Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

Sizzix Journal Paper Trail Planner

I am gearing up for another trip in my vintage camper Scotty! And I need something to keep me organized so I made this Sizzix Journal Paper Trail Planner…

Fabric designer Kelly Panacci sent me this fabric after I commented on it on Instagram. Trailers have become my “thing” in the past few years and I love the adorable vintage images on this fabric collection. The spine on my new Paper Trail planner was reinforced and made larger to allow for a bigger book to include all the info I need in one spot for a long road trip!

Materials:

 

The charms were a gift from Megan at Blue Moon Beads.

Instructions:

  1. Cover both sides of a sheet of mat board with adhesive sheets. Remove release paper from one side. Place fabric on top of the adhesive starting on one end and smoothing across to the other end. Remove release paper from the other side of matboard and place solid color paper over adhesive. Run both mat board pieces through Big Shot with fabric side facing the die.
  2. Repeat with another sheet of mat board  TIP: With directional fabric and paper, flip second cover in the opposite direction from the first when die cutting so that both prints are running in the same direction.
  3. Turn covers so both binding strips butt up to each other in the middle. Cut a piece of mat board 8 3/4” x 1 1/4” as reinforcement binding strip. Center strip under the binding and mark each hole.  Punch matching holes in binding strip. Glue mat board to binding on the inside of the cover to strengthen spine. Secure with binder clips and allow to dry.
  4. There are four sets of holes instead of three and a wider spine than if the Journal was bound in the traditional way.  More elastic may be added for additional inserts.

My Paper Trail Planner

The book has a section for mileage, expenses, maps, photos and a plastic pocket for receipts.

I stay in the Choice Hotel chains because I get points- sometimes stay 2 nights get one night free!

I made this label and then realized that I stamped the “a” upside down. I thought about re-doing it, but then decided it was kind of fitting. There are always mistakes and adventures along the way 🙂

I am headed out on September 7 on Paper Trail #15. I’ll be posting on Facebook at Eileen Hull Designs! Thanks for reading 🙂

Nora’s Baby Book Made with the Sizzix Journal

I had so much fun creating Nora’s Baby Book!

There’s nothing more special than welcoming a new little one into the family.  And what better way to remember every milestone than by keeping a journal to record the first year?

One of the things that really makes this project special are the vintage cards. My husband found his baby book in some old boxes and threw it away. I took it out of the trash and scanned all of the baby cards given when he was born 🙂 I used them in Nora’s Baby Book to pass along to the next generation.

Supplies:

Instructions:

  1. Die cut two journal covers and flip one 180 degrees so both binding strips butt up to each other in the middle.
  2. Select the palette of Blends ink colors desired for journal cover. On a non stick mat, spritz a small amount of water. Starting with the lightest color, take Blends ink applicator and dip the sponge in water. The color will fade slightly and allow the applicator to glide freely across the matboard, producing a watercolor effect.  Arrange colors as desired and begin swiping the Blends across the covers.  Allow to dry.
  3. Die cut two Elephant shapes (shadow and detail) from Adhesive Foam. Peel off release paper from one side. Place dull side of the foil on adhesive. Burnish all areas and peel up revealing a beautiful foiled elephant! Die cut the baby’s name from adhesive foam and repeat. When you are ready to position name and elephant, remove other side of release paper and adhere to cover.  Two elephants are stacked on top of each other for dimensional look.  TIP: Make sure foil goes on the correct side of the foam- otherwise letters could be reversed.
  4. Cut 10-12 pages for baby book measuring 8 1/2” x 8 1/2”. If you want to make a pocket, then cut 8 1/2” x 12” and score at 4 1/4” and 8 1/2” and fold the flap over.
  5. To bind pages, cut a length of twine about two feet for each page. Wrap twine around the inside of the fold and tie it into the book. Knot each page inside or outside book.
  6. On the back inside cover, glue pink ruffle.
  7. Decorate each page of the book- add baby related stamps, lettering, ephemera and photos!

Thanks for looking through Nora’s Baby Book with me!

Sizzix Felt Journals

I am loving making these Sizzix Felt Journals! They are are quick and easy to stitch up and bright and colorful too.

My original plan was to make this a journal cover, but I changed my mind. After making this one, I am dying to try another felt wallet!

And then… the trailer version in honor of the upcoming Paper Trail 15.

That’s right- in three weeks I leave for TWO MONTHS on an international teaching tour with my faithful companion, vintage camper Scotty trailing along behind me. Am I insane? Maybe, but I sure have a fun time 🙂

I cut the different elements from the Travel Trailer, Stitchy Flowers, Grass, Homemade Alphabet and Birds & Butterflies Sizzix dies. They were stitched or glued on the base Journal die. I used a combination of felts- EcoFo Premium for the Journal and Exotic Bamboo felt for the flowers and grass. I like to mix and match them for a variety of colors and weights.

Something to remember when creating a journal cover from felt- it’s floppy. You will need to reinforce the spine or keep the elastic loose. Otherwise, the spine will want to bend in.

If you would like to see more Journal ideas like this, you will want our new ebook!

Journal Treasury

For a look at 85 other ways to use this Sizzix die, check out our new ebook by Bella Craft Publishing! Click HERE to buy your copy for only $11.87- special price for August only!

Thanks for reading 🙂

DIY Children’s Headboard by Christie Troxell

A new year is starting soon- always a good time to re-organize and re-decorate. See how to create a DIY Children’s Headboard by Christie Troxell!

We are so happy to have Christie here this month- remember that amazing gramophone decor piece she shared last week? Visit her site, Ritzy Parties, to see more- this girl does it ALL- parties, florals, decor, lettering, you name it!

Now let’s see how she made this adorable DIY Children’s Headboard for her daughter’s room…

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This mounted toy zebra head in an ornate frame is an incredibly unique and whimsical decoration for a girl’s bedroom, or any space where you’d like to add a healthy dose of fun! Made with a thrifted frame, a fun, stuffed toy zebra head, and dies from Eileen Hull for the Sizzix Big Shot, this project comes together quickly, and can be easily adapted to any color scheme.

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What You’ll Need:

  • Thrifted Frame
  • Paintable canvas to fit frame
  • Craft Paint
  • Stuffed Toy Zebra Head (or other animal of your choosing)
  • Fabric
  • Cardstock
  • Acrylic Gems
  • Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine
  • Eileen Hull “Heart and Soul” Flower Die, 661108
  • Beacon Adhesives Mixed Media Glue
  • Beacon Adhesives Power Tac

Instructions:

Step 1:

After ensuring my canvas would fit well into the frame, (found at a thrift store), I painted the entire surface with a bright peachy pink acrylic paint from the DecoArt Neon Lights Collection. I created this color by mixing equal parts of Peach Punch and Pink Explosion, and applied it with a paintbrush. 

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Step 2:

I found this adorable bedding for girl’s bedrooms at Cotton On Kids. Luckily, the set came with a cute coordinating carrying bag. I found some perfectly coordinated cardstock paper, and got to cutting on my Sizzix Big Shot. I made a variety of patterned and solid cuts using Eileen Hull’s Heart and Soul Flower Die.

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Step 3:

Before gluing my layered flowers, I laid them out on the canvas to create a basic layout. Mixing solids and patterns was a lot of fun! Once I had a firm idea of where the flowers would go, and what combinations would look great together, I used Beacon Adhesives 3-in-1 Glue to adhere them to the canvas, and then glued each layer atop the last to get this fun, 3-D effect. I was really excited to be able to create something that would match my daughter’s bedding exactly! 

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Step 4:

I attached the toy zebra head, (found at Target), to the center of the canvas using Beacon Adhesives Power Tac. This is a glue with extreme holding power, and I knew it would do the job. I let this dry overnight to ensure the strongest hold possible. 

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Step 5:

Gems and gold tone buttons from my collection were added to the centers of the flowers for some sparkle! What’s a little girl’s room without sparkle? 

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Step 6:

Finally, I placed the finished canvas into the frame, and it was ready to hang. Crossing my fingers that my little one likes this decoration for her fancy bedroom! 

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Success! This is one girl’s bedroom décor idea that’s black and white, and adorable all over! My daughter loves her new art piece, and I’m so happy that I was able to get such a cohesive, coordinated look by using a little ingenuity, and my Sizzix Big Shot Machine!

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Many thanks to Christie for this awesome tutorial!

Candy Cane Caddy by Mitsyana Wright

Merry Christmas friends. Here’s a fabulous project for you- the Candy Cane Caddy by Mitsyana Wright! She shows how the Sizzix Caddy die can be used in two fun ways.

Mitsyana and I met a couple of months ago as we were working on our collaboration with DCWV. Her work is fantastic and she rocks those ScoreBoards dies! She graciously agreed to create a holiday project for us so check out the awesome tutorial below…

Candy Cane Caddy

Happy Holidays Crafty Friends! I am super excited to be guest designing for Eileen Hull Designs today!!

I love the versatility of her dies and how many of her designs are multifunctional. Here, I’ve made a candy cane caddy that also doubles as a Christmas ornament!

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For today’s project, I used Eileen Hull’s Caddy Die by Sizzix.

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This is a steel rule XL Scoreboard die. You will need to use the Sizzix Big Shot Extended Cutting Pads in order to use these dies.

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I started my project by first cutting down my 12” x 12” materials (chipboard and patterned paper), down to a workable 6” x 12” size so I can die cut them.

I didn’t want the entire caddy to be just one patterned paper. So, I trimmed down my 6” X 12” sheet into smaller pieces (4”x 6” and 6”x 8”) to cover just one of the panel pieces each.

Then, layered my chipboard piece over the patterned papers and ran all the material through my die-cut machine at the same time.

It cut through all the layers with ease!!

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I trimmed off the “tucking” flap pieces of the bottom box portion (for the patterned paper only)… you will not see these pieces so there’s no need to add them.

Then, I cut apart this cut out on the crease lines.

Next, I ran my papers through my adhesive machine and attached them to their coordinating chipboard pieces.

I also cut an extra back piece out of the same black patterned paper to cover the back of the caddy, ran it through my adhesive machine, and attached it to the backside of the caddy’s back wall.

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I added clear adhesive to the bare flaps and adhered them to the back panel.

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Then, I used more clear adhesive to attach a few embellishments and to trim with ribbons.

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You can fill with your favorite holiday treats…

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Ready to gift as treats…

OR

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Because it has the wonderful handle built in…

Hang it on the tree as festive decor!!

I hope you enjoyed my project for today!! I am very honored to be able to guest design for the Eileen Hull Design Team.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!!

~ Mitsyana Wright (Up On Tippy Toes)

Thanks for sharing your ornament/treat box with us Mitsyana!

And thanks to all of you for stopping by to visit at this busy time of year. Happy Holidays from me, my awesome IT Coordinator Amy Bowerman, and the Inspiration Team! We are looking forward to sharing another year of awesome creativity with you.

Die Cutting Magic Launch!

It’s here- today is Die Cutting Magic Launch Day!

This project has been in the works for months and we are so excited to bring you this huge new ebook! In the book are more than a hundred projects created using Eileen Hull Sizzix dies. Some of the most fabulous designers in our industry have shared their work, including members of my Inspiration Team. Projects include books and mini-albums, boxes, gift wrap, holiday crafts, stitching, layouts, wearable art, 3D flowers, baby and wedding items, tags and even a pet crown!

You will also find die cutting tips and tricks, a list of supplies and tools you will need, and lots of inspiration. Whatever crafty style you are into, there is something here for you.
red prom dressesThe book launches on Friday, November 25 at noon and is available at the Black Friday weekend price of $2.97- that’s a 77% saving on the regular price of $12.97!

If you are not familiar with ebooks, here’s how they work. You can purchase by clicking on the photo above or the link in the blog sidebar. Once payment is received, you will get a link to the book download (which you can keep and view whenever you’d like). Open it up on your device and enjoy! Get settled in a comfy chair, put your feet up and take some time looking through the book- there are 154 pages!

If you see a project you would like to create, there are links to the dies you will need to make it. What makes this even better is- Sizzix is having a big sale this weekend too. Check out these prices!

There is so much great inspiration in Die Cutting Magic- especially perfect for this time of year when you are getting ready to make your holiday cards, presents and food gifts. There are instructions for over forty projects plus an Inspiration Gallery with even more ideas for you!

If I could pick one idea I’d like you to get from this book, it is to use your dies to the max and think outside the box. I use my die cut machine every day- it’s amazing how many ways you can use it!

Many thanks to Bella Crafts Publishing for putting out such a beautiful and professional publication. Sign up here for their FREE quarterly magazine.

Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and here on the blog for more idea, the latest happenings in my studio and on the Paper Trail.

Although Thanksgiving Day is officially over, I am always thankful for you, my friends and loyal followers, for your support and encouragement…