Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Cards On Thursday: Spring Themed Cards

In keeping with the spring theme of yesterday's layout shares, it's only fair that we asked a few of our card designers to create spring themed cards to share with you as well!

"Thanks For Everything" card, by Gretchen McElveen.

When I think of Spring I think pretty, colorful flowers! So I cut out several flowers from the Sand and Surf line to use on this thank you card. I used a red flower button as a fun center for one of the flowers and the sentiment is from the Miniature Sentiments stickers sheet. I even threw the red scalloped border sticker from the All American Alpha + Bits on this card! Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Sand and Surf: Paradise, Cute Cuts; Love and Marriage: Cake Tastings; Engaged at Last: Alpha+Bits Stickers; All American: Alpha+Bits Stickers; Sophisticates: Miniature Sentiments; Button Market: Red Flowers

"Wish You Were Here" card, by Gretchen McElveen.

I was really inspired by Laura Vegas's "Poolside" layout on this month's free Project Sheet. If you have not see it yet, check it out HERE. I love the big sun she created on her layout and I totally copied that idea on this card! I cut the sentiment out of the Sand and Surf Borders sheet and used a punch to add a few butterflies. I finished off the card with a couple of flags and buttons. Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Borders, GPS; All American: Just Write Journaling Stickers; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Banana; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers; Flags: Sand & Surf

“Hey Sunshine” card, by Carina Lindholm.

I covered the card base in green dotted paper and hand stitched around the edges using pink embroidery floss. To decorate my card I used some cut outs from the cute cuts sheet,a flower sticker and a scallop chipboard border.

 

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Paradise , Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Engaged At Last: Chipboard Icons; Quattrofina Alpha Stickers: Mustard & Apricot

 

”Spring Is In The Air” card, by Carina Lindholm.

This card makes me happy. I LOVE the colors and I love to work with Bellas designer tapes. I used a few different colors on this card. I cut the tape strips into banners before adhering them to the card using my sewing machine.

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Cake Tasting, Cute Cuts; Designer Tapes: Polka Dot Combo, 12mm Combo; Buttons Market: Pink Flowers

“Bright Sunny Days” card, by Laurie Schmidlin.

For my card, I combined elements from a couple of collections. I used the borders paper from the Sunshine & Happiness collection and some Journaling Stickers and Alpha+Bits from the Easter Flings and Spring Things collection! That happy sun makes me smile every time I see it, and I hope it makes the recipient smile as well! 

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Borders; Easter Flings & Spring Things: Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits; Ciao Chip Elements: Clouds; Button Market: Blues; Designer Tape: Pickle Juice Stripe

“Birthday Wishes” card, by Laurie Schmidlin.

Birthday cards are one of my favorite kind of Bella cards to make! The fun and happy colors just lend themselves so well to celebrations! I used several elements from the Birthday Girl collection to make my card. For a fun twist on a regular card, I cut the top part of the card a bit shorter so some of the patterned paper on the inside would show from the front.

Supplies:
Birthday Girl: Party Dress, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Ciao Chip Icons; Sophisticates: Miniatures Card Sentiments; Button Market: Checkers

“Friends” card, by Wendy Wagner.

I thought it would be fun to take the Sand & Surf collection and make a bright fun friends card!  I went outside my normal creating and didn't ink or distress anything! It was a challenge for me! The Feathers are so fun to work with & I love the texture they add to any project!

 

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures Stickers; Crochet Hearts: Saltwater, Orange; Feathers: Punch, Pickle Juice, Ice; Button Market: Bursts

 

"Spring" card, by Wendy Wagner.

This little card maybe small but it is big with wonderful supplies from Bella! Some of the Chipboard icons are popped double. I layered the feathers behind to add some texture. I used some ink, very little for me. I first glued down the feathers, then I added the Chipboard Icons and lastly added the gems and stickles. This card is perfect for anything!

Supplies:
Love And Marriage: Esther Fleming Floral, Turner Hall Ballroom, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Engaged At Last: Chipboard Icons; Feathers: Carnation Pink, Saltwater Blue

Layouts On Wednesday: Spring Themed Layouts

I know that for some of you, looking out your window at the snow and the rain coming down doesn't exactly scream "SPRING" to you. And for some of us, like myself, spring is definitely in the air with the warm temperatures and bright sunshine. To bring a touch of spring to the Bella blog, I asked a few of our layout designers to focus on spring themed layouts for today's share.

