Eileen Hull New Release - Book Club

Hello Friends!

As many of you already know, Eileen Hull's Journal die  (and others in the range) has been a huge success and in November, Eileen releases her new range - Book Club!

The Inspiration Team are sharing some of their makes, as sneak peeks, to whet your appetite, tutorials will follow once the release is out.  Book Club is a range of dies that have multiple uses - such a great idea which makes dies even more versatile!  I have a couple of pieces to share with you today.

First up is another Scoreboard die which is called Card Box, Planner Storage & Organiser.  A very versatile die - I have used it to hold a mini album made with Eileen's Passport Die, it fits perfectly! The assembled measurements are 5" x 4.5/8" x 7/8".   These are just like mini magazine holders - wouldn't they look beautiful all lined up in a row, holding your handmade cards or notebooks?!

Next up is a Scoreboard L Die called - Stamp & Photo Storage.  It measures 4" x 6" x 1/2".  As you can see I have added it to the Journal Die and it is a perfect fit.

  In this case it becomes a watercolour storage compartment, with my brushes attached to the top of it and my watercolour booket at the front.  You could use this as storage for photos, notebooks etc., and it is a stand alone product which you can use for storing stamps, small dies or anything else you want!

Here is the front of the journal, I added some stamped paint brushes and the cover is brayered with paint before some random stamping was added.

 See what I mean about versatility!!

I hope you like these new additions to Eileen's range!  If you have not joined in yet, in my previous post I am doing a Journal die Giveway along with my friends Jenny Marple and Tracy Evans who are also doing Giveaways.  You can find all the details on how to enter the mini blog hop here:

Tracy Evans

Jenny Marples

Anne Redfern - that's me!

Thanks for your visit, I look forward to sharing more sneak peeks with you soon.

Hugs, Anne xx

A Witches' Brew Journal - or is it?

Hello Friends

All this month Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team are creating different/unusual projects using Eileen's Heartfelt range of dies.  I have used Eileen's Journal die in two different ways.

First up is A Witches' Brew, it looks like a Journal / Book....  

I was inspired by my Teamie, Tracy, who created a gorgeous shadow box HERE.  Since writing up this post, another friend Alison (Butterfly) created a stunning shadow box HERE, with a fabulous idea to create the box element, do check it out if you have the time!

Inside, my box looks like this:

I am so lucky to have dear friends who share with me, Kath die cut the fabulous spider's webs, the word wicked and the witch along with the starry background and some of the Idea-ology pieces and Jenny (Buttons) gave me the wonderful set of stamps which included the beautiful Raven, which I stamped and fussy cut to sit on the 'wicked'.  The word itself was coloured with Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide and when dry, Glossy Crackle Accents.

The cover was die cut using Eileen Hull's Journal die (Sizzix 661906) and then covered with tissue paper, glued in place with Matt Medium.  Once dry a layer of Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium (Vintage) was applied.  I wanted it have a 'vintage book' look.  The book label was 'aged' and Tim's Industrious Stickers and Remnant Rubs complete the look.

To create the book 'lip' I cut a piece of mountboard the same depth as the spine of the constructed journal.  I 'indented' the piece so that the lid would have a platform to rest on.  The edge was covered in striped cardstock to give the impression of book pages.  I used Wilted Violet Distress Oxide ink to create the background.

I love Tim's latest Halloween Idea-ology pieces (skull, bones, pumpkins and rose - thanks again Kath).  The little bottles are from Tim's previous release and the labels are from my stash.

And now for something completely different!

I used Eileen's Journal die to create the base, made it into a shadow box (like above), cut it to shape, added some shelving and and fake drawer.. and voila`... a bookcase!

I had lots of fun making mini books and other items to fill the shelves.

So there you have it, two different ways to use Eileen's Journal die!

Finally, Eileen Hull's amazing Journal Treasury eBook is still available at a discounted price £9.19 / $11.87 - 30% off) until 31 August, it is full of wonderful inspiration for journal making!  You can buy a copy by clicking on the link in my left sidebar.

I am joining in Frilly and Funkie's Challenge which is to use dies, punches or other cutting tools.  The majority of items in my witches' brew project, including the journal cover are die cuts.

