Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Winter Mini Album! | My Life 365 January | Tara Chaussee

Hi everyone! It's Tara with Secretbees Studio! I don't know about you but here in Colorado we are in the thick of winter. It's been snowing and it is freezing outside- brrr. What better way to stay warm and cozy than to be inside crafting a cute little mini album. A ring bound mini like this one, created with the My Life 365 January papers and embellishments, is simple to create and oh so cute!

There are seven pages in this mini and each page, besides the 'Winter' tag, is a bit longer than the previous one. This makes for a super appealing look when the album is all stacked together! I used a combination of the tags, journal cards and die cuts to create the pages which also include a couple of photo flips and a pocket with tags!

One of my favorite parts of this collection are the adorable penguin icons! There are many featured in this mini along with some of the other charming embellishments too!

Even though red is not necessarily a January color, there are pops of it in the papers and die cuts of the collection so I did include some of the red patterned papers from the Bella Besties collection as well! I also added in plenty of red sentiments and even a tiny heart sticker from the Luna Alphabet!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope this project brings a bit of cheer to your wintery day!

My Life 365 Collection

January patterned papers, ephemera words and icons

puffy stickers, ciao chipboard

Year in Review 2024 with My Life 365

Hiya scrappy peeps! Suzanna here today to share with you a different type of project for me; a year in review album! I love 6x8 albums and so when I was asked to create a year in review album it was a no brainer that I would use the My Life 365 collection in a 6x8 album.

Every album needs an opening page, an introduction of sorts. Here's my intro;

I used a combination of the more generic elements from the collection on one of the album inserts for this introduction. Of course, I had to have a photo of my family. It's adhered to a piece of the acrylic from the collection for a fun see through window.

There are a combination of pocket types that accompany the album and I tried to alternate between two of the types. Doodlebug albums have openings for the pockets on the left hand side of each pocket so that required a change of thought in how I approached my interactives. January has a 3x4 card that opens to a full photo below.

Consistency was key in order to get this album done in a timely fashion. There are three elements that I repeated each month; the month (either with a pocket card or ephemera piece), a list of the main occurrence's of the the month and a representative or meaningful photo for the month. Some months are single pages, others are double. The double page month's, like March below, are typically months where a lot happened; a big trip, lots of big events, etc.

Interactive elements are a big part of my memory keeping and there is no lack of those here! April's key events are underneath the wheel barrow that flips out from the page protector. And the back of the March pockets provided another place to get lots of photos of our Spring Break in Arizona. I love that each month has a holiday theme to it, like Spring and Easter for April.

July is all about Independence Day here in the USA! And there are a lot of red, white and blue options for all your 4th of July festivities!

October and Halloween are synonymous and a busy month for us. With both kids at college, I have not only my own photos but the ones that my kids send me. Mostly Mia but Nikolas does occasionally send the odd picture or two.

And, freshest in my memory, December! Christmas, of course. Keep in mind that each month is very geared to a theme so if you don't celebrate Christmas, you might find it more difficult to document with. But if you do, you're golden!

There are so many great options in the My Life 365 collection! There is a whole finished album, all 12 months (I only shared 7 of the 12 for time sake!) and I still have a plethora of goodies for more creating. I could have created twelve 12x12 pages with interactive elements and still have so much left over. You wont' regret this fun reflective look back at your year. OR you could use it for the year ahead and create a monthly overview at the end of each month. I just might have to do that with the remaining goodies from this project.

Thanks for stopping in today! See you back here next time!

Suzanna

 

 

Year Full Of Memories! | My Life 365 | Tara Chaussee

Hi everyone! It's Tara from Secretbees Studio. 2025 is just a few days away and I have some amazing inspiration to capture a years worth of memories! The new My Life 365 collection by Bella Blvd celebrates every month of the year with the most charming and adorable patterned papers and embellishments. I am so excited to show you all of the beautiful pages I have created in this mighty and full mini album. 

The patterned papers of this collection coordinate beautifully with all of the Bella Besties papers and I chose a Bella Bestie color from both the Gingham and Stripes and the Graph and Dot collections to go along with every month in the mini. The combinations you could make are endless and they will all look stunning! You will see these pretty papers throughout the mini and on the covers along with the 6x6 Graph and Dot colored papers!

I kept the format of the album fairly simple and consistent- each section has a cover page with a pocket on the back to store extra photos and mementos, two photo sleeve pages that are ready for all of your fabulous memories and a journal page to document your impressions and recollections for the month! To vary the design a bit, I created three different pocket configurations and changed up the photo sleeves and journal pages for every month. Every section is stuffed with all of the beautiful journal cards, tags and borders of the collection and decorated with all of the super cute ephemera and icons! 

