Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

Rain does not dampen true Sizzix lovers!

Well, the excitement never seems to end here! Here’s what happened today. We had our Sneak Peek Demo for the new Sizzix dies. Despite the horribly cold and rainy weather, we had a great crowd and some serious crafting was going on. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Hope you are dreaming about all the ways you can use them.

The next piece of news was brought by my wonderful friend Jenn and Blog Hopper extraordinaire who told me that the dies are finally up on Sizzix.com!

And for the trifecta- when I went outside to check the mail, I found a huge box in front of the door. It was my new industrial paper cutter which trims up to 400 sheets of paper at a time. I ordered it when I got the job for 1800 Christmas cards. This will help A LOT! Karen, thanks for the tip- can’t wait to put this together and see if it can really cut that big a stack.
Many thanks to my friend Lorine who decorated these beautiful cupcakes which everyone took home, at least they were supposed to. Please come by tomorrow, take some and save me from myself. And also see the dies! Dress warmly- I heard there might be snow???
Now I am going to put on my pj’s and watch Project Runway DVR’d from last night.

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop #1 Box with Flap

Thanks for stopping by the Hop! Just a little intro here… ScoreBoards are a brand new kind of die designed for Sizzix that can cut and score matboard to create boxes, totes and folders. As the ship date got closer for the dies, I realized that the best way to show them off was to ask my amazing designer friends to play with them and see what they could whip up. Well, wait till you see what they have done!

This is my version of the die. It is a project I have been thinking about for a while. Our family is spread out all over the world from CA to VA to Iraq. I worry that our granddaughter in KS will forget who everyone is because we don’t get to see her often. So I made a little box of flash cards with photos of us so she remembers us in between visits.

The cool thing about the cards is I used an old set of playing cards that my grandmother had given my kids at one point to mount the photos on. Some of my early memories were of Grandma Lang getting ready for her card parties, the smell of her special orange cake baking and seeing the table set with the good china before the ladies arrived. So now although Grandma passed away two years ago at the age of 99, part of her life passes on to her great-great grandchild!

To make the box, you’ll need:

Big Shot die cut machine
Scoreboard die
matboard piece
coordinating paper
elastic
spray adhesive
Beacon’s Zip Dry paper glue
brads
embellishments

I used the “Box with Flap” ScoreBoard die. This box measures 2 5/8″ x 3 3/4″ x 3/4″. I cut patterned paper 6” x 13” (the same size as the matboard piece that accommodates the ScoreBoard die) and adhered it to the wrong side of the matboard with spray adhesive. I ran it through the Sizzix Big Shot with the paper side down. I opened it up and cut slits in the side of the die where I wanted to insert my elastic (thanks Jenn!). This was the trickiest part because the matboard box is pretty tight when it closes and the elastic is thick, but that also works to keep everything firmly in place. I threaded it through by pushing with the dull side of my exacto blade. Don’t cut yourself! The elastic is held in place by red line tape inside the box. Pink brads are inserted in the back to hold the box together. I punched holes in the sides of the box with my Crop-o-dile and used some fun green beaded trim for a handle. The title was printed off the computer and mounted on coordinating paper. I used an extra piece of matboard left over from the die cut to bump the title up from the box.

To make the flash cards, I measured the playing cards and created a template in PhotoShop and inserted photos of our family with their name below. Trinity is not reading yet but it won’t be long! I cut them out and adhered them to the back of the playing cards. There are still a lot of cards left so I’m going to have Dawn send me some pics of her family so I can add them to the box. When she comes to visit I can include photos of us together. FYI- there is a Sizzix ATC (artist trading card) die if you do not want to use playing cards. The next batch I do will be laminated so they’ll be easy to clean.

Every other Wednesday from now until January, one of the eight ScoreBoard dies will be featured. Today’s projects have all been created using the Box with Flap (item #656137). This box can hold a deck of cards, crayons, ATC’s, and gift cards. What are your ideas for this box? Leave a comment and let us know!

Please visit each of the links below to see what innovative creations these designers have produced!

Karen Burniston
Korie B.
Jenn Ellefson
Ann Butler

Terroriffic Tuesday- Week 2


terrorific tuesday week 2

Another week! Another helping of Halloween goodness. Check out what the fabulous crafters from all walks of life are up to this Terrorific Tuesday for the second week of October!

This little light
Light up the night with this cute pumpkin votive holder from Kat the Fearless Crafter.

Sugar Skull Bracelet & Bats in the Belfry Choker
Candace is having way too much fun with shrink plastc! Check out these fun and charming crafts on the Spirit Clay blog.

Dollar Tree Decorated Lights Tutorial
Come and decorate some Dollar Tree Skulls with Crafterella, don’t forget your sharpie markers!

