Eileen Hull

Three dimensional art... with heart

Spring flowers and other news

I have been meaning to do this for a week now… go around my yard and take pictures of what’s in bloom. In that week, a whole new set of flowers has sprung up! Maybe that’s why they call it spring? I am attempting to create a project with these photos but PhotoShop and I were not getting along last night. So much to learn! But here’s a peek at what’s come up this week.

Mother’s Day is tomorrow! Check out the Craft Critique Blog Carnival for lots of great projects to make. HURRY!

Hope you can join us for the next blog hop right here on Wednesday. We are making cake!

Also tune in to Cool2Craft for some great new crafting techniques and ideas on Monday, May 10 at noon EST. Here’s the lineup:
Ann Butler Updating Card Stock
Tiffany Windsor  Aleene’s Forged Foil
Heidi Borchers  Button, Button Bracelets
Lorine Mason  Lorine Mason Re-Purposing Dog Food Bags
Linda Peterson  Linda Peterson Play in Polymer Clay

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Quick Project

Just a quickie project for you today. I made this for my daughter Jessica and for the life of me I can’t remember why! The pic was on my camera… I was sending her something… oh well.

I do know how I made it though 🙂 I cut out the Notebook Pocket from white matboard and ran it though the Big Shot with an embossing folder. I folded up the box and tied a bow at the bottom to cover where the folder changed pattern. I cut a J from my Serif Essentials alphabet and adhered it to the front of the matboard pocket. From green cardstock, I made a simple matching card using the ScorePal to emboss some accent lines and a quick stamped sentiment. The whole thing was packaged in a cello treat bag found at Target- can you believe it had these cute little matching green flowers on it?

I hope you can join me for Cool2Craft today at noon! We’ll be doing a blog hop recap and talk about upcoming events. If Eileen can figure out all of the proper cords, chips, cards and electronic devices, we hope to broadcast live from a very exciting venue on Cool2Craft in two weeks!

Laura Bray’s ecourse, Multiple Streams of Income for Artists and Crafters starts today, May 3, and runs for two weeks. Laura has tons of great information for you, including info on monetizing your blog, print on demand, and product design. Jen Goode, Priscilla Burris, Claudine Hellmuth, Tim Adam and Tara Reed will be contributing content, as well as your truly. If you would like to make money doing what you love, sign up now! I can’t think of a better way to spend $32.

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop- Rectangle Box

Welcome everyone, to the third of five Sizzix ScoreBoard blog hops. Every two weeks, we give you a sneak peek at one of the new dies from the soon-to-be-released Celebrations collection, so you can see lots of ways it may be used. I am very grateful to the talented designers who have taken the time to work with each one and make them look so good! This week the featured die is the Rectangle Box which measures 3 3/8″ x 1 3/4″ x 1 7/8, a great size for small treasures such as jewelry, pins, a gift card, or of course, chocolate. Please hop on down the list and see what everyone has done with their boxes!

Ann Butler
Candice Windham
Carla Schauer
Cindi Bisson
Einat Kessler
Jen Goode
Julie McGuffee
Karen Burniston
Laura Bray
Lisa Rojas
Lorine Mason
Madeline Arendt
Marisa Pawelko
Melony Bradley
Michelle Cummings
Niki Meiners
Roxi Phillips
Sandy Laipply
Sparkle Studio
Veronica Goff

IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT here or on any of the participating designers’ blogs, you may be randomly selected to win a ScoreBoard die, a $40 value. We love hearing your thoughts on what we have done- don’t be shy. On May 12, you will want to come back- we’re making cakes! Thanks for stopping by.

I heard that my friend Lisa was in the hospital last week. The funny thing is, if you met her, you would never know she constantly battles an ongoing condition. She always has a smile on her face and lives her life joyfully. I first met her a few years ago at CHA- she is a fellow designer and also a member of this hop! We all decided to go out for dinner one night. Everyone was in the mood for KFC and so about 8 of us piled in her little car and headed off for some finger lickin’ goodness. Every year we try and get together and hit our favorite spot for dinner together. So Lisa, this project is for you! Keep smiling, girlfriend…

Here’s how I made Lisa’s box.

You will need:
Sizzix Big Shot
ScoreBoard Rectangle Box die
Bigz 3D flower
ice blue matboard 6″ x 13″
old dictionary page
Krylon spray adhesive
ribbon
coordinating color paint chip
small leaf
Zip Dry Paper Glue
Melissa Frances crown
Clearsnap stamp pad
three brads

Instructions:
1. Adhere book page to matboard with spray adhesive. If you want to position words to be in a certain place, cut to fit before adhering. I used an old dictionary page with the word “friend” on it. The right side always faces down on a ScoreBoard die.
2. Assemble box. I used brads to attach the flap but you could also use ribbon or just red line tape.
3. Add embellishments. I tied a green/blue ribbon around the top of the lid and added a flower made from a Martha Stewart paint chip and glued it to a clover that was left over from a St. Patrick’s Day project. The crown was white and I rubbed it lightly with silver metallic ink for a little glitz. Had to have a crown- Lisa is the StampinQueen!
4. I used two strong magnets as closures. I put one under the flap and aligned the other one on the back side of the front panel.
5. Add get well wishes and some chocolate!

