Unconventional Materials Archives

More Fibers, Fabric & Felt – Journals & Home Decor

16 Mar

This week we have more fibers, fabric and felt inspiration for you! That is our March theme and the designers have been killing it. They are using them for accents on projects as well as major parts in their constructions. Eileen’s dies (steel rule and Thinlits) cut easily through fabric and felt so the crafty possibilities are endless. Let’s take a look at this week’s inspiration!

Jenny Marples always creates the most beautiful mixed media journals and this one is no exception. She has incorporated loads of lace, linens and stitching. Her ideas for journal pages are really inspiring! Check out her blog post for layering tips and many more photos.

Jenny Marples for Eileen Hull - more fibers, fabrics and felt inspiration! #EileenHull #eileenhulldesigns #sizzix #mymakingstory #TeamEileen

I spy with my little eye several Eileen products in this delightful sewing themed decor piece that Tonya Trantham created. There is the Vintage Buttons 3-D Embossing Folder in the background, her new Button Cards #2 stamp set, Mandala Die, and Spring Leaves Die! Pay Tonya’s blog a visit to find out all the details!

Tonya Trantham for Eileen Hull - more fibers, fabrics and felt inspiration! #EileenHull #eileenhulldesigns #sizzix #mymakingstory #TeamEileen

Another master of layers is Elizabeth Robinson. She has a beautiful shabby chic journal to share with you too. Would you believe she starched and embossed the fabric on the front of this Full Size Journal? Whaaat? Love it!! That tassel is so lovely too. Check out all the details in her blog post.

Elizabeth Robinson for Eileen Hull - more fibers, fabrics and felt inspiration! #EileenHull #eileenhulldesigns #sizzix #mymakingstory #TeamEileen

Tune in next week for more projects with fibers, fabric, and felt!

Did you miss the release of Eileen’s newest Maker Forte Stamp sets? We had a mini blog hop and Eileen hosted a live release party. Check out the post here to see!

Get connected with Eileen:

Brand new on the Sizzix Website – the Eileen Hull Hub! Here you can find inspiration, die assembly videos and exclusive content. Check it out today and watch it grow!

Are you a member of the Eileen Hull Fan Club? Join over 6,5oo other members to share ideas, inspiration, sources, challenges and make some fabulous friends – make sure to answer the questions! Watch her Facebook Lives at Eileen Hull Designs on Tuesdays at 6:00 Eastern and Thursdays at 4:00 to for project ideas, techniques, inspiration and creative community. Additionally, you can also find Eileen on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

If you missed Eileen’s Live from Tuesday, 3/15 you can watch the replay on both her YouTube channel and in FaceBook. She shows us how to make something for scrap paper storage out of the Journal Die. You can watch that replay here.

Creations with Fibers, Fabric and Felt

9 Mar

Are you a fan of making with materials other than just paper? Our theme this month is for you! We are featuring creations with fibers, fabric and felt components. The designers are using them for accents on projects as well as major parts in their constructions. Let’s take a look at this week’s inspiration!

Maggi Harding has created a Full Size Journal that is absolutely fabulous! The covers are chipboard covered with sticky back canvas and it just gets better and better from there. See all the lacy, shabby chic goodness inside and out on Maggi’s blog post with tutorial.

Maggi Harding for Eileen Hull - Creations with Fibers Fabric and Felt #EileenHull #eileenhulldesigns #sizzix #mymakingstory #TeamEileen — Loving the lace!

Maggi has packed this journal full of awesomeness. Here is a peek, many more photos on her blog:

You can cut fabric and felt with your Thinlits dies too! Designer Susie Bentz used darling cotton prints in her cute bee cards. If you are a sewer/quilter/fabric hoarder take a look at your stash and consider it for “paper crafting” possibilities! Susie used Eileen’s new Snail Mail Thinlits Die Set to cut her fabrics and they are just perfect. Check out her blog post for all the details and instructions.

