Monday, January 31, 2022

Sizzix Chapter 1 Release Party for Eileen Hull!

 


Welcome to the Chapter 1 release of Eileen Hull's newest Sizzix dies. We are celebrating with a Live party and this Blog Hop! Eileen's Teams have been hard at work creating with Eileen's new products and have quite a lineup of inspiration for you. Here is what Eileen has to say,

"I am so excited to share my Chapter 1 release with you! The dies in this collection are versatile, practical and fun to embellish. The Phone Stand, an XL ScoreBoards die, is a MUST- you need one for every room! Make for yourself, family, friends, for gifts or to sell- the die cuts the stand in one pass and is very easy to assemble.

The Book Box can be used to make a book or a box that holds A-2 greeting cards. What a great way to package handmade cards ... or a quick and easy book! Add the Vintage Buttons folder to create vintage backgrounds for cards, journals, pages and tags. The 3-D effect is stunning when you add a little Luster Wax to bring out the highlights...

The Snail Mail Thinlits die cuts a postal pane that coordinates with two of Eileen's Snail Mail Maker Forte stamps. This die was designed to use on the front of an A-2 card!
The dies may be found in local scrapbook stores and Eileen's Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EileenHull
Thanks to my teams for their gorgeous samples and support!"

Eileen's new Chapter 1 Dies!

Here is a look at the projects I've made for the release! Stay tuned for the tutorials - you will see those in the next few weeks.

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - 2022 Chapter 1 Release!  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #EileenHull  #eileenhulldesigns #Eileenhullinspirationteam #eheducators #sizzix #mymakingstory #scoreboards

Phone Stands! Such a versatile die and you will want one for every room and to give to friends and family.

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - 2022 Chapter 1 Release!  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #EileenHull  #eileenhulldesigns #Eileenhullinspirationteam #eheducators #sizzix #mymakingstory #scoreboards

I have so many ideas for the new Book Box Die! For this one I filled it with matching stationery. Cards sized A-2 fit perfectly!

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - 2022 Chapter 1 Release! #gelpressobsessed  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #EileenHull  #eileenhulldesigns #Eileenhullinspirationteam #eheducators #sizzix #mymakingstory #scoreboards

There's a giveaway too! If you leave a comment for each of the designers in the Release Party Hop here, or during the Facebook Live or YouTube video, you will be eligible to win one of the newly released products! Tell us what your favorite new product is and what you plan to do with it! Thanks for hopping with us…

LIST OF HOP STOPS:
Lisa Hoel << you are here

Have fun hopping and be inspired!

Don't miss the Chapter 1 Release Party on Tuesday, Feb. 1st at 12pm EST!

Find the live Chapter 1 Release Party on Eileen's YouTube channel or her FaceBook page! It will be streaming concurrently on both platforms. Eileen will be joined by several of the designers from her Teams so it will be a fun time!

UPDATE: YOU CAN WATCH THE REPLAY HERE!







Wednesday, January 26, 2022

January, Icy and Cold? – Funkie Junkie Blog Challenge

I don't know about you, but January here in Idaho definitely qualifies as icy and cold! That is the new challenge on the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog

"Highlight anything that speaks icy and/or cold to you which could include: snowflakes, icy tones of colors, icicles or winter activities. Come share what icy and cold inspires in your art!"

My creation is all about the winter landscape.

Lisa Hoel for the Funkie Junkie Boutique - Icy & Cold Challenge  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #eileenhull #tim_holtz #sizzix #mymakingstory #winter

What is inside?
More icy, cold winter!

Lisa Hoel for the Funkie Junkie Boutique - Icy & Cold Challenge  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #eileenhull #tim_holtz #sizzix #mymakingstory #winter

The structure is a Graphic 45 Book Box (retired I believe). I created a wintery scene inside.

Lisa Hoel for the Funkie Junkie Boutique - Icy & Cold Challenge  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #eileenhull #tim_holtz #sizzix #mymakingstory #winter

I included some vintage bone china Mountain Goat figurines in my little vignette. I think they fit right in! The log cabin is made using the Tim Holtz Paper Village #2 die set.

Lisa Hoel for the Funkie Junkie Boutique - Icy & Cold Challenge  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #eileenhull #tim_holtz #sizzix #mymakingstory #winter

Various Tim Holtz ephemera (mostly from past years' Christmas releases) combined to decorate the inside cover. 

Lisa Hoel for the Funkie Junkie Boutique - Icy & Cold Challenge  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #eileenhull #tim_holtz #sizzix #mymakingstory #winter

For the slide mount element, I put snowflake rub-ons onto a piece of mica, covered it with a thick layer of Holiday Distress Icicle Crackle Paste and then stuck the cardboard slide mount on top of it. It crackled beautifully!

