Sewing Box with Eileen Hull's New Dies

If you are looking for the Topflight Stamps Birthday Blog Hop go HERE.

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The fun continues with Eileen Hull's newest Sizzix dies!

You may have seen my sneak peeks of the sewing box I made with the Treasure Box Die for Creativation. Following are how-to tips for this project. (I'll share the tutorial for the Notebooks inside in April.)

I used Eileen's Flowers & Leaves Die Set to cut blossoms to embellish the top:

The flowers were cut from felt, cardstock and sewing pattern tissue collaged onto cardstock.

I made some matching books to go inside using her new Notebook Die:

Tutorial for the notebooks coming in mid April!

The boxes are easy to put together. You cut out the die pieces twice to get all the parts you need. I decided to make life interesting and hand sew some lace around the top edge of the box base. I used my Tim Holtz ruler with the guide holes in the edge and my sharp needle tool to punch holes through the matboard. (Do it before gluing the box together!)

Next, I went ahead and assembled the box. A strong liquid glue or super score tape works well. You can use a hot glue gun too if you work fast. Sometimes it's hard to get parts lined up right before the glue cools. Once the base was all put together I stitched on the lace trim.

To make the closure for the box, I punched two holes in the front part of the lid edge and installed eyelets. Hot tip, do this before you assemble the lid. It is much easier to do on a flat piece of board! I threaded a piece of elastic through it and made a loop that goes around a button I fastened to the base.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Eileen's Spring Things blog posts and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Treasure Box ( Sizzix / SB )
Journaling Cards - Flowers & Leaves ( Sizzix / SB )

Other:

Sizzix mat board
lace
elastic
eyelets
Kunin felt

Sizzix and Scrapbook.com 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!)

Happy Birthday to Topflight Stamps Blog Hop

It is Topflight Stamps 2nd birthday!  To celebrate, we’ve teamed up with up some of our favorite crafters to bring you a blog hop showcasing some of the fabulous products available from Topflight Stamps. Please hop along with us all and show all of the crafters some love!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without prizes!  Topflight Stamps is giving one lucky winner a $50 Gift Certificate, and each stop on the hop has an additional $15 Gift Certificate up for grabs.  To be in with a chance to win, make sure to visit every stop on the hop and leave a comment by April 8th. 

Winners will be announced on the Topflight Stamps blog on April 9th.  Good Luck!

Here is my project I created for the hop. It's a mermaid traveler's journal! (Made with Eileen Hull's Journal Die from Sizzix.) Scroll way down past the supply list for the tutorial if you want to see how it all came together and what's inside. ;-)

front of journal

back of journal

Here's the hop list! Be sure to visit everyone in the line up for a chance to win the prizes.

Topflight Stamps Blog 

Sandy Allnock 

Jenny Colacicco 

Justine Hovey 

Toni M Maddox  

Kelly Martin 

Annette Allen

Kymona Tracey 

Ashlea Cornell

Josefine Fouarge

You are here --> Lisa Hoel 

Laurel Beard 

Ericka Strange 

Ingrid Blackburn

Dana Joy

Amy Tsuruta  

Lindsay Weirich

The discount will be 20% off all orders over $20 through the end of the month Sunday 31 March. Use the code SAVE20 when checking out.

Topflight Stamps Products:
Carabelle stamps - Mermaid With Bubbles, Sketch A Mermaid, Zinouk of the Ocean, Coral and Shells
Paper Artsy Stamp Set - ETS24 by Tracy Scott
Lavinia Stamps - Alana Mermaid, Sea Creatures, Seaweed 2
Paper Artsy Fresco Chalk Paint - Snowflake

Other:

Eileen Hull Sizzix Travel Journal Die ( Sizzix / SB )
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black, Library Green, Forget-me-not, Plum Hydrangea, Bright Tangelo
gesso
Sizzix Matboard
watercolors
elastic
eyelets
pre-made traveler's notebook insert

Scrapbook.com and Sizzix 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!)

Want to see more of my work? Follow me on Instagram @creativejuicefreshsqueezed.

TUTORIAL!!!!

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Step 1 - I cut the journal covers out of matboard and gave them a coat of gesso to add some texture. When dry, I stamped the main mermaid image and then added watercolors around it.

