Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Quick and Easy Bible Prompt Journal with Shanna Noel | Illustrated Faith Delight In His Day

Hiya sweet friends! I hope you are having the MOST fantastic day! Today I wanted to share one of my favorite projects to do with each collection outside of my bible! 

I love love LOVE the 12x12 scrapbooking paper from our collections but I don't often scrapbook 12x12 and when I do I use white cardstock, so what to do with all of this beautiful paper? Make #allthejournals of course!! I love the traveler's notebook size (I make mine 4.33 wide and 8.25 tall). Here is a fun fact, if you bring your 12x12 paper down to your local print shop they are HAPPY to make these for you! Mine gives me a nice white cardstock for the interior pages, cuts and binds them all for a little over $1 a piece! Take my money! Take it alL! LOL! ;) 

Now, what to do with all these adorable journals? As you know, the paper pieces in the collections are some of my FAVORITE bits! I love that they each have the bible verse on the back, it is a great starting point! I also love the idea of using these for prompts in a journal! Here are some SUPER fun and simple steps to making your own bible prompt journal:

1. Make super adorable cover! ( I used a sticker from the 12x12 sticker sheet here, but you could totally use a paper piece as well) 

2. Pick out your favorite paper pieces for the journal. I typically use one paper piece for each spread, but you could totally fit more on here if you wanted more prompts as well! I use a little bit of adhesive on the back, I then take the bible verse on the back and write, or type that on a piece of paper. Since I can't see the verse on the back once I adhere it this will help me remember the prompt for that day once I am working through this journal. 

3. Work your way through the journal adding your paper pieces and scripture. Super easy, I keep this whole process VERY simple so that as I am working through the journal I have lots of freedom! 

4. As a bonus, in the back, you can add a simple paper pocket to hold any extra paper pieces (seriously this pack comes with 37!!) so that as you are working in the journal you can pull out additional pieces as you wish! 

That's it friends! Very simple! I LOVE these sweet this journals, they are perfect for a day you may feel less inspired, unsure where to start, or for travel! As I was working on this one, I just felt an overwhelming sense of joy, I mean how could you not with this JOY-FILLED collection?! Which prompted me to give this journal to my 10-year-old, Addison. These journals are GREAT projects for kids to do with you or on their own, I love that it just gives them a little nudge into the word and then allows them to wild from there! 

Thank you so much friends, I hope you enjoy illustrating your faith! 

Illustrated Faith Delight In His Day: Just The Ticket Paper ; Paper Pieces : Fundamental Stickers  - Basics Collection: Hexies ; Journaling Pen ; Adhesive  

May Illustrated Faith's May Devotional Kit | Doodles to Live By

Oh YAY!!!! It's May [ see what I did there? ;) ] I am OVERJOYED to have Elaine as our contributor this month with Doodles to Live By! She is my right hand gal here at Illustrated Faith and I get to see her ministry up close and personal each day! I know you will love her unique take on the devotional this month and I simply CAN NOT wait to see where God takes you with it!!! Enjoy the journey! 

Enrich your soul with Scripture and fourteen (14) days of thought-provoking devotionals shared by Elaine Davis, who's been filling journals with thoughts and doodles since she was little. Elaine encourages you to get your story on paper, ask God for creative guidance, and speak words of kindness, even when it's difficult.  

"As you work through each day, you'll explore some blessings I've found to be super healing, enriching, & restorative!"  —Elaine

Devotional message:
Doodles to Live By

Devotional Samples:
1.  1 John 5:10-11 ESV
2.  1 Peter 4:10 ESV
3.  Proverbs 16:24 ESV
Plus 11 more!

Product Details: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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  Doodles to Live By is a perfect set for illustrating your faith and celebrating Jesus! Join contributing artist and devotional writer Elaine Davis for this inspiring kit available now only at DaySpring.

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

  This post contains affiliate links. Bella Blvd may receive a small compensation on purchases made using affiliate links.

May | Step-By-Step Monthly Projects Sheet + Process Video

Can you believe that May will be here on Monday? That means summer is just around the corner; with graduations and end of school year celebrations coming up quickly! This month's Project Sheet uses that end-of-school year theme with a fun page focusing on our new Puffy Stars and Puffy Alphas along with a mix of newer papers as well as one of our favorite basics collections, Oh My Stars - a perfect companion to our puffy star stickers! 