Thanks so much for looking, hope to see you again soon...

Hugs, Anne xx


PS.  If you are still looking for Eileen's Journal die, in the UK, Countryview Crafts have it in stock again.  In the USA, Eileen has a few in her Etsy shop and the Funkie Junkie has stock too.

Eileen Hull Journal and HeARTfelt dies

Hello Friends

Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team are showcasing Eileen's fabulous Journal die together with her new HeARTfelt dies.  It doesn't take much persuading for me to use these new dies!

Part of Eileen's new release is her HeARTfelt Paper Pad and I used it to cover the Journal and also to create the signatures inside.

I also used Eileen Stitchlits House/Pocket die and her Stitchy Flowers & Leaf die and of course, the Journal die!  I don't have many step outs today as it was so simple to make...

I die cut the Journal (Sizzix 661906) and covered it front and back with Eileen's Paper Pack (Sizzix 661946).  To seal it and give it more strength I coated the covers with DecoArt One Step Crackle, it creates teeny, tiny cracks.  Then, I painted DecoArt Antiquing Cream in White, left it to dry and wiped it off with a slightly damp baby wipe.  The white stays in the cracks but it is very subtle.

I covered the insides of the covers with more of the Paper Pack.  Each of the signatures was covered with more paper from the pack.

I created two accordion type pockets inside one of the signatures.  I don't really measure, I just wing it with these pockets, but if you are interested and want to know how, just leave me a comment and I will do another post showing the details.

Inside the back cover I added a pocket, made with Eileen's House/Pocket Stitchlits die (Sizzix 661902).

I wanted to use my lovely friend, Tracy Evans, fabulous new stamps somewhere in my Journal.  I stamped and coloured them onto mini cards.  To house them I created a perfectly sized double pocket insert using my Laminator and following a fantastic video by Gio Gio HERE.  It really is a great video!  Do check it out if you would like to have clear pockets in your Journal!

To finish off I die cut a pretty flower from Eileen's Stitchy Flowers & Leaf die (Sizzix 661903) and I die cut the Travel Trailer (Sizzix 660327) from shrink plastic, coloured it with alcohol markers and heated it up, it creates a lovely charm size decoration.  I attached it and some flowers and a heart to a clip for the side of my Journal.

This was so much fun to make, and so easy with Eileen's beautiful papers.  Thanks so much for looking, I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs,  Anne xx

Designer Spotlight - Simon Says Stamp Week 2

Hello Friends!

I am very excited to share my second project in the

for Simon Says Stamp!!  I am still pinching myself at this amazing opportunity!  

The challenge for this week is 'Touchy Feely' and I took challenge quite literally and created a wonderfully soft to the touch Journal, using the Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Eileen Hull's Journal die along with Eileen's Stitchy Flowers and Leaf Thinlits dies.

I wish you could touch this, to see just how wonderful it feels!  I have a few step out photos to show you how this came together.

The gorgeous Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle is made from wool and comes in several colours, I chose the red bundle which incorporates three different reds - each sheet is the perfect size to cover one set of Eileen Hull's Journal die cuts.  

I adhered the felt to the die I used Dina Wakley Gel Medium, ensuring I spread the medium well around all of the edges and especially where the join is on the spine.  I left it to dry flat overnight and then I simply poked through the spine holes with a pokey tool.

I took the darker shade of red and die cut six flowers (the largest one) and a stamen from Eileen's Stitchy Flowers and Leaf Thinlits die and also a plain cream ball that I had in my stash.

To create each petal I folded one flower in half, then folded one third over (as shown above) and then folded the last third under.  As the felt is quite thick, I stitched each petal at the base to hold the shape.

I cut one more flower for the base and used hot glue to glue each of the six petals to the base.

I stitched the stamen into the centre of the flower.

I added a felt ball which I top stitched with Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements black thread and created a french knot in the middle before stitching the ball to the flower.

To finish off I added a piece of lace from my stash, the closure is cut from the same shade of red as the flower.  The closure was created using some red yarn and a felt ball from my stash. I also added some Tim Holtz Quote Chips.

I had so much fun creating my Journal that I just had to make another one!

