Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Scraplifting a Favorite Layout | Christine

I tend to do a lot of scraplifting from myself, but it's usually just elements of a layout.  In today's case I full blown scrapflited everything, right down to the subject!  My son LOVES popsicles.  A couple years ago I created a layout using Bella Blvd to tell his story of popsicle love.  It ended being one of my favorite layouts that I created that year.  So I decided to recreate it with new popsicle pictures, kind of a sequel if you will!  Let's take a look!

First up is the original!

As you can see the original used a variety of collections and papers with a rainbow theme to it!  Here's the process video for that one:

 

Now on to the newest one!

As you can see it's VERY similar.  I did go for a different color scheme though!  No rainbows just a whole lot of vibrant colors. I also opted for a blue background instead of white!

I updated the hearts of the popsicles from Puffy Hearts to Heart Hugs.

I also updated my title using both a cut file and Wonky Letters for the title.

On both layouts, I dug into my stash of Bella Blvd patterned papers.  For the newest one, I pulled papers from the Bella Besties, Squeeze the Day, Santa Squad, and Let's Go on An Adventure.  

Here's the video for the newest layout:

 

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Wonky Alphabet, Freehand Graph & Dots Patterned Paper, Let's Go On An Adventure Patterned Paper, Squeeze the Day Patterned Paper, Home Sweet Home Patterned Paper, Heart Hugs

 

 

 

Scrap Lifting Yourself | Leanne

Hey Bella Blvd Friends! It's Leanne sharing today. This week is all about taking inspiration from where you've been before! That's right.. scrap lifting layouts you've already created! And what is a better way to find a little mojo, than to copy a layout from your personal creations, ones that you already love? If you have a tried and true formula or a particular style, you probably find that you already do this self consciously any way. Let's have a look into my archives!

In June, 2017 I created a layout for Bella Blvd using the gorgeous Make Your Mark collection. As you may guess from the title of my layout, "The Dab" was all the rage with my boys! *grin*

The main feature on the layout however, is the layered fringe heart. These layers were trimmed from the clear cuts Gold Foil 6x8 pad.

Fast forward to February 2020..

The layered fringe heart makes a come back!

It's a simple concept but it certainly makes a statement on your page. I love how the gradients of orange and navy bring this boy layout together. Even though it has a tonne of fussy cut flowers on the page too!

My scrap lift layout has essentially all the same features of the original page and in the same positions. The difference being that there's more color bouncing around on the new layout.

Extra bits and pieces have been included as storytelling elements on my Happy Trails layout. The Word Salad sticker booklet is an ideal embellishment pack to help out in this situation. The sticker phrases inject dot points into the journaling.

Keeping my process true to the original, allowed my new page to come together very quickly. Perhaps the next time you need some inspiration, try looking towards yourself. You might never know what previous creation will spark new ideas. Thanks for visiting the blog today..x

Let's Go On An Adventure: No Wifi, Shy Foxes, Wildflowers, Doohickey 12x12 Stickers; Mind Your Manners: Be A Good Guest, Be Kind To Animals, Borders; Freehand Graph & Dot: Orange Graph & Dot; Heart hugs: Halloween; Florence Alphabet Stickers: Orange Florence; Word Salad: Cardstock Sticker Booklet. 

 

Large Titles Week- Blessed Layout| Christine

Do you ever have a plan for a layout and another design idea lands on the table, so you scratch your original plan and go that direction?  That's what happened to me today on my layout with a big title.  I set out to use a bunch of flowers and a giant title.  But I set a big (but not giant) title down on my pile of flowers and realized what a cool design that would make.  Let's take a look at how it came together!

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Sometimes I forget to scrap the moments of my life that don't involve motherhood or marriage.  A friend reminded me of that and so I decided to take her advice and scrap a little about being on the Creative Team here at Bella Blvd.  With a great announcement banner, I had an easy go of it for my color inspiration!

