Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Cap & Gown | Sarah Millerhouse

Hello, Bella Blvd friends! It's Sarah Millerhouse here, and I am excited to share my first layout featuring the beautiful Cap & Gown collection! 

I absolutely loved digging into this beautiful collection! The patterns and embellishments are truly fantastic! I started by creating the blocks of patterned paper across the middle of my layout. I cut the blocks 4 inches tall by 3 inches wide, and I distressed the edges of each block. I layered these on top of one of the black patterned papers. This contrast helped the patterned papers make a statement! 

Above and below this strip of paper across the middle, I added Distress Ink and Distress Oxides in Salvaged Patina to create a pop of color. I used a star stencil from my stash and Distress Oxide in Broken China to add the stars to the background. 

I added my sweet photos from my son's pre-k graduation, and I backed those with the same black patterned paper. Below the photos, I used Ciao Chip pieces to create my title and add detailing to this area. I placed puffy stickers below the title and on my photo. I love the dimension this adds!

Above my photos, I added all the great stars from this collection! I love the silver foiling found on so many of the embellishments and how rich they make the layout feel.

I created a shaker pocket using a star cut on my Cricut and the silver foiled Clear Cut found in the collection! I filled it with the sequin mix that is jam packed with sparkle and shine! I love that it makes the page interactive and so much fun for my kids to turn in our album!

I added a few more embellishments and pieces of ephemera. I also used Liquid Pearls in coordinating colors to add a little more shine around the embellishment clusters. I finished the layout by adding my journaling about this sweet memory!

I loved featuring the Cap & Gown collection on this layout that captured such an important memory for our family! I hope you enjoy creating with it as much as I did! I hope you have a beautiful day!! 

Products Used: Cap & Gown - Patterned paper, Clear Cuts, Sequin Mix, Ciao Chip, Puffy Stickers, Bella Pops, Ephemera

 

Tiny Tots 2.0 | Sarah

Hello, Bella friends! I hope you are all doing well, and I certainly hope you get some time to get crafty very soon. Anyway, it's me Sarah (@redoaklines) hosting today's blog post, and I'm excited to share a layout using the adorable Tiny Tots 2.0 collection. If you haven't already seen it, you're missing out! It's the cutest collection I have seen this year!

Here's how I felt inspired to use it:

I started out with the grid background on one of the Bella Blvd patterned papers from this collection. I wanted to add a splash of color, so I added watercolor droplets to it. I, of course, followed the colors of the rainbow.

Sticking with the rainbow colors, I used the solid rainbow striped patterned paper from the Tiny Tots 2.0 collection behind a Bella Blvd Cut-Outs.

I tilted the "Learn and Play" title and added my photo to give my layout a fun, playful look. What do you think of that angled look? I think it's a great way to change up how you place Bella Cut-Outs.

Some simple ways to embellish your photo is by adding a mat behind it using any coordinating patterned papers, as well as layering some Doohickey stickers and Ephemera Icons.

To embellish my Cut-Outs title, I added some little bits and pieces from my Ephemera Icons pack. I mainly looked for the stars and added them to some of the letters. I used foam adhesive to add dimension to my page.

When I saw the lions in the Ephemera Icons pack, I knew I wanted to use it on this 12x12 layout. They're adorable, and it felt like it fit perfectly with this playful project. There are other adorable animals in the Ephemera Icons pack such as zebras, turtles, giraffes, just to name a few. 

For my journaling, I printed on a vellum sheet of paper. I then added some die cuts below to help add more color to my page. 

And that's all I have for today! Isn't the Tiny Tots 2.0 collection just the cutuest?! I love that it's a great collection for those baby/toddler photos, but it can also be used to document just about anything. I plan to use it on a dog layout next. Go figure, hehe.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and follow along!

Until next time,

Sarah.

Bella Blvd Supplies Used: 

Tiny Tots 2.0: Patterned Papers, Cut-Outs, Ephemera Icons, Doohickey Sticker Sheet, Epoxy Stickers

Squeeze the Day: A Touch of Paint

Hi, Bella friends! It's me Sarah (@redoaklines) hosting today's blog post, and I'm here to share a layout using the Squeeze the Day collection. I have loved seeing what the other designers have been posting this week using this collection.

