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Guest Designer- Susie Bentz

5 Feb

TODAY- our first Guest Designer- Susie Bentz!

Hi everyone- so glad to be back from CHA! I had an idea on the week long drive home… I am very blessed to have lots of creative friends. And I want to share them- their stories, inspiration and work- with you because I know you will love them as much as I do.

So I am really excited to introduce a new feature on the blog- every Friday you will get to meet a fabulous artist and they will share a project and tutorial with you…

I can’t thank Susie enough for all her help at CHA in the Paper Trail booth. Susie lives right down the road from me and it has been such a pleasure to get to know her better. (see another post about her here.) Wait till you to see what a fantastic project Susie has come up with using the new Stitchlits dies!

I’m a papercrafter from Northern Virginia where I live with my husband and three (almost) grown children. I have been creating all my life and have yet to find a craft I didn’t want to try! I enjoy all kinds of papercrafting – cardmaking, scrapbooking and altering items for gifts and home décor. Most recently I have been exploring mixed media and canvases and I am quickly becoming addicted!

I recently joined Eileen at CHA where she turned her vintage trailer into “the place to be” by inviting her talented friends to share demos and Make & Takes. I had a huge response for this little tag I designed and I promised to share a tutorial for it online. So here we go!

I used Eileen’s Flowers & Leaves Stitchlits. This set is really cool because it gives you three options:

Cut out solid shapes (flowers, leaves, stems)
Cut out shapes with punched holes for stitching
Punch holes for stitching the shapes onto cardstock

Here’s a close up of a couple of dies from the set so that you can see the difference.

You can see that the die on the left is designed to only cut out the small stitching holes within the flower shape. The die on the right, however, will cut out the entire flower and the stitching holes. So how to use them?

First I used a die that would just punch the holes for stitching a stem.
Next I added the flower die, positioned above the stem, and punched more stitching holes.
Then I used one of the leaf dies to actually cut out a leaf element and proceeded to stitch it onto the tag using green floss and the stitching holes.

I cut a flower out of felt, using the die that also created the holes, and stitched it in place.
I added a bit of washi tape (and yes that is a different flower – but you get the idea!)
I finished off the tag using one of the embossing folders Eileen designed for her sewing collection. I cut a piece of kraft cardstock that was the same height as the tag and twice the width. After I scored it and folded it in half, I used the Stitched With Love folder and embossed right along the score line. I used Eileen’s Nutmeg ColorBox Blends to highlight the embossing before cutting along the curved edge. The cut edge is adhered to the front left side of the tag and then it wraps around to cover the back side of the tag so you have a nice clean surface for writing a personal note – and it hides all your stitching!)

And here is one more look at the finished tag.

If you would like to see more of my projects you can check out my blog, My Time to Play, or join me on several social media sites:

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some time to play today!

Materials for Stitched with Love Tag:

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 10 PK – Flowers & Leaf Stitchlits
Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 3 PK – Stitched With Love set
Clearsnap ColorBox Blends by Eileen Hull – Nutmeg
Little B Decorative tapes: Leaf, Floral, Love You
Manila tag, kraft cardstock, embroidery floss, felt

Isn’t this fun? What would you do with these dies? Thanks Susie for a great project!

Join us next week- our Inspiration Team has some delicious eye candy for you! And don’t forget to follow me for lots more ideas and BTS peeks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Meet more of the Paper Trail CHA Designers

23 Dec

The Craft and Hobby Show is rapidly approaching! You are in for a treat- please take a minute to meet more of the Paper Trail CHA Designers, who will be appearing in Booth 330 along with Scotty and I.

Rina Gonzales is the owner of Mothership Scrapbook Gal – a craft business based in Riverside, California with a mission to help people craft their special and everyday moments through craft events, DIY card kits and custom orders. Rina is best known for her “Crafty Happy Hour” event where crafters of all levels and ages, come together and create greeting cards, no experience is required and all supplies are provided. Rina is a member of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team and also a contributing blogger to CraftyChica.com.

Meet Niki Meiners… Friend, Wife, Mom and an all around crafty old soul. Artist, Writer, Creative Director and Style Maker. Lover of old, fond of the new. Craver of excitement, establisher of the calm.

Growing up in a small mid-western town, Niki Meiners was surrounded by a modest, resourceful and very entrepreneurial family. Her simple upbringing spurred her “Can do” attitude and gave her the confidence to try any challenge placed before her. She knew there was more out there than just her small town and set off after high school to explore the world. It was through these travels that she discovered her love of art and her desire to make the world a prettier place. It was not until she suffered a paralyzing illness that she realized she wanted to reconsider her corporate career as a Chief Paper Pusher, and her thoughts immediately turned to her first passion, art. In 2003 she began an odyssey that would take her from product design to publication and everywhere in between. She is known for her distinctive, high quality creations that feature a diverse mix of styles and highly creative approach to even the smallest detail. Niki is an Idea Architect, easily outlining every project from concept to completion. Her creations are simultaneously beautiful and functional and her in depth knowledge of the industry allows her to produce projects with a specific understanding of both the consumers and the manufacturers. This knowledge has allowed her work to be featured in the industries leading craft and lifestyle publications and manufacturers’ websites.