“You Are My Sunshine”, by Gina Lideros.

One of my favorite things about working with Bella Blvd products is how beautifully the older Bella lines coordinate with the newer lines. For this layout I used bit n pieces of Spring Things and Easter Things, & Lovey Dovey, mixed with Crochet Hearts and Designer tape. I always like to include lots of color on my layouts and these lines combined together make a very colorful and playful palette for spring.

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: A Tisket A Tasket, Sunny Sunday, Borders, Cute Cuts, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniatures Stickers; Lovey Dovey: Bear Hugs; High Five Alpha Stickers: Green, Piggy-Punch, Gulf; Designer Tape: Pickle Juice Chevron; Crochet Hearts: Pickle Juice; Button Market: Aqua Flowers, Fruit Punch

“A Wonderful Day Together”, by Sheri Reguly.

There’s just something about springtime colors that makes my heart happy! Light pink, aqua and yellow has always been one of my favorite combinations, and it was the inspiration behind today’s layout. I mixed and matched papers and elements from several different collections, seven to be exact, to create this fun, light hearted design. A white die cut photo mat helps draw attention to my photo, while a handful of embellishments add interest, as well as dimension, to my design.

Supplies:
Love And Marriage: Borders; Engaged At Last: He Proposed, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Winter Wonder: Icy; Kiss Me: Borders & Cute Cuts; Birthday Girl: Alpha+Bits Stickers; Sunshine & Happiness: Miniatures; Spring Flings & Easter Things: Miniatures; High Five Alpha Stickers: Gulf; Designer Tape: Piggy Pink Stripe; Button Market: Stars, Pink Flowers, Checkers

"Destination: Fun", by Becky Williams.

We were asked to create something fun and bright and Spring-y and I knew these pictures of my girls at Sea World over Spring Break would go perfectly with the cheery Bella Blvd papers. I decided to add lots of colors by using strips of various papers and Designer Tapes and ground them a bit with some more neutral papers found in the new collections. I think the result is fun and bright without being too overwhelming. 

Supplies: 
Engaged at Last: Bachelor Party; Love And Marriage: Esther Fleming Floral, Turner Hall Ballroom, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Sand & Surf: GPS, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Designer Tape: 12mm Combo, Ice Stripe, Polka Dot Combo, Hot Pink Dot; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphas: Orange; High Five Alpha Stickers: Green

Today's Product Spotlight: Feathers

It's time for another Product Spotlight feature, and this month, we are putting the focus on Bella's Feathers!

Let’s face it. Feathers are fun & fabulous and they’ve taken over the runway in the fashion world! Great for all seasons come eighteen beautiful feathers in Bella Blvd’s signature palette. Make your next crafting layout, hair piece, or clothing accessory as a feather. After all, it’s always fun to play with feathers.

"Time To Dye Eggs", Jennifer Chapin.

The best thing about Bella's new feathers is that they come in every color to coordinate with all your layouts! For this page, I wanted to create a cluster of feathers to use as an embellishment. I used wet adhesive to adhere the feathers one on top of the other, then stapled the whole stack to my layout. I used a chipboard heart to cover up my staple and complete the look. I have found that a stapler is one of the best ways to attach these feathers to your projects!

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: May Eighteenth, Esther Fleming Floral; Spring Flings & Easter Things: Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Lovey Dovey: Bear Hugs; High Five Alphabet Stickers: Yellow, Gulf; Feathers: Frosting, Cream; Button Market: Masculine Mix; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars & Hearts; Designer Tape: Gray Dot, 12mm Combo, Piggy Pink Stripe

"Kinlee Rose", by Megan Klauer.

Create a unique focal point by layering different colored feathers & cutting them to various sizes. I adhere them with pop up glue dots as well as my tiny attacher. Add a cut image from the Cute Cut page or a crocheted heart to cover up the staples and finish off the look. 

