Eileen Hull

The Birds go to CHA!

2012-02-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

Maybe this could be a series- where oh where will the Birds appear next?

Here's a project that I created for the ImpressArt booth at CHA. I used their cool metal alphabets to make a recycled soda can mobile. Once again the Bird die came in handy, as did the ScoreBoard Butterfly. Both are from my Sizzix Fresh Vintage collection.

First I cut the shapes from soda cans- two butterflies and birds for each hanging piece. I also cut one matboard shape as a base for each. I hammered the metal stamped words on the silver side of each soda can shape. Then I took alcohol inks and the foam blender and dabbed the color on. Each one is different- some I filled with color, some were sparsely inked and some were in between. What unified the project was the color palette- my favorite blues, greens, purples and yellows.

To finish, I hot glued the soda can shapes to the center of the matboard bases but allowed the sides and wings to bow out giving nice dimension. Then I punched a very fine hole in the top of the shape for hanging and threaded fishing line through each one. I thought I would go insane tying these on- fishing line is very annoying to work with! But it was worth it- the birds and butterflies look almost like they are floating in midair. I also added some beads to separate strands of fishing line to counterbalance the weight.

Another discovery- photographing a mobile is no easy task! I wanted good light so I carefully took the whole piece outside and suspended it from a tree branch. Every time I would go to take a picture, the wind would blow and everything moved! So I have about 30 horrible blurred pictures of this cool mobile. Finally I had to admit defeat, pack it up and send without getting a decent photo... Oh well...

The hardest part of this project was figuring out how to make the hanger part of it. I tried three embroidery hoops tied together with ribbon, and then wired frames in three varying sizes together, but they were too overwhelming for the delicate hanging pieces. I wound up finding a baby mobile at a thrift store for $5. After removing the A-B-C's and 1-2-3's, I added my own pieces. Recycling at its best!

Do you have a bird or butterfly project you've made with these dies that you'd like to share? Send it on over to me (EileenHull@aol.com) and I will feature it here!

Is spring really on the way? Seems like it in VA...

The Bird goes to school...

2012-02-21T10:00:00.013-05:00

You never know where a Sizzix die will show up next! I had a call from my friend Lorine asking if she could borrow my Bird die. Her friend Connie was working on a special project with her class. Here's what Connie says:

The Great Backyard Bird Count is done across North America and sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, and others. We had to observe, identify, and count for 15 min birds visiting the feeders outside each classroom. For the young ones, birds are a great class room activity, bringing the outside "in".

The children ranged in age from 3 to 6. The three year old class did cardinals (simple color-red with black mask around an orange beak). With the four year old class I added to the cardinals white die cut birds (black capped chickadees), and buff die cut birds (house sparrow). For the kindergarteners I added grey for the tufted titmouse. For our kindergarten enrichment class we focused on house sparrows and used a dark brown base for their birds.

Normally the children would cut, color, and make each bird, but with only 15-25 min there wasn't time for the children to do each step. Since the goal was identification and counting, the pre-cut birds, combined with photos of each species, allowed the children to pick out the distinguishing characteristics of each species. They used crayons and markers to decorate them. I'm enclosing photos of some of their "birds". One class used clothes pins to perch their cardinals in the window and other classes made mobiles with theirs. All in all a wonderful craft to our observations. Thank you! Once again, the die cut birds were fabulous! Connie

P.S. They also fly very well. The kindergarten boys proved this!

How cool is that? Love the P.S. :-) Here are a few more pictures of the children's finished artwork. ScoreBoard dies are specially designed to cut thick materials, like the chipboard used here, which is a great choice for kids because it's so sturdy. And who knew that chipboard could fly?

What would you make with the Bird die? Come back for a look at another project using this little guy....

Crunch time

2012-02-18T16:11:00.001-05:00

First of all, Happy Birthday to my youngest daughter Maryanne! Have to run out to get a cake mix for the traditional yellow cake and blue buttercream icing...

It's so much fun to be able to make a card using dies that I designed! The flower was die cut from a sheet of pretty pink gingham tissue paper and the leaves I cut from this cool grocery bag type fabric found at JoAnn's which I have not been able to find again and am kicking myself that I didn't get more.

Blessings, love and hope for a great year to my beautiful daughter!

This week I have been hard at work in my studio brainstorming and drawing die designs for 2013. It's hard to imagine working that far out but it takes a long time for the finished product to be designed, tested, produced and on the shelf.

I also received a box of sample dies that will come out at the CHA Summer 12 show. Thankfully they all work- I am always nervous that they won't, even though I test them several times before sending the artwork.

I'll be back blogging more often once these dies are finished and on their way! Hope you all have a nice long weekend!

LOVE using Metal Stamps

2012-02-11T15:33:00.005-05:00

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I wanted to share a project I did for the ImpressArt booth at CHA. I used their awesome metal stamps to stamp into matboard- crazy, huh? But look at it! These stamps are so much fun...

