Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

Recycled Dove Soap Box

Happy Easter! Here’s a little chick to brighten your day.

Lately, I have been looking at all of the beautiful packaging that companies spend big bucks to research and develop. And we open our box of cereal, juice boxes, whatever… and promptly throw them away, or at least recycle! I was replacing a bar of soap in the shower and the soft purple of the Dove box caught my eye, reminding me of Easter soon to arrive. I came down to my studio and was playing around (I’m supposed to be doing my taxes) and came up with this little box.
You will need:

  • soap box (I used Dove)
  • I used a page from an old book to print one of my Illustrator experiments on
  • Martha Stewart fence border
  • ribbon
  • eyelets
  • silk or fabric flower
  • yellow pompoms or premade chick
  1. Fold flaps inside- cut them off if they bug you. I think they add extra support and shape.
  2. Add decor- patterned paper. Punch 4 holes for handle.
  3. Add eyelets.
  4. Thread ribbon through eyelets.
  5. Tie a spring flower on the handle- I wrapped wire around the stem of the flower and then around the two strands of ribbon
  6. Glue 2 yellow pompoms together and add an tiny orange triangle for the beak for your chick/duck.
  7. Add paper grass and jelly beans or whatever you want 🙂

Have a great weekend!

Diet Coke can goes all crafty

Today did not begin well. I discovered a hole in my favorite socks. I knew I should let them go but hesitated with my hand over the garbage can… surely there was something that could be done to save them… I brought them downstairs to my studio and grabbed a Diet Coke on the way. Wait a minute… can- sock-slipcover…

If you are following this train of thought you should get yourself checked out. But isn’t it cute? It’s not hot out now but in a couple of months those cans will be dripping and sweating all over the place. This little baby will keep your hands nice and dry.

Here’s how:

wash socks
cut foot part off with scalloped rotary cutter blade
slip tube over can and cuff top of sock
add ribbon
and corny message attached by giant jump ring (puchased because of great colors)
And that’s it!
In other news… had a call from my son in Iraq and he’s doing OK so I’m a happy mom.

A new friend!

A huge thank you to Jennifer Ellefson for walking me through this blog upgrade process. You are so generous for sharing your time with me… and your workroom is amazing. When are you going to enter a contest for most beautiful studio?

Green Gallery Cake- Part 5

Ta-da! The final pieces…

The lace is was originally the bottom of the top- are you following me here??? and coated with a huge amount of spray adhesive- those beads are heavy! Once again I used buttons and trim to add color and texture. I love that cute little pink pompom trim- just had enough to make it around.

On the top, a sweet pink flowered demitasse cup and saucer hold a pin cushion. I wrapped a 2 1/2″ FloraCraft styrofoam ball with vintage green seam binding and wrapped mini-rickrack around it. I used pearls and beads to decorate the pins that are stuck in there.

So now you know how it was done. Bet you’ll be running out to get yourself the stuff to make one today! Honestly it was a big project but I think it came out really nice.

I actually have been very busy creating the last few days so will post that stuff soon. Can’t wait to show you the latest thing I figured out to do with my Logan mat cutter!

Green Gallery Cake- Part 4

Isn’t this paper beautiful? I love pink… and Melissa Frances does it so well.

The beading is the neckline of the thrift store top I cut up. It just made it around the base of this layer. I also used zippers from a box lot at the auction. I unzipped them, cut them apart at the bottom and got double duty using both sides. I hot glued the zippers and trim around the sides but had to work quickly because that glue sets up so fast! I also seem to burn myself more often when I am working with anything metal- guess the heat is transferred and OWWW! The pain that I endure for my art.. 🙂
The pin was $2.50 (fifty cents more than I usually will pay for a pin, but I really liked this one). There is a different one on each side. I just stuck them into the foamboard with the pin back and added a few glue dots to secure. Loved the trim and soft colors.
Had all my girls here this weekend- so nice to see them having fun together and reminiscing (many of the stories involving how mean their mother was and how she never let them stay home from school, blah blah blah) Love you Pam, Jess and Mary 🙂

Layer 3- only a few more to go. I think that was my favorite one to do- this piece was from a sleeve, I think. Love the new Melissa Frances paper underneath. All I had to do was lay this on top and it just fell nicely in place. I hot glued the buttons in position and it was so much fun going through them and wondering where they came from and who wore the clothes they were part of.

I think about that too when I am addressing wedding envelopes for clients. Some people have such interesting names- you wonder what they would be like to meet them.

