Blog - Eileen Hull

The #PaperTrail Itinerary and Mystery Celebrity First Stop

2 Jun

I can’t remember the last time I had to pack for a month away from home! But it’s happening…On Monday, June 2, I am headed out for four weeks on the#PaperTrail adventure! My 1976 trailer, Scotty, is loaded up with crafty goodness and vintage suitcases full of inspirational samples. I will be visiting twelve independent craft stores and teaching classes featuring my licensed craft products: Sizzix dies, Clearsnap inks and CraffitiDirect stamps. You will be seeing it all- a snapshot of life on the road because I will be blogging and keeping you updated on social media. So I hope you will follow the #PaperTrail with me on FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

There are a few reasons I want to share this adventure with you… but one of them is… quite honestly, I am a little nervous about it all, and I sure would feel better to know that I had some friends riding along with me. Please feel free to grab a button and post it on your blog or Facebook and invite your friends to follow along as well- the more the merrier. All are welcome!

Here’s the map of where I am headed. You can click on the red pins and that will show you the name of the event and location- I love Google Maps!

June 2, 2014

Eileen Meets a Celebrity! Tune in tomorrow to find out who it is and the story behind how it happened!

And Tuesday evening… an evening with my friend, CardMonkey Jarvis, and friends. Looking forward to meeting up with Ellen’s crafty group and sharing tips and techniques on die cutting. We’ll be making tiny suitcases in honor of Scotty’s journey.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Pages In Time
16 E. 28th Division Hwy (Route 322) Lititz, PA 17543

717-625-4455

Noon- demo Mini-Album

2:00-4:00 Doodled Artist Trading Blocks

If you say pretty please you can come out and tour the trailer!

Thursday, June 5, 2014
Great American Stamp Store
8 Church St S, Westport, CT 06880
(203) 221-1229

10:30-11:30 Canning Jar Recipe Book mini-class
12:30-4:30 Chunky Book

Friday, June 6, 2014
Country Living Fair
Rhinebeack, NY
Meeting up with my sister to see what we can find! I’ll be staying overnight with Kathy- she and my mom recovered the cushions in the camper for me back in March. You can read about that here. Kathy has a gorgeous little sewing cottage so I will get post some pics for you to drool over.

Thanks to an introduction from my friend Jo Packham of Where Women Create, I am going to meet Jen, owner of Earth Angel, in her booth!

Saturday, June 7, 2014
West Springfield Rubber Stamp & Paper Arts Festival
Will anyone else be going to this? Let’s plan to meet up! Gather at the camper and enjoy a cold beverage and then head in to the latest goodies for sale! Contact me at 703-283-2012. Catherine Matthews-Scanlon is on board! Who else wants in?

EDIT: Change in plan. The class at KeptCreations did not fill up. I am staying in Shokan with my sister for an extra day and heading to W. Springfield to the Stamp Show on Sunday since I don’t have class. You have to be flexible!

Sunday, June 8, 2014
Kept Creations
15 South Ave, Whitman, MA 02382
(781) 447-4010
CANCELLED
Noon- demo
2:00-4:00- Artist Trading Block Wood Tower
Visit the trailer and sign my guestbook!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Bella Art
1665 hartford avenue, johnston, ri 02919
401-383-0199 or info@bellaartonline.com.
11:00- 3:00 Chunky Book

Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Inspiration Station
13 Furnace Ave.
Stafford Springs, CT 06076
(860) 684-2641

10:00-12:00 Delightful Box

1:00-3:00 demo

6:00-8:00 Delightful Box

Thursday, June 12, 2014
Life’s Memories and More
Schoolhouse Commons
1085 Park Street Palmer MA 01069
413-283-4448 info@lifesmemoriesandmore.com

12:30-3:00 Bloom Box

Friday- Saturday, June 13-14, 2014
Beautiful Impressions
30 Westbrook Place, Westbrook, CT 06498
info@beautiful-impressions.com
Friday , June 13
11-12 Washi Tape Canning Jar Recipe Book using Eileen’s ScoreBoards Canning Jar die.
6:30-7:30 Washi Tape Canning Jar Recipe Book
Saturday, June 14
Another Mini- Class! We’ll be making an Artist Trading Blocks.