Click HERE to begin downloading our May project sheet

This month's project sheet showcases the bright vibrant colors of school's end and summer beginnings, with a focus on celebration and accomplishment using stars to accentuate that feeling. Come and celebrate the end of the school year with us by creating from the latest monthly Project Sheet!

"Now Up to 5th" Layout by Amy Heller

This month's step-by-step project sheet includes a complete supply list including tools needed and all directions to make this 12x12" "Now Up to 5th" layout, featuring our Puffy Stickers, Oh My Stars and some of our latest collections. Just click the link to download the PDF worksheet and print.

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We are happy this month to offer you a companion video that share's Amy's creative process behind the creation of this month's Project Sheet. Like what you see? Make sure to "like" this video and subscribe to our  YouTUBE channel to stay up to date on all the Creative Team process videos, new product releases, and more!

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Have you created a project from one of our project sheets? Make sure to tag your project on social media using the hashtags #BellaBlvd and #BB_ProjectSheet.

Social Media | Weekly Round-Up!

Hi friends! It's Thursday and today we are bringing you projects that our Social Media Creative Team has been sharing throughout Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest all week using our Illustrated Faith Delight in His Day collection!

We're starting off with Jamie Pate and her darling, faith-based greeting cards. We just love their simplicity and style that strikes right at the message of each lovely design and sentiment! Make sure you are following Jamie on her social media (listed below) to see all the details of these beautiful cards!

Delight In His Day: Just The Ticket, Sprinkled With Bliss, Topnotch, Happy Heart, Borders, 3x4’s; Paper Pieces, Enjoy Life Washi, Fundamentals Stickers

Find Jamie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram I Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter

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Stephanie Buice created this super sweet page, taking a new spin on this carnival-themed collection and turned it into something so sweet and pretty by making custom paper flowers, which adds to the lovely sentiment of focusing on her son's super teacher. Make sure you are following Stephanie on her social media (listed below) to see all the details of this super sweet layout!

Delight In His Day: Raise Me Up, 3x4s, 6x8 Paper Pad, Paper Pieces, Fundamentals; Enamel Dots: Milk White. 

Find Stephanie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

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Laurie Schmidlin does it again with these festive and delightful hand-made cards! We just love how she used our Clear Cuts as her focal point in her "Happy Hearts" card! So beautiful! Make sure you are following Laurie on her social media (listed below) to see all the details of these beautiful cards!

Delight in His Day: Borders, 3 x 4s, Fundamentals, 6 x 8 Paper Pad, Epoxy Stickers, Clear Cuts Pad, Paper Pieces, Enjoy Life Washi Tape
Epoxy Stickers: Oh My Heavens Mix Hexes. Enamel Dots: Cotton Candy

Find Laurie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram  | Facebook | Pinterest

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Last up this week is Leanne Allinson with her spectacular puzzle fold mini album. This is one project you won't want to miss all the details to! She even posted an Instagram video of this sweet little album. Make sure you are following Leanne on her social media (listed below) to see all the details of this awesome mini album!

Delight in His Day: Raise Me Up, Sprinkled with Bliss, Topnotch, Happy Heart, Believe It, Borders, 3x4s; Paper Pieces; Fundamental Stickers; Tip Ins; IF Enamel Hearts; BB Little Bits White Little Bits; Puffy Heart Stickers: Ice Mix; Snapshots | Pajama Day.

Find Leanne's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook

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Make sure to follow all of our Social Media team to see the latest projects from these talented designers! And follow along with us on the Bella Blvd Instagram feed to find even more inspiration!

Adding Interest To Die Cuts With Gail

It’s Gail here and I have to share that the first thing I thought when I saw the Delight In His Day collection by Illustrated Faith/Bella Blvd was ‘those colors!’ The bright, vibrant and happy colors seriously made my eyes pop (think heart eyes emoji!) and I couldn’t wait to showcase them on a layout! So that’s what I did. I stuck to an all-white cardstock background, a black and white photo and border so the delicious colors would POP!

I used a lot of the die cut Paper Pieces on this layout. But I wanted to add a bit of dimension and texture to them so here’s a little technique for you: add some stitching! It’s a sure fire way to make them look a bit more special!

I grabbed some of the die cuts and used my sewing machine to add some lines of stitching. I did adjust my stitch length to be quite shorter than what it usually is and sent them through my machine, taking it vvveeeeerrrryyyy slow.

