Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Coffee...My Upcycled Coffee Bag Gift Wrap

Coffee or Tea? This week, the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is to create with your favorite beverage in mind. I had a lot of fun creating my upcycled gift bag and shaped tag.

Sizzix Art With Heart "Projects to Love"

Valentines Day may be over, but there's still many "Projects to Love."
I used the Sizzix Scoreboards Canister die and the Sunburst embossing folder to create this fun gift box suitable for the guy in my life. This die is part of the Vintage Kitchen Sizzix line by Eileen Hull. As you can see, these dies can be used for more than "Kitchen" projects.

Won't this make a cute gift box? Perfect for movie tickets or little trinkets.

I used the new DecoArt line of Fluid Acrylic Paints and Mediums. The colors are amazing! There's also antiquing creams. I used the Medium Gray Antiquing Cream to really bring out the details. The Gloss Varnish is my new favorite. It created the most gorgeous shine!

The Art with Heart Challenge is a monthly celebration of creativity!  Each month the Inspiration Team will be showcasing our Art with Heart created with Eileen Hull’s innovative Sizzix dies. This month, the theme is Projects to Love! We invite you to play along with us and share YOUR art with heart!

We want this to be a place for everyone to create, inspire and share.  We would love to see what you can do with Eileen Hull’s fabulous products but this is not a requirement.  Use what ever products your artful “heart” desires.  Art is for everyone so come along and share your Art with Heart!

We want you all to create freely there are no rules here, just a few simple guidelines…

1.Create a new project following the Art with Heart Challenge Theme (however you interpret the theme) OR if you have created something that fits the theme previously create a new post with a photo and link to the original post.
 
2.Include a link to the current Art with Heart Challenge in your post so others can play along too!

3.When linking up your project please include a direct link to your post.

4.You are not required to use Eileen Hull Products in your projects.  However, those who do use Eileen Hull products will be given two entries into the prize draw.

What are your Projects to Love? There's still plenty of time to link your project. Need more inspiration? Be sure to check out Eileen's Blog. There are many projects there from whose names you will recognize. They're amazing artists!

2014 Favorites and a Fabulous Sizzix Give Away!

Happy New Year! I'm bursting with creative energy and can't wait to post some projects for 2015. But first, I'd like to share a few of my favorite projects from 2014, as well as offer you a chance to win a wonderful prize from Sizzix.

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As you can see, many of my favorite projects were dimensional. and created with Sizzix dies. Have you seen the latest Vintage Kitchen line? You've got to check out the amazing Scoreboard dies by Eileen Hull..

I'd like to offer you an opportunity to win your own, brand-new Sizzix XL Scoreboard Canister die. 
Simply leave me a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite project is. You have until Monday, Jan 12th to enter. I will announce the lucky winner here on my blog.

Good luck

and

Happy New Year!

Edited:

Congratulations to lucky #7, Connie Mercer! Connie, I will be contacting you for your shipping address. Huge thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful comments. THANK YOU!

Holiday Traditions...Uptown Gift Box

Hello! As Christmas draws near, I'm sure you're busy with holiday festivities.
Every family has their own holiday traditions. Whether it's mailing holiday cards, baking cookies or hanging stockings, each of these traditions, bring us closer together. The theme this month for the Art With Heart Challenge is 'Holiday Traditions'. Remember driving Uptown to see the Holiday Light Displays? Those memories were my inspiration for my gift box. (Yes, It's a box!)
I used the Sizzix Scoreboards Canister die to create this fun and whimsical gift box. This die is part of the Vintage Kitchen Sizzix line by Eileen Hull. As you can see, these dies can be used for more than "Kitchen" projects.

Won't this make a cute gift box? Perfect for movie tickets or little trinkets.

I used one of the Sizzix Blocks/Cubes dies to create a cupola type structure for the building-box lid. The lid fits on the box perfectly. It was really easy to construct too. The hard part was deciding how to embellish it. The possibilities are endless! For this box, I used papers from this months Studio Calico kit.

The Art with Heart Challenge is a monthly celebration of creativity!  Each month the Inspiration Team will be showcasing our Art with Heart created with Eileen Hull’s innovative Sizzix dies. This month, the theme is Holiday Traditions! We invite you to play along with us and share YOUR art with heart!

We want this to be a place for everyone to create, inspire and share.  We would love to see what you can do with Eileen Hull’s fabulous products but this is not a requirement.  Use what ever products your artful “heart” desires.  Art is for everyone so come along and share your Art with Heart!

We want you all to create freely there are no rules here, just a few simple guidelines…

1.Create a new project following the Art with Heart Challenge Theme (however you interpret the theme) OR if you have created something that fits the theme previously create a new post with a photo and link to the original post.
 
2.Include a link to the current Art with Heart Challenge in your post so others can play along too!

3.When linking up your project please include a direct link to your post.