Bring your camera- we have LOTS of samples!

Chunky Book featuring Eileen’s Square Box die, Clearsnap inks and CraffitiDirect stamps.

Sunday, June 15, 2014
Stamp and Scrap Nest LLC
1384 Hopmeadow Street (Route 10) Simsbury, CT 06070
(860) 658-9023
e-mail: stampscrapnest@aol.com

12:30-3: Bloom Box

Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Scrap Happy Ohio
2445 w market st
wolf creek plaza
tiffin Ohio 44883

419-443-0882 scraphappyohio@yahoo.com

10:00-12:00- Art Journal
1:00-2:00- Recipe Book

Thursday and Friday , June 19-20, 2014
The Doodlebug
671 3rd Avenue | Jasper, IN 47546 | 1.812.482.4949
doodlebug@thedoodlebuginc.com

Thursday
2:00-4:00 demo
6:00-10:00 Chunky Book
Friday
10:30-12:30 Memories Mini
1:00-3:00 demo

Friday and Saturday, June 20-21, 2014
Mary’s Scrapden
1394 N. Green River Rd. Evansville, IN 47715 812-474-9099
marysscrapden@aol.com

Friday, June 20
6:00-10:00 Chunky Book
Saturday, June 21
10:00-11:00 Canning Jar Recipe Book
11:30-12:30 Birthday Box
1:00-3:00 Mini-Album
So happy to be headed back to see my friends at Mary’s! We will be busy here…

Don’t worry- thanks to my amazing Inspiration Team and Team ATB, there will still be plenty of amazing and inspirational projects posted while I am on the road. What a great group of designers I am blessed to have led by the dynamic Amy Bowerman of Plucking Daisies, my IT coordinator!

While you are here, scroll down and see what we have been up to… and please visit our sister site, The Artists on the Block, where you can see new Artist Trading Blocks being created and shared daily.

Thanks for stopping by everyone, and tune in tomorrow to find out what my first stop on the #PaperTrail will be…

Art with Heart May Flowers Challenge Winner & Top 3

31 May

Hello Everyone! As I’m gearing up for the #PaperTrail2 I didn’t get to posting the Winner and Top 3 of the Art with Heart Challenge yesterday. So let’s get right to it! We had such amazing entries this month how does one decide? It was a tough decision for sure!

Our winner this month is Claudine Criner! Claudine created this beautiful Bird House Artist Trading Block adorned with birds and blooms.

Stop by Claudine’s Blog to see more of this fabulous, flowering Artist Trading Block.

I wish I could choose all of the lovely projects entered in this month’s challenge we had such fantastic entries! You can see all of the beautiful projects linked up to our May Flowers Challenge HERE.

First up, we have this glittery bit of gorgeous created by Canadian Nickel Scrap’n using my Candy Drawer die!

Stop by Nicole’s blog for more details on this oh so pretty project!

There were so many beautiful floral Artist Trading Block’s linked up this month I had the toughest time of all choosing which ones to pick. They ALL deserve a top 3 mention in my opinion.

Like this phenomenal floral ATB created by Craft Art! Can you believe this was her FIRST ATB? Neither can I!

Stop by Craft Art for more glorious details.

Another “First” Artist Trading Block just bursting with blooms created by Mo Stokes rounds out our top 3!

Stop by Mo’s blog for a wonderful tutorial on how she created this innovative ATB design!

A big thank you to all for your continued support of the Art with Heart Challenge and for sharing your creativity with us here! A new challenge begins Tuesday June 3 with lots of creative inspiration from my Inspiration Team! If you missed any of the Inspiration Team projects from the May Flowers Challenge you can see them HERE.

Team ATB has also been busy this month creating Artist Trading Blocks with Altered Pages! You can find a full recap of all the amazing Artist Trading Blocks created by Team ATB and Altered Pages HERE.