Using the Flower Scatter Cut File, I cut out flowers with papers from the Bella Besties and Squeeze the Day collections.  I used the pattern around the picture to set my color scheme.  This cut file is great for cutting a variety of sizes because it's made to do just that.  And when you cut the flowers in Bella Besties you get options for both sides of the paper!

Adding the Clear Cuts paper on top of my white cardstock was a great way to take things up a notch, adding a subtle detail and texture to the whole layout.  I love the tone on tone look it provides!

I cut my title out big!  You can see it stretches the entire page.  It is also a cut file from our store and is called "Blessed." I have nearly 100 flowers piled up underneath it and the whole look is so colorful! I did add Nuvo Drops to the center of as many of the flowers as I could to help bring the black into that part of the layout.  

You can find out my entire process for this layout in this video:

 

Thanks so much for joining me today and have a wonderful weekend!

Freehand Graph & Dots Patterned Paper, Squeeze the Day Patterned Paper, Clear Cuts, Squeeze the Day Stickers, Squeeze the Day Ciao Chip, Cut Files

Large Titles| Leanne

Hey Bella Blvd Friends! It's Leanne here today, kicking off the week with a fun idea to create a large title and make the most out of your stash along the way!

I love getting the most out of my stash and using up my chipboard alphas are no different. However, these chipboard pieces are not always the right "look or color" for my layout.

But they're chipboard, right?! So let's get creative and alter them to suit our needs.

The easiest way to repurpose them is to simply find a patterned paper that complements the layout and adhere directly to  the top of the chipboard.

1. Take the chipboard letter and place it reverse side down on the back of the paper you are using to cover it with. Trace around the outside edge of the letter with a pencil.

2. Cut the image out.

3. Add adhesive to the top of the alpha chipboard and glue the patterned paper to it.

4. Once it is dry, carefully trim around the outside edge and then using a nail file, smooth the edges to get a neat and even look.

After altering the chipboard for my large title, I placed it vertically down the right hand side of my photo cluster. The title helps draw the eye down the page without overwhelming the viewer.

To complete my layout, I've added layers of cut out hearts that have been machine stitched together.

My journaling was added to speech bubble sections and kept mostly to a limited color palette. 

Thanks for visiting the blog today..x

Freehand Graph & Dot: Cotton Candy; Squeeze The Day: Ephemera Words, Hearts Epoxy; Heart Hugs: Black & White; Santa Squad: 6x6 Paper Pad; Mom Life: Jammies All Day; Puffy Stickers: Punch Wonky Alphabet; Chipboard Alphabet: Ciao Chip Sophisticates, Amorie Alpha; Cute Clips: Pumpkin Spice; Bella Blvd Valentina Paper Collection.

Scrapping the Hard Stuff - January Mood Board

When I looked at the January Mood Board it gave me an overall feeling of pensiveness or reflection.  That makes for an odd place to jump into a scrapbook layout but as I was reflecting, I knew there was one major time in our family life that I had been putting off scrapbooking: the day my son had a seizure.  I know and believe it's important to scrapbook the hard stories because, they too, are part of the whole story.  But it's generally more fun to remember the happy moments.  That said, this was one of the most significant moments in my son's life to date as well as in my life as a parent.  It had to be done.  The colors and overall feel of the mood board gave me the inspiration to move forward and tackle this project.  Let's take a look at my creation.

You might also notice that I picked up on the color scheme and design of one of the pillows in the picture and used that as my design jumping off point.

Many times when I create I have lots of layers and lots of products but for today's layout things are clean and simple!

I started with my title "There Goes My Heart" based on the lyrics of a country song.  Adding that to the white space around one of the pictures allows it to pop out a little more and not get lost in all the patterns.

I added a couple of layers of patterned papers beneath my pictures, which are also matted with patterned papers.  Using my title as inspiration I used Puffy Heart Stickers and my main embellishment.  I wanted to have those surrounding his picture but also close to the journaling to help emphasize both of those.

