Christmas with Heart: Holiday Cardmaking Workshop

I’m happy to let you know I’ll be teaching my Holiday Cardmaking class again this year at Tremont Gallery/Pearl Street Stamping in Tremont, Illinois.   

November 13th and 14th

10:00-12:00 and 1:30-3:30 

Cost: $25.00

Kick off the holiday season by creating cheerful cards with Penny Black’s Bundled Snowman stamp and die sets. Learn easy watercolor techniques using ink pads and markers to bring your designs to life. We’ll also craft a pair of festive holiday tags and a charming, stamped heart ornament.

If water coloring is not your thing, feel free to bring colored pencils or your favorite markers.

Students Bring: 

  • Water brush or Small Paintbrush
  • Tape Runner
  • Foam Mounting Squares
  • Scissors
  • White and Gold Gel Pens (if you have them)

Call Tremont Gallery to Sign Up:  309-925-4438 (Store Open Wednesday-Friday)

Tremont Gallery Pearl Street Stamping-109 West Pearl Street-Tremont, IL 61568

DIY Flower Pounding on Fabric

How to Make a Flower Heart Bag using Flower Blooms. 

This year at my local greenhouse, I found some unusually colored

petunias for my pots. They’ve been stunning all summer.

But as my Summer flowers started to fade, and I wanted to replace

them with mums; I decided to do something with the blooms.

First, I preserved the seeds and created seed packets for next year.

Then, I picked several blooms for a Japanese flower-pounding technique

I wanted to try called Tataki-zomë.

Tataki-zomë is where you place fresh flowers and leaves on fabric

and gently hammer them to release their pigments, leaving a natural print.

You’ll need for the Flower pounding on fabric:  (*affiliate links)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

How to create the Flower Heart Bag.

  • Pick several fresh blooms from your garden and flower pots.
  • Stick a piece of cardboard into the fabric bag to protect the bag from the flowers bleeding through to the other side.
  • Place the bag onto a hard surface.  (I took mine outside and used a couple of wide boards.)

  • Arrange the flowers face down onto the fabric.  I decided to make a heart design with the flowers.
  • Cover the design with parchment paper.
  • Gently tap with a mallet or hammer.  Start on the edges and work your way in.  Be careful when hammering, as the flowers shift while you pound.

  • Remove the parchment paper and flowers to reveal your design.  If you’re not completely satisfied with the fullness of your design, add additional flowers and pound again.

  • Place words on top of the heart with the shiny protective coating facing up.
  • I transferred my vinyl onto the fabric using my Cricut Easy Press*.  (You could also use an iron.)

I love how easy and fun this project turned out.  Flower pounding is such a simple way to save a bit of summer, and every bag comes out a little different.  Hope you give it a try!

“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

Like the idea of preserving your own flowers? 

Check out my post called Preserving Flower Seeds in Fall.

Welcome Home: 3D Arched Window & Flower Box

Bring a touch of whimsy to your crafts with this 3D Arched Window & Flower Box project.

Build a charming arched window and fill the flower box with colorful flowers. Easy to assemble and fun to customize, this project makes any space feel a little more welcoming.

Bearly Art Precision Glue®

The generous folks from Bearly Art gave the Eileen Hull Design Team a bottle of Precision Craft Glue® to try.  I love that it comes with a fine tip, ultra fine tip, and a storage tip.  The tips were very easy to use, and it holds really well.  It was perfect to use for my window project.

Window and Window Box Details:

  • I used several of Eileen Hull’s Sizzix dies for the pieces that create my window and window box frame.
  • I die-cut and glued several pieces of the arched window die to create the window.  I glued strips of matboard on the top and bottom of the window for added stability.
  • The shutters and window box was made using matboard glued together with Bearly Arts Precision Glue.
  • I painted all the pieces with acrylic paint and aged them using Deco Art One Step Crackle Finish.
  • For the curtain, I pleated a strip of thin one-sided scrapbook paper and glued it into place.
  • I placed a small piece of painted Styrofoam into the window box and glued the tiny flowers into place.
  • Used 3D foam strips under the window and window box to put inside my 8″ x 10 frame.
  • I created the words “Welcome Home” using Black Matte Vinyl from StyleTechCraft.

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

A little extra details.

I die-cut tiny hearts to decorate the window and window box using the Sizzix Stitched Heart Die.

Create a layered arched window and fill the flower box with bright, cheerful blooms.

This project is easy to assemble, simple to customize, and brings a warm, welcoming feel wherever you display it.

Happy crafting!

Eileen Hull Educator Logo

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team, I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas.  The view and opinions are my own.

Personalized Vinyl Labels for Back-to-School

Getting ready for back-to-school is always exciting,

especially when you can add a personal touch to their supplies.

My sweet little granddaughter Mae just started pre-K this month,

filling our hearts with a mix of pride and disbelief at how quickly she’s growing up.

But she was excited and is loving going every day.

She was ready.

To prepare her supplies for going to school,

my daughter asked me to make personalized name labels out of

vinyl for her.

I cut a variety of sizes of her name using my Silhouette Electronic Die-Cutting Machine*

with StyleTechCraft White Glitter Adhesive Vinyl.

I mailed the vinyl and some StyleTechCraft Clear Transfer Tape* to my daughter.

She had never used vinyl, but was pleased at how easy it was to use.

Now she’s thinking of upcoming seasonal uses for vinyl.  (That’s my girl!)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

I use vinyl all around the house for various purposes, I think a little creativity and some vinyl can make everyday things extra special.

“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

Easy Door Hanger Idea for late Summer

Not Quite Ready for Fall Decor…

As summer began to wind down and my patriotic decorations came off the door,

I found myself searching for the perfect transition piece-

something cheerful enough for late summer, but with just a hint of fall

The Welcome sign has “fall-ish” colors while still being summer themed.

Butterfly Welcome Door Hanger

I made the door hanger using a 10″ Wood Circle*, decorative scrapbook paper,

and StyleTechCraft adhesive vinyl.

Additional Materials used:  (*affiliate links)

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

How I made the Butterfly Welcome Door Hanger:

  • I used my Xyron Creative Station* to add adhesive to the back of the butterfly scrapbook paper.  (You can also use a liquid adhesive such as Mod Podge or a spray adhesive.  Whatever works best for you.)
  • Trim around the edge of the paper using a Craft Cutting Mat and Craft Knife*.  For a smoother edge, lightly sand edges with a fine grit sanding block*.
  • I cut a 3 1/2″ strip of woodgrain scrapbook paper to add to the middle of the circle.  It gives me a plain base to add my greeting.
  • To make the woodgrain stand out, I used a thin border sticker on the top and bottom of the woodgrain strip.

  • I cut the word “Welcome” using a Silhouette Electronic Die-Cutting Machine* and black matte vinyl from StyleTechCraft.
  • I transferred the vinyl onto the front of the door hanger using transfer paper.
  • I made a simple orange bow to add to the top of the door hanger.
  • Drill a couple of holes in the top of the wood for hanging.
  • The door hanger would look great on its own or as part of a simple wreath.

Just a heads up—I didn’t seal the paper on this door hanger, so be sure to hang it somewhere protected from the weather.

Pretty in Pink Door Hanger

I dug deep into my hoarded collection of paper for the right one

for this project.  And because I couldn’t decide which papers I liked best,

I made a second one.

These door hangers are such an easy way to add a little cheer

to your home as summer winds down.

I had a lot of fun making them, and I hope you give this project a try too!

 

 

“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the StyleTechCraft Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.