In other Artist Trading Block news Team ATB is growing! Stop by and say hello to our newest team member Anne Redfern! You are in for an inspirational treat when you see Anne’s latest ATB creation. Check out the latest and greatest Artist Trading Block projects from Anne HERE.

I’ll be heading out on the #PaperTrail2 next week. I may be coming to your town! See if I’m coming your way HERE.

You can follow me on the #PaperTrail2 without leaving home here…

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Eileen

Inspiration Team May Flowers Recap

27 May

Hello everyone! Wow, the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team has outdone themselves this month with Sizzix design inspiration for our Art with Heart May Flowers challenge! Paper Flower projects abound with creative ways to use my Sizzix dies! In case you missed it here is a quick recap of the Inspiration Teams May Flowers projects and a brand new project from the fabulous Shelly Hickox!

Shelly created a gorgeous floral wedding album for her daughter’s anniversary using my Mini Album and Heart Flower dies. Stop by Shelly’s blog for more on this lovely wedding album project!

You won’t want to miss any of these pretty May Flower projects from the Inspiration Team! Here they are again for your “inspiration”…

Paper Flower Basket by Amy Bowerman

Paper Flower Food Jar by Michelle Zerull

Mixed-Media Artist Trading Block by Anna-Karin Evaldsson

Metallic Artist Trading Block by Tracy Evans

Pop-up Artist Trading Block by Shelly Hickox

Cake Slice Box with Video Tutorial by Evgenia Petzer

Canning Jar Flower Vase by Donna Budzynski

Candy Drawer Chest by Beatriz Jennings

Floral Artist Trading Block by Rina Gonzales

Hydrangea Chandelier by Beth Watson

Floral Bag Caddy by Melissa Phillips

Garden Gnome Artist Trading Block by Amy Bowerman

Seed Packet Gift Card Holders by Amy Bowerman

There’s still time to enter the Art with Heart May Flowers Challenge and win a Sizzix prize pack! Link up your projects HERE by Thursday May 29, 2014 and come back on Friday to see the winner and top 3!

Eileen

Inspiration Team Tuesday: Paper Flower Projects

20 May

Hey everyone! The Inspiration Team is back with some fabulous May Flowers inspiration for you! These Paper Flower projects created using my Sizzix dies will have YOUR creativity blooming in no time!

Beth Watson created this gorgeous Hydrangea Chandelier using my Borders and Hydrangea die and my Leaves Die.

Stop by Beth’s blog for a fantastic step-by-step tutorial.

Amy of Plucking Daisies is on a paper flower making roll! She has created this lovely floral Gift Card Holder using my Seed Packet, Leaves and Fringe Flower die. Stop by Plucking Daisies for not 1 but 4 different ways to use the Seed Packet die to make Gift Card holders for a variety of occasions!

Amy didn’t stop at Gift Card Holders. She continued her paper flower making kick and created this Whimsical Garden Gnome Artist Trading Block! I can’t even believe how many of my dies she incorporated into this project. Stop by Plucking Daisies to get the scoop.

While we are on the subject of Gnomes and Artist Trading Blocks, if you are looking for more Artist Trading Block inspiration you needn’t look further than our sister team Team ATB! Stop by the Artists on the Block to see some amazing ATB creations from Team ATB, the Inspiration Team and Altered Pages!

Melissa Phillips created this beyond beautiful Shabby-chic caddy using my bag caddy die and fringe flower .

Stop by Melissa’s blog for more gorgeous details on this pretty project!

The Inspiration Team has done it again! Are you inspired yet? I thought so! Now it’s your turn to share YOUR Art with Heart for a chance to win a Sizzix prize pack! Link up your Art with Heart HERE...I can’t wait to see what you create!

Don’t forget to stop by The Artists On The Block and check out the crazy amazing Artist Trading Block designs being created for our month-long “Block Hop” with Altered Pages!

You can also find your daily dose of ATB inspiration on our Facebook page.

Eileen

Gearing up for #PaperTrail 2!