Here's what I created:

I mainly focused on using an assortment of the patterned papers from the oh-so-sweet Squeeze the Day collection. I started with creating a handful of pennant/flags to add to the top and bottom of the 12x12 black polka-dot background. Then, I decided to use acrylic paint to help my photo stand out.

Once my paint was dry, I added some 1.5in x 1.5in squares that I cut up using patterned papers from Squeeze the Day. I arranged them into a grid-like pattern. On top of each square, I added a fun embellishment; I used Doohickey stickers, Ephemera Icons, and Ciao Chipboards. Then, I matted my photo and placed it as my focal point.

I used Ciao Chipboards for the "You're So Sweet" title.

Lastly, I added Bella Pops to embellish the title. I love that Bella pops easily add that extra dimension that your project might just need.

That's all I have for today! I hope that I've inspired you in some way today. Maybe you're inspired to use some of that fruity Squeeze the Day collection! If you do end up creating something, we'd love to see it! Please feel free to share with us on all of Bella's socials by tagging us! We'd love to see what you create: Use the hashtag #bellablvd so we can find you!

As always, thanks for letting me share my work with you today, and thanks for following along.

Until next time,

Sarah.

Bella Blvd Supplies Used: 

Squeeze the Day: Patterned Papers, Ephemera Icons, Ciao Chipboards, Doohickey Sticker Sheet, Bella Pops.

National Dog Moms Day | Brianna Lepper

Hey friends!  Brianna Lepper here with a layout to celebrate May 14th! What was May 14th you ask!? National Dog Moms Day!! Happy National Dog Moms Day to my fellow dog Mamas!  I was so excited to be able to create a layout for this special day since I have three furry babies of my own.  I documented this photo of me and my dog Pippa using the Cooper collection.  Here's my layout, don't forget to check out my process video at the end of this post: 

I chose to use the Faithful Friend Cut Out and picked the heart/paw print design.  I decided to use this specific one as both a stencil and layering piece on my page.  When I've sprayed Cut Outs or cut files in the past, I've always liked the way the scrap paper looked after I had sprayed it.  So, before I sprayed the Cut Out, I decided to position it in a permanent place so that I could layer the Cut Out right back on it after everything was finished drying.  

To start, I took out my Shimmerz Paints sprays in bright and happy colors and sprayed them on in rainbow order.  Starting with pink, working my way to peach, yellow, green and blue.  

I embellished tone on tone using the Ephemera Words and Icons packs.  

Here's a shot of the green and yellow portions of the page.  

I popped up the entire Cut Out on foam tape so it was fun to tuck and layer things into it.  This collection has the cutest phrase pieces and it was so much fun to embellish.  

To finish off this layout, I added in some Epoxy Hearts and Matte Enamel Dots.  I love how colorful this page turned out!  Not a bad way to celebrate and document being a Dog Mom!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope that I've inspired you in some way today!  I hope you're able to spend the day loving on your furry babies!  

Bella Blvd Supplies Used: 

Cooper Collection: Cut Outs, Ephemera Icons and Words, Epoxy Hearts and Matte Enamels.  

 

 

Tiny Tots 2.0 + Cut Outs Week, Day 1 | Sarah

Hello, Bella friends! Hope your weekend was swell and you're off to a great Monday! It's me Sarah (@redoaklines) back on the blog, and I'm excited to be sharing another layout that I created using the oh-so-cute Tiny Tots 2.0 coupled with the signature Bella Cut-Outs.

Here's a simple and colorful layout that I created:

I'm in love with these Bella Cut-Outs! They're a quick and easy alternative to fussy cutting or even to using a die cutting machine. Honestly, all you have to do is add paper behind the Cut Out and viola! It's as simple as that. With all of the bright and cheery patterned papers from this new Tiny Tots 2.0 collection, it's perfection.

In addition to the pattered papers, I used photos behind my Cut-Out. I thought it would be a cute way to frame and display these photos from when my girls were toddlers. I love how it turned out!