According to Suzann Sladcik Wilson's CHA Jewelry Trends Report on Mixed Media and Cross Crafting, metal stamping will be hot for 2012, and not just for jewelry. I may be a little biased here but I think matboard is the perfect material to use with metal stamps. There is some give to it, but it's also thick enough that the stamp does not go through it, as it could with lighter paper.

I will admit it takes a little practice to get the hang of metal stamping, but once you get going, it's hard to stop. FYI, it's best to do this in daytime hours as the banging gets the non-night owl people kind of cranky...

I used black pigment ink on my stamp before applying it to the matboard. I did this because it was going on a wall in the trade show booth and I wanted it to stand out. But the impression looks great even without ink. It's subtle and has a letterpress look to it. Believe me, this is something you will want to try! So easy to make tags, title blocks and accents- then ink, distress, chalk, etc. I hope you will check out ImpressArt and give this craft a try!

Head over to the Tip Junkie to see lots of other fun Valentine ideas...

Also make sure to check out the FaveCrafts blog hop!

CHAW 2012

2012-02-06T15:04:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! I returned from CHA last Thursday and am finally getting back to normal. Wow- what a fun busy week it was! Next time remind me not to schedule every minute though... because sadly, I did not get to walk the show and see all of the new stuff :-(

Today is first Monday and time to check in with the Designer Connection! Everyone is reporting in on their CHA experiences. Click on the blue icon on the sidebar to see what the members of the group were up to at the show. Did I mention I was part of a flash mob?

I spent a good bit of time in the Sizzix booth, demoing my new line of ScoreBoard dies, Sweet Treats. People seemed to enjoy building the boxes and I loved meeting everyone.

Here's a picture of Cara and Tammy standing in front of the display. It looked super cute and bright and fun! Cara is the Art Director and is so very good at what she does- including making my stuff look fabulous. Thank you Cara!

Tammy Tutterow, a talented designer and blogger extroardinaire, is new to the Sizzix team and will be the Design Team and Community Coordinator. So excited to be working with her!

Here's a quick video clip showing a few of my new samples in the booth done by the multi-talented Stephanie Barnard, our Sizzix Spokesperson, who also happens to be the owner of the Stamps of Life.

Karen Burniston and I had a great time teaching our sold-out Sizzix Workshop, Love is in the Air. We were so busy teaching I didn't get a pic of us!

In fact, I looked on my phone and camera and realized I hardly took any. If you have any photos you could share, could you email them to me? I told you... too busy! Next time... :-) It was great seeing you all!

Check out some other attendees's experiences (with much better photos!) here at the FaveCrafts CHA Roundup.

http://www.favecraftsblog.com/cha-recap-blog-roundup/

I will be posting my portion of the Designer Section Trends Report soon. What a pleasure working on that committee. Check back...

ImpressArt Metal Stamps

2012-01-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

Are you sick of hearing about CHA yet? It's almost here! I always say I will blog about it while I'm there every year and never do. It's hard to describe the energy and excitement but by the time I get back to the hotel every night I can barely keep my eyes open to get on line to describe the events of the day. I need to recharge! But who knows, I could surprise us all :-)

I'd like to invite you all to stop by the ImpressArt booth (#2719) and check out their cool metal stamps. I had the pleasure of creating some samples for their booth and discovered that these stamps work just great with my favorite material- yes, it's matboard! Here's a look at one of the projects I did for them...

Stop by and do a Make and Take! I'll be in the booth on Tuesday from 2-4 and Wednesday from 10-12. My designer buddies Theresa Cifali, Ann Butler, and Jen Goode will be demo-ing there as well and I can't wait to see what they have come up with using the stamps!

Getting ready for CHA!

2012-01-19T13:44:00.007-05:00

All my designer buddies are busy in their studios finishing up final preparations for CHA. I thought you might like a look at what Karen Burniston, designer of the fabulous Sizzix pop-up dies, and I have been cooking up for a Sizzix workshop. We will both be working with our latest dies. Karen has a brand new system coming out that is SO cool called Pop 'n Cuts- (click to see how they work)! Here are the cards she is teaching. Just wait till you see how quickly these come together! So much fun...

My release for CHAW 12 is called Sweet Treats. It combines all of my favorite things- sweets, treats, matboard and ScoreBoard dies! With so many beautiful papers, stamps, and embellishments out there, these dies are a lot of fun to decorate. And they're actually practical too! What more could you want in a project? They go together really quickly so you can make lots in one sitting, making them great favors. Easy to personalize and embellish too. I'm loving these papers from Creative Imaginations- so romantic and pretty!

Stop by the Sizzix booth #949 at the show. I'll be there demoing all of the Sweet Treats dies:

Sunday 10-12

Monday 2-6

Tuesday 10-12

Wednesday 12-2

Here's a look at what's on my table...

See you in Anaheim!

