Happy Birthday with Summer School Challenge at Cut It Up Blog

If you are like me, you have a bucket list of techniques you want to try.  In fact I have a Pinterest Board just for that purpose.  So, when I saw this weeks Cut It Up Challenge:  Summer School:  Follow a Tutorial, I knew I had the perfect excuse to give one a try.  Here is my entry for the challenge using the Stamp TV Black Magic tutorial you can find here.  I can't get over Gina K.'s colors, but she has much better colored pencils than I do.  I had to try this technique because it reminds me of the folk painting I see at our favorite cottage in Palisades Park:  Balgownie (just south of South Haven, MI). The cottage is one of the oldest in the park and actually has the carriage house under the sleeping porch.  I sometimes wish that the folk painting will never painted over there.  

Along with my bucket list of techniques, I am in the midst of reorganizing and redecorating my craft room.  As I am working I have come across many items I had to have and haven't used.  I may have to use this challenge as a jumping off point and share my technique attempts...

One supply I have, are the flip card dies from Sizzix, and I needed a 5 x 7 card, so I pulled out my Anna Griffin Fantastic Flipcards cartridge.  If you're wondering what a flip card is, see the photo above, where the card has folds and cut outs that add dimension and interest.  I used an Anna Griffin die cut for the happy birthday sentiment.  

Supplies

Anna Griffin Fantastic Flipcards Cricut Cartridge

Anna Griffin Die Cut (Happy Birthday)

Cricut Machine

Black Card Stock

Silver Card Stock

Green Card Stock

White Pigment Ink

Colored Pencils

Mon Ami Gabi Green pearls

White Gel Pen

CTMH Tickled Pink Promotional Stamp Set (Daisy Flower)

Inkadinkado Wellspring Stamp Set (Flourish)

Spring Page with Flower Market Cartridge

I have always loved Lilly of the Valley flowers, perhaps because they bloom around my birthday.  Add my love of these flowers, my new CTMH Flower Market cartridge and a challenge at Fantabulous Cricut blog and a page is done.  I am entering this in the Challenge #299 Spring at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog.  
The butterfly and Easter Eggs are Anna Griffin dies from a card kit.

Scrapping a Challenge

Every year I scrapbook my families Christmas photo cards.  This year, I struggled with how to scrap by sister's card because of the white metallic portion and the colors of the photo.  So, I took a look at a designer I love and what she did with metallic.  I visited Anna Griffin's paper crafting ideas on Pinterest and found she uses more metallics and paired them with neutrals.  Then I pulled out my Anna Griffin dies and some scrap metallic paper and made some die cuts to fit behind the photo card.  This is another tip from Anna, you don't have to show the whole die cut, so I didn't need a whole piece of silver card stock.  I used scraps and placed the portion of the die that was missing behind the photo. 
Supplies
Anna Griffin die (Silver lace behind card)
Cricut Close To My Heart Artistry & Sophie cartridges (red metallic snowflake and 2015)
Currents (gold & cream butter fly paper)
Piccolo Enamel Powder Adhesive (roll on)
Stampin' Stuff Pirate Gold Embossing Powder
Want 2 Scrap silver pearl embellishments
Karen Foster Sparkle Burst Brads
CTMH brad (lacy brad)
Papertrey Ink Sequin Die
Gold Card stock
Silver Card Stock
Heidi Swapp Metallic Red Paper (Snowflakes & 2015)
Not sure who made the Black card stock with silver dots

#Artistry&Artiste Mash Up!

I just made my first card with the new Artistry Cricut Cartridge by CTMH and mixed it up with a card cut from the Artiste Cricut Cartridge (also CTMH).  I love the swing cards (Artiste) and anything CTMH or Cricut!  The cake and present are from Artistry.  So here is a birthday card using the coordinating CTMH stamp set Framed (S1508) and some dew drops from The Robin's Nest for the candles on the cake! The square gems may be from Oriental Trading.

To make the inside "Happy Birthday" banner just stamp on the card stock.   Trim down to a length of 4" inches, clip the notch, distress edges and attach inside the card.  The "Have a day..." is also a CTMH stamp set that coordinates with one of their Cricut Cartridges, but for some reason, I have no label on this set. 

Make It Monday: A Special Thank You

Just in time for my guilds card swap, I'm making a special thank you with supplies from all of my favorite companies! 

Supply List
Anna Griffin Paper from Birthday Card Kit
Fabric Brad Stampin' Up
Thank You The Angel company
Stippled Blossoms (Rose) Stampin' Up
Inspiration Flourishes Flair (I will Remember)  CTMH
Stamp cut Cricut CTMH Art Philosophy
CTMH Ink
Tim Holtz Distressing Ink
Gold Stickles