Craftily Ever After: Free Keep Calm and SCARY On Printable!

Craftily Ever After: Free Keep Calm and SCARY On Printable!:

Pink Saturday ...Baked Pretties

tiered cupcake from Martha Stewart Weddings

ruffled cake from Southern Flourish

This amazing cake tower is by Will Cotton.

How many calories do you think are in this baby?

I feel confident that I could copy the first two images, but that third one is a doozey. I stare at it in awe! For more Saturday pinkness, drop in at How Sweet the Sound for dozens of other participants' offerings.

Well Hey, Pumpkin!

full of charm!

sooo clever!

soo fun!

All of these delightful pumpkin ideas are from Country Living Magazine. Aren't they just great?!!

Coming Back.....

I am soooo very sorry for being MIA for so very long. I have missed the encouraging comments, blog parties, emails and most of all visiting with you to see what you have been up to each day. Near the end of April, the hard drive in my new (from Christmas) laptop crashed. After several people tried in vain to at least retrieve all my lovely saved images, I finally had to ship my baby halfway across the United States of America and wait and wait and wait for it to come back home. Meanwhile, I was having a whole slew of tests done to try to figure out why my liver enzyme count has remained terribly high even after having my gall bladder removed a year ago. Instead of being around 60, mine is still 372. I think they have finally decided that I'm just not normal. HA!...  so sad that we've had to dish out soooo much money to make that official! Pleeeease accept my apologies for all the unanswered emails (half of a kajillion), thanking new followers that signed on and a few online commitments that got dropped by the wayside. I can hardly wait to get caught up on taking pictures and making new posts of a few projects that I actually was able to tackle while I didn't have a computer. hmmmmmm...I'm betting there's a lesson there somewhere..... AND I am the most excited about getting back out into BlogLand to see what you're up to these days. Y'all are so very inspiring to me! My cleaned out laptop is back I'm ready to get back to business as usual......... 

xoxo,
Mary Beth

CupCakes for the Cure

More "Freshly Faked CupCakes" ! ..this time with a theme. Here in Georgia, it's time for the annual Relay for Life campaigns to raise money for cancer research. Last spring, I decided to decorate a set of my faux cupcakes using the pink ribbons that support breast cancer and sweet little pink fairies to either watch over someone fighting cancer or to give as a gift to a friend who has lost someone dear to this dreadful illness. My mama died from cancer years ago when I was still in my twenties. I keep one of these on my hutch. These sweet little "Cupcakes for the Cure" have once again been a real "treat" to make!

Linking these little pretties to Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound 

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

The Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Metamorphasis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Spotlight Yourself @ It's so Very Cheri 
Alphabe-Thursday @ Jenny Matlock

The Evil Eye...

Note to Self: When mashing that button on top to begin to spray paint, point that hole AWAY from your face and designer eyeglasses. Geeze Louise. I get so tired of being the entertainment everywhere I go. It slap wears me out. Luckily I had not shaken the new can enough and all that came out was clear goo. It took some scrubbin'...but it all came off of my glasses.  (loud exhale with puffed out cheeks)

O is for OOPS!...

Linking to Alphabe-Thursday @ Jenny Matlock 

White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

Great Mother's Day Gift to Make

As you can tell by the date, Grandson and I made this little lovely several years ago. We made the original one for Oldest Daughter for Mother's Day that year. It didn't take me long into the process to know that I wanted one, too! Even though I've had this for quite a while, I thought that it's still a delightful gift that is sure to please! Be sure to make one for yourself as well... It would be tough to part with this little jewel!

Here's the step-by-step...

One 4x6 black and white photo with rub-on letters or a phrase along the top edge. Cut three 4x6 rectangles from white or cream cardstock.

I used letter rubber stamps to hand stamp my "definition" onto white cardstock. You could also print this from your computer.

Trace that precious little hand with a crayon onto white cardstock.

