Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Drawing Your Inspiration from a PageMaps Sketch

 

Hello there, friends!  I'm so glad you stopped by today because this week at Bella headquarters, it's all about inspiration!  I draw inspiration from so many different things in my life, but for this particular layout, I was lucky enough to work with some of the new sketches over at PageMaps!  I really wanted to document my little ones second birthday, and this 8 1/2 x 11 sketch was perfect!

 

 

I knew I wanted to use the Wish Big: Boy Collection, so I set about picking the two main papers that I would use.  I chose to follow the sketch pretty closely as far as where my patterned papers would be located, and I really love the way it turned out!

 

I felt like this layout was total color chaos, and I love it!  I always stick to colors in threes, and it felt so good to change paces for a minute.  I tied in just about every color in the Wish Big: Boy collection!

That really worked out perfectly for me because my photos had both red and green in them, which can be a little challenging to work with unless it's Christmas.  I just tied in all the primary colors including teal, and I had no problem.

 

 

 

I hope you feel comfortable drawing inspiration from the world around you while you're creating, but if you are ever stumped, then PageMaps has got your back! xo Lydia

 

Wish Big: Boy Collection (Ephemera, 12x12 Papers, Sticky Mix), IF Homespun Alpha Stickers, IF Pen, Word Salad Booklet, Wonky Alpha Stickers

CHRISTmas Exclusives at Joann

 

 

This month I had the pleasure of working with some of the exclusive products coming to the Joann shelves!  Have you guys spotted the latest Illustrated Faith products at your local JoAnn store? JoAnn has worked to create some new and exclusive items from the Advent and CHRISTmas collections.  They aren't in every location, but I'd love to know if you have spied some at your local store!

 

I'm excited to share some of the exclusive stamp sets in this collection next, so stay tuned the next couple weeks!  These stamp sets are huge and have a ton of stamps on them; some of them even have coordinating dies!

I loved working with the exclusive items in my Illustrating Bible!  It's been a blast getting acquainted with the new size, and these products were the perfect addition!

 

Thank you so much for stopping by today to check out my Bible journaling page! I'm so excited to see what guys are finding at your local Joann store! xo Lydia

 

Joann Exclusive CHRISTmas Collection, IF Watercolors, IF Pen, IF Black Ink & Acrylic Block

CHRISTmas Collection Scrapbook Layout with Guest Designer Christine Meyer

Happy Monday Bella Blvd Fans!  Have you seen the latest Illustrated Faith products in your local JoAnn store? Both Advent and CHRISTmas products are setting this holiday season and they include some exclusives! They aren’t in every single location, but would love to spy if they have landed in your local store! Christine Meyer joining you today as a Guest Designer and I have been playing with these gorgeous products!!!   Let's take a look at my first creation!

I really liked the black in the CHRISTmas collection and the contrast it had with the whites, reds, and greens.  I decided to let that play a big part in my layout - using a black cardstock background!

There are SO many options to use in the CHRISTmas Collection - for this layout I opted for the Patterned Papers, Clear Cuts Pad, and Gift Tags as my primary focus.  Using my electronic cutting machine, I cut out a Christmas tree in the red patterned paper.  Then I opted to use lots of circles to mimic the look of ornaments.  My "Joy to the World" title piece was from the Clear Cuts Pad and I cut it out using a circular metal die.  It makes a really nice title and focal point! 

The gift tag pieces also made nice faux ornaments for my tree!  I backed the tree with vellum to help soften the black background and help my pictures to stand out!  Another item I used to help soften everything (and bring in more color) was the Washi Stickers! I created a process video to show how I made the whole layout - let's have a look at that!

 

Thanks so much for joining me today and be sure to share pics with us if you find this in your local Joann Fabric Store!

Supplies Used:

CHRISTmas Patterned Papers, CHRISTmas Gift Tags, CHRISTmas Clear Cuts Pad, CHRISTmas Washi Stickers

 

Mixed Media in Your Bible

 

 

 I love that the new Halloween collection, Sweet & Spooky, can be used for more than just a Halloween page!  This collection has the best leaves, and they are perfect for all your fall pages!

For this page I started with some acrylic paint.  I really wanted to do some black stripes, because I was craving some boldness on this page.  I created these black stripes with a little watered down IF acrylic paint and a 3/4" brush.

 

I added a little more fall texture with the Gratitude Stamp set; I love this little wood slice stamp, and I've used it a million times!

 

I added in a little leaf and acorn cluster at the top to serve as my tab.  It looks great nestled near that black and gold stripe!

 

 

I left my background pretty simple because I wanted my mixed media stripes to do all the talking.  I finished off my page by added a large title to the bottom corner.  I used the "sweet" ephemera piece and some green Wonky Alphas.  Stick on a few enamel dots, fill in your journaling, and date-it, and you have an impactful mixed media Bible page that pops!

 

 

I'm so glad you stopped by today! It's always fun sharing a little creativity with you! How are you guys infusing mixed media in your creations? xo Lydia

 

Sweet & Spooky Collection (Ephemera), Pickle Juice Wonky Alphas, IF Pen, IF Gratitude Stamp Set, IF Roller Dater, IF Black Stamp Pad, IF Acrylic Block, Shanna's Favorite Paint Set, Tape Runner, Be Bold Bible Mat

A Sweet and Spooky Mailbox Surprise

 

 

Can you guys believe that it's Halloween tomorrow?! I'm just shocked at how quickly the fall season jumped up on us!  I love Halloween, and I really wanted to share my joy of the holiday with my friends, so I set about creating a couple pocket letters to send.  I love surprising my friends with pieces of happy mail, because our mailboxes can get a little bleak with all those darn bills.  I love that the new Halloween collection, Sweet & Spooky, just makes me smile; It's so darn cute!

 

I used to send out pocket letters like it was my job a couple years ago, and I haven't created one in so long.  They are so fun to create, and they are also great inspiration for your pocket page scrapbooking as well!  For my pocket letters, I always like to include a personal letter.

 

 

For this one I also created a vellum shaker pocket on one of my larger pockets.  I love creating these little shaker pockets, because they give any page a whimsical look.

 

 

I also added some more sequins to one of the 2x2 slots, using my fuse tool and the collection logo.

 

 

I love the journaling cards sheet in this collection because it has some really great cut-apart cards!  For this pocket, I used a yellow card with a spooky tree.  I added a little dimension with a piece of the words ephemera pack and an IF Homespun alpha sticker.

 

 

I finished off my second pocket letter with a little slot to slide in a tea bag!  What better treat for a cold fall than a little cup of tea that matches the color scheme!  You also don't want to forget filling the backside of the pocket with little treats!  I like to include a small piece of candy, embellishments, or even a small necklace for that extra special friend!

 

 

I wish you and your family a sweet and spooky Halloween tomorrow! I hope you were inspired to send out a little love to brighten a friend's mailbox! We all need something a little cute to grace our drab mailboxes from time to time! xo Lydia

 

Sweet & Spooky Collection (Ephemera, Cardstock Icons, 12x12 Papers), IF Homespun Alpha Stickers, Word Salad Booklet 

 

Adorable Purple People Eater | Spooky Boo Collection

Hi everyone. Heather Leopard is here with Halloween just around the corner, I'm sharing a spooktacular layout with you. 

I especially love this scrapbooking layout because it can be put together in 30 minutes or less. Let's take a walk through the design process...

I was inspired when I saw the patterned paper with all the googly eyes and I knew exactly what photo I wanted to scrap!  After determining that, the next thing I did was trim the white cardstock and purple patterned paper to create a matted border around the page. 

Next, I fussy cut a few spider webs. I didn't want the webs to completely surround the photo but when I laid it out, the design felt off balance. 

To fix the off balance feeling, I added some hand cut banners, stitching them onto the page. I seldom plan my title and just make the title work with what I'm left with and as luck would have it, the acrylic word "adorable" fir perfectly in the space above the banner! I also added embellishments to the top right to help a bit more with the balance problem. This time being too much white space at the top.

To finish it off, I added a secondary or sub-head title to the page and a few more embellishments.  It just needed something to fill the space below.  

So that's my page about my adorable little monster girl. I promise you this is a quick and easy scrapbooking layout that can be used for just about any photo you are scrapping.

Supplies:

Spooky Boo collection