The blanket stitch edging was created using the Tim Holtz thread and I wanted to see if I could use die cuts to decorate the front. I used a Tim Holtz Elastic Loop for the closure.  The 'journal' lettering is made up from Tim Holtz Idea-ology Alpha Parts.

I put a piece of Stick-It onto a square of Taylored Expressions Black Felt and die cut using Tim Holtz Wildflowers #2 die.  It was a bit fiddly removing the backing but once released I applied the flowers to my Journal.  I love the black against the beautiful red!

I am not really into junk journals as such and I tend to keep the insides fairly plain as you can see above.  I added three Kraft card covered signatures to each Journal.

Here's a final look at the journals side by side...

I hope you enjoyed seeing my touchy feely journals and that you feel inspired to join in the
 'Touchy Feely' Challenge at
  

There is always a fabulous prize of

I have listed below, the items I used, from Simon Says Stamp...

As always, thank you for stopping by, I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Hugs, Anne xx

Products from Simon Says Stamp:

Eileen Hull Journal die

Eileen Hull Stitchy Flower die set

Tim Holtz Wildflowers #2

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chips

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Alpha Parts

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle - Red

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle - Black

Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements thread

Dina Wakley Gel Medium

Stick It

Tim Holtz Elastic Loops

Ranger Kraft card for signatures

Kunin Felt and Eileen Hull Part 3

Hello Friends!

I am sharing my third project using the fabulous Kunin Felt and Eileen Hull's amazing new Journal die.  I have already shared a book box card, and a  mini journal so thought I would try making something a little different this time.... a photo holder...

Thinking outside the box is not normally my forte, but as I sat looking at my camera one day, this idea just popped into my head....

 

1. I butted the two edges of Eileen's Journal die cuts together and glued a strip of card on the inside to give a larger 'floor' area.
2. The felt was quite a large piece so I glued it in one piece to the journal cover, clamping it overnight to allow the glue to dry.  I did use a glue that is designed for felt - Beacon Felt Glue. 
3. I cut and scored two 'accordion' pieces to two pieces of grey card which I had cut to the size of  the journal covers.    
4. I removed the clips and glued the sides of the journal to the grey card and clamped it again until the whole piece was dry.  It is not shown but I added two 'tabs' of felt to the front of the holder, to act as a closure, before I glued the sides together.

You can see above, that I stitched two buttons to the back of the holder for the tabs.  I cut a simple button hole in each of the tabs and hand stitched them.

Above is a view from the inside.

Now for the fun part!  I started by gluing circles and rectangles from pieces of left over felt, but I thought at this point there was something missing.....

I added the red buttons, the stitched square around the lens and a large resin cabochon for the lens.  The word 'photos' and the word strip are part of Tim Holtz's range.

To finish off I added a grey clip and a camera charm.

It has been such a pleasure to use the Kunin felt, the quality is exceptional AND it is manufactured in the USA in a 100% Polyester fibre made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles!

If you would like to see more projects using the Kunin felt, please visit Eileen's blog HERE where you can see some fantastic projects by my team mates and members of the Kunin DT.

Thanks, as always, for your visit, I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs, Anne  xxx

Eileen Hull - HeARTfelt Creations Journal

Hello Friends

Today I have another couple of Journals to share with you.  I guess some of you may have been wondering how long it would take me to use seahorses on one... well, today is the day!

I cannot stop making these wonderful Journals.  I am so thankful to Eileen Hull for designing this particular die, which is out later this month.

Rather than showing individual steps, I am using a collage to show you how this came together.

I used Eileen Hull's fabulous Colorbox Blend inks in Leaf, Golden and Bay to colour my seahorses, the leaves and also the gauze.  The gauze was 'thickened' with fabrick stiffener.  The starfish is from a previous project and the wheel and crab were coloured with a mix of Ebony and Nutmeg.

This photo shows the three stages of creating the covers.  First I painted the blank cover with DecoArt Crackle Paint, just a thin-ish coat.  Once dry I coloured the whole of the cover with Colourbox Blend in Bay, with a touch of Leaf mixed in here and there.

