Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Cutest friend layout | Lisa Fonseca

Hey friends,

it's Lisa back on the blog today and I'm sharing a new layout, I made with the super cute Cooper collection :)

To start this layout, I chose to use a Cut-out from the collection, consisting of paw prints and hearts. I really like it and thought it was perfect as the main piece of the layout. Since there are a lot of colors in the collection, I decided to use the patterned papers in rainbow order. I also added a bit of pink from the Chloe collection :). 

For my background, I did a bit of mixed media, using the same colors that I used on the cut-out. I created splashes of color and splattered some paint on top. I really like how it turned out.

I adhered the cut-out to the background using foam squares to make it stand out. Then I matted my photo on the pink patterned paper and added it next to the cut-out, tucking it into it. I don't have a dog and I actually had exactly one dog photo on my phone that I could use... I took it a few years ago in Gran Canaria, when we met a homeless man with his super cute dog. We spent some time with him and bought stuff for him and his dog. The dog was the cutest and I had to take a picture of him. :)

The hearts of the cut-out were still white and I thought they needed some color. I used my new metallic watercolors and painted the hearts using matching colors.

As my title, I used a chipboard piece, a die-cut piece and some black Florence alpha stickers. 

To embellish some more, I used ephemera pieces; a dog and a floral. I also used some enamel hearts and I cut the washi tape into pieces and used the black paw prints scattered around the cut-out. 

To give the final touch, I splattered black ink on the page.

Thank you so much for being here, I hope you like the layout. 

See you very soon,

Puppy Dog | Brianna Lepper - Cooper Cut Files

Hey friends!  Brianna Lepper here today sharing this cute dog layout using some new Bella Blvd cut files along with the new Cooper collection.  If you haven't had a chance to check out Bella's newly released cut files, you can find them here.  

First, I chose both the Dog Title and Paw Prints cut files for my layout. In my Silhouette Software, I duplicated the Paw Prints cut file several times and staggered them around the page, to create somewhat of a stencil.  I sized the Dog Title a bit larger so that I could use it as a large title. Then I cut everything out on white textured cardstock.  

Next, I added some white gesso onto a piece of thick cardstock to prep it for mixed media.  Then, I took my Paw Print cut file/stencil and applied modeling paste through it.  After everything was dry, I added some colorful and shimmery sprays from my stash right on top.  I painted on all of the colors and added water here and there to let everything run and blend.  Look at those cute puppy paw prints!

I backed my photo using the 6x6 papers from both the Cooper and Chloe collection.  I wanted the Dog Title to sit on top of those layers so I added foam strips to the cut file and adhered that down.  I love how the title really stands out against all of the mixed media.  I also added a blue Cute Clip to my photo layers to add another element of texture. I just love that blue felt bow!

I felt like I needed more embellishments to the top left of my page so I pulled these cute banner pieces from the Ephemera Words pack to add to my title.  I pulled a few paper punches from my stash and punched out some shapes to layer underneath the banner shapes and then ran it through my sewing machine.  I added a few stickers from the Chloe cardstock stickers and some epoxy hearts from Cooper.  

I most definitely wanted to add a few of the adorable dog ephemera pieces onto my page so I created a cluster to the left of my photo.   In the photo, my dog Pippa was looking off to the left so I thought it would be fitting to add some friends for her to be looking at.  I punched out some circles and layered them under them and layered a cute chipboard bone and blue enamel dots from the Heart Hugs stickers.  

I decided to add a few bits on the right side of my photo so I popped up a cardstock sticker on some foam and then added a bunch of hearts in a cluster right by the cut file. Since I had so many pops of black and white, I finished off my layout by adding washi tape to the top and bottom of my page.  I love how it turned out!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I loved working with these new cut files and mixing both Cooper and Chloe together.  I was totally inspired to do this by fellow Creative Team member, Erica.  What a fab idea! I'll see you next time!

