Bella Blvd Studio Blog

NEW RELEASE | Make Your Mark Collection | Win It Before You Can Buy It!

Want to get an up-close view of all the pieces in this gorgeous new collection? Check out our video below and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for all of our new product releases and creative team process videos!

 

Would you love to be one of the first to get your hands on stunning new Make Your Mark collection? Here's your opportunity to win the entire assortment!
Write a comment on this post between now and Sunday, January 22, 2017, Midnight EST for you chance to win and tell us what you'd love create with this stunning, eclectic new collection!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. Good luck!

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Tell your friends about our new releases and giveaways by using the hashtag #BellaBlvd in your social media posts! 

NEW RELEASE | Barn Yard Collection | Win It Before You Can Buy It!

Here's a look at the patterned papers in the collection:

Want to see all the products in the collection up-close? Check out our Barn Yard collection video below! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you can watch all of our new product videos as well as our Creative team process videos!

 

 

Would you love to be one of the first to get your hands on the adorable new Barn Yard collection? Here's your opportunity to win the entire collection!
Post a comment on this post between now and Sunday, January 22, 2017, Midnight EST for you chance and tell us what you'd love create with this adorable farm-themed collection!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. Good luck!

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Tell your friends about our new releases and giveaways by using the hashtag #BellaBlvd in your social media posts! 

NEW RELEASE | Acrylic Words | Win It Before You Can Buy It!

 

Want an up-close view of the new Acrylic Words? Check out our video below!

 

Would you love to be one of the first to work our new beautiful, handwritten acrylic words? Here's your opportunity to win the entire assortment!
Post a comment on this post between now and Sunday, January 22, 2017, Midnight EST for you chance and tell us what you'd love to use them for!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. Good luck!

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Tell your friends about our new releases and giveaways by using the hashtag #BellaBlvd in your social media posts! 

Patchwork Background With Gail

It's out with the old and in with the new . . . hair! It's Gail here today and I have a layout to share documenting a recent BIG event for my daughter: she got A LOT of hair cut off the length! And what better collection to use than You Are Loved - the beautiful and feminine colors and designs were perfect! 

I also have an fun background idea to share and all you need are scraps! I cut a heap of 1" squares from a variety of leftover patterned paper scraps. I then cut these in half to give me lots of triangles. I then arranged these triangles randomly back into squares over my background. Now my triangles aren't all exactly even (I'm not a perfectionist) and that's ok with me! The effect is awesome!

To add to the patchwork type feel of the background, I added rows of machine stitching through each square of patterned paper so it really looks like a patchwork quilt!

The rest of the layout I kept quite simple - adding a title, journaling and just a few embellishments. I added three small photos in a row and a circle doily from my stash underneath to break up all the straight lines in the layout.

This is one of my favorite ways to use up smaller scraps of patterned paper and even better when they are such fun colors!

Here's to all the new experiences that this year will bring and the amazing Bella Blvd goodies we have to document them!

 

Supplies:

IF You Are Loved: Eden, Borders; Tabbies; Paper Pieces; 6x8 Paper Pad; IF Homespun Cardstock Stickers: One In A Melon; Ciao Chip: So In Love

 

Guest Designer for January | Jill Sprott

Hi! My name is Jill Sprott, and I am excited and honored to be a guest designed at Bella Blvd this month!

I like to think that my life, like my scrapbook pages, is colorful. I hail from ‘Oahu, Hawai’i, where I live with my little but loud family, which includes multiple humans and several furchildren. I teach English at an all-girls’ school in Honolulu, where my creativity is challenged and fed constantly. When the weekend rolls around, I exchange one stack of papers for another, of the patterned variety. I have been scrapbooking for over a decade now. For me, it’s more than a hobby — it is all about learning to recognize the extraordinary in the ordinary. Through scrapbooking, I tell the stories that are uniquely mine to tell as well as the stories entrusted to me by others.
As the January guest designer, I will admit to being more than a little daunted by the task of kicking off a new year. I decided to embrace the challenge and focus on the year to come with a self-portrait layout, using a monochromatic approach and the Oh My Stars collection.

This year, I fought the urge to make any resolutions, since I’m pretty lousy at keeping them. I am, however, a believer in entering the new year with a fresh perspective, so I selected a word, rather than a resolution, for 2017: “notice.”Since the act of noticing is about being attentive not just to the obvious but also to the subtle details, the layout is a mix of nuanced and bold elements. I softened the background with white paint from the Illustrated Faith line, and then added an extra pop of color to the patterned paper, the tags, and the title letters.While one layout looks ahead, another layout looks back at one of the highlights of the past year. I pulled together elements from the Addison, Oh My Stars, and Illustrated Faith “You Are Loved” collections to help me to tell story of a transformative service project, in which students at my school assisted the residents of a long-term care facility.Once again, paint adds a color boost to the page. To lend some dimension to the letters in the title, I backed some of the alphabets with foam circles.The elements on this page reinforce the virtues of hope, faith, and charity that I witnessed in action through the project.The last of my three layouts combines a bunch of photos from past and present, to document a job I take seriously but that still keeps me laughing on most days, that of dog mother.

