Button Love;o)

It's true, I have a thing for buttons.  I collect them.  I sort them.  I sort them again.  I find new containers and sort them again.  Of course, all my vintage buttons are still in the original packaging and not sorted in to this really cool new vessel.  Don't you just love it?  It is a vintage baby jar rack.  I think that you would lower this into steaming hot water to sanitize the buttons, I mean bottles!

 Last weekend at my mom's we were hanging in her sewing room and I saw a big box that was labeled buttons.  I had to paw through it, she hesitantly let me have only a handful.  Check these out!

Oh, and I have a dish fetish.  Just got some (new to me) depression glass from a lady up the street.  Here is what it looked like last night, newspaper, dirt and spiders included!

Oh my I need a bigger kitchen!  Since I have no sentimental attachment to these gems, I will be using them as my everyday ware.  IF and that is a capital IF, I can get them clean.

Mary-Ann

Graceful

Hi all.  

I think that I am back in the swing of things after returning from Italy 26 days, and 32 minutes ago:o)  

Remember the love letter my son wrote????  Well, I have finally met the little girl at Popcorn Day when I volunteered last week.  She is super cute.  When I saw him in the lunch room, he stood behind her and pointed down at her head, mouthing the words, "This is Mica!"  My heart melted.  I imagined him moving out, getting married having kids and no longer wanting to kiss him mom on a regular basis.  Then I went into the whole idea that he is no longer gonna be around at Christmas, her parents will be asked to babysit, and we won't have time for his dear ole mom.  Boo hoo.  I refuse to let him get married.  Wait, does that mean that he will have to live with me forever?  I am sure that I will have to do some re-thinking:o)

I finally started scrapping again.  Went to my local scrap store, Ink About It and fell in love with Echo Parks, Graceful.  I love the reds.  I created this mini for an upcoming Mother's Day class.

Then, I couldn't put down the leftovers.  I needed to make a couple thank you cards and came up with this idea.  (What I really need to be doing is making some birthday cards.)  I added some ribbon, twine a Pebbles flower and a 3x3 Canvas Corp card base.

Then, that wasn't enough.  I kept going.  I made this little coaster book.  Because I feel the need to buy two over everything when I buy a paper line, I have tons of leftovers.  I just added green ribbon instead, a prima flower, dug out my Stamp-in-up punches, added a few tags and some Canvas Corp bags and this is what I got.  

Here are a couple of the inside pages.

Thanks for stopping in.

Mary-Ann

March Crate Paper Challenge

These are the color combos from this months challenge over at http://crate.typepad.com/.  I love his picture of my mom and I.  

Thanks for looking:o)

Mary-Ann

Studio Calico

I have been getting the studio calico kit for over a year now.  (I just checked my records.)  I have not touched one.  Well, yes I have.  I opened them and touched them but have not done anything with them.  Why, idk!  Well, this last one, I decided I either needed to "cook or get out of the kitchen."  I really wanted to say something else here:o)  Anyway, I opened it, touched it and even designed with it.  Here is what the kit looked like and what I have done with it.

Oh my, I love this photo and the title.  When I showed it to Roman, he laughed so hard because of he "Big Teeth!"  He has such a good sense of humor.

Remember a while back, I shared this love letter that Roman wrote to his little friend in school???  Well, I couldn't help myself when I saw the red, white and blue stripped paper.  I could either go barber shop or mail.  I went Love Letter all the way.  I love it.  It was a challenge for me though.  At first I tried masking hearts.  When I sprayed the mist it buckled my paper.  I ironed it from the back and it worked that out.  Then I decided I would add some red splattered paint across them top right because it needed something.  Well, it looked like I cut my finger and bled all over the page.  I had to carefully peel everything off and start again.  I then decided to punch hearts for a tone-on-tone look and it filled the space nicely.  Ugh, all that for my new favorite layout.  I just love the letter.  There is a journal block tucked behind the photo where I translated what he wrote and gave some details.

TFL!

Mary-Ann

Back from Rome:o((((

I am back rom Italy but I think in spirit I am still there.  I want pasta all time:o)  Oh wait, I wanted it before I left too.  It is my weakness.  Since I have been back I took a week of recovery time.  I mopped, sulked and cried that I am no longer in the world that is surrounded by dark italian men.  Then I realized, I love my little blonde and his dark haired daddy and that if they were going to be happy I needed to snap out of it.  Plus, I love a toilet seat and public bathrooms with toilet paper.  I guess America isn't sooooo bad:o)  I wanted to share with you a couple photos that I took with a really cheap camera.  I think some of them came out fantastic and others, well, are too bad for show.  Close your eyes and take this Italian Journey with me....... now open them, cause you won't be able to see my photos if you don't!

Our first full day, we spend the morning in Assisi, Italy.

 Take note of the steep hills.  Everything is UP!

We headed to Florence next.  The man who wrote the story of Pinocchio  is from Florence.

Yum - Gelato everywhere.

This is the Motley Crew that I traveled with.  For a little camera, it had some really cool features.  I could do a film strip, and turn things to black and white.  

 Hitler stood on this bridge and watched as his army destroyed most of Florence.  It is called the Ponte Vecchio.  Kinda strange, standing where he once stood.

Popular mode of transportation.

View from the Ponte Vecchio.  It was so peaceful.

That area was know for its Gold shops.  So I go in thinking I should buy a ring from here.  Tried one on that I loved.  It only cost 1350 euro which would have been about $1800.00.  Hmmm, Should have got two!  HA!

So instead, we bought chocolate.  Much cheeper. 

From Florence we headed to Rome.  On the way, we stopped at the Florence American Cemetery.  Amazingly beautiful.  

We also made a side stop in a town called San Gimignano.  My favorite place we saw by far.  I would move there.  They had cafes, pottery shops, delis, leather shops, more cafes, more pottery.  

This might be the reason I would live there:o)

Biggest Pinocchio I have ever seen.

ROME!!!  Trevy fountain.

The glamourous public bathrooms.  After seeing this, I know my bathrooms are clean.  

Colosseum.  I can not explain.  The most amazing sight I have ever seen.  Well, Niagara falls was pretty cool too.

We went to the Roman Forum and saw ruins.

The vatican.

Balcony where the Pope stands to give his speech.

The Pantheon.

Cafe Latte:o)

The Pope!!!

It was truly amazing.  I did journal in my Smash book.  I hope to eventually add photos and make copies for my fellow traveling buddies.  Hmmmm, maybe in the next few years:o)  I wanna go back.  Next time I will bring my own toilet paper.  Sorry for so many photos, I could have shared all 500+:o)

TFL!

Mary-Ann