The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Whip up a Halloween Invitation that’s a real ‘hoot’ with Madge in this project for iLoveToCreate!

Spooky Halloween Coasters
Cheryl Ball of Still Crafty After 50 shares some fun, funky, and spirited coasters!

Halloween Treat Bowl
Create a fun and festive treat dish with Inspired at Home!

Strands of Beads
Melissa creates a whimsical seasonal necklace based on the theme “pushing up daisies”.

Basic Black Box Meets Pumpkin Patch
Whip up Halloween favor boxes in minutes with brand new Sizzix ScoreBoard dies.

Mummy Mannequin
Create a mummy that will be a memorable accent at your Halloween party with Pattiewack!

Munchkin Mama’s Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Munchkin Mama has a great recipe for no bake peanut butter balls that the whole family will want to make!

Witch Parking!!
Make a “Witch Parking” sign on the Mucky Finger’s blog!

Vintage-Inspired Halloween Tree Topper
Shannon shows off her new Halloween tree topper, inspired by vintage crepe paper crafts!

The Impatient Crafter
Make a whimsical and elegant Halloween necklace with Madge!

Jack-O-Lantern Waterfalls
Studio Mama shows you how to make some fun and festive earrings for the Halloween season.

Glow in the Dark Jewelry
Use glow in the dark polymer clay and rubber stamps to produce eerie Halloween jewerly.

Crafty Chica’s Paint Drip Pumpkin!
A loca idea on the fly turned out muy fantastico!

Free Printable Halloween Cup Sleeves
You’ll be a hit with these labels for hot beverages at your Halloween party.

Scarecow Sweatshirt
Sharron Westerfield shares a cute scarecrow sweatshirt she made from a fun downloadable pattern from Janome!

Halloween Ribbon Brooches and Fascinators
Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner whips some quick and cute Halloween accessories!

R.I.P. Skeleton in Coffin
Guarantee a spooktacular Halloween Party with a skeleton in a coffin treat filled centerpiece!

Happy October Kewpies
Find inspiration in this colorful and cute candy corn Kewpie photo from Boopsie Daisy!

If you would like to join in the fun next week, e-mail Alexa at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and put in your subject line “Terrorific Tuesday”. She’ll get you added to the group!

Terroriffic Tuesday Week 2

I was listening to the Inspired at Home radio show the other night and Alexa Westerfield was one of the guests. She was talking about a Blog Hop she does every year called Terroriffic Tuesdays. All kinds of Halloween designs are posted ranging from cute to creepy-it’s definitely worth checking out the work of these fun designers. Alexa has generously included my project this week in the lineup.
The project that I did was quick and easy. Using one of my new Sizzix ScoreBoard dies (shipping in November!), I cut out a box with lid. The material that I used is a kind of matboard called BrightCore. The top paper coat is black and the filler below is colored orange (as opposed to traditional white). I love the black/orange combo and think it’s perfect for this Halloween project. The die I used is “Box with Lid” # 656138.
Here’s how it’s done: Cut out the ScoreBoard die and rubber band the box and lid into closed box shapes. Take your trusty Zip Dry Paper Glue and run it over the box joins on the inside of the box. Let dry for about 10 minutes.
Remove the rubber bands. Add a piece of orange braid around the lid. Cut out a smiling pumpkin shape (I used one of Brenda Pinnick’s adorable Halloween dies) from desired color. Select a coordinating color of glitter and lay a coat of spray adhesive on front of pumpkin. Sprinkle glitter all over Halloween pumpkin and remove excess. Fill with candy, treats, or use as an elegant favor box for your next party!

Sneak Peek Demo Days 10/16-17

I hope you can come join me for this event. It’s sure to be lots of fun. And who doesn’t like going home with finished products and goodies? You’ll learn some tips and techniques in working with die cut machines and see how handy these are to have on hand.
I got my Big Shot die cut machine about a year ago. All those years of crafting and I never knew what I was missing! 🙁
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, come over next Friday or Saturday 10/16-17 and see for yourself!

Sizzix ScoreBoards Blog Hop starting 10/14!

I am very excited to announce that next Wednesday, October 14 is the kick-off for our Sizzix Blog Hop! Stop by to see the cool projects that my designer buddies and I have created using my new Sizzix ScoreBoard dies!

“What is a Blog Hop?” you may wonder…

Basically it is a set of posts on individual blogs with a common theme. For example, every other Wednesday you can come here to see what project I have created using one of the eight Sizzix ScoreBoard dies. On my blog will be a link to other designers’ blogs that also have posted a project using that die Each blog will have a list of other blogs to go to, so you are just “hopping” from one blog to the next and seeing what each person has done with the same Sizzix ScoreBoard die. How cool is that? I cannot wait to see what these designers come up with. Every one of them is so talented and each has their own signature style. I hope you will come by on October 14 and check this out.
Please sign up to be a “Follower” of this blog or subscribe in a feed to keep up with all that’s going on. Comments are welcome- please let me know your thoughts. See you back here next Wednesday!

