One Die 5 Ways with Anna Griffin's Geo Gatefold Die Set

I am currently going through my cutting dies and purging dies I don't use.  I thought I would try Jennifer Mcquire's suggestion to find 5 ways to use a die to help justify its cost and decide which dies to keep.  So here are my projects made with Anna Griffin'd Geo Gatefold Die Set.   Above you can see the first way I used the die:  Cutting off the ends to create a "die cut" to use on the front of a card.  Sentiment was made with the Cricut.

For the second method:  I created a border by cutting 4 jacket ends (2 at a time) and placing an embellishment over the missing portion.  No one will know that border doesn't run the full length of the page!

For the third way, I created a frame using the ends of the jacket die and embellished the corner with flowers and other Anna Griffin dies.

For the fourth way, I used the die to emboss paper and not cut it for a sympathy card.

For the fifth way, I used the die as intended and shown on the idea sheet.  I love the inside dies for all of Anna's gatefold die sets as much as the jacket dies!  Inside I used an old stamp set from Stampin' Up.

If you love this die set and can't find it anymore, be sure to stop by my eBay store and pick up one!  I have one set gently used for these cards and pages, and a brand new in package just opened to confirm contents for sale.  

Scrapbook Page with Altenew

 

One of the things I love about a challenge, is that it often helps me overcome a creative block.  I have had this BoBunny paper for a while and loved it, but was unsure how to use it.  After making the two cards with Altenew's chalenge colors, I remembered this beautiful paper. I often find yellow and purple challenging.  Once I made the cards, I wanted to use the same flowers and color scheme to scrapbook this photo.  Can you believe we vacation here every year?!  Well, we don't see these colors every day, but the smoky atomosphere makes for beautiful, sunrises and sunsets.

While I used dies from other companies, I really feel it is the  Altenew Craft-A-Flower:  Open Peony that makes this page special.   The white border die inside the circles is an Anna Griffin Die, and the flowers that aren't Altenew are Spellbinders.  Here is a close up of one of the flower arrangements.

I am entering this in the June 2023 Inspiration Challenge at the Altenew blog.  Below is the color scheme that inspired this card. 

I Can't Stop Creating with Altenew!

 

I loved yesterday's project so much that I thought I would use the same challenge to try my newest Altenew dies for another project.  For this card I used Altenew Craft-A-Flower:  Open Peony and Craft-A-Flower:  Anemone.

I used ink from CTMH, Stampin' Up, patterned cardstock from The Robin's Nest, white and black card stock, and a sentiment from Anna Griffin.

I am entering this in the June 2023 Inspiration Challenge at the Altenew blog.  Below is the color scheme that inspired this card.  I thought at first, that these colors are challenging but once I made the flowers I loved the results and want to make more!  I love that I can create flowers any day of the year!  Flowers are for everyday!

Inspired by Altenew's June Challenge

I have been stalking Altenew's website because I love their products!  This month they have a challenge that inspired me to pull out an old Altenew die set and try a stained glassed card.  The Cricut community is buzzing with this technique but they use print and cut. I cut my pieces with white or black card stock using the Altenew Die Layered Floral Cover Die A & B.  I inked the white cardstock with pink, purple and green inks from CTMH or Stampin' Up. Some things I love about this technique are:

1.   I can create this look with white and black paper and my ink pads.  NO expensive ink cartridge for the printer.  No running out of ink!
2.   It gave an older die a new look.  
3.   The look is timeless!  One of the things I love about Altenew is the timelessness of their designs.
   

I am entering this in the June 2023 Inspiration Challenge at Altenew.  At first I thought the color combo to be too challenging, but then I remembered the stained glass craze and thought if I added black I would be happy with the colors.  

It's been a long time since I published anything on the blog, but I am still creating.  In fact, I am crafting everyday and posting my cards and scrapbook pages on instagram.  You can find me there.  

Anniversary Card with Anna Griffin and Cricut

Today I am sharing a special card I made with Anna Griffin paper, embellishements and sentiment.   See below for more detail on the Anna items.  The heart is a Cricut Love Struck file, because I don't have Anna's Heart dies yet!

