He's 13!!!!!!

First, the big news. Today my first born is THIRTEEN YEARS OLD! How did that happen? I can't believe I have a teenager now. It is so exciting to see him growing up into such a fine young man. He is an all star, and a rockstar so I had to make him an appropriately smashing birthday card to celebrate such a momentous milestone.

The Luggage Tag makes a great little frame!
Thanks Tracy Evans for the inspiration. ;-)

Secondly, Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team is teaming up this month with DCWV for a little holiday blog hop! I'm a rebel and didn't make something Christmas themed but I think Greg's birthday is a holiday (at least for our family lol). Besides, I wanted you to see that you don't have to be limited by the official "theme" of your supplies. I used the DCWV Modern Metallic Stack and chose a page that was white with a foiled design. I misted it with Twisted Citron Distress Stain and the foiled parts acted as a resist (very cool effect!) I also splattered it with turquoise mister and spritzed with water to make it bleed a bit.

Using Eileen's Stitchlits dies, I cut stitching holes into the card background. These are handy little dies that let you put holes anywhere in your project and you can then create perfect decorative stitches. I stitched with a lightweight cotton yarn.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to head on over to Eileen’s blog and check out all the holiday inspiration the team has been sharing all month long. The DCWV team has been knocking it out of the park too so give them a look! We’d love to have you share your projects on Eileen's Facebook page too. Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving.

The supplies I used for this project can be found at Sizzix or Simon Says Stamp. Follow the links below and a shopping you may go. ;-)

Die - Tags, Luggage	Chevron Stitchlits	Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set - Cargo Stencil Number Set	*Tim Holtz Sizzix CARGO STENCIL NUMBER SET Dies Movers & Shapers 657841	Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps HASHTAGS cms183	Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain TWISTED CITRON Ranger TSS44185
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad PEACOCK FEATHERS Ranger Spring TIM34933	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad ANTIQUE LINEN Ranger TIM19497	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad HICKORY SMOKE Ranger TIM43232	Ranger Archival Ink Pad PALE OCHRE AIP30621	Sizzix LITTLE SIZZLES MAT BOARD PACK 6x13 CREAM 656491	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayon PEACOCK FEATHERS TDB48732
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayon HICKORY SMOKE TDB49685	Tim Holtz Idea-ology MIRRORED STARS TH93083	RESERVE Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium CRAZING TDA47957	Prima Flowers 3D GLOSS GEL 16 OZ. Art Basics 961367	*Tim Holtz Idea-ology TINY ATTACHER Stapler Tool Mini Staples TH92800	*Martha Stewart MICROBEADS 12 Pack M114015 Spring Bright

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Eileen Hull – A Stitch In Time

Hello there and happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the US! There is still time for you to join in the November Art with Heart Challenge. The theme is A Stitch in Time and you can interpret it however you want. Let's see your creativity! Link up a project and you'll have a good chance of winning a prize from Eileen's new Stitchlits collection. (Trust me, you want these dies!!) I used several of them from the collection to create a little sewing themed shadow box:

This started out as a Tim Holtz 6 x 8 in burlap panel. I used the "wrong" side so I could make it a little shadow box! I painted the inside pink and also added some touches of pink paint to the burlap sides. I glued a section of a vintage measuring tape around the side to act as a frame.

To create the stitched background, I used the large Border Stitchlits die to cover a piece of quilt batting with multiple rows of holes.

I just ran the batting through my Big Shot multiple times, shifting the die and lining up the grid of holes to cut each background section. If you are a quilter, you most likely know of the usefulness of freezer paper. It has a plastic side that you can temporarily iron onto fabric. I ironed on a piece of it to the back of the batting to help stabilize it and get a crisper cut. (I did not peel it off after die cutting.)

Freezer paper – it's not just for food!

Then I used embroidery floss to stitch a pattern in the corner before I glued it into the burlap panel. I also used embroidery floss to embellish the Flowers & Leaf Stitchlits cuts. The possibilities are endless for how you layer and stitch (or don't stitch) these little flowers. (This is one of my favorite dies in the collection.) Take a peek at some closeups of all the different ways I used them:

Fun fact: those little cuties in the photo were my great aunts! 

Thanks for sticking with me here. ;-) Be sure to check out the wonderful projects my teammates have been creating all month with the new Stitchlits collection. You can find them on Eileen's blog. We would love to see your "sew crafty" projects, the challenge links is HERE.

Happy Thanksgiving and I recommend spending your time creating instead of fighting Black Friday shopping crowds. ;-) The supplies I used for this project can be found at Sizzix or Simon Says Stamp. Follow the links below and a shopping you may go!

Embroidery Hoop	Border Stitchlits	Buttons, Border & Trim	Flower & Leaf Stitchlits	Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 3PK - Stitched with Love Set	Tim Holtz - Burlap Panels - Bare 6x8
Artistic Outpost - Typography	Distress Spray Stains - Tattered Rose	Distress Spray Stains - Tea Dye	Idea-ology - Salvaged Dolls	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Tea Dye	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Antique Linen
Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Vintage Photo	Tim Holtz Distress Paints - Brushed Pewter	Archival Ink Pad Designer Series: Wendy Vecchi - Tree Branch	Archival Ink Pad Designer Series: Wendy Vecchi - Watering Can	Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks - Mushroom

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November Art With Heart Challenge – A Stitch In Time

Hello there! Eileen Hull's November Art With Heart Challenge is underway and to celebrate her new Stitchlits collection the theme is A Stitch In Time. You can interpret that theme however you like, just show us your oh-Sew-crafty projects for a chance to win some of the new Stitchlits Sizzix dies. My teammates have been making some incredible projects and we are all very excited about this new collection. One of my favorite dies is the Cantilever Sewing Box. The possibilities are endless! It opens up just like the real thing. I made mine steampunk style:

Unfortunately I was a little over efficient in deleting my raw photo files and I dumped all my step photos. Oops! Trust me when I say that this really isn't hard to put together; it just looks complicated. I'll just have to make another one for a tutorial. =) Onward with more photos:

Did I mention that I love gears?

Now check out how it opens! Sooo cool. You can fit all sorts of trinkets into it:

I hope that you head on over to Eileen Hull's blog and check out all the fabulous projects made with the new Stitchlits collection. It's sure to be a favorite!

I am also going to enter this Sewing Box into the SanDee&amelie's Steampunk Challenge blog's Winter 'Anything Goes' challenge.

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix 

Cantilever Sewing Box

Other:

mat board

small brads

Sizzix & Simon Says Stamp links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)