Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Eileen Hull Paper Flower Party!

Hi all! This month, the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team is celebrating the release of Eileen's new Sizzix dies. I have a couple projects I created using them to share with you today.

First up is this adorable hinged box created with Eileen's Cantilevered Sewing Box die. I used Graphic 45's Gilded Lily paper to decorate the box and added a shabby chic flower created with the new Romance Flower die.

I love this scrunchy, rumpled flower. I made a quick tutorial to show you how I did it.

Begin by die cutting the flower from white cardstock. Ink with Antique Linen Distress ink and stamp with a script stamp using the same ink.

 Next, spray the layers heavily with Perfect Pearl Mist - really get the paper saturated!

Using a pointed object, like this Sharpie pen, center one layer and scrunch the paper down as shown. Repeat with each layer and let dry.

Unfold the layers and secure them together with one of Tim Holtz's new diamond brads.

This little flower-topped sewing box would make a perfect Mother's Day gift!

The other piece I created using the new dies is this Flower Pocket candy box. Again, I used the pretty Gilded Lily papers, adding a bit of trim and some fussy cut pieces. I can think of so many ways to use this die! I'm already picturing little May Day baskets.

The supplies I used can be found at Sizzix, Simon Says Stamp, and Amazon via the links below. Be sure and check your local stores for Eileen's new release in May!





Thanks so much for stopping by today - have a great week!

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge - The Great Outdoors

Hi all! It's time once again for Karen Burniston's Designer Challenge. This month, our theme is The Great Outdoors. I was having a horrible time coming up with an idea, and was spending my time procrastinating in the garden. After taking some pics of my flower beds an idea occurred to me - why not combine my two favorite things, gardening and paper crafting, into a card? I remembered the amazing card that my teammate, Karen Aiken, had made last year using a photograph and decided to use that idea as my inspiration.

Last summer, my husband and I put in this cobblestone walkway, and I'd spent the weekend cleaning it off and planting my containers. It ended up being the perfect spot for a photo. I rearranged the pots to allow for the chair cut out, then took a picture with my phone. After I printed it on photo paper, I trimmed it, then cut out the Pop it Ups Adirondack Chair die.

I cut the chair again, this time from Elizabeth Craft Designs' Soft Finish cardstock. I trimmed out the chair and adhered it to the photo image chair.

To make the scene even more realistic, I printed the photo once more and cut out the area behind the chair. I lined it up (or tried to!) and adhered it to the card. If you look closely, you'll see I also cut out a few of the elements like the watering can and random stones and popped them up using foam dots. It really gives the scene a cool 3D look!

Finally, I added a white backing card and stamped a sentiment using one of my favorite stamps from Karen's Just a Note stamp set. I'm thrilled with how this turned out and can't wait to experiment with using photos in my cards even more. Thanks so much to Karen Aiken for this wonderful idea!

You can find the supplies I used at Elizabeth Craft Designs, Simon Says Stamp, and Amazon via the links below.



Be sure and check out Karen's blog tomorrow for more outdoorsy inspiration from the team.

Now back to the garden - those butterflies need me! :)