If you are not able to be there, come virtually through the Live from CHA site! I'm giving away a free ticket to see what's going on at the show through streaming video. The winner will be picked tomorrow so you still have a chance- leave a comment here before midnight tonight!

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Congrats! The winner of the Live from CHA craft kit and event ticket is Monika! Please contact me so I can get you the prize- EileenHull@aol.com. Thanks- hope you enjoy it :-) See you there...

LIVE from CHA

2012-01-17T00:43:00.002-05:00

CHA is the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show, which is held twice a year. This is where you will see all of the new craft products coming out, learn how to use it and where to get it! The Winter Show starts on January 28 and goes till February 1.

Charity Wings is an organization that donates money or supplies to different charities. LIVE from CHA is a live event where you can watch streaming video from the show and complete a progressive 6" x 6" mini book/art journal with amazing manufacturers and designers. When you sign up, a kit will be mailed to you so you can be crafting along with the attendees! How cool is that?

I am honored to have been invited to be a guest on the show. AND Elena gave me ONE TICKET to the event to give away! This gift bag is full of crafty goodness worth over $50! You will also have the chance to win other great raffle prizes over the course of the show.

HOW TO ENTER:

You have until Thursday January 19. Do one of the following three things…

1. Tweet a link to this blog post on Twitter with @EileenHull in the post or...
2. Leaving a comment on my BLOG.
3. Leaving a comment on my Facebook Page.

The winner of the ticket will be announced here on my blog on Friday, January 20, 2012. Here are links to other designers that are giving away tickets this week:

Good Luck everyone!

If you'll be at the show and feel like putting your dance moves to good use,

She's Crafty and Charity Wings are sponsoring a Craft Flash Mob! Anyone

can participate if you are interested make sure to check it out.

If you want a good laugh, stand next to me :-)

CHA Sizzix Sneak Peek

2012-01-13T20:53:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone- I am very excited! I get to give you a peek at my newest line of Sizzix dies being released at at CHA in a couple of weeks! I have been holed up in my studio all week making samples and just love what's happening here.

First of all, I am working with papers from Creative Imaginations in the IOD line called Devotion. They are just beautiful. The only thing I don't like is when I have to pick which side to use because I really like all of them! That almost never happens with double sided paper.

OK so here's a look at the new Bigz Borders & Hydrangeas....

some Sizzlit Swirls...

... and the XL ScoreBoard Box with Lid, Cake Slice. ...

I can think of so many ways to use these! What a fun party favor for any occasion where cake is served. You could even coordinate them with the colors/papers from the event. Stop by the Sizzix booth for a demo!

I think these dies are a lot of fun and hope you will too. OK, back to work!

Punch needle

2012-01-08T23:04:00.002-05:00

It's the Designer Crafts Connection monthly posting day! Make sure to stop by all of the designer's blogs for a look at some great projects. Click on the blue button on the sidebar for a look. The topic today is journaling but my crafty adventures took me in a different direction. I have always loved stitching and last week I discovered a new craft (to me, anyway).

I went to Michael's the other day with my daughter. She was looking for a cross stitch sampler design that she could work on for her baby due in June. Being the helpful mother I am, I was diligently rooting through all of the books and kits that I thought Jess might like. I happened to come across a book on Punch Needle Embroidery. The projects fascinated me but the technique sounded fairly simple to do. After combing three aisles looking for a the required punch needle tool, I came up empty handed... so I came home and found supplies on line and ordered a kit and tools.

It arrived on Friday and by Saturday night I had finished it. It's addicting. Here's a pic of my first project (which I did when I was supposed to be making samples for CHA). There are some mistakes but overall I love the colors and fun bumpy texture of it. And no, you may not see the back of it!

I meet with a group of creative friends every month including Pat Sloan (I was a guest on her radio show and we discovered we live in the same town. She generously invited me into the group!), Patty Symkowitz, Amy Powers, Lorine Mason and Ann Weber (who are the bloggers in the group- hi guys!) along with a dozen or so other amazingly talented women. We grab tables at Wegman's and check out everyone's Show and Tell, catch up with each other, laugh a lot, quilt, sew and stitch. I'm happy I will have handwork to bring with me!

Now to figure out how to finish it... any suggestions?

Monogrammed Mirror

2012-01-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! We had a great break and now I am getting back to work. Lots to do before I leave for CHA.

My youngest has gotten a real job! Soon she will be moving out on her own :-( I decided to make her something for her new place. She loves bling- her screen name has been Glttergirl since she was in middle school.

You will need:

one clean 12" x 12" mirror tile

access to Duetica Lettering Arts Studio

Mandolyn font

frosted contact paper

flat Swarovski crystals in 3 sizes

Zip Dry Paper Glue

craft knife

transparency sheet

Copic markers

12" x 12" frame without glass

Go to the Duetica site and create your monogram. (mine was sized at 215 pts)
Import the letter to Illustrator. Highlight letter and click Type> Create outlines. Print sheet.
Place transparency sheet over printed paper. Cut a piece of frosted contact paper about 5" x 5". Remove backing and adhere to transparency sheet, lining up with letter printout.
Run transparency and contact paper through printer.
Cut out letter with craft knife. Do not cut through the transparency, just the contact paper. When letter is all cut out, remove the background contact paper. Letter will remain. Carefully peel from transparency and place in position on mirror tile.
If desired, color in letter with Copic markers.
Add Swarovski crystals to letter if desired. Adhere crystals with Zip Dry glue.
Place in frame and hang!

