Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Monthly Illustrated Faith Round Up

Happy Tuesday friends. Today we are bringing you some inspiration from our friends over at Illustrated Faith and their blog.

This past month has had their team busily documenting their faith in a variety of beautiful ways and we wanted to share their inspiring creations with you.

 

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Teen Topic: Forgiveness

Illustrated Faith Delight in His Day Cardstock Stickers, Clear Cut Pads; Illustrated Faith Wordfetti Stickers;Illustrated Faith Criss Cross Washi Tape; Illustrated Faith Date It Stamp, Book It Stamp; Illustrated Faith Black Eyed Pea Ink Pad; Illustrated Faith Be Bold Bible Mat. 

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Worth the Wait | Small Beginnings

 Illustrated Faith Precision Pen Pack; Illustrated Faith Seeds of Refuge Washi Tape;Illustrated Faith Eve's Mix Cute Clips;Illustrated Faith She Blooms Mixed Enamel Hearts.

  

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Memory Keeping: Faith Edition | In Quiet Times

 
Illustrated Faith Bright & Brave Collection Kit, Paper Pieces;Illustrated Faith Bananas For You Alphas;Illustrated Faith Black Eyed Pea Ink Pad; Illustrated Faith Criss Cross Washi Tape;Illustrated Faith His Promise Stickers; Bella Blvd Puffy Stars/Black. 

 

 

Make sure to head to the Illustrated Faith blog to check out the full articles and many, many more!

Social Media Weekly Round Up!

Happy Thursday, friends! Today we are sharing projects from our Social Media team using the super versatile Clear Cuts transparencies in the Illustrated Faith and Bella Blvd collections. 

First up is Stephanie's rainbow of fun with this darling page featuring her new puppy. The Clear Cuts layered up and in rainbow order add colorful interest and direction for the eye towards her darling photos. We just love how she also included a Clear Cut sentiment in her title work, too! So fun!

Cleat Cuts Pad: You Are Loved, Geo, Delight In His Day, Day To Day, Delight In His Day: Top Notch, Borders; Seeds Of Faith: Isaiah 40:8, Birds of a Feather, Isaiah 35:2; She Blooms: B&W Floral Stripe; Family Foever: Trinkets; Rover: Trinkets; Riley: Trinkets; Puffy Star Stickers: Oreo Black; Enamel Dots: Punch, Bell Pepper, Guacamole, Ice; Tiny Text: Black, White, Fruit Punch, Wild Berries, Pretty Boy; Big & Bold Alphabet Stickers: Black Eyed Pea.

Find Stephanie's inspiration and projects throughout her Social Media here:

Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

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Next up, Leanne created this fab-"dab" page showcasing her son doing the famous move and showing her love by using Clear Cuts and papers in the large die cut heart in the center. (Hint: Check out Leanne's social media for a video close up of that fabulous heart!!) Love it!

Make Your Mark: 6x8 Clear Cuts Pad, 6x8 Paper Pad, Fundamentals, Paper Pieces; Oh My Stars: Fundamentals; Tiny Text Alphabets: Black Tiny Text; Illustrated Faith Enamel Hearts: She Blooms Mix; You Are Loved: Hearts & Kisses.

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

Thanks so much for joining us today, friends! 

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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!

 

Clear Cuts Process Video With Gail

Hello again! I'm excited to share another process video with you to kick start your week! This week we are all about the Clear Cuts - transparent elements to add to your projects! Please check out the video below (also on the Bella Blvd YouTube Channel).

Backing open areas of cut files is not a new technique but I was inspired to use the Clear Cuts to back mine! I love that it shows the bright, bold color of the Clear Cut but also keeps it fresh and light because the white cardstock background is showing through! The pie-heart cut file I used gave me opportunity to use lots of patterns! 

This is such a bright and fun layout with a small nod to 'wonderland'! I ended up using elements from a few different collections - both from Bella Blvd and Illustrated Faith.

I couldn't be more happy with how the Clear Cuts look with that cut file! In real life it's even better as it has that shine to it! I'm thinking next time I could even add some sequins in behind like a shaker!

As always, thank you so much for popping by the blog today and I hope you enjoy the process video! Grab out your Clear Cuts and get creating as they add such a fun element to your projects!

 

Popsicles & Pandas: Panda Life; Make Your Mark: Break Rules Washi; IF Delight In His Day: Clear Cuts Pad, Fundamentals Stickers, 6x8 Paper Pad; IF Seeds of Faith: Clear Cuts Pad; IF Basics: Day To Day Clear Cuts Pad, Crosses Clear Cuts Pad, Date It Roller Stamp, Daily Paper Pieces, Bananas For You Enamel Hearts; Tiny Text: Bold & Beautiful

 

 

 

Make Your Mark & Choose Joy Bible Journaling Entry!