I used the lines in the designs on the die cuts to guide me were to put the stitching. For instance: the stripes on the hearts or the swirl on the candy. I pulled the threads through to the back of the die cuts to tie and finish them off neatly but you could leave the threads loose if you want to!

I arranged all the pieces in two clusters, leading your eye in a diagonal line across the layout. Some of the die cuts I raised on foam adhesive for more dimension.

I also added in some smaller embellishments to the clusters such as Puffy Hearts Stickers, cardstock and epoxy stickers. I just love all the interest it creates!

A simple title and journaling were all I needed to finish it off! I think I achieved my objective of showing off those gorgeous colors! It certainly is a delight to create with it!

 

IF Delight in His Day: Happy Heart, Fundamentals Stickers, Clear Cuts Pad, Icons Puffy Stickers, Epoxy Stickers, Designer Clips, Paper Pieces: Acrylic Words: Happy & Smile; Tiny Text: Bold & Beautiful; Puffy Hearts Stickers: Punch Mix, Ice Mix, Cotton Candy Mix

Tips & How To's for Digital Designing with Sabrina

Hello! This is Sabrina for the digital Bella Blvd team. I wanted to share three quick and easy tips for creating awesome digital scrapbooking pages.

1. Create a visual triangle. Whenever you create a layout it is always a good idea to have a triangle on the layout using the placement of your embellishments- stickers, flowers, wordstrips or whatever you choose. As seen is my Illustrated Faith Seeds of Faith (Coming soon to the digital shop!) layout I drew red lines to show the triangle. Having these 3 points of interest allows the eye to see the whole layout in a balancing, pleasing way. I marked my 3 distinct points with a number to make it easier to see. Having a visual triangle in your layouts is the best way to make your layouts balanced, eye catching and just beautiful!

2. Try different angles and simply moving your embellishments a few degrees to the left or right. This is probably the easiest thing you can do when your making a digital layout. When you have a sticker, diecut, leaf or any other type of embellishment, you can simply change the angle or direction of the embellishment. You click on the embellishment, move to the bottom of the highlighted box and a circle of arrows will pop up. Use this to turn and move your embellishment. Having all your embellishments at slightly different angles creates awesome movement in the layout and really helps the layout come to life. Here in this example you can see I was rotating some leaves so they weren't all at the same angle. 

 3. Create fantastic clusters. One of my favorite ways to really make the most of a kit I love is to show it off with clusters. They are so fun to make and add lots of visual depth to your layout when you use shadows to make them stand out. Clustering your elements also serves a double purpose of creating eye catching points for your triangle as discussed in tip 1. When you gather your elements just be sure to think of placement. For example, a flower should go on top of a word strip not the other way around. In this cluster, seen in the photo, I made sure to have the orange sprinkle heart on top then the green arrow, the cloud next and finally the pink tab last. All of these elements help anchor down the orange heart and also make a good cluster. Have fun making some clusters!

I used these 3 tips throughout this layout featuring Illustrated Faith's Delight in His Day. (Coming soon to the digital shop!). I have a triangle coming down from the top left all the way down to the bottom right and back up to the cluster on the top right by the title. That makes 3 distinct points to help the eye move around. Secondly, the elements that are repeated, like the black hearts, aren't positioned the same exact way. Finally, I have lots of little clusters to help the visual triangle, create movement and also make for an overall pretty layout. 

Hope these tips help you when your creating your next digital layout! I'll be back next month with more tips. Thank you for stopping by! 

Illustrated Faith: Delight in His Day Digital Bundle, Seeds of Faith Digital Bundle. Bella Blvd:  Secrets of the Sea Digital Bundle (ALL coming to the Digital Shop soon!)

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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.

Delight in His Day Layout + Video with Missy

Hello, Bella friends!  Missy here, and I am kicking off a new week of inspiration here on the blog.  We are focusing on the beautiful Illustrated Faith Delight in His Day collection.  There are so many fun colors and patterns, and I was immediately drawn to the hot air balloon images.  I decided to create a few of my own, so I found a few cut files in the Silhouette Store and cut them on white cardstock and patterned paper.  I love how they turned out!  I used white cardstock as my background and added some white gesso and blue ink sprays to create the illusion of a sky.