Another (and much easier) option would be to cut the letter from vinyl on your Sizzix eClips machine. Unfortunately, I had some technical problems and was not able to do it. Instead of crystals, you could substitute with dots of Stickles.

Once you cut the letter, this project goes really quickly. I love how it turned out and hope Maryanne will too!

Recycled Zip Drive Cases

2011-12-22T01:18:00.001-05:00

My husband was going through a bunch of his computer stuff the other day. What a mess! I thought the shredder was going to explode. But I happened to spy some cute little cases in the trash which I snuck out.

We usually give gift cards to my nieces and nephews for Christmas so I thought these were the perfect size to doctor up and give them in. I decided to use an old book of sheet music as the background paper.

Use the insert that came with the case as a template, cut pieces of sheet music to size and score folds on a scoring tool
Cut a piece of foamboard to fit exactly inside the case.
Decorate foamboard and sheet music with stamps.
Add double sided tape to the back of the gift card and place on foamboard.
Insert into case- you are done!
I added a label designed and printed on the computer.

You could also use ribbon and lots of other embellishments to pretty this up. My time is tight right now so I went simple. You could also use old CD cases in the same way.

I am flying to Miami on Friday to drive back to VA Saturday with my newly expectant daughter, her puppy and bunny. Woohoo, road trip! Merry Christmas everyone!

New Noodle Queen!

2011-12-21T00:36:00.000-05:00

I know you all have been waiting with bated breath to hear who won the Noodle Contest... you can go to this post to see all of the projects.

(drumroll) And now for the winner.... It's Kathryn, who received the most votes for her noodle portrait of Amy Winehouse! So congrats, your bag of goodies from Noodles and Company was sent out yesterday! I asked Kathryn to give us a little background on how she put this project together and here's what she said:

The hair is made out of Ramen noodles. Use the kind that comes in a bag, not the cup. The bag noodles work better. The face is just made out of Tabasco sauce. You can make a similar piece of artwork with any person or character. You can also use the ramen for a person with a lot of facial hair (beard, mustache, etc.). The hardest part is to paint the plate with Tabasco sauce to make sure it looks like the intended person.

This is a very cool project but involves drawing skills which I lack. Maybe if I had a photo taped below and worked on a clear plate, I might be able to trace the main features though...hmmm. Might have to try that.

Remember I told you that I made an appointment at Noodles and Company to try the Grown Up Mac? Well, we go on Friday at 12. Looks like Hayward (my husband) and Ray (Hayward's 91 yo stepdad who lives with us) will be joining me for lunch. I'll let you know how that goes.

I apologize- not sure what is up with Blogger tonight but the spacing is all weird. Too tired to fiddle with it tonight! It has been a frustrating day and I need to calm down with a good book. Night everyone!

Reverse Canvas Project

2011-12-18T00:15:00.002-05:00

I don't think I ever showed you all the project I made in my class with the fabulous Cathe Holden at The Creative Connection this past September. Cathe had everything all kitted up for us so we just followed along and did what she told us. I was sitting next to Deb Berger of Scrapbooks, Etc. so we had a nice chat while we assembled our projects. Tauni had a small small glitter malfunction, but aside from that we behaved and all finished our projects. Here are more photos of the class on Cathe's post.

The project background was what looks like an old paint by number winter scene. Does anyone else remember these? Ah, the smell of the paints! It seems like they were oils- could this be? How did my mother ever let me do that?

We inserted the copy of the painting into the back of a canvas, turned it over and covered the wood frame with some old Christmas photos that fit perfectly in antique slide mounts We added a personalized banner, glass glitter, some snow and a bottle brush tree.

I'm getting ready to hang this up- finally decorating!

Noodle Frame

2011-12-12T16:28:00.001-05:00

This project was soooo quick and easy! At this time of year, projects like this are great when you need something at the last minute. These were materials I had on hand. The frame was purchased about 2 years ago for $1.99 and I had been meaning to sell them at the Barn Sale but never got the art done for the frame opening. So luckily, this was already spray painted and ready to go. The noodles were left over from last year's noodle extravaganza, so this took about 10 minutes to make! Good thing-my week is crazy with lots of deadlines! Oh and shopping, baking, parties, etc.

Here's how I made it:

Spray paint a frame. I used red paint- it took about three coats to cover the frame. After the frame dried, I sanded off the edges to distress it a little and wiped brown ink over where I had sanded.
Insert photo- this is one of our family from last year's Christmas.
Add some fun green tree shaped noodles and snowflakes in natural by applying glue dots to the back of each noodle and sticking on frame where desired.
Tie a coordinating ribbon on top of the frame.
DONE! Great gift too.