Supplies
Anna Griffin Eleanor patterned paper

Anna Griffin Mascara Roses

Anna Griffin Sentiment

Anna Griffin Perfect Palette Bow

Anna Griffin Festive Flourish Die (Base of card)

Small Heart punch

Eyelet punch

Cricut Love Struck Cartridge

Cream Card Stock

Black Card Stock

Pink Card Stock

Pop Dots

Glue Dots

Scissors

Liquid Glue

The Gift of Google Slides and Scrapbook Pages

For many this year, the idea of spending money buying gifts or shipping gifts seemed uncessary.  My family circle discussed sharing something and would cost us nothing, like a song, or a memory.  It occured to me after Christmas, as I put away our Christmas Scrapbooks that I could use Google Slides to share the albums I made of all our family Christmas Cards over the years.  I am creating a slide presentation for each sibling who sent me photo Christmas Cards over the years.  You can see my scrapbooking style has evolved and grown over the years.  If you've scrapbooked some special memories, maybe you want to share them too!

I Miss You Card

Here is the perfect card for your Mom, a sister or a girlfriend to send in this pandemic!  I can't get over the figures in the Anna Griffin paper and how perfect they match this card need in my life!  I am a little obsessed with toile fabric and had to have the Anna Griffin Toile paper!  So, this week, while trying to use some of my blue paper scraps, I pulled out my Cricut and Anna's Toile paper, along with  sparkling paper in the blue die cut and the dew drops from the Robin's Nest.  I believe the sentiment is Club Scrap, but is has been in the stash so long, I am unsure.  

More Bells with Anna Griffin and Cricut

Happy New Year!  I was so happy with the jingle bells page I made with Anna's Christmas Card Embellishments cartridge, that I thought I might try the other bells cut on the cartridge.  So here is the page I made with the big bells.  I added a circle cut at 8 inches and slipped it in and around the bells.  To do so, I made one snip in the circle and threaded it through the bells cut, then glued it back together and hid the seam behind the bell cut.  The glitter paper and metallic red paper are also Anna Griffin and I used white, grey and red card stock too.  The holly is also AG!

A Gentlemens' Study Christmas

I love the Anna Griffin Gentlemens' Study paper and thought it would be perfect for a Christmas page!  I used Anna's border stickers and an old Anna Griffin journaling die cut.  I made a 2020 circle and cut it with the Cricut and placed it on top of Anna's journaling die.  I was inspired to add the black by the paisley in Anna's paper and love the pop it gives to the border sticker!  The red and gold doily is Little Yellow Bicycle and has been in my stash for a long time!

 

Christmas Bells Page with Anna Griffin and Cricut

I have had the Anna's Christmas Cards and Embellishments Cartridge for awhile, but am just getting around to using it and I can't get over how beautiful this page looks!  I used all Anna Griffin paper except for the grey and white card stock.  The French Horn is Stampin' Up, the Flute is Creative Embellishements.  The rosette and printed dies are also Anna Griffin.  I used some scrap ribbon to matt the photo as my ribbon stash is out growning it's storage.  

I am going to enter this in the BittenByTheBug Challenge from December 7, 2020.  I managed to include the Thing 1 and Thing 2 Challenge, and maybe Thing 3.  I was confused by Thing 3.  

 

My Own Paper Project Runway with Anna Griffin

I am posting another of my paper dresses made to fit a Barbie size mannequin.  This one is made with Anna Griffin's Fan dies. The photo above and below are of the front view.

 I scored the top layer of the skirt, and trimmed it at the top, to make it fit the dress form.  The top layer is made with 3 fans.  The bottom layer is made with 4 fan layers.  I added some iridescent sequin flowers, pink pearls, and iridescent round sequins.  A rolled paper rose, a bit of ribbon, and a stamped white flower.  For the base skirt I used Anna's Scoring Wheel Tricks Cricut Cartridge.  I removed the scoring lines from the cut circle and used a 12 x 12 piece of paper.  I hand cut the white paper lining to the front and back bodice lining.  I used some liquid glue and my glue gun on this project.  Below is the back view.

Faux Folk Art with Cricut and Copic Markers

 

I have been obsessing over folk art painting on Pinterest this week and have been wanting to try this look with my Cricut.  So, last night I gave it a try and hope you like my results as much as I do.  

Here is the inspiration folk art piece and the link.