Paper piecing the hot air balloons together was really easy.  I cut three smaller ones using papers from the 6x8 Paper Pad.  My photo is of my youngest daughter from several years ago.  She was in a swing, but the ropes reminded me of those on hot air balloons, so I thought it was perfect.  I used a black and white photo so all the other colors would pop.  I used some of the yellow alphas from the Fundamentals sheet for my title and then added some machine stitching.

For the larger balloon, I just backed the open spots with patterned paper and stitched through it.  I added some foam under it to give it some dimension and then added some matching tangled thread under it.  I added a few more Fundamentals stickers around the photo as well.

I layered the balloons so the layout would have some depth.  I tucked some of them under others and ran them off the page.  I like how this gives it a bit of a more realistic look.

I added some tissue paper from my stash under my photo for a messy yet subtle border and then added another Fundamentals sticker. 

I hope this gives you some fun inspiration and ideas to try on your next layout.  This collection is so versatile and pretty!  Make sure you check back the rest of the week to see even more projects featuring this line.  Here's my process video if you'd like to see how I put this layout together.

 

IF Delight in His Day:  6x8 Paper Pad, 6x8 Clear Pad, Paper Pieces, Fundamentals

Watercolor Grid Layout Tutorial with Gail

Hello and welcome to the Bella Blvd blog today! It’s Gail here and I’m excited to share a little tutorial for a grid-design layout with a watercolor twist! The Secets Of The Sea (boy) collection was PERFECT for scrapbooking some photos of my youngest son on the beach. The addition of a little watercolor only added to the fun, carefree feel of the layout!  

First up I made a couple of design decisions: I was going to have four “blocks” in my grid and they would be about 4 inches square, all centred on the page.

Step 1: Grab a white cardstock background and prep it by adding a thin layer of clear gesso. I find I get better results if I use a little gesso first! I lightly marked out where my grid blocks were going to be on my cardstock in pencil with an ‘x’. (I have darkened these in photoshop for the purpose of showing you guys here.)

Step 2: Take your watercolors (and a palette if you are mixing colors to create that perfect shade) and using a wet, wide paintbrush, pick up enough color to paint a square over each of the ‘x’s you’ve previously marked out. Be sure to make them big enough that you can still see the watercolor square when your photo or paper is placed over the top.

       This does not have to be perfect! Rough edges and unever color will still look great!                                       
It’s at this stage that I also add some flicks of paint over my background too!

Step 3: Once dry, you can trim your cardstock down to add to a patterned paper background if you want a border. I also machine stitched around the outside edge! Start working on your grid blocks – adding layers of patterned paper, paper pieces, stickers etc.

I usually have one block for my title and one block for my journaling also.

Now step back and admire your finished layout! I love how just a peek of watercolor is showing around each element!

The great thing about a grid design too is that you can easily include multiple photos! Simply make your photos a bit smaller to create a 9-block grid!

You certainly don’t have to be a great artist to add a watercolor element to your projects! And especially paired with the Secrets Of The Sea collection, it adds to the whimsy and notion of a fun day by the sea!

Secrets Of The Sea (Boy) Collection: Seashore, Fundamentals Stickers, 6x8 Paper Pad, Paper Pieces, Icons Puffy Stickers; Acrylic Words: Love & Promise; Puffy Star Stickers: Ice mix, Orange mix, Bell Pepper mix; IF Basics: Shanna’s Favorites Watercolors

Social Media | Weekly Round-Up!

 

Hey friends! It's Thursday, and that means we are featuring projects that our Social Media team has been sharing throughout Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Stephanie Buice created a couple darling cards and envelope inserts using the Secrets of the Sea (Boy) collection. We can see these sweet sentiments being great for summer birthdays for sure!
 

Secrets Of The Sea (Boy): Papers: Borders, Daily Details, Exclusive Pattern; 6x8 Paper Pad, Fundamentals Stickers; Puffy Icon Stickers; Epoxy Stickers; Tiny Text: Faithful; Enamel Dots: Milk White, Bell Pepper, Blueberry, Guacamole, Ice; Puffy Heart Stickers: Blueberry Mix.

Find Stephanie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

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Jamie Pate worked with Secrets of the Sea (Boy) to create this super cute mini card album! Make sure to follow Jamie to see all of the details of her project!

Secrets Of The Sea (Boy): Papers: Seashore, Borders, Dancing Jellies; Fundamentals Stickers; Paper Pieces.

Find Jamie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram I Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter

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Leanne Allinson focused on the delightful blues and greens for the page she created using Secrets of the Sea (Boy) and we love the results! That vertical cascade of sea creatures is just too cute!

