New Love Notes from Graphic 45

A New Collection to Love!

Oh my, Graphic 45 has done it again as their new Love Notes Collection has me swooning! This collection encompasses my favorite colors to work with, reds, pink, black, and ivory.  Perfection on the page, seriously!! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this collection is a no brainer, it's perfect for the day. But even better, it's not limited to Valentines, it's a great collection for scrapping musical memories, weddings, (the blacks in the collection lend themselves easily to a masculine vibe), well, I think I could just about scrap any occasion with this collection!

Beauty in the Box

January is always exciting as its when designers get called to make show samples. Consequently, we get to see and use new products before they are released to the general public.  Now those are some fun secrets to keep!

I love to alter boxes (I am a self-admitted box hoarder, I have an entire closet devoted to empty boxes!) so I decided to alter a  kraft Staples Regular Book Box.  I fussy cut some elements from the design paper and popped them up with dimensional foam and used Graphic 45's new Staples Rose Bouquet flowers to give my cover lots of dimension and wow power!  Those roses are swoon worthy and are the perfect accompaniment for these papers!

Every good box should contain a great surprise, right?  Well then, this box does not disappoint as it holds a custom made mini album that perfectly fits in the box.

The Mini Album
The base mini is made from chipboard and black cardstock and has 7 pages, each of which is a pocket page with a pull out insert.  That gives you lots of room for photos and journaling.   I kept the cover fairly simple and not too dimensional so that it would fit nicely in the book box.

I used a closure that wraps to the back of the mini and has hidden magnets to hold it closed.

I've recorded a video flip through of the mini and box so that you can see each page.

Tip: I find it much easier to complete each page of the mini before placing on the hinge in the mini.

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Graphic 45 Love Notes Collection 12 x 12

Graphic 45 Love Notes Solids and Patterns 12 x 12

Staples Regular Book Box - Kraft

Staples Regular Tag & Gears Die

Staples Rose Bouquet Collection—Triumphant Red

Staples Antique Brass Door Knockers

Staples Decades Ink - Triumphant Red

Other Supplies:

Chipboard

Black Cardstock

May Arts 7/8" Woven Ivory Checkered Ribbon

Thanks for popping by!

Recycle Challenge at Frilly and Funkie - A Gift Bag

Challenge Theme

We honor Mother Earth with Earth Day on April 22 and so with that in mind our challenge this time around is all about re-purposing, re-using and recycling.  Kathy is our hostess and she is challenging us to:  "Honor the day with a vintage or shabby chic project that includes an item that would normally land in the recycle or trash bin. You can use an old jar, glass bottle, packaging material or other bits and bobs to create your upcycled masterpiece. Be sure to tell us in your post what your recycled item is and how you used it, as it may not be apparent in a photo."

My Take on the Challenge

Who doesn't need the occasional gift bag?  I seem to always be looking and never finding one. Now I'm a wee bit ahead of that game with a product bag that I've turned into a pretty gift bag perfect for Mother's Day or any occasion.

I used Graphic 45's new Bloom Collection to re-purpose my product bag.  The Funkie Junkie Boutique carries all the Graphic 45 collections so be sure to take a look at all the new collections.

Bloom is so colorful and  feminine, just perfect for Mother's day gifts.

Some of my favorite embellishments are Graphic 45's tags and ephemera cards.  The tags come in several sizes and are sturdy enough to hold up for any application.  They are made from a sturdy cardstock with a grommeted hole.   

I made a pretty pocket using an ephemera card and left an opening for a decorated tag that makes a perfect place for writing a personal message.  I used Graphic 45's regular sized die to cut the paper covering the tag.

The roses I used are very much like the gorgeous roses from Graphic 45.  These are from Little Birdie and are just a slightly different shade from the Graphic 45 roses.  The butterfly is a silver tone butterfly that I colored with alcohol ink.

 A pretty bow on the handle add that extra special touch!

The other side of the bag is also embellished with Tags and Pockets from the Bloom Collection and those pretty roses.

 Pull out the tag and you can write another hidden message.

How to Enter the Challenge

Create a vintage or shabby chic project  and link it up to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge, Re-purpose, Re-use, Recycle. The Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to be a guest designer in one of our Frillie and Funkie challenges. The other three winners will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to take a look at the creations of my talented teammates, you can see their creations here, at the Frillie and Funkie Blog.

