Cricut Birthday

I wanted to make some cards using my Cricut.  This card features designs from the A Child's Year cartridge.  I cut the base card from the Card option at 6 1/2" from white card.  I then covered the front with some striped paper from an old American Crafts paper pad.  The white tag, cut at 2" serves as a mat for the greeting, cut from red card and then covered with Stickles.  I added a couple of balloon brads and then the little girl birthday images cut at 2" from blue card, one in reverse.  I hope to keep up with birthdays a little better this year--before I know it, birthdays get away from me.  I think the first month of the year is a good time to get a head start!  Happy Birthday!

First post for 2013

And it is also my New Year's resolution!  I have been enjoying the sunshine in my craft room yesterday and today, and the image above is the result.  I sorted through all sorts of stuff (again throwing a lot away) and decided to use these supplies.  Repeat:  I am not a hoarder, I am not a hoarder, I am not a hoarder.....!!  I made a base card from my new Tea Garden paper pad from DCWV.  My intention was to make the whole card from the pad, but inspiration did not work that way.  I chose some older border stickers to decorate the left edge--they seemed to match perfectly.  I then stamped the Hero Arts collage stamp with the bird on the right side of the landscape folded card with Blush Rose chalk ink from Clearsnap.  Not happy with the way the image just sort of seemed plopped on the paper, I used some sponge daubers to sponge more Blush Rose and then Peach Pastel chalk inks around it, blending the sides and edges into the cardstock.  I then used a mahogany colored pencil to darken the central bird image.  I used a fine line black pen to emphasize the typed resolution and added gold Magenta Peel-Offs, a Hero Arts swirl stamp heat embossed in gold, and some fancy K and Co sticker to the far left side.
     This card is for myself as a "get well" from being sick this past week.  There's lots of sunshine out there, and I intend on soaking in as much as I can.  The bird on my card is flying sun-ward!