Cindi Bisson McGee has been working in the craft industry for over 15 years as a mixed-media artist. She is multi-published via web TV, websites, ebooks, books and magazines, and recently represented KellyCraft™ Innovations on HSN. Cindi enjoys experimenting with many types of mixed-media to create home decor, jewelry, wearable fashion, textured/dimensional projects and paper crafts. Cindi has a passion for teaching and sharing the world of creativity with others and can often be found at events, trade shows and in stores demonstrating products, hosting make & takes, and teaching workshops. Her motto is “Dare to be Different.” Her style is diverse, and she is always seeking new opportunities to share her creative abilities and work with new products in unique ways. See more of her creative work at her blog – Cindi McGee – Behind These Eyes™ – www.CindiMcGeeBehindTheseEyes.blogspot.com

Make & Take Project: By the Sea Mini Album

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Featuring product from: Sizzix®, Graphic45®, DecoArt®, Clearsnap®, Beacon™ Adhesives, Little B™, MD® Hobby & Craft, Makin’s Clay® and JudiKins™.

Ann Butler is the Co-Owner/Publisher of Bella Crafts Publishing; home of Bella Crafts Quarterly; the #1 FREE online downloadable craft magazine. Ann is also a Licensed Designer, Author, Consultant and Instructor for the creative industries. Ann works closely with manufacturers through product development, design, social media, marketing and blogging. Her designs have appeared in books, magazines, booklets, packaging, trade show booths and websites.

Ann teaches nationally/internationally as well as doing online workshops. She appears regularly on the PBS show Creative Living with Sheryl Borden, webTV and does how-to videos. She is an active member of the Craft and Hobby Association, conducting seminars and volunteering. Ann also served 6 years on the council of the Designer Section, the last two of those years as Chair of the Designer Section.

Ann will be doing a demo in the booth showing how easy it is to use her Faux Quilting and Background Basics Stamps to create a Faux Quilt and backgrounds.

Known around the world as the Pee Wee Herman of design, Jonathan Fong is the host of “Style with a Smile” and the author of three books: Walls that Wow, Flowers that Wow, and Parties that Wow. Besides designing interiors, events and crafts, Jonathan is a popular fashion blogger. He is currently Eileen Hull’s craft husband.

Come make a 3D Flower Pot Picture Frame Refrigerator Magnet with Jonathan in Booth 330!

Follow Scotty and I on #paprtrailCHA…

Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * You Tube * Periscope and here on the blog. Thanks!

Meet the Paper Trail CHA Designers

16 Dec

Time is flying by! On Dec. 29, I pack up Scotty, my vintage camper, and start the journey west from Virginia to the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Show in Anaheim, CA. There are lots of exciting things happening in the booth- read about them here.

Now I’d like you to meet the Paper Trail CHA Designers who will be demoing and doing Make and Takes in my booth at CHA. I am so happy to have them there sharing #cre8time projects. #Cre8time is an initiative promoted by CHA to encourage people to take time (8 minutes) out of their day to make something.

So, heeere’s Lisa!

Lisa Fulmer is an artist, crafter, writer, and a marketeer. She’s an active CHA Designer Member who has worked in the craft industry for many years. Lisa has authored two craft project books – Craft Your Stash and Stylish Craft Foam Projects. She designs projects and video tutorials for several manufacturers, contributes regularly to many craft sites like FaveCrafts and CraftFoxes, and is a columnist for Bella Crafts Quarterly magazine. Visit her at LisaLizaLou Designs!

Lisa will be creating a fun “Dimensional Doodling” photo mat for her make-n-take!

Marjie Kemper is a mixed media artist and Certified Ranger Educator who teaches classes nationwide and online. Marjie’s current passions are mixed media and art journaling, and her hands are usually colored with ink and paint. She will be doing a make & take on color blending/stenciling using the Recipe Card Box die.

Visit Marjie’s website or find her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

Meet Anita Scroggins…

I am happily married to the love of my life, a man who doesn’t get mad when he ends up at work with glitter on his face. We have two beautiful grown daughters, who live right down the road from us and one precious granddaughter. Gardening, cooking, volunteering, and laughing with my friends are how I spend my time when I am not crafting.

