A Little Time To Play

A neighbor called to see if I'd help her with a project she has taken on.  You know I love a challenge, but you also know I hate repetition.  She is making invitations for a luncheon and she just happened to mention she may also be making favor boxes.  Off I ran to see what I could make before she arrived.  Well, here's the favor box.  I don't know what her colors are, but I figured anything made in pink would be a good example.  This box really is an easy one to create, a bit time consuming, but easy. 

Here's a close up of the top....

I purchase stems of flowers at JoAnn's and pull them apart so I will have lots of petals.  I also purchase boxes of white silk flower petals in the wedding section.  I think it's a good way to get lots of flowers and not break the bank.  If you use alcohol inks, you can color your flowers any color that fits your needs.  I use my Spectrum Noir pens often just for flower coloring. 

My neighbor will be here any minute, I guess I should head over to Valery's blog to post this on the butterfly challenge...this month is Butterfly Bingo....and I've created this using... Pink - Die Cuts - Gems.  B-I-N-G-O!

Off for now, see you in June.  Tomorrow it's Sparkles Christmas Challenge...don't forget to get your Christmas supplies ready!  Check back tomorrow to see what this month's challenge will be! 

Until later.....Hugs,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Butterfly Hello

It's my day to post on the Poppystamps blog page.  So, I shall keep this short as I want you to go to the Poppystamps Blog and read all about this card.  This card was soooooo very easy to make and I really am liking it.  I'm thinking maybe a few more in other colors...I'm off to make a red and white card....

Have a most wonderfully crafty week...see you soon!  I am off to play!

Hugs from me to you!
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Rudolph Day, WOYWW and Pixie's Crafty Workshop

I'm going to start by saying 5th Happy Anniversary to Julia and Happy whatever year you began sharing with WOYWW....You've all made Wednesdays so much fun, and Julia, thank you for being the special person you are.  If it weren't for you...Wednesdays would just be Wednesday!

I'll show you my desk in a minute....here is what I made for Rudolph Day!

I wanted to use up scraps, and I wanted to play with techniques.  The inspiration for this card was the striped bottom.  When I turned the paper over, I was thrilled to find the newspaper print on the reverse side.  I wanted to use rubber stamps, stencils, embossed images, dies, and layers.  As you can see I managed to do all of the above.  And here is the inside......

It's not too late, you can add your card to Rudolph Day, but hurry, because the last day of this month is the last day you can play along (at least for this month).

Ok, you've seen the finished project, here's how it all began.....

Not too messy today, and if you are a normal follower, you will notice I'm working  on a different desk.  This is the desk I use when I do my die cutting.  It's also the desk I use when I need to be standing more than sitting and today is that day. 

I am going to pop over to Pixie's Crafty workshop and post this card which was made with snippets.  The only piece that might be iffy, is the inside black layer....I had to cut it from an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of black card stock.  Otherwise....All snippets.

Oops!  I think I was one card short on the Rudolph Day Challenge.  See, it pays to read the rules!  So, I ran, and when I say ran, I am not kidding, back to my craft room.  A few months back I made a card I really liked, so I made 3.  I had lots of pieces left, so I put them in an envelope to save for later.... Today became later.....Sarn, I appologize for not having two cards.  So...here is #2.

I added a bit of bling and this card is the same but different.  I'd show the inside, but it isn't quite  finished  and my honey wants me to think about dinner....I guess all the yard work he did while I was playing made him very hungry!  Next month, I will read the directions....I promise!


These are the challenges I entered:
WOYWW - 5th Anniversary
Pixie's Crafty Workshop - Must Use Snippets
Rudolph Day - A Christmas Card

Thanks ladies for hosting these wonderful places to play!

So that's it for me today.  I'm off to see what everyone has been posting.
Happy Crafting,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Best Wishes

It's my day to post my Design Team creation.  This was a fun card to create, although the final creation had absolutely nothing in common with my original idea.  If you want to know more about how I created the stenciled background, the foliage and sentiment, pop over to the Poppystamps blog for more information.  It's wedding season and this card is easy and quick to create and I love how delicate it is. 

Until next time......Happy Crafting and Hugs from Northern California
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

I should be packing! Note the word should!

My schedule today includes cleaning up my craft room messes (yes, more than one) and packing for my trip.  I will do both later.....Mrs. A.  AKA:  Valery hosts a Butterfly Challenge and everyone knows when butterflies are fluttering by one must give them a place to rest....thus my card.....

As luck would have it, I was finishing up this card when I read this month's challenge (normally only 2 weeks, but this one is longer)  It's Butterfly Bingo.  So the line I chose was this....Diecuts, Butterfly and Designer Paper.  The diecuts are Poppystamps, the butterflies are also Poppystamp dies.  I am having a brain freeze right  now and could not tell you the paper line.  They are pieces left from a card I made a short time ago.  If I go back through my blog I'm sure I could find it.  It could be Marion Smith or Graphic 45.  Anyway, it is designer paper.  The twine is The Twinery.  The sentiment is from my computer.  Here's the inside:

I think now I should go back and get my packing finished.  Before I go, please have a look at the cards being shared on Valery's blog challenge.  And if you should see a butterfly or two, perhaps you would like to play along.  For rules (and there are only a few)  Check it out here. 

