maria's craft room

A Martini For Any Situation

Hi there:)  Hope you're doing well.  We're having bee-u-tiful weather here today so I voluntarily took a walk.  With the dogs, of course.  But still...I took a walk because I wanted to.  That makes me happy.  And I managed to get in the craft room for a few minutes (still using glossy accents!) to create a very simple gift set.  Well, I thought I was creating a gift set but what I really did was prove that there is a martini for any situation.  The proof:

Congratulations on your new job:

Happy Birthday:

  

Thinking Of You:

 

With Sympathy:

 

I kid, I kid.  But I had fun:)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

 

Owl Friend and My Husband Is Sleeping With a Bit@h From Finland

Hi there!  Hmm...wonder if that post title caught your eye?  All in due time, my friends.  As you can tell from my lack of posting, I haven't been doing a whole lot of paper crafting lately...we've been on vacation together.   However, I did need a thank you card for a friend and came up with this simple one. 
I've been all about the glossy accents lately.  And I picked up the owl stamp while at the actual Bella store...still a bit of a thrill for me.  Well I guess that's about it...

What?  Were you expecting something else?  Oh right!  The bit@h from Finland!   She's long and lean and her hair is dark and glossy...and she has gorgeous brown eyes.  I know!  You thought it was me until I said brown eyes.  Here's Sloane, our newest addition:
I don't advocate transporting dogs long distances for adoption.  However, a number of years ago an Italian Greyhound breeder from Finland purchased a female puppy from a breeder near us in Pennsylvania (Deuce's breeder) and part of the fee was cash and the other part was for a female progeny of the female puppy being purchased.  Flash forward five years and this little girl was scheduled to fly in from Finland as final payment (not as cargo thank goodness!  she was in the cabin under the gentleman's seat)...but the Pennsylvania breeder had already retired and moved to the west coast.  So the retired breeder called us and asked if we would be interested in adopting her and welcoming her into our home. She thought that Deuce would be the perfect big brother for this puppy.  Pfft.  Of course we said yes!  She flew in the night before last and she was a sweetheart right from the start.  She and Deuce are getting along well...better than anticipated.  And for the past two nights Sloane has been sleeping cuddled up to my husband.  See, my husband is sleeping with a bit@h from Finland!   And I'm a little jealous:)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Party Time!

Hi there!  Hope you're doing well.  I have the prototype for some party invites to share with you today.  The daughter of one of my co-workers is graduating from high school and I agreed to make some invites for her.  I was aiming for fresh and young.  Can't wait to find out if she likes it!  Those papers are so fun...they're My Mind's Eye from the Bloom and Grow collection.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M
 

Who Gives A Knit

Hi there:)  Hope you're doing well.  I'm feeling a little sassy today...not sure why.  But pairing up the Lockhart image with the Stamping Bella sentiment was fun:)   And is it just me or does this week feel a little long already?  It's only Wednesday!!  Argh!!  I think maybe I'm a little irritated this morning because it didn't snow as much overnight as had been originally predicted.  I didn't actually think I'd get a snow day out of it, but I was hoping for maybe a late start.  My inner child has had me up since 4:30am checking the web and tv for news of any delay.  What did we actually get?  A messy, slippery commute at regular time.  Grrrr.  I'd better get moving.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Oh Monday Morning...

Hi there!  Hope you had a good weekend...I did.  It started with a snow day on Friday and included reading three books (yes, on the Kindle), some crafting, saw some family members, did some babysitting (fun but scary...what if they get hurt while I'm watching them?) and I even took a Sunday afternoon nap.  But still, how does Monday always get here so quickly?!?  Anyhow, I've been working on a stash of birthday cards lately and thought I'd share this one today.  And yes, I really did glue each of those tiny twinkles on there:)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Supplies:  Mostly Papertrey, with some Websters trim and Taylor's twinkles thrown in.  And the image is from our Loonie Stampers beach vacation image swap.  Ahhh...good times.

Groovy Vaahn Gift Set

Hi there!  Yes, I really have been playing around with my Bella stamps!!  And Regs - most definitely I am looking forward to going to the Bella store.  I can't wait for you and Dee to 'facilitate' a Canadian shopping spree.  Somehow I don't think I'll need much encouragement!  As for this set, I work with a woman named Linda who recently had to let her ancient VW van finally go on to the big scrap heap in the sky.  I know she was very upset to not be able to locate another VW van to replace it, so I thought she might like these.  And thankfully, she did.

And the 'vaahn' spelling is because of another of us Loonies...Wendy.  It was so surprising to find out that Wendy has a bit of an Irish accent!  Well, I think it sounds Irish:)  So the entire time we were driving around in the borrowed minivan at the beach we used Wendy's pronunciation.  Good times.  And...um...I have another card for today.  It's a bit off-color, but it sort of goes along with the groovy magic bus cards.  A different co-worker of mine was sharing that one of her favorite songs from her teen years contained the words 'grazing in the grass'.  At the time she was a teenager she didn't realize the true meaning of the words...she just liked the song.  So she got me thinking...there's this leaf stamp in Papertrey's Mailbox Greetings stamp set that looks a little bit like...uhh...you know.  Grass.  Here's what I did:

How funny is this?!?  It made my friend smile...and that made me happy.  Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Until next time...M

Supplies:  (van cards)  cardstock by Papertrey, stamps by Stamping Bella, Nesties, Prima flowers, Taylor's tiny twinkles   (grass card)  all supplies Papertrey 