Bella Blvd Supplies Needed:

Cooper Collection:  6×6 paper pad, Ephemera Icons,  Ephemera Words, Doohickey Cardstock Stickers, Chipboard Icons, Epoxy Hearts, Heart Hugs, Cute Clips and Washi Tape;  Chloe Collection: 6x6 paper pad, Doohickey Cardstock Stickers. Bella Blvd Cut Files:  Paw Prints  and Dog Title. 

June Mood Board Layout - Tegan Skwiat

I always love playing along with the Bella Blvd Mood Boards and the June Board did not disappoint! I had fun mixing and matching the Splash Zone collection, the Island Escape collection, the Squeeze the Day collection, and the Bella Besties patterned papers on this layout. I love that all the Bella Blvd collections mix and match so easily. Come take a look how I was inspired by the June Mood Board!

Isn't the June Mood Board amazing?

It has been forever since I tried mixed media on a layout, but the mood board inspired me to get out my paints again! I started out by using just aqua paint on regular white cardstock. It did buckle some from the water but once it was dry I placed it under heavy scrapbook albums so it would flatten out some. I then cut out a circular background pattern design using this painted cardstock and my electronic die cut machine. I used the Bella Besties Freehand Graph & Dot Patterned Paper in Gulf to back my cut out. I was nervous to try this technique but I love how it turned out! And the Bella Blvd Sunshine Cut File makes an adorable sun! 

I used the fun Florence Alphabet Stickers in Blueberry and a chipboard piece from the Splash Zone collection to make my title. The addition of the fruity pieces from the Squeeze the Day collection was inspired by the board as well. I don't think I would have thought to put fruit on a pool layout, but I think it totally works here!

The mood board also inspired the addition of these fun chipboard wave shapes from the Island Escape collection. I just adore these waves and I am so excited that Bella Blvd now offers a waves cut file so I can cut out more when I need them!

I had every intention of making a large solid rainbow chevron design like in the mood board above. But once I created the mainly solid background and cut out the mostly solid yellow sun, I decided that I wanted to include more colorful and patterned papers. I love how the idea morphed into something else equally amazing!

Thanks for joining me today! I hope I have inspired you to grab some of your favorite Bella Blvd collections and the June Mood Board for your next project!

Bella Besties Graph and Dot Patterned Papers: Gulf, Peep, McIntosh

Squeeze the Day Collection: Chipboard, Ephemera

Island Escape Collection: Tropical Bliss Patterned Paper, Moonlit Kisses Patterned Paper, Daily Details Patterned Paper

Bella Blvd Cut Files: Sunshine, Waves

Extras: World Salad Stickers, Florence Alphabet Stickers in Blueberry, Puffy Star Stickers

 

JUNE Mood Board Inspiration with Nathalie

Hello Bella Blvd. friends!

Nathalie with you today with a new project inspired by the awesome June Mood board. All the color and textures in the mood board brought lots of memories of Summer Vacations past at the beach.   So, i pulled a few Bella goodies and got to work.  Here is this month's moodboard

Imagine how hard it was for me not to want to do all the things in this page!  So i decided to pull a few elements for some of the squares for my page:

 

My starting point was the ombre paint stripes in the moodboard.  So i pulled my watercolor markers and a thick flat brush are recreated the watercolor stripes on heavy white cardstock.   I added a few splatters, so that they bring all the water/beach/lake feel of some of the squares in the board.

 

While the background dried, i started to work on paper layers for the picture.  I used mostly papers from the  Splash Zone and a bit of foam adhesive to add some dimension to the layers.  Since the board has lots of lines and rainbows in the page, i made sure that the paper layers reflected those elements, too.

 

 

I am a curator of beautiful paper supplies!  I pulled the ephemera and Ciao Chips from the Island Escape collection and combined it with pieces from the Splash Zone collection to create the large clusters at the corners of the picture.

 

 

The beauty of Bella Blvd collections is that the color palette.   I was able to seamlessly mix both collections in this page with ease.    I used that large sun ephemera piece to bring all the yellow on the mood board, as well as the sentiment in the center square.

