Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

This and That


Crazy week here… I went down to hear my daughter sing in her Choral concert at college yesterday and was so excited to stop in this great thrift shop that’s on the way. Pulled into the parking lot and it was CLOSED 🙁 Last time I was there I found some great jars of buttons.

Tomorrow morning I fly out to see my son who got back two weeks ago from Iraq! Can’t wait to make sure he’s really here and fine.

On Monday at 10 AM I will be appearing on another Facebook LIVE show with Tiffany Windsor. Please tune in and see some ideas for last minute Christmas gift packaging as well as great tips for the holidays by other fun guests.

Sizzix ScoreBoards Blog Hop #4

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am so grateful for the fabulous designers who took the time to come up with this special project for you so close to the holiday! I am truly thankful for their friendship and willingness to share their talents.

Tonight I had a fun time over at Angela’s Happy Stamper in Reston. I taught a class using the ScoreBoard dies. I invited them to stop by the Blog Hop and also to join the Sizzix fan page where you can see the latest new products, coupons and great ideas. Also, a new feature will be added soon to the Sizzix.com site and someone you know might be participating! 🙂

OK, getting down to business, the featured die this week is the Notebook Pocket. There are so many uses for this die- it’s inspiring to see all the different ways the designers have created with it!

I decided to emboss the matboard. Now, embossed matboard is actually available for purchase BUT the price is steep. For the little time spent experimenting with this technique, it was well worth my while considering the rich textured effect that resulted.

First I laid the embossing folder sideways over a piece of white matboard and the die, roughly estimating where the folds would lie, and marked these areas lightly in pencil. Then I sandwiched the matboard inside a Sizzix embossing folder where I wanted the design to appear and rolled the die through. Some adjusting of the plates are needed to get the deeply etched effect but I think the finished product is very elegant. I added a ribbon where the pattern stops- bought at the Offray outlet up in Hagerstown, MD a few weeks ago- and what a fun road trip that was… (A big old bag of this wide green ribbon was in the clearance section for a dollar! Love it!)

Then I just had to make a card to put IN the pocket! The card base is a soft green and I used the Sizzix cake folder to emboss the design onto a small scrap of matboard which I trimmed, then bumped up from the card and accented with white ribbon.

I think this set has the look of fine letterpress. And it was done for pennies using the Sizzix embossing folders! OK, time for someone to get married- I can’t wait to give this!

Where Creativity Knocks designer Cindi Bisson sent me this cool project. That would be a fun item to have on the dinner table to get positive conversations going. Or considering what day it is, this could be a great favor for your Thanksgiving dinner too. Lay at everyone’s place with “Why I am grateful for you…” written on the front with their name… so special, such a nice thought. Thanks Cindi!

Now grab your beverage of choice and get comfy. Check out the other outrageously creative projects the ScoreBoards designers have come up with for you!

Jennifer Ellefson
Candice Windham
Denise Clason
Ann Butler
Fabrizio Martellucci
Korie B
Barbara Matthiessen
Brenda Pinnick
Karen Burniston
Bonnie Bruns

And thanks to all of you for visiting. Please stop back on December 9 to see what we do with the business card holder (which also fits gift cards!). Now on to the business of turkey eating!

Giving thanks…

A great big THANKS to all who attended the Barn Sale. We were able to collect 6 giant Rubbermaid tubs of food for LINK, our local food pantry, and our sales were up 24% over last year! What a great weekend, despite the rain. We so appreciate our loyal customers who come every year and buy from our local (and some not local) craftspeople. We truly give thanks for your loyalty and support!

Last night I had the pleasure of showing some of my latest projects on an Inspired at Home Pajama Party. This was hosted by Tiffany Windsor and Maria Nerius. They provide a comfy forum for crafters from all around the globe to share their latest craft projects, tips and techniques. One of the best things about the show? PJ’s are perfectly acceptable! Click here to see a (not hideous) shot of me and a project 🙂

Let’s see… what else is new? There is going to be some exciting news from Sizzix very soon. Can’t wait to share that with you all… I am still working on the order of 1800 cards. The first 800 were delivered and now the next batch of 600 is due on Monday and the remaining 400 the week after! Thanks to Jenn and Amy for coming over this afternoon and getting a good number put together and ready to go. Tomorrow is packing and prepping for the show at Fairfax High School on Saturday and Sunday.

