Hello Fans of Sizzix die cutting, I am here today with a round up of my favorite 2018 Eileen Hull Projects. As we do at least 1 a month I thought top 5 would be a good number. Let's go! In no particular order, cause come on it was hard enough to pick just 5, which is a good problem to have!
#1: Under the Sea Journal- made with my all time favorite die- The Journal & Therm*o*web.
Stayed tuned because I am trying to sneak in one more post before the end of the year. I will give you a hint- it may be Grinchy fun! Thanks for a great 2018 Eileen Hull & our amazing Inspiration Team!!!
Hello Blogland, today I am back to decorate the inside of my spooky wrap journal from last week! I love making these books but I am less fabulous at working on the inside. DCWV gave the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team a paper stack to play with. I scored the Spooky & Sparkly stack. I thought today I would come up with some simple formulas to create pages. This makes it easy as I work through my book to add tags, flips & pockets.
Here is a hodge podge of items I made to include in my book. It is kinda hard to just take one photo to show all the fun. There is a flip through video of my book too, below so you get to see all the nummyness! Working from one paper line can make the job easier as it limits the "now where did I put that...favorite sticker" syndrome.
First up on the day I started creating this project, a fine fall day in October, it was 82 degrees out. This makes it a little tough to get in the Halloween mood. The obvious solution was to crank up the AC, put a Halloween t-shirt & cardigan on & have Nightmare Before Christmas movie & a few episodes of Supernatural on to set the tone!
I made a video flip through so you can see all the fun elements in this book. Plus I have the written tutorial with some of the highlights & supplies for making this spooky book.You can find this 12x12 paper stack at Joann Fabrics.
I started by cutting my paper stack. The great thing about this paper pad is there are 2 pieces of each paper plus a sticker sheet. I have 1 booklet to show you today with the idea of adding to it. I cut paper in 2 sizes- 6.5" x 4.5" & 8.5" x 4.5. I cut the height 4.5" as I wanted to be able to use elastics & slide the booklets in & out. If I was adding them in permanently I could have made the books a little taller. Beware of the pattern when cutting so your bats are flying right!
I
have been working on batch creating to save time. The idea is instead
of creating one item you work in batches to save time. I also wanted to add in distressed ruled paper so I cut some of that. This is one of my favorite techniques, cause the paper ends up all crunchy. I distressed the paper with Eileen's Colorbox Blends in Ebony & mixed up some water colors on my craft mat with the Blends & water. Did you know that Bay & Wildberry make a very pretty purple?
Next up was to add some stamping. Basically stamped a little something at the top & bottom or 2 corner sides. I can always add titles as I go.
Time for tags! Using the Blends to distress the edges of some tags, plus some more stamping. These tags can be used for photos, journaling or ephemera. Maybe a favorite candy wrapper!
Let's add foil. The paper stack by DCWV has silver foil touches that go fabulously with the paper line. I decided to add some more foil using Therm*O*Web & various techniques to make that happen. So many options!! Using one of Eileen's latest thinlet dies- Journal Card, Flower & Leaves to cut double sided adhesive. The purple tape you see holds the die in place during cutting without tearing the paper for easy removal.
Remove one side of the backing & place foil shiny side up. Simple burnish with a bone folder or your finger. Lift foil off & you are left with a shiny, happy, embellishment sticker that can be placed where ever you need to add some wow. In this case I added some to my pockets & tags.
The second way to add foil is using Peel n'Stick Transfer sheets. For this you need a heat laminator. I die cut the word wander & added a new foil called Glittering Green which is so cool as it has the look of sequins kind of embedded in it. Sandwich the die cut with the foil color side up between a piece of parchment sheet & run it through the laminator.
The 3rd way was making a side tuck spot using Deco Foil Clear Toner Sheets. Here is a Therm*O*Web video showing the sheets & how to use the heat laminator.
Finally using the Transfer Gel I edged a card with it & added red foil. This is also a great way to add some stencil work. Simply apply the gel, let dry clear & use the same sandwich as above to set the foil on your project.
This book definitely required lots of pockets, tags & tucks. I cut some tags with Eileen's die & paper from the stack using the Credit Card, Sleeve & Tag die then added tabs using her other dies. See my video above for more info on the individual die pieces used.
Here is an example of the Credit card sleeve at work on the left side. The right side has a simple pocket. The spider & crow are stickers from the paper stack.
Who says Halloween can't have flowers? I cut them using the Flower & Leaves dies out of one dark, & one light foiled paper & sandwiched them with a brad. The flower was used as a tab to lift the pocket card. I added some washi at the top to make the card flip. This book was so much fun to make & is now ready to go as I take photos this Halloween season. As the book has room for 4 signatures I can add more to it. Please head over to Eileen Hull's Blog to see what the rest of the Inspiration team is up to this week!!