 

The last detail was creating the title.   For this, i combined both the Wonky Puffy Alpha and Florence Alphabet in Ice.   Then added a few heart stickers next to the words.   I made sure to leave space at the bottom of the page where i could house my lines of journal....

 

I hope this has inspired you to pull your Bella Blvd. goodies and create a project inspired by the awesome mood board.  I cannot wait to see what you create with this inspiration!

XO

 

Bella Blvd Supplies:

ISLAND ESCAPE COLLECTION:  Ciao Chips, Ephemera, Stickers

SPLASH ZONE COLLECTION:  12x12 paper kit, Ciao Chips, Ephemera icons, Ephemera words

WONKY PUFFY ALPHA - Ice

FLORENCE ALPHABET - Ice

National Take Your Dog To Work Day | Brianna Lepper

Hey y'all, Brianna Lepper here today with a super cute layout using the new Cooper collection!  This collection has the cutest dog themed elements and it's absolutely perfect to use to document photos of my two furry babies, Luna and Pippa.  For this layout, I used the Cut-Outs from the collection as a main focal point for my design.  These Cut-Outs are perfect for crafters that don't have die cutting machines or even more perfect if you don't have a lot of time and want to create a layout on the fly!  They are so convenient.  Here is my layout, make sure to check out the process video at the end of my post!

Before I began my layout, I wanted to show y'all how quick and easy working with these Cut-Outs can be.  Only have about 20-30 minutes to create?  Pull one of the Cut-Outs and get started! I chose this specific one for my layout because it basically took a lot of the work out for me.  It's on the larger side so it takes up the majority of my page.  All I had to do was back it, add a photo and embellish around. Super simple and so cute.  This layout took me a little over 20 minutes to create from start to finish.  To start, I grabbed the 6x6 paper pad from the collection and started backing the Cut-Out.  It didn't take very long since the letters were big and easy to back. 

 

After the cut file was completely backed, I got to work on my foundation page.  I chose the B side of the Coopers Borders 12x12 paper because it wasn't too busy and would be perfect for my cut file to stand out on.  Before I adhered my cut file down, I decided I wanted to add a bit of mixed media.  I grabbed some watercolors from my stash and splattered on the same colors that are in this collection.  Since these were just paint splatters, they dried fairly quickly and if you're really pressed for time you can hit it with your heat tool to speed up the drying process.  

Once my paint splatters were dry, I popped up the entire Cut-Out on some foam tape and adhered it down.  I then added to my title using the Florence Alphas in Ice.  I found a cute dog face on the Chipboard Icon sticker sheet and stuck it down but before I did, I found a bow from the Ephemera Icons pack and adhered it to one of its ears!  So cute!

Next, I started embellishing and of course started with the oh so adorable Bella Pops.  I immediately went with the Doghouse Bella Pop since it had a beautiful pop of red and also fit so nicely right on top of the Cut-Out.  Look how cute and dimensional this sticker is!  I also scattered around the Pickle Juice Mix Puffy Star stickers in a few clusters around the page.  Next, I pulled some of the Ephemera Icons out and layered those in a few areas as well.  

 

I felt that my layout needed another pop of red, so I pulled a cute dog circle sticker from the Doohickey Cardstock stickers and popped it up on some foam right next to my Cut-Out.  Then I pulled a scalloped border sticker from the sheet, cut it in two pieces and added one to the top of my page and the other to the bottom of my page. 

And my page was complete!  It was so much fun to create and the process went very quickly.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you check out the awesome Cooper collection!!  It's seriously so adorable and perfect for all of you dog lovers! If you were able to bring your doggo to work today, lucky you! I wish I could take mine but I feel like I would be completely unproductive and would just want to play with them the entire time!  

