12 September 2024

Decorative Stacking Drawer with Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome. This month Eileen Hull Designs team is focusing on some top drawer project inspiration with a focus on Eileen Hull's Stacking Drawer Sizzix Scoreboards Die. Make sure to hop on over to Eileen's blog to see what the rest of the team have made with this die.

I wanted to make a quick, decorative little gift box and Eileen's die is perfect for this purpose.


Here's the tutorial, starting by cutting the mountboard (matboard) with the Stacking Drawer Die and then embossing it with Eileen's Sizzix 3D Lace Embossing Folder - note that I only embossed the drawer front. Assemble using strong glue and allow the drawer and sleeve to set.


Paint the drawer and sleeve with matte black paint on the inside and outside.


Gently brush Sizzix Gold Luster Wax over the raised areas to reveal the beautiful Lace pattern.


Cut flowers and leaves using Eileen's Sizzix Thinlits Painterly Blooms & Background Die Set. Arrange and stick to the top of the drawer sleeve.


You'll see that I choose to paint my flowers and leaves to replicate pansies but you can cut them from Sizzix Cardstock if you'll prefer.


And that's it! Add tissue if needed and of course your gift - whoever receives your Stacking Drawer gift box will be able to keep/re-use it after opening.


I hope you've enjoyed seeing this month's Stacking Drawer project. Make sure to check out all the ideas from the rest of the team - as a reminder, links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog.

For now thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

22 August 2024

Collage Treasure Box with Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome. This month's theme for Eileen Hull Designs team is “What’s in the Box?”. We’ll be taking a closer look at the Sizzix Scoreboards Treasure Box Die and sharing projects made with it! Unsurprisingly, this Scoreboards Die is extremely versatile and you’ll be inspired to get creating. Make sure to hop on over to Eileen's blog to see what the rest of the team have made with this die.


This month I have taken inspiration from the pages of the books inside the box to decorate a Treasure Box in a collage style.


You'll see I've used Eileen's Sizzix Watercolour Flowers & Lattice Stencil Set, and flower dies from the Sizzix Thinlits Painterly Blooms & Background Die Set, Sizzix Thinlits Envelope, Folder & Flowers Die Set and Sizzix Thinlits Shadow Box Frames #1 Die Set to add detail and pops of colour.


The colour palette is inspired by the Sizzix Surfacez 'Muted Colours' Cardstock collection with each sheet matched to a corresponding PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paint. In this way I've been able to build on the die cut cardstock colour pieces to add detail and definition without the need to worry about leaving white card visible beneath. Note: I changed the choice of pinks to 'Rose' and 'Sorbet' after making this original swatch card.


You'll have seen that strips of the cardstock were also embossed using Eileen's gorgeous Sizzix 3D Embossing Folder 'Lace'. Pieces of these were included in the collage background for extra colour and texture. On top of the box you can see more clearly how the paints and cardstock worked together to enhance the die cut flowers around the box handle.


As mentioned earlier, inside the box are three books filled with collage pages from which the inspiration for the outer decoration was taken. As there is a lot to see I will be sharing these individually from this post so stay tuned!


I hope you've enjoyed seeing this month's Treasure Box project. Make sure to check out all the boxes and ideas from the rest of the team - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog.

For now thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

17 July 2024

Stitched Flowers Envelope with Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome. This month Eileen's teams are sharing the love of stencils - meaning her new Sizzix stencil set of course!


Following on from last month's watercolour flower experiments I wondered if I could use the stencil set with watercolour pencils on a mixed media background (ie. fabric, washi tape, tissue, paper and more). The answer is - YES!!! This means that you can create individual envelope pages to go inside notebooks and journals using up lots of leftover scraps. It will also work on previously completed pages that need a focal point - like a stitched watercolour flower!


Start with your envelope sealed shut and then cut open at the top and bottom to allow for better access - you will glue the top and bottom back together again when the stitching is complete. Stick a few coordinating strips of fabric, paper, tissue, washi tape etc across the centre of your envelope and blend brown ink around the edges if you want to.