Supplies Available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Graphic 45 - Bloom - 12x12" Paper Pad

Graphic 45 - Bloom - 12x12" Patterns and Solids Pad

Graphic 45 - Bloom - Tags and Pockets

Graphic 45 - Regular Tag Album - Kraft

Graphic 45 - Ephemera Cards

Graphic 45 - Staples - Regular Tag and Gears Dies

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Seedless Preserves, Bundled Sage

4 Piece Silver Tone Butterfly Set Filigree Metals for Scrapbooking and Mixed Media

Burlap String - 12 Colors

Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink - Wild Plum

March Madness Challenge at The Frilly and Funkie Blog

Challenge Theme

Time for a new challenge at the Frilly and Funkie Blog and this one is so fun!  It's all about March Madness ans Suzz is our hostess!  She says, "Don't be afraid, the challenge isn't going to require you to use basketball inspired images. Instead I want you to be inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I started from this quote of a conversation between the Mad Hatter and Alice: The Mad Hatter asks Alice: "Have I gone Mad?" and Alice replies "I am afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are." The challenge is to take any idea or concept from this wonderful tale to inspire your project. There are so many wonderful bits or pieces to be inspired by like the Queen of Hearts, the mad hatter, the looking glass, tea party or Alice herself. The possibilities are endless. Anything can be your inspiration but make sure you reference what inspired your art from the story!"

My Take on the Challenge

My inspiration is simply the Mad Hatter, oh how I love to make hats and so I crafted this funky far-out hat for the Mad Hatter to wear.  I used Stamperia's new collection, Alice, to make this colorful hat.  Now isn't that just the perfect collection for this project!!  You can find it at The Funkie Junkie Boutique but better hurry, because, Stamperia papers sell out pretty quick.

The Flowers

I made the largest flowers on this hat using one of my favorite flower dies, Sizzix Alterations Tattered Florals.  I just love these pretty flowers!

I made two of them, and then I added some of Graphic 45's gorgeous lush Triumphant Red Roses.  They come in a  pack complete with rosebuds, leaves and spirally thingys!   (Thingys, that's a technical term, 😃)

Take a look at the White Rabbit charm dangling, isn't that just the cutest!  The Funkie Junkie Boutique has them in packs of 6.  I imagined that the Mad Hatter needed some scissors so I have a pair of those dangling from this mad hat too.

Every seamstress needs buttons so there are a couple of those nestled in there too.

One more view of the White Rabbit, I think he's heralding the handmade flowers!  😉  I misted them with Lindy's to give them lots of sparkle.

How to Enter the Challenge

Create a vintage or shabby chic project  and link it up to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge, March Madness.
The Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to be a guest designer in one of our Frillie and Funkie challenges. The other three winners will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to take a look at the creations of my talented teammates, you can see their creations here, at the Frillie and Funkie Blog.

Supplies Available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Stamperia Alice Collection

Graphic 45 Bouquet Flowers - Triumphant Red

Antique Silver White Rabbit Charms

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide WALNUT STAIN	Tim Holtz Idea-Ology METALLIC KRAFT STOCK	Sizzix Bigz Die - Tim Holtz Alterations - Tattered Florals	May Arts 3/16 Inch Solid Checkered Ribbon Black	Sizzix 3-D Impresslits Embossing Folder - Laurel	Sizzix 3-D Impresslits Embossing Folder - Flourish
Carved Coconut Shell Buttons - 1 1/8"	5 Piece Bronze Scissor Charms	Red Jute Twine

Thanks for stopping by!

A Wrap Journal by Eileen Hull Designs Celebrating Spring

Hello friends!  It's nice to have semblance of normalcy in my life again!  We just moved from North Carolina to Tennessee and what a job that was.  Since mid-January, all I have done is pack and then unpack boxes.  I've moved more times in my life than I can possibly count (I am an Army brat so moving has always been part of my lifestyle) but this move was the hardest ever!  I think it has something to do with my rapidly advancing years.  😅

Finally, I found a few crafting supplies and was able to create this fun spring journal with Eileen Hull Designs Wrap Journal.  Ha ha!  Ok crafting in my new studio was a challenge.  So....here's how that goes, first I thought what I wanted to do, yes, 💡 make a wrap journal.  So then I spent 2 hours looking for my wrap journal die!  I was about to really panic when I couldn't find any of my XL Scoreboard dies when I spotted  2 Vagabond boxes.  At that point I realized that I only have one Vagabond because the first one broke and I threw it away.  Hmmm,now wouldn't that Vagabond box be a great box for packing XL dies?  Yes, aaaahhhh, there they were, all my wonderful, much loved, Eileen dies.  Whew, crisis averted!  Well repeat this process for nearly every supply I wanted to use...you get the picture?  Creating time - 3 hours,  looking for stuff time - 6 hours.  Sigh,  I hope to get my studio organized soon!

The Journal

So how did I make this fun, colorful quirky journal?

I started out by creating the background.  That was a simple process, I just grabbed some inks and paint and began blending in patches of color.  There was no rhyme or reason to how I did this, I just made splashes of color.

 

Next I rummaged around and found a few stencils and I used those to create patterns on the background.  I let all that dry and then stamped the floral/mushroom image with a fun new Dylusions stamp that I just got.  I liked how that looked, so I kept right on stamping and added that heart border.

