Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

Wedding Invitations

Today we hop! Click on the blue Designer Connection logo and take a trip around the webring to see what our talented group has come up with today. The theme is wedding projects. And how convenient for me- we have a wedding coming up within the month 🙂 Here’s a peek at the invitations I designed for my daughter’s wedding dress.

She really liked how they came out. I love the colors she picked (although I was pushing for aqua…) and her theme is hearts. So I created some heart flowers in Illustrator and laid everything out.

Normally I would have printed them myself but because these were a very important job, I sent them to a Signature Printing to be printed on nice heavy cardstock. When I got them back, they looked pretty plain. Jess happened to be home that weekend so we went to town with some adhesive backed half pearls which we added to some of the flower centers for a 3D effect. We also decided to use a bellyband to hold the packet together. Their wedding logo was printed and punched from a scalloped circle.

If you look closely at the logo, you will see that the cakestand base is two J’s back to back (one is reversed). I used the Mandolyn font from Duetica. This is my fave font! So elegant and flowing but still readable. This font system is amazing because you can select from 10-20 options of each letter in a font family so that no two are alike- so many options to customize your layout and make it just the way you want it.
When I think about it, the stand is a cool metaphor for marriage. Two individuals working to support what they will build together- their life, family and dreams. sniff sniff. Hard to believe I will have a married daughter in less than a month! Will be posting more as the day draws closer…

Craft Critique

This week was pretty crazy. Ray is still getting acclimated to living here at the house. And I am painting like a madwoman, trying to get everything looking good before the wedding which a little less than a month away! Today we got the living room all put back together. One day at a time…

Here’s a photo of the necklace that my daughter Pam designed and is making for all the bridesmaids for Jess’s wedding. I think the blue, silver and pearl combo is so elegant!  Pam has always loved beading and has been designing her own pieces for years. I still have a pair of Santa Claus earrings she made for me when she was about 10- she got tons of orders when people saw mine. She also just opened a shop on Etsy- I’ll pass her info along when I get the URL.

I had a nice chat at CHA with Sarah Moore, editor-in-chief of Craft Critique. If you don’t already subscribe, you’ll want to sign up! Once you are on the list, you will receive their daily email where you will see reviews of craft products, special events, contests, and blog carnivals. I love it- I don’t know how anyone can keep up with all of the new crafty products out there! If I am considering buying a new tool or product, first I go to the archives and read the reviews of what other crafters thought of it before I purchase it. All reviews contain 3 pros and 3 cons about the product. And if someone doesn’t like the product, they will tell you! I appreciate the advice- hate wasting money a product that won’t work.

Anyway, I am excited to tell you I am now a Special Reporter for Craft Critique! I’ll let you know when my first article comes out.

CHA Wrap Up

Hi everyone! Remember the Sizzix Triple Play blog hop that we had right before the holidays last year? Well, it was so much fun that we decided to keep the group going. If you click on the Designer Connection logo on the sidebar, it will take you around the ring of participating designers. Such fun! Our first event is today and if you hop around to each blog, you will see each of our CHA wrap ups. 

In addition, there’s an amazing prize being offered to a lucky person- a Cricut Expression! There is a treasure hunt to find 9 Cricut logos sprinkled throughout the hop. If you find them all, you can be entered to win. For details on the treasure hunt visit Julie McGuffee’s blog to get more info- she explains how it works.

On to CHA… I hardly got to walk the show because I had a booth in License & Design and spent most of my time there. On the last day when it was slow downstairs, I did run up and take a look. Here’s what I saw:

  • pennants and banners
  • rosettes
  • lots of vintage
  • retro kitchen
  • text
  • crossover- sewing and food related crafts
  • masks and mists
  • flowers flowers flowers!

I guess the most exciting thing for me at this show was to see my Sizzix Power Panel up  in the booth! It’s called Fresh Vintage and features my signature ScoreBoard dies as well as a several varieties of 3D flowers. My thought in designing this collection was to use unexpected and recycled materials like old sewing patterns, tissue paper, coffee filters, old sheet music, ledger sheets, crepe paper, etc to cut the dies from.  

My favorite thing about being at CHA is the chance to meet and reconnect with all of my amazingly talented designer buddies! What I love about the group is how everyone supports and encourages each other. I think we are all grateful to have found a group of people who “get” us. I am already looking forward to the next show. See you there!

Matboard earrings

What a week! You know when you feel like you are just maxed out? Our 91 year old stepdad moved in with us this weekend. We had hardwood floors installed and all the furniture is piled up everywhere until I paint the first floor. The pantry was ripped out and a first floor shower installed. My daughter is getting married in 5 weeks. My next line of Sizzix dies are due March 1. Seriously??? Calgon take me away!

