Bella Blvd Fabric Style: A Table Runner Tutorial

Riley Blake Designs markets our fabrics under Stephanie Hunt as the designer. When purchasing or searching the Riley Blake website it's actually easier & more efficient to find the Bella Blvd fabrics under "Stephanie Hunt" as the artist.

Spring Table Runner, design by Kathy Frye.

Completed size: 15.5” x 43.5”
Featuring a combination of fabrics from the Sunny Happy Skies and Puppy Parks collections by Bella Blvd

Supplies and Cutting Directions
Please read all directions first.  All seams are 1/4" 

3/8 yd - Green (SHS) tone on tone floral – cut (3) pieces 12.5” squares

3/4 yd – Aqua, Green, Black (PP) stripe  - cut (3) pieces 2.5” x width of fabric (borders), cut (1) piece 16” x width of fabric (back), and cut (6) squares 2.5” (pieced sashing)

1/4 yd – Green Grid (PP) – appliquéd leaves and cut (6) squares 2.5” (pieced sashing)

1/3 yd – Aqua Lace (SHS) - appliquéd flowers and cut (6) squares 2.5” (pieced sashing)

1/4 yd – Yellow Grid (PP) – appliquéd flower centers and cut (6) pieces 2.5” (pieced sashing)

3/8 yd - Tan Burlap – cut (3) squares 11” (pull a burlap thread both directions in a corner, then cut in the ‘gap” between the threads. Repeat to get the gap in the opposite corner, measuring 11” over. Pull a thread 11” down from the first mark, to get an 11” sq.)

15.” x 43”   Fusible Fleece

1 yd - Fusible Product for appliqué

Threads to match fabrics for appliqué

Tear away stabilizer for behind appliqué

Piecing and Appliqué Directions

Trace the flower 3 times onto the paper side of the fusible product. Cut around the flowers (not on the traced line, cut a little bigger), fuse the shape to the back of the Aqua Lace fabric (follow the manufacturer’s directions). Now cut the flowers out on the traced line. 

Trace the flower center 3 times, fuse to the back of the Yellow Grid fabric, cut out.

Trace the leaves, 2 or 3 of each leaf, fuse to the back of the Green Grid fabric, and cut them out.

Fringe the burlap squares, about 3/4 inch on each side.

Layer burlap square on a Green 12.5” square, centering the burlap. Pin. Using matching thread, do a regular zig-zag stitch around the burlap square, stitching at the start of the fringe. This will secure the burlap to the fabric, and also prevent more fringing. Repeat for other 2 squares.

Center and fuse the flowers and leaves on the burlap, be sure to tuck the rounded leaf ends under the flowers. Center the flower center and fuse.

Pin a square of stabilizer behind the green fabric before appliquéing. To appliqué, use a satin stitch (very close zip-zag) and match your thread color to the appliqué pieces. Secure your stitches at the beginning and end. Or use the appliqué method of your choice. The pieces do not have to be reversed. Appliqué the leaves first.

When appliquéing the flower petals, stitch over the leave stitching ends, securing them again.

Appliqué the flower centers last, stitch over the ends of the flower petal stitching, securing them also. Remove the stabilizer.

{back view of the block after the appliqué is finished}

Piece a variety of the 2.5” squares together to make a sashing piece – 2.5” wide x 12.5” long. Make 2 of these sashing pieces. Press the seam allowances all the same direction.

Sew a pieced sashing strip to a flower block, (right sides together), press the seam allowance away from the sashing strip. Repeat, so that the 2 sashing strips are in between the 3 flower blocks.

Measure the length of the table runner, using that measurement, cut 2 of the border strips to that measurement. Sew the 2 long border pieces to the center of the table runner. Press seams towards the borders. Now measure the width of the table runner, cut the 2 short borders to that measurement. Sew the 2 short borders and press seams. Press the table runner.

Finishing

The backing fabric piece will be a little short, so add another piece of leftover fabric to the end, making it the same size as the finished front.

Fuse the Fusible Fleece piece to the wrong side of the backing fabric (follow the manufactures directions). It should be just a tiny bit smaller than the back, to reduce the bulk in the seams.

Layer the table runner front with the back /fusible fleece piece – right sides together. Pin the sides. Sew around all 4 sides, leave a 6” opening on a short side for turning. Trim the corners. Turn the table runner right side out. Press the edges. Hand sew the opening closed. Quilt as desired!

You can download and print full instructions, supply list, and flower pattern for this fun project right HERE.  

Riley Blake Designs Introduces Too Cute To Spook

introduces

Too Cute to Spook from Bella Blvd and Stephanie Hunt was inspired by the hugely popular paper and sticker scrapbooking collection. The Riley Blake team knew it would be a hit and so the fabric adaptation quickly began! Stephanie's favorite print in the collection HAS TO BE the little Trick or Treaters, "Spook." She is also a sucker for polka dots & loves the black based dot with the pop of colors!

The fabrics will begin shipping to quilting retailers near the end of April.

Halloween Pillows, by Tiffany Hood.

Too Cute To Spook is one of my all-time favorite Bella Blvd collections, and I was so excited when I heard it would be in FABRIC!!! Those adorable little monsters and spiders will be so fun to create more fun projects with this fall.

 

The owl was made with several cute prints in this collection. His eyes and tummy were blanket stitched, and his eyes and arms have Bella Blvd's cute Button Market Buttons. The pillow was made with the cute monster print, and finished with cording.

Supplies:
Riley Blake Too Cute To Spook cotton fabrics by Bella Blvd; Button Market: Plaid Buttons, Blues Buttons; Rope Cording; Fusible Fleece; Poly-Fil Stuffing; Wonder-Under; Owl Pattern: Curiosities & Mischief by Art to Heart; Lettering: Curiosities & Mischief by Art to Heart 

Bella Blvd & Petaloo Team Up Week: Day Five

Welcome back to the fifth and final day of our week long team up with Petaloo! We have a group of our Bella designers that have mixed Petaloo fun flowers, ribbons, and brads into our projects. And the Petaloo designers have been busy mixing Bella's collections and embellishments into their projects. We are wrapping up our project shares for the week, and today we are featuring projects by designers Jennifer Edwardson and Allyson Meinholz.

“Just Because” card, by Jennifer Edwardson.

I love using ribbon on a card and this (4) pack of ribbon from Petaloo was perfect to mix with this floral paper from the 'Sand and Surf' collection. I started my card by adhering the piece of patterned paper first. I added a strip of each of the 4 different ribbons next and then layered some of my favorite pink flowers in the corner. The glittery brads by Petaloo are so fun and looked great mixed in with some of their glittered flowers. I added a flower button with twine and a little sentiment to finish it off.

Supplies:
Sand and Surf: Flying High; Sophisticates: Miniatures Card Sentiment Stickers; Button Market: Pink Flowers

 

Altered Hoop Wall Hanging, by Jennifer Edwardson.

I have had several sizes of these fun cross stitch hoops hanging in my office for a while now and this was the perfect time to break one out and pretty it up! I love the quote from a sticker in the 'Sand and Surf' collection and decided to make that the starting point of this wall hanging.

 

First I chose the patterned paper and cut it to fit the inside wooden circle. I adhered it to the wood and once it was dry I fit the top circle on to pull it tight and create my base. I used (3) different alpha sets for the title and punched a few scallop circles to mix in with all the Petaloo flowers and gems. I love these paper flowers. Some are flat, some are embossed and the colors were so perfect to coordinate with the great Bella colors. I did LOTS of layering of flowers from different sets and the gems and mini flowers completed them beautifully. Such a great addition to my office/studio wall.

Supplies:
Sand and Surf: Paradise, Beach Balls, Just Write Journaling Stickers; High Five Alphabet Stickers: Pink-Red, Blue; Sienna Chipboard Alphabets: Pickle Juice; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphabets: Orange

"Candy Bar", by Jennifer Edwardson. 

It's funny that I am really not a very pink girl (I can almost hear Stephanie 'pink loving' Hunt gasping), and yet this layout is completely and totally pink everywhere you look. These photos are from a baby shower that I attended almost a year ago where I was so taken with this amazing candy bar. It was set up so beautifully in the dining room on a wall with a great floral painting as the backdrop. Mixing some Petaloo paper flowers, brads and ribbon into this layout coordinated with the color in the photos perfectly. I love the long 'notebook' style journal stickers that are included in each collection but the floral print on this one didn't match so I used this as a great place to adhere a few Petaloo flowers and added stickers from the miniatures raised in the center of each. I used more of the Petaloo ribbon to separate the photos and love how it pulled it all together. I added a few smaller flowers with the Petaloo pearl brads in the center onto the chip title, some designer tape along the top and bottom and chip borders too.

Supplies:
Engaged At Last: Bachelorette Party, Miniature Stickers; Sand & Surf: Miniatures Stickers; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle McIntosh; Sienna Chipboard Alphabets: Punch; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders; Kiss Me: Just Write Journaling Stickers; Baby Girl: Alpha+Bits Stickers; Designer Tape: Cotton Candy Chevron

Glassine Bags, by Jennifer Edwardson.

These glassine bags come in all sizes and are perfect for everything from gift cards to candy (they're food safe). But my favorite part about them is that you can emboss them. I ran it thru my Big Shot using a dotted embossing folder first. Then I adhered the yellow arrow sticker to the bottom portion of the bag and added a piece of a polka dot border sticker too. I folded a paper doilie over the top where the bag closed and adhered it in the center. The Petaloo paper flowers in this pack are awesome as they are all different shades of yellow mixed with white and polka dots too as well as being embossed so all the pieces worked so well together for my 'dot' theme. I added a white button and some twine on top of the flag stickers and then put '4 you' on the bottom to finish it off. Totally ready for the next time I have a little gift to give.

Supplies:
Sand and Surf: Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniatures Stickers; Button Market: Neutrals Mix

 

“Alice & The White Rabbit”, by Allyson Meinholz.

For this layout I used bit n pieces of All American, Hello Beautiful & Petaloo. The Petaloo flowers were perfect for all my girlies. These photos were taken in Disney when we met Alice in Wonderland & White Rabbit. I have always had a soft spot for Alice. Growing up I thought I was named after her because of Alice-In, I thought it was Allyson Wonderland. Sounds the same, right (from a 6 year olds point of view)? And Alivia Jo loves her bunnies. Any bunny will do! So this was one line I didn't mind waiting in. I highlighted White Rabbits shirt with a white Petaloo Flower and a red Crochet Heart and added Petaloo flowers around that main flower. I also added designer tape for the leaves for a pop of color. In the Hello Beautiful sticker, I had to put “I'm Late”, words of the White Rabbit. In the last week or so Alivia Jo has been watching the movie daily and running around the house with a watch saying it over and over and OVER! Her new obsession of the movie is what inspired me do this page.

Supplies: 
All American: American Pride, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Love And Marriage: Alpha+Bits Stickers; Hello Beautiful: Alpha+Bits Sticker; High Five Alpha Stickers: Red-Pink; Designer Tape: Pickle Juice

“Beautiful Girls”, by Allyson Meinholz.

My beautiful girls with Belle. I wanted to highlight all the yellow and pink from the photo. I pulled out every yellow and pink flower and embellishment and away I went. For this layout I decided to use Feathers and build my Petaloo flower cluster off of those.

Supplies:
Love And Marriage: Bridal Shower, Ester Fleming Floral, Borders; Sand & Surf: Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red; Feathers: Cotton Candy, Bell Pepper; Crochet Heart: Punch

“Communion”, by Allyson Meinholz.

For this layout I decided to use the Love and Marriage collection. I was going for a softer look for Amelia's First Holy Communion. The Petaloo flowers and embellishment brads were the perfect touch! I decided I wanted to use Petaloo embellishment brads & Petaloo flowers as my focus, so I traced a plate for my circle, added the rose brads first and then worked in the rest. Next to the photo I added multiple Petaloo flowers along with embellishment brads for the centers. I also added a piece of Petaloo ribbons as a border on the bottom.

Supplies:
Love & Marriage: Cake Tasting, Cute Cuts, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Piggy Punch; Crochet Heart: White; Crochet Flowers: Daisies; Blooms A Bella: Azzini

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And now it's time to announce our giveaway winner! The randomly chosen winner will receive the entire Love And Marriage collection.

Congratulations Kelly! Email me at lauravegas.bellablvd@yahoo.com with "LOVE AND MARRIAGE TEAM UP GIVEAWAY WINNER" in the subject line and we will get your prize on it's way to you!

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We want to say a special thank you to Petaloo blog, including all of the participating designers and the plethora of product that was sent our way from Petaloo. It's such a pleasure to work together in this industry to create excitement about one another's products.

Bella Blvd & Petaloo Team Up Week: Day Four

Welcome back to the fourth day of our week long team up with Petaloo! We have a group of our Bella designers that have mixed Petaloo fun flowers, ribbons, and brads into our projects. And the Petaloo designers have been busy mixing Bella's collections and embellishments into their projects. We have loads of projects to share with you and today we are featuring projects by designers Wendy Antenucci and Yohko Takiguchi.

Spring Wreath, by Wendy Antenucci.

I created the base for my wreath a few months ago. Wrapping yarn around the Styrofoam wreath can be very time consuming, but it makes a perfect project when you are riding in a vehicle for a long trip! I knew Bella had created feathers, so I set aside my wreath until all the gorgeous feathers arrived at my doorstep. With a little hot glue my wreath was perfect, but when I saw the flowers I decided to add a few touches to my wreath - wow, the combination of Petaloo flowers and Bella Blvd products really make something to be proud of!

Supplies:
Feathers: Cotton Candy, Carnation, Pickle Juice, Gulf; Ciao Chip Elements: Fun in the Sun

Flower Bouquet, by Wendy Antenucci.

I love hanging cones (mussy tussies) from my fireplace. I have one for Christmas, Valentine's and I decided to make one for Easter/Spring. As I began making my cone, I wasn't pleased with the basic design so instead I took a board which I painted green and laid my cone on it - I loved the effect! With a little hot glue, some grass from my craft store I had a wonderful spring/Easter decor piece. I couldn't help adding in a few of the little chicks, they make everything cuter!

 

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Esther Fleming Floral

Jewelry Box, by Wendy Antenucci.

I had seen this box at my local craft store and thought it would be perfect for my little niece. I painted the box white and covered it with the Sophisticate paper (oyster) and then it didn't progress, so I let it sit. When I saw the beautiful colors of the flowers, trims and brads I was inspired to finally finish my box. The feathers are such a great product to work with as they are light and airy yet make a perfect base for projects of any sort.

 

Supplies:
Sophisticates: Oyster; We're Expecting: Bella Baby Bump; Feathers: White, Oyster

"Spring" card, by Yohko Takiguchi.

Many beautiful flowers bloom in spring. I decided to create a spring card by using Spring Flings & Easter Things collection and blue flowers from Petaloo.

Supplies: 
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniatures, Freestyle Sophisticates: Cotton Candy

"First Day", by Yohko Takiguchi.

I have two sons and hadn't used many flowers on my projects. For this project, I chose photos of my son’s entrance ceremony because flowers match this theme. I cut out flowers from patterned paper and combined them with pink flowers from Petaloo to create a cluster.

Supplies: 
Love And Marriage: Smokeys in Love, May Eighteenth, Esther Fleming Floral, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Wedding Day Miniatures; Engaged At Last: Miniatures, Engagement Chipboard Icons; High Five Alpha Stickers: Gulf; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Frosting

"Fun Times", by Yohko Takiguchi.

I wanted to create a layout for photos of watching soccer. I decided to use Christmas Wishes collection though they were not photos of Christmas. For the accents, I added a red flower and two brads from Petaloo.

Supplies: 
Christmas Wishes: Candlelight, Christmas Love, Cute Cuts, Borders, Miniatures; Sophisticates: Oyster; Making the Team: Miniatures; Family Dynamix: Just Write Journaling Stickers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red, Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pickle Juice; Crochet Hearts: McIntosh

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Now, head on over to the Petaloo blog and check out what their Design Team has created using their embellishments and our fun Bella products! They will also be hosting giveaways that you won't want to miss out on. You can also follow them on the Petaloo Facebook page. Keep coming back to both blogs all week long, because we have a ton more projects to share with you.

Bella Blvd & Petaloo Team Up Week: Day Two

Welcome back to the second day of our week long team up with Petaloo! We have a group of our Bella designers that have mixed Petaloo fun flowers, ribbons, and brads into our projects. And the Petaloo designers have been busy mixing Bella's collections and embellishments into their projects. We have loads of projects to share with you and today we are featuring projects by designers Shellye McDaniel and Kathy Martin.

“Baby Love Congrats” card, by Shellye McDaniel.

A palette of baby boy pastels are the charm of this sweet little card. I paired up elements from the Baby Boy Collection which I found matched perfectly with the green in the Chartreuse Embossed Daisies. For the centers of the flowers, I used a 1/2" circle punch and then layered the pieces onto the flowers with a foam square. A large glittered brad sits at the top and brings a nice bit of shine.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniatures; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Banana; High Five Alpha Stickers: Blue

“I Love You” card, by Shellye McDaniel.

For this card I used a tone on tone combination which I separated with an edging of pink ric rac trim around the journal sticker. A cluster of chipboard hearts layered with Petaloo embellished crochet hearts sit below the speech bubble sticker. I cut apart one of the Green Assorted Daisies and fashioned them into leaves around the hearts. I love the addition of the rose brads at the center of each flower and they were so easy to insert through the crochet heart centers.

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: May Eighteenth, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Wedding Day Miniatures; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars & Hearts; Crochet Hearts: Cotton Candy

“Easter 2013”, by Shellye McDaniel.

Following an 8.5x11 sketch from Page Maps, I created this layout using several fun collections from Bella Blvd and a circle of Mini Florettes by Petaloo. After cutting a large scalloped circle, I added a border of the Mini Florettes along the edge. I staggered the blooms in color and also raised every-other-one with a foam square. A small ribbon bow made a delicate bridge between the two different areas of the page. To the center of the flower circle I was able to add a journal sticker to tell of the Easter Day.

Supplies:
Spring Fling & Easter Things: Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Gulf; Sunny Happy Skies: Magic In The Sky; Button Market: Checkers; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders

“Sand And Surf” mini album, by Shellye McDaniel.

It seemed that a flower shaped chipboard album was fitting for a Petaloo and Sand & Surf mini! For the cover page, I focused on layering as many of the flower varieties together to show how well they could mix 'n match; the colors blended beautifully with the Sand & Surf Collection. Throughout the pages blooms can be found either layered or clustered together. I love that the Florettes have jeweled centers ... just the right amount of bling! 

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Paradise, Surfs Up, Beach Balls, Under the Coconuts, GPS, Flying High, Cute Cuts, Borders Paper, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures, Chipboard Icons; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders, Clouds; Flags: Sand & Surf; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers

“Sunshine” card, by Kathy Martin.

For this card I combined Petaloo’s pretty flowers, brads and trim with Bella Blvd’s new Sand & Surf collection, a match made in paradise, don’t you think?

 

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Flying High, GPS, Paradise, Surfs Up, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures

 

“Sugar Cookies”, by Kathy Martin.

On Valentine’s Day I baked heart shaped sugar cookies for my boys. Christopher loved coming home from school to the sweet aroma and taste of fresh baked cookies. To preserve these memories I used Bella Blvd’s new Love and Marriage collection accented with these gorgeous paper flowers and brads from Petaloo.

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Cute Cuts, Esther Fleming Floral, Vows, Miniatures; Engaged at Last: Engagement Flags, Ciao Chip; High Five Alpha Stickers: Green; Designer Tape: Pony Dot; Crochet Hearts: Cotton Candy; Feathers: Pickle Juice; Sienna Chipboard Alphabet: Ice

Flower Trinket Box, by Kathy Martin.

I love pretty little boxes. They make the perfect place to tuck away tiny goodies like jewelry or mementos. The focal point of this project is the layered Petaloo flowers topped with a wood button from Bella Blvd’s Button Market collection. The sides of this balsa wood box were easily decorated with Bella’s Designer Tape.

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Flags; Designer Tape: Punch Chevron, 12mm Combo; Button Market: Masculine Mix

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Now, head on over to the Petaloo blog and check out what their Design Team has created using their embellishments and our fun Bella products! They will also be hosting giveaways that you won't want to miss out on. You can also follow them on the Petaloo Facebook page. Keep coming back to both blogs all week long, because we have a ton more projects to share with you. 

More All American Projects

We have a few more layouts to share with you today, featuring the new All American collection.

“Fire Cracker”, by Leanne Allinson.

My seven year old has a huge temper at the moment and he seems to explode with the slightest provocation. Namely his older brother! LOL! I wanted to use the firework elements in this collection, in a non traditional manner and document the frustration my boy feels when he can't express himself clearly. I've created the stars and pinwheels to add dimension and repeat the theme of fireworks.

Supplies:  
All American: Seeing Stars, American Pride, Borders & Cute Cuts, July Sky, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Ciao Chip Icons; High Five Alpha Stickers: Black-White, Yellow; Crochet Hearts: Gulf Hearts; Designer Tape: Red Chevron; Flags: All American

“Boom”, by Malika Kelly.

What a fun new line from Bella Blvd! All American is absolutely perfect for those 4th of July pictures. I wanted to create a layout with stars and stripes in a non traditional sort of way. I used my cameo to cut some stars down the left side of my paper and chose some fun patterns to show through. Then, using a paper piercer I pierced holes around each star so that I could hand stitch around them. My stripes are the diagonal cut, again from my cameo. I used this piece as a mat for my photos. I love that I could use the diagonal stripes to tuck in the corners of my photos and that mat was open enough to let some patterned papers show through. 

 

Supplies:
All American: Boom Boom Pow, Seeing Stars, American Pride, United We Stand, July Sky, Borders & Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Ice; Designer Tapes: Red Chevron, Navy Dot; Flags: All American Icons, All American Words

“Five Great Days In The USA”, by Jennifer Edwardson.

This was such a fun trip for me. I love spending time in the US and this was a special treat to get to spend time in Milwaukee for a good friends baby shower. I was there for 5 days and I am certain all we did was eat. We did make some time to scrapbook, shop, eat some more and of course have the baby shower! I was so excited for the All American collection as I have a TON of photos from this trip (and others) and this is perfect for them all. The colors are fantastic and they coordinate with so many of the other Bella pieces from Sophisticates and past collections too. So fun and easy to work with. 

Supplies:
All American: American Pride, Seeing Stars, Borders & Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Chip Icons; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red, Blue

 

All American Treat Containers, by Jennifer Edwardson.

These are quick and easy little containers to make so are perfect for celebrations like 4th of July parties. I made these ones a bit bigger than I usually would and cut them to 6 x 6". I sanded the edges and adhered each using quick dry glue into a 'roll' and let them dry. I pinched the bottom together and then the top the opposite direction to create to shape of the container. I used my paper crimper on the top and bottom of 2 and then used my border punch on the others.

Using stickers, cute cuts and a couple of word stamps, I decorated a tag for each and adhered them with twine. You can make these any size but make sure to start with a square and you can fill them with anything from candy to gift cards.

Supplies:
All American: Boom Boom Pow, American Pride, Cute Cuts, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers

Bella Blvd Fabric Style

Riley Blake Designs markets our fabrics under Stephanie Hunt as the designer. When purchasing or searching the Riley Blake website it's actually easier & more efficient to find the Bella Blvd fabrics under "Stephanie Hunt" as the artist.

Fabric Beach Towel Bag, by Tiffany Hood.

I'm getting in the mood for summer even though it's still snowing here in Utah. I wanted to make some projects for my kids for the beach and swimming lessons- so I made a Beach Towel Bag. I'm hoping all my kids will have one before summer to tote around their swimming gear in.

 

These bags are great because it's actually a towel with a square of fabric sewn to the outside of it, and a drawstring. The bag never gets lost because it's attached.

There's an extra pocket on the outside for more gear, but the inside is actually very roomy. Even with the towel folded inside it I could easily fit sandals, sunscreen, toys, sunglasses and a small lunch. These are very cheap to make, too. I got the towel at Wal-Mart for about $3.50 and it's big and super soft, and the Puppy Park fabrics were a perfect match.

 

Supplies:
Bath towel or beach towel; Puppy Park Fabrics; Rope (about 4 feet)

Sunny Happy Quilt, by Kathy Frye.

This quilt is named after the fabric line, Sunny Happy Skies, and that is just what it is, sunny and happy! I designed it by framing the appliqued flowers in the quilt blocks. My style of quilting is very scrappy, so the fabrics that frame the flower blocks were strips and scraps that I combined to make the blocks the right size. I like to add little scraps in with the strips as a surprise element. I used various widths of green rick rack for the flower stems, easy and cute!

Supplies:
Cotton fabric, flannel fabric (back), rick rack, cotton batting, thread