Second Annual Holiday Noodle Party is in session!

2011-12-11T23:58:00.016-05:00

Welcome to our Second Annual Holiday Noodle Party! Here's where you can post your fun holiday projects using noodles :-)

Pasta is everywhere you look. At World Market I purchased trees and snowflakes. At Ikea, they had really cute mooseheads. And that's not even getting into the more standard fare like rotini, linguini, fusilli, fettucine, spaghettini and penne, to name a few, that may be found in your local supermarket.

At Big Lots, I found a package of Beer Mug Pasta (wow).

All of these cool little shapes may be used to create with! They are natural, edible, inexpensive, available, and accept inks, paints, glitter and mists. Are you crafting with noodles? If so, you are in the right place!

The linky party starts today, Monday, December 12 and runs till Friday, December 16 at midnight. This event is open to all and extended in the spirit of fun and sharing the love of crafting during this holiday season. Here's how it works:

Post a blog on your site with a picture of your project and enter the URL of that post below from now until Thursday, December 15.
Enter as many projects as you would like.
It can be a project created by you, your child, or anyone.
The only requirement is it must contain a noodle of some kind :-)
Please vote for your favorite design on Friday, December 16.
The project that gets the most votes will receive a bag of goodies from our friends at Noodles & Company! I'll also be giving away one of my Sizzix dies to a random commenter.
Post early so everyone has a chance to see your work.
Please share this with your social media friends and invite them to join in!

WE WANT TO SEE YOUR PROJECTS so link up below:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Barn Sale Adventures

2011-12-11T16:41:00.001-05:00

The day dawned bright and sunny. The doors of the Barn opened at 10 to a steady stream of customers looking for just the right gifts for their family and friends. There was hot cider and coffee, muffins, bagels and cream cheese, cookies and my special meatballs.

Things were going along great. Happy shoppers were leaving with bags of treasures. As the show was winding down and I was chatting with a customer, my friend Sandy came over and crossed her hands in front of her throat. It took a minute but I finally grasped the fact that she was choking and wanted me to do the Heimlich Maneuver on her! I don't know about you, but I have never had to do that before to anyone. She turned around and I made a fist, positioned my arms around her and gave two (what felt like) pretty good compressions. It wasn't working! So I asked my daughter Maryanne who was sitting there writing people up if she knew how to do it. She said yes and started working on Sandy whose lips were getting bluer by the second. It was shocking to see how fast it happened! I started dialing 911 but at the same time I knew she wouldn't make it till an EMT arrived. THANKFULLY, on the fifth compression, the meatball was dislodged! Her cheeks got pink and she was able to talk again. I have to say that Sandy and Maryanne never lost their cool and handled the whole thing with minimal drama. But it was quite scary.

The lesson I learned was don't be afraid to squeeze hard and right up under the ribs. I encourage you to take a minute and review the correct way to give the Heimlick Maneuver. I can tell you, as an eye witness, that it works! Maryanne says she learned this in Girl Scouts.

The other thing I learned (again) is that life is so fragile. Every day is a gift and I am so thankful for my friend Sandy, my brave daughter Maryanne and all of the other amazing people that God has placed in my life.

Here's a pic of Maryanne helping to count the money at the end of the day. So, whew, all's well that ends well. Thanks to the great vendors for setting up and all who attended and supported the Barn Sale and we hope to see you again next year!

Barn Sale and Tenth Anniversary Celebration

2011-12-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hope you can to head on over to the Barn Sale this Saturday from 10-2 for shopping, demos, food and fun! More info in this post. See you there!

Second Annual Holiday Noodle Party!

2011-12-07T09:00:00.022-05:00

It all begin around this time last year...

My husband and I wandered into a new Noodles & Company restaurant that happened to be doing it's carry-out training but was not open for business yet. Although they couldn't take our order, we were presented with a nice big bag of FREE steaming hot food, which we immediately took to our car and ate! (It was 9 PM and we were hungry!) Read about that adventure here.

Well, when I got home I was so grateful for the yummy meal, I blogged about it. The next day, I was contacted by Noodles & Company who had read my post! After some discussion, we decided to put together a fun holiday on line event: the Noodle Contest! The winner, Lynda, was crowned Noodle Queen for her beautiful holiday wreath.

So the other day, I got an email from Noodles, (as I now call them since we are BFF's), offering dinner for me and a guest to try their new Grown Up Mac. I already know what kind I am getting... Anyway, after making my reservation, I suggested that we return for year 2 of the Noodle Contest since everyone had such a good time last year.

So please join us for the the Second Annual Holiday Noodle Party starting Monday, December 12 and running through Friday, December 16.

