DIY Valentine’s Day Decoration with Clothespin Easel

February 4, 20261 Comment

How to make a Hugs and Kisses Valentine’s Day Decoration.

Eight years ago, I created a simple “Make and Take” project for

the StyleTechCraft Booth at a convention in Phoenix.

The project was a simple Valentine’s Day vinyl craft added to a

plain matboard coaster. The Valentine’s Day coaster featured a

simple easel on the back made using a spring-loaded clothespin.

Surprisingly, that little clothespin easel was a smash hit.

In the last eight years, it has been my most viewed and pinned

pin on Pinterest. (And my most stolen pin also.)

Materials Used: (*affiliate link)

4″ Square Coasters*
Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*
“XOXO hugs and kisses” SVG File from the Silhouette Store
Red and Pink Luster Vinyl from StyleTechCraft
Black Glossy Craft Vinyl from StyleTechCraft
Vinyl Tool Kit*
StyleTechCraft Clear Transfer Tape*
Silver Chisel Point Paint Pen*
Wood Spring-Loaded Clothespin*
Rapid Fuse Adhesive*

*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!

To make the Hugs and Kisses Coaster:

I started with a plain 4″ square coaster*.
Size the “xoxo hugs and kisses” design to fit onto the center of the coaster.
Using a Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die Cutting Machine*, cut the XOXO pieces of the design using StyleTechCraft Pink and Red Luster Vinyl.
Cut the words “hugs and kisses” using StyleTechCraft Black Adhesive Glossy Craft Vinyl.
Using transfer paper, I transferred the design onto the front of the coaster.

6. I edged the sides of my coaster in silver, using a Silver Leaf Paint Pen*.

To make the Easel…

Glue a Wooden Clothespin* on the back of the coaster with Rapid Fuse Adhesive*.
Pull the clothespin open just enough so that the round metal spring comes slightly out of its groove. (Some clothespins work better than others so you might need a little luck.)
To keep the clothespin from snapping shut…glue the top ends of the clothespin together.

These little coasters make sweet Valentine’s Day decorations or thoughtful handmade gifts. Happy crafting!

“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.

Give the Gift of Amazon Prime*

Cheetah Girl Mini Album: Inspired by My Stylish Granddaughter

February 1, 2026February 13, 20262 Comments

Cheetah Girl Mini Album!

Today, I’m sharing something a little different from my usual projects!

The Eileen Hull Creative Team is collaborating with Graphix®,

giving me the chance to try some exciting new materials and techniques.

This Cheetah Girl Album was inspired by my cheetah-loving granddaughter.

Even at age three, that little girl has serious style.

On Christmas, when she opened her present of new boots,

she excitedly exclaimed, “Cheetah boots!”

I wasn’t expecting such an enthusiastic reaction,

but it sure made me feel good.

While she may look like her daddy, she definitely gets her

confidence and sense of style from her momma.

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

Graphix “Sassy” Dura-Lar® Prints
Graphix Rainbow Adhesive Backed Film for Inkjet Printers
Sizzix #661906 XL Journal Die by Eileen Hull*
Sizzix #666254 “Tablecloth” Embossing Folder*
6″ x 13″ Matboard Sheets* (2)
Sizzix Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine*
DecoArt Splendid Gold Dazzling Metallic Acrylic Paint*
Black Acrylic Paint*
Versafine Black Ink Pad*
4″ x 6″ Photo Mat*

Using 6″ x 13″ matboard, I die-cut the front and back cover for the album.
I wanted a black base for the album, so I painted mine black after I die-cut them.

I cut a piece of 4″ x 6″ clear Cheetah print translucent film.
I painted the back of the film with Gold Metallic paint.
Because the paint is semi-opaque, I used several coats to cover the back.

Embossed Frame

Paint several coats of gold paint onto a white 4″ x 6″ photo mat.
I embossed it with the “tablecloth” embossing folder and black ink.
You can read more about how I embossed the photo mat here.

In the “Sassy” Dura-Lar® prints collection was a sheet with translucent and black words.
I cut several words out and placed them onto the sticky back of the “rainbow” adhesive back film.
I cut around the words and layered them onto gold cardstock.
Assemble your album and create two signature books to put inside the album.
On the spine of the album are holes. Two on the top and two on the bottom. They are for threading a string to hold the signature books in place.

There you have it-a sassy cheetah album perfect for your own little style icon!

Fill it with photos, memories, and all those moments that capture their fierce personality.

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.

Winter Shaker Card with Eileen Hull’s New Sizzix Release

September 2, 2025Leave a comment

Today is Release Day for Eileen Hull’s newest dies for Sizzix,

and I’m excited to share a couple of projects that I’ve made.

As soon as I saw the sneak peek of what was coming,

I knew I wanted to make a winter shaker card.

So…even though I am hanging onto Summer as hard as I can,

I still am in the mood to make a few Winter cards.

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.

For the Winter Window Shaker Card, I used: (*affiliate links)

Another project I made was the Winter Deer Tag.

I wanted it to look like a serene winter scene.

I used the Lacy Leaves Embossing Folder* to emboss the first layer of the tag.