Another Blog Hop is coming up this Wednesday. Hope you can stop by and see what my prolific designer buddies have come up with using my Sizzix ScoreBoards dies. HEY! I just went to Sizzix.com to grab the web address for you and see that ScoreBoards are scrolling through on the banner! (you have to watch for a few seconds… but it’s there- WOW- cool 🙂

One of my projects will be coming out in an e-magazine called Totally-Creative. You should definitely check this publication out- primo designers, great range of mediums and projects and beautifully photographed and laid out.

OK, now it’s back to work for me. Next time I will have a pic for you… Enjoy your weekend!

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop #3


Welcome to our third Blog Hop! The featured project today is the checkbook holder. Of course there are many other uses for this die which I’m pretty sure you will see as you visit each designer’s blog.

And here’s a more little background on some of our Blog Hop designers. I am happy to welcome back my good friend, reluctant blogger and partner in crime, Lorine Mason. Lorine is a fabric artist and has authored many books. Denise Clason joined us last week with her cool pin cushion cupcake project- Denise has also written several beautiful quilting and sewing books. From across the pond, I am happy to welcome Fabrizio Martellucci. He is a designer in London and loves working with anything Brenda Pinnick designs! We met in the Inspired at Home chat room. Gabriela Delworth is another great photographer and project designer. She is from Toronto and teaches classes in gift wrapping and other paper projects. I was so happy when Karen Burniston (of pop-up fame) introduced me to her friend Bonnie Bruns a few weeks ago. Her work is amazing- you may remember seeing her dog Bella posing with a cupcake die crown for the last Hop. Laura Bray is a fellow CHA Designer member whose work I have been admiring for quite some time. Laura shares my love for making crafts that look like yummy food! Brenda Pinnick is an amazing designer and fellow licensed artist with Sizzix. She has just started a color series entitled Color U. Check out her blog for details. This summer I was so happy to have some time to talk with the Golden Press Kit- Designer award winner Candice Windham. She is another matboard/foamboard fanatic! I loved what Barbara Mattheissen did last week with the cupcake holder die. I am fascinated with how many techniques she has mastered and manages to make them look fun and easy to try. Did you see the sweet cupcake projects from Niki Meiners? She has a fun and contemporary style that just makes you smile. Thanks to all of the fabulous designers whose work is truly outstanding. I am blessed to have you all as part of my die promotion events. Readers please stop by their blogs for inspiring projects and insights!

And now… on with the Hop!

I designed a notepad with this die. My inspiration was a book called “Elegance- a Complete Guide for Every Woman who Wants to be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions” originally published in 1964. I found it in the thrift store and was fascinated by the advice of the author. The page I used on the cover of the notepad is telling the reader why you should not go shopping for clothes with good friends and it’s hysterical. VERY proper. So not me 🙂

Here’s how I created it… This project requires you to cut out 2 covers, which means you need one and a half pieces of matboard to make the project. I coated the front and back covers with spray adhesive, adhered the book pages to the outside cover of the folder, then ran the whole thing through the Big Shot. The added pressure of the rolling through ensures that the paper will stay adhered to the matboard. The binding was attached with brads and the faux crystals adorn the closure. One piece of advice… magnets may be the way to go with the closure on this project instead of Velcro. The paper is tearing away from the base layer and ripping paper. Darn it!

While I was working on it, I realized that I had a bunch more ideas that I could use this die for… stay tuned…

Here are some fantastic designs that the Blog Hop Designers have come up with for you! Thanks for sharing them with us.

Brenda Pinnick
Fabrizio Martellucci
Jennifer Ellefson
Ann Butler
Lorine Mason
Karen Burniston
Bonnie Bruns
Gabriela Delworth
Candice Windham

1800 handmade cards!


It’s a challenge. And a check! I took a custom job a few weeks ago to produce 1800 holiday cards for a non-profit organization in DC. It has been really pushing me to work on a schedule and a budget. Maybe you are considering making your own Christmas cards and wonder where to begin. I’d like to share some tips with you for mass producing cards of any kind.

First, keep the design simple. Every little touch and flourish that you add, will also add time. I had a general idea of what the client wanted so instead of using a lot of stuff, I tried to focus on using beautiful papers that had texture and contrast. You will pay a little more, but the time saved is worth it.

I printed the cards at home. It took a little fiddling and adjusting in Illustrator (any program would work- Publisher or probably even Word) to line everything up so it prints in the center and right colors. I was so impressed with my 3 year old HP OfficeJet 6210. It printed 600 cards on one color ink cartridge! I have been refilling my ink at CostCo for $13.99 per color cartridge so that’s not bad at all. The only thing is my tray can only hold about 20 sheets at a time- I am using heavy 80# cardstock. I did purchase a heavy duty paper trimmer and am sad to say I am going to send it back. It will not cut cardstock- only text weight paper 🙁 so I wound up using my Logan mat cutter to stack and cut all of the cards which worked just fine. I cut all of the specialty paper on this too and it really went pretty quickly. The largest layer of the stack of presents has a scrolled shape punched out. I made a jig for the punch so all I had to do was insert 2 pieces of the paper and punch, over and over! Watched several episodes of Project Runway and that was done. I am currently working on the second layer which requires a 11″ piece of ribbon wrapped around the paper and tied in a knot. My friends Lorine and Jenn came over to help today but this is the most time consuming stage so far. The third layer is just a plain piece of paper which was cut very quickly.

Measure and cut carefully. Order enough paper so that mistakes are factored in. Nothing like the last minute stress of having to run out and locate more supplies! The funny thing was that the ribbon was the hardest thing to locate (at a good price and enough of it). I finally found that at a local floral supply wholesalers. If you have a tax number, this is a good time to use it.

I am setting up a work station on my dining room table to assemble the cards. The contract calls for 800 by Monday so I am hurrying to get it done. GOOD NEWS! My army captain son is on his way home from Iraq! He may have a quick layover in NJ so if I get the call, want to be ready to zip up and say, “Welcome HOME!

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop #2

Welcome to this week’s Blog Hop extravaganza! Today we have lots of amazing projects to inspire you with. The featured die is the Cupcake Holder. Last week in all the excitement, I didn’t introduce everyone- so I would just like to include some interesting facts about each of the contributing artists who have been working on this promotion with me. In Hop post #3, I will introduce our Cupcake Holder designers.

From the Box with Flap episode, we had Karen Burniston, a world famous pop-up artist and teacher, fellow Sizzix designer and lots of fun! I met Karen at CHA and it has been a joy getting to know her. Jenn Ellefson is a friend, neighbor and multi-talented designer as well as my blog guru. She will be posting to the Hop as a “regular”. Thanks Jenn :-). Ann Butler works in mixed media, sews, has a full-time job and has 5 kids. She is a fellow CHA designer friend who loves KFC almost as much as me and will also will also be contributing to each Hop. Ann definitely needs more to do… Korie B. and I go way back. Her work is exquisite, she has 2 adorable daughters and a beautiful new studio- check out her blog for pics. AND also… big Sizzix fan 🙂

Hope you have a chance to stop in tonight, Wednesday, October 28 at 10 PM for an informal interactive chat with Tiffany Windsor and show what you are working on. I will be posting some pics from the Hop today AND I will be wearing my pajamas… any excuse! 🙂

For my project, I designed a pumpkin. It’s two cupcake holders on top of each other which you can probably tell. The interesting part of this project is the material it’s made from. And honestly I am not sure WHAT it is. But it’s very cool. I was at Michael’s the other day trolling for fun materials I could run through the Big Shot and test the ScoreBoard dies with. I saw this plastic bag in the felt aisle. The label says “some material made from Eco-Fi” (which is 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles). The manufacturer is the Kunin Group. The material I chose to use feels like felt on one side and crushed up plastic bottles on the other, so I’m guessing this is the Eco-Fi. It went through the die cutter like a dream. It’s thicker and more rigid than regular felt. The score lines didn’t really make an indentation but the material is pliable so that didn’t matter too much. I added the two bottom brads to each cupcake holder and stacked them together to make a pumpkin shape. Then I lined up both pieces along the remaining one opening and joined all four layers with a brad. This is a little bulky but holds it together nicely.

I punched a hole in the top and threaded two pieces of thick brown floral wire for a stem. Twirled some thin green floral wire on a pencil for tendrils and inserted it up the middle with the stem, securing with glue.I glued the tabs on to the top and bottom because I wanted this to be sturdy. I sewed buttons to each section of the middle with embroidery floss, and wrapped thin orange ribbon around the buttons as a closure.

This little pumpkin would make a great favor box, special Halloween gift wrap or a nest for a big creepy SPIDER!!!! Ewwww…

Now take a look at what the other fabulous designers have done with this die…

Jenn Ellefson
Laura Bray
Fabrizio Martellucci
Bonnie Bruns
Barbara Mattheisson
Denise Clason
Lorine Mason
Gabriela Delworth
Ann Butler
Candice Windham
Niki Meiners
Eileen Hull

Trick or Treat

Awww… so sad this is the last TT event. I have had a lot of fun working on this with Alexa and all the other amazing designers! Here are two projects for you since I missed the first week. Once again I have used my (almost released) Sizzix ScoreBoard dies to create some Halloween goodness!

I received this photo from Dawn saying that Trinity will be dressing as a “serious marching cheetah” this year for Halloween. On the frame, I used some great Sizzix dies from my friend and fellow die designer Brenda Pinnick. Love the ghost- almost seems like he’s saying, “WHOA! That Trinity is one serious marching cheetah!” But of course there are no such things as ghosts… right? I added a little black trim to the top and a gingham knot. I have been saving that ribbon all year for a Halloween project!

The memo holder holds a post-it note pad that is inked around the edges, adorned with black buttons and a stamped message at the bottom. Adhesive Velcro dots are used as closures. Hand these out to your “over 12” trick or treater friends and you will be voted best eye candy giver of the year!

Thanks for visiting. You are invited to stop back here on Wednesday where we will post 15 designers’ versions of the cupcake holder die, in our 8 part series of the Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop! Have a safe and scary Halloween!

Check out the work of cool fellow Halloween designers:

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Trick or Treat!
Frame and post it note holder dressed for Halloween

Costumed Kokeshi Dolls
Try out a Halloween idea for a traditional Japanese doll with Crafterella

Halloween Mask
Phyllis Dobbs created a fun and easy Halloween mask – great for adults and kids!

Fun Halloween Lanterns
Stephenie Hamen accessorizes plain paper lanterns with her paper punches.

Black Widow & Bloody Necklaces
Pattie Wack uses 3-D paint to create chokers that will creep out your party guests!

Tutu Cute Halloween Wreath
Vanessa creates an inspired wreath made of tulle!

Mad Scientist Party
Amy of Living Locurto shares a slew of fun ideas to host your own Mad Scientist Party.

Halloween Zombie Dolls
Crafty Chica shows how to add some zombie love to your decor!

Halloweenies!
Boopsie Daisy shares some of the wonderful Halloween dollies that she dreams up!

Crafty Chica’s Ghost Story!
Kathy Cano-Murillo shares a haunted crafty tale!

Halloween Cone Witches
Make these cute little paper cone witches for Halloween!

Halloween Leftovers
Mel takes the leftovers from last week’s project and makes a cool Goth choker!

Brenda Pinnick Halloween Owls
Seasonal Owls for Scaring or Delighting Trick or Treaters

The Impatient Crafter
Margot creates another spooktacular mixed media necklace with a bite.

Halloween Batty Windchime
Heidi Borchers creates a super cute windchime with personality!

Kitschy Kitschy BOO
Add some Halloween flair to your day with this cute kitschy bracelet and earring combo!

Simple Halloween Gift Tags
Studio Mama makes a strong impact with these quick and easy tags!

Strands of Beads
Melissa once again gives some pretty flower beads a Gothic makeover with this simple earring design

Costume Fun
Sharron Westerfield shares her passion for costume-making and the joy it brings her grandchildren.

Return of the Birthday Zombie
Candace is cracking herself up with this ghoulish gift box idea

Doodle Pumpkin
Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield shows you how to make a fun pumpkin on the fly!

Lots going on


I wanted to catch you all up on the latest happenings. First of all, tune in to Tiffany Windsor’s Facebook LIVE event on Monday, October 26 at 10 AM to see an up close and personal demo of the Sizzix ScoreBoards coming very soon to your local scrapbook store. My segment is LIVE from my studio via webcam so I am starting to clean now! 🙁 Hope you can tune in…

I will be teaching a class at Angela’s Happy Stamper in Reston on November 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Come join me and get started on your holiday crafting projects!