I am an experienced media spokesperson, educator, project & product designer and more. My scrapbook, home-decor, paper crafts and up-cycled projects have been featured in books and magazines, at events, and trade shows. I blog at The Flamingo Chronicals. You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. My style is diverse and ever evolving, but one thing remains the same, less is less and more is best and white space is my enemy.

Hi crafty friends! I’m Einat Kessler, creative professional, mixed media artist, scrapbook and paper designer, altering enthusiast and class instructor from Israel.

As a little girl I remember sitting in my grandparents living room with a huge scrapbook on my knees (I was only 6 years old so the scrapbook seemed larger than it really was), looking through the photos of faraway places my grandparents visited. As a master bookbinder, my grandfather built a new scrapbook from scratch for every trip he and my grandma took. After the book was ready he filled it with photos, postcards, images he cut from magazines, tickets and lots more. I thought it was pure magic.
Years later when my first son was born my grandfather suggested I create a scrapbook for him. This was the first scrapbook I created. In those days there were no scrapbooking supplies in the stores here I had to be creative and create everything from scratch. One day while on-line I searched the word scrapbooking and BAM!! A whole new world just gushed into my life! I was completely hooked!
Slowly the new hobby took over my life until I decided to quit my job and open my own business. I started a blog, a Facebook page and a YouTube channel. Today my brand has evolved beyond scrapbooking to include mixed media, DIY projects, altering and recycling, classes and workshops, Etsy shop and more. I design for several companies and publications and I share free tutorials on my YouTube channel.

That’s just a few of the amazingly talented designers who will be in the Paper Trail booth! If you are going to CHA, make sure to stop by Booth 330 and chat with them!

Follow Scotty and I on #paprtrailCHA…

Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * You Tube * Periscope and here on the blog. Thanks!

See you at CHA Blog Hop!

6 Dec

Welcome to the See you at CHA Blog Hop! One month from today, people from all over the world will gather in Anaheim, CA to see the latest new craft products, meet up with friends, buy new items for their store, take classes, [Read more…]

Handmade Holidays Blog Hop- Sizzix Style

7 Nov

Hi everyone! This is my fifth time participating in the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop so that makes it a tradition, right?

We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade. [Read more…]

Meet the Paper Trail Sponsors

17 Sep

I am off on another big adventure- heading out on the Paper Trail 7! At this time I would like for you to meet my amazing sponsors. Without them, I would not be able to think about tackling a trip of this magnitude.

First of all, I want to thank my GOLD sponsor: Sizzix. I am very blessed to have been working with this amazing family owned company for six years. Since 1977, Ellison has pioneered die-cutting for both the classroom and the craft room. Sizzix leads the way in die cutting machines, dies and accessories- they make innovative, high quality products and it is so exciting to be one of their artists. Their customer service is fantastic- they are committed to helping you succeed.

My SILVER sponsor is Crescent Cardboard Company, LLC, the global leader in the manufacturing and marketing of paper and board products for the custom framing and art materials markets. Not only does Crescent have beautiful matboard, they also have a cool line of art materials, such as RENDR® no show through paper, chipboard and photo mats- products I will be teaching with on the trip. It is interesting to combine art and craft supplies together as so much of crafting now includes mixed media projects.

My BRONZE sponsor, Therm O Web is known for its great adhesives, but in January, they also launched a line of DecoFoil that is to die for! I will be sharing how to use that beautiful product as well as their other adhesives in classes and demos. Therm O Web products are an integral part of all of my classes as they carry the perfect adhesive for anything I need to stick together. For over 40 years Therm O Web, a family owned company, has served as a prominent adhesive manufacturer across the world.

I am also proud to have Crafter’s Home as a sponsor. It is the largest group of independent scrapbook and paper craft retailers in the world whose membership is exclusive to independently-owned brick & mortar retail stores. They have stores around the world – all exchanging information in order to provide their customers with the freshest ideas, the newest products, cutting-edge techniques and out-of-this-world customer service. Many of the stores I will be stopping at are members of this group.

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I also want to thank my Product Partners- if they didn’t make such amazing products I would have nothing to teach! Thanks to these companies for supporting the Paper Trail!

Mothership Scrapbook Gal

And then there are my Media Partners who are helping me get the word out- it is so kind of them to spread news of the Paper Trail to their audience!

Where Women Create

Bella Crafts Connections

Archivers

Craft & Hobby Association

I have so much to be grateful for- hope I can represent these companies well and share their great products along the way.

And to my faithful followers, you make this trip so much more fun! I love reading your comments and knowing that you are there makes me feel like I am not alone.

You can see the list of stores I will be stopping at here. And you can always follow me on

Facebook * Twitter * Instagram.

Thanks to all for your support, encouragement and belief in the Paper Trail…

Eileen