 

Watch process video here

 

 

Bella Blvd Supplies Needed:

Cooper Collection: Cooper Borders 12×12 patterned paper, 6×6 paper pad, Ephemera Icons, Faithful Friend Cut Outs, Bella-Pops, Doohickey Cardstock Stickers, Chipboard Icons and Pickle Juice Mix Star Stickers;  Florence Alpha Stickers: Ice

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Pawsitively Purrfect Filter - Brianna Lepper

Hey crafty friends! Brianna Lepper here with you today sharing a fun layout using the new Chloe collection!!  I absolutely adore this collection!! It is so much fun and there are so many different awesome elements to it!  As you may already know, Snapchat has the best filters and one of my favorites is the cat one! I thought it would be fun to document a few selfies using the Chloe collection.  I hope you like it!

First, I took the Live Love Meow Cut Outs and pulled the floral pieces from the set.  I love adding florals to my layouts and couldn't wait to work with these ones!  I debated back and forth on if I wanted to back the cut outs or apply mixed media on them.  In the end, I went with some mixed media AND created shaker elements in a few of the flowers.  

First, I applied some white gesso to the floral cut outs and then painted on some watercolors from my stash.  Once they were all dry, I started on my shaker elements.  For my shakers I use acetate, thin foam strips and SpiegelMom Scraps sequins from my stash. They're simple to make and give that extra element of interest on my layout.  

I went ahead and set my completed cut outs aside and got to work on my background.  I went through all of the patterned papers in the collection and couldn't decide on one because they're all so pretty!!  I ended up going with the B side of the Cat Crazy paper.  I just love a good black and white text paper!  I knew right away that all of my colors would pop off of the page.  I added some gesso to the paper so that I could apply even more color to the background.  

I created my title by mixing the Florence Alphas in Punch along with the Wonky Alphas in Orange.  Gotta love a good pun!  I also wanted more florals around my page so I took the Chloe Borders patterned paper and fussy cut the florals from the strip at the bottom.  Chloe has the best florals!!

Let's talk about the Bella-Pops in this collection for a second.  OMG they're so cute!  I used the entire Blossoms set on this layout and I totally need to grab more to add to my stash.  They're so adorable!! I placed them around my page, making sure to add some inside of the cut outs where I could. 

I pulled 2 of the cutest cats from the Ephemera Icons pack and added them on each side of my design. To add a few more pops of blue, I adhered some of the Puffy Heart Stickers around the page.  

I love how this page turned out!! This collection is so cute!!!

Thank y'all so much for stopping by today!  I hope that I've inspired you to paint on a cut file or create a shaker element and add it to your layout!  If you haven't picked up the Chloe Collection yet, you should definitely take a look at it!  It pairs so nicely with the new Cooper Collection as well! I can't wait to show you a layout using that collection later on this month!  See you then!

 

Bella Blvd Supplies Needed:

Chloe Collection: Cat Crazy and Chloe Borders 12x12 patterned papers, 6x6 paper pad, Ephemera Icons, Live Love Meow Cut Outs, Bella-Pops and Puffy Blueberry Mix Puffy Heart Stickers;  Florence Alpha Stickers: Punch; Wonky Alphas in Orange.

 

Love That Look | Nathalie DeSousa

Hi there!  Nathalie with you today to share a new layout using the new Chloe collection from Bella Blvd.    My niece and nephew  finally got one of their biggest wishes, a pet.  Since we already have Poochie, our Boston Terrier, they went with Chico, our cat-nephew.  So, i pulled the first pictures of my newest nephew to create this page.

 

 

I started this page by adding a bit of mixed media (watercolors) to the Fat and Sassy Paper.  I chose blues and a bit of orange, as those are the main colors in the pictures.

 

 

While the background dried, i carefully separated the word "Love" from the Live Love Meow cut-out.  The cut-outs make the process so easy and quick, a must have.   I used a bit of foam adhesive to back the empty letter spaces with the orange paper from the 6x6 paper pad, then chose to use the  gray paper to back the paw print.  