And last but surely not least, this card was made from snippets, I shall flutter over to visit Di and share this card on her snippet challenge.  For rules and to check it out flutter this way.

I almost forgot.  My husband was running errands as was I.  I guess my dogs don't like it when we both go away.  I should apologize to my neighbors....don't you think?

 FYI:  No animals were harmed during the filming of this video.  Though you would think they had been!

Honestly, now I shall continue with the tasks on my list.  Happy crafting everyone.  See you when I get back home.

Hugs,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Boring Desk This Week

I told you it was boring.  I'm packing today to leave for San Francisco.  So, I'm trying to tidy up a tad.  Sydney still knows that nothing will stop the tennis ball playing.  Getting my morning started with coffee and I'm soon heading out the door to get my hair tamed a bit....Sun is shining, birds are singing and my world is happy!

I hope that next week my desk looks a bit busy.  Maybe I'll share a photo or two from my visit with my son! 

Happy crafting....be sure to share your world on Julia's site.  Lots of good things happening there I am sure.  So....check it out here.

Until next time....Hugs from Northern California,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Say It Ain't So!

I can't believe that Wednesday came and went and I didn't post on What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  I had it ready, I had photos taken and a project to share.  I didn't have time before class, I guess when I came home all I could think about was fixing dinner and playing with the dogs....so, pretend it's Wednesday and here's my desk!

What do we see here?  Hidden are two projects I am working on for June.  A soda can that is empty, but I keep forgetting to send it to recycling.  One of the books I keep my Poppystamp dies in.  Some Christmas paper....Soon you'll see what I'm making.  Some twine from the Twinery, that too will be revealed in June.  My watch, a water bottle, an invitation to remind me that I need to get a graduation card either made or purchased (I can't believe I said that!)  Directions I decided I'd best read before class....I make my kits a month in advance...So I need a gentle reminder on what I did.  My TV remote, because I use blog writing time to catch up on programs I've taped. Dare I forget my dog's tennis ball on the floor.  Do you think she was hinting? 

So, now you know what's on my desk, and you also will know that Miss Julia won't make you wear a dunce hat and sit in a corner if you don't post on Wednesday (well I hope that's true). 

This week I decided to repurpose two card kits that I've had for some time.  Thankfully, my buddy Mary Jane had the perfect paper to compliment this card....

and here's one that I've had in my "to do" box for some time.  It is now...."to done" 

Well that's it for today.  Have a most happy and crafty day. 

Hugs from Northern California,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy


 

National Scrapbook Day at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique

I made a card to celebrate National Scrapbook Day....I forgot to post it....ok, another year, another few brain cells missing!  So, here it is....

I love the window dies, and I purchased the cake dies from Karen some time ago.  I made a card similar to this one a few months back and when I saw the Melissa Frances Every Day Is A Holiday paper line, I thought it's time to make another Sweet Shoppe card.  Here's the inside....

By now you know I love dies.  Karen is carrying a new line, one I'd not heard of...The company is Little B.  I love the sentiment dies and they are perfect for cards....not too big and not too small.  Does this sound like what baby bear might say?  As you can see, I'm using Little B, Spellbinder Poppystamps and Memory Box dies....One can never have too many dies!  My husband might not agree!

Back to National Scrapbook Day Celebration....I forgot to take my camera and worse than that, I forgot my phone had a camera....so, I took no photos.  I'm hoping someone posts  photos, I'd love to share.  It was a fantastic 2 days of crafting.  Pizza and salad party on Friday.  Lots of snacks and goodies on our table.  I gave a demonstration on the Spellbinder tool that the bits out of the dies (exact name not known...hey, in my tool excitement, I threw away the packaging!)  Anyway it works and it works EXTREMELY well! I demonstrated it on a Cheery Lynn Doily die there must be 100 or more little pieces that need poking out of the metal die.  They fell out with no effort....none at all!  I am Jazzed! 

Saturday started with breakfast with the girls.  I shall not share the conversation, but it was about baseball....Many technical questions were answered!  Some needed follow-up!  Then to Karen's to find out that our desks had more goodies and there were donuts and coffee and sweet treats.  Our set of tables had 8 girls 3 of whom I did not know.  Within a few hours we were all laughing like school girls as we crafted away.  I'm not sure if any of us finished many projects, but we sure had fun. 

I hope my thousand words created at least one picture for you.....looking forward to the Christmas crop.  I hope to see everyone there and maybe, just maybe, I'll remember to take a photo or two!