If you are the proud owner of a holiday noodle ornament or decoration you would like to share, please blog about it and head on over here to post a photo on the Noodle linky party! This event is open to all and extended in the spirit of fun and sharing the love of crafting during this holiday season. It can be a project created by you, your child, or anyone. The only requirement is it must contain a noodle of some kind :-) Here's my gift card holder from last year:

The linky party will open on December 12 and projects will be accepted until December 16. During that time, readers will be able to vote for their favorites. The creator of the winning project will receive some fun promotional goodies from Noodles & Company and I'll also be giving away one of my Sizzix dies to a random commenter. Post early so everyone has a chance to see your work. Please share this with your social media friends! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

The Sock Monkey Goes Greek

2011-12-05T01:17:00.002-05:00

I am excited to join the other members of the Designer Craft Connection on this Sock Monkey challenge!

Sponsored by When Creativity Knocks, FoxRiver, manufacturers of the Original Rockford Red Heel Socks, Rit Dye and Judikins, the challenge is to make a project using the supplies we were sent which included a pair of the famous red heeled socks from FoxRiver, Ana Arujo's instructional DVD on how to make a sock monkey and a cute little sock monkey rubber stamp from Judikins.

The first sock monkey I ever got was a gift for our first child. It became a toy that was passed down from child to child. I lost track of it somewhere along the way in our 13 army moves. I happened to mention to my youngest daughter that I was working on a sock monkey blog hop challenge and I wondered where ours went. She said, "Oh I have it!", ran upstairs and came down with this:

Hah! Well, how convenient! After watching Ana's great DVD on how to assemble the monkey, I was sure I could do it, but then I started thinking... This was no ordinary sock monkey- this girl had gone to college and was even an Alpha Phi Omega fraternity brother! Perhaps I could fashion some accessories for our newfound family heirloom.

Well, you can't go to college without some luggage. I decided to use one of my Sizzix dies to make this monkey a custom suitcase. I carefully cut up the sock to cover the pieces of the die cut, making sure to keep the stitches all going in the same direction. It looks kind of like tweed! After assembling the suitcase, I glued on a red monogram to match the monkey's beautiful smile. FrayCheck was added around all of the raw edges to prevent fraying. I plan on making some thank you notes using the fun Judikins stamp and store them inside the suitcase.

Now, being a college graduate and all, I figured our monkey might need a cover for her laptop. So I cut one from my Business Card die. Before I cut it out, I trimmed a piece from the other sock I had left and adhered it on top of the matboard using spray adhesive, making sure to cut with the right side to the die so that it would score properly.

Although I'm sure I could spend many hours making a mini-laptop, I am pressed for time and ask that you imagine that there is an adorable little monkey sized laptop tucked inside this case.

Her attire seemed slightly scandalous to me (kids these days!) so I made her a quick red felt skirt which I cut from my Vase die and a matching red felt flower headband from the Flower, Layers #9 die.

I had a blast working on this. And glad that our sock monkey has a great new look!

For more sock monkey fun, visit the When Creativity Knocks website for details on a contest and giveaway. To enter, go to member login and Create An Account. The entry code is Sock Monkey. Enter now until December 19 and you could win the whole Sock Monkey Kit worth over $40.00 which includes: the Videobook "Sock Monkeys Go BanAnas", One Sewn Sock Monkey Ready to be Stuffed, One Pair of the Original Rockford Red Heeled Socks, Button Eyes, Needle, Floss and Stuffing!

Please make sure to see all of the other fun sock monkey projects by clicking on the blue DCC button on the sidebar. It will take you to all of the participating designers' blogs. Thanks for stopping by!

Go Longwood Lancers!

Designer Days Sale!

2011-12-01T10:00:00.054-05:00

I just got the word that my next line of dies, It's a Wrap is shipping right now! This collection is designed to help you package small gift items in a fun, yet practical way.

And to make a good day even better, Sizzix has decided to put all of my dies on sale for 20% off today, including the BRAND NEW ONES!

As you can see, these projects on the packaging are in purple, yellow and gray... so elegant and pretty... now imagine them covered with bright holiday patterned papers! These dies are so versatile- every project can be tailored to your style! Since the XL size dies are ScoreBoards (dies designed to be used with thick materials like matboard and chipboard), you will have a nice sturdy base to work with. Another beautiful thing about matboard is how great it accepts ink, paper, distressing, stain, mist, and paint. So much fun to embellish!

I don't know about you, but know we give a lot of gift cards for the holidays and special occasions because they are so easy to keep on hand and stick in the mail. However, they are not the most personal gift- but with a little creative thought you can customize the gift card holder to make it special. Several of the It's a Wrap dies are designed to hold gift cards so make sure to check them out.

The Triangle Box can be assembled in under a minute! I'm not kidding- I demo'd this die at CHA and asked people to time me. It really is that quick.

There are a few ways you can put this together. If you fold the outer flaps into the middle and match holes in the flaps, you can thread ribbon through and tie it, allowing a little more depth inside the box. Depending on where you tie it, it can be a flattish 3D pocket or a deeper triangle box. I decided to make a pocket bag to hold a gift card.