If you look closely, did you happen to notice the black doodling I added to the letters? This is an easy and fun way to dress up those Bella Cut-Outs. I love that it makes it stand out from the white background too.

To embellish my "Adorbs" title, I added some Doohickey stickers and Ciao Chips to give it a nice, finished look.

Lastly, I like to add a date/year to my layouts, so I can look back and remember when my photos were taken. Here, I used some of the numbers from the Tiny Tots 2.0 Doohickey sticker sheet. I love that each Bella collection has letters/numbers on the Doohickey sheet that coordinate with the collection. It makes color matching so easy!

Okay, that's all I have for today! I hope that I've inspired you in some way today. If you haven't already, I hope you get a chance to try out these Cut Outs. I'm a huge fan because they're so cute and easy to use. If you create something using Bella products, we'd love to see it. Tag us on social media with #bellablvd or #bellablvdllc. 

Until next time,

Sarah.

 

Bella Blvd Supplies Used: 

Tiny Tots 2.0: Patterned Papers, Doohickey Sticker Sheet, Cut-Outs, Epoxy Stickers, Clear Cuts

 

Let Us Adore Him + Cut Files Week- Day 2 | Sarah Millerhouse

Happy, Happy New Year! I am excited to share this layout with you today! I was inspired by all the love I feel at this time of year, and I loved using the Let us Adore Him collection, along with Bella Blvd cut files, to help bring this message forward in my layout. 

I started by blending distress oxides on the background in colors that coordinate with this collection (picked raspberry, candied apple, mustard seed, mowed lawn, salvaged patina, & prize ribbon). I then added splatters of these same colors using distress ink. I added the striped pattern paper on the far right side of the layout. I distressed the edges of that before I glued it down. 

I then used the Scattered Hearts Background cut file to anchor my layout. I cut this out of the striped paper with an offset layer in white. The white layer helps the cut file stand out from the background. 

I added my sweet photos capturing a couple of our favorite Christmas Eve traditions. Above the photos, I added a cluster of hearts. I cut three hearts out of patterned paper and distressed the edges of those. I also cut one heart from the background cut file and sliced it out on my Cricut. I enlarged that to turn it into a shaker pocket. I filled it with lots of sequins and shiny bits that coordinate with the colors in this collection. 

Above the photos, I also added a few phrases from the collection. Two are stickers from the Doohickey sheet and one is cut out of the Borders patterned paper. I placed a few enamel dots and a Cute Clip Festive bow to finish off that section. 

Below the photos, I used two cut files to create the title. The Merry Word cut file I cut in two layers of white. I left the back layer white and used distress oxides (in the same colors as the background) to blend across the top. I love how happy this merry word looks! I also cut the Memories cut file and used the contour tool in Cricut to back it. I added a few more phrases from the Borders patterned paper, enamel dots, and my journaling to finish up this layout. 

As an added bonus for my Christmas album, I made this tree by cutting a giant triangle and covered it in phrases, capturing our favorite Christmas Eve traditions, to coordinate with the layout above! I made the phrases using a combination of Let Us Adore Him ephemera, Doohickey stickers, words I typed up to match, puffy stickers, patterned paper, and Florence Alphas. I popped each phrase up using a little bit of foam. At the top, I created a cluster of stars using Trinkets Puffy Stickers. The insert is just over 8 in. wide. I simply used a 12 x 12 plastic sleeve, put my page in it, all the way to the left, and trimmed off the excess part of the sleeve. I used the red trim and some hand-stitching to close up the side. On the back, I added a few more photos of our traditions. 

I hope these pages have inspired you in some way! Happy creating! 

Let Us Adore Him Week Day 1 | Sarah

Happy Monday! I am excited to share another layout with you using the Let Us Adore Him collection! 

For this layout, I was inspired by the idea of light. As I was using a sweet photo from Christmas Eve a couple of years ago, I wanted to bring in the elements that make Christmas Eve so special to me, and light stood out in my mind. I love the idea of stars representing light, so I wanted that to be the focus of the layout. 

I started by cutting stars using the shapes option in the Cricut software and the offset tool to add a layer. By making the stars double layered, I was able to incorporate lots of patterned papers! I focused on using patterns with a dominant color in the forefront and the more multicolored patterns as the back layer. I also distressed the edges of each star. 