Susie Bentz for Eileen Hull - Creations with Fibers Fabric and Felt #EileenHull #eileenhulldesigns #sizzix #mymakingstory #TeamEileen

Join us next week for more creations with fibers, fabric, and felt!

Did you miss the release of Eileen’s newest Maker Forte Stamp sets? We had a mini blog hop and Eileen hosted a live release party. Check out the post here to see!

Get connected with Eileen:

Brand new on the Sizzix Website – the Eileen Hull Hub! Here you can find inspiration, die assembly videos and exclusive content. Check it out today and watch it grow!

Are you a member of the Eileen Hull Fan Club? Join over 6,4oo other members to share ideas, inspiration, sources, challenges and make some fabulous friends – make sure to answer the questions! Watch her Facebook Lives at Eileen Hull Designs on Tuesdays at 6:00 Eastern and Thursdays at 4:00 to for project ideas, techniques, inspiration and creative community. Additionally, you can also find Eileen on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

If you missed Eileen’s Live from Tuesday, 3/8 you can watch the replay on both her YouTube channel and in FaceBook. She makes a collaged ‘Sunflowers for Freedom’ journal. You can watch that replay here.

Unconventional Materials & Sizzix Wrap Up

26 May

We have more projects made with unconventional materials and Eileen Hull’s Sizzix Dies to share with you this week! That is the theme we’ve been working with for this month of May and Eileen also wants to see your projects made with creative materials and her dies. In fact, there is a contest going in the Facebook Fan Club so be sure to join the group if you haven’t already. (You have until the end of the month to enter the contest!) This is our May wrap up post and we have several awesome projects from the Educator Team and some ‘Part 2’ posts from last week. Grab a beverage and get comfy.

Inspiration awaits…

Jennie Atkinson is the one who is responsible for this month’s theme. (Bravo Jennie!) Find out the story in her blog post. In the meantime, look at the beautiful tag book she created! Whatever did she use for the base? 😉 Better go find out! You can see it here.

Jennie Atkinson for Eileen Hull – May is "Unconventional Materials" month! What sort of things has the Team used with Sizzix dies? #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Designer Sarah Lizzie has created a nature journal that contains bona fide leaves, twigs and other materials she gathered. She did a lovely job combining it all into a pleasing whole. Check out her tutorial to find out how it all came together.

Sarah Lizzie for Eileen Hull – May is "Unconventional Materials" month! What sort of things has the Team used with Sizzix dies? #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Taking one for the team, Sue Eldred ahem, obtained, some candy wrappers to use for the cover of her Tiny Book. Sue, I applaud your dedication and use of unconventional materials! Those foil wrappers make such a pretty collage. Visit her blog to find out how she did it!

Sue Eldred for Eileen Hull – May is "Unconventional Materials" month! What sort of things has the Team used with Sizzix dies? #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Madeline Arendt took a little trip to the Dollar Store to look for unconventional materials to use with Eileen’s Sizzix dies. She found some very creative supplies! Would you believe the cover for this album is a padded mailing envelope? See all the details and instructions in her blog post.

Madeline Arendt for Eileen Hull – May is "Unconventional Materials" month! What sort of things has the Team used with Sizzix dies? #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

“Part 2” posts from last week…

Last week both Lisa Hoel and Tonya Trantham had “Part 1” projects to share with you. Their projects covered so much ground they couldn’t be contained in a single post! They are back this week with the rest of the story. Let’s take a look:

Lisa Hoel shared the cover of her Submarine Tunnel Book made with the Folio Journal. This week we get to see the insides, complete with tutorial! Take an undersea journey through the octopus’s garden and learn how to make your own tunnel book in her blog post.

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull – May is "Unconventional Materials" month! What sort of things has the Team used with Sizzix dies? #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting — The cover with “porthole”.