Secrets of the Sea (Boy) Papers: Seashore, Daily Details; Paper Pieces; Designer Clips; Puffy Stickers; 6x8 Paper Pad. Tiny Text Alphabets : Rainy Day Tiny Text, White Tiny Text; Wonky Alpha Puffy Stickers: Pickle Juice; Puffy Stars Stickers: Pickle Juice Mix, Ice Mix; Enamel Dots: Ice; Illustrated Faith: Home Spun #: Oh My Heavens; Water Colors.

Find Leanne's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook

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Laurie Schmidlin created a fantastic birthday duo - invitation and treat container using Secrets of the Sea (Boy) and it's just darling! We would love to go to that sea adventure-themed birthday party for sure!

Secrets of the Sea (Boy) : Paper: Finding Fishies, Exclusive Collection Bonus Pattern;  6 x 8 Paper Pad, Paper Pieces, High Tide Washi Tape, Puffy Stickers Icons
Puffy Stars Stickers: Ice Blue Mix, Blueberry Mix. Wonky Alpha Puffy Stickers: Ice. IF Epoxy Stickers: Oh My Heavens Mix Mini Hexies

Find Laurie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:
Instagram  | Facebook | Pinterest

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Make sure to follow all of our Social Media team to see the latest projects from these talented designers! And follow along with us on the Bella Blvd Instagram feed to find even more inspiration!

Guest Designer | Nancy Damiano

Hey there Bella fans! I'm Nancy Damiano, married mom to one boy named Nico and favorite Aunt to a little troop of nieces and nephews. They are a huge part of our lives and scrapbooks. I love a good story (listening to one, telling one, or reading one), traveling and anything aqua.I've been working with color and creating handmade things most of my life.  Scrapbooking took center stage as my favorite hobby 15 years ago. I've been mixing paper goods and stories ever since. Currently I design for American Crafts, Elle's Studio, Felicity Jane and Studio Calico. I believe in living a creative life and 'making' is a huge part of who I am.

Let's take a closer look at the Popsicles and Pandas collection. I have to admit, it was the first one I reached for when I got my designer box. The bright color palette and patterns are so much fun to design with. I loved the patterns so much, I used almost every single one!
"Summer Family" by Nancy Damiano

To create a cohesive design with so many patterns, I chose one basic shape to work with. The hearts tie the design together and keep it from looking chaotic. I kept the photos simple in black and white so that they would really stand out from all of the color. 
This clean yellow alpha sticker is just bold enough to anchor the journaling strips just underneath. I added a navy epoxy sticker and the script "summer" subtitle for a punch of contrast. Using different alphabet sizes and fonts makes for interesting titles.

 

Next, we have the Barnyard collection with it's charming farm motif. It immediately reminded me of this old photo that I have of my son at a local farm. I wanted to tell the story of this very urban kid and his love of all things farm.
"Farm Boy" by Nancy Damiano

​I love this cow print patterned paper and what better way to set off it's boldness than with a splash of yellow! That bold design choice led to the next - lining everything up along the center of the page.
​I was determined to use as many of the cute shapes and embellishments in this collection as I could. Making clusters to surround the photo, was a great way to showcase both the photo and the embellishments. I didn't want to take away from the vertical line of embellishments, so the title is very small and tucked just above the journaling. The story is told in strips that cascade down the page. It's the words that complete the design!

​Last, we have another favorite - Secrets of the Sea! I love the boldness of navy, aqua and orange so I decided to go with a minimalist design and divide the page into six sections.
"Splash" by Nancy Damiano

Each rectangle is filled with journaling, stickers, and patterned paper. The square photos are embellished with the waves and fish stickers in the collection to give them some weight and draw the eye to the focal point.
The design is divided in half with the Secrets of the Sea wide washi tape in the center. It adds a nice splash of navy to the layout. The journaling card is very simple with just a puffy title sticker in bold colors and a few clear enamel dots. It's clean and simple just like the rest of the design. Minimalist doesn't have to mean boring!
That wraps up my guest design post. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have gleaned a few new ideas you'd like to try. Check out all of the Bella Blvd collections - they are perfect for telling all of your life stories!

If you'd like to see more of my work, or just drop by and say hello, you can find me at:

Blog:  www.thepaperorchard.blogspot.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nancydamiano

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ThePaperOrchard