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Tuesday 31 March 2015

Surprise Baby Shower for Anna-Karin

Anna-Karin Evaldsson is a very special member of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team. Last year there were a lot of changes in her life, including a move from one continent to another and just a few months later, a new baby! Leo arrived weeks ahead of schedule (and just 20 minutes after reaching the hospital!) but thankfully he and Anna-Karin are both doing well. 

We want to show Anna-Karin how special she is to us, so we are giving her a virtual baby shower today to celebrate Leo's birth! Even though we can't be with her, we send our love and a special crafty surprise. We invite you to visit each team member/shower guest's blog to see what they created for this new little guy. 

If you have a message for Anna-Karin, please visit Eileen's blog to leave your well wishes in the comments- then she can read them all at once. Thanks for being part of our celebration!

For my gift, I wanted to use Eileen's dies and so I made baby Leo a money box/piggy bank using Eileen's fabulous Artist Trading Blocks.  These are winging their way to Anna-Karin now, I hope she likes them!


I used some blue stripe paper from my stash to cover some mat board and I die cut the largest block (658983) and also a medium sized block from die 658984.  I find it easier to glue the paper to the mat board first before die cutting, it gives much neater edges (a tip I picked up from Eileen).

The characters are die cut from Eileen's range of Thinlet's dies - Elephant & Giraffe and Lion & Monkey - aren't they just the cutest characters!  The A, B, C letters come from the large ATB die (658983).


I added some grasses which were cut from Tim Holtz's Tapered Fringe die and his Scribbles & Splat die set.  The letters for Leo's name and birth year are from Tim's Newsprint Alpha Parts and I used Distress Paint in Chipped Sapphire to colour them blue.

This view shows the slot in the top (another of Eileen's dies) and I left one side of the box un-glued so that money can be taken out as well as put in!  This view shows how I managed to make the elephant and lion stand on top.  Each one was created using about 16 layers of card to give them lots of depth.

As my other fantastic teamies have also created gifts for baby Leo, if you have the time, it would be wonderful if you could visit them to see their wonderful creations too:

Oxana Moupasirido
Anne Redfern (that's me!)
Nicole Wright

I am sure those of you who know the talented Anna-Karin and her incredible work will want to send her your congratulatory wishes too and as I said above, you can do so by visiting Eileen Hull and leaving your message there.

I am just in the nick of time to enter the fabulous Darnell's NBUS challenge - the animal dies are new and have never been used before.

Thanks so much for looking, I hope to see you again soon!  Hugs, Anne xx

52 comments:

  1. these are so stinkin' cute Anne!! =)

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  2. Oh my gosh- you made a little jungle- so adorable! Great tip on how to make the animals stand up- so cute Anne!

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  3. What an adorable little jungle!

    Sorry I have not been around for quite some time...will try to do better!

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  4. Anne such a wonderful gift for anyone but such a special one for Leo. I am in love with the monkey hanging off the grasses! Nikki xxx

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  5. All boys theme this wonderful project. Love the anymals and how you made it into a money-box.

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  6. This is such a beautiful and thoughtful gift Anne which I am sure will be treasured. I love your design with those adorable animals and wonderful detailing too.
    hugs Sue xx

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  7. Anne this is so lovely, Anna-Karin will be thrilled with it. The little animals are gorgeous x

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  8. Brilliant Ann! Fabulous colours - the blue and white looks great with the bright colours. What a great gift! I love the grasses - clever touch! Hugs Chrisx

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  9. How Beautiful Anne. These will be fabulous keepsakes too. A lovely idea. Hugs Rita xxx

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  10. Wow Anne she is going to love them as a treasured keepsake for Leo. I am sure these will have a special place in Anna-Karin's heart.

    Warm crafty hugs from Shirl x x x
    ShirlsCards.

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  11. This is so cute. I love those animal dies - it must have taken you ages to do all the layers - and you've finished it off beautifully with the jungle grass!! A treasure indeed. Elaine xx

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  12. This is so adorable Anne, and what a perfect gift idea. I adore the dimensional animals and the gorgeous papers you used and the grass. Just so gorgeous. Tracy x

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  13. Wow Anne, this is so cute!! I love the blocks with the stripes and those wonderful animals. 16 layers!! The grass is perfect and so are the letters and Leo's name. The way you positioned the monkey is so cute. I can't wait to see these in real life and to display them in Leo's room. Thank you so very much!! This baby shower is one of the best surprises I ever had! hugs!!

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  14. Such a great idea from the team! Your contribution looks fabulous and I am sure will be much loved both by Anna-Karin and by little Leo when he is a bit older!

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  15. these are freakin' stinkin' adorable!!!! LOVE

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  16. Oh my gosh, this is just so much fun Anne! Those monkeys made me giggle like crazy, how adorable are they!! Love your bright and cheery colours and the zoo theme is just so perfect for an on line baby shower! hugs :)

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  17. What a wonderful surprise for Anna-Karin, a baby shower from her fellow team buddies!
    Anne your gift is just perfect for new baby Leo. I love how you have created the jungle theme from the grass and tree's to those cute animals ( so well worth the effort of all those layers). Love how the stripey paper has the look of fabric on the ever so versatile ATB too. A wonderful sweet, personalized baby gift. Hugs Lottie x

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  18. Darling little bank! Perfect for a baby boy.