 

 

I backed the pictures with papers from the 6x6 paper pad and Daily Details paper, then backed the pictures with a piece of Orange Hearts Clear cuts.  The transparency adds a soft pop of the orange color on the page.   With so many cute embellishments, it was so easy to beautify ( i hope that is a word!)  the page.

 

 

I pulled pieces from the ephemera packs, Doo Hickey stickers, Ciao Chips, and epoxy hearts.  I also added a few puffy Orange mix Star stickers, and my cat-nephew's name to the top of the page using the Florence alphabet.

 

 

To finish the page, i trimmed the layout at the top and bottom edge, and glued it to the Cattitude paper.  This gave me a perfect spot to add more embellishments at the bottom of the page, and my lines of journal.

 

 

I love how this page turned out! The colors and designs in the collection are perfect to document my new cat-nephew.  BE sure to check the new Chloe collection, you are going to love it!

XO

 

Bella Blvd. Supplies:

CHLOE Collection: 6x6 paper pad, Collection kit, Doo Hickey stickers, Cia Chips, Ephemera Icons and words, Epoxy Hearts

CUT-OUTs:  Live Love Meow 

PUFFY STARS Stickers:  Orange Mix

FLORENCE Alphabet: Blueberry

CLEAR CUTS:  Orange Hearts

Adorable Kitty layout - Lisa Fonseca

Hey friends, it's Lisa back with a new layout. 

I created it using the brand new collection called Chloe. 

When I first went through the new collection, I knew I wanted to create something with the Cut-Outs. There's a big flower cluster and some single flowers included in the pack. I also fell in love with the pink patterned paper with the cat heads and wanted to use it as a background. 

To start, I took the pink patterned paper and did some mixed media on it using gesso first and then creating some splotches of color with my watercolors. While that was drying, I backed the flower Cut-Outs with some cute patterned papers in orange, beige, blue, pink and yellow. Then I pierced some holes around the centers of some of the flowers to do some hand-stitching. I used matching thread and the chain-link stitch.

I wanted to add leaves, so I hand-cut them out and stitched a line through the middle with green thread. When I had all my pieces, I arranged everything on my background to see how I liked it and to decide where to put my photo. I matted my photo on two layers of patterned paper and then placed it on the background too. When I was happy with the placement, I started to adhere everything, using liquid glue and foam squares.

I went through all of the embellishments and chose stuff I wanted to add. I added a wavy white sticker to the top and bottom of the photo, a layered flower sticker, some pink hearts and some colorful circles I fussy-cut out from the back side of the same patterned paper, I used for the background. I also added a cute little ephemera mouse and of course this super adorable layered cat sticker.

Then I only had to add the title. I used an ephemera piece saying "kitty" and added the word "adorable" with the Wonky Alpha. I finished with black, white and gold splatters.

I really think the layout turned out super cute and if you have a cat, you definitely need this collection :)

See you soon, stay scrappy,

Adorable Puppers | Nathalie DeSousa

Hi there Bella Blvd. friends!

Nathalie with you today with a new project using the new COOPER collection.  Being a Fur-mama to our 10 yr old Boston Terrier baby is probably one of the most rewarding experiences.   So, you can imagine how much i love this collection, as i get to document our little boy using the fun colors and designs. 

 

I started the page by adding a bit of blue and aqua watercolor on the background.  My idea was to bring focus to two area -in a diagonal line- on the page.  While the watercolor dried, i pulled papers from the Cooper collection to build layers behind the pictures of our baby boy.

I overlapped the pictures when attaching them  together, and then cut a few pieces from the Daily Details paper, and mixed them with pieces from the 6x6 paper pad.  I made sure that most of the colors in the collection are represented in the paper layers.

To build the page, i cut two strips of the Paws paper and attached it to the right and left edge of the page. I added  the colorful scalloped strip from the Doohickey cardstock sticker under the paper strip, and cut a second strip from Borders paper ( so that both sides of the layout mirror each other).   I added the pictures and all the paper layers at the top left side of the page.  

