Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: Leaves

Happy Thursday everyone! Are you ready to see another batch of cool projects created by the Sizzix Fresh Vintage designers? Today we are focusing on the Leaves die.
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Please make sure to check out all of the innovative projects posted on the hop today. You can do this by clicking on the thumbnails below or on the Fresh Vintage navigation blinkie on the sidebar. I happen to know there are a couple of fun surprises here and some great techniques too. Who knew that a leaf could be used in so many ways? Ready? Let’s hop!

If you would like a chance to win a Flower, Layers #9 die (to go with your leaves), please stop over at Oh My Crafts blog and see what the “Hop Question of the Day” is. Leave a comment about the hop projects and get some fun tips at the same time.

For my project, I resurrected something I had written a long time ago. It seemed appropriate to use for this hop. I have been blessed by many friends in my life, including the designers on this hop and many of you who take the time to read our blogs and leave your kind comments. I used my favorite Duetica font “Mandolyn” (again!) to communicate my message.
  1. Layout saying using font of choice on cream cardstock. I also decided to add some special effects to my test, typing my words on curvy lines to mimic leaves falling. Print out artwork.

  2. Cut a 10″ x 10″ mat from Crescent matboard #3291.
  3. Stamp front of mat with four coordinating colors. Use foam blending tool to apply ink from Stephanie Barnard’s new Clearsnap stamp pads. I love these pads because they are really juicy but wanted the control of the applicators so the color was not too intense. Blend the ink and sponge on ImageStamp by Lara Scott.. I like this stamp because it’s 5″ x 7″ and covers a lot of area all at once. Stamp all over front of 10″ x 10″ mat.
  4. With Logan Mat Cutter, cut a 2″ border all around stamped matboard piece.
  5. Add scrap foamboard strips on the back of the mat to give a shadowbox effect. Cut another piece of foamboard 9 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ for backing.
  6. Cut a bunch of leaves out of heavy duty paper. On a thick piece of fun foam, draw lines on the back of the leaf with a stylus, pressing into the paper to create veins.
  7. Drag leaf across stamp pads randomly to show veins. Ink edges
  8. Adhere leaves to mat edges with ATG gun, overlapping to cover beveled edge. Intersperse pearl bling among leaves.
  9. I accidentally got ink on my printed piece. Decided to ink the whole thing. Happy accident- now the paper blends in better with the mat! Hah!
  10. Center text under mat. Adhere to backing board. Add sawtooth hanger to foamboard for hanging or insert into 10″ x 10″ frame. You will have to add spacers though to accommodate the dimension from the leaves. Or just take the glass out of the frame.
  11. Done!

Thanks for stopping by my friends. Make sure to visit all the other designers to see what they have done with this die. See you next Tuesday!

    Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: ScoreBoard Bird

    Welcome everyone! Hard to believe but we are halfway through the six weeks of the blog hop already. Are you having fun? The Fresh Vintage designers are totally awesome and rocking these dies- I could not be happier!

    In case this is your first time here, this is how it works. To see all of the different projects, you can click on the thumblinks below or go to our cool navigation button on the sidebar and click “hop forward” or “hop backward”. After you have clicked through all the projects, head over to the Oh My Crafts blog where you can answer a question regarding projects on the hop and be entered to win the Flower, Layers #9 die!
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    Today’s featured die is the ScoreBoard Bird. When I designed this die, I was thinking what a cool Christmas ornament this guy would make. But what about bridal and baby showers, empty nesters, Happy Bird- day (sorry- know that was cheesy but couldn’t resist), tweeting, and general everyday cards? Birdies are always in style!

    And now let’s see what the designers have cooked up!

    I decided to make a Christmas ornament prototype for my yearly gift for family and friends this year. I knew what I wanted the sentiment to be as my son will be deploying again in May 🙁 The dove of peace is always appropriate- a symbol of our hopes for the coming year, especially for military families…

    Die cutting makes it so easy to produce a large number of finished items using an assembly line style. However every extra process adds time, which is where I run into trouble. But I want it to look just right! OK, I’m setting the timer and here we go… I like to use unusual materials so decided to use foamboard as a base for this project. It cuts great and is nice and light for hanging (and mailing).

    1. Die cut bird from foamboard. That’s right- foamboard- it cuts like a dream!! And in case you are wondering, those little circle shapes are eggs…
    2. Place die cut pieces in Textured Impression folder (Lace Set coming soon!) and run through die cut machine. With craft knife, trim off extra flap of foamboard leaving just the backing paper (the bulk of this extra foam is not needed)
    3. Ink bird body, wings, beak and egg with turquoise and yellow pigment ink using a foam blending tool.
    4. Run a line of Zip Dry Paper Glue around the otline of the bird and wings. Outline bird with yarn, ribbon, twine or trim.
    5. Adhere wings to bird with tacky tape.
    6. Coat bird with spray adhesive. Shake crystal glitter all over bird. Designer’s note: I added a LOT of glitter. So much that it’s hard to see the embossing. Next time I’ll use a lighter hand!