One of my favorite parts of this collection are the monthly tabs in the ephemera words pack. Some are worded while others are cute patterns. They go along with the theme of each month and I used them on each of the cover pages. It's so fun to view the album from the side and see all of the colorful tabs popping out! Plus, it's an easy, and adorable, way to flip to a specific month!

 

There WILL be a tutorial on my YouTube channel very soon and possibly by the time this post goes live depending on holiday festivities! Check back frequently so you know when it's live. I think everyone should have a mini album like this one to store a years worth of memories and mementos!

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today!

 

 

Home For The Holidays! | Merry Mingle Collection | Tara Chaussee

 

Hi everyone! It's Tara with Secretbees Studio here with a sweet mini album made with the new Merry Mingle collection! This one is all about being home for Christmas and all of the fun we have there!

I was inspired by the red brick decorative house in the ephemera icons pack and created a larger cut file complete with windows for my mini album. I layered on the front house pieces using the adorable patterned papers of the collection, keeping true to the color scheme and even added in a couple of Christmas trees as well! I left the windows open to add some working tiny lights to the inside of the front cover for a charming cozy effect.

Included in the ephemera words pack of the Merry Mingle collection are all of these amazing large and colorful word dies and I wanted those to be the stars of the pages. Each page features one large word and then simple embellishments with plenty of room to tuck in one single photo or a few smaller ones!

Each of the large word dies were popped off the pages a bit and then I tucked in more of the cheery ephemera icons as well as the adorable puffy and epoxy stickers! On the Memories page, the star ornament is attached to the word with a small brad so it has some festive movement!

 

This little house album was so much fun to create and I can't wait to start filling it with my holiday photos! This Merry Mingle collection is so fabulous and I know you will find something in it to inspire your holiday crafting!

 

Merry Mingle Collection:

12 x 12 patterned paper

Ephemera Words and Icons

Puffy Stickers

Epoxy Stickers

Let's Make A Grateful Mini Album | One Fall Day Collection | Conny Craig

Hello Crafty Friends,

It's Conny from The Daily Life of Creativity. I'm thrilled to share my latest mini album using the beautiful One Fall Day Collection with you. This charming album measures 5 inches by 5.5 inches, making it the perfect size for capturing and cherishing special memories.

This week, the focus is on gratitude. I wanted to design an album that showcases the moments I'm thankful for and serves as a reflective space to appreciate all the little things that bring joy to my life. Each page is thoughtfully decorated with stunning elements from the collection, highlighting various experiences, people, and places that hold deep meaning for me.

Even more exciting is that I still have plenty of space left within the album to add more memorable moments as they arise. I can't wait to continue this journey and fill it with even more memories I hold dear.

Cut List

• (3) Chipboard Pieces covers (2) 5" x 5.5 and (1) Spine 2" x 5.5
• (2) 6.5" x 7" Mad for Plaid and Leaf pile
• (1) 3 3/4" x 7 for the spine Mad for Plaid
• (1) 5.5 "x 12" paper borders, used the side with the grateful, thankful, and blessed in small print.
• (1) 1 3/4" x 5.5 Mad for Plaid (this piece gets added at the front inside chipboard pieces since the 5.5 x 12" is not long enough.
• (1) Bella Besties Orange, 5 1/4" x 11.5" score at 5" and 6.5" (first page:
• (1) Bella besties Bell Pepper, 5 1/4" x 11" score at 5" x 6" (second Page)
• (1) Bella Besties orange paper 5 1/4" 10.5" score 5" and 5 1/2" (third page)
• Cut 5 "x 4 3/4 papers to mat the pages; I used paper from the collection.
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Instructions

To begin your project, gather the necessary chipboard pieces, which consist of two covers measuring 5" x 5.5" and one spine measuring 2" x 5.5". You will also need to prepare your decorative papers: two pieces of paper measuring 6.5" x 7" featuring the "Mad for Plaid" and "Leaf Pile" designs, along with one piece measuring 3 3/4" x 7" in the "Mad for Plaid" pattern specifically for the spine.

Step one involves wrapping the chipboard with the patterned paper. Place each chipboard piece in the center of the corresponding paper, ensuring there is approximately 3/4" of excess paper on all sides. This will allow for a neat wrap. Apply your favorite adhesive around the edges of the chipboard, then carefully fold the paper to wrap the chipboard securely. I recommend using a book cover guide tool to trim the paper at an angle on each corner to achieve clean corners. Aim to leave about 1/8" of paper extending beyond the corners to ensure that none of the chipboard is visible once the album is fully wrapped.