Thanks to Maria Nerius for her awesome (and numerous) projects using the frame die! Maria is one of the busiest and in-demand crafters around and still took the time to work up these beautiful samples! Thanks Maria 🙂

Also a word about When Creativity Knocks… Check out this site for new projects and products appearing daily. I have been enjoying reading Ana’s blog and can’t wait to see what she has in store next!

Totally Creative is an up and coming e-zine. It is beautifully done and packed with high quality designs with detailed instructions as well as other interesting features. There is a big giveaway going on right now so contact the editor for details!

I think that’s it for now… remember to stop by on Wednesday for the next installment of our Blog Hop, featuring the cupcake die. Click here to see what cool things my amazing designer friends did with the box with flap.

Sizzix Treat Tote

Welcome to Terroriffic Tuesday! (and yes I do know it’s only Monday but I can’t wait to show you this). Thanks for stopping by the Blog Hop. I can’t wait to see the fabulous and (spooky) projects that will go up this week.

My project was created using one of my new ScoreBoard dies from the folks at Sizzix. I am not kidding- this project took about 15 minutes from start to finish!

I rolled the BrightCore orange matboard through the Big Shot and out came the cute little cupcake shape. I laid it flat to see where I wanted the stamped image. Stamped an spider web and spider and it came out too light. The good thing was, I had a black glaze Sakura pen so I traced over the web, also adding some dimension in the process. Working carefully around the design, because of course I didn’t want to WAIT for it to dry completely, I bent the cupcake at all the score marks to give it shape. With my Crop-o-dile, I punched 2 holes across from each other on the top for the handle. I had some floral wire coated to look like a branch so bent that into handle shape and twisted the edges inside the basket. Then I wrapped wire leaves around the handle and tied a bow. Add candy and you are in business!

I can see this as a little pick-me-up for a friend having a bad day, for the teacher, thank you gift, a neighbor who helped you out, your babysitter, you name it. Who doesn’t like chocolate?

Here are some more fun projects by great designers:

terrorific-tuesday-week-3

Spooky Spider House
Silvia creates a miniature haunted house that is spooky and oh-so fun!

Witchy Embroidered Postcard
Sharron Westerfield brews up a whimsical witch postcard

The Impatient Crafter
Vintage plastic owls become the focal point of a charming necklace you can wear for Halloween and all year round!

Pumpkin and cat felt treat bag
Felt bag that can also be made as a wall hanging or door hanger

Cheryl Ball’s Halloween Door Hangers
Create these door hangers from inexpensive gloves for Trick of Treaters

My Big Mouth
Make a creepy wire tree just in time for Halloween!

Mel’s Day of the Dead Necklace
Linked chain, skulls and spiderwebs for Dia de los Muertos

Crafty Chica’s Matchbook Shrines
Adorable little folding shrines that fit in your pocket!

Paper Pumpkin
Make a plump paper pumpkin from some strips of paper plus a little Halloween craftiness!

Polymer Clay Zombie
Candace’s diabolical plan to populate the world with zombies continues!

The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Make a retro style styrofoam ornament into a fab Halloween Party centerpiece! Madge shows you how using iLoveToCreate products!

How to Make a Spooky Spice Rack
Come make a spooky spice rack with Crafterella, she’s sharing her unique labels with everyone!

Halloween Treat Tote
Conjure up a quick Halloween cupcake basket using new ScoreBoard dies!

Brenda Pinnick’s Halloween Banner
A little scary, a little fun, this delightful banner celebrates all things Halloween. Made using Brenda Pinnick Sizzix dies, glitter and ribbon.

Creepy Candlesticks
Pattie Wack turns mini pumpkins into a boo-tiful Halloween lighting idea!

Strands of Beads
Melissa explores the holiday possibilities in a black and white checkered bead

Glow in the Dork Wall Hanging
Turn off the lights and have a laugh with this goofy wall hanging from Alexa Westerfield!

Picture Perfect Pumpkin
Vanessa Coppola turns a traditional pumpkin into a decopauged masterpiece!

Happy Halloween!