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    1. Access Duetica Lettering Arts Studio and select the Mandolyn font. This is my very favorite font and is perfect for reflecting the sentiment I chose for the ornament.
    2. Type in “Peace on Earth 2012”. Use the software to create the perfect collection of letterforms for your message. The beauty of this sytem is that there are 15-20 options for each letter both upper and lower case. There are great swashes and for beginning and ending words. Notice in the photo that there are 2 forms of e in “Peace”. This is an extra added cool touch for using text in your projects. 
    3. Print out on off-white card stock and cut into a banner shape. Run through paper corrugator. Punch hole before “Peace”. Add a line of Stickles along the top of the banner if desired.

    Nest:

    1. With strong scissors, cut the bottom off a soda can (I used the flat part of the can for the Butterfly project and hung onto the bottom for this!)
    2. Ink with brown alcohol ink.
    3. Add Fringed Flower cut from vinatge sewing pattern.  Glue on noodles to outside of can. Add Melissa Frances finged tissue paper strand to bottom.
    4. Cut about a yard of wire. Fold into fourths. Create a bird cage and bring all wires together at top and form into hook for hanging. Add nest to inside of cage. Glue bird in place.

    OPTIONAL: Pierce a small hole on top of bird for hanging if you don’t want to make a nest. Add decorative twine, wire with beads or ribbon to hang ornament.

    Thanks for hopping along! Here’s some info in case you are wondering how to get around…

    FAQ about the Fresh Vintage Blog Hop:

    How do I hop around to see ideas using the current featured die?            Every Tuesday and Thursday between September 27-November 3, 2011 there will be a new Sizzix Fresh Vintage die featured on 6-10 of the 75 participating designers’ blogs. The navigation buttons for “Hop Back” and “Hop Forward” will allow you to easily hop around and see projects featuring whatever the current die is, since those buttons are programmed to navigate only to the blogs that are participating for that die. On the next Tuesday/Thursday, the buttons will automatically reprogram themselves to navigate to the blogs that are signed up for the next featured die.

    What if I start at a designer’s blog that isn’t one of the 6-10 signed up for that die?

    No problem! Simply hit either the “Hop Forward” or “Hop Back” button on the Fresh Vintage navigation widget from any blog’s sidebar and you’ll automatically advance to one of the participating blogs.

    Can I go back and view the ideas for a previously featured die?

    Of course! Go to the “Blog Hops” link at the top of the page. It will bring up all of the blog posts where you’ll find direct links to each participating blog along with a thumbnail image of the project.

    Where can I buy the Sizzix Fresh Vintage dies, by Eileen Hull?

    You can visit Sizzix.com to find a local and online retailers for Sizzix products. Also be sure to visit Oh My Crafts, one of this blog hop’s sponsors, (between the dates of September 27-November 3, 2011) and enter for a chance to win a Flower Layers #9 die!

    The Blog Hop has ended and the navigation widget is no longer in the sidebar. How can I see the ideas?

    Go to the “Blog Hops” link at the top of the page. It will bring up blog posts where you’ll find direct links to each participating blog along with a thumbnail image of the project.

    Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: 3D Flower, Wrapped

    Wow- is it already time for another hop? Every Tuesday and Thursday, until Nov. 3, one of my new Sizzix dies will be featured here starring the fabulous Fresh Vintage designers! Today they are working with the 3D Flower, Wrapped die. This is a such a fun one! This die looks great no matter what you cut it from: paper, fabric, fleece, felt, packing paper, sheet music, recycled bags or tissue paper.

    HEY, this just in! Today is Designer Days at Sizzix! Just for today, 10/13/11, all Eileen Hull dies are 25% off! The promo code is: SZEH25.  This offer excludes Outlet items and cannot be combined with any other discounts. Come on by for a look at the new line coming out in November, It’s a Wrap (click to the end of the scrolling to see).
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    To view the hop, you can click on the Fresh Vintage blinkie on the sidebar. This will take you around to all of the designers on the hop OR you can click on the linky party below for a look at all the projects. To see projects that have already been posted, visit the page above titled “Sizzix Blog Hops”. For a chance to win this die, answer the question about today’s hop on the Oh My Crafts blog today. There are lots of ways you can use this die and you are about to see some very cool ideas. Are you ready?