 

With so many cute stickers and pieces of ephemera was so easy to embellish the page.  I added a few word stickers from the World Salad sticker tablet in between layers, and i love the small cute clips, so i added one to the tag in the cluster.   

My title came together so easily by combining the Adorable acrylic word and the large word ephemera piece.  I backed one of the pieces from the Faithful Friends cut outs with vellum and attached it at the end of the title.

I created a last cluster of ephemera and stickers at the bottom right end of the title.   Once again, i made sure to use pieces that represent most of the colors from the collection.  This small cluster created the perfect spot for all my lines of journal.   All that i added to end the page were a few puffy Orange stars.

 

 

I love this collection, as it is perfect to document our little guy with colorful and fun designs.  Be sure to check it out, as you are going to love it, too!

 

XO

 

BELLA BLVD. Supplies:

COOPER Collection: 12x12 paper kit, 6x6 paper pad, Cut Outs-Faithful Friend, Epoxy Heart Dog Stickers, Chipboard icons, Cardstock stickers, Ephemera icons, Ephemera words.

BELLA BESTIES Collection: 6x6 paper pad

LEGACY Collection: Word Salad Sticker tablet

PUFFY STICKERS:  Orange Mix Stars

CUTE CLIPS:  Pretty Boy

ACRYLIC WORDS:  Adorable

 

BE YOU | Nathalie DeSousa

Hello Bella Blvd friends!

Nathalie with you today to share a bit of inspiration using the Florence Alphabet stickers to create an impactful layout.  I love large titles, as they are easy to put together, and help to embellish the layout at the same time as conveying the feeling of the page.   The Florence Alphas are the perfect size to create a large colorful title in minutes just like the one in today's page:

 

I started by adding white acrylic paint to the White Grid side of the Bella Besties paper.  Once it dried, i used Vicki Boutin Watercolor markers to create a rainbow on the page ( the stripes of watercolor create a soft diagonal design in the background of the page).    

 

While the background dried, i started to work on putting parts of the page together.  My idea was to keep the rainbow of the page throughout the entire page, that meant that i had to try at best to color block papers, alphas and embellishments.  I started by using the Squeeze the Day and Bella Besties collections 6x6 paper pads to back and picture and add layers behind it.  I added a piece of the Wreath cut out to help form the corner design at the top left side of the page.   In addition, i added a piece of the Squeeze the Day Ciao Chips and ephemera,  a cute clip, ephemera from the Sweet & Spooky collection,and a mini heart embellishment  to bring more of the colors present at the top of the page.

Once i placed the picture at the top of the page, i chose the Be You Acrylic word to anchor the title to the page.  Since i added my watercolor in sections along the diagonal of the page, i wanted to play with the colors of the Florence Alpha to complete the title.  

 

I used Florence Alpha stickers in Orange, McIntosh, Punch, Peep, Cotton Candy and Plum to add the title on the page.  I tried at best to match the color of the background with the alphabet stickers, and chose to finish the sentence with the Punch Wonky Alpha puffy sticker.

 

To balance the page, i chose to add a piece of ephemera from the Squeeze the Day collection, along with an Epoxy Heart and a sentiment from the Sweet & Spooky collection.  Since the title already tells so much of the story, just a few lines of journal were added at the very bottom right corner of the page.

 

 

I hope this inspires you to pull your Florence Alpha stickers and create  a fun colorful project with lots of words and sentiments on it.   Remember to share with us what you create!  

'Til next time!

 

BELLA BLVD Supplies:

BELLA BESTIES Collection - Freehand Grid  & Dot - White paper, 6x6 paper pad

SQUEEZE THE DAY Collection - 6x6 paper pad, Epoxy Hearts, Ciao Chips, Ephemera Words, Ephemera Icons.

SWEET & SPOOKY Collection -  Ephemera words

CUT OUT - Wreath

CUTE CLIPS Collection - Pretty Boy

PUFFY STARS collection - Cotton Candy, Punch

HEART HUGS Collection -  Mini Sentiments

WONKY ALPHA - Punch