Use the flower, leaf and flower centre stencils from the Watercolour Flowers & Lattice Stencil Set to map out the placement of your finished blooms - you can add the smaller flowers as well as the larger ones. At this point I drew in some simple stems by hand to complete the layout.


Absorbent Ground is an acrylic liquid surfacing medium that dries to a porous, paper-like surface that allows you to work with watercolours in the same way you would on watercolour paper. I applied a couple of layers of Absorbent Ground through the stencils with a small brush and found it worked really well even over fabric.


With your flower stems covered you can begin to add some colour with watercolour pencils. I found it easier to use a wet brush over the dry pigment to get it to blend together - more water, more blending.


The same method can then be used to colour the leaves and stems. Remember to clean your brush between each element to prevent a transfer of colour from one to another.


Once completely dry you can begin to embroider your flowers and leaves, keeping it simple with straight-line stitching using three strands of embroidery thread (floss) in coordinating colours. This is where you'll find having access to the design from the top and bottom of the envelope really helpful if you plan to keep the back of the envelope free of stitching.


To finish add some touches of 'bling' with self-adhesive gems and buttons sewn into place. Then re-seal your envelope at the top and bottom, fold in the middle (if you haven't already) and your page is ready to be added to a notebook or journal.


Here are some close ups of the finished flowers;





I hope you've enjoyed seeing this tutorial for using Eileen's new stencils for some mixed media watercolour fun. Make sure to check out all the fantastic projects and ideas from the rest of the teams - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog.

For now thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

19 June 2024

Watercolour Flower Notebook with Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome. This month Eileen's design teams are continuing to celebrate the Sizzix release of three classic Eileen Hull Design dies - the Notebook Die, the Stacking Drawer Box Die and the Treasure Box Die - alongside the launch of the new Watercolor Florals & Lattice Stencil Set and Painterly Blooms & Background Thinlits Die Set.


If you were watching the Live launch party last month you'll have caught a glimpse of my Watercolour Flower Notebook and I'm back this month to share it in more detail. There's a tutorial too for the front cover and pages which use the Watercolour Florals & Lattice Stencil Set (a four stencil set) alongside the Notebook Die.



You can see the flowers and leaves on the front cover, and inside the pages featuring the lattice design.


Start by cutting your Notebook cover from Matboard or another sturdy surface of your choice. Use the lattice design stencil to apply texture paste and let it dry. You can then paint/ink over the whole surface before using your stencil to add contrasting colour to the raised lattice areas.


Cut your pages from coordinating plain paper/card (mine was gesso'd and stained to match) by folding the paper in half, lining up the folded edge with the first spine score line on the Notebook die and running it through to cut a simple signature. Use the lattice design stencil to blend ink/paint onto each side of all the pages, in effect creating your own patterned paper!


Now to move on to the floral panel which is created on a small piece of watercolour paper. Tear a piece about the same size as the front cover - that way you give yourself room to tear away any excess at the end. Use a watercolour pencil and the large floral stencil to draw the outline of three of the flower shapes.


With a small brush apply water to the inside of each drawn petal. Then use the wet brush to take some colour from the pencil and drop onto each petal - you'll see it move and spread across the water.


As the water on the petals starts to dry use your wet brush to pick up a little colour from a contrasting watercolour pencil, dropping it onto the outer part of each petal. Let the colour start to blend and the water continue to dry.


At this point I decided to make the edges of the petals look softer, larger and more painterly. To achieve this use your brush to apply a little more water around the petal edges and add more colour, taking the colour from the pencil with your wet brush and dropping it onto the petals in exactly the same way as before. Note you will effectively be 'reactivating' the paint already applied so it will blend in the same way as before.


Now to add the leaves and flower centres with a slightly different method. This time I used my watercolour pencils through the stencil, adding a couple of colours to the leaves.


