I’m starting my regular card making classes in Bromsgrove again, and I can’t wait!
The first class will be Saturday 16 July, 10am to 4pm. I do currently have a couple of places left so if you’re interested please email me – backdated@hotmail.com.
This class is all about general everyday cards – and you’ll notice a few of these will work for men as one of my ladies requested some ideas for men (always the most difficult to make I think).
I made this lovely framed piece recently for a Facebook live, so thought I’d share some instructions on making it.
I used the largest frame die from the Shadow Box #2 set for the frame, and cut it four times to make a square.
This frame measures 15.5cm x 15.5cm, so I cut a piece of kraft card that size for the backing, then added some pale aqua card to the front.
I then used a Tim Holtz stencil (THS004) to add some uneven stripes with Sizzix Texture paste. I then added some Prima Sparks acrylic paint on top, in a rainbow. For the rest of the background I did a little bit of stamping in brown ink (Tim Holtz Papillon and Studio Light Jenine’s Mindful Art Collection). Once the ink had dried I dry-brushed some gesso on the background.
To create a little ledge for the houses, I cut two strips of mat board and stuck them back to back, then covered with a piece of frayed burlap. I cut the houses from kraft card and backed them with some patterned paper and an old book page. I added them with foam pads to give a bit of dimension.
I then dry-brushed some gesso on the frame, on the front and sides, then added some Tim Holtz Crackle Texture paste with a spatula and set aside to dry.
Thanks for popping by today, I’ll list below the main products used.
 Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #1 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #2 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Shadowbox Elements Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix EH Crochet Mandala 3D Embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
 Sizzix Effectz White Gesso Primer Shop at: SSS | CS | SBC |
 Ranger Tim Holtz Texture Crackle paste Shop at: SSS | CS | SBC |
I’m back to share some more shadow boxes ahead of my Sizzix shows on Create and Craft this Thursday and Friday. It’s a One Day Special, so I’ll be on at 6pm and 9pm on Thursday 19th, and 10am and 2pm on Friday 20th. Hope you can join me!
Of course, you don’t have to use die cuts with the shadow boxes, they are great for creating frames for your favourite stamped artwork. For this one I used one of the Miss Dee stamp sets by Aall & Create as I thought this one in particular worked really well with the dies.
Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #1 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #2 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Elements Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Wild Blooms #1 Shop at: CS | SBC |
Sizzix EH Crochet Mandala 3D Embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
Gosh I’m so excited for these shows. I have been so happy making all these projects. I have literally not left my craft studio the whole week I was making them except to eat and sleep!
So this is the Chapter 2 release from Eileen Hull, and unusually for her, this release doesn’t have any Bigz dies, there are 3 thinlit die sets, along with a stunning 3-D embossing folder called Crochet.
There are two sets that include the different size ‘sides’ to the shadow box. Shadow Box 1 allows you to create a small square frame, then Shadow Box 2 has a medium and large die, so you can create a landscape frame (as above). But of course, you can interchange the sizes, and say, just use the two longer sides of this one to create a larger square frame.
Then there’s a set called Shadow Box Elements that has some gorgeous little houses along with lots of other dies to decorate your frames. There are also extra elements in the frame sets.
I love the variety of elements in these sets, and the houses are just adorable. They are just as fabulous on cards as they are to create shadow boxes.
They also work so well with other die sets – for this square frame I used the largest shadowbox die and the Wild Blooms 1 die set.
I kind of replicated the project from the packaging photo for this one – it shows off all the little elements really nicely.
I’ve got lots more projects to share, so will pop back soon with more!
Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #1 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #2 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Elements Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Wild Blooms #1 Shop at: CS | SBC |
Sizzix EH Crochet Mandala 3D Embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
Eileen has some beautiful dies in this latest Chapter 2 release from Sizzix. I haven’t had a chance to play with them properly yet, but I do have shows on Create and Craft in May with them, so I’m looking forward to making lots more projects.
For today though, this is the first project I’ve made.
I used the Shadowbox Frames #1 die set together with the Crochet Mandala embossing folder, and the ‘home’ label is from the Shadowbox Elements set.
I went for a very simple colour scheme for this one. As it was my first time working out how to use the shadowbox dies, I used some cream card to cut the frame. (Creative Expressions Coconut White card).
It’s so simple to put together, you just cut the die four times, then fold on the score lines, and add red line tape to the tabs. It literally takes seconds.
I decided to cut a piece of the same card for a background, embossed with the embossing folder. That way it also looks really pretty from the back.