Since we have not heard otherwise, we assume Chris arrived safely. I asked him before he left what Trinity thought about the whole deployment thing. He said he sat her down (she’s 2) and said, “Now Trinity, Daddy is going to leave soon and he will be gone a very long time. So I won’t see you for a while.” To which she replied cheerfully, “OK!” and went off to play. Wish I could do that…

https://www.eileenhull.com/2009/03/layer-3-only-few-more-to-go.html

Time for the next layer! This one is made using my favorite Melissa Frances paper from her Thankful collection www.melissafrances.com. I kind of cut this freeform following the pattern of the lace and beads. I was afraid that they would go flying all over the place with my first cut, but I think this was a very well made garment because each bead was securely sewn on the the lace. I used vintage (found in a box I got at some auction years ago) mini rickrack in pink and white to decorate the top and pink and blue piping for the bottom. So I cut the strips of beaded lace and laid them on a big piece of cardboard and spray adhesived like a maniac on the back of it, then carefully laid it all around the sides then pressed down to secure in place. This has stood up well through all the traveling so again I renew my love for spray adhesive 🙂

Today was the Logan www.logangraphic.com mat cutting class at AC Moore which was a lot of fun. There were four students and they did great and were so enthusiastic, it inspired me!

Some sad news yesterday which I am still trying to deal with… Chris (my 27 year old in the army) called and said he had gotten the phone call telling him he was leaving for Iraq on Wednesday. In my mind, I know he has been waiting to hear since January and that this should not come as a shock. But I was hoping that somehow they might forget that he was there or that something would happen where they’d say he didn’t really have to go- he has a 2 year old for heaven’s sake! It sounds ridiculous even to myself when I read this- but now the day is coming very soon and my heart hurts when I think of him going off again. Please pray for us all, my friends.

https://www.eileenhull.com/2009/03/time-for-next-layer-this-one-is-made.html

I was looking through some photos today and realized that I never posted the “recycled” cake that I made using Melissa Frances’s new papers for the CHA Green Gallery! Shame on me…
The challenge was that 25% of the project had to be made from a recycled or found object. The piece I built the cake on was a beaded top I found in the thrift store for $7. I took it apart and added a piece to each layer. In order for you to see the cake in all it’s glory, I am going to reveal one layer at a time to prolong the suspense (and give me material for 5 blogs :-)) and then unveil the entire photo in the grand finale!
I think the biggest challenge with this project (as in life) was just diving in and starting. I was going to use styrofoam as a base but quickly figured out that foamboard would be much easier to pack in nesting layers for the plane trip to CA for CHA. I assembled all of the materials and started to work. Decided to use kind of a sewing theme so gathered a bunch of zippers, buttons, ribbons, trim and rickrack to try out. Then I cut apart the top… that was a little scary because it was a one of a kind thing if I messed it up. But then again it was only 7 bucks… I loved the beaded trim that I used on this layer- it was the bottom of the beaded top. And I have to say I was very glad the size was XL- more fabric and beading to work with! More in the next post…

https://www.eileenhull.com/2009/02/i-was-looking-through-some-photos-today.html

Sew Cool

This is a project I did for a CHA Designer Challenge. It was kind of fun because I do not draw at all. But I went on line and found a very basic clip art drawing of a sewing machine. Then I converted it into a 3D rendering that translated into a pattern to make with foamboard using the proportions

from the sketch. When I read this, it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun but it was. Guess I am a nerd 🙂
Working on stuff for some of the manufacturers I talked to at CHA due by March 1. Wish me luck with that!

Well, it’s time to take all those photos, favorite layouts and artwork out of the closet and get them up on the wall. While the weather is still cold, snuggle up some night while you’re watching TV and make a list of all the projects you want to mat and frame and where you’re going to hang them. I recently found out that a major chain in my area sends all their work out to be matted, at a minimum cost per piece, of $42.50. For that, you could buy a Logan mat cutter (www.logangraphic.com) and a class on how to use it for what you’d spend on just 3 mats ordered from the store! Plus you then have it for all future projects. For me, there’s no question that’s the smarter, most economical and creative way to go.

If you are interested in learning more, please sign up for my class at the AC Moore in Fairfax, VA scheduled for February 28 from 1-3 PM. Cost is $35 and all supplies are included. Contact me for more information. Hope to see you there!

https://www.eileenhull.com/2009/02/well-its-time-to-take-all-those-photos.html