The design of this page was inspired by belly spots, dirty paws, and gleeful romps through the grass. Luckily, Bella Blvd has the perfect colors and patterns needed to convey that dog-happy vibe.

I had lots of fun composing the journaling, which includes a list of behaviors common to parents of dog-folk. After printing the journaling in strips, I added some playful stitching, extending it to the photos and the layers of the page.

It’s been a thrill to start off the year in the best of ways, with lots of color and energy, courtesy of Bella Blvd!

Supply List:
Oh My Stars Collection: Macintosh Stars, Borders, Cotton Candy Stars, 4x6s  Papers; Fundamentals Stickers, Colorful and Black + White Tabbies, Washi Stickers; Addison Collection: Free Spirit, Fierce Papers, 6x8" Paper Pad, Illustrated Faith You Are Loved Collection: Fundamentals Stickers, Designer Clips, Washi Stickers, Tabbies. Illustrated Faith Basics: Acrylic Paints, Watercolor Paints 

Illustrated Faith December Round Up with Shanna Noel

Hi there sweet friends!!!! Happy 2017!! It's going to be a great year, I just know it and I seriously CAN NOT WAIT to share some of things we have in store for you this year! 

But today I wanted to share a couple articles that we are just loving from last month on the Illustrated Faith blog!!! 

1. Mixed Media Tutorial: Creating new alphabets | Heather Greenwood
And this is why Heather and I work so well together!!! She is sharing some of her favorite ways to customize those FAVORITE WHITE ALPHAS!!!!
"One of my favorite things to do with white alphabet stickers is to add my own mixed media flair to them and create totally new and unique alphabet stickers. In the past I’ve shown how I use Faber Castell markers to color the letters I need to perfectly fit a page I’m doing, today I’m going to show how to add additional mediums to make them even more unique.

I have finally decided on my word and verse for the year so I wanted to illustrate my faith for that verse. I first scraped on several shades of blue and green and then added white to tone it down on the background. I actually covered the whole page except for the verse I was focusing on. Then like usual, I added stamping around the background and then some elements over the top. I cut up this clear cuts sheet with the flowers on it to scatter around the page. Since the background was blue, the flowers were looking a little purple and didn’t stand out. To make them stand out, I took a light pink paint and painted around the circles on the back side of the clear cuts, just where the pink flowers are. This made them really pop out and shine. I added tabs and stickers with the word “KNOW” three times on the page. Three is my favorite number plus, I like using the rule of threes in my projects. I also highlighted the verse and put some washi tape around the page. For “Be still” I really wanted to add some fun so this is when I decided to create my own unique alphabet sheet and share it with you."

Find more inspiring photos and great tips on this tutorial here! 

2. Worth the Wait | Mary and the Manger | Bailey Jean 
Bailey is back with her series - worth the wait! Trust me you are going to want to check this one out, plus seriously, what is not to love about that sweet family? (P.S. those DONKEYS!!! #hearteyes) 
"It’s time to wrap up the Worth the Wait series with what I believe to be one of the most beautiful stories and most impactful women in the Bible: Mary, the mother of Jesus. How many times do we hear her story during the holidays? A young woman, who most would say was around fourteen, engaged with the rest of her life ahead of her. Then one afternoon an angel appears to her and gives the good news. News that will change her life forever.

Mary was going to have a son, and his name would be Jesus.

She knew, and then Joseph knew, the truth and the weight the birth of this child would bring into the world, and for months she carried him, waited for him, dreamed of him. Imagine what she must have been thinking! I’m sure there was a mix of excitement, joy, and fear shared between the two." 

Read the full article here. 

3. Watercolor Tutorial Leaning In – Offering a Broken Hallelujah | Amy Bruce 
Amy's watercolor tutorials always inspires me to try new techniques but beyond anything, the depth of her articles leaves me in awe! 
"Greetings Illustrated Faith Family!

Oh what a lovely gift it is to come to you with two Advent posts so close together!

Day 15 in the Illustrated Faith Tis the Season devotional does not disappoint.  I was so excited to lean into the passage in Revelation.   What a beautiful word God has for us.  Here’s what stood out to me —

Hallelujah!…

Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory…

Revelation 19:6-7

While I was reading the scripture,  I couldn’t help thinking of the “Hallelujah” song by Pentatonix.  I loved thinking about God being glorified by the broken Hallelujah moments throughout the Bible.  The men and women who just gave their all — mistakes included — to the Lord as a humble offering.

I started lifting my heart to our Lord, “for Your glory God, I give You every part of me, every broken part, the things I have done well and the things I have regretted, let it all be for Your glory Lord.”

So how to illustrate?"
Check out the full article here and see how Amy walks us through this beautiful inspiration! 

4. My husband does my voiceover! | Bible Journaling Process Video | Shanna Noel 
Oh my grapes! We had so much fun with this one, I recorded my regular video and Jonathan came in and did the voiceover for the video with zero direction, and it has me CRACKING up!! 
" Hey sweet friends! We thought you might be up for a little laugh this week!! Ever wonder if your husband, friend, etc. understand how you go about bible journaling? Now are just talking about the technical side here friends, and seriously Jonathan (my hunny!!!!) cracks me up in this video!"
You can check out the full article & video here!