Then I decided to decorate with flowers and leaves from the set, sticking with a really muted colour scheme. I added three flowers to the centre – two are popped up on foam tape to give some dimension, then I added some of the leaves to the corner of the frame, along with some little dots of Tonic Nuvo Drops to look like little shiny pearls.
For the Home label, I used the elements from the Shadowbox Elements die set, and inlayed the letters back into the label in a pale pink. I just love the colour combo of the pale pink and kraft card.
I can’t wait to start playing with the larger shadow box now. Especially since Sizzix have some lovely new cardstock in muted tones – I think it’s going to work so well with these dies.
I’ve listed all the products below, thanks for stopping by.
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #1 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Frames #2 Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Shadowbox Elements Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix EH Crochet Mandala 3D Embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
I’m back at Create and Craft TV tomorrow with a beautiful collection from Jenine at Studio Light. There’s a lot in this collection – papers, die cut elements, stencils, vellum, acetate, rub-ons, dies and stamps, all around the same vintage writing theme.
There’s so much in this collection, that if you go for the whole bundle, you will be making for months to come!
I think the style of these images lends itself to quite a romantic/shabby chic style, but really, it can work in many ways. If you like to add layers and mixed media you can, you can keep it simple with the dies and stamps if you like a more clean and simple look, and if you really want to make quick and easy cards you can use the paper pads and die cuts to create beautiful cards.
These are just some of the cards I’ve made, but please tune in for the shows for a better look because there is so much in this collection.
I’m on Create and Craft on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th April, it’s a One Day Special so times are 6pm and 9pm on Monday, then 10am and 2pm on Tuesday.
I’ve also added some links below for CraftStash in the UK and Simon Says Stamp in the US who are also stocking this collection. If you’re in the UK, Craftstash do have some bundle deals here
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection, acetate Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Hydrangea & Quill stamp Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindfull collection Books and Flowers stamp Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Write your Story Vellum Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Written notepage stencil Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Old Letters Art mask Shop at: CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Script and Stitches stamps Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection inky notes stamps Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Write your Story paper pad Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection decorative paper pad write Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection paper elements die cut block Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection writers collection dies Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Writing background dies Shop at: SSS | CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Slimline border dies Shop at: CS |
 Studio Light Jenine’s mindful collection Doily slimline card die Shop at: CS |
The challenge theme this month on the Eileen Hull Fanclub Facebook group is Fibres, Fabric and Felt.
I made this wrapped journal a while back so thought I’d share the details (you may have seen it on my Create & Craft shows on Monday).
To create the base for the journal, I used some green mountboard/matboard (I know it’s called mountboard here in the UK, but usually matboard in the States).
I’m in the UK, and I got a huge A2 sized sheet in a lovely green shade from Hobbycraft. I thought the green would look nice on the inside and contrast nicely with the grey.
Before adhering my felt to the mountboard I used my die as a rough guide. I placed it on the grey felt and drew around it with a marker pen, just so I had a rough idea of how much felt I would need. I also put little marks to indicate where the creases would be – I wanted my circles to go off the edge on each panel to give a kind of seamless look, but I obviously wanted the crease lines to not be right on the edge of a circle so I wouldn’t be left with a tiny sliver of felt that might come unstuck.
Next step was to die cut some circles from green felt. I used iron on adhesive to add these to the grey felt, then stitched them on both to add some nice detail, and to make sure they didn’t come unstuck over time.
I then added double sided adhesive sheet to the mountboard and attached the felt. (With hindsight, I should have added iron on adhesive to the back of the felt as I have since discovered this really helps stop the felt fraying). So if you fancy giving this a go, I’d advise adding iron on to the felt in addition to the adhesive sheet on the mountboard.
I then placed it face down on the die and cut to create my lovely journal.
Before adding the elastic cord for the notebooks, I used a hole punch to add a small hole in the spine so I could thread some cord through for a closure. I added a button on the inside so it would be secure, then tied some pretty felt balls to the end.
I used 1.5mm white elastic to thread through each of the spines, then cut down some cheap notebooks to fit (these were from Morrison’s supermarket – whenever I see cheap notebooks there reduced, I buy tons of them!). It’s easy to cut them to size with a good knife and a steel ruler.
 Sizzix Eileen Hull Wrapped Journal Shop at: SSS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
Well, I’m very excited about my shows on Monday – two shows of literally all my favourite things! It’s the Best of Eileen Hull, so a bit of a round up of all her best selling dies.
As you know, I’m a huge fan of her journals, and on the show we’ve got the Folio and Wrapped Journals, which I guess are probably the most versatile of all because they have fold around elements you can use or cut off to create different styles of journal.