I started with Cricut and cut a dark blue folk art image from the Paper Lace 2 Cartridge.  I cut the light blue doily from Anna's Spendid Soirees and hit most of the cuts except the outside row.  The sentiment is also Anna Griffin.  I cut a plain white circle to back up the folk art cut.  The dark blue leaves are cut from card stock.  I used Copic markers, and a white colored pencil to color and then finished off with some Stickles, and The Robin's Nest Dew Drops.  

To color the flowers and get them they way I wanted I used my Cricut Bright pad.  I placed the dark blue on the bottom, placed the white paper on top and taped it using some low tack tape.  Then I colored with the Copics and went a little outside the lines.  I flipped this over when done coloring, so that the blue was on top and the white on the bottom.  

The borders are created with SU border punches.  And the light blue strip at the bottom with the blue pattern was made with an SU stamp set.  I borrowed this stamp years ago at a crop and had this piece in my scrap stash.

Copics used BV00, V09m V04, B21, B32, B34, and B66. 

Have Your Own Color Challenge

I am a serious paper crafter, but sometimes I miss the rhythm and the soothing quality of crochet.  So, this weekend I wanted to crochet on some Anna Griffin.  I started with the Anna Griffin Nifty Nested Layers. This was another very generous AG kit.  So, I was looking for a way to make a new look with the Nifty Nested Layer, and decided to use crochet.  I learned this technique years ago from Lolly Chops, and you actually do a blanket stitch first and then crochet around the blanket stitch.  I used a fringe yarn, because I love the look. 

After the crochet, I took a look through my other Anna Griffin products and found the flocked paper base, the die cut lace, the foil paper in the border of the lace paper, the journaling die, and even a border sticker.  I could not get over that border sticker and how it pulled the whole page together!  It was the only border sticker in that pack I thought I would never use.  I saw it and thought of those 70's kitchens with the yellow counters and appliances.  It is a beautiful if color, you just have to use it sparingly!

So, I would like to encourage you to get out that yellow trim, or photo and scrap it with some beautiful blue and brown and Anna Griffin!  Just keep the yellow to a minimum, make blue your main color, then brown and yellow last.  It's that old addage, Gallon, Quart, Pint proportion rule applied.

Thanksgiving Page

 

Another page, I created long ago, but never added the photo to.  I am getting more pages done with the virus concerns.  I have no file to share, sorry. The leaves are from Storybook Cricut cartridge. Thanksgiving is from Cricut Close to My Heart Artiste.

The Girls

 

I have been doing a lot of paper crafting lately and it is saving my sanity!  I am on a mission to use my stash and some of the new tools I have like this Anna Griffin Die set.  So, tonight I am using the Scrap Our Stash August 2020 sketch and bingo to get a page done. 

Below is the Challenge sketch.  I flipped it on it's side for my page and used the Anna Griffin dies for my circle motifs.

 

Old School with Fabric Repurpose in a Page

I am using this summer to catch up on unfinished pages and projects.  I made this page over a year ago and didn't finish it until tonight.  I added the photo of "Pink," my son and Grandpa.  I had some fun repurposing some fabric on this page, and cut up the front placket of an old blouse and there is even a scrap of the lace from my wedding dress lace too!  My die cut is the elephant border and I had it so long, I don't know who made it!

I used a Heidi Swap stamp "Remember," dew drops from the Robin's Nest, Green rose and "Pink" by Anna Griffin.  I am entering this in Cut it Up Challenge #207 Old School.  Thanks Cut it Up, for helping me finish a page with a challenge!

Designing with Cricut DS

 I often pull up my Cricut Design Space for laying out and designing a scrap book page before I start.  Or I create a page in DS, I have started without the Cricut, just to see how big a title I might need.  Here is a page design and finished page.  Above is my finished page, and below is the DS pre-planned page.  

Want to make your own?  Here is the Cricut DS file.

Circle in a Square with Amazing Paper Grace

 

I am circle obsessed, so when I saw this Amazing Paper Grace die I knew I wanted to try it on a scrapbook page as a circle!  And I am using those Dimensional doily dies in a new way here to make a bow in the corner of my circle.

