Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

My Craft Celebrity Friend, Tiffany Windsor

Ever wonder what makes craft celebrities tick? Let me introduce you to Tiffany Windsor, whose innovative new craft product, Cool2Cast, won second place out of over one hundred entries in the Innovations Showcase at CHA Winter 2012.
Tiffany wears many hats- she is the host of the popular web TV show, Cool2Craft, which airs on Mondays at noon (and also may be seen on demand at her site). She and her sister, Eco Heidi Borchers, demonstrate all kinds of inventive techniques on the show- many of them developed by their mother, Aleene Jackson (yes, THAT Aleene!), years ago. These techniques are classic- the colors and supplies may have changed, but bread dough roses are still amazing! Tiffany also consults for manufacturers and chains, does speaking engagements, designs product, and gives back to the craft community by serving as a member of the CHA Designer Council and as head of the PR Team. She is always there to help promote her fellow designers and is well-respected and admired for her dedication and professionalism.

Tiffany is no stranger to crafting- it’s a family affair! Here is our interview with her; read on to hear of her inspiring journey and all that she has accomplished in our industry…

Hi Tiffany! What is your favorite craft?

That’s way too difficult for me to decide! I am a self-proclaimed hard-core crafter which means that anything goes! I’ll try just about any craft product and technique and put my own twist to it. I am definitely most excited about my new product launch for Cool2Cast. It can be used in so many ways in so many creative categories so, OK… if I have to pick a favorite – it would be Cool2Cast! I have been developing the launch of this product for the past 3 years and I never grow tired of it and find new ways of using it every day.

How long have you been crafting? 
My first memory of a crafting project is at the age of 3 when I crafted an Easter basket with Styrofoam, chenille stems and ribbon. I have always been enchanted with ribbons and I remember how much I loved weaving the ribbons in and out of the chenille stems to make a basket.

Why did you start crafting?
In my family there was no choice 🙂 My mother’s business was in a major growth spurt when I was a young child, so the crafting business was a part of our everyday life. With 5 active kids, Mom gave us crafting supplies from her retail store to keep us busy. Fast forward to my adult years when I really embraced crafting for myself, I find crafting to be totally relaxing. Crafting is like a moving meditation for me. It’s my zen time.

Why do you keep crafting? 
About 10 years ago, I decided I was finished with crafting. Kaput, stop, end, no more. I was on total overload after having hosted and produced over 2,000 episodes of the Aleene’s Creative Living TV show for 6 years without a vacation. I thought I never wanted to see another craft again. I stepped away for about a year and in that time of soul searching I realized that crafting was really a passion for me. And sharing my love for crafting is a passion for me! So many people over the past 60 years have been enjoying the wealth of ideas in the Aleene’s vintage archives, I knew that I wanted to keep that heritage alive. That’s why in 2009, I started the Cool2Craft Community and TV show in an on-line format. It is the perfect way for me to keep connecting and sharing with the creative community.

What is your favorite crafty brand and why?
Aleene’s of course! Since I use glue in almost all my projects, I love that there is a glue for EVERY creative need. From basic all-purpose glues, to industrial strength and dry adhesives, to specific use, it is glue heaven in my studio.

Have you ever injured yourself crafting?
Thankfully no. But I do have an aloe plant handy in the studio whenever I try to use a glue gun. It’s excellent for glue gun burns.

What is your favorite crafty word? 
How about a crafty quote – “Get creative. Get inspired. Be cool!”

Tell us about your crafting space…
Since moving back to the west coast last year, I was able to set up my dream studio at my sister Heidi’s house. She had an enclosed patio area that was just being used to collect stuff so we cleared it out and I set up 6 crafting tables utilizing doors from the local ReStore (Habitat for Humanity) and set them on 3-shelf bookcases from WalMart.  Now I have lots of tabletop space to create on, and lots of underneath storage. And, it is a rare day that any of the tabletops are empty!  

Did your parents or grandparents craft?  Was your love of craft inherited? 
For anyone who doesn’t know, my Mom is THE tacky lady. Yes, Aleene of Aleene’s Tacky Glue, pioneer of the modern day craft industry. My sisters and I have often had the discussion of would we have been crafty if our Mom was not Aleene?  The rich creative environment in which I was raised definitely had to influence my love of crafting. I did work outside the craft industry for about 10 years so I have experienced my creative side both inside and outside the industry. Many people don’t realize that Aleene was not really a hands-on crafter. She had a natural talent for marketing and brought together design teams. I really inherited my crafting talent from my dad who is a very talented artist and craftsman. From my mom, I inherited the gift of visioning and perseverance. Mom forged paths that no one else even envisioned.  

What trends are you noticing in the Craft Industry? 
What I love about watching the craft industry right now is to see it re-awakening to general crafts. For so many years, the focus was totally on scrapbooking and papercrafting, so many general crafts and craft basics were overlooked. Now is the time that everyone seems open and ripe to get their hands onto products that have been ignored for so many years. I really salute the mixed media artists for showing the consumers that it’s OK to create and play and layer and glue and glob and sprinkle and have fun trying new techniques.

Can you give us a list any blogs or websites you write for, or that display your work – www.cool2craft.com, www.ilovetocreate.com, www.favecrafts.com



Thanks so much for your time, Tiffany!  Wasn’t it interesting to hear about growing up as part of a craft dynasty?