Once dry, I flicked white Gesso and Bay Colourbox Blend over the cover.  To assemble, I added the stiffened gauze (still wet) to the front and then glued all the other elements in place.  I glued them fairly flat so that the Journal can be easily handled.  I added the closure (which I first covered with paper leather to give it strength) and used a Tim Holtz Hitch Fastener as my closure. The whole Journal was then completely sealed with DecoArt Matte Medium.

For the inside, I created three signatures, one with watercolour paper, one with ruled paper and the third one is a pocket envelope.  Don't you just love that great journal quote by Oscar Wilde??  It makes me smile each time I see it, the stamp is by Darkroom Door.

I also wanted to show you this Journal that I made for a friend, David Rose of Craft Obsessions, who did me a huge favour.  I used Tim Holtz's latest release fabric - Correspondence (a gift from my dear and lovely friend Kath Stewart).  These fabrics are beautiful quality and  perfect for covering Eileen's Journal.

The fabric is now available in the UK too!  I just got some more from The Cotton Patch.  They have a lovely selection of the Correspondence and also Tim's other range of fabrics.  I have just invested in a few more pieces of Tim's fabric.

On the bottom left photo you can see that I used a genuine Midori insert in the Journal, it fits perfectly.  I am pleased to report that David loved his Journal.

I hope you are not getting tired of seeing my Journals, I am sure I will be making lots more!!

If you have time to visit Eileen's blog each week HERE you will see more Journals and more of Eileen's HeARTfelt die release projects by the Inspiration Team.

As always, thanks so much for your visit, I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xx 

Eileen Hull - Heartfelt Creations Journal die

Hello and Happy Mother's Day to all you UK Mums today!

Today I am sharing another journal that I made with Eileen Hull's fabulous new Journal die, by Sizzix,  which is due out very soon now!  You can Pre-order it now in the UK from Country View Crafts HERE.

As I love anything to do with the sea, I used Andy Skinner's Fossil stencil, Andy's Mega Crackle Technique and lots of DecoArt products to create the Journal cover.

This is how the journal starts off, this one was cut with Sizzix |Mat Board which is similar to Mount Board, it is very sturdy and will take a lot of wet products without warping.

I used Andy's Mega Crackle Technique to get to this stage (do dry naturally after each stage).
1) Cover the piece with Gesso or Paint (I used a mix of black, green and blue paint)
2)  Apply a coat of DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle Medium
3) Apply a coat of DecoArt Crackle Paint
4)  Apply a coat of DecoArt Ultra Matte Varnish
 I applied a wash of DecoArt Paint in very watered down Prussian Blue

I stencilled in black and once it was dry I stencilled again with DecoArt Modelling Paste.

At this point I was not happy with the black showing through and I gave the whole thing a coat of thinned down white Gesso.  It did cover up some of the crackles but I wasn't too unhappy about that, it still had a nice 'rough' surface.

Next, I applied a wash of my favourite colour of DecoArt paint - Cobalt Teal Hue randomly over the base and Quinacridone Gold (again watered down) for the stencilled fossil area.

I love the colours now!  Next, I over-stamped the journal using Cobalt Teal Hue and a bubble stamp from IndigoBlu.  The sentiment is also from the same IndigoBlu set - Under the Sea.  I added lots of splatters in blue and white paint.  To finish off I added one of the closures that comes with the die, and some hand dyed ribbon.

I love to finish off my journals with a matching hinge clip and charm.  The clip and the seahorse were embossed with Stampendous embossing powder and I strung some tiny shells with elasticated jewellery thread.

I created three signatures for the inside, in the style of a junk journal, using up papers from my 'left over' box.

I hope you like my sea themed, Andy Skinner inspired Journal!

If you would like to see another of my Journals, there is another one being shown by Susan from Country View Crafts HERE.  It is one that I have not shown before and it is quite different to the one I am showing here today.

I am so thrilled that Susan at Country View Crafts has Eileen Hull's fabulous new HeARTfelt  Journal die on Pre Order too, at a fantastic price!

And last, but not least, Eileen Hull has created a Journal too, this is being featured over on the A Vintage Journey blog.  If you do have time, I hope you will have a look, it is a real beauty!

Thanks for you visit, hope to see you soon.
Hugs, Anne xx