Off for now.  Catching up on posts and designing today.  Tomorrow it's off to crop with the Monday group and a day to celebrate Cathy's birthday!

Hugs from me to you! 
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to one and all.  I hope your day is special and know because of you the world was changed....

May your day be filled with sunshine and flowers and may you always find time to listen for the sounds of birds singing and take joy in the silent flutter of butterfly wings! 

My friend Valery has a wonderful blog challenge that changes every two weeks.  This weeks challenge is a card using a doily and of course a butterfly.  Part of my doily is covered by fern and bird, but the center is visible and decorated with a pretty button.  My little butterfly has a golden base.  Butterflies are so pretty, aren't they? 

And here's what I did on the inside of my card.  Fussy cutting of the nest and roses....I think this card is finished!

My daughter and son-in-law (Amy and Linn) sent me this lovely blouse. 

A flower standing in front of our Rhododendron bush....

And my son (Dan) sent me these beautiful flowers and a box of candy.....

Well, off I go to see what the girls (and a few boys) have posted on Valery's Butterfly challenge.  There is still time left.....how about sharing what you've made? 

Hugs from me to you and Happy Crafting,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

WOYWW Number 257

Hello and Happy Wednesday....Of course you know what that means....and if you don't, check it out over on Ms. Dunnit's Blog.    So, that said, here's my desk....

See the rubber mat on the bottom left side?  Well, It's covering something I'm working on for Poppystamps and Twinery in June....I'll show it later.  The rest is stuff that pretty much is always hanging out, with the exception of the ribbon spool, which I didn't put away from another project I'm working on.  Paper bins in the background and my duck, next to the TV.  My duck is soft and cuddly and when things aren't coming together, she is my support.  Kind of like thumb sucking, without the thumb! And there are my stamp cubbies and board with things made by me and others.  Water bottle on the desk because I'm not drinking soda for a week and I'm trying to drink more water.  A few dies, my die cutting machine (one of them) and stuff.  So, now you've seen my desk and I do want to see yours.

So, check in with Ms. Julia Dunnit's blog and play along with us.  I just check in and her desk is very organized this week and she's working on invitations using things from her stash.  Something I try to do to, not make invitations, but use my stash, which by the way needs using.

So that's it for today....I'm off to go cloths shopping, which I really do not enjoy doing.  I don't mind shopping, I hate to try on cloths....so I buy them because they looked good on the rack or on the faceless wooden model that I think looks just like me...ok, I do have a face.  So, when I get home I realize I'm more size enhanced and I look like a sausage covered in flowers.  Today, I shall try everything on!  I am now reminded of a tie dyed summer house dress I once purchased, because the colors were muted and it had pockets. Good reason yes?   I should have tried it on, because my husband pointed out with a belly laugh that there was a big bulls eye on my behind.....just what I needed, my over endowed asset highlighted!  (Good play on words..giggle!)  He did learn it's not nice to belly laugh at wife's clothing! 

Ok, really this time.....that's it for today,  Have a crafty week.  I'm doing a weekend crop at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique to celebrate National Scrapbook Day....so, I'm excited because it's always fun crafting with friends!

Hugs,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Sparkles Christmas Challenge Hats, Scarfs, Gloves and Winter

Brenda came up with a fun Sparkles Christmas Challenge this month.  For those who don't know, Brenda  is our resident sock creator, so I was surprised there were no socks in the challenge!  She did cover just about all the other keep yourself warm accessories.  Mind you she didn't say mittens and being from Wisconsin, I always wore mittens.  It was comforting to have all my fingers snugly hugging in the warmth of the mitten.  I always felt gloves made my fingers lonely!  Here's my mitten...

This stamp is one of my oldest.  It's a Stampin Up set, which I am sure has long since been retired. 

I went into my craft room to clean up and I spied, with my little eye....the Poppystamps background that I'd planned on using on another card....however, as plans sometimes go, the background was too big for the card base and rather than throw it away, I decided to put it into my snippet bucket.  After digging out some Christmas paper, a deciding to finish a Morehouse 3-D graphic which was given to me by a friend, I thought maybe all of these items would make a pretty card.  Keeping Brenda's challenge in mind, I think the hats, scarfs and mittens will be met by this card.  What do you think?

I added a few snowflakes and this card was finished.  The red trim around the background border was part of the save from my original idea.  I'm glad I was able to save it. 

This month's winner of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge will recieve a WONDERFUL prize.  Now that I've teased you, I'm only going to give you a hint.....

To learn more you are just going to need to check it out here.  You will be very glad you did!
My second card is made from snippets left over from other projects, or from things gifted and found in my embellishment bucket.  The white base was not a snippet....I think I shall be forgiven!  So, having said the snippet word, you know where I'm going next.....Ms. Di sponsors a fun challenge, on her Pixie's Crafty Workshop.  Check out her blog here. 

That's it for now.  Enjoy crafting, see you again soon!

Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy