Think Mother’s Day! Think National Scrapbooking Day! Think I LOVE Bella Blvd and I have to have one!
Consider yourself officially “warned!” Last year’s first-ever Warehouse Box Sale was a huge success! And guess what? We are putting together a whole bunch of brand new boxes for you at a huge savings! First come, first serve, while supplies last!
Look for more details in the weeks ahead, the sale will launch in May.
You won’t want to miss this, start saving your moo-la! Happy Friday!
Happy Friday Bella fans! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve popped in around here! I’m busy with new product development and design, planning my upcoming nuptials and education opportunities! A while back I asked the DT to throw out any questions they’d like to know about me, my life, owning a company, designing products, etc. I’ve stowed away several questions, as this is the first of many “Q&A with Stephanie” features.
If there’s anything you’d like to know or are curious about, please feel free to leave your question in the comments below. I cannot promise I will answer them all, but I will most definitely add them to my list to review! Let’s get started.
Sheri Feypel: How do you come up with the names of the papers & lines?
Stephanie: Naming the paper lines and papers themselves is always fun. Sometimes it happens quickly and other times I just know…and it’s “perfect.” The local designers along with the Bella Blvd staff write down names as they see the papers in progress. Once I have preliminary designs in the computer, drafts are printed and anyone can write name suggestions down. Ultimately I choose.
Jennifer Chapin: What is your most favorite thing about your job?
Stephanie: This is a great question. I honestly think the most favorite thing about my job is seeing the very first proofs and/or samples arrive after artwork has been released to our vendors. A close second is using it myself, and also seeing what the DT and scrapbookers around the world do with the products. It’s like Christmas morning exploring all the creativity!
Jenny Evans: Have you ever designed a collection, and then decided not to use it?
Stephanie: Yes. I’ve designed 2 collections that have not gone to press. I struggled with the palette and just gave up and started over. “Writer’s block” so to speak totally stinks for a creative person. Instead of struggling through, I give myself a couple days and fresh inspiration and a re-start.
Gina Lideros: Did you scrapbook before Bella BLVD?
Stephanie: Yes, of course! I’ve been scrapbooking since I was 15 years old. That’s when I discovered my local scrapbook store, and was even hired the first day I went in to shop. Now I scrapbook at weekend getaways with friends, at my LSS when I have the time on Friday nights or Saturdays and in my scrap studio/spare bedroom at the house.
Gina Lideros: What Bella BLVD product do you enjoy designing the most?
Stephanie: I enjoy designing patterns the most. I have ALWAYS been a sucker for paper, so that’s where I start.
Jenny Evans: What have you learned/experienced in the past 4 years of Bella Blvd. The good, the bad and the ugly....lol ;)
Stephanie: I’ve learned that everyone has an opinion, and that art is extremely subjective. One person might love a new collection while another hates it. Same goes for new embellishments. It’s important to stay true to yourself, while hearing the majority in order to succeed. It doesn’t mean you have to change everything about what you do, but consider the suggestions. Secondly, don’t be afraid to jump. Think of what we could do if we weren’t afraid!
Tiffany Lee Hood: How about "how in the world do you plan a wedding and run a huge business" :)
Stephanie: I know you insert a smiley face here, but it’s no joke. When Steven first proposed I asked myself this day after day as the planning began. And now, that the wedding is almost here….I find myself wondering what I’ll be doing with all my free time once the wedding day is complete. It’s truly amazing how much you can accomplish when you HAVE TO.
Happy Friday everyone! My team and I have safely returned home from another great CHA show in California. The CHA show is all about the little details, seeing Bella’s customers in person, getting inspired and meeting new people too! Here’s a photo recap of this year’s show from inside booth no. 513: Bella Blvd!
These faces should be familiar to you. I am thankful for a consistent CHA Show staff time and time again.
It’s always quite amazing to start with this bare bones structure upon arrival.
In just 48 hours (one year I should do a video time lapse, don’t you think?!) we unpack the crates.
Set-up the walls and lay the floor. And put this whole thing together….just us four girls!
There’s always lots to organize and plenty to do. We’ve definitely come to master our tasks and learn the new tasks relatively quickly.
Each show Therese creates fun clipboards for us to write orders with. This year she was inspired by the trends of mixed media and created these beautiful modge-podged pieces!
The flower box elements were handcrafted this show by Design Team Members Jennifer Edwardson and Sheri Feypel. We mixed in some feathers for texture too!
Low and behold, this year we were ready with plenty of time to spare, for the CHA Show to open.
The booth turned out bright and colorful. And the handmade wedding dress, by Beth Gerlach, was definitely a showstopper and incredibly stunning, almost unbelievable to many passers by!
The booth was filled with customers, great projects and brand new products!
I proud to say that Bella Blvd’s 18 new colorful, soft, and fluffy FEATHERS were a delight for many customers and generated plenty of product buzz at CHA.
Customers and press alike were inspired by the beautiful colors, the fluffy texture and the awesome projects and layouts displayed with the Feathers.
You’re bound to see them all over your favorite local and online scrapbooking stores very soon (mid February to be exact) and in several upcoming magazines!
Also new and fun were these three combination packs of our famously colorful Designer Tapes.
The make-n-takes, all designed and prepped by Therese were a hit including the fun Bachelorette Keepsake box. Were you inspired by our CHA make-n-takes?
If so, CLICK HERE to download the step-by-step directions for each day’s projects! Free for you!
The show was a success. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. I am so grateful for customer and consumer loyalty and excitement for Bella Blvd. All the new product collections will begin shipping February 15, so be sure to let your favorite store(s) know today!
Today I am sharing more photos from CHA at my blog, Designing My Life. Be sure to stop by --- there might just be a freebie giveaway!!!
Thank you for another great release! In the following days, I guarantee you will be inspired beyond belief as the Design Team displays loads and loads of brand new products just for you!
As all of you know I am in the thick of wedding planning. A few months ago I was introduced to this amazing lady named, Esther. She's an artist at heart, a floral artist, and will be our wedding florist in May for our big day. When Christmas time rolled around I really wanted to create something for her, to thank her for all the ways in which she has inspired me in the past few months. She's such an awesome person and I hope we will remain long-time friends.
The floral patterned paper I designed in the Love & Marriage collection is actually named after her, and is the paper I used as the base of the canvas. I bought an Artisan Canvas from my local Michael's Craft store, and a bottle of Modge Podge. First I Modge Podge the canvas, then the backside of the patterned paper. After sealing them together and waiting for it to dry I wanted to create a great quote about flowers for her as a daily reminder of her beautiful work.
Using some pink paint, Designer Tapes and Feathers I created the bottom layer. I mixed a bit of paint in the feathers to help them stick a little more, and to create a decoupage kind of look. Then I added the Sienna Chipboard alphabets (a mix of Punch, Pickle Juice and Pony), along with a couple High Five Alphabet stickers to create the title. To make sure these pieces never fall off after Esther displays this in her home I hot glued all the chipboard and flower pieces on.
I finished by embellishing with some Crochet Flowers (Daisies), Crochet Hearts, Baby Blooms a Bella and a chipboard scallop border, wooden (Checkers) buttons and the hot pink flowers buttons.
On the backside I painted a patch of pink, then I Modge Podged one of our Engagement photos along with the year and the paper "slug" of the paper I named after her. These photos don't show it, but after this was completed dry, I used a fine point black painty pen to handwrite a sweet message to Esther and signed it.
Just before Christmas I swung by Esther's home to drop of the gift. She loved it. She cried.
{*All products used are Bella Blvd except the large fluffy white and tope flowers and the pink acrylic paint}
Hello all! Did you have a merry Christmas? All of us at Bella Blvd surely hope so, and as we head into a brand new year this is what my crazy, scary, messy desk looks like! Welcome to my office.
As usual we are busy, busy, busy. The month of December is always jam-packed with fun things going on, including our Annual Bella Christmas Dinner. This year we had reservations at a darling little restaurant, Firefly, in the old village of Wauwatosa. There were Christmas lights and these fun beaded chandeliers everywhere.
Many of you are familiar with these two girls. Angela, who answers the phones almost every day, and Carii, who works directly with Laura Vegas and our Design Team.
Thought our group picture turned out cute! The Bella dinner just happened to be on the same evening of our very first snowfall this year. A fun little fact, right?!
Along with the Bella Dinner comes the Annual treat exchange. We all bake several dozen (enough for everyone actually) treats of any kind (cupcakes, cookies, mints, truffles, etc.) and package them all up cute and end up with a bag full of calories that look like this!
Believe it or not I’ve recently done a bit of scrapbooking myself, including create one fun page for the new catalog supplement. Consider this your first official sneak peek of what’s coming in 2013 from Bella Blvd.
Any guesses?
Today I’m hosting a Challenge for you, my readers & fans! Part of my job is to create color combinations for new & future collections. So, I’ve created this very simple & sweet color palette for you to explore as well!
In a nutshell I am challenging you to participate by creating a Bella Blvd project (of any sort: card, layout, etc.) using the color palette above. Then post it to Bella Blvd Facebook Page sometime before next Friday. If your project catches my eye as of my faves you could win free Bella Blvd products. How fun is that?! Plus it gives you an excuse to get your scrap on this week, right?!
This is the layout I created the color palette for. The Sophisticates collection gives you plenty of creative freedom to mix and match using the monochromatic patterns and the assortment of embellishments from Designer Tapes to buttons, Flags and more!
Dig into your Bella Blvd stash today and begin creating. This color palette is easy peasy, simple and can be very elegant (like my layout above) or very casual, documenting everyday photos with the neutral colors.
Visit my blog for more detail photos and explanation of my layout and embellishment choices surrounding the color palette challenge.
I also invited the DT to play along. Just a couple of days ago I provided the team with the color image for inspiration. In less than 48 hours this is what they’ve created!
"I Love My Blanket", by Diane Payne.
"So Much Fun" card, by Kim Jeffress.
"This Sweet Face", by Jenny Evans.
"We Love You A Ton" frame, by Jaclyn Rench.
"The Pink Legwarmers", by Leanne Allinson.
"Hi Little Buddy", by Jen Chapin.
Aren’t you inspired now!?!
You have one week to post your completed Bella Blvd Color Challenge projects to our Facebook Page. If you don’t have a FB page, just leave a link to your project in the comments here below and we’ll post them for you! Good luck & Happy Scrappin!
The Creative Process + A New Collection
Today is an exciting day because I get to share with you part of my creative process when designing a new collection. Speaking of new collections, we are just days away from introducing Kiss Me, a mini-collection that you are going to L-O-V-E!
I am so excited to announce this collection because it quite honestly is my favorite to date. I’m kind of sad actually that it’s a “mini” collection because my mind was racing with so many more print and pattern ideas! Kiss Me has a super fun and very trendy color palette that the DT is raving over---pink and navy blue, plus lots of pop-culture elements like mustaches. I mean, honestly, who hasn’t taken a picture with a mustache (prop, stick, sticker, tattoo, etc.) this year?! Lol, but seriously right?!
Stay tuned for the full Kiss Me Reveal on Wednesday, Oct. 17th
In the meantime, I want to inspire you. When brainstorming a new collection there are several elements that must be visited including colors, textures, trends, fashion, prints and more. My brainstorming includes hours of research online, in magazines, at some of my favorite stores and outside in nature. A huge “morgue” as I like to call it of ideas made up of sometimes hundreds of images is collected.
Then I must see common threads that I see tending throughout that is really the core of my inspiration and narrow down my Mood Board to look something like this.
This Mood Board is what I worked with for the new Kiss Me collection. Once my color interest was peaked I knew I wanted pinks and blues; it’s fun, and non-traditional for Valentine’s but very widely accepted in fashion and our everyday world right now. It’s modern and graphic, very much like Bella Blvd’s style…hence, a perfect fit.
So there it is, a glimpse into the creative process in a nutshell. The Mood Board is a constant reminder of the theme and focus of a collection. Aren’t you excited to see Kiss Me? I just cannot wait for the reveal… Woot woot!
Have a happy weekend! Sending lots of love and creative juices from the Bella Blvd studios!
Hello lovlies and happy Friday! I’m back at Bella returning to the normal swing of things after all the traveling this month. When I left for Minnesota a couple weeks ago I said to one of my friends, “by the time I blink it will be October already” and here we are only a couple day away. Fall is rolling in around here---but I was able to catch a bit of sunshine while at Teresa Collins’ Inspiration Unlimited 2012 event.
I was honored last year when Teresa & Ginger invited me to be a main teacher and couldn’t wait to return and teach a fun & meaningful workshop. Thanks to my friends at Bazzill and Basically Bare I was able to design this “mighty” mini album.
Today I’m sharing a visual recap of IU 2012 that has truly become a “sisterhood” of sorts for me over the past 3 years. I dedicated the workshop to my Brother-in-Law, Chris as he was the main inspiration & motivation behind this album & its story.
I’m grateful that all the IU girls were willing to hear my story. I shared different amounts of it within each class, trying to hold back the tears.
It’s at events like IU that personal stories and getting to know one another becomes a treasure. Here’s the inside front cover of the album, which dedicates and cherishes those people that make big daily differences.
Here’s a peek into the reality of traveling and teaching that I thought you’d all enjoy. The truth is that months and months of planning, designing, ordering, collating, kitting and so much more go into teaching around the country. Most of you see the glamorous side (as you should) when everything comes together, the class kicks off and the products & kits are prepped.
This time around myself & Jenna traveled with more baggage than I ever have before. Our baggage out numbered our extremities, which made for fun airport maneuvering. Here’s all our pretty bags upon arrival. The ironic thing is…our clothes were mixed throughout all of them serving as some sort of “wrapping” J and fillers.
We admired our beautiful room at Green Valley Ranch.
Only for a couple of minutes….and then…..the EXPLOSION! Hence, unpacking and getting organized for the meet and greet.
The table turned out great. I gave away some Bella buttons and stickers and showed off some of my personal albums along with the class workshop project reveal for the first time to the IU girls!
This wonderful woman, Joan, remembered meeting me last year as I sat in on one of Teresa’s classes and pretty much distracted her the entire time…..the sweetheart remembered my favorite color and hand knit this scarf for me, remembering I was from bitter-cold Wisconsin!
How amazing is that?! Thank you Joan for such a wonderful and so thoughtful surprise. I’ll be snuggling up with the pink scarf in just a couple of months, but I am so incredibly humbled by your sweet gift, it made my day!
This is the only photo I got of all of us teachers in one place: Vicki, Debbie, Teresa, and Kristin. Apparently they needed a brunette to meet the quota ;)
Here’s a couple more of my favorite pages within the album workshop.
The closing ceremonies are always very bittersweet….as so quickly IU moves onto 2013 planning and preparation.
What a blessing this year has been---so many more people now know Bella Blvd because of Inspiration Unlimited, Teresa Collins & Ginger Nelson.
For those of you interested in step-by-step Directions please select the links below for my full PowerPoint Presentation:
Hey there all you Bella fans! Did you have a great week? I'm on a whirl-wind traveling adventure straight from Scrapfest and onto Inspiration Unlimited.
Last night Teresa Collins and Ginger Nelson hosted a wonderful meet & greet here at the Green Valley Ranch & Resort where I got to meet so many of the students I'll be teaching on Saturday. (For more information about the Inspiration Unlimited Event, visit my blog).
Today I wanted to share with you a Scrapfest Recap from last weekend at the Mall of America for Archiver's Annual event. I traveled this year with local Artistas Morgan & Katherine along with a scrappin' girlfriend, Elziabeth too! We had a great time with a bunch of workshops back-to-back.
The Mall of America is always bustling with people lined up for make-n-takes, shopping away, cropping right in the middle of the mall, and taking workshops too! It's pretty amazing that the Archiver's team is able to organize this huge event each year and bring so many scrapbookers and manufacturers into one place.
Here's a visual recap from our weekend including our fabulous students in the workshops, our Crop Around Town table display and croppin' night and a couple pictures to show you just how intese the event is, all located right inside the Mall's 4 huge floors!
It is always so much to teach this marathon-style quick classes because I have the opportunity to meet so many new (and also returning) Bella Blvd lovers each day! Thank you so much for signing up for Bella Blvd workshops if you were indeed there. I know there are literally hundreds of classes to choose from and I always feel incredibly blessed when the seats are sold-out!
I hope you have a great weekend....next Friday I will be able to bring you an update from IU in photo recaps as all. So far Jenna and I are having a great time and can't wait to teach the "not-so-mini, mini album" workshop!
Hello all! It's been quite a while since I've made a Friday appearance around here. I know I'm way overdue. Things are going well around the Bella studio as we head into fall.
But today I'm actually posting from Minnesota. My girls and I are here teaching workshops for Archiver's infamous scrappiest event. We had a delightful 5-hour road trip yesterday and arrived safely with hundreds of pounds of materials and class kits!
Speaking of class kits---here's a sneak at my workshops this weekend.
In other news Bella has a brand new mini collection that we'll be announcing in just a few weeks. But I must say it's MY favorite!!!!! And I cannot wait to reveal it! Honestly might be my favorite ever!!! Just sayin'!
How about a giveaway today?! Leave a comment below predicting the theme of our newest mid release and I'll pick a random winner on Monday to win both a Thankful and Birthday Girl collection kits.
Happy Friday and good luck with those predictions!!!