4.You are not required to use Eileen Hull Products in your projects.  However, those who do use Eileen Hull products will be given two entries into the prize draw.

What are your Holiday Traditions? There's still plenty of time to link your project. Need more inspiration? Be sure to check out Eileen's Blog. She's sharing new projects daily from other designers whose names you will recognize. They're amazing!

Happy Holidays!

Homemade...Quick and Easy

Whew! It's hard to believe that the Christmas will be here SOON!
It's been an unusually hectic season so far and I've found myself having to cut back on a lot of activities this year. The one thing that I won't cut back on this time of year, is crafting. I love playing with paper and glue! So...I am so excited to introduce a few new items from Eileen Hull's Vintage Kitchen line. To create this coffee mug gift-card holder, I used the new Sizzix Bigz die, Mug & Spoon. I also used the new Sizzix Scoreboards XL Die Box Make-it-3-D.

The Make-it-3-D die is the incredibly awesome. You can use ANY of your existing dies and turn them into a 3-D project. I love this! This gift-card holder was simple to make. I up-cycled an old page from a children s book to use.

I love that I can make the mug dimensional!

Later this month I'll share a few more Vintage Kitchen projects I've got planned. 

I'm going to have fun with my Sizzix this season!

Art with Heart: Halloween

The Art with Heart Challenge is a monthly celebration of creativity!  Each month the Inspiration Team will be showcasing our Art with Heart created with Eileen Hull’s innovative Sizzix dies. This month, the theme is Halloween! We invite you to play along with us and share YOUR art with heart!

We want this to be a place for everyone to create, inspire and share.  We would love to see what you can do with Eileen Hull’s fabulous products but this is not a requirement.  Use what ever products your artful “heart” desires.  Art is for everyone so come along and share your Art with Heart!

We want you all to create freely there are no rules here, just a few simple guidelines…

1.Create a new project following the Art with Heart Challenge Theme (however you interpret the theme) OR if you have created something that fits the theme previously create a new post with a photo and link to the original post.
           *This a great way to expose older projects to fresh eyes!

2.Include a link to the current Art with Heart Challenge in your post so others can play along too!

*Buttons and graphics are available for you to display in your sidebar if you would like to help us spread the word :)

3.When linking up your project please include a direct link to your post.

4.You are not required to use Eileen Hull Products in your projects.  However, those who do use Eileen Hull products will be given two entries into the prize draw.

That’s it!  So get going, get creative and share your Art with Heart!

This month, I used Eileen Hull's new Cookie Box Sizzix Die to create a Folk Art Halloween Candy Box. The die is part of her wonderful new Vintage Kitchen line which will be available this December.

I started by cutting my pieces and giving them a coat of pink acrylic paint. When the pink was completely dry, I painted black over the pink. When the black was dry, I used a sanding block to pull off some of the black to reveal the pink underneath. His face was paper pieced with various patterned papers.

Trick or Treat? This Folk Art Scaredy Cat provides both! A hinged piece allows the kitty's face to open up for treats.

Be sure to come back each week on Tuesday to see more creative project ideas from the Inspiration Team and check out the latest entries in the challenge.  There is no shortage of inspiring ideas here so kick back and enjoy a healthy dose of creative inspiration! Yes, there's new inspiration EVERY TUESDAY from designers such as Pam Bray, Anna-Karin Evaldsson, Anne Redfern, Tracy Evans, Lisa Hoel, Donna Braaten-Budzynski, Amy Bowerman, Shelly Hickox, Diana Hetherington, Xenia Meoow Moupasiridou, Rina Gonzales, Evgenia Petzer and myself!

*Art with Heart Challenge Winners will be announced the last Friday of the month. You could be the next winner!

Edited: You can also add your challenge entry to The Sizzix Challenge: Halloween at the Sizzix Blog.

Vintage Kitchen

Look at what's coming soon!
Eileen Hull has developed a fantastic new line of dies and folders at Sizzix called, Vintage Kitchen. From Loaf Pans to Mixing Bowls, this is a large line of new products to inspire heartfelt projects perfect for gift-giving or keeping for yourself! :)
As a member of Eileen's Inspiration Team, I am pleased and proud to have been one of the first to have been able to work with these.

I love working with these dies because they can be personalized so easily. That's a photo of my Great-Grandmother in her Vintage Kitchen. :) I also created a pin cushion from a vintage hankie. Yes, you can do anything!

I'll be sure to keep you informed as to when the new items will be available for purchase. So exciting! Here's a sneak preview of her new line at a recent trade show.

This month Eileen is welcoming all projects to the Art With Heart Challenge. That means Anything goes! Show us what you've created. You could win a wonderful prize from Eileen herself!

Be sure to see what the other team members have created with the Vintage Kitchen dies. They are a talented group of ladies who have made so many lovely things. There's a lot of eye candy in this Vintage Kitchen.
:)