I also just got Seth Apter's new Baked Texture embossing powders and wanted to try those out so I stamped on some embossing ink and used Blizzard Baked Texture.  Oh I loved the addition of white to offset the bright colors.

And then to give it some real wow, I die cut some flowers with Eileen's Thinlit flowers die, added some doodling to the petals and popped them on the cover.  Don't they look great and they add dimension AND character!

The Closure

I'm always trying to think of ways to hold my journals closed as the wrapped bands don't always work for me because I usually have flowers and other 3D doo-dads on my covers that get in the way of a ribbon or elastic wrap.    So I thought these two buttons made a great closure.  The orange button is simply sewn on the cover with eavy duty thread.  The button on the spine is sewn on with elastic.  Now here's the trick, after having made a couple of stitches to hold the button securely I made one last stitch BUT I did not pull the thread all the way through, thus creating a loop that could be secured around the orange button.  Pretty cool, right?   And SEW  (LOL!) easy!

The Signatures

I made three signatures to go inside, using tiny composition books that fit perfectly in the Wrapped Journal.  I used scrap design papers to cover the outside of the books and then added inks and stamping in keeping with the style of the cover.

Thanks for visiting with me today, now that things have settled down just a bit, I hope I can get back to crafting on a regular basis!

Eileen Hull Designs Products Used:

Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Wrapped Journal

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Journaling Cards, Flowers & Leaves

Colorblends Inks:  Beach, Hydrangea, Bay, Leaf, Sunflower and Melon

Other Supplies

Sizzix Little Sizzles - 6" x 13" Mat Board Pack, 6 White Sheets

Dylusions Just Breathe Stamps

Seth Apter Baked Texture Embossing Powder Blizzard by Emerald Creek

Dylusions Paints

Stencils

Pass the Tissue Challenge at The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog

Challenge Theme

We're kicking off a new challenge at The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog today.  The challenge is  Pass the Tissues, Please! hosted by Sara Emily.  She describes the challenge this way, "Since we are still in 'cold season', I always make sure I'm stocked up on tissues in my home, in my purse and in the car. For this theme, I would like to see how you incorporate tissue paper into your vintage or shabby chic project. You can use regular tissues, tissue wrapping paper, sewing patterns or even collage paper or tissue wrap designed especially for crafting."

My Take on the Challenge

I made an all-purpose card combining Graphic 45's new collection, Love Notes, with Tim Holtz 's Botanical Collage Paper.  I love how it turned out, I think it has an oriental flair.

Methodology

To meet the challenge requirement of using tissue, I adhered a layer of collage paper to a piece of cream cardstock.  Then I embossed that using the 3D Kaleidoscope embossing folder.  I love the texture created when using the 3D folders.  To make the embossed details stand out, I lightly inked over the embossing with Distress Oxide Ink in Antique Linen.

Next I added red and black strip of papers from the Love Notes collection and topped that with a strip that I cut off from the embossed cardstock above and flipped it to the backside.  I made a card 4.25 x 7.5" from black cardstock and adhered the embossed panel to the front.

A Closer Look at the Card, inside and out

Time for the fun part now!  I added a small cut-apart from the Love Notes Collection and some lucious Graphic 45 roses to complete the front of my card.

Inside, I added a cream cardstock panel, embellished with a cut-apart and a paper strip, again from the Love Notes collection. 

The Flowers

Let's take a closer look at these gorgeous roses!  I die-cut some leaves to nestle underneath the roses.  Don't you love those sweet rosebuds peeking out?  

These dark red roses are a perfect match with Love Notes and add the perfect finishing touch to any project.  You know me, I am a flower child!  😄

How to Enter the Challenge

Create a vintage or shabby chic project  and link it up to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge , Pass the Tissue Please!

The Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to be a guest designer in one of our Frillie and Funkie challenges. The other three winners will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to take a look at the creations of my talented teammates, you can see their creations here, at the Frillie and Funkie Blog.

Supplies Available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Graphic 45 Love Notes 12 x 12 paper pad

Graphic 45 Love Notes Patterns and Solids

Graphic 45 Staples - Rose Bouquet Collection - Triumphant Red

Graphic 45 - Staples - Large Tag and Flowers Dies

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Collage Paper Botanical

Distress Oxide Ink - Antique Linen

Distress Oxide Ink - Vintage Photo

Distress Oxide Ink - Black Soot

Mosaic Gems by Courtney Chilson - Sizzix 3-D Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (I used  the 3D Texture Fades Kaleidoscope embossing folder, this one is quite similar)

Saturday Showcase:- A Little Mixed Media and Graphic 45's By the Sea DCE

By the Sea - The Deluxe Collector's Edition 

Hello all you frillie and funkie folks!  I am excited to share a much loved older Graphic 45 collection, By the Sea, that has just be released again as a Deluxe Collector's Edition.  I have a tutorial that you can view over at the Frillie and Funkie Challenge Blog.   The Funkie Junkie Boutique carries this collection as well as all the new Graphic 45 releases so be sure to take a look at all the new Graphic 45 collections and Staples.