Supplies
Anna Griffin Toile paper

Amazing Paper Grace Timeless Grace Die

Enchantment Tall Flip and Gatefold Card 

Anna Griffin card kit boarder strips

Anna Griffin gold swirls

Basic Grey letters

K and Company Journaling die cut

Sizzix Embossing Folders (letter r and a)

buttons

paper flowers

glue dots

Blue cardstock

Ivory cardstock

Blue ink

Stained Glass Window Card with Amazing Paper Grace

A few years ago, I had a chance to visit La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.  I will forever remember the emotional and spiritual experience the colors of the windows had on me!  So, today I am sharing a card inspired with those windows using Amazing Paper Graces Heart Melange Dies, Anna Griffin Chameleon Markers and a Cricut File to help separate the colors.  The sentiments are also Anna Griffin!  

When I colored this window, I used the lightest shades at the outside of the window, and the more intense colors inside.  I use the Amazing Paper Grace Softly Spoken Die for the portion under the window.  It was a bit too small for my card, so I sliced it in half and just allowed a bit of space between the two halves.  You will notice the Cricut File has two circles for coloring.  I like to have one for practice when I try a new window with so many colors.

Miniature Wedding Dress with Amazing paper Grace

Perhaps it's my fashion design background, but I have always had a fondness for 3 D paper dresses in miniature.  I have attempted a few, but I think this one is my best and I owe it all to Becca at Amazing Paper Grace for making these dies.  Once I received them I saw that the Heart Melange die looked very much like a bodice piece for a princess line dress!  Since all the dies in this collection make a circle when joined, I knew I could also use them for the skirt. For the skirt I chose the Timeless Grace Die.

Want to make your own Amazing Paper Grace lace dress?  Here is how:

Supplies:
Plastic Dress form (Amazon)
Amazing Paper Grace Heart Melange Die
Amazing Paper Grace Timeless Grace Die

Anna Griffin Scoring Wheel Tricks Cricut  Cartridge (optional)

White Card Stock

Quick Drying glue

Glue gun (I like low temp)

Glue Gun stick

White ribbon 1/4"

Instructions:
Construct the Bodice:

Cut the skirt lace with the APG Timeless Grace die.  I cut two layers of card stock at a time, to make this a quick process.  Check out Becca's video on folding and gluing, you will be combining the motifs in the same manner as Becca did, just using the numbers you want for the fullness of you skirt. 

1. Cut one APG Heart Melange Die for the front bodice in white card stock.  Create the solid bodice lining for the front by placing the APG Heart Melange Die on white paper and tracing the outside of the die.  Trim traced image with hand scissors. Add small pieces to cover the die splices (usually used for combining as directed for a floral motif) as show above.
2. Cut one APG Timeless Grace Die for the Back Bodice in white card stock.Create the solid bodice lining for the back by placing the Timeless Grace cut die on back of the dress form and cutting off the bottom point so that the bodice stops at dress form waist. 
3. 
   
   
   Glue the back Bodice lining on the Dress form using a low temp glue gun.

   
4. Glue the Front bodice onto the dress form, overlapping the back bodice, and glue with liquid glue.  I chose to leave a cut out in the side of my bodice as I know this is a current fashion trend.
   
5.  Cut the skirt using Anna's Scoring Wheel Trick's Drapery Fold #M64DFDF8 Cricut Image at 11 1/2" Scale.  Do NOT use the Scoring wheel lines, I detached them and then cut the image.  Wrap around the dress form and decide how full you want skirt.  Trim the circle as needed.  My skirt looked like this after trimming.  If you use the same dress form and scale I did, you will NOT trim anything away from the center circle as this fits the dress form well.  If you don't have this cartridge, just cut your own circle 11 1/2" or 12", cut a straight line to the center and cut a small circle with a 1 1/4" in the middle.  Wrap around the dress form and decide how full you want your skirt.
   
   
   
6. Cut 7 motifs for the first layer if your skirt is like mine.  You could stop here, and still have a beautiful dress with just a peplum and bodice of lace.
   
7. Glue the first layer, and then Cover the waist with some 1/4" white ribbon gluing the raw edge underneath using the glue gun.  This will hide any gaps at the waist.  Gluing the waistband at this time will prevent the lace from being crushed in the second and third layers.
8. I cut three layers, for the second layer use 13 die motifs and 26 motifs in the third layer.  The use of more motifs, gives the skirt the flared and ruffled effect.  I love this because it looks as if the dress form is twirling and dancing!  Below you can see the dress with just one layer of the dies.  It also looks beautiful this way too!