Step 2 - I unevenly applied white acrylic paint (Fresco Chalk Paint) over the water colored areas. I used a brush and my fingers. It knocks back the color and gives it an interesting smeared appearance.

I did the same thing on the inside of the covers using yellow and orange watercolors with the white paint over it.

The left side is just watercolored & the right side has the white paint applied.

Step 3 – I stamped the covers using archival inks. Once I was done stamping outside and inside, I cut off the center edges of the spine (to make a single signature journal) and then glued them together.

The front:

I used more watercolors to color the mermaid. I also covered a ready made insert with some patterned paper I had in my stash.

Step 4 - The binding is really easy. It's just a piece of elastic threaded through the holes in the spine and tied tight. The insert slips right underneath.

Step 5 – I added an elastic strap to help keep it closed. I just punched two holes in the corners of the back corner and added eyelets. The elastic then just wraps around the front cover and holds it nicely shut.

Thanks for stopping by!! Have fun hopping!!!

PaperArtsy with Topflight Stamps

Hello! I'm back with another card to share with you today. =) This time I got to play with my new Distress Oxide Sprays for the background (love them!) and PaperArtsy products which are always a treat.

I spritzed and squooshed (that's a word right? lol) the Oxide Spray to form the background. I created a whole stack of different backgrounds in my experimentations. (Hurray, for future projects!) I added some stenciling with Distress Oxide Ink and then stamped the flowers. It has a definite spring feel.

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! 

Topflight Stamps Products:
PaperArtsy stamp set - Tracy Scott ETS24
PaperArtsy Stencil - JOFY PS130
Darkroom Door - Happy Birthday Sentiment Stamps

Other:

Sizzix Tim Holtz die set - Labels ( Sizzix / SB )
Sizzix Eileen Hull die set - Birds & Butterflies ( Sizzix )
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black

Distress Oxide Ink - Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Cracked Pistachio
Distress Oxide Spray - Iced Spruce, Wilted Violet, Cracked Pistachio, Picked Raspberry
Tim Holtz Metallic 2 Cardstock

Sizzix and Scrapbook.com 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!)

Be a Mermaid with Topflight Stamps

It's the weekend and spring is on the way! The weather is starting to turn around here and I love it. I plan on spending Saturday doing some garden cleanup. I'm getting the urge to make spring like projects now too. A few weeks ago I was playing around with the Gel Press and Gel Press Texture Plates and made this spring-y card. At the same time I made the green backgrounds, I made some blue toned ones too in anticipation of making this card for my mermaid loving sister-in-law's birthday.

Check out that past post for info on how to make the Gel Press background using Distress Oxide inks and the Carabelle Gel Press Texture Printing Plate. The mermaid herself I stamped on another sheet of paper, watercolored and fussy cut out to glue onto the card.

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! Also, they are having a sale this weekend!! Check it out:

Topflight Stamps Products:
Gel Press Plate- 6x6
Gel Press Texture Printing Plate - Stained Glass
Carabelle stamps - Sketch A Mermaid, Zinouk of the Ocean, Coral and Shells
Jane Davenport Glitz-Sea Sparkle Markers - Cool Oceans

Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
Distress Oxide Ink - Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch, Broken China

brayer
bakers twine

Scrapbook.com 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!)

Space Adventure in a Box

To infinity and beyond… (or at least Arizona). When I was at Creativation this past January, I was introduced to a product that was new to me – Rinea foil paper. It is a crafting paper that is foiled on both sides. The thing I really like about it is that it is pliable like a metal foil and will hold its shape when you manipulate it. They are having a contest and I cooked up this out of this world Treasure Box project to showcase their products. (Grab a drink, this is a long post and tutorial! ;-) )

I wanted the outside to be grey and monochromatic, like a lifeless moon or asteroid.

Then, when opened, you see a colorful and shiny alien landscape:

… and a few resident aliens:

A few more landscape details:

All the foliage was cut using Tim Holtz's Funky Florals type die sets and the Rinea foil paper. (It cuts well.) I could easily 'style' the plants by curling leaves etc. and they stayed put.

On to the tutorial!!