Blend out the colour by using a wet brush, extending the edges beyond those drawn as before. Again, you can always go back in with more water and colour until you are happy with the finished results. In the centre of the flowers I also used the wet brush to pull some of the colour onto the dried petals.


When the paper was dry I used a fineliner pen to draw stamens and lines onto the flowers and leaves before adding Glossy Accents over the top. You can then tear the panel around the edges to fit, blend with a little ink and layer onto scraps of coordinating paper. I also chose to stitch a small piece of stained seam binding onto one side.


To finish I added a couple of buttons, dots of dark enamel and a stamped phrase before gluing the panel onto the front of the Notebook. The fabric you can see around the edges is stuck to the inside of the cover which helps to strengthen it.



I hope you've enjoyed seeing more of this Watercolour Flower Notebook and how it came together. Make sure to check out all the fantastic projects and ideas from the rest of the teams - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog.

For now thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

4 June 2024

Eileen Hull Designs June 2024 Release Party

Hi everyone and welcome. Thanks for joining Eileen Hull's June 2024 Release Party where Eileen and the team will be sharing creative ways to use Sizzix Scoreboard Dies (officially released in June) and the beautiful new floral Thinlits Dies and Stencil Sets - we can’t wait to share them with you! Make sure to watch the live show on the Eileen Hull Designs Facebook Live/YouTube/Instagram Livestream on Tuesday, 4th June at noon Eastern Time (5pm UK Time). There will be prizes!!!


Eileen's teams have already been sharing projects due to the special early release in the UK in May and they have so much more to inspire you. For my latest project I revisited one of Eileen's online classes and created this floral 'Treasure Box'.


It looks like the regular 'Treasure Box', covered in floral papers 'knocked back' with white gesso. On top are coordinating flowers cut using the new 'Painterly Blooms & Background' Sizzix Thinlits Die Set and painted using the new 'Watercolour Flowers & Lattice' Sizzix Layered Stencil Set.


You may already have spotted the elastic on the side - in her online class Eileen taught this method of creating an elastic closure for the box.


As for those flowers - I'm a huge fan of having anything that will make cutting out easier so the fact that you can stencil your flowers and leaves, then use the dies to cut them out has to be a winner!


I hope you've enjoyed seeing today's project using Eileen's latest Classic die releases. Make sure to tune in to the Eileen Hull Designs Facebook Live/YouTube/Instagram Livestream on Tuesday, 4th June at noon Eastern Time (5pm UK Time) and also head on over to see the rest of the project peeks in the blog hop.

Blog Hop Stops;
Eileen Hull Designs
Pam Bray
Sarah Lizzie
Lisa Hoel
Jenny Marples - you are here
Maggi Harding
Tonya Trantham
Sue Eldred
Susie Bentz
Madeline Arendt
Jennie Atkinson
Elizabeth Robinson

29 May 2024

Sizzix Classics Dies Release from Eileen Hull Designs - Engineering Drawers

Hi everyone and welcome. With Eileen having completed her latest UK Roadshow at the beginning of this month her teams are celebrating the May Sizzix release of three classic Eileen Hull Design dies. Fan favourites, the Notebook Die, the Stacking Drawer Box Die and the Treasure Box Die all work seamlessly together so you can mix and match them for all sorts of project combinations.


Earlier this month I shared my first project using this release - the Pansy Notebook - and now here's the second project, a set of engineering drawers.


This is a combination of the Treasure Box and Stacking Drawers, with the lid of the Treasure Box pushed inside to ensure the Stacking Drawers stand slightly proud at the front. Full disclosure, this was decorated by my hubby with a little help on getting it to look like it was made from ageing metal.


He took the time to create all the dials, switches and gauges on the front - isn't it effective! And the metal finish is easy to achieve with some Silver Sizzix Luster Wax and touches of red-brown ink on the edges where they've been worn away with sandpaper. This would make a perfect gift for all those budding engineers out there, especially if you fill the drawers with lots of treats.


That's it for this month from me (and hubby). Make sure to check out all the fantastic projects and ideas from the rest of the teams - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog.

For now thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx
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