I used a different definition for each of us. I have a cheap paperback dictionary that I use to cut from for different projects. Allow a large border around the edges when you cut it out. Lay the cut paper on top of the hand print and pencil sketch a rectangle that is the size of the definition. Make a slit in the center and tear along your pencil line. Lightly ink the torn edges with an ink pad or marker. With adhesive, attach the definition to the back of the hand print with the definition showing through the opening. I used letter eyelet charms to spell out "age". You could also add a bit of white or cream acrylic paint to the letters and wipe away the excess if you'd rather the letters be lighter in color. I think Michael's still carries these letters by Making Memories. You could also print something similar from the computer or a small label sticker or rub-on. Add a sticker or rub-on number for the actual age. Later you will trim this to fit into the frame.

I had him draw a heart with a crayon. Notice from the lines that he first draws an open "m" for the top and then a "v" to make the bottom. Even to this day, he still draws a heart this way. So charming I think. I then told him to write his name inside. He said, "Gwanmama, can I write the "O" furss (first)?" "Honey, you surely can." answered his adoring grandmother. When Grandaddy walked in for lunch, he excitedly shouted, "Look Gwandaddy! We're making sump'in." umm.umm.umm. Don't date it yet.                     

Cut a piece of black cardstock to fit inside your frame. Mine is an 8x10. If your handprint is large, you'll of course need a bigger frame and maybe even a larger black grid in the center and a bit around the edges. I kept trimming my four 4x6 pieces until they fit into the frame. Ink all of the edges. Place the black cardstock inside your frame withOUT the glass. Trim the pieces to fit inside the frame. Make the top two the same size and the bottom two also equal to each other.  I used scrapbooking adhesive to attach the photo and cardstock pieces to the black cardstock, leaving a black grid in the center. Date the bottom right corner. Now you're all done! Frame and collect the compliments.

Thanks for visiting! I'm linking to these parties ..

Monday

Metamorphasis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

I Made the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Made It on Monday @ The Persimmon Perch

Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Craftastic Monday @ Sew Can Do
Mosaic Monday @ The Little Red House
Made By You Monday @ Skip to My Lou
Mad Monday Skills @ Super Stinky Boys

Tuesday
Do It Yourself Day @ A Soft Place to Land
Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Anything Related @ All Thingz Related
Talented Tuesday @ My Frugal Family
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Tutorial Tuesday @ Hope Studios
Wednesday
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Spotlight Yourself @ It's So Very Cheri
Whatever Goes @ Someday Crafts
Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Wednesday Boardwalk Bragfest @ Bobbypins Boardwalk
We Did It @ Sew Much Ado
Idea Sharin Wednesday @ Women Who Do It All
Sunday

The Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

and

Mother's Day Ideas @ Somewhat Simple

A Fabric Necklace for Me

I repeat. I looove making fabric flowers! Tear strips, twist-gather-coil, stitch together as you go. Repeat. The end.

Linking with Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound 

Check Me Out Saturday @ A Vision to Remember 

Saturday is Craft Day @ Along for the Ride

Get Inspired @ Sew Dang Cute

The Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

I left you a note...

Grandson was leaving to go home last night. I knew that he paused in the dining room, but I didn't know why... or even really think about it. He turned back to look at me and said, "Gwanmama, look right here when you get up. I left you a note!" Well, it didn't take me two shakes of a lamb's tail to jump up and go look to see what he had written...

There in the pollen (really. I had just dusted it last weekend!) on my buffet was what I read as Grandmama loves Josh. He said, "You're s'pose to write your names and a heart when you love each other." Oh.My.Gosh... That's it. I will never dust the top of that buffet again. My note is there to stay forever!

Linked up to WooHoo Wednesday @ Always Nesting

Alphabe-Thursday @ Jenny Matlock

Counting My Blessings Stitchalong

another stitchalong! YAY! I missed the last one and it seemed that every other place that I landed in BlogLand, someone else was posting their progress on their "39 Squares" and got "jealous-er and  jelous-er". not good. I had even bought the supplies to do one on my own. So I'm all ready to start on this new one! This one's theme is to stitch a blessing in each square of your grid. The hostess is going to do a 10x10 grid! Wow! That's a 100 squares and blessings! She recommends saying a "thank you" prayer for each particular blessing as you stitch. I love this idea! What a delightful way to really think and notice what your many blessing are! Go here for more information and to sign up. I can hardly wait to begin!