Hello Eileen Hull & Spooky journal fans of all ages! I am here today with a Caw-tastic journal using Eileen's Wrap Journal die. This book can be used for Halloween, for your favorite creepy movie quotes, for fall lists or even as a Games of Thrones journal. The best part? There is room for 4 signatures, so you can use it for all of the above!!
Here is my finished cover, I plan on making booklets for the inside. Thanks to DCWV for sending me this wonderful paper pad called "Spooky & Sparkly" I had all the paper needed to create my spook-tacular project. If you want to see how I used this paper on the inside of my book you see it here.
You can find this paper pack at Joannes & other online stores. Some of the double-sided paper have wonderful foiled images & you also get a sheet of pocket cards as well as a sticker page. That is a lot to work with!
I started by cutting a piece of mat board out with the wrap journal die & a mover/shaper die in the open space. That is how I got the cool, crow to die cut right out of my book. Here I had to option of adhering my paper first & die cutting the whole thing or die cutting them separately as I went along.
Next step was to use a stencil & texture paste on the flap portion. I like the paste as it dries very quickly. Once the paste was dry I spritzed it with Dylusions spray in Slate Grey. This will help the image to pop once I add the color.
Using Distress Crayons to hit the high points & rubbing with my finger was the next step.
One of the challenges of the wrap die is it just a bit longer then 12" so a great way to cover the book it to cut the paper individually. I also like using different papers on the front from the back... this makes covering the book easy. I simply measure, cut & distress the book.
For the spine I used my favorite technique covering it with embossing powder. Seth Apter's Rocky Road from Emerald Creek provided the perfect texture. I added a bit of Hammered metal to add some silver to the mix. The bonus of using embossing is it helps protect the spine by making it stronger.
My closure was created by adding a door knob to the spine. An elastic was hooked through an eyelet on the flap & that wraps around the door knob on the spine to close the book. Of course I needed to add charms!!
For the hidden cover of the book I added some Tim Holtz Halloween pieces and the owl sticker from the paper pack. Here you can see that I covered the inside spines in black paint & embossed stamped spiderwebs with Fallen Snow. The skull paper is silver foiled and really detailed. Thanks for joining me today! I hope you take the time to see the other great projects the Inspiration team has made this month! Supplies: Eileen Hull Wrap Journal die by Sizzix Tim Holtz raven mover/shaper die by Sizzix Spooky & Sparkly 12x12 stack by DCWV Dylusions Spray in Slate Grey Distress Crayons- Antique Bronze, Fossilized amber, Squeezed Lemonade, & Wilted Violet Opaque Texture Paste, Glossy Accents by Ranger Tim Holtz Halloween ephemera & charms
Hi Resin Fans, I have a 2 part Resin project tutorial for you over on the Resin Obsession blog. This is such a cool project & I was so excited that it worked!!! I challenged myself to make a journal book using resin to create it, die cut & have it be the base of the cover.
Resin Journal with Wings!
Here is my finished project. As a designer I have made a lot of projects over the years but I have to say this is one of my favorites. It took some time but it was so worth it!
Die Cutting with Resin
Part 1 of the project has directions for making the cover out of resin, how to die cut it & how to string it together. I I used Eileen Hull's Wrap Journal die which is perfect for this project but you could also use any of her other journal dies as well. The tutorial for creating the base of the book is here.
Part 2 shows how I made the wings using resin, a mold & Resin Obsession pigments for color. It teaches how to complete the cover including tips for a closure & working on a transparent surface. The results are a unique book with 4 signatures, that can be used for anything. The tutorial covers adding magnet closures as well as tips & tricks to adhering resin onto resin! You can find part 2 here.
Thanks for looking & I hope you have a chance to go check out my tutorial!! Resin is so much fun to play with & the possibilities for making these books is only limited by your imagination!
I am entering this book in the Mini Album Maker's contest. If you haven't seen this blog there is tons of awesome inspiration over there so I hope you check it out!
Hello Happy, Inky Friends, I am here today playing with some of my favorite people & their awesome products!!! I am jumping into a blog hop with the amazing Seth Apter (artist, designer, teacher, blogger) the dynamic Kim Evans owner/designer & mad scientist of incredible embossing powders Emerald Creek & the brilliant Sizzix designer & teacher Eileen Hull. I am also very lucky & honored to call them friends. If you know me you know this combination of products is perfect!
Let's Get Wrapped Blog Contest!
We are blog hopping with some amazing people today all in the name of fun, and cross brand creativity.
Of course there will be a prize pack valued over $150 USD from PaperArtsy, Seth Apter, Eileen Hull & Emerald Creek.