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Paradise, Surfs Up, Borders, Cute Cuts, Flying High, Chipboard Icons; Love And Marriage: May Eighteenth; Engaged at Last: Chipboard Icons; Designer Tapes: Yellow Chevron, Piggy Pink, Pickle Juice, Hot Pink, Teal Stripe; High Five Alphabet Stickers: Blue, Yellow, Piggy-Pink; Feathers: Pickle Juice, Frosting, Gulf, Saltwater

"She Is Always Reading", by Becki Adams.

I was thrilled when I got the assignment to showcase Bella Blvd’s new feathers. I wanted a really fun bright happy layout so I decided to start with a rainbow background. Initially I was going to use patterned paper for my strips but then I decided to make it with decorative tape.

After I finished the background I started working with the feathers. I wanted to combine the feathers with the Crochet Hearts in coordinating colors. I pulled a scrap of white cardstock out of my scrap pile, a circle punch, and a few feathers and I was ready to get started.

I punched 5 circles out of the white cardstock (one for each of the feathers).

Then I stapled the base of the feather on the outside of the circle.

I bent the feather slightly and kept stapling around the edges until the entire feather was attached to the circle.

The final step was to adhere a crochet heart to the center of the circle on top of the feather. I used some liquid glue to make sure the heart stayed attached to the feathers and cardstock circle.

To finish the layout I adhered the feathers in the coordinating colored strip. I added my title and a couple of border strips to the bottom of the photo and my layout was finished.

Supplies:
Engaged At Last: Chipboard Icons; Love and Marriage: Chipboard Icons; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders; Sienna Chipboard Alphabet: Pony, Frosting; High Fives Alpha Stickers: Yellow; Designer Tape: Chevron Combo, 12mm Combo, Polka Dot Combo, Yellow Chevron, Pickle Juice, Hot Pink; Blue Chevron, Ice Stripe, Red Chevron, Chlorine Dot, Orange Stripe, Pickle Juice Chevron, Piggy Pink Stripe, Punch Chevron, Red Dot; Feathers: McIntosh, Punch, Bell Pepper, Orange, Ice; Crochet Hearts: McIntosh, Punch, Orange, Bell Pepper, Gulf

"50 Years Ago" mini book, by Katherine McElvain.

Today’s project is a gift for my in laws who are soon to be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I made a little book from envelopes that I will fill with notes, pictures, and memories from loved ones who are celebrating this special event with them. The Love and Marriage collection was fantastic to use for this theme with all of its sayings and images.

For the cover of the book I added the Bella feathers. The texture a couple layered feathers give to a project makes it unique, and it is fun how the feathers move and float as you hold the mini album in your hand.

In the inside of the book I included journaling pages with tabs made from photo corner stickers, Cute Cut flowers, and designer tape. I can't wait to have everyone fill out the book and see it when it is complete!

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Vows, Smokeys In Love, Cake Tasting, May Eighteenth, Turner Hall Ballroom, Ester Fleming Floral, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Wedding Day Miniatures, Chipboard Icons, Flags; Engaged at Last: He Proposed, Bachelor Extras, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Sand & Surf: Cling Stamps; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Cotton Candy, Freestyle Pickle Juice, Freestyle Scallop; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars & Hearts; Feathers: Black, Frosting; Designer Tape: Grey Dot, Pickle Juice Dot, Pink Stipe, Grey Chevron

April Guest Designer: Kelly Goree

We are so excited to introduce our April Guest Designer to you today. Kelly Goree is an extremely talented and well-loved designer in the industry, and we knew she would come up with some amazing projects using our Sand & Surf collection as well as our Love And Marriage collection.

Hi, everyone! I’m Kelly Goree and I live in the beautiful horse country of Kentucky with my husband of 15 years and three rambunctious boys! 

When it comes to design and decor, I've always been an eclectic person. I love so many different elements from different styles and periods that I can't ever seem to choose so I don't! I have found that incorporating your favorite things along with different design styles and bold color palettes is what keeps things interesting and exciting. The same is true for my scrapbooking style. I really get into using different techniques, different ways of creating texture and depth all to keep my pages interesting, fun and fresh. 