I added thin foam mounting squares* under the deer and

green tree to give the tag dimension.

Enjoy The New Sizzix Collection

This collection was inspired by nature and the cozy feeling of home. It was designed to coordinate with the Handbound Journal* (sold separately) to create a tunnel book, but each die set also stands beautifully on its own and can be used in so many creative ways!

Home Sweet Home Die Set*
This 24-piece set includes layered forest animals (deer, fox, bunny, squirrel, and butterflies), pine trees, grassy hills, greenery, clouds, sun, moon, and a cozy house. The sweet deer alone makes this set worth it! Perfect for holiday projects, baby themes, everyday cards, journals, and tags.

Windowsill Flowers & Vase*
A 13-die set designed to coordinate with the Tunnel Arches. The window die matches the largest arch, letting you build a 3D scene that looks as though you’re peering through a window. The tiny vase and flowers are wonderful for using scraps. The little lacy piece also makes a lovely accent for junk journal pockets and cards.

Tunnel Arches*
Who knew arches could be so versatile? Make a rainbow! Use the negative cuts to create graduated windows in journals, cards, and home décor, or the positive pieces as card bases and tags—nothing goes to waste! This 7-die nesting set ranges in size from 4 ½” x 3 ¼” down to teeny-tiny (so cute!). They were designed to fit perfectly inside the Handbound Journal if you’d like to try your hand at a tunnel book.

Watch for upcoming tutorials on Eileen’s YouTube channel!

Lacy Leaves Embossing Folder*
A bold, intricate lacy pattern measuring 6” x 8 ½”—perfectly sized for journal covers and cards. This design was inspired by an actual piece of lace from my collection that reminded me of leaves. I love the mix of nature and lace! Whether you emboss or deboss the pattern, the result is simply beautiful.

Hello Summer Days Mini Album

June 25, 2025June 25, 2025Leave a comment

Hello Summer Days

I wanted to share a fun little album that I put together using

the New Sizzix Hardbound Journal by Eileen Hull* and the

“My Favorite Summer” Scrapbook Collection* by Echo Park.

It’s a simple little album that went together quickly.

Materials Used: (affiliate links)

I used the Xyron Creative Station* to add adhesive to the back of my scrapbook paper before adhering it to both sides of the Matboard*.
I die-cut the pieces of the album using the Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die – Hardbound Journal by Eileen Hull* and the Sizzix Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine*.
I used Scor-tape* to adhere the sides to the spine.

I used twine and looped it through the top and bottom holes.

I made three little “signature books” to add to the inside of the album.
The book measured 4 1/4″ x 5″.
I decorated the books with the Echo Park “My Favorite Summer” Scrapbook Collection*.

Slide the little books onto the twine.

This was one of the quickest albums I’ve made in a long time.

It’s a great little album for adding Summer memories.

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.

Tickled Pink Color Wheel Card

May 27, 2025Leave a comment

Celebrate what makes you Tickled Pink.

I wanted to share a card I made with the new

Sizzix Rainbow Wheels Die Set by Eileen Hull*.

This fun card would be great for celebrating those

special moments that make you happy.

The card was made using the Rainbow Wheels Die Set* and the

Sizzix A5 Clear Stamps Set 24PK – Swatch Cards by Eileen Hull*.

My secret weapon for easy assembly is the Xyron Sticker Maker*.

Before I die-cut the shapes, I ran the cardstock through the Sticker Maker.

That adds a complete layer of adhesive onto the back of the cardstock.

It’s a simple card but it does require a little patience.

Once all the pieces were cut, I added the small pieces inside the color wheel.

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.

A Sparkly Birthday Card for a Sparkly Girl

May 6, 2025Leave a comment

Sweet Little Mae, my granddaughter, is turning three this week.

An occasion as special as that needed a Sparkly Birthday Card as sparkly as she is.

Did you know that the same vinyl you use to embellish everyday items

around your home can be used to create beautiful cards?

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

StyleTechCraft Ultra Metallic Glitter Vinyl*
StyleTechCraft Transfer Tape*
StyleTechCraft Scraper Tool* and Weeding Pen*
Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die-Cutting Machine*
“Birthday Cake” SVG File from The Silhouette Store
White Cardstock

StyletechCraft products brought to you by ATSM Craft*

Birthday Card Details:

I designed the card using the “Birthday Cake” SVG file and my Silhouette Cameo Electronic Die-Cutting Machine*.
I sized the digital file to fit onto the front of a 5″ x 7″ card before cutting.
I cut the pieces using StyleTechCraft Ultra Metallic Glitter Vinyl*.
I removed the excess vinyl around my images using a vinyl pick tool.

Use StyleTechCraft Vinyl Transfer Tape* to layer the pieces of the cake.

Use the Transfer Tape* to adhere the vinyl onto a 4″x 6″ piece of white cardstock.
Cut a 4¼” x 6¼” piece of “Melon” Ultra Metallic Glitter Vinyl* to use as a layer. I didn’t remove the white protective layer on the back of the vinyl. I used a double stick tape roller to add adhesive to the back of the vinyl.
Adhere all the pieces onto the front of the card.