My journaling is really the star of the layout.  The pictures show how awful he looked but the journaling gives a glimpse into what I was feeling.  The gray background behind it is a mood setter for that moment.  A border sticker helps to separate it from the rest of the layout and allow it to pop out.

My process video will give you a glimpse at how this all came together:

 

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Bella Besties Freehand Graph & Dot,  Florence Alphabet, Let's Go On An Adventure Patterned Paper, Puffy Stickers, Fireworks & Freedom Patterned Paper

 

January Mood Board | Leanne

Hello Bella Blvd Friends! It is Leanne here today sharing with you how I break down a Mood Board to start my creative process. I find that Mood Boards are a delicious source of inspiration when you need a quick jolt to get started. Often looking at a palette provided for you can stimulate creative ideas. This week, the design team are sharing their ideas on how we used the board below for inspiration. 

The first thing I look at are colors. I was drawn to the image in the top left corner. The navy and orange just called to me! But I have selected colors from the overall palette. The whites, mustard yellows and succulent greens feature on my finished layout.

After I have a base patterned paper color selection, I start to look at shapes from the Mood Board that I can replicate on my page. The cushions inspired the stripes down the length of the page. To add subtle texture I have used white machine stitching on the white patterned paper and cardstock.

I wanted to also implement the idea of brush strokes as seen in the Mood Board's abstract art. The clear stamps from Illustrated Faith were ideal in helping to bring this idea to life. My ink selection was based on the middle succulent image. However, just because there are several colors shown, it is not always necessary to over use and include each shade. I have stayed true to my color palette of navy, green and grey. Each stamped image has been included to run vertically down the page to complement the "cushion" stripes.

Next I moved towards creating layers at the front of my page. The stars are a subtle method link to the foreground and background together. By staggering the different sizes and overlapping the patterned paper with them, the puffy stickers help draw the eye down the layout.

Repetition is a great technique for scrapbooking. Once again I was influences by the color swatches in the middle image to replicate as a focal point. The Word Salad stickers are just amazing and the phrases couldn't be more perfect!! Aligned to help support my title, each piece coordinates with total ease. 

The same idea is used at the bottom right corner of my photo.

Finally, the Mood Board inspired me to create a Summer layout with an unusual colour palette. Another memory documented and hopefully offering you inspiration on how to look at a Mood Board differently. 

Mom Life: Jammies All Day; Make Your Mark: 6x8 Paper Pad; Mind Your Manners: Be A Good Guest, Borders; Splash Zone: Ephemera Icons, Ephemera Words; Squeeze The Day: Ephemera Icons; Florence Alphabet Stickers: Orange, White, Oyster; Puffy Stickers: Milk White Puffy Stars, Oreo Wonky Alphabet.

 

Reindeer Games - 3 Cards with Christine

I'm sorry, but I just can't imagine there is anything cuter than the reindeer in the Santa Squad collection. Fun and whimsical they can add such a lighthearted twist to a project.  I created a set of 3 cards that I'm calling "Reindeer Games" because they all feature these adorable reindeer!

First up I built one combining the tags and speech bubbles from the Santa Squad Ephemera alongside epoxy pieces and the Ciao Chip Reindeer.

I love that I was able to use epoxy pieces to coordinate perfectly with the ephemera!

Patterned paper cut apart cards are great for building your cards around and that is exactly what happened on my next two cards.  

A combination of Washi Tape and Puffy Stars round out this simple card that's packed with dimension.

I think this silly one is probably my favorite of the three!  Those ephemera reindeer along with the sentiment just make me smile!

I used my craft knife to create little slits for my reindeer to tuck into.  This adds such a fun touch of whimsy and doesn't require any fancy techniques!

Let's take a look at my process video for a closer-up walkthrough on these!

 

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Holidays!