Cover the front of the matboard with paper using spray adhesive.
Lay matboard on the die paper side down and run through die cut machine.
Bend all of the folds 180 degrees so the fibers of the board are broken.
Fold box in half and thread ribbon through the corresponding holes across from the top, making a hanger.
Cut Doily from white fleece and trim about one third of it off. Adhere to top of box and cover with a length of red ombre wired ribbon tied in a bow.
Add "joy" glitter embellishment (.29 for three at Ollie's Outlet!) to label die and adhere to front of pocket.
Add gift card and head off to your holiday parties!

Head on over to Where Women Create for some more great ideas for holiday crafting!

Handmade Holidays

2011-11-29T01:44:00.001-05:00

Around this time every year, I get the itch to start making things for family and friends. Is it a reaction to all the commercials and electronics that surround us as the countdown to Christmas begins? Maybe. The act of planning a project in my head, gathering the materials, and finally, assembling the design into a pleasing finished product just soothes my soul. While I am working on the project, I am thinking of who I will give it to, where they might put it, the significance that it has of the relationship between us, and that is something you just can't buy.

I'm not saying I don't enjoy technology as much as the next person. I love all the cool things that you can do with it. But creating handmade items seems more in keeping with the Christmas spirit to me. So if time allows, I'm going that route this year. Are you with me?

Here's a project that's a lot of fun and easy to do once you get the hang of it.

I used a candle that had a couple of dents in it- probably got it on clearance somewhere! In this case it doesn't matter since you cover the candle with sheet music. I loved what I used- it was an old music book and had drawings of cute little kids sledding down a hill mixed in with the music.

You will need:

ModPodge matte finish

old sheet music (preferably in a winter theme)

candle

berry ring

matboard scraps

Sizzix Primitive Star die

Sizzix Big Shot

crystal glitter or Epsom salts

Coat candle liberally with ModPodge. Wrap a page of sheet music around candle and smooth so there are no air pockets. Add another coat of ModPodge.
Roll candle in tray of glitter or Epsom salts, making sure to cover surface well.
Use Big Shot die cutting machine and star die to cut stars from matboard. Coat stars with ModPodge and press into glitter/salts.
Trim where needed. Allow to dry.
Place candle base in a berry wreath and add glittery stars to the wreath.
Be careful when lighting candle and do not leave unattended.

Thanks for stopping by. Do you plan on making gifts this year? What are you cooking up?

Give Thanks!

2011-11-23T22:32:00.002-05:00

I really wish there was a little more time in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Store decor seems to go from Halloween right straight to Christmas. I think Thanksgiving is getting short-changed! We should dedicate more time to giving thanks for all we have, don't you think?

A few weeks ago, the Duetica Design Team was privy to a sneak peek at a new font soon to be released! It's called Woodwynds and I love it! Lots of swirls and curliques. I decided to do a matted piece reminding me to give thanks every day. And who knows, I may just keep it up all year!

There are 15 versions of this font. Starting with a plain serif, each successive version contains more and more swashes as you click through Woodwynds A through P. The good thing about this system is that if it starts looking too swirly (really? is there such a thing?), you can intersperse your phrase or title with a balance of undecorated and decorated letters creating a truly unique final project that pleases your eye.

I decided to use the words, "give thanks" so I am not limited to the holiday. Here is my project and how I created it!

Pin It

Decide what size you want to make your project. (I used an 8" x 10" frame without the glass. I triple matted the artwork using my Logan 750 Simplex mat cutter- favorite tool of all time!)
The artwork was designed in Illustrator to fit in a 5" x 7" cutout. The text "give thanks" was added using the Woodwynds font by Duetica Lettering Arts Studio. Make sure to balance your type so that all of the swirls add value and do not distract from the message you are trying to get across. Plain and more decorated letters were alternated resulting in a fun yet still readable result. (I'm loving that "k" that descends below the line!)
In keeping with the fall theme, the message was printed on kraft paper in orange and green text. After printing the artwork, Stickles glitter glue was added on top of the letter forms to accentuate them. A fairly heavy line was applied to the larger letter strokes and then spread out to thinner areas with a toothpick.
Acorns and 3D flowers were adhered with Thermoweb Zots. The flowers were die cut from fall colored cardstock using the Sizzix 3D Flower die designed by Beth Reames. The larger flower was cut from a page in a child's Golden Book. Other accents include dimensional leaf stickers.
Since the flowers added dimension to the project, a spacer from foamboard was built to bump up the matboard from the artwork. Omitting glass from the frame helps with photographing the project since there is always a glare with glass!
You can use this technique for many different occasions. Quick and easy!

eBarn Sale!

2011-11-20T15:53:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in this post, the Barn Sale is taking on another form this year!

