Eileen Hull

Easy Notepad

22 Nov

There’s a nip in the air and I am sorry to say my crafting mojo has just skipped right over Thanksgiving and on to Christmas- I blame it on the stores that put out Christmas stuff the day after Halloween.

Last night I was re-organizing. It’s amazing how much stuff came out of that tiny little camper after the Paper Trail trip and now has to be assimilated back in the studio. So while I was putting things away, I found a bunch of these little memo pads I had gotten at the Christmas Tree Shop a while ago. Since they were 3″ square, I wondered if the Sizzix Square Box die would work as a little folder to wrap the pad with because it is a 3 1/4″ square. I actually tried the 3″ Block but it was a little tight.

At this time of year I am always looking for little handmade gifts. [Read more…]

Vintage Kitchen “Favorite Recipes” part 2

18 Nov

Hello friends! The Inspiration Team is back again with more of their “Favorite Recipes” using my new Sizzix collection Vintage Kitchen. You won’t want to miss these creative project tutorials featuring my latest collection perfect for all your holiday baking, entertaining and gifting needs.

*Stay tuned at the end of this post for the winner and top 3 of last months Tricks and treats challenge.

Shelly Hickox has a beautiful botanical Tea Canister tutorial to share with you. Shelly shows you how to pretty up my Vintage Kitchen Canister die using decorative trims and Graphic 45 Botanical Tea papers.

Visit Shelly’s blog to learn more about this lovely project and how to create one yourself.

Rina Gonzales has a fun and creative way to use the Cookie Jar die from Vintage Kitchen. This clever gal has turned it into a super cute lip gloss holder!

Check out the tutorial on Rina’s blog and prepare to be ‘psyched’!

Diana Hetherington has several Vintage Kitchen project tutorials to share with you from cake pan pin cushions to mixed media lanterns!

You’ll find lots of unique ways to use my new collection on Diana’s blog so stop by for loads of inspiration!

The always innovative Michelle Zerull has an oh so cute pin cushion project to share with you using my cookie jar die.

Visit Michelle’s blog for a fantastic tutorial on how to fuse fabric to mat board and create this clever project yourself!

Lisa Hoel will get you in the Holiday baking spirit with this holly jolly use of my canister die perfect for gifting cookies and other baked goods.

Stop by Lisa’s blog for a full tutorial and a cute printable to include with all of your home-baked gifts.

Anna-Karin Evaldsson puts the V in vintage with this fantastic mixed-media tutorial using my Vintage Kitchen Canister die!

Stop by Anna-Karin’s blog to learn how to give your Vintage Kitchen projects a truly vintage look using inks, stamps and embossing pastes! You’ll find this and more creative Vintage Kitchen projects so don’t delay!

WOW! Holy Vintage Kitchen inspiration batman! We don’t call them the “Inspiration Team” for nothing 🙂 You can check out all of the new Sizzix dies from my Vintage Kitchen Collection HERE.

Now without further delay, let’s get to the Winner and Top 3 of Tricks and Treats…

And the winner is….Pamellia Johnson with this spectacular Spooky house created from recycled pizza boxes!

I guarantee you will be spell-bound by the level of detail included in this amazing project…truly magical! Stop by Pamelli a’s blog for more details and prepare to be seriously inspired!

*Pamela please contact Amy(at)pluckingdaisies(dot)com with your shipping info so we can get your prize to you ASAP!

First up in the Top 3 is Keeley of Having a Me Day with this witchy and WONDERFUL mixed media canvas!

You’ll find lots of paper piecing, inking and die cutting goodness on Keeley’s blog so stop by and check it out.

Next we have Nicole of Canadian Nickel Scrappin’ with an ATB sky-high with creative tricks and treats!

You won’t want to miss a single detail included in this ATB Tower so stop by Nicole’s blog for more photos and steps. Nicole had several Artist Trading Block creations to share this month so be sure to check them all out HERE.

Last but certainly not least we have Carole Z with a super spook-tacular ATB scene!

I love how Carole used corrugated cardboard with the ATB dies to create these darling, rickety houses don’t you? Visit Carole’s blog for more details on this awe-inspiring project.

Big Congrats to Pamellia and the Top 3 and a huge thank you to all for sharing your Art with Heart!

I hope you all will join in on the current Art with Heart Challenge and share your “favorite (creative) recipes” HERE.

Eileen

Art with Heart Challenge November : Favorite Recipes

12 Nov

Hello everyone! November is already well under way and we have a LOT going on this month. My new collection Vintage Kitchen will be available for purchase next week so check with your local stores. This is an extremely versatile collection perfect for holiday gifting and beyond! You can check out the entire Vintage Kitchen Sizzix Collection HERE. In the meantime the Inspiration team will be providing you with the “recipe” for their Vintage Kitchen creations in honor of the November Art with Heart Challenge “Favorite Recipes”.

We hope you will join in on the fun and share your favorite creative “recipe” by linking up a project at the end of this post. The winner of this challenge will receive an extra special prize, a signed Vintage Kitchen Die from the Paper Trail! Due to the upcoming holiday our challenge will be extended till November 30, 2014.

Need some creative juice to get you going? Have no fear, the Inspiration Team is Here!

Tracy Evans has a fabulous take on my new Canister Die. Cool colors and mixed media techniques abound!

Stop by Tracy’s Blog for all the steps on how to create this fun and functional project.

Pam Bray has not one, but THREE great project tutorials to share using her always amazing Sizzix and Graphic 45 combo.

Swing by Pam’s Blog for details on this project and more!

Anne Redfern also has a few tutorials to share with you using my new Cookie Box die from Vintage Kitchen.

Visit Anne’s Blog to get the scoop on how to create this darling sewing box and more uses for the cookie box die.

Donna Budzynski has a plethora of Vintage Kitchen tutorials for you! This gorgeous creamer and sugar project is just the icing on the cake!

Hop on over to Donna’s Blog where you will find details on how to create all kinds of projects with Vintage Kitchen dies from cards to mixed-media canvases!

Oxana Moupisaridou rounds us out with this darling creation made with my oven die. I just love Oxana’s attention to detail and you will too.

Visit Oxana’s Blog for steps on this project and a bonus cookie box creation you have to see to believe!

In addition to all of the Vintage Kitchen excitement Team ATB has a “Block Hop” with 100 Proof Press happening all month-long!

You can find the latest ATB creations from 100 Proof Press on Wednesdays HERE and Team ATB on Thursdays HERE.

I do apologize for the delay in announcing the winner of the Tricks and Treats challenge. I’ll be back on Friday with the Winner and Top 3!

Stay tuned next week for more Vintage Kitchen Inspiration from the Inspiration Team. We can’t wait to see your “Favorite Recipes”!

Eileen

An InLinkz Link-up

Handmade Holidays Blog Hop 2014

8 Nov

Welcome to day 2 of the 4th Annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop! A few years ago we were looking online for handmade gift ideas and thought it would be great if there was a resource dedicated JUST to handmade gift ideas. Enter the Handmade Holidays hop! We’ve gathered over 100 of our creative blogger friends in the craft industry as well as some of our fellow product manufacturers to bring you a plethora of inspiring gift ideas you can make now to give to your friends, family, and colleagues. Pin and bookmark these ideas for this holiday season and to use throughout the year! Each day of the hop features approximately 30 gift projects and you can “hop” from one blog to another to check them all out.

My project is a fun Santa Canister

from the new Sizzix Vintage Kitchen collection.

Growing up, my mom had a set of silver canisters- two tall ones for Flour and Sugar and then two smaller stacking ones for Coffee and Tea. That set was my inspiration for this die. The Canister is a versatile die because it will hold a stack of cookies, brownies or candy- the perfect container to decorate for the holidays! You can also cut the canister in half to make two stacking short ones that stack because the lid and bottom fit on any size that you decide to make!

Sizzix supplies:

Big Shot die cutting machine
extended cutting pads
Canister die
Jar Labels Textured Impressions
Kitchen Labels Framelits
matboard

Other Supplies:

velvet looking ribbon
spray adhesive
rhinestone buckle
Santa’s coat trim
– 1/4″ iCraft tape

Coat one and a half sheets of matboard with spray adhesive. Cover with wide red velvet ribbon. Die cut Canister and one additional side side. Stamp snowflakes on the inside of the box.
Place lines of double sided adhesive down each tab and on the tabs of the lid. Remove release paper and adhere sides together to form square shape. (If you don’t like the look of the white seams showing down the sides, you can fill in with a red marker). Fold matboard over on all score lines of the bottom of box, then insert into the base.
Cut a length of black webbing to go around the box. Use hot glue to adhere webbing around belt loop. Wrap belt around box.
Hot glue white fur around the top edge of the Canister lid. Pierce a hole in the top of the lid. Secure leather button to top of box.
Emboss a scrap of metal using the Jar Labels Textured Impressions folder. Die cut matching label from the Kitchen Labels Framelits set. With a metal stamp, spell out “4U”. Add black paint over the sentiment, then wipe off. Punch a hole in the tag and tie on to cellophane bag filled with goodies.
Give away!

Are you ready for lots more creative handmade gift ideas and projects??

Follow along on our blog hop! Simply click on each of the links below to be taken to that post with additional information and photos on how to create a handmade gift project. Have fun and pin away!

Clearsnap

Ellison Educational Equipment

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

Rowland Technologies

Neat and Tangled

ICE Resin ‎

Therm O Web

Elizabeth Craft Designs

Pink and Main

The Buckle Boutique

Clearsnap – Vivian Keh

Ashley Rader – Giddy Upcycled

ICE Resin – Jen Cushman ‎

Candy Spiegel- Candy Scraps

Graphic 45 – Andrew Roberts

Rina Gonzales – Mothership Scrapbook Gal

Therm O Web – Amanda Niederhauser

Cori Warner – The Flying C

Yana Smakula – My Cardmaking & Scrapbooking

The Buckle Boutique – Shawn Mosch

Eileen Hull Designs – Eileen Hull

Angela Muir – Handmade in the Heartland

Krista Winters – eat, knit & d.i.y.

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L – Erica Houghton

Katie Smith – Punk Projects

Elizabeth Craft Designs – Karen Aicken

Jeanie Hevener – Create & Babble

Ellison Educational Equipment – Hilary Kanwischer

Fancy Shanty – Stacy Molter

Liz Hicks – Blogerisms

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow our Handmade Holidays Gift Ideas Pinterest board for even more inspiration!

Follow Jennifer Priest of RainMaker Media Works + Hydrangea Hippo’s board Handmade Holidays on Pinterest.

A huge thank you to our sponsors for this hop – please visit their blogs below and follow them. And be sure to come back tomorrow for another 30+ amazing Handmade Gift Ideas!

Clearsnap || Ellison Educational Equipment || Walnut Hollow || Graphic45 || Westcott || ICE Resin || Therm O Web || Rowland Industries || Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L || Pink and Main || Elizabeth Craft Designs || The Buckle Boutique || Neat and Tangled

Additional Sponsorship provided to bloggers by:

Sakura || Fairfield Processing

Craft Fail Book Review

4 Nov

I was honored to be asked to review Heather Mann’s new book, Craft Fail- When Homemade Goes Horribly Wrong.

Heather blogs at DollarStoreCrafts.com. She is also cofounder of The Blueprint Social, a social media consulting company and network of influential bloggers, and cohost of the web show “Get a Little Creative.

I met Heather a few years ago at CHA when we had displays next to each other in the Designer Showcase. Amy Anderson of ModPodge Rocks was sitting with her and were really fun to talk to, so I have been following Heather on line and watching to see what she has been up to.

This book is laid out with a photo of a project or recipe looking perfect, then next to it is the FAIL- this is what happens when things just don’t go the way you planned. And who hasn’t had that happen?

Craft Fail is hysterical. My son and I were looking at it the other day just dying laughing (but always with sympathy because the next FAIL could be mine!) It’s hard to say which is my favorite, but there are a few that never fail to cheer me up. They went THAT wrong 🙂 The commentary that goes with the projects is just perfect and so cleverly written. I would highly recommend this book for the crafters in your life, the cooks, the experimenters, and the Pinterest crowd- it is sure to be a hit. The books is available on Amazon- you will want to buy a few to have on hand for Christmas gifts.

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What I like about the book is that it is OK, and even encouraged, to celebrate the FAILs that come along in the world of crafting. It’s all about fun and experimenting and letting your creativity go where it will. So what if things don’t always turn out the way you’d like? Having a laugh about it is almost as good.

As I found out on the Paper Trail, it’s the journey that’s the fun part, not so much checking things off a list to say that you did them.

Congrats Heather- well-done!

Halloween Popcorn Box Challenge

31 Oct

I am soooo late to the party… but didn’t want to disappoint my friend and fellow Sizzix designer Laura Kelly who is hosting her annual Halloween Popcorn Box Challenge. She sends (or gives) a popcorn box to her blogger friends and has them create with it. Go here to see all of this years entries! She also has a great giveaway going on so make sure you enter!

Laura handed me this popcorn box when I saw her in Colorado along the Paper Trail. [Read more…]