To be entered you must pop by and comment on each of the blog posts.
(We don't want you to miss any of the tips and tricks.)
Contest closes Aug 29th at midnight and a winner will be announced Aug 30th, 2018.
The design theme for this blog hop is Get Wrapped & we are using Eileen Hull's Wrap Journal book!! I had so much fun playing & making this book, I love how it turned out. I am planning a second post as I work on the inside of the project! Let's see how this book was created!
This is what my desk looked like as I was blogging, after the carnage of creating!!! Between these 3 designers there are so many products to choose from & I used a
lot. You may need to sit down with a cup of coffee or you can play
along, there are quite a few steps. Also if you like journals you will definitely want to hop along
& see what every one else it making, there is a hop list at the
bottom of this post.
I started the Eileen Hull Wrap Journal, by die cutting a piece of mat board. I covered it with a light coat of Super Heavy Gesso, leaving some small spots open on purpose, to create an uneven coat. Then using some of Seth's stamps I pressed them into the gesso which left an impression behind. You get a better impression if the gesso coat is thinner & bonus it dries quicker. Wash the stamps immediately using a tooth brush & warm water to get the gesso off.
Next was a coat of paint. PaperArtsy makes this wonderful Fresco Finish Chalk Paint. Using Spanish Mulberry, one of Seth's newer colors I mixed it with Acrylic Glaze, 50/50 ratio. *This is a favorite technique of Donna Downey's. Covering the outside of my book with the glaze & then wiping back the paint until I had the desired color. The paint sits in the debossed image area, making it pop.
I decided to darken it up a bit so added another coat of the paint/glaze mix, wiping back as before with a baby wipe. Ah better, the color is darker but I still have great texture. Distress the edges using Seth's Blue Lagoon created a pretty blue/purple edging.
One of my favorite Emerald Creek products is Fractured Ice. It takes on the color of what ever is underneath by looking like a layer of ice on top that has oil in it. Like ice on asphalt, with some sparkle- frickin brilliant. I added this on my spine, which bonus gives the spine extra strength.
Time for embellishments!! Let's make a cool grungy butterfly. Using the butterfly die from Eileen's Bird & Butterfly set I cut it out of corrugated cardboard. Pull off some of the top layer of cardboard revealing the texture. Paint the piece with Seth's Double Denim paint. Once dry, ink using an embossing pad & emboss with Seth's Rocky Road & Burnt Copper Leaves by Emerald Creek. Love, love how this turned out. Imagine just pulling out dies & making these- hum good idea! *I also added the Burnt Copper emboss to the key, (on the finished cover) which adds a vintage look to it.
Next I took a piece of card stock & painted it in the aptly named Butter, such a pretty pale yellow. Then the card was stamped using one of Seth's new stamps. After that the piece was cut with Eileen's newest flower die, the bonus is with one cut you get a zillion flower pieces & a star. If you want to see what I do with extra die cuts as I create, check out my newest die cut organizer. It is a tutorial on another book that houses my extra die cuts in one place so I can always find them!
The final flourish was to emboss with Seth's Ancient Amber and add a tiny brad to the middle. This embellishment looked so cool, I decided to make another. Using some left over Gel Press paper from the inside cover (further down in the tutorial) & one of Seth's stencils, I added embossing ink through the stencil using a piece of foam. Next I poured some of Seth's Deep Sea powder, heat set it & cut it out to create this cool bullseye piece. I added the star which was created with the flowers. OK I may love these.
Before gluing down anything on the cover we need to work on the inside. However, something I keep forgetting, is to figure out my closure before gluing everything down. It completely changes the cover placement potentially. Once you know everything that is going on the cover, you can decide if it needs to be placed before the inside cover papers. For example on this book I should have added my handle before gluing down my paper on the inside. The paper would have hid the back of the brads. Now I have to be clever & add a pocket, washi or embellishment to cover them up.
For the inside covering the flaps in paper seemed a good way to go. I took
white card stock & created paper using a Gel Press & more of
Seth's paint.
I tried a few color combos, this combo was used for the inside covers, some to make the embellishments & some will be cut to make tags etc. for the inside of the books.
Using a foam piece, more paint, plus a few of Seth's stencils, I decorated the paper. After painting the background
inside of the book using spots of Double Denim & then Blue Lagoon, the paper was cut to fit & adhered.
Some
stamping was added just for fun using Eileen's ColorBox Blends. It really is amazing to watch as the piece changes with each layer!
Time to string the book & add the embellishments, we are almost there!! I did a video recently on how to string a journal which you can see above. In that video I was stringing only 3 holes but the principal is the same. I did a hidden binding using a piece of grey 1mm elastic.