Two newsletters have gone out so far featuring products created by the amazing Barn Sale vendors just for you! Each week you can view what is available and order from a selection of five specially designed products. Sign up for my newsletter on the sidebar if you'd like get the mailings.

Here what we have for sale so far:

Doorway Ornament by Lorine Mason- $18

Can be personalized with your address!

Snowflake Ornament by Connie Cook $10 or 3 for $25

Soy Candles handmade by Teresa Balkin $12

available in 12 scents

God Bless America ornaments- $20

Hand soldered and designed by Charms & Flourish

Angelworks Mixed Media Collages by Ann Krier- small $20, large $25

Proceeds donated to charity for kinds

Kid's Apron by Angie Colwell- $15

Handpainted Santa Slate $30 one left!

Christmas Dish Towels by Merry Stitches $8.50

Assorted Magnets by Eileen Hull $4 each 3/$10

If you would like to order anything, please email me at EileenHull@aol.com. If you are unable to come and pick up your order in person, shipping charges will apply.

Please join us in the Barn

1127 Devon Street, Herndon, VA

on Dec. 10th

from 10 AM till 2 PM

to celebrate the

10th Anniversary of the Barn Sale!

There will also be lots of additional items for sale in our Cash and Carry area. Please take a few minutes out of your busy holiday schedule to enjoy the company of your fellow shoppers while you snack on yummy treats and hot cider in the relaxing atmosphere of the barn. List of what will be available is coming soon!

Thanks so much for being such great customers and we hope to return next year with the usual format! Please pass this info on to others that you feel might be interested. We appreciate your suport :-)

Journey to Oz Suitcase

2011-11-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

I was wowed by a project sent to me by Susan Tierney-Cockburn. I met Susan at CHA Winter this past January and she showed some projects she created with my dies. One of my favorites was a house and garden she created with the Pro House die to honor the memory of her daughter Kelly who had recently passed away from breast cancer. See Kelly's Garden in this post. Each flower was lovingly designed and crafted by hand. Susan has also written a beautiful book entitled Paper Bouquet which is available on Ellen Hutson's site.

Here is "The Journey". Susan used my Sizzix ScoreBoard Suitcase die, Graphic 45 papers and a ruby slipper created by Ellen Hutson. Every time I look at it, I see more details. Holy cow, this is amazing! Look at the little oil can- the teeny tiny poppies- this gorgeous ruby slipper! That paper covering Dorothy's suitcase looks exactly like her dress in the movie!

Make sure you visit Susan's blog where she has posted a recipe for Emerald City Brownies. More deliciousness! Here's the story of how Susan created the project in her words.

Life is a Journey and like Dorothy, I am thankful for the friends, I’ve met along the way, who have taken this journey with me. This concept is key when I was inspired by Eileen Hull’s “suitcase” die cut by Ellison/Sizzix and, like Dorothy and the friends she met along her way, I’ve found my way back home. These last eighteen months, after losing our daughter, Kelly to breast cancer, it’s been my friends who have given me support, helped me find love in my heart again, and shown me courage to help me continue on my journey.

One of my dearest friends, Ellen Hutson, who I’ve come to lean on considerably, has even designed a ruby slipper to complete this profound project of mine. I’m in awe of every one of her shoe creations, but I have to say, this ruby slipper is the best ever! It became the perfect “vessel” to show off my red poppies--the ones that put Dorothy and her companions to sleep and the symbol of my state of mine after such a great loss.

Lastly, I have to mention Graphic 45’s “Magic of Oz” paper that finishes the project. The gingham design for Dorothy’s suitcase is a perfect match and the “cards of the characters” gives the box a familiar look to enhance the story. However, it’s not just a story I’ve watched on television as a child based on the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, but a greater meaning I’ve discovered watching it as an adult.

These little suitcases can hold the most wonderful “treasures”! And, just like my mother, I love chocolate, and always have a stash when I need some!Dorothy’s Suitcase--scared and unsure how to get home, she begins a magical journey, meeting friends who will help her along the way.

The Scarecrow’s Suitcase--he thinks he lacks a brain, but his common sense helps guide and develop a plan to save Dorothy in their quest to reach the Wizard and return home to Auntie Em and Uncle Henry in Kansas.

The Cowardly Lion--a sweet character, afraid of his own shadow until his friends need him. He has the courage to help Dorothy in her most perilous situations.

The Tin Man--probably my favorite, who longs for a heart from the Wizard. However, he has the biggest heart of all and puts his friends first when they need him.

I hope you all think about the friends in your life that you take with you on Life’s Journey when you look at this project--I know I do.

I love how Susan shares her process with us and makes this an experience rather than a craft project. Thanks so much Susan and Ellen- this is a touching account and exquisite workmanship.

Susan sent me some great photos of the individual pieces which, due to technical ineptitude on my part, I am unable to share with you. I recently made the switch from PC to Mac and am having trouble doing what should be basic operations, like pasting in a photo! Please tell me someday it will come to me... in the meantime head on over to her blog to read more!