After the chipboard pieces are individually wrapped, it's time to join them together. You will need two strips of paper measuring 5.5" x 12". Use the side that features the words "grateful," "thankful," and "blessed" in small print for a cohesive look. Additionally, cut a strip measuring 1 3/4" x 5.5" from the "Mad for Plaid" paper, which will be adhered to the front inside section of the chipboard pieces since the longer 5.5" x 12" strips alone are not sufficient to cover the entire area.

The next task was to create the interior pages of the mini album, for which I used the "Bella Besties cardstock "Bell Pepper" and "Orange" papers in gingham and stripe patterns.

For the first page, cut a piece of orange paper to 5 1/4" x 11.5" and score it at 5" and 6.5". The second page will be made from the Bella Besties Bell Pepper paper, cut to 5 1/4" x 11" and scored at 5" and 6". For the third page, cut another piece of orange paper to 5 1/4" x 10.5" and score it at 5" and 5.5".

To assemble the pages, adhere the largest page first to the center of the spine, ensuring there is a 1/4"  on both sides. Then, add the second and third pages, ensuring they align neatly with the spine for a consistent look.

Once the pages are attached, it's time to embellish the interior of the mini album. I used various ephemera pieces and epoxy embellishments. I also incorporated several 3" x 4" photos I had previously printed. Lastly, I left some blank pages, allowing space for journaling and capturing future stories I would like to include in my album. This finished structure provides a beautiful canvas for memories and creativity!

Thank you for joining me in this crafting adventure. The process video is on my YouTube channel.
Xo Conny, I also want to say I am grateful to you! 

Halloween Mini Album | Spell On You

Crafty Friends,

I'm Conny, and today, I'm excited to share a fun project using the Bella Besties and Spell on You collection. I'll demonstrate how to create a beautiful tri-fold mini album that is perfect for beginners. The best part? You won't need any chipboard for this project. To get started, gather some 110-lb black cardstock for the base.
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Let's jump into the crafting process!

Start with an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of 110lb black cardstock and score it at 2 3/4", 3", 7", and 7 1/4". To mat the pages, you'll need the following paper sizes: 2 1/2" x 8 3/8", 3 3/4" x 8 3/8", and 3 7/8" x 8 3/8". For this project, I used the papers All Tricks no Treats, Carving Pumpkins, Hocus Pocus, and Happy Halloween. I matted these papers on both sides of the 110lb black cardstock.

After matting the patterned papers from the Spell On You collection, I cut four 3" x 4" cards and matted them on papers from Spell on You - Carving Pumpkins on the green side with the polka dots. I then added a few ephemera and chipboard pieces to create clusters to the right and left of the photo mats.

 

For the cover of my tri-fold, I used a piece of paper, all tricks, no treats, 1 1/4" x 8 1/8". On top of that, I added a 31-chipboard number, Witching Hour Bella-Pops, the Spooky Little from the Bella Besties, and a few matte enamel dots. Next to the spooky under-the-cover flap, I included a few frames that can fit 2" x 2" photos.

And that's it for this adorable mini album! Are you inspired to give this idea a try? See you all soon, Have a Haunting/Happy Halloween!
Xo Conny!

Products used : 
Bella Betties 
Spell on You Collection 
Scoreboard 
Cutting Board 

Guys Will Be Guys Mini Album | Teen Vibe Carson Collection | Tara Chaussee

Hi everyone! It's Tara with Secretbees Studio with a new project to share with you! This is my first creation with the new Teen Vibe Carson collection and it's amazing!

This mini album will not only hold great photos of your teen boy but it will also look great as shelf or desk decor! I created the easel itself from sturdy card stock and then made four pages to go along with it. Each of the pages was covered in the fabulous patterned paper of the collection and then totally decked out with all of the awesome embellishments! The cover of the album is made from the Stars Clear Cuts acetate that is included in the collection.

Each page has a side tab for easier flipping and features a spot for a photo in a mixture of sizes. The icons and ephemera were layered together with lots of the multicolored epoxy stars and dots of the collection!

 

The icons and ephemera of this collection are perfect for so many stages of a boys life! You have sports, trucks, games, fashion and of course food. I had so much fun designing these pages and adding all of the fabulous stickers, chipboard, icons and ephemera! If you are in the market for a teen boy collection, look no further- this one has it all!

