Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Fridays With Stephanie: Q&A With The Design Team

 

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.

Step-By-Step Monthly Project Sheet: Sand & Surf

Looking for fresh ideas and new inspiration using Bella Blvd products? Want to learn how to mix and match Bella products and create cute layouts? Stuck on a project and need some help? Want to teach a Bella Blvd workshop at your LSS? Or, do you own a LSS and need a sample idea to hang next to our products? If you've said yes to ANY of the above--you're going to love this!

Bella Blvd has launched a new monthly feature to help you get inspired and keep you scrappin'. I have been designing a fresh never-featured-before project along with step-by-step directions for you to use, EVERY MONTH! Complete with a list of tools, supplies and Bella products needed, it couldn't get any easier! So dive into your stash today, or check out the online store links (on the sidebar) and pick up your supplies today! You'll get more pages completed with our help! Use us ... that's what we're here for!!!

You can download our Sand & Surf project sheet HERE. 

 

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We recently added all of our project sheets into a gallery on the sidebar, for easy reference. There are now 20 step-by-step project sheets, all available for you to download, save, or print out. Just look for the image above on the right sidebar, and each project sheet image will have a link to the downloadable version. You can also find our previous project sheets by simply clicking on "Project Sheets" in the "Category" section on the left sidebar. That will bring up any post where we have shared project sheets.

All American Cards

Today we have a handful of cards to share with you, all featuring the new All American collection which began shipping earlier this week.

“Kaboom” card, by Kathy Martin.

When I think of Independence Day I can’t help thinking of my son and how he can hardly wait for dark to light the fireworks!  In honor of him and this memory, I created this card with hand rolled firecrackers. They’re made with 2” by 2” pieces of patterned paper rolled around a pencil. The wicks are made of a blonde color jute.

Supplies:
All American: United We Stand, Seeing Stars, Boom Boom Pow, Alpha+Bits Stickers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink-Red

“Stars And Stripes” card, by Kathy Martin.

Banners make great July Fourth décor so for this card I created one big banner pennant with a negative star die in the center to frame my handmade flag and ‘authentic’ sentiment sticker. Bella Blvd’s All American collection has me seeing lots of stars and stripes!

Supplies:
All American: Boom Boom Pow, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Button Market: Masculine Mix

“Stars & Stripes” card, by Laurie Schmidlin.

Oh how I love the new All American collection! The festive colors and fun embellishments are hands down my favorite (and that's saying a lot)! I used a Surf & Turf Feather in the background, and added several stickers and of course a button! I probably can't make a card without adding a Bella button on it!

Supplies:
All American: Boom Boom Pow, Borders & Cute Cuts, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Feathers: Surf and Turf; Button Market: Stars

“Made In The USA” card, by Laurie Schmidlin.

I started with some patterned paper and arranged them in a red, white, & blue pattern. I adore the festive patterns, and I love mixing and matching them! I embellished the card with several stickers, a button, and a coordinating Flag!

Supplies:
All American: United We Stand, Seeing Stars, Borders & Cute Cuts, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Flags: All American Icons; Button Market: Stars

"Thanks" card, by Gretchen McElveen.

I love all the flowers and the colors in the All American line! I really wanted to do something different with this line than it was originally designed for. So I cut out a few of the flowers and made a "thank you" card! I used sentiments from the sheet of "Miniature Sentiments" (they coordinate very well!). Then I used a lot of foam adhesive on this card to give it some fun dimension. 

Supplies:
All American: Seeing Stars, Borders & Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Sophisticates: Miniature Sentiment Stickers

"Birthday Wishes" card, by Gretchen McElveen.

Then I used the All American line to whip up a birthday card. The fun stars in this line make for a great masculine birthday card! The "birthday wishes" sentiment is from sheet of "Miniature Sentiments" (the same stickers I used for the "thank you" card above...see how well they coordinate!?!). Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
All American: American Pride, United We Stand, Seeing Stars, Borders & Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Sophisticates: Miniature Sentiment Stickers; Flags: All American Icons

”Time For Fireworks” card, by Carina Lindholm.

Oh how I love this All American collection! The colors and embellishments are gorgeous, you just can’t stop creating once you picked up this collection. On this card I covered the bottom half in border stickers and designer tapes. I matted the big “fireworks” sticker on white cardstock and cut a scallop border around using decorative scissors. I made a cluster on the left corner of the sticker using different buttons and a flag.

Supplies:
All American: Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Saltwater; Designers Tape: Gray Chevron, Chlorine Dot; Buttons Market: Red Flowers, Tie Dye, Stars; Flags: All American words

“USA” card, by Carina Lindholm.

There is a lot going on on this card, I just couldn’t stop adding things to this card. I made a cluster on this card using circle stickers, buttons, flags and a feather. And at the top of the card I adheres strips of three different designer tapes.

Supplies:
All American: American Pride, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Designer Tapes: Red Chevron, Chlorine Dot, Navy Dot; Buttons Market: Tie Dye; Flags: All American Icons; Feathers: Ice

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

All American Collection: Begins Shipping Today

Today is the day that our new All American collection starts shipping!!! The office is busy at work getting this fabulous new collection sent out to stores and online retailers, and we can't wait for you to get it into your hands and onto your projects. We thought we would share some more All American projects with you over the next few days, so you'll be loaded up with inspiration.

“The American Way”, by Megan Klauer.

Celebrating a warm summer day almost always involves watermelon in our neck of the woods. That's one of the reasons why the watermelon embellishments work so perfectly in the new All American Line. One tip I'd like to share today is when using the HighFive Alphabet stickers in the lighter colors such as the Gulf, try layering them on top of a darker colored sticker to make it pop a bit. Super easy!

Supplies:
All American: Seeing Stars, United We Stand, Boom Boom Pow, American Pride, Borders & Cute Cuts, Just Write Stickers, Alphabet Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Scallop; High Five Alphabets: Gulf, Blue, Black-White

“Everyday With You”, by Gina Lideros.

I love the versatility of the new All American collection. Even though it boasts a Fourth of July theme, it is also perfect for boys and every day themes too. When I first saw this collection, I knew that I wanted to do a layout about my sons' boundless energy. He is constantly on the go and stays busy all day long. I started my layout by cutting out this fun adventure title out of United We Stand paper, then I paired Blue High Five's and Sienna Ice Chip Alphabet together to finish the title. Bella's fun new All American flags and Designer tapes helped tie everything together.

Supplies:
All American: United We Stand, Seeing Stars, Borders & Cute Cuts, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Family Dynamix: Quadrants; High Five Alpha Stickers: Blue, Gulf; Sienna Chipboard Alpha: Ice; Flags: All American; Designer Tape: Navy Dot, Chlorine Dot, Red Chevron; Button Market: Gulf Squares

“Waiting For Fireworks”, by Becki Adams.

The Fourth of July is always one of the longest days for my kids. They are up early for all the fun parades, picnics, and parties. It always seems that darkness will never come. I always take tons of photos that day and a lot of them are while we're waiting for fireworks. The All American collection makes those July 4th photos stand out. On this layout I wanted to focus on the cute cuts, stickers, and designer tapes. I did two large clusters of embellishments with a bit of white space in the middle to draw attention to the photo. I love the bright happy colors in this collection. This collection is sure to make any of your July 4th photos stand out!

Supplies:
All American: American Pride, Borders & Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Blue; Flags: All American Words; Designer Tape: Red Chevron, Navy Dot