19 May

In two short weeks, I will be headed out again on the #PaperTrail! We had so much fun in March up in New England, we are going back again to many of the stops we made on our first trip. But first there are two events in Pennsylvania.You are not going to believe who I have a meeting with! I am going to make you wait to hear this because it deserves a post of its own. And you will crack up when you hear how it all happened… [Read more…]

Inspiration Team Tuesday {May Flowers}

13 May

Hey Everyone! It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means? Lots of creative inspiration from my Inspiration Team! These talented gals never cease to amaze me with their creative use of my Sizzix Dies. Prepare to be amazed and most importantly, inspired to create some “Art with Heart” of your own.

First up we have the lovely Evgenia Petzer with an equally lovely project featuring my Cake Slice Sizzix Scoreboards die. Blooms and butterflies adorn this beautiful creation, perfect for a shower or thoughtful gift!

Evgenia has posted a video on how she created this gorgeous project that you can see HERE. Visit Evgenia’s blog for more beautiful paper creations and inspiration.

Donna Budzynski of Meme’s Art Place used my Canning Jar Sizzix Scoreboards die to create a rustic (and realistic) vase for real live flowers! Just wait till you see how she colored her mason jar to look just like the real thing!

Stop by Donna’s Blog to see more of this lovely canning jar flower vase.

Beatriz Jennings has put her pretty paper spin on this gorgeous chest of floral drawers using my Candy Drawer Sizzix Scoreboards die. Beatriz is the master of pretty papers, ribbons, buttons and trims! All are present here on this fabulous floral creation.

Check out Beatriz’s blog for more info on how to create this clever chest of drawers.

Finally, we have this lovely, flowery Artist Trading Block created by Rina Gonzales. Rina coupled my Heart Petal, Leaves and Artist Trading Blocks Dies with my new stamps from Craffiti Direct and Clearsnap Blends Inks! How Cool is that?

Stop by Mothership Scrapbook Gal to learn more about this lovely Artist Trading Block.

Want more Artist Trading Block Inspiration? Our “Block Hop” with Team ATB and Altered Pages is going on all month long every Tuesday and Thursday in May. You won’t believe the ATB’s being created for this hop! Stop by and see them HERE.

So how’s that for some floral Inspiration from the Inspiration Team? Now it’s your turn to share YOUR floral creations for the Art with Heart May Flowers challenge! You can link up your project HERE for a chance to win a fun prize.

Be sure to stop by each Inspiration Team Members Blog and let them know how much you LOVE their pretty projects!

Eileen

On Being a Mom

11 May

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

I wrote about my amazing mom on the Sizzix UK blog post from yesterday and shared a quick and easy Mother’s Day banner. Mom, thank you for all you taught me and continue to do… you rock!

Yesterday, we attended an event that just blew my mind. My youngest daughter, Maryanne, competed in a half triathlon. This is an event where you swim 1.2 miles in open water, come out of the water and bike 56 miles, and then run 13.1 miles. She is 25 and has been training for this for months. Her goal is to finish the Lake Placid full Iron Man (double the numbers of this one!) in July. I was surprised at the number of older people that were competing in this race. Yes, I mean people my age! We had dinner with other members of her team and it was so interesting to hear why they do this and what is involved. I really admire Maryanne’s perseverance and while I realize that is probably a quality she acquired from my husband, I hope something I taught her her along the way might have helped.

My daughter Pam, who just got married a few weeks ago

came to cheer her sister on. It makes a mama happy to see her kids get along and support each other.

When we got home, I found this on my porch

from my son Chris

He lives out in Kansas and is in the Army, but he is getting out soon and I am trying to talk him into coming on the #PaperTrail with me. Don’t you think he should? You guys would love him…

My daughter Jess, her husband Jason and sons, Daniel and Hunter,

were here for the wedding and gave me these books for Mother’s Day.

I love them and wish I had been better about putting albums together for my own, but there wasn’t all the fun stuff there is available now when they were little- including Snapfish….plus I was busy!