Part 2 of Tonya Trantham’s explosion Tiny Book shows us all the wonderful details inside. Tonya says she calls it an explosion book because it’s so cram jammed with goodies you can’t close it! I think it’s wonderful. Don’t miss out on all the detail photos and tips in Tonya’s blog post.

Tonya Trantham for Eileen Hull – May is "Unconventional Materials" month! What sort of things has the Team used with Sizzix dies? #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Visit next week for a new month and a new theme!

Thanks for visiting and see you next week. In case you missed it, past May posts are HERE, HERE and HERE.

Are you a member of the Eileen Hull Fan Club? Join over 5,5oo other members to share ideas, inspiration, sources, challenges and make some fabulous friends – make sure to answer the questions! Watch her Facebook Lives at Eileen Hull Designs on Tuesdays at 6:00 Eastern and Thursdays at 4:00 to for project ideas, techniques, inspiration and creative community. Additionally, you can also find Eileen on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.

If you missed Eileen’s Facebook Live from Tuesday, 5/25 you can watch the replay on both her YouTube channel and in FaceBook. (Or right here, right now!) She shares her shopping treasure haul and how to make some cute little clips you can use in your journals.

More Unconventional Materials & Sizzix Dies

19 May

We have more projects made with unconventional materials and Eileen Hull’s Sizzix Dies to share with you this week! That is the theme for May and Eileen also wants to see your projects made with creative materials and her dies. In fact, there is a contest going in the Facebook Fan Club so be sure to join the group if you haven’t already. Now let’s see what the Inspiration Team has for us today…

Elizabeth Robinson rescued something from the recycle bin and turned it into a lovely piece of home decor! Some paint and diecuts from the Mandala Die really turned this from trash to treasure. See what she used and how she did it in her blog post.

Elizabeth Robinson for Eileen Hull – May means more Unconventional Materials + Eileen's Sizzix dies
#eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Designer Lisa Hoel has Part 1 of a Folio Journal project to share. What will go inside? You will have to tune in next week to see. 😉 For now however, check out her blog for the cover with its tutorial and to see how Arnold Palmer lent a hand.

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull – May means more Unconventional Materials + Eileen's Sizzix dies
#eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Tonya Trantham also has a ‘Part 1’ project post to share. She has a created a Tiny Book that ended up not so tiny! It in fact kind of exploded and is so stuffed full of cool stuff that it doesn’t even close. Find all the details in Tonya’s blog post and she will share Part 2 next week!

Tonya Trantham for Eileen Hull – May means more Unconventional Materials + Eileen's Sizzix dies
#eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

More Unconventional Materials Bonus!

Jenny Marples has a bonus project she made that incorporates the Waterfall & Tags Die Set in an unconventional way. She used the Waterfall flap to cut pages to make a mini book all on its own! I say that is pretty clever! And of course it is full of collage-y mixed media goodness a-la Jenny. You will definitely want to check out her post to see it all and her directions.

Jenny Marples for Eileen Hull – May means more Unconventional Materials + Eileen's Sizzix dies
#eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Visit next week for more projects made with Unconventional Materials + Eileen’s Sizzix dies!

Thanks for visiting and see you next week. In case you missed it, past May posts are HERE and HERE.

If you missed Eileen’s Facebook Live from Tuesday, 5/18 you can watch the replay on on FaceBook. She and Jenny Marples had the same brilliant idea and she makes a little book from the Waterfall Die too!

Creative Materials + Sizzix Dies!

12 May

We kicked off May last week with our new theme of using unconventional and creative materials with Eileen’s Sizzix dies. The Team shared some really interesting projects with us and the fun continues this week! Let’s take a look at their creative makes…

Susie Bentz really thought outside of the box with her Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters ornament. WOW! Fake fur, plastic vampire teeth and eyes are definitely unconventional. What a sensational result! Visit Susie’s blog to see the tutorial with her tips and tricks.