Head on over for an  in depth look at this mixed media canvas.

Artists Trading Coins Challenge at The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog

The Challenge

Time for a new challenge at the Frilly and Funkie Blog and Suzz is hosting this time around.  The challenge is to create an Artist Trading Coin.  They are a fun and new way of capturing a little bit of art to share with others. Your challenge is to create a trading coin which should be a circle shape 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

My Artist Trading Coins

Bold and Bright

This was a great challenge that I had lots of fun with.  I went in several different directions making my coins.  To make this one, I cut a 2.5" circle  from white card stock, mounted it on a lightweight piece of chipboard,  and added a piece of washi tape down the middle.  Then I stenciled on the "Travel" work and the rosettes with black texture paste.  I tape over the parts of the stencil that I didn't want to use so that I would not stencil over the washi tape or right side of the coin.  I used another piece of washi tape underneath the "Travel" word and trimmed it to fit the coin.   Easy, peasy, so fun!

Study in Metallic

I have a fascination with metallic finishes so this was really fun to make.  First I used a 3-D Texture Fades embossing folder to emboss my coin which I cut from light weight chipboard.  Then I misted it with black ink.   After that dried, I brushed my finger over the surface of Prima's Old Silver wax and lightly brushed my finger over the coin's surface.  I just love how the details of the embossing popped out as I rubbed on the silver wax.  Then I just added the embellishments to finish it off.

My First Coin

I was just warming up when I made this coin and really had no idea what I was doing or what direction I wanted to go in.   I started out with a lightweight chipboard embossed coin and misted it with Lindy's.   Then I applied Prima's was in several colors.  That still didn't produce what I wanted so I got out the embossing powders.  I used Emerald Creeks Bronze Age and Ancient Amber.  To keep from applying embossing powder all over the coin, I painted on embossing ink just where I wanted heat embossing.  Welll...that look didn't please me either so I went bold with Rocky Road embossing powder on the left gear.  Ugh, that was a disaster.  Time to get the waxes out!  I rubbed Bronze Age deep into the Rocky Road embossed area and that was an improvement!  I topped it with two silver flowers that I also heat embossed with Bronze Age.   Not my favorite, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Let's Sew

These two coins are a nod to my Mom who was an excellent seamstress.  She made my wedding dress, tailored suits for me, she was amazing!  Too bad, I did not inherit the love for sewing from her, in fact I hate to sew.  Now I can sew and did a lot in my younger years when I could not afford to buy my wardrobe, plus I am tall and finding clothes that fit correctly within my budget was difficult.  I even made my own jeans with flat felled seams.  But still, sewing is a frustrating experience for me and making these coins sure reminded me of that.  You see, on the coin on the right, I was going to stitch around the coin.  Took 15 minutes to get that working, the thread was not coming off the bobbin correctly so the machine kept hanging up.  Finally I managed to stitch around the edge.  Oh my, that looked awful so I decided to cover up the stitching holes with the lace!

I gave up on using the sewing machine at that point and just added some bits and bobs to these two coins!

How to enter the challenge

Create a vintage or shabby chic Artist's Trading Coin and link it to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge any time between now and 11:55 Eastern Time on Tuesday,
The Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to be a guest designer in one of our Frillie and Funkie challenges. The other three winners will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to take a look at the creations of my talented teammates, you can see their creations here, at the Frillie and Funkie Blog.


Supplies from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Bold and Bright:

Dylusions Washi Tape #1

Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - Black

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Rosette

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Traveler

Study in Metallic:

Sizzix 3-D Texture Fades Embossing Folder - Mechanics

Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Ink Spray - Black Marble

Prima Art Alchemy by Finnabair - Metallique Wax - Old Silver

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Pen Nibs

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Typed Token

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls, Ancestors

My First Coin:

Sizzix 3-D Texture Fades Embossing Folder - Mechanics

Prima Art Alchemy by Finnabair- Antique Brilliance - Red Amber

Prima Art Alchemy by Finnabair-Metallique Wax- Bronze Age

Seth Apter Baked Texture Embossing Powder - Rocky Road

Seth Apter Baked Texture - Ancient Amber

Let's Sew

Stamperia - Precious Gift 12x12 Paper Pack

Venise Lace Trim - 1/2 inch wide

5 Piece Bronze Scissor Charms

Carved Coconut Shell Buttons - 5/8"

Sewing Themed Embellishments

Burlap String - 12 Colors