Happy Sunday, lovely! I hope today has been a day of rest and worship for your soul! 

Today I wanted to share how I use a regular scrapbook collection (not faith-based) in my Bible journaling! The honest fact is when I first started Bible journaling there weren't all these beautiful faith based products to choose from so I often reached for my favorite scrapbooking collections! 

For today's post, I wanted to start from inspiration found directly in the collection. Yes, I often like to start with a devotional, prayer, worship song, sermon notes etc.... but sometimes you just need to allow the things around you to inspire you. I think something to remember is that anything that gets you digging in the word is a good thing! 

I was just DROOLING the first time I saw the Make Your Mark Collection. I secretly thought that Bella had designed it just to make me swoon! HA! :) I just love the artistic look, the hand lettering and the beautiful amazing colors! It's all just WOW! As I flipped through the gold clear cuts ( #hearteyes ) I saw the "Today I choose Joy" and automatically thought of James. 

Now, some of you may be thinking, but what if I don't automatically think of something? That is ok, google is your friend! I am often googling things like "Bible verses about joy" don't be afraid to do a little research! 

I decided to use this whole page in my Bible so I washi taped it into the gutter of my Bible using some gold washi tape.  This allow the page to flip and since a majority of the page is clear I am still able to see both pages which is awesome! I also REALLY love the floral paper in this collection and it brings me GREAT joy! :) So I decided to fussy cut (my friend Tracie tells me fussy cutting is "back in" so it's cool! I'm cool. ) some of the florals out keeping the straight edge of the paper in mind as I wanted to use it as a tip-in (again using WASHI!!! This is why we need #allthewashi! ) 

Once I had the florals attached I knew I could use the flap for any hidden journaling I had on my heart, but I felt like something was missing. Paint! OF COURSE, we need to use PAINT with the Make Your Mark collection! My friend Elaine has been applying her paint with a baby wipe and I LOVE that look so I decided to break out the wipes! I love the dreamy look this application gives you! I just add a dab of paint to the wipe and with my finger drag it across the page where you would like it. I found that this process still allows you to read the text under it! 

I LOVE how this turned out, and to be honest, it brings me GREAT joy! I used the designer clips at the top along with a tab from the fundamental stickers ( I love a layered tab, how about you?). You may notice I didn't journal on the left page, I have left that blank (outside of matching design) for when I work on those verses.  Another little tip: you can easily use a sticker to cut the designer clips, I cut a little fish tail out of mine and fell in love all over again! 

I hope your day is FULL OF GREAT joy!! I want to see how you are using your favorite Bella Blvd collections in your Bible!!

Bella Blvd Make Your Mark: 6x8 Pad, Clear Cut Pad, Designer Clips , Fundamental Stickers;Illustrated Faith Basics; Criss Cross Black and White Washi, Journaling Pen 

Creating Cork Embellishments with Clear Stamps

Happy Friday, Bella Friends! Jana Eubank here. This week I wanted to try something different with my stamps, so I decided to create my own cork embellishments by stamping on sheets of cork using the Illustrated Faith Delight In His Day and Seeds of Faith Clear Stamps. First, here is a look at how the page turned out!

I used the stamps along with red, blue, and lime green ink to stamp the image on thin sheets of cork from my stash.

Next, I used various circle punches to punch them out. I flipped the punch over, so that I could view the stamped images through the window and align them in the way I wanted them to appear on each individual circle.

I repeated this process with several images until I had punched out a variety of sizes of circles.

Now it was time to start designing my layout. I began by selecting and placing the circles on my page.

I decided to sprinkle the circles in a cascading manner down the right side of my page. Then I would place my photo, title, and journaling on the left side of the layout. Once I had the basic design figured out, I went back and added spray mist and puffy stickers to fill in the spaces around the circles.

I used one photo on this page, using several patterned papers and a sheet from the Crosses 6x8 Clear Cuts Pad as mats and layers. I anchored the photo on two layered vertical strips of patterned paper.

In the top left corner of the photo, I added a Designer Clip and then embellished around that with more Milk White Puffy Star Stickers, and an arrow and phrase sticker from the Fundamentals Sticker sheet.

Below the photo, I placed my title and journaling. The title was created with the "Today" acrylic word and the letter stickers from the Fundamentals Sticker Sheet. I wanted to do a page about how I am feeling about myself and my life currently, so I titled this page "Today I Am..." I followed the title up with a few descriptive words typed on my computer, along with the date.