 

Teen Vibe Carson Collection

12 x 12 Collection Kit

Doohickey Stickers

Ciao Chipboard

Ephemera Words

Ephemera Icons

Guy Style Bella Pops

All Star and Be Brave Epoxy Stickers

Young Man Puffy Stickers

Fun, Bro! Mini album using Teen Vibe Carson with Conny Craig

Hey Crafty Friends!

It's Conny here, I'm excited to share with you a lovely mini album that I put together using the Teen Vibe Carson collection. This mini album is a special way for me to capture and cherish some important milestones and memories of my husband. It's funny how boys never really stop being teens at heart, right? This collection perfectly captures his interests and hobbies, from his love for basketball games to his passion for playing video games and unwinding in his way. It's all about showcasing his growth and evolution as a man, leveling up in different aspects of his life every day. I love this man so much!

 

Let's get started with the cutting guide.

2 Chipboard covers measuring 4" X 5"
1 Chipboard spine measuring 5" X 1.5"
2 pieces of 110lb black cardstock 5.5" X 6 3/4"
1 piece measuring 3 1/4 X 6 3/4", Control freak paper.
1 piece of 110lb cardstock 6" X 5"
2 pieces of cardstock for inside the album to cover the chipboard measuring 3 7/8" X 4 7/8".
PAGES:
4 7/8" X 4 1/2" - Score at 1/2" - First Page
4 7/8" X 7 1/2 - Score at 4 7/8" and 4 3/8" - Second page
4 7/8" X 12" - Score at 1 7/8", 5 3/4", 6 1/4" and 10 1/8".

Instructions:

To create the book cover, I prepared the chipboard covers, which measured 4" x 5". I added double-sided tape to the covers and then carefully placed them on the heavy 110lb black cardstock. Each piece of cardstock measured 5.5" x 6 3/4", providing a perfect fit with about 3/4 of an inch of extra space all around. Using a book cover guide tool, I trimmed the corners at the proper angles and then wrapped the chipboard, resulting in a finished look similar to the one shown in the photo above.

I repeated a similar process with the chipboard spine, which measured 5" x 1.5". Instead of black cardstock, I opted for a single piece measuring 3 1/4" x 6 3/4" of Control Freak paper.

FOLLOW THE STEPS!

1. Take 1 piece of 110lb cardstock measuring 6" x 5".
2. Score the cardstock at 2 1/8" and 3 7/8".
3. Place the chipboard spine, covered with the control freak paper, in the middle of the scored cardstock, leaving about 2 1/8" on each side.
4. Trim the flaps at an angle that will be adhered to the covers. You can refer to the example photos for guidance.
5. Add double-sided tape to the flaps and also apply a small amount of liquid glue.
6. Adhere the covers to the flaps.

I covered the chipboard inside the album with black cardstock from the Bella Besties, measuring 3 7/8" X 4 7/8".

PAGES:
4 7/8" X 4 1/2" - Score at 1/2" - First Page
4 7/8" X 7 1/2 - Score at 4 7/8" and 4 3/8" - Second page
4 7/8" X 12" - Score at 1 7/8", 5 3/4", 6 1/4" and 10 1/8". Third Page

When selecting papers for the pages, you have the freedom to choose from your favorite collection. However, I have personally chosen Let's Talk and The Guys. These papers all have a 1/2" inch margin that can be adhered to the spine. Furthermore, the third page features pockets that offer flexibility in terms of layout. These pockets can be flipped in and out, and I opted to have them facing each other.

I made sure to leave the last page blank so that I could add a current photo from this month. I enhanced the photo and layered it on top of the cardstock, creating a small cluster of embellishments. That's all for now!

Thank you for stopping by, XoConny!

Supply List
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Cardstock Stickers - Doohickey
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Chipboard Stickers - Ciao
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Ephemera - Words
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Ephemera - Icons
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - 12 x 12 Collection Kit
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Epoxy Stickers - All-Star
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Puffy Stickers - Young Man
Bella Blvd - Teen Vibe Carson Collection - Epoxy Stickers - Be Brave

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Memories | Teen Vibe Caitlyn Collection | Tara Chaussee

Hi everyone! Tara here with Secretbees Studio and I have the sweetest mini album to share with you that I created using the new Teen Vibe Caitlyn Collection! This collection has the most adorable ephemera and I was especially inspired by the super cute Instax camera that is part of the ephemera icons pack. I knew instantly that I wanted to create a mini album based on this camera!