Susie Bentz for Eileen Hull - creative materials +Sizzix Dies, Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters ornament! #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Designer Jenny Marples shares a way to use wooden coffee stirrers to create a flexible journal spine. I think this would be a great technique to take note of and use in your own projects! Of course the journal she created is in the lovely Jenny mixed media style and full of wonderful colors and textures. Head on over to her blog tutorial and see how she constructed it! She also has a post on the PaperArtsy blog showing how she decorated the inside pages so don’t miss that either.

Jenny Marples for Eileen Hull - creative materials +Sizzix Dies, coffee stirrers for a flexible journal binding! #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Recycling used packaging materials is a great way to “craft green”! Maggi Harding embossed the plastic from some packaging to use for the cover of her Passport Book journal. I think you would agree that you’d never guess she used “trash” to create this beautiful cover. Maggi has the directions and photos of the equally wonderful inside pages on her blog so check it out!

Maggi Harding for Eileen Hull - creative materials +Sizzix Dies, embossed plastic packaging for a journal cover! #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Pam Bray created a gorgeous Folio Journal with rice paper! She also used the rice paper to make flower embellishments – the lightweight paper is perfect for full and textural blooms. Her step by step photos and instructions can be found on her blog.

Pam Bray for Eileen Hull - creative materials +Sizzix Dies #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Visit next week for more projects made with Unconventional & creative Materials + Eileen’s Sizzix dies!

Thanks for visiting and see you next week. In case you missed it, last week’s post is HERE.

Are you a member of the Eileen Hull Fan Club? Join over 5,ooo other members to share ideas, inspiration, sources, challenges and make some fabulous friends – make sure to answer the questions! Watch her Facebook Lives at Eileen Hull Designs on Tuesdays at 6:00 Eastern and Thursdays at 4:00 to for project ideas, techniques, inspiration and creative community. Additionally, you can also find Eileen on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.

If you missed Eileen’s Facebook Live from Tuesday, 5/11 you can watch the replay on on FaceBook. She shared how to make a felt and leather phone case using the Folio Die.

May We Get Unconventional?

5 May

… with materials that is! Yes, it’s a new month with a new theme and May’s is “Unconventional Materials”! It’s time to think outside of the box (or cut up that box). Eileen Hull has challenged her Teams (and you) to create projects that use her dies with materials and substrates you wouldn’t normally think of crafting with. We are expecting to see some very creative makes from everyone so keep your eyes on the blog and join us in the Fan Club to share your projects.

Karen Bearse is starting us off strong with the unconventional material of… beer cans! She made this totally cool Pocket Notebook journal for her husband using the cans from some of his favorite beverages. Wow! She is sharing the Part 1 tutorial for making the cover on her blog now (stay tuned for more).

Karen Bearse for Eileen Hull - May's theme is using Unconventional Materials with Eileen's Dies. Prepare for creative solutions! #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Julia Aston is getting organized in her craft room with custom “bits and bobs” sorters made using the Stacking Drawer Die and a plastic placemat. (Check out what she used for the handles too!) I agree with Julia that she needs to make many, many more of these cute little organizers. See how she did it on her blog!

Julia Aston for Eileen Hull - May's theme is using Unconventional Materials with Eileen's Dies. Prepare for creative solutions! #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Lisa Hoel will have her official “unconventional materials” project posted later in the month. For now she is sharing a journal that is more of an “unconventional format” project. 😉 Visit her blog for tons of photos and a tutorial about her Day & Night reversible journal made with the Pocket Notebook. See how you can use all the Folio accessory dies in journals that are not made with the Folio base!

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - reversible Day & Night journal made with the Pocket Notebook Die #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Visit next week for more projects made with Unconventional Materials!

Thanks for visiting and see you next week. In case you missed it, last week’s April wrap up post is HERE.

If you missed Eileen’s Facebook Live from Tuesday, 5/4 you can watch the replay on both her YouTube channel and in FaceBook. (Or right here, right now!) She shares how to make a wallpaper card folder to hold cards and stamps all in one handy spot.