Here's an example of calling themeblvd_loop() directly. In the Theme Blvd Framework, all loops are passed through the themeblvd_loop() function. It's very powerful. To see all parameters check out the top of the function at /framework/includes/loop.php.

template.php

<?php
themeblvd_loop(array(
	'query'		=> 'post_type=portfolio_item&posts_per_page=-1', 	// Custom query, must be a string unfortunately.
	'context'	=> 'showcase', 						// blog, list, grid, or showcase
	'display'	=> 'masonry_filter', 					// showcase (no pagination), paginated, masonry, or masonry_filter.
	'filter'	=> 'portfolio', 					// What taxonomy the the masonry filter menu uses.
	'columns'	=> 2 							// Number of columns in showcase.
));