Lisa Hoel for the Funkie Junkie Boutique - Icy & Cold Challenge  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #eileenhull #tim_holtz #sizzix #mymakingstory #winter

Here are a few peeks of the "in process" building of my project:

1) I used Distress Sprays to lay down the base color on the box, then stamped with Distress and Archival Ink.


After inking, I also lightly spritzed the outside of the box with Distress Resist Spray and then dusted with Rock Candy Dry Glitter for extra sparkle.


2) The background scenery was built in layers with Sizzix die cuts:


Foam core board is one of my favorite building materials. ;-) It worked well for the little shelf for the cabin.


3) The cabin is made with small scale corrugated board. It has a great look for "logs". Tim Holtz shared how to make one in 2020 when the first Paper Village Die Set was released. You can find that video here.


I completed the scene with mini bottle brush trees and snow texture paste (and the figurines).  This vignette will take its place in my winter decor!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you check out the fun challenges we have on the 
Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. They are always good for sparking your creativity! You have two weeks to join the current challenge so I hope you give it a go.

Supplies used:
Tim Holtz stamp set CMS098 - Grunge Flakes
Tim Holtz stamp set CMS052 - Reindeer Flight
Tim Holtz stamp set CMS328 - Entomology
Tim Holtz die set - Paper Village #2
Tim Holtz die set - Tall Pines
Tim Holtz die set - Mountain Top
Eileen Hull die set - Wreath & Snowflake
Eileen Hull Full Size Journal Die (for the label shape diecuts)

Distress Paint - Picket Fence
Distress Spray Stain, regular & Oxide - Speckled Egg
Distress Ink - Stormy Sky, Evergreen Bough
Distress Glitter - Rock Candy
Tim Holtz Mica Spray Stain - Snow Flurries
Ranger Archival Ink - Hickory Smoke, Black Soot
Tim Holtz Distress Holiday Texture Set
Mica sheets
Graphic 45 Book Box (retired)
Tim Holtz Christmas Stickers, Remnant Rubs, Flashcards, Layers & Baseboards Frames, Tissue Tape from years past
Tim Holtz Baseboards - Junk Drawer

Some 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!) 







Thursday, January 13, 2022

Gel Press + Eileen Hull Dies = Fabulous!

Hello! This month the Teams of Eileen Hull are collaborating with Gel Press and the paint is flying! Gel Press makes a wonderful assortment of gel plates and products for monoprinting and it is truly addictive. Once you start pulling prints you won't want to stop! Eileen's dies and gel printing are perfect combination to create fabulous projects.

I have a Full Size Journal creation to share with you this week. First though, the story behind it. Last October Tim Holtz re-imagined a beloved (but retired) Sizzix die set – and the new Village Collection was released. The original Village Dies were large steel rule dies but this new collection is a complete set of mix and match Thinlits dies. Bottom line, it's a completely awesome set and has a whole bunch of pieces that need organizing. Zoe Hillman came up with a very logical way to sort the dies on magnetic sheets that fit in Sizzix die storage envelopes and shared that with Village lovers everywhere so we could get organized too! I adapted the idea a bit to fit into binder made with Eileen's Full Size Journal Die. Perfect! Whew, now we can take a look…

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - collaboration with Gel Press! Full Size Journal die organizer  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #gelpressobsessed #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting
Front cover

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - collaboration with Gel Press! Full Size Journal die organizer  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #gelpressobsessed #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting
Back cover

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - collaboration with Gel Press! Full Size Journal die organizer  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #gelpressobsessed #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #tim_holtz #VillageCollection #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - collaboration with Gel Press! Full Size Journal die organizer  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #gelpressobsessed #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #tim_holtz #VillageCollection #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - collaboration with Gel Press! Full Size Journal die organizer  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #gelpressobsessed #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #tim_holtz #VillageCollection #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

Lisa Hoel for Eileen Hull - collaboration with Gel Press! Full Size Journal die organizer  #creativejuicefreshsqueezed #gelpressobsessed #eileenhull #eileenhulldesigns #eileenhullsizzix #ehinspirationteam #eheducators #tim_holtz #VillageCollection #Sizzix #mymakingstory #diecutting

The A5 dividers, plastic zip pockets and binder I cannibalized for the ring mechanism were all found on amazon (links in supply list below).


Now for the tips and tricks part! As far as using the Gel Press, I'm somewhat of a newbie and was winging it lol. So no fancy video from me. ;-) BUT, my teamie Karen Bearse just shared a two part video on her YouTube channel that has LOTS of great info and techniques. I highly recommend checking it out. Also, the Gel Press YouTube channel is an absolute treasure trove of videos on how to do all sorts of nifty things with Gel Press products. You will learn a ton! Don't miss those valuable resources.