Here is a closer look at the mist, puffy stickers, and stamped cork on the right side of the page.

A line of machine stitching around the page finishes everything off!

Have you thought about using your stamps on something other than paper? I used them on cork for today's project, but I think it would also be fun to try other mediums like foam sheets, clay, metal, acetate, etc. Give it a try! It's easy and I think you will be pleased with the results!

IF - Delight In His Day Clear Stamps; IF - Seeds of Faith Clear Stamps; IF - Delight In His Day Collection: Just the Ticket Paper, Raise Me Up Paper, Topnotch Paper, Sprinkled with Bliss Paper, Borders Paper, Fundamentals Stickers, Designer Clips; Crosses 6x8 Clear Cuts Pad; Puffy Crosses Stickers (Oh My Heavens); Puffy Stars Stickers (Milk White, Pickle Juice, McIntosh Mix); Acrylic Words (Embrace Today)

 

Happy Thursday everyone! This week our social media team has been busy creating projects using the all the wonderful clear stamps that our Illustrated Faith collections have to offer!

First up, Laurie created two cards showcasing her passion for stamping and magical techniques. Just look at the resist she created using the feather stamp from the Seeds of Faith stamp set. That background is just dreamy! And the rainbow borders in her second card using the stamps from Delight in His Day just sing happiness!

IF Seeds of Faith: Puffy Stickers, Paper Pieces, Clear Stamps, Fundamentals

IF Delight in His Day: 6 x 8 Paper Pad, Clear Stamp Set, Paper Pieces, Puffy Stickers. IF Epoxy Mini Hexies Stickers: Oh My Heavens Mix, Bless Her Heart Mix, Olive You Mix, Bananas For You Mix.
 

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

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Next up, Jamie created a wonderful faith-based travelers notebook featuring the Homespun Alphas and Numbers stamps in her titles. She then used several additional sets to create a customized book meant just for her own personal inspiration and individual documenting. Love it!

Illustrated Faith: Stamps: Homespun Numbers, Homespun Alphabet, Icons, You Are Loved. Everyday Icons Cardstock Stickers. Basics 6x8 Paper Pad. Bella Blvd: Make Your Mark Break Rules Washi.

 

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

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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!

 

Tips & How To's for Digital Designing with Sabrina

Hi! This is Sabrina from the Digital Bella Blvd Team. Today I am going to show you a quick and easy way to make your own digital brushes using papers from a Bella Blvd kit and it makes for a beautiful watercolor looking page that is all digital!! 

Let's get started
Step 1: Pick your canvas size. For this project I went with a 8x10 size in case I want to print my project later on and then put in my craft space. Follow these steps File >> New >> Blank File >> Enter Size You want >>> width 8 inches, height 10 inches and resolution 300 pixels/inch

Step 2:Find the Custom Shape Tool and right click. A drop down window of options should appear. Select the custom shape tool. Then go to the top to select your shape. As seen in this screenshot there is a ton of different shapes to choose from. I will use different 'crop shapes' to create the various paint brush
strokes.

Step 3: Create your various shapes for your page.You can adjust the height and width of brushes to get the different sizes you want. Also, since you are trying to create watercolor paint strokes you want to lower the opacity of the paper. I picked between 75% to 85% to create a variance.

Step 4: Time to add in paper. You will need to grab a selection of papers to clip into the different brushes. Then clip them together using alt + a click of the mouse. Hover the mouse over the brush and paper and a black compressed circle should appear. Use alt and the mouse click to piece them together. 

Step 5: Now you can decorate the page with a quote and fun embellishments. I used the collection Make Your Mark. Here is the final page.

I hope this inspires you to stretch your digital kits and use them in new ways. I love finding creative and fun ways to get the most out of your digital supplies. 

Bella Blvd:  Make Your Mark 

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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.

Creating a Large Stamped Title with Missy

Happy Monday, friends!  Missy here, and I'm kicking off Stamps Week here on the blog.  I love incorporating stamps onto my layouts, and the Illustrated Faith Homespun Alpha Stamps are perfect for creating a large title.  I wanted to go big and bold, so I found an inspirational quote on Pinterest and made it the focus of my layout.  I used different colors of spray inks to stamp with instead of ink pads.  I wanted an artsy and messy look to the letters, and the liquid did just that.  I mostly used the Illustrated Faith Seeds of Faith collection for this, so I chose ink sprays that matched.  Once they dried, I fussy cut them out.  I cut the word "amazing" on my Cameo using a fun script font and cut it really big on the Birds of a Feather paper.

I also used this adorable open heart stamp from the Illustrated Faith Delight in His Day collection.  I overlapped them creating a few heart clusters around the page.  I layered in a few die cuts from the Illustrated Faith Basics collection and tucked some tangled thread under my photo as well.

