Artist Trading Block for Eileen Hull + Giveaway

Hello Friends

I wanted to celebrate the fact that it is my 4th Anniversary with Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team!  I started out on the Artist Trading Block (ATB) side of the team and  my lovely friend Tracy Evans was on Eileen's other Inspiration Team. I thought I would mix up the Spring Flower theme for this month by creating an ATB, using Eileen's ATB die and stamps designed by Tracy for AALLandCreate.

I have a few step out photos and some brief instructions for you.

I started by created the large flower first.  I die cut the petals using Eileen Hull's Pansy Flower die and coloured them with Eileen's ColorBox Blend Ink in 'Stop' (bright red).  After spritzing the petals with water, I scrunched them up, dried them with my heat tool and assembled the flower.

The background was created by adding some ColorBox Blend to my craft mat (in 'Stop' and 'Bay' - a beautiful turquoise) and brayering this over a piece of A4 card, quite randomly until I got the desired effect.  Once dry, I used a stencil, by AALLandCreate (Stencil #28 by Autour de Mwa) and also added some marks here and there with stamps and the lid to the paint top.

Once I had die cut the 3 inch ATB, I coloured the edges with ColorBox Blend in Bay and left this to dry.  Then I cut the brayed and stenciled piece into 2.7/8" squares and inked the edges with Bay.

I stamped four of the squares with an AALLandCreate stamp (Set #70) set by my talented friend Tracy, and stamped and coloured the flowers in 'Stop' ColorBox Blend on a separate piece of card, fussy cut them and added them to the stamped flowers on the squares.  I added words to each side, again using Tracy's stamp set.

To finish off I added some black threads to the top before mounting my big flower on top.

All this month my team mates have been creating Spring Flower projects which you can see on Eileen's Blog, HERE.


Giveaway!

My other project this month was this Passport Journal die that I made into a little rusty and patina storage box and using another of Tracy's stamps for the butterfly.  To celebrate my 4th Anniversary as part of Eileen's team I would like to offer this project as a Giveaway.

If you would like a chance to win the box, please leave a comment below and I will choose a winner  on 30th May here on my blog.  You do not need to follow me but it would be quite nice if you did!  I am happy to post this box to anywhere in the world, to the winner.

Thanks so much for your visit, hope to see you again soon!

Hugs, Anne  xx

Artist Trading Block Favourites

Hello Friends

I apologise for my long absence and lack of visits, hopefully by early next month

I will be be in a better position to rectify that, I hope you will bear with me....

This month at Art With Heart we are not having a challenge (and things are being changed up for future months).  Eileen Hull has released some fabulous new products at CHA (like the cantilever sewing box I featured here and here) and Eileen has also re-released some all time favourite dies.  One of these is the large Artist Trading Block (ATB) die (Szzix 658983) which is my personal favourite.  The Design Team are showcasing these re-released dies during this month. 

First up is my Artist Trading Block Storage Cabinet, details of which can be found here.  I used some fabulous G45 papers to cover the cabinet.  This shows how versatile the ATB die is, you can create 3D projects with it.

Next is my Valentine Heart Box, details can be found here.  This was the first ATB I ever made and DH still has it out on show to this day.

My next choice is my Circus themed ATB using Tim Holtz's Big Top Circus stamp set (details here).

Another favourite is an Andy Skinner inspired ATB, made using DecoArt products and Andy's Faux Letterpress Technique (details here)

My final choice is a project made for our lovely DT member Anna-Karin, we held a virtual baby shower for her, following the birth of her beautiful baby Leo (details here)

I hope you can see how wonderfully versatile the Artist Trading Block (ATB) die is.  I have made houses with it - and even a steam train, it is such a fun die to use.

Edited:  I have had some very exciting news.  Thanks to Eileen Hull and Jo Packham of 'Where Women Create'  I have had four pieces published in Sizzix's newest book release 'Make it a Party'.  I am so thrilled and honoured, it is a beautiful book and wonderfully illustrated and it is my first time ever being published!!

Thanks for looking, take care and I hope to see you soon!

Hugs, Anne xx

Artist Trading Block Storage Cabinet (2)

Apologies to those who have already looked, for some reason Blogger made my original post disappear - hope you can see this one!!

I think like most crafters I have a stash of beautiful papers that never see the light of day so I thought it was time to get some of them out.  I love Fall / Autumn (and Halloween!) and it reminded me that I have some beautiful Graphic 45 papers called the Olde Curiosity Shoppe.

I combined these beautiful papers with some of Eileen Hull's fabulous Artist Trading Blocks to make this cabinet:

I had the best fun I have had for a long time making this!  It is not complicated at all.  I started by cutting two of the largest Artist Trading Blocks (ATBs) from heavy card, measured the two blocks side by side and then 'built' a shell for them to rest in.  I cut a rough shape for the cabinet top as you can see below.

I cut the lids off the ATBs and painted all of the pieces inside and out with Black Soot Distress Paint. I love the ease with which this paint goes on!

I wanted the cabinet to have an Fall/Autumnal feel so I matted some orange Coredinations card on all of the exposed areas.  For the drawers I used some of the harlequin pattern from the paper pad and added some handles that I had in my stash.

For the sides I cut up some of the papers, matted these again onto the orange card.  I love that flying pig, there is a whole sheet of them in the paper pack!

And the same on the other side, I just had to include another of those flying pigs!  If you follow Linda Ledbetter on Facebook or Twitter you will know that she has a micro pig called Violet, who she features regularly and she is just THE most adorable little creature ....

For the top, I added some plain black card on top of the orange and then cut out the shop sign, various bottles and the book cover from the paper pad.  I shaped the bottles to make them look more realistic.  The book is made up from an old novel that I got at the Charity Shop, the eye glass is a genuine Optometrist one that I have had in my stash for a while.  

Finally, to finish off, I fussy cut the butterflies, glued them to a pin and covered them with the glass dome.  The other dome contains a skull charm and I gave the dome the 'Wendy Vecchi' treatment. Wendy demonstrated this technique HERE and I love using it.  It is a fabulous technique and so easy to do, Wendy demonstrates it beautifully and it is definitely worth trying.

This piece will be featured over at The Artists On The Block, where, every week a member of the Design Team show what can be done with these amazing dies.  Did I say how much I love using these dies!!  They are so versatile!  Eileen Hull is running a challenge at Art With Heart with an Autumn / Fall theme. It does not need to be an ATB  and there is still a week to enter!

This is also my Design Team piece for Inspiration Journal. Each Monday the Design Team provide you with fabulous inspiration based on the monthly challenge theme. There is a fabulous $50 voucher available from Joy at Inspiration Emporium for one lucky winner.  The challenge theme this month is Fall is in the air.  We would love to see you join in!

The items that I used to make my cabinet can be purchased from Inspiration Emporium (links below) and if you use my code Redanne you will qualify for a 10% discount.  Postage is reasonable at $5 for USA and $10 for international orders.

As always, thanks so much for looking and I hope to see you again soon!  Hugs, Anne xx



Product List:

Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Box, Square	Graphic 45 - Olde Curiosity Shoppe - 8x8	Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Corked Domes
Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Remnant Rubs - Apothecary	Tim Holtz Distress Paints - Black Soot