Gifts to Die For with Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome! All this month Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team have been sharing ideas for handmade gifts using her fabulous die designs from Sizzix. Make sure you check them out on Eileen's website. Since the Trinket Box and Card Box from the new Book Club release are perfect for creating gifts I set about altering them to match the Photo Frame previously shared HERE.

So you can see how easy the decorated die cuts are to assemble I've laid out the elements for the Trinket Box and Card Box below. The dies cut and score the pieces needed so it's simply a case of using strong glue to stick them together.

Quick Tutorial

The pieces were altered in the same way as the Photo Frame (tutorial HERE) to give them a heritage look.

And you'll see the products used to create the flowers and foliage on the image below; the dies come from the Festive Greens and Small Tattered Florals Thinlits sets, also from Sizzix. A couple of Quote Chips, Idea-ology Adornment Stars and Pen Nibs complete the trimmings.

Close Up Photos

Let's take a closer look at the finished Trinket Box; it's lid opens and the faux suede lining makes it perfect for holding heirloom jewellery. And the Card Box is compact yet sturdy so you can line several up together on your shelving to hold favourite thin die and stamp sets, handmade cards and more.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing these gift ideas; there's lots more from the rest of the team on Eileen's website this month.

Need extra inspiration? With over 65 more gifting ideas using Eileen's dies there's still time to get the latest e-book 'Gifts To Die For' from Bella Crafts Publishing whilst it's on a special price (click on the image below).

Thanks for joining me today to see these new dies in action. It's time to sign off for now and get back to sample making for the Creativation show in January. Whatever you're up to this holiday season I hope you have a peaceful and creative time. Jenny xxx

Most Memorable Gift for Frilly and Funkie

Hi everyone and welcome! Suzz hosts our final challenge of the year over on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge blog and she's called it 'Most Memorable Gift' Here's how she's described it; "December for many of us is a time where we give and receive. That had me thinking about the most memorable gifts I have received over the years. These including a signed book from one of my favorite authors, handwritten notes from my children, a singing hot dog condiment stand and the first gift my husband gave me when we were dating. I want you to be inspired by one of your most memorable gifts. Use that inspiration to create a vintage or shabby chic project. You can make a card, a tag, share a journal entry or any kind of project you desire. Just be sure to mention the memorable gift and how it inspired your creation."

The team will choose their top four picks with the winner being invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie and the next three will receive badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique, so there are plenty of reasons for joining in the fun.

Here's my final DT project of the year for Frilly and Funkie, a festive Oh Deer Clipboard for someone incredibly special.

Part of the challenge is to say what has been your most memorable gift and how it has inspired you. I wracked my brains for the longest time - in our house we tend to save getting the most special gifts for our birthdays, whilst Christmas is more about spending family time. However, each and every year my amazing husband willingly takes responsibility for cooking Christmas dinner (which we have on Boxing Day) and spends many hours pondering menus and making lists. It's such a wonderful gift of time and effort and we've had some stand-out meals over the years. This year I thought he could do with an upgrade on the usual fridge magnets for collecting his lists and thoughts.

As luck would have it I still had an Oh Deer Clipboard hidden in amongst the stash and felt inspired to transform it after having seen one created by Kath Stewart. I began by covering the back of the clear board with paper from Tim Holtz' Correspondence and Dapper collections, joining the two together with Passport Design Tape and covering them with Starry stencilling.

On the front of the board the tape measure paper from the Dapper collection was combined with Christmas Ephemera to form a 'frame' on which to add the focal point. I used Tim's 'Alcohol Ink Resist' technique (from his online course - Creative Chemistry 103) with his Great Outdoors stamp set to create the deer panel which has the look of a photograph negative. A little faux stitching around the edge, some Metallic Kraft Stock to make it pop and the Small Talk Occasions words helped finish it off.

Layering up Woodlands and Holiday Greens die cuts either side of this panel provided the backdrop for the festive scene at the bottom. Making a shelf from Letterpress Blocks (painted with Iced Spruce Distress Paint and sanded back) I used Grit Paste to cover the top in 'snow'. The small Woodland Tree looked more festive coloured with Forest Moss Distress Spray Stain, a touch of Grit Paste and Festive Berries. For a touch of extra sparkle some Pyrite Gemstones were tucked into the branches too. The Decorative Deer looked more realistic coloured with Mushroom Alcohol Ink. More Berries and Pyrite pieces were used with the Pinecones and Festive Greens to create a little bouquet to balance out the other side.

Funnily enough the last bit finished was the trickiest to get right. I painted the metal deer clip with Brushed Corduroy Distress Paint but it looked too plain. Zoe Hillman came to the rescue, suggesting I try a coat of Picket Fence Distress Paint followed by dabs of Mushroom Alcohol Ink. It worked a treat, especially when sanded back on the edges. By adding strips of magnetic tape to the back this festive clipboard was ready to mount on our fridge awaiting those all important menu and shopping lists.

That's it for my DT project for the current Frilly and Funkie challenge 'Most Memorable Gift'. Do make sure you hop on over to find out what my talented team mates most memorable gifts are and what they have inspired to create as a result. And remember to link your own die cut shabby chic or vintage projects, to be in with a chance of winning one of the fabulous prizes - the challenge is open until Tuesday, December 19th so there's still plenty of time. In the meantime take care of yourselves and get creative! Jenny xxx

Launching 'Gifts to Die For' with Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome! There's some exciting news today - a brand new e-book called 'Gifts To Die For' has just been launched and you can get yours using the link below. Bella Crafts Publishing have put together a gorgeous and eclectic collection of gift ideas from lots of your favourite designers using Eileen Hull Designs Scoreboard Dies. With over 65 inspiring and varied projects included there's bound to be lots of ideas that will help you create gifts for friends, family and even customers at those ever popular craft fairs!

And as an added bonus the price for this e-book has been cut from $16.97 to just $9.97 through December 2017! Just click on the link below, order your copy and you'll be sent an email with the link to your downloadable pdf ready to be saved on your favourite device.

And even more good news - if you don't have your copies already, Eileen's two previous e-books are also on offer at $9.97 through December 2017 too! You'll find links to 'Journal Treasury' and 'Die Cutting Magic' in my sidebar.

Make sure you get your copy of 'Gifts to Die For' and be ready all year round to make some very special gifts. Get creative! Jenny xxx