Sometimes you just have to go to your happy place. 🙂 For me, it’s my studio. I came down and just fiddled with stuff- nothing with a deadline- just for fun- just for me. The other thing I came to realize was that not every project has to be complicated. I had to stop myself from getting crazy and make a little box for these and allow myself to just kind of… create.

I decided to die cut some tiny flowers included on my Box with Scalloped Flap die and a beautiful piece of light blue suede matboard that I had on hand to make a pair of earrings.

You will need:

Box with Scalloped Flap die
Circles #2 die
Big Shot
matboard
1/16″ hole punch
jump rings
earring wires

Instructions:

  1. Die cut two of the larger pieces from matboard. I saved the piece of matboard and then cut out the negative space with a circle surrounding the flower to use for another pair of earrings.
  2. Punch holes at the tops of the flower petals.
  3. Thread jump rings through the holes and add to earring wires. (I could not for the life of me find my jump rings so I made some from white wire using a chain nose pliers)
  4. Cut a piece of matboard to hold the earrings. Punch two holes, insert earrings and add text, sentiment or embellishment.

Once again, a craft project has saved the day!
FaveCrafts
Also, I’m being interviewed by Pat Sloan of FaveCrafts Radio on Wednesday, March 2 at 3 PM EST along with my creative friends, Lisa Fulmer and Lorine Mason. To listen, click here. The show is recorded in case you miss it. Hope you can stop by!

Guest Towel Cupcake Webisode with Jonathan Fong

While I was out in LA for the CHA show a few weeks ago, I spent some time with my friend Jonathan Fong, an amazing designer and all around talented guy. Not only can he design, but he has written three beautiful books and speaks all over the country giving his unique approach to home decor. (read this post to hear how we happened to meet up)

When Jonathan found out I was coming to California, he invited me to appear as a guest on his weekly web TV show, Style With a Smile. It was so much fun to get behind the scenes and see all of the equipment, lighting and camera. Many thanks to my friend Lorine Mason for her help with the filming- you might not realize it but she was also Jonathan’s stunt double. This was some operation!

As you will see in the video, we were making guest towel cupcakes, which I posted about here. Jonathan used some cool cardstock and rolled it through the Sizzix Big Shot along with the ScoreBoard Cupcake Ruffle die in the video to make the wrappers. ScoreBoard dies are actually designed to be used with thicker materials such as matboard and chipboard to cut and score into boxes, folders and totes. This is a very versatile die and one that you will use over and over. I hope that seeing the video might encourage you to try a ScoreBoard die.

Just this past weekend I had reason to break out my cupcake die myself. My daughter Jess is getting married in April and she had her bridal shower. It was decided (by the shower committee) that we would serve cupcakes in Sizzix die-cut wrappers instead of having a cake. Lorine baked up some delicious vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. (I had to try both because I didn’t want to offend the baker). We then placed them in blue and white corseted cupcake wrappers. Unfortunately, as I went to take a picture, my camera died! NOOOOOO! But believe me, they were the hit of the shower. What a nice time it was- thanks so much to Tina, Lorine, Pam and Mary. I know Jess was very touched by what you did for her.

Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine Coupon Book


Don’t tell my husband but he’s getting a special Valentine this year. We were looking through some old papers a few weeks ago and came across coupon books that we had given each other on our fifth anniversary, when we had two little ones and money was tight. I decided to revisit the idea and give him one this coming Valentine’s Day. Of course, in the early days, all these cool supplies and tools were not available to create with. Technology is a wonderful thing. I’m happy to share this project with the FaveCrafts viewers! Click here to see the Blog Hop

You will need:

Heart brads (Recollections)
Wired ribbon
Cream cardstock
Mat board scrap
Fleece scrap

Spray adhesive
Faux velvet
Foam strips
Strong double-sided tape

Box assembly:
  1. Run 6″ x 13″ cream mat board through the Big Shot using the Notebook Pocket ScoreBoards die.
  2. Center Textured Impressions folder at the bottom of the cut out box and run through Big Shot again. Repeat on back side.
  3. Using spray adhesive, adhere red faux velvet to a 5″ x 5″ scrap of mat board. Position Primitive Heart die on scrap and die cut with Big Shot.
  4. Cut a scrap of teal mat board to 2 1/4″ x 3 3/4″. Round corners if desired.
  5. Die-cut a small flower from fleece using the Box w/Scallop Flap & Flowers or other small flower die you happen to have. Punch a hole in heart where desired and poke a brad through the flower and secure to the heart.
  6. Use foam tape to raise heart and position on top of scrap teal rectangle.
  7. Mark and punch holes for three heart brads on side of box. Insert.
  8. Assemble the box and use double-sided tape or brads to hold together. Wrap ribbon around top of box and tie a bow. Adhere heart piece to box.