    For my project, I decided to combine the Vase die and flowers into a canvas project that I had the idea for last week… Heard this reading in church and as the kids say, it got stuck in my head…

    1. Lay down a coat of Mod Podge over the canvas and add book pages on top (mine came from an old etiquette book which is hilarious). Coat pages with Mod Podge and let dry. Add a layer of gingham tissue paper over the bottom 3″ of the canvas and Mod Podge it down.
    2. Cut strips of foamboard to simulate a windowsill. Adhere them to the canvas with Tacky Tape.
    3. Cover 6″ x 13″ piece of matboard spray adhesive and cover with Grant Studio paper. Die cut Vase with Big Shot. Trim 2 segments from vase and bend into circular shape, flattening 4 back segments against canvas. Set on shelf and attach to canvas with glue gun.
    4. Insert one quarter of a 2 1/2″ STYROFOAM ball into the vase. Add flowers.
    5. Lay out text in your publishing software and print on transparency. (I always have trouble getting this work but this time I rubbed the sheet before printing with a bag of stuff I have to rub off scratches on matboard. Think it’s similar to the Perfect Printing Pouch which I have somewhere but could not find- it worked. After I printed it, I sprayed with Krylon Workable Fixitif.)
    6. Trim text to fit inside of window. Spray a light coat of spray adhesive on the back of the transparency and stick on.

    Flower:

    1. Die cut Wrapped Flowers from a stack of coffee filter (about 20). Randomly dab them with four colors of paint  that has been slightly diluted with water. Allow petals to dry.
    2. Cut stems from branches. Wrap tape around top 1″ of stem and start winding the petals around the stem. Depending on how full you want your flower, add layers of petals starting with the smaller ones and graduating to large. Or if you want a small flower, just use the small petals. Cut flower bases from green felt and add to bottom of flower. Add green leaves adhered to sticks.
    3. Coil wire around a pencil and insert in to arrangement.
    4. Add a coat of Radiant Rain Egyptian Gold mist from Luminarte for a rich shimmery effect.
    5. Stick stems into STYROFOAM ball and cover with yarn or paper shred.
    6. Wrap wire around a pencil or dowel and insert wire coils into arrangement. Stretch out as desired.

    Other Supplies:
    8 x 10 canvas, old book pages, sticks from your yard, foamboard scraps, glue gun, coffee filters, transparency sheet, colored wire from Beadalon

    Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: ScoreBoard Vase

    Hi everyone and welcome back to the Sizzix Fresh Vintage blog hop! Today’s featured die is the ScoreBoard Vase.

    If you are a fan of flowers, paper or otherwise, you need this die so you can make a beautiful container to hold all of your handmade posies. But that’s not the only thing you can do with it!

    • decorate and use to hold treats at your next party
    • make some for your craft area to organize pens, markers and paint brushes
    • make a set for the little girl in your life to store her hair accessories in
    • use as a gift box for small presents. Tie on a ribbon and tag and it’s a unique and personal presentation.
    • cut some out of paper and use them as ice cream cone wrappers- they just fit!- I tried 🙂
    • make a special holiday ornament and place in the vase. Add a pipe cleaner handle and bow

    Click on the thumbnails below or follow the hop using the Fresh Vintage blinkie navigation tool to the right. The designers have posted some amazing projects on their blogs and shown lots of creative ways that the Vase die may be used. Make sure to stop and check them all out. And we love comments 🙂 so please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts on the projects.

    After you have hopped through all the projects, head over to the Oh My Crafts blog and leave a comment. You could win the Flower, Layers #9 die (one of my very favorites!)

    So let’s get hopping:


    I decided to use the Vase die for a different purpose. I bought a beautiful plant the other day but was not thrilled with the foil wrapper. So I decided to make a little slipcover for the pot!

    Thanks to my “dear” husband for filming the video.

    Here’s how I made the Plant Cover:

    1. Measure the circumference of the pot you’d like to cover. Determine how many widths of matboard you will need to cover pot. To do that, I ran several pieces of scrap paper using the vase die and my Big Shot. I taped them together and wrapped them around the pot to measure. For a 4″ pot, I needed 2 vase cutouts and had a little extra I needed to trim off.
    2. Cut or tear 2 pieces of brown kraft wrap into pieces approximately 6″ x 13″. Crumple the paper up and smooth out again. Coat the back of the paper with spray adhesive.
    3. Smooth down paper onto matboard. Wrinkles are perfectly fine, even desired!
    4. Place paper covered side of matboard face down on die and run through the Big Shot. Repeat with second piece of board.
    5. Select the colors of ink you would like to use and a stencil brush for each color. Place the stencil on top of cutouts and start swirling ink around the stencil, blending colors as you go, until all areas of the vase pieces are covered.
    6. With brown ink, shade edges of plant cover on top and bottom.
    7. Adhere both vase pieces together using Tacky Tape. Wrap whole piece around plant, and trim extra segments off as needed.
    8. Adhere vase die cuts end to end so finished design fits around the pot..