Step 1 - I die cut the pieces for the box out of matboard and assembled them. I coated the outside with clear gesso to help seal the matboard from the moisture of the Stone Effect Paste I was planning to cover it with. I was hoping it would help keep the box from warping too much. I think it did help a bit but I still got warping. At this stage I also prepared the front panel graphic. I matted the rocket image with some of the black Rinea foil (it has little stars on it, perfect!)

Step 2 - I searched for vintage space artwork. Some I found free online and the figure is scanned from an old sci fi paperback book we have. I did some Photoshop work to remove text and fill in areas to make it big enough to work as my background.

In a graphics program (Adobe Illustrator) I laid the graphics out to fit the inside of the box.

Don't glue them in yet!

Step 3 - I used some of Finnabair's Prima products to add that cool texture! The paste is the 'Concrete' jar from the Stone Effect Pastes trio. While it was wet I sprinkled on the different sizes of Art Stones. Once it was all dry I tried to bend the box back to straight sides as best I could. ;-) I also used DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics to add a wash of color over the paste and stones.

I attached the lid to the base at this stage using some hinges I had in my stash. I also added the Hitch Fasteners for the closure.

Step 4 - I glued in the background and added the sleeve for the drawer (cut using Eileen's Stacking Drawer die). I cut separate matboard pieces to fit the bottom of the lid and top of the drawer and gave them the 'rock' treatment too. Once dry and painted, I glued them in place.

Step 5 - Ghost Inking! I'm really excited to play more with this technique. Rinea has a great video on their website to show how to do it. (It's easy!) For the drawer front, I embossed a piece of foil paper, rubbed the Ghost Ink pad over the embossed areas, dried it with a heat gun and then (here's the magic), wiped it with a paper towel dampened with alcohol and the color lifts right off. Cool!! (The black piece was a practice one I did.)

Step 7 - Sculpting the aliens! I used to do a lot of work with polymer clay but not as much in recent years. It was fun to dust off those skills again with some Sculpey Souffle clay samples I also got at Creativation. I wanted the big alien to look like it was crawling out of the drawer so I actually baked it in another drawer I cut out so the hands etc. would be in the right places.

Messy desk lol!

Step 8 - Finally it was time to put all the insides together. I die cut a whole bunch of 'plant material' from various colors of the Rinea foil paper so I'd have a lot to work with. I then just used quick grabbing glue to start placing the different parts into the interior.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Eileen's blog posts and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Stacking Drawer ( Sizzix / SB )
Treasure Box ( Sizzix / SB )

Tim Holtz Sizzix
Funky Florals 2 ( Sizzix / SB )
Funky Florals 3 ( Sizzix / SB )
Funky Festive ( Sizzix / SB )
Tiny Tattered Florals ( Sizzix / SB )
Iron Gate & Starry Night Texture Fades set - retired

Other:

Rinea Foil Paper
Rinea Ghost Ink
Prima - Finnabair Stone Effect Pastes - Concrete
Prima - Finnabair Art Stones - Mega, Regular, Mini
Prima - Finnabair Clear Gesso
Prima - Finnabair Mica Powder

Sizzix mat board
Xyron 3in Sticker Maker
Sculpey polymer clay
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Paynes Grey, Dark Grey Value 3
DecoArt - Extreme Sheen Gold paint
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hitch Fasteners
Hobby Lobby - Spaceship Pendant

Sizzix and Scrapbook.com 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!)

Outer Space Treasure Box
by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel
Scrapbook.com

AALL & Create + Gel Press Prints = Love

Hello there and I hope your week is off to a good start! I have a Topflight Stamps card to share with you today:

I was excited to try a new Gel Press technique as shared by Kate Crane in this YouTube video:

It gives you a more pastel effect in your prints which was perfect for a background for my card!

The main image is a stamp from AALL & Create designed by my friend Tracy Evans. I'm so happy to finally get my hands on one of her stamps and have some inky fun with it. I added a Small Talk sentiment and also dug deep in my stash for some "vintage" photo turns.

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! 

Topflight Stamps Products:
Gel Press Plate- 6x6
AALL & Create - #150 Border Stamp


Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
stencils
acrylic paint
Tiny Attacher stapler
Tim Holtz Small Talk Stickers

brayer

Scrapbook.com 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!)