Grama & Boppa

It was a job description that I never knew I would love so much, grandmother.  The first one arrived in January six years ago, a boy.  I did his daycare two days a week and rocked him to sleep then just sat there, held him and looked at him.  Perfect love sometimes doesn't come until the first grandchild goes the proverb.  It's true!  That little boy is the sweetest thing.  I have heard people say, "When you have grandchildren you can spoil 'em and send them home when you're done."  Send them home???  I wanted to KEEP him!  I lovingly call him my "Dude".

When that little angel boy was 27 months old he got a little sister!  I changed jobs and so the daycare option was gone.  Baby girl is my "Honey Bun" and she likes to come on Tuesday afternoon, (three hours is better than none) when Mama goes to work.   We play and read books while Dude likes to draw or play T-Rex running around and roaring.  "Honey Bun" likes to take 'tubbies' at my house  and she is an adorable little thing wrapped around me like a little Koala bear.  Tea parties and reading stories we have a very special snuggle time...until Mama comes back.

On President's Day I got a call from Dude asking, "Can I tell you some-ping?"  He asks that whenever he talks to us, but this time...'SOMEPING' was "We're going to have a new baby!"  Because I thought two was all the grandchildren I was going to get, I'd say I'm near giddy over the announcement!  This is as exciting as the FIRST time I heard the news, a new baby!  In the fall another bundle of love will arrive.

Paper craft is my go to craft; I'm trying to expand my horizons, Elizabeth Creative Breathing keeps challenging us with different ornament ideas and someday I may have more than cutting and glue sticking to my repertoire.  For now, the Mary Engelbreit calendars provide perfect graphics for this banner.  My two girls are best friends, an almond eyed angel born for me in Korea, our homemade baby look like these two girls telling secrets.  Our son, well, the Young Airman is working for Uncle Sam far away but if I can find some image of a boy with black hair (Asian eyes would be good) I could add him to my HOME banner too.

XXOO,
Grama

Darling Companion Crafting

There are many red things in my house, it's my favorite color.  Sometimes though, a little pastel find comes home with me.  Exhibit A:  Lefton Miss Priss salt shaker a thrift store save for $1.40.  You know I walked those isles for 30 minutes looking for her 'other half' but she was destined to remain a single gal.  I thought her a perfect spot to display this old cupcake topper.  The topper reminded me of bakery treats at Sterling Pastries where my beloved Little Grama worked during my childhood days! Thank you to Elizabeth for triggering another memory with your gift bag of goodies!  

 

The Home Companion magazine is dated 2005 but I save them and puruse them each month of the year.  The paper dolls remained intact until this year when I decided to use them to create a little valentine project.  You see, Anne Estell reminds me of another little blond who grew up in  our house; our homemade baby girl.

The base is a heart shaped open sided red cookie cutter; I used scrapbook paper and then a layer of flecked opaque fabric over the paper.  The back has a doily that allows a peek-a-boo view of the inside where I glued the other pieces of the paper doll clothes. 

The Home Companion wasn't the only M.E. treasure I saved, calendar pages also provide great graphics for valentine paper crafts.  My pal of 29 years will get this card next week. We are both Norwegian  mothers of Korean born children.  I love the Scandinavian Christmas papers for a great group of red mixes that complement the trim in Mary Englebreit's drawing! 

 

'Hope you haven't stopped Valentine crafting yet, I love this time of red, glitter and doilies.  One more week till the Big Day of Love!

Season Suite

Reflections on the water, like shadows in my mind,

 Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time.

 The falling leaves are whispering that winter's on the way.

 I close my eyes remembering the warmth of yesterday.

 It seems a shame to see September swallowed by the wind,

 And more than that, it's oh, so sad, to see the summer end.

And though the changing colors are a lovely thing to see,
If it were mine, to make the change,
I think I'd let it be.

The Season Suite, "Fall" song by John Denver from the Rocky Mountain High album was a great set of lyrics; I loved this one and have quoted it for years.  The AUTUMN banner is one that I made last year; more 'page a day' calendar illustrations by Mary Engelbreit.  The leaves are raining down from our poplar trees, the drought more than the change in seasons brought them down early.  The weather is glorious, upper 70 degree temps in the daytime hours, 40 degrees at night or as we like to say, "good sleeping weather!"

Merry Mary!

As a saver of all things cute, I was compelled to keep the pictures on every Mary Engelbreit calendar I ever had,  This included three years of the large wall size, one desk calendar and two page-a day tear off calendars!  Trimming out pictures and pieces of the larger graphic that Mary drew, I cut and glue stick the pieces according to what will fit on my 5 x 5 square.  Sandwich method of paper craft creating learned from Elizabeth: cardboard in the middle, scrapbook paper on each side.

The pictures I used for these tags remind me of my 'Imaginary Friends' in blogville.  Can you guess who they are?

For the tag on the left I used a vintage Christmas card for the view out the window; I cut pieces of brown corrugated cardboard for window frames. Mary's picture of the girl is glued flat and I used foamie pieces cut in 1/8" strips to raise up the books, pens and yarn basket..  The pet loving little boy was fun to cut and glue on 'grass' scrapbook paper.  I used portions of Mary's border to add above the boy's head and then cut the framed pooch out to raise up with pop dots on the border.

Minnesota has 11,000 lakes and within two blocks of my house there are two lakes; the heat this summer brings plenty of swimmers and waders!  The girls on the right are having a tea party.  My Little Grama poured coffee and 90% milk in my cup when I was four years old.  My version of a tea party with my  grandkids involves bone china doll dishes and a vintage one cup aluminum teapot.  Pretend sugar and cream are poured generously into the cups of  (real) water as we drink our tea kneeling around the ottoman! 

I embellished some 1" clothespins I found at the Dollar Store; I'll be hanging these darling little tags on yet another measuring tape line and thinking of my friends as I await the arrival of your Friendship pendants!