I started scrapping in early 2000 just after my oldest was born and it quickly became a favorite hobby then all-out passion. I love looking through my older albums and seeing how both the scrapping industry and my own personal style has changed over the years. I adore this hobby since it not only allows me to document my family history but also gives me an artistic outlet. Most certainly, if I'm not out chasing my boys, you can find me scrapping! 

So you can only imagine that I was thrilled when Laura asked me if I would like to work with some of the amazing Bella products and do a little guest visit. It was a total no-brainer for me as the bright fun colors of Bella Blvd. products truly make me happy!

"Captain", by Kelly Goree.

I was sent the beautiful Love & Marriage and Sand & Surf collections plus what is quite possibly my new favorite “staples,” the Freestyle Sophisticates line. Truth be told, I immediately gravitated toward Sand & Surf with its cool blues and hot orange and yellows. I *am* the mom of boys, after all! It didn’t take me long once I sat down to do this layout -  it practically created itself. I layered way more chipboard onto it than I might usually use but all the pieces were so cute that I couldn’t help myself! I especially love how I was able to take the word “vacation” and with one minor alteration using some orange cardstock I created the word “captain” for my title. The only thing brighter than my little man’s smile here is that fun chipboard sun!

"Just Love Her", by Kelly Goree.

Next I grabbed hold of Love & Marriage. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with all that pink, but I fell.in.Looooove. with the beautiful polka dot paper and I knew something great was going to come out of it. Luckily I had an entire cd of photos from my niece’s recent senior session and it gave me just the right excuse to break them out. This photo captures her inner spirit while the gorgeous papers allow it to shine. I loved using the sticker sheets on this project along with some more of the awesome chipboard shapes. One of my favorite things to do with stickers or chipboard is to chance their size and/or shape like I did here – I split the scalloped piece and used it to perfectly frame the sweet photo.

"Love This", by Kelly Goree.

With one more project to do I thought for sure I was going to go back to Sand & Surf, but those sweet polka dots called to me one more time! I had just come back from a trip to Canada for one of the best Crop & Create events yet, and the colors in Love & Marriage were perfect for our color scheme and these happy photos! Again I clipped and snipped some stickers to make them work for me. I have no problem using lines in ways that they weren’t originally intended. I only find that makes them more versatile and extends their longevity and use in my scrap stash, right? This time the “love” in Love & Marriage was all about my love for what I do and the amazing ladies I get to do it with!

I hope you enjoyed these projects and I really appreciate you letting me spend a few minutes with you today sharing them. Thank you again, Laura and Stephanie, for having me!

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.

Paper Crafter's Library

This is our second post of the day. If you're looking for day three of our team up with Petaloo, keep scrolling down!

Bella Blvd is excited to have a special spotlight feature on Paper Crafter's Library today. We have chosen to feature our Feather collection. I have created FOUR brand new layouts, sharing different ways to use feathers on your layouts, how to adhere them, and how much interest they can add to your pages. Here's a small peek at each of my four layouts:

Head over to the Paper Crafter's Library to see the layouts in full and to learn more about working with this fun and trendy new embellishment! We are also sponsoring a giveaway on their site as well, so make sure to get your name in for a chance to win some of these gorgeous feathers!

Bella Blvd & Petaloo Team Up Week: Day Three

Welcome back to the third 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 Jaclyn Rench and Tiffany Hood.  

“Thanks” card, by Jaclyn Rench.

Who doesn't love a rainbow of color, especially one made of beautifully patterned Designer Tapes?! To put together this simple card, I cut a square of white cardstock slightly smaller than my card front, and began layering on some of my favorite tapes in rainbow order. I pulled a quick 'thanks' sticker from the card sentiments miniature sticker sheet, and topped the whole design off with a big and bold layered Petaloo flower and glittery brad.

Supplies:
Sophisticates: Card Sentiment Miniature Stickers; Designer Tape: Piggy Pink Stripe, Orange Stripe, 12mm Combo Pack, Pickle Juice Stripe, Ice Stripe

“Thanks” card, by Jaclyn Rench.

This quick card was made entirely from the 'leftovers' of a recent page, and therefore a snap to put together! I trimmed my card base down to a size that would complement my remaining scrap of paper, and added the remaining embellishments that didn't make it onto my page. Petaloo's yellow floral brad topped flower is such a nice compliment to the background patterned paper, and soft springy feel of this card.

 

Supplies:
Engaged At Last: Bridal Shower, Engagement Chipboard Icons, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Sophisticates: Card Sentiment Miniature Stickers

 

“Thanks For Everything” card, by Jaclyn Rench.

Upon first glance of my package of pretty Petaloo goodies, I knew the flowers would layer beautifully with so many of Bella's products and embellishments. I love the monochromatic effect of the Bella chipboard flower, sandwiched between the Petaloo pieces. Trimming one of Bella's feathers down to layer under the flower's leaves creates a lot more texture and sophistication to this simple card design.

 

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Tuner Hall Ballroom; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars & Hearts; Feathers: Pickle Juice; Sophisticates: Card Sentiment Miniature Stickers

“A Beautiful Wedding Shower”, by Jaclyn Rench.

At times I struggle with how to word my page title, but in this instance Bella's sticker from the Just Write Journaling sheet did the work for me. Not only that, this sticker also makes the perfect 'flower center' to these pretty, layered Petaloo paper flowers. Once this title element was in place, I found it simple to mix and match some additional Petaloo florals and Bella embellishments to perfectly coordinate and compliment my overall page design and pictures.

Supplies:
Engaged At Last: Bridal Shower, He Proposed, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Engagement Chipboard Icons; Love and Marriage: Esther Fleming Floral, Borders, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Wedding Day Miniatures; Flags: Wedding Shower

“Aloha Sun”, by Jaclyn Rench.

The combination of Bella's Sand & Surf collection and the stack of tropical looking Petaloo blooms I received, were just begging me to pull out some of my Hawaiian honeymoon pictures from almost 12 years ago! I started my 2 page layout off with a bold title element that includes a rainbow of Petaloo florals and the negative design of Bella's Sienna chipboard alphas. Separating the title elements and photos onto two side by side pages, allows for neither to overpower the other - creating a more eye pleasing and balanced design. I love that these bright, tropical supplies inspired me to dig out some photos and recall and document some precious memories from so long ago!

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Surf's Up, GPS, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures, Chipboard Icons; Button Market: Pink Flowers, Hot Pink Flowers, Gulf Squares

“Bride To Be”, card, by Tiffany Hood.

I fell in love with the little dress chipboard sticker and the beautiful aqua design from the Love And Marriage collection, and the Petaloo flowers, brads, and ribbon coordinate beautifully.

Supplies:
Love And Marriage: Cake Tasting, Borders, Wedding Chipboard Icons, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Scallop; Sophisticates: Sprinkles & Lace Punch; Feathers: Oyster; Flags: Wedding Shower

“Our Wedding”, by Tiffany Hood.

The colors of the Petaloo flowers and brads coordinate so well with the colors in the Love & Marriage collection. I wanted the feel of being at a wedding and being surrounded by beautiful varieties of flowers.

Supplies:
Love & Marriage: Turner Hall Ballroom, Esther Fleming Floral, Vows, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Wedding Chipboard Icons, The Wedding Party Miniatures Stickers; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Frosting; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphas: Saltwater; Crochet Hearts: Punch; Feathers: Frosting

“Vacation Getaway”, by Tiffany Hood.

These photos were from a tropical paradise vacation my husband and I took a few years ago to Puerto Vallarta. The Petaloo Brites flowers reminded me of the tropical flowers we saw there.

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Surf's Up, Paradise, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Sienna Chipboard Alpha: Pickle Juice

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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. 

Bella Blvd & Petaloo Team Up Week: Day One

We have big stuff planned for you this week, and we are so excited to get things going! Bella Blvd is teaming up with Petaloo for a week full of inspiration. 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 we are going to start the week off with projects from designers Diane Payne and Jenny Evans! 

“Friend” card, by Diane Payne.

For a quick and easy I layered the flowers onto small squares and arranged them in a grid. The bright colors of the Sunshine & Happiness collection created the perfect background for my grid.

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Popsicle Kisses, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers, Red Flowers, Gulf Squares, Outdoors

“Loves Me” card, by Diane Payne.