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  19. Anne this is so sweet and thoughtful for her, you girls are wonderful people! Your blocks are gorgeous for Leo!! I love the animals and the tree on the pretty blues. I love how the monkey is so playful. You made a perfect gift for a darling baby!!
    Hugs Kelly

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  20. what a lovely idea Anne to have a surprise baby shower for Anna-Karin and baby Leo...your gift is just so sweet and adorable...Leo is going to love it...hugs kath xxx

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  21. Over the top full of cutest!!! Love the bank idea, so clever and all the fun little animals peeking here and there so Cute, Cute, Cute. Anna will love it.

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  22. Super cute project Anne! Lovin' all the little animals! Surely Anna-Karin will treasure this!

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  23. Oh my goodness this is so adorable Ann, this will be so treasured!!! Love the money bank, hugs Carole Z X

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  24. What wonderful baby blocks/banks you created Anne! LOVE the animals and grasses - these will surely brighten up any shelf or bookcase they are placed on - what a lovely gift of love for Anna-Karin and Leo!

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  25. I haven't reached your entry yet in my NBUS Challenge (thank you so much for doing that), but I saw this on FB and just had to come for a closer look! I am grinning like a kid myself! These are beyond adorable, Annie! Leo will have these in his room until he leaves for college ~ just think of that, knowing he will see your sweet creations every day!! You are brightening the lives of everyone you meet IRL and IBL, my friend!! (I giggled out loud when I saw the corrugated "hair" on the back of that sweet lion! Genius!!) Hugs, Darnell xxoo

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  26. These will make such a cute decoration for Leo's room!

    Noreen
    Crafty Journal

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  27. You are one talented lady - I only wish to be half as talented as you! Your baby gift is really fantastic!! Beautifully made! What a wonderful adornment for Leo's room!! And useful too.
    I can't imagine making such a big move - I am going to have to read more about this 66whiz kid.
    To be so early, I am glad that the baby is okay. I will try not to whine about my puddle jump of a move. I think you know, I treasure the things you have made me and I know your baby gift will be treasured too.
    Sandy xx

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  28. Oh my gosh...so precious and do darn cute! She will love these! I adore the animals and block! So happy the baby is healthy! She really is a gem of a person and a super crafter!!!

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  29. Oh Anne - this is absolutely perfect - I adore it - so creative and fabulous! What a wonderful thought too - Anna Karin will be thrilled - and so will Leo!!! Big hugs rachel xx

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  30. Oh Wowsers Anne, this is going to be sooo admired and loved. A most beautiful gift indeed, fantastically crafted. Love the sturdy chunky elephant and lion and all the brilliant diecutting. FAB-U-LOUS!!! Nicola x

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  31. absolutely fantastic! Anne . So cool n cute! Leo will LOVE it ! x

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  32. These are such a wonderful idea for a new born gift. I'm sure they will be very well received!. Such cute creatures & I love how you have made it so personalised with the name & date.
    Amy x

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  33. These are such a wonderful idea for a new born gift. I'm sure they will be very well received!. Such cute creatures & I love how you have made it so personalised with the name & date.
    Amy x

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  34. You really are a creative genius Anne! I absolutely LOVE this beautiful pair of ATB's with those super cute jungle friends. It's the little touches that make them even more special like the corrugated card mane and that 3D grassland. HUGE round of applause. Jenny xxx

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  35. These are lovely Anne and such gorgeous colours too. Thanks for the visit and hope you are well. Sending hugs, Angela x

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  36. What a clever idea to throw a virtual baby shower. Your blocks are fabulous and I'm sure she will love them. Congrats to Anna-Karin and all of you who showed up for the shower.

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  37. This are so adorable! What a great gift! I am loving those dies! Your blocks are simply stinkin cute!

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  38. These are absolutely brilliant! Such cute characters and your designs are gorgeous. I'm sure these will be treasured!
    Rebecca.
    x

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  39. such gorgeous baby shower gifts Anne x Anna K will be delighted and they will look beautiful in Leo's room.
    Love them xx

    Hugs Annie x

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  40. Wow! These are awesome! So very nicely done!

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  41. WOW WOW WOW!! These are just the serious business!! How cool!! The little boy will love them as he gets older and they will look gorgeous in a nursery. You are one talented lady that always keeps on surprising us!!!

    Thank you btw for your very sweet comments about Dillan over on my blog - hugs xx

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  42. I always say you "rock these blocks," but this is just amazing! What a wonderful and adorable collection and would be perfect in any babies nursery. I so love what you have done here, Anne! Hugs!

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  43. I am drooling over this Anne! You really knocked this one out of the park. I adore your jungle animals and the Lion is perfect for little Leo! You are the sweetest crafter ever!

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  44. What a super gift for the shower Anne. Fabulous creations.
    Toni xx

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  45. Omg.... Anne, these baby blocks are just precious, I absolutely adore them! You are one talented lady! X

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  46. What adorable blocks, perfect for little Leo!

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  47. These are so adorable Anne ^.^ wonderful gift for little baby Leo ♡

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  48. Goodness Anne, I nearly missed this wonderful creation.
    Love what you have done for Leo. It will be loved and treasured for years.
    Hugs
    Patricia x

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  49. OMG... How cute is that ... love your idea ... such a creative gift !!

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  50. Absolutely adorble are your blocks for baby Leo. So creative!

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