Here you can see how awesome the watercolor stamping turned out.  I love that the letters aren't perfect.  I also love how the ends curl up.  It creates such awesome texture and dimension.  I did run the page through my sewing machine and used light pink thread to stitch through each word.  I added a few more die cuts here from the IF Basics and Seeds of Faith Paper Pieces pack.

Here I used a few pieces that I fussy cut from the IF Basics Clear Cuts pack.  This cute butterfly and flower matched so well, and I brought in a pop of that aqua by adding in some thread.  I also brought in another stamp here from the IF Icons Stamps.  I added the date to it down by my journaling.

For my background, I covered the middle area of the page with some white acrylic paint.  I used the same spray inks and watercolors here as I did with the letter stamping.  I combined the packaging technique with using my paint brush to add all that abstract color. 

The fun thing about using a big quote like this for your page is that it takes up a lot of space.  I really didn't feel like I needed to add a lot of embellishments.  The letters were design enough and provided plenty of color, interest, texture and dimension.

If you'd like to see how I put this together from start to finish, here is the process video.  I hope you enjoy and gain lots of inspiration!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by, and be sure to check the blog all week long to see more stamping inspiration and ideas!

Illustrated Faith's June Devotional Kit | Rise Up

Kristen Wolbach has been a part of the Illustrated Faith community for some time now and I must admit it has been such a blessing to watch her grow not only in her walk but also in her art! As we worked on this devotional (Rise Up) together I got to see just how IMPACTFUL her writing is and I am SO thankful she was willing to share that with us this month! Enjoy the journey!

Rise Up!—that's exactly what Kristen Wolbach encourages and challenges all to do—14 days of God's Word, along with inspiring devotionals, calling all to step out and do what God is calling us to do. 

"Join me as I share with you ways God has asked me to step out in faith—with the heart of a warrior—all while learning more about who He really is...and, that above all, we learn how to RISE UP in the name of Jesus." 
—Kristen

 

Devotional message:
Rise Up!

Sample copies:
1.  Uncontained
2.  I Object
3.  Speak Life
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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Rise Up is a perfect set for illustrating your faith and celebrating Jesus! Join contributing artist and devotional writer Kristen Wolbach 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.

 

Gold Foil: From Inspiration to Layout With Gail

Hi everyone! When the Bella Creative Team were given the task of using gorgeous gold foil pieces on a project this week, I knew just what I wanted to do. In my internet travels, I had saved an image of a cake that had some gold detail and I knew it would give me great inspiration for this project. 

I'm excited to share the layout with you today as well as a look at just how I interpreted the inspiration piece and applied it to my layout!

Would you like to take a peek at the inspiration? Well here it is, along with some text I added to show you exactly what I was taking from the inspiration.

(image source: Pinterest) 

So I came into this project knowing that I wanted a flower cluster to the left of the layout, some sort of border (with gold detail) across the layout and a gold scripted title to the bottom right of the layout!

Of course when you want gold detail on a project, you have to use the gorgeous, AMAZING Make Your Mark collection! 

For the flower cluster, I arranged several of the flower die cuts from the Paper Pieces pack. These have beautiful gold detail and I just love the very organic design of them! They were fun to cluster and I added a couple more gold pieces from the pack such as the words and hearts for even more embellishment.

I used two strips from the Borders patterned paper below my large photo. The yellow also has some beautiful gold detail! 

For my title, I had to use one of the Acrylic Words but I wanted it GOLD of course! I remembered a technique that team member Leanne Allinson shared here where she used embossing powder to transform the words! So I grabbed some gold embossing powder and it worked! The perfect gold scripted title!

I used an enlarged photo of my daughter on stage at her dance concert last year. The photo is 6.5 x 11.5" and although my daughter is clear, in the centre of the stage, I wanted a way to draw the eye to her position on the photo.

I added a couple of tag stickers from the Fundamentals sheet along with a gold arrow. The arrow isn't pointing directly at her, but in her direction so the cluster certainly does draw your eye to that area of the photo so you can see her beaming face! (I've intentionally blurred out the other faces for public sharing). 

If there was ever an occasion to add gold foil detail, it's a young girls' dance recital right? The inspiration image translated to a layout using the stunning Make Your Mark collection perfectly and my intention was to show you how I take a seemingly unrelated image and turn it into a layout! 

Now go and find inspiration!

 

Make Your Mark: Real Deal, Borders, Fundamentals Stickers, Paper Pieces, Break Rules Washi; Acrylic Words: Gratitude & Grace; IF Date It Roller Stamp