SIGN UP TODAY! Laura Bray, an artist with an M.B.A., will teach you how to create income by doing what you love. Specifically designed for the creative personality, this online course will teach you how to develop a successful business and how to have fun while you do it! Laura is one of the great designers on this blog hop and her two week long ecourse is called Multiple Streams of Income for Artists & Crafters. I am excited and honored to be part of this program and will present a segment on Product Development. The course will be held May 3-14 and cost is $32. I hope you will join us!

Hope you enjoyed our hop today. Come back on May 12 and don’t forget to comment- you could win a die!

Multiple Streams of Income Ecourse

Are you a crafter who would like to make money doing what you love? Laura Bray, one of the great designers on our Sizzix ScoreBoards blog hop, is offering a two week long ecourse called Multiple Streams of Income for Artists & Crafters. Learn how to increase your revenue stream by using your artwork in many ways. I am excited and honored to be part of this program and will present a segment on Product Development. This will be an on-line live chat where we’ll discuss developing a product concept and getting it to market. The course will be held May 3-14 and cost is $32. This is a great value for all of the information you’ll receive. Hope you will join us!

Sign up now- class starts on Monday. Invest some time in yourself and explore the possibilities in the craft industry!

Also please stop by Cool2Craft on Monday, May 3 at noon EST where I’ll be announcing WHO WON the ScoreBoard die for this round of the blog hop. We’ll see several versions of the teacup, designed by my fabulous designer friends, and hear about where the ScoreBoards are going… road trip!

It’s not too late to get in on the Sizzix giveaway! Leave a comment on the Rectangle Box blog hop just below this post and you’ll be in the running to win a ScoreBoards die. Make sure you do it by 6 PM Monday May 3. Good luck!

Purse Organizer for Mom


Here’s my latest project posted on the Sizzix blog. I am trying to be organized and get my Mother’s Day present done and in the mail ON TIME this year! Instructions to create this using the ScoreBoards Checkbook Cover die- who says you have to make a checkbook with it? My mom is a diehard list maker. She also does a lot of traveling so now she can carry her list supplies in style when she’s on the road.


“The List” was sometimes a sore subject among us six kids when we were ready to go out and play on Saturday mornings. We knew we were not going anywhere until the work was done, but always tried to get out of it/slip outside/have an asthma attack, etc, usually to no avail. Here were some of the predictable jobs that might appear on the list: dust and straighten, vacuum, clean bathrooms or mop the floors. Even when the job was done, it had to be checked to make sure it was done PROPERLY. After having children, I came to the conclusion that list making was a great idea and incorporated the jobs into my mothering style. I found a list I made a while ago called “Summer Rules” which is hysterical now but I was quite irritated when I wrote it and there is a definite edgy tone to the manifesto. I think I had found stacks of clean folded laundry in the dirty clothes hamper and snapped.

Anyway, getting back to the project, I hope you will look beyond the product name and craft outside the box. Imagine what else it could be with a little creative thought.

Our next blog hop is coming up on Wednesday and I can’t wait to see what everyone has done. These designers never cease to amaze me!

I am in need of 2 more people to follow this blog- I have 98 and would love to have 100+. All it means to follow me is that you might check back every once in a while and see what’s new- no pressure. 🙂 I also love to hear comments so don’t be shy- take a second and say hi!

Happy Earth Day

I just returned from a beautiful week in Aruba and here is the view from our room. Unbelievable! The place we stayed at had a lazy river winding through the pool area where we spent many hours. We also snorkeled over a huge wrecked ship. When I put my mask in the water and saw thousands of fish right below me, I could barely catch my breath. So clear, deep, colorful and alive!

Speaking of nature, we have a fox family of eight living next door under our neighbor’s shed. I am able to see them from my garage door and run up and watch them whenever I need entertainment. The six kits are quite a handful. Each day the kits are venturing further away from home. Poor tired Mama just rolls her eyes and herds them back. They have been spotted throughout the yard, running around with chipmunk carcasses clamped between their teeth, having a great old time.

If you would like to check out some very cool recycling Earth Day type projects, visit the Craft Critique Earth Day Carnival. See if you can pick mine out… hint- it involves my favorite beverage 🙂 It makes me happy to see more people jumping on the recycling bandwagon and using their creativity to recreate new projects from old stuff. Hope you did something special to celebrate our beautiful planet today. I went to my favorite thrift store and found some cool materials to create with. Will post when I have figured out what I am doing with them.