More Turtle Love

Hi there!  Yep...still rocking turtles.  And yes, I gave a couple of these to my sister the other day for her 'stash'.  And guess what arrived in the mail on Saturday...more turtle stamps from Stamping Bella!!!  A package from Bella is always a fun thing for me to tear into.  Everything is so pink...and I keep my Bella stamps in a pink photo box, too.  It's goofy, but I always smile when I pull the Bella box off of my shelves.  :)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Supplies:  all supplies purchased from Papertrey except for Memento tuxedo black ink, May Arts ribbon, Fiskars border punch and turtle stamp from Stamping Bella

Celebrate Your Day

Hi there!  Hope your week is going well:)  I'm doing fine...just working for the weekend.  I will spend one of these upcoming weekend days in my pajamas.  I can feel it already!  As for today's card, it uses one of the stamped images I collected from the other Loonies during our beach vacation last summer.  I'm pretty certain it's from Stamping Bella.  Been thinking about my girls lately and spent lots of time coloring those swapped images over this past weekend.  Fingers crossed I get around to making them into cards:)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Supplies:  image is Stamping Bella; sentiment, ink, Copics, cardstock and patterned paper by Papertrey, SU ribbon and Doodlebug 'candy'
 

Turtle

Hi there!  Hope you're keeping warm.  It is so cold and windy around here!  And today's card is something of a secret.  The recipient reads this blog so I deliberately omitted a sentiment from the front.  Am I exceedingly clever or what? That cute turtle stamp is from Stamping Bella and the heart 'border' was stamped by grouping the three smallest hearts from Papertrey's My Punny Valentine set.  As my friend Dee likes to say, easy peasy:)  Ironically, I'm off to go 'squeezie' some lemon into a cup of hot tea.  *cough, sneeze*  'Tis the season!!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Phew! Thursday!

Hi there:)  It's been one of those weeks...but I'm very happy to share this card today.  My new Lollipop stamps arrived from Stamping Bella and I've been having fun...this one's Hannah.  Love her!  I've got to run or I'll be late for work...thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M
 

Plans tonight?

Hi there!  Happy Monday to you...today's card was inspired by a friend of mine.  I had a great weekend...saw family and friends, enjoyed the great weather...and I can't believe it's Monday already!!!  Ahhhh!   Thanks so much for stopping by:)

Until next time...M

Supplies:  cardstock is Papertrey and SU, paper is by October Afternoon, buttons and Copics from Papertrey, bella from Stamping Bella, Labels 8 Nestie and SU tab punch
 

Loonie Stampers Challenge #64: Using Copics

 

Hi there! TGIF:)  It was Regan's turn to pick our challenge and she went with using Copic markers...fun!  I decided to go with one of my recent Bella/My Favorite Things combinations.  Of course, it goes without saying that I must speak with Em @ Stamping Bella.  She's used me yet again as her inspiration for a stamp.  Really...can't she find someone else with a cute figure and perky rear end?  (This is where Regan will spit out a little coffee while reading this.) 

Enough about me for now!  Let's go see what my Loonies created:

Char   Dee   Jewels   Regan   Wendy

Play along!  Link up your creation to the comments section under any of our blogs...we love to come visit you!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Supplies:  priceless
 

So Very Me

 

Hi there!  Hope your weekend is going well:)  We're having a quiet one round these parts, though we're pretty excited that the sun chose to come out today.  I'm sure it won't be long before our dog is laying on his bed in a patch of sunlight streaming  through the back door.  And today's card!  It came about because I'm determined to cross-reference my stamps and get more use out of them.  So what do you get when you cross Stamping Bella with My Favorite Things?  A card that is so very me!!!  Thanks so much for stopping by...I might be back tonight for Papertrey's monthly blog hop.  We'll see what the day brings:)

Until next time...M
 

A Spider Ate My Weekend

Hi there!  Hope you had a much more relaxing couple of days than I did:)  Ok, you've met my dog, Deuce, right?  Well, right when I left for my pedi appointment yesterday my DH took Deuce out back so he could do his business.  Deuce...hopefully not the DH.  Anyhow, a 1/2 hr. later I'm in the pedi chair and my phone rings.  It's the husband telling me that he "thinks that Deuce's nose is swollen".  Sounds innocent enough, no?  Long story short, the vet thinks that Deuce did battle with a spider and ended up with a bite somewhere on his muzzle.  

I couldn't even bring myself to take pictures of my poor little guy.  By the middle of the afternoon yesterday his entire face was swollen and his eyes were almost swollen shut.  He looked like he'd gone ten rounds with Rocky Balboa!  Thankfully he's now finally responded to medication to the point where we don't have to constantly watch him to stop him from scratching.  But it's dinnertime on Sunday!  My weekend's been eaten by the spider!  Worse things have happened.  I'm just glad my little guy's ok.  As for me...perhaps I'll sample a martini or two...:)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M 

Supplies:

Ink:  Papertrey

Cardstock:  Papertrey w/MME patterned paper scrap

Stamps:  Stamping Bella and aMuse

Other:  Papertrey twine and buttons, long rectangle Nesties, crystal effects

A Retirement Card...Bella Style

Hey there!  Hope you're doing well.  Today I have a retirement card to share with you.  One of our best teachers is retiring...I still can't quite believe it.   Anyhow, her department chair approached me about making a large card to go with their department's gift to her.  We brainstormed for a bit to come up with ideas and the list included that she was a bird watcher and avid gardener.  So it was Bella to the rescue!  And now it's off to work again for me...I'll be back tomorrow with our next Loonie challenge.  It's a color challenge this time and Wendy was positively wicked in her choice:)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Supplies:

Ink and Cardstock:  Papertrey

Stamps:  Papertrey and Stamping Bella

Other:  large square Nesties, Papertrey paper, ribbon, button and twine