Specifically for my journal:

I got all crazy and printed directly onto the mat board substrate I used for the covers. I also could have done prints on paper and then adhered the paper to the mat board before cutting the covers. I just went for it though. I like to live dangerously that way. ;-)


So after playing around, here are the covers with their 'base' layers. Pretty happy with that! Next I added some 'clouds' using one of the small plates from a Petites set:



I put the small plate onto one of my acrylic stamping blocks, applied white paint to it with a brayer, and then added texture with the center of a used up tape roll. I used the prepped gel plate just like a stamp!

Which brings me to 'found objects'. Random stuff from the recycle bin and around the house make fab tools for gel printing. Press them into the paint on your plate for added texture! Here's a photo of some of the things I used during these print making sessions. Stencils and foam stamps are also great tools. Keep your eyes open and all sorts of 'print possibilities' will present themselves.


I knew I was going to collage elements to the journal covers (houses and trees) so I created appropriately colored prints for the purpose during my printing play time.


I cut the elements out with the dies and glued them onto the covers.


I used the Impressables plate to add more layers over the collaged elements. (Print shown was for practice. I used the plate to print directly onto the covers by the base of the houses.)

Super fun texture plate. I will definitely be
experimenting more with it!


I added more details with foam stamps I had previously made with a flower die set of Eileen's. I also went in with a brown Stablio water soluble pencil to blend around some of the elements to add more depth.

Here's a peek at the insides:


I covered the inside covers with pages from a vintage 'how to build houses' book I have. (Appropriate right!) Then I did a little bit of gel printing over it. I still wanted the book pages to show through in spots so I didn't make it too heavy.

I printed on the dividers as well 'cause, why not?

Adding the ring binder spine: 


I cut the plastic cover away from the metal binder spine but I left some strips of plastic intact around the rivets that had attached the spine to the cover. I used E6000 glue to glue the tabs onto the cover spine. After it was dry, I also tied the metal binder spine in for added strength and decoration.


A look at some of the die pocket pages:


The pages are thin magnetic sheets adhered to heavy cardstock. They fit right into the zip pockets. Easy!

Whew! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams.

Also keep an eye on the Gel Press YouTube channel to see how their Design Team utilizes Eileen's dies in their projects this month!

Supplies used:

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix 
Full Size Journal Die  Sizzix / SB )
Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers Die Set  Sizzix / SB )
Vintage Truck Die Sizzix / SB )
Mandala Thinlits Die ( Sizzix / SB )

Gel Press supplies:

Other:
mat board
brayer
lots of different acrylic paints from my stash
found objects for mark making
thick cardstock
Stablio water soluble pencil - brown

From Amazon:

Some 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!) 







Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Out With the Old, In With the New

Happy New Year everyone! I have some exciting news to share – I have joined the Design Team of The Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog! I am really looking forward to working with some stellar designers and making projects for the always interesting bi-weekly challenges. We are kicking off the year with the challenge, Out With the Old, In With the New. The challenge is to use something old from your stash and something new (did Santa bring you crafty supplies for Christmas?)

I created a New Year's card using some 'old favorites' from my supplies and a few new things that I didn't get to use during the holiday making season.


The Tim Holtz stamp sets Grunge Flakes and Reindeer Flight are oldies but goodies. The snowflake cluster from Reindeer Flight is a stamp I use again and again!


One of my "new" things is the Tim Holtz Snowflakes 3-D Impresslits Folder that I was able to get last month but hadn't used yet. I love that it cuts and embosses in one pass and has such great detail!

Here are a few peeks at the process of putting this card together:


The initial color layers of the background were made with various blue Distress Paints. Lots of 'smooshing' and flicking with water to take advantage of its water reactive properties. Then I stamped the snowflakes with Archival Inks. I wanted to tone the bright blues down a bit (and add some bling) so I sprayed the whole background with Distress Frosted Juniper Mica Stain.


I added sparkle to the 3-D snowflakes by spritzing them with Distress Resist Spray and then dusting with Dry Rock Candy Glitter. The little Glitter Dusters are handy for applying just a bit of glitter to a project.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you check out the fun challenges we have on the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. They are always good for sparking your creativity! You have two weeks to join the current challenge so I hope you give it a go.

Supplies used:
Tim Holtz stamp set CMS098 - Grunge Flakes
Tim Holtz stamp set CMS052 - Reindeer Flight
Tim Holtz stamp set - Stamptember 2018 (sentiment)
Tim Holtz die set 660060 - Labels
Tim Holtz 3-D Impresslits 665376 - Snowflake
Distress Paint - Broken China, Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass
Distress Glitter - Rock Candy
Tim Holtz Mica Spray Stain - Frosted Juniper

Some 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!)