The only thing left was to finish adhering details like my closure, a title, & some charms. I added books to the inside but we will get to that another time. Thanks so much for joining me today! Please join us in this hop and see what other awesome-ness has been created! Follow my blog as I will be doing some posts showing you the inside, or subscribe to my Instagram which hask all the updates.
Hot Tips:
To
add metal embellishments on an embossed surface, heat the embossing
until it looks a bit fluid & press the embellie into the emboss
& hold while the powder cools.
Figure
out how you will add a closure on the book before gluing anything down.
You will potentially want to add eyelets or screws etc. Knowing where
the closure will go may drastically change the placement of
embellishments on the cover. Also this way you can hide any mechanics
like the ends of brads on the inside of you book with paper.
If
you get stuck, like I did trying to figure out a closure after gluing
everything down. Stop & walk away, let your mind work on it while you do something else. The solution may come a lot faster then if you sit at your desk staring at it!
Get Wrapped Hop with Eileen Hull, Emerald Creek & Seth Apter: I hope you hop around!!!
Hello die cutting fans, today I am making a Sizzix die organizer using Eileen Hull's Passport die. If you are anything like me you may find yourself with either lots of unused dies and/or lots of die cuts that you can never find when you need them. You may also have lots of dies but find when it is time to add one, pulling everything out is too daunting. Either way you may not be using your die cuts to their potential!
I am here to change that with an organizer that is functional, fun & easy to make! A pretty place to store your die cuts so you can batch cut & have easy quick access when you need to find that special flower, butterfly, or tag...plus it is full of color & looks great sitting near your desk.
Inside my journal I added photo albums to store my die cuts. There are plenty of spaces to add to this collection & it will be easy to see my cuts if I need to pull any out to pop them on my projects. Let's get started!
Start by cutting a spine using the Passport die. Cut 1 spine piece using the Passport die & cut this piece in half. This technique allows you to create a book in whatever size you want. The signatures of this book are soft covered mini photo albums that fit 4x6 pictures. I cut 2 pieces of mat board larger than the front of the books, it ended up measuring 5 1/4"x 7".
Using
Eileen's color blends spritz the mat board with a very light spritz of
water & color both side of the spine. The water helps the ink to
blend smoothly. I used a paper palette to get the colors flowing. Create the outside covers the same way using random color with the Color Blends. Add to the covers with stamped images. I will adhere paper to the inside of the covers so there is no need to color the other side.
I wanted to add some foiling to the covers. Place down a stencil & using Deco Foil Transfer Gel, scrape a layer with a palette knife. Set aside until the gel goes from white to clear,it will take 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat your laminator so it is warm-10 minutes. Place pieces of foil over the raised gel area. I chose to use different colors, in keeping with my cover.
Place the cover between a folded piece of parchment paper & send it through the laminator, the folded side first.
Peel off the foil & voila you will have a raised foiled image- very cool. Here is a little sneak-gotta love the shimmer & how metallic sparkle the images turned & because I used different color strips the colors are very dynamic.
I did the spine using the same technique.
Next I decided to add a name plate to the cover using one of Therm*O*Web's Clear Designer Transfer Sheets. I die cut "Doodles" & "Distressed Lines" using Eileen's Journal die. This die comes with 3 other images, a tab, hinge & book plate. I ran it through the laminator per the instructions using the Fancy Foils in Glittering Green- this foil has the look of embedded sequins- very different.
Once the foil was pulled off, the swirly circle image was covered in foil on a transparent sheet. This piece I backed with paper cut from the same die shape & adhered with brads. The whole thing is very shimmery like the circle on the far left. Hummm the potential for fun with these sheets is great & they come in many different flavors!!
Next up was paper from Dylusions Creative Dyary, they are pre-printed with Dyan Reaveley's fabulous backgrounds. I tear them out of the book & use them in other projects. They were used for the inside covers, pocket, & name plate. I also cut them & added a Dylusions stamp and then a quote for the first page of every book. I made 3 books but realized they are pretty thick so there is really only room for 2 with the idea the books will expand as I add die cut shapes in the sleeves.
All that was left was to string my book & add a closure. I get a lot of questions on how to string these books especially when the elastic is hidden from the spine so I did a video on 2 different ways to string the book.
The final touch was to add a title. I used a Sizzix Thinlet from Eileen's set Book Plate Hinge & Label to add a title. The die is being held down by Therm O Web's purple tape, which is perfect to hold your paper down when you die cut & easily pulls up without damaging the paper.
Here is a shot of the title added on & a good view of the foiled images! I hope you enjoyed this project, leave me a comment & take time to make one yourself!! Have a great inky day.
*this post was sponsored with product from Eileen Hull Designs by Sizzix & Therm*O*Web* thanks to these companies I can bring you this fun project!