Santa Squad Ephemera, Puffy Star Stickers, Santa Squad Epoxy Stickers, Santa Squad Patterned Paper

 

 

Gingerbread Garland

Hey Bella Blvd Friends! It's Leanne here today! Happy December!! It is definitely time to pull out the Christmas décor and put up the tree... unless you're like me and still waiting to find the time! LOL! But I have managed to play with some gorgeous Bella Blvd goodies and a cut file to help the days start to feel seasonal!

Bella Blvd has an awesome range of Silhouette cut files in the Design Store. I have modified the Gingerbread Couple design to make a cute paper garland. All the essential bits are there, I've just made my garland more 3D with puffy stickers and cute clips.

To create one of these paper gingerbread garlands for yourself, start by using the cut file to cut as many gingerbread couples you need. I have used the Freehand Graph & Dot patterned papers and kraft cardstock as my base.

Join the Gingerbread couples together using a hole punch where their hands meet and some festive twine.

Remove the bows carefully from the cute clips and attach as bow ties or hair accessories.

Add the puffy stickers as buttons.

Use enamel dots as the eyes (these are from heart hugs) and glue pieces of twine to the arms and legs, to recreate the piped frosting. Trim excess twine to the edge of the paper.

Finally, hang your latest Christmas décor and enjoy the season!

Thanks for visiting the blog today!

Freehand Graph & Dot: Pony, Cotton Candy; Cute Clips: Festive; Puffy Stickers: McIntosh Puffy Hearts; Heart Hugs: Halloween Heart Hugs; Enamel Hearts: Cotton Candy Doodads; Squeeze the Day: Mini Paper pad. Silhouette Design Store: Gingerbread Couple ID #307189.

Christmas Countdown with Santa Squad

Who doesn't love a Christmas Countdown decoration?  I've wanted to create one for awhile and just knew that Santa Squad would be perfect for it.  Christine joining you today with a simple DIY Christmas Countdown Calendar.

 

I found a set of wood blocks at a local store that I used to decorate - but I also think it could work perfectly from cardboard boxes or even folded cardstock!

One of my favorite parts of creating this was getting to use so many patterned papers. I need each side to be different - so that let me go wild with my choices! The 6 x 6 paper pad kept the scale of the patterns smaller, perfect for a small scale project like this!  I added them using a glittery mod podge to up the sparkle factor and secure them tightly!

The tricky part with each block was determining how to keep them flat.  I kept thinking about using Bella Pops or Wonky Alphabet letters only to realize, I couldn't.  It had to be flat so that the blocks would sit flat no matter what side they were on! 

I spent the most time deciding what to use to add "Christmas Countdown." In the end the Acrylic Christmas accompanied by Florence Alphabet Letters worked great!

By allowing the word Christmas to hang over just a bit, it opened up possibility of extending my ephemera too.  I could not resist the soldiers and was so excited to get to use them in such a prominent way on my project. 

Let's take a look at how this whole project came together in my process video:

 

 

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Santa Squad 6 x 6 Paper Pad, Santa Squad Ephemera, Florence Alphabet Letter Stickers, Acrylic Words

 

 

Let's Go on an Adventure - Two Page Layout with Tutorial

If you've got an adventure-loving child, then you need to get your hands on "Let's Go on an Adventure" collection. This fun-loving line is perfect for telling the stories of those outdoor adventures.  Christine joining you today with a two-page layout showcasing this fun collection along with Bella Blvd Cut Files.

I used the cut files to create a scene showcasing trees and clouds and some very cute critters!

Cut files are great when you want to size up that ephemera or sticker from Bella Blvd or if you want it in a different color. The cut files I used are Clouds, Pine Trees, and Explore Outdoors.

Puffy stars and Acrylic shapes help to add those special little touches that you just can't accomplish with paper alone. This whole layout came together with lots of color and details - check out the full process in this video:

 

When is the last time you made a two-page layout?  They are so great for telling a big story or just showcasing a series of fun pictures!  Thanks for joining me today!

Let's Go on An Adventure Stickers, Ephemera, Patterned Paper, Cut Files; Acrylic Shapes, Puffy Star Stickers