And then there’s my husband Hayward who has been my rock for 33 years. He’s da man!

I am truly blessed.

How to get a new kitchen in six weeks

7 May

If you have been following me on Facebook, you might have noticed that we upgraded our kitchen, as in, totally gutted and replaced everything. Why would someone decide to do that 6 weeks before their daughter’s wedding?

a. they are insane
b. they are sick of the hideous peel and stick tiles that are impossible to clean
c. deadline!
d. all of the above

If you guessed d. you are correct. I mentioned to my husband a few months ago that if there was one thing I would like to do before the wedding it would be to cover the kitchen floor with linoleum so it would freshen up the kitchen. And another nice thing would be to take out the peninsula that really closed the kitchen in. The next week I was on my way down to Florida to help out my daughter with the birth of her second baby and received this text from my husband:

WHAT!!! Who knew he would really do it? So while in FL, 18 month old in tow, I researched cabinets, appliances, etc. at Lowe’s, Home Depot and Ikea and talked with their staff about how long it would take if we were to go that route. Unfortunately, the earliest estimates were 2-3 months and we did not have that kind of time.

When I got back to town, I called Abbey Design Center, who had installed the wood flooring in two other rooms for us and did a great job. We decided to match the floor in the kitchen and needed to know if they still carried that batch.We also had them in them when our 92 year old stepdad, Ray, moved out after living here for a year and a half and we needed new carpet in the room where he stayed. They came out and did an estimate on the kitchen, powder room and hallway and mentioned that their company also designed kitchens!

I made an appointment for them to come out and take a look at the space, measure it and give an estimate. We then went in and met with Jimmy who walked us through the process. He said it would be tight but they were up for the task of getting it all done before the wedding. We said Let’s do it!

In one afternoon I picked cabinets, flooring, hardware, tile for backsplash, sink, faucets, window, and countertops. We were shown several options for a layout and tweaked that a little. It was pretty overwhelming but the good thing was I had been working in this kitchen for years and knew what worked and what didn’t. I also knew what I wanted lots more light. The overhead light fixture had been there for thirteen years and we had NEVER changed the bulb! Now it was ugly, but that was some bulb!

Our original plan was to bump out the whole kitchen wall and build a sunroom but it would have been a lot more expensive. We are lucky to have a pretty back yard and wanted to be able to see more of the birds, deer and fox that visit but had a tiny window with grids that really blocked the view. I had an idea in my head of a farmhouse kitchen which morphed somewhere along the way. I am not even sure what style I would use to describe the final result. But I love it!

We did give up the table that seated six (eight in a pinch). Many good times were had when the four kids were home every night for dinner… but life changes and now it is just my husband Hayward and I. So we opted to take the table space and create a desk area

where we can recharge our devices, plug in the old laptop and organize files, store crayons, puzzles and craft supplies for the grandkids’ visits along with other miscellaneous papers. In the old kitchen, we had crates stacked up with cubbies but it was always a mess and everything was out for all to see.

For the first time, we have a hidden garbage can! Before, it was was basically the first thing you saw when you walked in the front door! Yuck, but it was the most convenient place to have it. Not only is the garbage hidden but there is also a bin for recycling! In the past, we had a big Ikea bag collecting the cans, newspapers, etc hung in the back porch, but you had to go all the way back to throw it in. Not very efficient.

For some reason, my husband has a thing about keeping our vacuum in the hall closet so a broom closet was added for him- that was his only request so the rest was all up to me 🙂

We are so happy with how it turned out. Thanks so much for your encouragement and walking alongside the remodel with us. It was so great to hear your comments and suggestions along the way.

Many thanks to Abbey Design Center for doing such a great job and getting it all done before the wedding. Jacqueline Binkley Photography did such a nice job on the photos- I asked her to take one of me which I now am using for my Facebook cover photo (minus the beautiful orthopedic boot that was cropped out). I broke my ankle the day before the wedding!