    TIP: If the pot is just a little larger than the diecut, make a ruffle from fabric or brown paper and adhere inside the plant cover. This will extend the top just high enough to cover the pot edge.

    Tags:

    1. Die cut 2 flower pieces from matboard.
    2. Punch hole with Crop-a-Dile on top of each flower. Write message on back of flower.
    3. Add glitter center to flower with Stickles and allow to dry.
    4. Cut a length of twine long enough to wrap around the pot twice. If desired, age twine with ink.
    5. Wrap around plant and thread tags on twine and tie.

    Other Supplies:
    brown kraft packaging paper

    Haunted House

    Happy Columbus Day to all! I just wanted to pop in and show you all a cool project sent to me by Susan Tierney Cockburn. She blogs at My Mother’s Apron Strings where she shares mouth watering recipes and photos of yummy desserts. I met her at about a year ago at CHA. She brought projects that she had done with some of my other dies and I was amazed at her attention to detail and meticulous work. She is so nice and friendly- we just hit it off!
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    Here’s a picture of my Sizzix ScoreBoard Pro House die (above). Susan turned it into a spooky Haunted House for Halloween (below)! Can you believe these tiny little flowers? The haystack and tree? And it looks like some critter is up in the tree but I can’t tell what it is from this picture…Can anyone figure that out? I love this- what a fun project!

    Susan- thanks so much for letting me share this cool project! Now I am in such a Halloween mood. Bring on the candy corn 🙂

    Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: Flower Layers #9

    Hi everyone and welcome back to the fourth Fresh Vintage blog hop!  Every Tuesday and Thursday until November 3, one of the 12 dies in the collection will be featured. 6-10 projects for every die will be posted by 75 of the most creative designers in our industry. I am thrilled that they have agreed to work with my Flower Layers Sizzix dies and the projects that have been posted so far have been super inspiring!

    To view the hop, you can click on the Fresh Vintage blinkie on the sidebar. This will take you around to all of the designers on the hop OR you can click on the linky party below for a look at all the projects. To see projects that have already been posted, visit the page above titled “Sizzix Blog Hops”. For a chance to win this die, answer the question about today’s hop on the Oh My Crafts blog today.
    Eileen Hull Flower Layers #9 Sizzix Die
    The die we are all working with today is Flower Layers #9. This is such a versatile die! I have made flowers cut from all kinds of fun materials:

    • book pages
    • old maps
    • sheet music
    • fabric, fleece
    • felt
    • ledger paper
    • coffee filter
    • bubble wrap
    • soda cans… the list goes on…

    Ways to Create with Flower Layers

    Ways to create with Eileen Hull Flower Layers #9 Sizzix Die

    You can spray the Flower Layers petals with mists and dyes, stamp them, ink the edges,and add glitter. They can be framed, made in bunches and used for paper flower bouquets, added to shoes and hair accessories, and of course, you can add them to your layouts and card projects. They make beautiful home decor projects if you cut a bunch from fleece or felt and add them to pillows, lampshades or baskets.

    Let’s see what our designers have created for you today!

    Flower Layers Headband Tutorial:

    I made a quick and easy headband from fleece.

    Eileen Hull Flower Layers #9 Fleece Headband Tutorial

    Supplies:

    fleece, headband, needle and thread, elastic

    Steps:
    1. Buy a premade headband in desired size and color.
    2. Cut a piece of fleece 6″ x 12″ and fold over. Run piece through Big Shot and flower layers die, yielding 2 of each flower sizes.
    3. Layer flower pieces on top of each other staggering petals so they lay in different positions.
    4. With needle and thread, sew all layers together. Secure In the middle with a button.
    5. Cut leaves from green fleece and position as desired around flower.
    6. Sew a piece of elastic to back of flower. Wrap around headband to measure and stitch to other side, forming a loop to slide over headband and make it interchangeable.

    Wouldn’t these be a great activity for a child’s party or even to give as a gift with several flowers in different colors? I love fleece because it never wrinkles or unravels, has a nice feel to it, and gives great dimension. For a more sophisticated look, use designer fabrics. If you want romantic, use filmy sheers and organdies. Add beads, buttons and fringe too!