StyleTechCraft adhesive vinyl makes it easy to create cards with intricate

and delicate designs. Use it with your Cricut or Cameo electronic cutters

and even with steel rule dies. The possibilities are endless!

“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.

The Blue Album-Projects Revisited

April 28, 2025Leave a comment

Do you have any UFOs lying around your crafting space?

This month the Eileen Hull Creative Team was challenged to

complete an unfinished project.

This one was not as much as a UFO as it was revisiting old stuff.

The Blue Album uses the Sizzix Mini Album by Eileen Hull*

and a very old scrapbook collection from K & Company.

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

Does anyone remember K & Company?

I created project samples for them for 4 years.

That was 16 years ago.

So, this paper collection is at least 16 years old.

They were one of my favorite companies.

(And this collection was almost too pretty to use.)

To create the mini album…

Add adhesive to the back of the scrapbook paper. I like to use my Xyron Creative Station* to do that. It adds a complete layer of adhesive with no bubbles or puckers.
Adhere paper to both sides of a piece of matboard*.
Use the Mini Album Die* and the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine* to cut the album from the matboard*.
Decorate the front of the album with stickers and frames.
I also like to add a coordinating paper to the spine to give it visual interest.

I created three small “signature books” using cardstock for the inside of the album.
I cut them approx. 1/4″ smaller than the book.

I added them to the album by wrapping a heavy-duty upholstery thread several times around the spine.

On the ends of the thread, I added a large blue button.
The album measures 5″ x 5″ and is a great size for a small photo album or journal.

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.

Spring Mini Album (Scrapping My Stash)

March 25, 2025Leave a comment

Scrapping My Stash

Do you have an enormous amount of saved paper scraps?

Do you have a problem throwing them away?

If you do, you may enjoy my Spring Mini Album.

It’s part junk journal and part bits and pieces.

During March Madness Basketball this past weekend,

I took the opportunity to play around in my studio.

The inspiration was a bag of paper scraps from the many

Spring Paper Collections I’ve saved.

With the excessive amount of paper I’ve collected and hoarded

over the years, I’m trying to use what I have.

The Spring Mini Album measures 5″ x 5″ and uses the

Sizzix Mini Album by Eileen Hull*.

Inside the album, I created a “signature book” that I stitched

together using thin pink twine. I added it to the album by

wrapping the twine several times around the spine.

On the other side of the album,

I made a small waterfall album tied with a cream ribbon.

I made a small embellishment using a metal ring tag* and circles

cut from the scrapbook paper and attached it to the spine.

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.

Life is Beautiful Tri-Fold Tag Card

February 14, 2025February 17, 2025Leave a comment

How to Make a Simple Tri-Fold Card Using a Large Tag.

I was playing around in my studio when I encountered my oversized tag die.

I hadn’t used it in a while, so I decided to make a tri-fold card.

(I love it when something old becomes new again.)

(The Die Cut Tag measures approximately 6 1/4″ x 10 1/2″.)

To create the tri-fold card…

I die-cut the large tag using a piece of white cardstock.

You can find the Extremely Large Tags* in my Etsy Shop*.

I used a scoreboard and scoring tool* to score the tag lengthways

at 3 1/2″ and 7″ and folded it in three sections.

I grabbed my Echo Park’s Life is Beautiful Scrapbook Collection*

and got to work decorating the first fold of the tag.

I used a corner rounder punch* on one end of the layers.

I made sure to cover up the hole of the tag with a sticker.

I kept the inside of the folded tag simple with simple layers,

a couple of stickers and a journaling card from the collection.

On the front of the tag, I used stickers mounted with

foam mounting squares* to create dimension.

And…you can mail the trifold card in a letter sized envelope.

Family Game Night DIY Mini Storage Box

January 25, 20252 Comments

Family Game Night

The people in my family love to play games.

When we get the whole big group together for a Family Dinner,

someone usually brings out the dice.

Everyone crowds around the table, and we play a game or two.

Dice is one of their favorite games because even young kids can play along.

(that is until they get bored and leave)

For fun, I made a small box just the right size for holding

a deck of cards and a set of dice.

Inside the box, there is enough space to add a small pencil

and paper for keeping score.

To Make the Box:

Two pieces of 6″ x 13″ Matboard* are needed to make the box.
Cover both sides of the mat board using scrapbook paper from
Echo Park Family 12″ x 12″ Scrapbook Collection*. I used an Xyron Creative Station* to put adhesive on the back of the paper before sticking it onto the mat board. The Xyron Creative Station* adds a complete layer of adhesive to the paper so that you get great adhesion.
I die-cut two of all the pieces of the box using a Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine* and the Sizzix #665982 XL Skinny Mini Book Box Die.

Gently fold the scored edges and tabs of the mat board.
Adhere the box together using 3/8″ Scor-Tape*.
If the white core of the mat board bothers you, go around the edges of the mat board with a brown marker to hide the white core.

I added the word “Memories to the spine of the box.

Isn’t making memories what it’s all about?

I used a strip of faux leather paper, and a simple snap to

hold the box closed when not in use.

Materials Used: (*affiliate links)

The Puppy Love Album is another project that I made

using the Skinny Mini Book Box Die*.

You can see more here.

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.