I used a cut file that I found on Etsy and modified it to look like the ephemera camera. I cut the front pieces from all of the pretty patterned papers of the collection and mounted them on heavy card stock for stability and then layered more of the charming ephemera pieces on top. I tucked in and added a few shiny and colorful epoxy stickers as well!

The camera is 1.25 " wide which leaves plenty of room for lots of goodies to go inside! I made them in varying lengths so they could all peek out of the camera just a bit! Some of the pieces are frames and some are interactive and open up or flip to reveal photo spots! All in all this amazing mini can hold at least 20 photos!

The SVG file I used was just one piece and flat but I cut both a front and back cover and them made a long strip of card stock to connect the two. It was an easy project and just think of how many teenage girls you could make happy with a mini like this! 

Thanks for visiting the blog today! Be sure and check out my Instagram page soon for a walkthrough video of all of the pieces inside this adorable mini album!

Teen Vibe Caitlyn Collection

12 x 12 patterned paper

Ephemera Words and Icons

Ciao Chip

Doohickey Stickers

Epoxy Stickers

Puffy Stickers

Bella-Pops Smile

All American Mini Album with the Fireworks and Freedom Collection!

 

Hi everyone, it's Tara with Secretbees Studio! I hope you all had a very enjoyable and safe 4th of July holiday! I'm here with some inspiration for an adorable patriotic mini album that was made with the Fireworks and Freedom collection. This collection is full of beautiful red, white and blue icons and embellishments and awesome sentiments that are perfect for this celebration!

This little fold up mini album features some foldouts, flips and a pocket and will actually hold quite a few photos! I am a sucker for the red, white and blue combo so I had a ton of fun decorating this mini and I added in some coordinating Bella Besties patterned papers along with the red hearts from Let's Scrapbook!

The cover features a large ciao chipboard word along with some festive fireworks and stars and then you open the album to reveal a heart ephemera that rotates to open a sweet photo or journaling spot. The second page is a pocket that is stuffed with some pretty embellished tags from the collection! The large fireworks ephemera pieces are just fabulous!

This next section has quite a few options for photos or journaling. The first is this double sided photo card held in place by a large decorative icon and there is room for another photo on the adjoining page which also opens up to a sweet little photo flip and an area for an extra large photo!

This is the perfect album for all of those amazing holiday photos. You can create a mini album just like this with the tutorial on my YouTube channel and fill it with your 4th of July pics! Thanks for stopping by!

Fireworks and Freedom

Ephemera Icons

Ephemera Words

Red Stripe and Stars Washi Tape

Ciao Chipboard

Doohickey Stickers

Bella Besties

Gingham and Stripes

Graph and Dot

I Love Scrapbooking patterned paper from Let's Scrapbook

Just Because Pocket Mini Album!

Hi everyone! Tara here with Secretbees Studio and I am sharing another fabulous mini album that I created with the bright and beautiful Just Because collection! This adorable mini has lots of pockets, a fold out page and even a photo flip and everything is adorned with the cute stickers, chipboard and ephemera of this collection!

 

Just look at all of the gorgeous layers of this mini album! There are so many pretty floral patterned papers in this collection and they all look so beautiful stacked together! Each different pattern represents a page or pocket of the album- so cute! The cover of the album is embellished with layers of ephemera, chipboard and shiny stickers and it has a little hidden pocket that is holding this pretty film strip! The colorful tab adorned with a puffy heart lets you know something is in there!

 

The first section of the album has a small corner pocket holding a group of tags and journal cards and the larger floral pocket holds a 4x6 card that was fussy cut and trimmed to fit! Pieces of the word ephemera pack decorate this pocket front and pullout with along with colorful floral stickers!

The pocket on this page does double duty with this sweet band that holds more decorative cards and inside, there is a fold out booklet just waiting for photos! I added another small tab to the booklet as well!

The last page opens up to reveal a large photo spot and a fabulous photo flip! I used more of the 3x4 cards for the fronts of the flip and the backs are embellished with epoxy flower stickers and word ephemera! Plus there is an adorable Bella pops birdhouse too!

Thanks for visiting the blog! I have a tutorial of this amazing mini album on my YouTube channel so that you can make one for yourself! Visit today and see how I used the gorgeous floral papers of this collection to make this mini!

Just Because Collection

12 x 12 paper

Ephemera words and Icons

Flourish Epoxy Stickers

You Are Loved Puffy Stickers

Bella Pops

Ciao Chip

Doohickey Sticker page

Trinkets Puffy Stickers