 

Thank you so much for joining us for another amazing month, stay tuned for EXCITING NEWS!!!!

Illustrated Faith | January Devotional Kit "Goals With Grace" Available Now ONLY at DaySpring!

Happy 2017!!!!!!!

 

Hey there friend, are you ready for another exciting year? Let's use this fresh start to put Jesus first in our lives. What goals can we set down in prayer and raise up to Him? Bailey is this month's contributor and someone I look to in our community as a major influencer! Thank you for joining us for goals with grace!!!

Walk through this 14-day devotional journey greatly anticipating God to meet you right where you are as you set daily, monthly, and yearly goals, and as devotional writer, Bailey Jean, graciously leads all to get eyes and hearts focused on the ultimate goal, Jesus Christ.  "The rest of our goals don't matter if we aren't set on THE goal.  May our goals point to Him.  May our goal be MORE of Him."  —Bailey Jean

A perfect set to enjoy illustrating your faith and celebrating Jesus! Join contributing artist and devotional writer Bailey Robert for this inspiring kit available only at DaySpring.

Devotional message:
Goals with Grace

Set includes:

• 1 plastic pouch
• 1 devotional booklet
• 1 clear stamp collection
• 1 roll of washi tape
• 1 sheet of cut-out paper pieces
• 2 cardstock sticker sheets
• 3 tip-ins
• 1 magnet
• 1 thank you card from Shanna

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Shop DaySpring here for all Illustrated Faith's exclusive monthly Devotional Kits. 
Available while supplies last.

Happy 2017

Hey there Bella Blvd friends and fans, Becki here. I know I've mentioned it before (a few times) but it's worth mentioning again. The thing I love the most about Bella Blvd products is that the colors always match and coordinate throughout all the collections. That makes creating with Bella Blvd products SO much easier. Knowing that the products will always coordinate makes creating so much fun and easier. I love spending my time creating, not trying to find products that coordinate. I created this layout with two of my favorite collections. One collection that is older (Color Chaos) and one newer collection (You are Loved).

Just before Christmas we had a quick snapshot taken of our little family. I decided to create a layout documenting some of the things that our family wants to do in 2017. I started by cutting a large cluster of hearts out of black cardstock. I filled the inside of each heart. Some of the hearts have patterned paper, some have clear cuts, and some have Invisibles. Each I added lots of pop dots to give each heart dimension. Some of the hearts have pop dots between the black cardstock and patterned paper, some have them between the patterned paper and the background.

I love the dimension and shadows that the pop dots give to the cluster of hearts. The second die cut I used was the "2017" portion of the title. I used patterned patterned paper with a black cardstock background. To add additional interest to the title I wrapped white crochet thread around a small section of each number.

After adding our family photo to the left of the hearts and the title below the photo, I typed the journaling on my vintage typewriter, cut them into small strips, and adhered them below the title.

Each member of our family has a strip of journaling with the answer to the statement "In 2017 I want to..." I love documenting the dreams and goals of our family at the beginning of the new year.

How do you mix your Bella Blvd collections? Try mixing and matching your favorite Bella Blvd collections to create a layout celebrating the new year and even your family's goals for 2017. Thank you for stopping by the Bella Blvd blog. I'll see you again soon!

Supplies: Invisibles: A Day At A Time; Color Chaos: Punch Strandz, Ice Strands, Gulf Strands; You Are Loved: The Heavens, Hearts & Kisses, Paper Pad, Washi Stickers, Fundamentals Stickers, Paper Pieces, Designer Clips, Clear Cuts Pad, Tip-Ins Pad; Ciao Chipboard: Borders

 

It's ALMOST Time! | New Releases Coming Soon!

Stay tuned! Starting next week we have some fun things to share!!

Go See Do: Digital Scrapbook Layout by Marla Thrall

Happy Thursday, Bella Friends! It's Marla here and I'm back to share another one of my digital scrapbook pages. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year's celebration. 

The page I'm sharing today features a big picture of my baby boy. He is rapidly approaching his first birthday and is really starting to cruise around the house. I took this adorable picture that shows just how proud he is of his new trick and wanted to really showcase it on a layout. By blowing it up big, it really is the focus of the page! 

I added three separate clusters of embellishments that help to lead your eyes across the page. In the top corner, I kept it simple. Since I used a black and white picture, the bright colors of the embellishments really pop!

On the bottom of the page, I added several borders to help divide the page. I wanted to make the middle cluster bigger. I like how it flows from the title, to the embellishments right to the little bit of journaling. 

On the right corner, I added two more embellishments to anchor the page and finish it all off. I love little bits of word art and stars... They are the perfect simple elements! 

Supplies:

Let's Go! Digital Bundle

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To see all of our Digital Products and to purchase, head over to our retail Digital Shop, located on the Bella Blvd website. To learn how to use the Digital Shop, check out our how-to video here.