Once I had a general idea of where I wanted the stars and photo, I traced around them and lifted them up so that I could create the background. I started by using distress oxides and an ink blending tool to give each star a halo in a coordinating color. I then used distress inks in their liquid form (distress reinkers) to add another layer of color. Once that dried, I used the Bella Blvd Seeing Stars cut file as a stencil to add more stars around each color cluster. 

When the background was dry, I put the stars back on the page and used adhesive foam to pop them up and add a little dimension. I placed my photo on the page with a couple of patterned paper mats with distressed edges. 

I then got busy adding some embellishments around the page. I used stars from the puffy stickers in this collection and a few stars from the Trinkets puffy stickers in coordinating colors. I also added some phrase stickers from the Doohickey sheet and a couple of phrases from the ephemera found in the collection.

I used the Florence Alphas in coordinating colors to build my title above and below the stars. I love how these letters look on the page! I added a few enamel dots and my journaling, and I called it done! 

I hope this layout inspires you to create something special to capture your Christmas memories! 

 

Monsters & Friends Week Day 4 | Sarah Millerhouse

I am excited to be back with you today to share another Halloween layout made with the Monsters & Friends collection! I love the bright colors and beautiful patterned papers in the collection. 

For this layout, I started with the chunky striped patterned paper going down the page, offset to the left. I cut the stripes apart and distressed the edges. Before I glued them down, I added several layers of distress inks coordinating with the color that would sit on top of it. I added splatters in the same colors. 

Once the inks dried, I added splatters of white acrylic paint with just a touch of water added. By adding a little water, it helps to lift a little of the distress ink  pigment into the paint and add to the layered look. 

I then added the Bella Blvd Spider Web cut file, cut to 8.5 inches, to accentuate the spider carving featured in my photos. I used the contour tool in the Cricut software to fill the layers of the web with coordinating patterned papers from the collection. At the center of the web, I added an ephemera piece from the collection that features a spider. 

I added my sweet photos and embellished above and below them with several stickers from the Doohickey sheet from the collection. I added my title below the photos using the Aria Alphabets in black, orange, and plum, a Ciao Chip piece from the Sweet & Spooky collection, and an acrylic word piece. I embellished around it with arrows from the orange and plum Trinkets, matte enamels, washi tape, and a sticker from the DooHickey sheet popped up on foam. 

I added a few more Ciao Chip pieces from the Sweet & Spooky collection above the web, added several clusters of matte enamels around the page, and finished by adding glitter here and there around the layout! 

I hope this layout inspires you in some way and gets you in a spooky mood!!

Products Used:

Monsters & Friends: Patterned Paper, Ephemera, Matte Enamels, Doohickey

Sweet & Spooky: Ciao Chip

Aria Puffy Alphas: Plum, Black, & Orange 

Trinkets: Orange and Plum

Acrylic Word: Perfect

Monsters & Friends + LARGE Titles Day 1 | Sarah

Happy Monday! I’m excited to share this layout using the Monster & Friends collection! 

I started by using the Pumpkins cutfile. I cut it extra large to fill the page! I then picked patterned papers from the collection to add to the pumpkin. I cut them in 1.5 inch squares and distressed the edges. I folded the corners into the center of the square. I then glued them to the pumpkin on the diagonal, making sure to mix the patterns.

I then created the background. I started with the black and white print paper from the collection. I added distress oxides using a foam ink applicator to make a glow around where I knew the pumpkin would go. I added splatters of distress inks and black and white acrylic paint. 

I glued the pumpkin to the page. I dressed up the black stem with hand-stitching using black embroidery floss. I added the leaf and swirls from the cutfile. I then coated them with glimmer paste to give them some extra sparkle. 

I finished the page by adding the “Happy” and “Halloween” acrylic words and embellishments from the collection!