Back from CHA

I just watched the Cool2Craft webcast from CHA and wow- it appears there was a lot that I missed! I spent a most of my time in my booth where I met with manufacturers and art directors from the gift and stationery industry. I hope to convert some of my design work in the craft industry over to another line of products. If things work out I should be busy for a while. We stayed in a very interesting old hotel called the Figueroa. From what I understand, it used to be a YMCA- the decor was eclectic and interesting, if not the most up to date… but the price was right… and the other good thing was that it was really close to the Convention Center so we were able to walk in every morning.

There were lots of events and classes going on. Due to the snow, I missed the panel on Product Development I was supposed to sit on, but I did make it to the other events. The Designer Round Tables went really well and had great attendance. Our Sizzix class was lots of fun and I think the folks that took it enjoyed getting a glimpse of what is coming in the next few months. I liked meeting everyone a lot.

I also had the opportunity of meeting a bunch of Cool2Craft viewers who were there visiting the show (hi Hermy!) plus had a couple of minutes to hang out with my friends Lisa Fulmer, Andrea Currie, Ann Butler, Eco Heidi, Linda Peterson and Tiffany Windsor.

The Sizzix booth was just beautiful as always- many thanks to Deena Ziegler who created the Fresh Vintage project samples that appeared in the booth. They are out of this world. Deena has posted some pics of the booth- take a look at her blog. Here’s a shot of me in the booth. Isn’t this a cool logo the Art Department came up with?

I will tell you some more about a webisode we filmed next time! Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

Great weekend

Just thought I would post a few photos of the Barn Sale this past weekend. The weather was perfect! Sunny for both days and sweatshirt weather. The crafts were spectacular and we had lots of compliments on the set up. There were new friends from the Hive that came to say hi like Susan Pohedra (who happened to see the article about the Barn Sale on the Hive and lives only 3 miles from me!), Elizabeth and her husband Bill (the cameraman) Taylor, and knitter Margaret and Dave Nock. Barn artisans Tiffany Windsor of Cool2Craft, Jenn Ellefson and Lorine Mason were already here so we had a great visit and got some fun pics outside.

The sale was a great success. I am so grateful to our loyal customers for stopping by with their bags of food for the Thanksgiving collection and shopping lists in hand! And the Barn Sale would never happen without the amazing crafts and sales support from the wonderful vendors who are part of the show. Thanks to you all! Hope you are ready for next year. I have all kinds of ideas to make the Tenth Annual Barn Sale an extravaganza… stay tuned!

Appearing on Cool2Craft Monday Noon EDT

Hope you can stop by for a sneak peek at a really fun new die released at Summer CHA- the ScoreBoard Treat Topper! I’l be demo-ing the Big Shot die cut machine and show how to make this pretty and useful bag topper from matboard and paper too. Click here between noon and 1:30 to enter the room and join the LIVE TV show on Monday.
Last Thursday, the bookmark in my last post was featured on One Pretty Thing. I love that site- have you checked it out? Fun stuff…
I spent the weekend (mostly) working. On Friday, we enjoyed a fun evening with our Shots and Dots friends (we play dominoes once a month and there might be a round of shots consumed from time to time). Today I attended a Crazy for Copics class at Angela’s Happy Stamper nearby in Reston, VA. Laura, our instructor, was fantastic and showed some really cool ways to use Copic markers. I have a bunch and have used them but now I feel like I have the official seal of approval to go to town! We made four fun cards and learned some cool blending techniques. Here’s a look…

Have a great week, my friends!

Cool2Craft and The Hive

I am so excited about this new craft community that has opened up. It’s called The Hive and it’s like Facebook for crafters. I appeared on Cool2Craft today and Melissa Marro, the Queen Bee, was also a guest. She explained her vision for this group and also gave practical tips on how to navigate the site and showed us some of the cool features. So after the show, I started a Sizzix Lovers Anonymous group. If you are a member of the Hive and love your Sizzix, please post some of your projects for us all to see. I am always so inspired to see what people are doing with their die cuts. If you are not a member yet, you should be! It’s really easy- click on the link above and sign up today!

Here’s the project I demo’d today. It my new ScoreBoard Pro Frame die. There are so many combinations of shapes and ways you can use this. Great for books, frames, puzzles and albums. Cut-outs of this die and the Pro House will be available as a “Get Acquainted” offer on the Cool2Craft Marketplace so order a set today! If you missed the show today, you can listen to the recording here.

I am now hunkered down creating and will not come up for air until Wednesday when we’re hitting National’s baseball game! Wish me luck!

Sneak Peek

Here’s a quick look one of my new dies that came out at the CHA Summer show which I recently talked about on Cool2Craft. Click here to see my segment on the show. It’s the ScoreBoard Pro House die. This is a new adventure for me- the Pro dies are huge compared to the XL dies so I am liking having some room to work in. You will need the Big Shot Pro to cut the house out. I recently got one and it’s my new favorite gadget! I can also use it to cut several of my smaller dies out all in one pass. Great for doing mass production projects for large events like weddings and parties.

I can think of so many fun ways that this might be decorated, especially around the holidays. This picture shows a very simple version that I did right before leaving for CHA. I just added crystal glitter to the roof and made a small button wreath for above the door. A scalloped oval cutout and more glitter tells whose house it is.