To create this card, I layered two flowers in different shades and topped them off with one of our crocheted flowers. I cut a few petals off the flower and glued them to the bottom of the card to tie in with the "loves me, loves me not" theme.

Supplies:
Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Cotton Candy; High Five Alpha Stickers: Piggy Punch; Crochet Flowers: Poppy

“My Happy Place”, by Diane Payne.

I thought it would be fun to create a banner with the flowers so I cut some in half and layered them under my patterned paper and photo. To give them a finished look I added buttons and a crocheted heart to the center. For the title, I chose a variety of letter stickers and chipboard pieces in varying colors, sizes and styles. 

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Popsicle Kisses, Petal Power, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Birthday Boy: Just a Note; Birthday Girl: Chipboard Icons; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphas: Saltwater; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Punch, Ice; High Five Alpha Stickers: Blue, Green, Yellow; Designer Tape: Pink Flowers, Yellow Chevron, 12mm Combo; Button Market: Bursts, Blues, Hot Pink Flowers; Crochet Hearts: Bell Pepper, Punch

Canvas Floral Art, by Diane Payne.

For the floral art piece I selected the beautiful wood grain paper from the Love and Marriage collection for the background. I wanted my canvas to have a natural organic look so I transferred the wood grain pattern to the back of a piece of canvas with adhesive. To transfer the paper, lay the pattern you want to transfer onto the sticky side of the canvas and rub it with a bone folder or credit card - press hard and be sure to rub the entire surface. Next, lightly score lines into the paper and then spray with water. Begin rubbing the paper until it comes off the canvas. Continue spraying with water and rubbing the paper until all the paper is removed. Set it aside to dry.

Once my canvas was dry I hand-stitched around the edge of the canvas and inked the edges to distress it before adhering it to a sturdy board with glue. To give the flowers some dimension, I layered them in three sizes and topped off each one with a button in a coordinating color. To finish the piece off I added a banner and greeting and placed it directly below the flowers.

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Smokeys In Love; Sunshine & Happiness: Petal Power; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pony; Button Market: Feminine Mix, Pink Flora, Masculine Mix, Red Flowers

"Amazing Birthday" card, by Jenny Evans.

I know I am going to sound repetitive, but the Petaloo flowers match up so well with Bella! Look how gorgeous these flowers are with the Birthday Girl collection! I can't wait to give this beautiful card away!

Supplies:
Birthday Girl: Dancing Queen, Borders, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Button Market: Purple Flowers

"Happy Mother's Day" card, by Jenny Evans.

For this card, I decided to make the flowers the focal point. I added the chevron paper and then the trim and banner piece. I then added the Petaloo flowers, topped with Bella Blvd Buttons, and then the sentiment sticker. I just love the look of the flowers with the buttons in the center!

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Egg Hunt, Borders, Miniatures; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers

"Now and Forever" card, by Jenny Evans.

As soon as I saw these flowers, I knew I would mix them with some of the new Bella Blvd Feathers! So gorgeous together! The sentiment in the paper is subtle enough to let the beautiful feathers and flowers stand out!

Supplies:
Love and Marriage: Cute Cuts; Sophisticates: Sprinkles & Lace Oreo; Feathers: Cream Feathers

"Springtime" card, by Jenny Evans.

How cute are these little flowers?! I just love them paired with the Spring Flings and Easter Things collection. A sweet and simple card ready for Spring!

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Mom's Bouquet, Cute Cuts

"On A Sunny Afternoon", by Jenny Evans.

These Petaloo flowers were perfect for the Sand and Surf collection! I layered them and topped them off with some Bella buttons. They were just right for my favorite photo of my niece!

Supplies:
Sand & Surf: Surf's Up, Flying High, GPS, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures; Button Market: Outdoors; Flags: Vacation

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We are also going to start off this week with our giveaway! One of our lucky readers will be receiving the Love and Marriage collection, including patterned papers, cardstock stickers, chipboard icons and alphas, and flags. Just leave a comment on today's post to be entered to win. You have until Thursday evening to enter, and we will announce a winner on Friday.

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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 as well, so you won't want to miss out on those. 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.