There’s lots more I learned along the way and will share in a later post plus more pics! Thanks for stopping by…

Art with Heart Challenge {May Flowers}

6 May

Hey everyone! Are you ready for another Art with Heart Challenge? Spring is finally here, and our challenge this month is May Flowers. Flowers are blooming everywhere and the Inspiration Team has projects “blooming” with creativity to inspire you!

In addition to creative inspiration from the Inspiration Team we also have a great Sizzix prize pack to give away to a lucky winner! A randomly selected winner will receive my Garden Gate Album Scoreboards Die and a pack of Mat Board. All you have to do for a chance to win is link up your Art with Heart.

Now without further ado, let’s get inspired with the Inspiration Team!

Amy Bowerman has created a beautiful basket of her famous Paper Flowers using my Heart Petal Flowers, Basket and Plant Marker Dies.

Stop by Plucking Daisies for a fun tutorial on how to create this sweet paper flower basket.

Michelle Zerull has created some cute-as-a-button fringe flowers displayed in an adorable jar using my Food Jar die.

Michelle’s attention to detail is outstanding! Be sure to visit her Blog Pinch your Chic to see more of this fabulous, flower creation.

Next we have Tracy Evans with this beautiful Blue… and Blooming Artist Trading Block.

This is Tracy’s first ATB and wow! It’s like she was born to make amazing Artist Trading Blocks. Stop by Tracy’s blog to see more of this blue beauty.

Last but certainly not least we have Anna-Karin with another blooming Artist Trading Block! I see lots of my Sizzix flower dies under all those luscious “Layers of Ink”.

Stop by Anna-Karin’s Blog for a full tutorial on how to create this lovely ATB .

Speaking of Artist Trading Block inspiration, our Sister team...Team ATB has a month-long “Block Hop” going on with Altered Pages.

You’ll find new ATB designs every Tuesday and Thursday at The Artists on the Block and Altered Pages. Be sure to check it out, this kind of ATB inspiration is not to be missed!

Now it’s your turn to share some inspiration by sharing YOUR creations! You have until May 29, 2014 to link up your projects for a chance to win an awesome prize. The winner and Top 3 will be announced on May 30, 2014. In the meantime the Inspiration Team will be bringing you more creative projects and inspiration every Tuesday right here.

Can’t wait to see your Art with Heart!

Eileen

An InLinkz Link-up

What’s new with Artist Trading Blocks

29 Apr

Hey everyone! Have you seen all of the incredible Artist Trading Blocks being created with my Sizzix dies? I’m constantly amazed by the creative ways my dies are being used in conjunction with this quickly growing art form. Here’s a look at some of the latest and greatest Artist Trading Block designs created this past month by Team ATB members, Inspiration Team members, and around the web!

Team ATB has been BUSY creating innovative Artist Trading Blocks! April marks the first month of Team ATB and Wow, did they bring the Artist Trading Block inspiration or what? Stop by The Artists on the Block to see all of these creative projects.

There’s more than one way to create Artist Trading Blocks, and plenty of talented Artists creating them as the ATB movement continues to spread. Some of my very own Inspiration Team members and Team ATB members in addition to some super creative bloggers are featured in this “Amazing” Artist Trading Block collection!

You’ll find links to each and every one of these “Amazing” ATB designs on The Artists on the Block.

In other Artist Trading Block news Team ATB will be teaming up with Altered Pages for a Month long “Block hop” beginning this Thursday May 1st at The Artists on the Block!

You’ll see new ATB designs every Tuesday on the Altered Pages Blog and every Thursday at The Artists on the Block.

We’ll be kicking off a new Art with Heart Challenge next Tuesday May 6, 2014 with creative projects from the Inspiration Team…I have a feeling you’ll be seeing some pretty cool Artist Trading Blocks here too so stay tuned for that!

You can stay “in the know” about all things Artist Trading Blocks here…

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Eileen

a. they are insane b. they are sick of the hideous peel and stick tiles that are impossible to clean c. deadline! d. all of the above

a. they are insane
b. they are sick of the hideous peel and stick tiles that are impossible to clean
c. deadline!
d. all of the above