Attempt at Organizing

Found three cute little date books at Books a Million and they were only a dollar each! Never mind that they will expire at the end of 2009- I have other plans. One went to my friend Kim, who is the queen of recycling. Not sure what she will do with it but know it will be cool.
My plan was to (finally) record all of my punches, stamps, markers, and various other craft supplies. Once I finish filling the book in with “already purchased supplies”, I will never have to hesitate and wonder whether or not I already have a 1 1/4″ circle punch. It will be kept it in the car with me and brought in when going into a craft store. The trick will be keeping it up.
A couple of tips… leave a few pages between each section (for new items) and add tabs for categories. On the pages where you are punching, put a bright piece of cardstock under the punched image to make the shape stand out. When entering marker color samples, keep in mind they will probably bleed, so put scrap paper behind the page when marking.
Whatever it is you collect and want to keep track of, a fun book like this is great to keep on hand and prevent purchasing duplicate items. More money for new stuff! 🙂

Sponsor for Rotary Golf Tournament

I am proud to say that my design company will be a sponsor for the 13th Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Ft. Belvoir today. The event is hosted by the Crystal City- Pentagon Rotary Club. Proceeds benefit scholarships, community and world charitable activities and military support. My husband is president of this club and I have to say I am impressed at how active Rotarians are and how much they do for our community and the world. I wish much success to all the golfers and thanks to the sponsor companies!

Gift card mania

I never realized how handy gift cards were. It seems I am not alone- according to IT Facts, 35% of all Americans bought gift cards in 2008!

My friend Peggy had a birthday last week and we met for lunch today. She is a voracious reader so I thought a gift card from Books a Million would be appreciated. She recently lent me a series of books by Charlaine Harris. The HBO series True Blood is (loosely) based on these books. What’s up with that? Vampires are everywhere these days! Kinda creepy…

ANYway, I happened to have a piece of light blue matboard on hand so I ran it through the Sizzix Big Shot machine, added a Stampin Up! rub-on and finished it off with the accessory flower that comes on the die. I like to turn the flower over to the white side and then put the colored center back in for a little interest. The card I enclosed was cut to the size of the business card /(and gift card!) box and was made from a scrap of foamboard. I love how the surface takes stamping and ink. The stamp I used was also from Stampin Up! I was able to purchase a gift card in blue, green and brown so the card even matched the box 🙂 To keep it closed I used one of those plastic rubber bands that little girls use for their tiny pony tails- they really stretch well and have just the right amount of strength.

We had a great lunch at the Corner Bakery- I think we are caught up- for a week anyway… Hope you have a great year Peggy!

Anniversary and 100th post!

What a day… the time has gone by so quickly and I can’t imagine what life would be like without my Hayward.

And who would ever have thought I could come up with that much to say to fill 100 posts on this blog? Of course if you know me, you’re saying, “That’s a joke, right?” I will admit that I may have inherited a wee gift of the gab from my Irish half.

In fact, there have been many times in my life that I laid in bed thinking to myself, “WHY did I say that?” Something happened this week that reminded me how important it is to think before hitting the “send” key. It’s bad enough to be replaying badly spoken words over in your head, but those do, thankfully, fade with time. The words that travel through cyberspace may never be taken back so take an extra second to consider if you want your message out there forever for the world to see. Thanks to my fellow Council members Vicki, Linda, Lorine, Brenda, Ann, Katie, Phyllis, and Kirsten who handled a tough situation with grace and patience. The Council is an amazing group of women I am proud to call friends.

Things are getting crazy here. Lots of deadlines. I am working on my next batch of stuff for Sizzix and planning for Demo Days in the Barn, on October 16-17 from 10-2 each day. I’ll be giving a sneak peek at my new Sizzix Scoreboard dies due to be released in November. We’ll have make and takes, door prizes and giveaways. November 13-14 is the annual Barn Sale here and Fairfax High School Show is the following weekend! In the meantime, a really exciting opportunity for another whole product line and a large order for Christmas cards from a corporation has to get done!
Also on the horizon, it’s off to the Garlic Festival next weekend in NY with my Mom and sisters. We have a booth called Family Fleece and sell fleece hats, baby seat covers, scarves, etc. We like when there’s a nip in the air so parents are reminded to cover their children’s heads but I curse global warming- it’s been 75 degrees the past 3 years! Nevertheless, we have a great time catching up on the latest family events and enjoy a few whiskey sours with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
I hope your fall is shaping up to be exciting and full of promise as well!

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