 

 

I hope this layout inspires you in some way!! Have a great week!
Bella Blvd Products Used:

Monsters & Friends : paper and ephemera

Sweet & Spooky: acrylic word - "Halloween"

Wish Big: acrylic word - "Happy"

 

Fall & Cut File Week Day 1 | Sarah M

I am so excited that fall is finally here! One of our most favorite activities to do as a family when fall arrives is to go to the pumpkin patch at our church and pick out pumpkins! We bring them home and work together to carve them, and the kids are simultaneously grossed out and fascinated by cleaning all the yuck out of the pumpkins! For this layout, I wanted to capture this fun memory of the start of fall for our family. 

I have used four Bella Blvd cut files for this layout: Family Fun, Smiley Pumpkin, Flower Pumpkin, and Leaves.

For the Family Fun cut file, I used the offset tool in the Cricut software to create the purple layer, and I used the Contour tool to cut the word FUN. I was able to distress the edges and pop that word up. To finish the look of this cut file, I added dots of green glitter the word family and a layer of orange glitter to the word fun. Adding these details helps it to stand out on the page!

For the Smiley Pumpkin and Flower Pumpkin, I cut them in matching colors and layered them up on the page. I distressed the edges of the pumpkins to match the background of the layout. I also added orange dots of glitter to the rim of the pumpkins, and I added some jewels and glitter around the outside of them to match the layer they were sitting on. I love how this draws your eyes to the pumpkins! 

For the Leaves, I cut those in coordinating colors with the pumpkins and background. The cut file itself has several layers, so it was easy to give the leaves dimension and interest. There is a tiny stem and veining piece of the cut file, but I attached this to the back of the leaf and used black thread that I hand-stitched to add the veins to the leaves. I love the texture this gives to the layout. 

For the center background of the page, I used patterned papers from the Besties, Oh My Stars, To the Moon, and You Are My Sunshine collections. I pulled patterns in purples, greens, yellows, and oranges. I cut small strips in varying heights and 4 3/4 inches long, heavily distressed the edges, and stacked them going down the page. To the left of that layer, I used distress inks in coordinating colors to peek out from underneath. I also added splatters of white acrylic paint. I love the messiness this adds to the page!

On the left side of the layout, I added a few more strips of paper to balance the page. I am so happy with all the fall colors and the way the cut files and patterns helped me capture this sweet memory for our family! I hope this inspires you in some way!

Mood Board Week Day 1 | Sarah

Happy fall! I absolutely love the mood board this month and the fall colors and themes! I’ve been ready to break out the pumpkins and sweaters for months, and I’m thrilled it’s finally here! 

For this layout, I was especially inspired by the colors in the mood board.

I love that circle image, and I wanted to incorporate those colors and a circle somehow. I started by gathering the colors I wanted to use. I pulled greens, oranges, yellows, and blues from several Bella Blvd collections: You Are My Sunshine, My Candy Girl, To the Moon, and Bella Besties. I also threw in a brown and grey while I was trying to incorporate the colors I saw in the mood board. I decided to use all of the beautiful papers to build a central circle on my page. I cut a circle out of scrap paper to use as the foundation. I hand cut triangles out of each pattern and tried to vary the sizes a bit. I wanted the visual texture and dimension the varied sizes add. I then distressed the edges of each piece and placed them around the circle, paying attention to the direction of the patterns (ex. I wanted hearts facing the correct direction). Once I was happy with how it looked, I glued them down to the circle. 

I then grabbed my background paper and lightly traced where I wanted the circle to go. I also quickly jotted down where each color was going to be behind the circle. I set it to the side and played with coordinating distress inks on my background. I love the messiness and depth the inks add to the layout. I tried to match the shades of inks to where each patterned paper would be. Once I was happy with that, I put my circle back down on the center of the page. 

I used two Bella Blvd cutfiles to tuck around my sweet pumpkin patch photos and emphasize the fall theme. The pumpkins add to the feel of my photos, and the leaves add texture to the scene. I added glitter to the pumpkins for a little shimmer and shine. I love the layers of the cutfiles and how they bring in more of those fall colors. 

I created my title out of phrases cut from patterned papers from the My Candy Girl Collection. I also added a few embellishments from the collections and finished the layout by adding my journaling to the bottom of the layout and white acrylic splatters around the page. 

I hope this layout inspires you in some way, and I’m wishing cooler weather upon all of you (especially my fellow Texans)!!