So first is the Folio Journal. This one has a flap at the front and back of the journal that wraps around, then, there’s a separate element that enables you to enclose that piece, to create like a little box type element which is great if you want to add in separate notebooks, or maybe even a gift.
What I also like about the Folio is that it’s a nice square size, so it really gives a nice area to decorate, and works really well with the various 3-D embossing folders.
Next is the Wrapped Journal. This one also has a wrap around element, but it folds all the way round from the back, making this one ideal for using with leather/fabric, because it doesn’t necessarily need to be a rigid design.
Next is the very fun, Camper die, this creates such a cute 3D camper, that has a kind of box inside, that you can use to add a gift. Of course, you can also use the camper element without making it into the full 3D version, it looks fabulous on a card or journal front.
Another fun 3-D die, this is the Post Box. A great one for creating little savings boxes for kids, of perhaps for a wedding for guests to post little messages. Of course you can also use it as a fun gift box.
This is the Display Stand. It’s perfect for displaying a calendar, or photos, but on this sample I added some magnetic sheet, so I could use it to pop on my desk and hold my thin metal dies while I work.
The Vintage Button embossing folder and Floral Contours dies have been included on the shows because they work so well with the various journals and other dies.
Phew, that’s a round up of most of the items on the show – I told you it was a great mix of faves!
My shows are on the 21st March at 12.00 and 5pm, so I hope you can join me!
Sizzix Eileen Hull Wrapped Journal Shop at: SSS | SBC |
 Sizzix Eileen Hull Mandala die Shop at: SSS | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Eileen Hull Folio pages, pockets & flowers Shop at: SSS | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Eileen Hull Scoreboards Folio Journal Shop at: SSS | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Eileen Hull Postbox Shop at: SSS | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix EH Vintage Buttons embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine Tim Holtz Black Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine cherry blossom Shop at: SBC |
I’m back with more sneak peeks ahead of my shows on Monday – I’m on Create and Craft at 9am and 1pm. This set is called Rainbow Magic, and I really like the style of this rainbow. So many ways to use it. Each piece cuts separately so you can use different colours or just cut from watercolour card and colour yourself.
Next up, this set is called Bottles and Glasses, it’s got a fun champagne bottle, along with different glasses, and accessories. I cut the glasses from vellum on these cards to create these fun cards.
This is the Big Hugs set, and Positive Signs stamp set.
Last for today, there are a couple of new embossing folders on the shows – both are 3D folders, Rainbow Sky and Celebrate.
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Cardstock sheets Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Cardstock Botanical Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Effectz Creamy Matte Paint Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Gina K Connect Glue Shop at: SSS |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Bottles and Glasses die set Shop at: SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Hello Baby die set Shop at: SZ | SBC |
 Sizzix Positive Signs clear stamp set Shop at: SZ | SBC |
 Sizzix Celebrate 3D embossing folder Shop at: SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Rainbow Sky 3D embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Got Mail die set Shop at: SZ | CS | SBC |
 Sizzix Rainbow Magic die set Shop at: SZ | SBC |
I’m back at Create & Craft TV on Monday 14th with a gorgeous selection of cheerful dies and stamps. I think this You’ve Got Mail set might be a new favourite. I really like a vintage typewriter – I trained as a secretary and learned to type on one, and my nan had a gorgeous black Underwood typewriter.
You also get these fabulous little envelopes and pencil in the set too, so there are so many different ways you can use it.
This set is Hello Baby, it’s got some really sweet sentiment dies, the cute little sleeping bear, a cute bunny and lots of extras like the clouds and balloon.
This is such a useful set, I’m very guilty of spending a lot of effort on a card, then shoving it in a plain white or kraft envelope. This is an easy way to really make the envelopes stand out.
Last up for today (I’ll share the rest tomorrow), is the House Book. This is a Bigz die, so you could use this for all sorts of projects, it could be cut from fabric, you could cut several from mat board and make a journal/keepsake, or just use if for pretty house shaped cards as I’ve done here.
Sizzix Big Shot Switch Plus Electric die cutting machine white Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Cardstock sheets Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Cardstock Botanical Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Effectz Creamy Matte Paint Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Gina K Connect Glue Shop at: SSS |
Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting machine Shop at: SSS | SZ | AZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Bottles and Glasses die set Shop at: SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Hello Baby die set Shop at: SZ | SBC |
Sizzix Positive Signs clear stamp set Shop at: SZ | SBC |
Sizzix Celebrate 3D embossing folder Shop at: SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Rainbow Sky 3D embossing folder Shop at: SSS | SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Got Mail die set Shop at: SZ | CS | SBC |
Sizzix Rainbow Magic die set Shop at: SZ | SBC |
Sharon Curtis 