 
Coupon book:

  1. On the computer, lay out a 3″ x 5″ coupon book cover and pages, inserting desired coupon offers available. Print and trim to size. Round corners.
  2. Punch hole at top of booklet and insert brad or ribbon to keep book together. This also makes it easy to remove a page when a coupon is redeemed.
  3. Slip coupon book in Notebook Pocket box. Present to your lucky recipient and be ready to pay up! Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!

New ScoreBoard Vase Die a la Jonathan Fong

Jonathan Fong is an author, lifestyle expert and on air personality and also happens to be a friend of mine. We met about years ago at CHA. He was promoting his new book Flowers that Wow and was sporting a pair of pants with about 2000 tiny pictures of flowers on them. Of course we could not let him pass by our booth without getting the story on the pants! What a fun guy- we had a great visit. A few months later, he was in town for a speaking engagement at the Expo Center here in VA so we met up and had a little time to get to know each other and have been in touch ever since. He did a very cool project making Guest Towel Cupcakes for an Oprah audition video and inspired me to make some using my ScoreBoard cupcake holders which you can see in my blog post here. Anyway, when Jonathan found out I would be in town for CHA, he invited me to be a guest on his weekly web TV show, Style with a Smile. We had a great time making it and I’ll be sure to let you know when it airs. Many thanks to our production assistant, Lorine Mason!

I left him with one of my new ScoreBoard dies and got a note from him tonight along with this picture.

“Look, I made a vase using your fabulous die. It was for a friend who is in the musical “The Adding Machine.” So I made flowers out of the logo and put the logo on the matboard and cut the die. It looks so cool, thanks Eileen!”

Is that creative or what? Love it- thanks Jonathan!

Categories:
CHA

Back from CHA

I just watched the Cool2Craft webcast from CHA and wow- it appears there was a lot that I missed! I spent a most of my time in my booth where I met with manufacturers and art directors from the gift and stationery industry. I hope to convert some of my design work in the craft industry over to another line of products. If things work out I should be busy for a while. We stayed in a very interesting old hotel called the Figueroa. From what I understand, it used to be a YMCA- the decor was eclectic and interesting, if not the most up to date… but the price was right… and the other good thing was that it was really close to the Convention Center so we were able to walk in every morning.

There were lots of events and classes going on. Due to the snow, I missed the panel on Product Development I was supposed to sit on, but I did make it to the other events. The Designer Round Tables went really well and had great attendance. Our Sizzix class was lots of fun and I think the folks that took it enjoyed getting a glimpse of what is coming in the next few months. I liked meeting everyone a lot.

I also had the opportunity of meeting a bunch of Cool2Craft viewers who were there visiting the show (hi Hermy!) plus had a couple of minutes to hang out with my friends Lisa Fulmer, Andrea Currie, Ann Butler, Eco Heidi, Linda Peterson and Tiffany Windsor.

The Sizzix booth was just beautiful as always- many thanks to Deena Ziegler who created the Fresh Vintage project samples that appeared in the booth. They are out of this world. Deena has posted some pics of the booth- take a look at her blog. Here’s a shot of me in the booth. Isn’t this a cool logo the Art Department came up with?

I will tell you some more about a webisode we filmed next time! Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

CHA Sneak Peek #4

OK so I am kind of bummed right now as DC got slammed with a bad snowstorm last night. I got a text from Southwest saying that my flight at 9:05 today was cancelled. But my friend Lorine and I decided to go early (5:30 for a 7:00 flight) and hope to get out standby anyway. Unfortunately, when you do that, your luggage goes even if you don’t. So after spending 6 hours in the airport and not moving up the list at all, we came back home to regroup.

Luckily we do have a reservation for 12:40 tomorrow but I will miss sitting on a panel discussion called, Take it to Market which I was really looking forward to. Then I am supposed to moderate a discussion on Blog Hop Marketing for the Round Table Discussions and last is a Sizzix Triple Play class where I was going to teach a fun project from my new line of dies, Fresh Vintage, at 7. Might still make that one and am crossing my fingers.

So, here’s another sneak peek just for listening to my *sad story! This is the XL Caddy die- there’s so much you can do with this… I used it for a little notepad holder. The flowers are part of the die too and I colored them with Copic markers- such fun!

So *sad… I am sitting in front of the fire and just had a nice nap after being up all last night. Time for my dinner- Subway tuna on wheat. Life is not all that bad 🙂

Categories:
CHA

CHA Sneak Peek #3

This is a quick post because I am in the last phases of printing posters, packing and deciding what shoes to bring put in my CHA suitcase 🙂 But here’s a sample of the butterfly die that will be coming out as part of the Fresh Vintage collection. I am excited about this die because it’s a mini- ScoreBoard (Bigz size, not XL like all of the others have been) and comes with another set of cut out wings that are a cool overlay. I didn’t use the overlay here because the simplicity of the 20 layers from an old map book looked just right as it was. I curled the wing edges with a pen for movement. And there you have it my friends… much more will be coming later. Wish you all could be there at the show… See you as soon as I catch a breath!