Motif Monday: March Motif Madness
Motif Monday is here! Find out which Bella Figura motif reigns supreme during March Motif Madness, a high-stakes, single-elimination tournament bracket. We’ve pitted iconic Bella Figura motifs against one another to determine the 2025 champion motif.
The Watercolor Pancake motif enters the tournament as the #1 seed after getting the most votes from our staff as 2025’s best motif. Can it survive to become champion, though? Crest Blue Hyrdrangea 1 and Watercolor Pizza are tough competitors, or will Margaret Floral Branch be this year’s Cinderella motif?
We have a talented team of motif judges who will review each pairing and select each round’s winning motifs:
- Max and Maiden
- Shindig Paperie
- Lee’s Paperie
- Posh Parties & Paper
- Salutations Home
- Stamped Paper Co
- Pen and Paper
Follow the progress from each round to find out which motifs advance, and get to know our judges on Instagram and Facebook. Download a bracket and see if you can choose the winning motif. Each round will be revealed over the course of the next three weeks. Here’s the schedule for the competition:
- Round of 32 winners announced Friday, March 21
- Sweet 16 winners announced Wednesda,y March 26
- Elegant 8 winners announced Monda,y March 31
- Final 4 winners will be announced Frida,y April 4
- Champion announced Monda,y April 7
May the best motif win!
Round of 32 Winners
Madness indeed: our #1 seed motif is eliminated! The ever-popular Watercolor Pancakes motif was taken down in the first round by a flexible and underrated Augusta. Our judge, Max and Maiden Ink, explains: “The greenery is something I would use often and many of our clients would gravitate to. It feels clean and gender neutral.”
The pancakes aren’t the only watercolor motif now streaked with tears, as the Watercolor Pizza was eliminated by a large, hungry Crest Blue Hydrangea 1. The first round was a punch to the gut for edible watercolor motifs.
Moving on to our Sweet 16 round, can the Augusta continue its Cinderella run against a Spicy Mojito Cocktail that just drowned and downed Baby Elephant 1? Will the Watercolor Cowboy Boots stomp the Leandra Magnolia Flower 1 like they did the Crest Peony 5 in the first round? We’ll find out the 8 motifs who will advance next Wednesday after our judges weigh in.
Sweet 16 Results
Mayhem at the March Motif Madness as the second round eliminated most of our top seeded motifs! There are a lot of talented motifs in the tournament this year, so no one is safe.
The Watercolor Cowboy Boots have been chased out of town by Leandra Magnolia 1. Crests and flowers have performed very well because our judges have praised their flexibility.
In fact, the only “edible” motif left in the tournament is the Spicy Margarita Cocktail. Says judge, Lee’s Paperie: “SPICY MARG!!! We love the use of watercolor to highlight the ingredients and make it come alive—it evokes an immediate sense of—oh, this is going to be fun.”
Can the fun survive our Elegant 8 round facing off against Crest Blue Hydrangea 1? The Watercolor Vintage Trolley has built quite a lot of momentum so not even the Olensen Crest is safe.
Elegant 8
The Watercolor Vintage Trolley is now out of service for the tournament since the Olensen Crest proved too flexible. Our judge, Salutations Home, explains: “We especially love the Olensen Crest and have actually used it for several brides, but changing out flowers to make it just right for each of them.”
Now this flexible floral crest faces off against a powerful Leandra Magnolia Flower 1. And it’s anyone’s guess whether our judges will side with the New York Skyline Scribble or the Spicy Margarita Cocktail. We’ll know more this Friday, when we find out the championship match of March Motif Madness!
Final 4
Out of the hundreds of handmade motifs in our design library, only four remain. Two are floral, one represents NYC, and one represents a good party.
Championship
We started with 32 of our favorite handmade motifs, and it all came down to the final two. The Spicy Margarita Cocktail and the Leandra Magnolia Flower 1 are the last two motifs in our tournament.
The competition was fierce in the final four round, but our judges included Stamped Paper Co, who tipped the scales as self-proclaimed “Tex-Mex loving southerners.” The New York Skyline Scribble didn’t stand a chance. Jennifer from Max and Mainden Ink backed the magnolia because she is “finding clients are moving away from those heavy floral crests, and I think this magnolia is so versatile.”
The Leandra Magnolia Flower 1’s versatility has helped it get this far, but will it be enough to convince our judges to cut off the Spicy Margarita Cocktail?
Our 2025 Match Motif Champion is the Spicy Margarita Cocktail, hand-painted by Bella Figura’s Katie Magee! “I’m very proud,” says Katie. “The Spicy Margarita Cocktail faced some tough competition, but at the end of the day, they just couldn’t handle the heat.”
Judge Collen from Pen and Paper agrees: “with the warm breezes in the air…cocktail pirates [sic], welcome parties, and May fiestas are making me thirsty for this artwork.” The new champion can do some partying of its own, now.
Thanks to all the talented Bella Figura artists whose amazing handmade motifs inspire us for every occasion. And a huge thanks to our panel of motif judges: Max and Maiden Ink, Shindig Paperie, Lee’s Paperie, Posh Parties & Paper, Salutations Home, Stamped Paper Co, and Pen and Paper!
