Monday, February 23, 2009

With a Little Help from My Friend

Here are the cards Mathias and I made yesterday using Bunny Love, a cute new set from the spring Close To My Heart catalog. As you can see, we used the same sketch for all four cards. Three-year-olds like to keep moving, and thus, coming up with a variety of sketches was out of the question.

Once I got it measured, Mathias did all of the paper cutting. He also operated the 'cranker thing' AKA Cuttlebug with the embossing folders and Nestabilities dies. He was happy to watch me do the stamping and coloring, which I did with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits. He was even impressed, stating quite emphatically, "You're a good colorer, Gamma!" Throughout the process, he offered color suggestions with me accepting enough of them for him to feel good about what we were doing. He learned to use the tape runner and poke holes with the 'stabber thing' AKA piercing tool, which I made clear is for is only for 'stabbing' paper! We talked about shapes, texture, and color, and I answered what must have been 100 questions.

It was fun and worth it, because while I was at work today, he told grandpa that I'm his best friend. That fact, of course, is subject to change and most likely will the next time I have to skedaddle him off to bed or tell him he has to use his 'inside voice' in the hallways. LOL. And, since I used up all my patience yesterday, I'm going to list all of the materials and supplies we used for the cards in one list. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out!

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Key Lime, Heavenly Blue, Baby Pink, Amethyst, Crystal Blue, Sunny Yellow, Clover Meadow, and Bubblegum cardstock; Black, Crystal Blue, and Amethyst ink pads; Close To My Heart Bunny Love and Say it in Style and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Heavenly Blue My Accents; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Cuttlebug with Forest Branches, Houndstooth, Swiss Dots, and Tiny Bubbles embossing folders and Nestabilities Classic Circles set; 3M foam mounting tape.

It was a busy Monday, the start of what looks like is going to be a busy week. I hope yours was a good day, too, the beginning of a good week. With that, I'm going to grab a bite to eat and spend a little time in my corner before heading for bed. Later ...

7 comments:

Laurel said...

So cute! I am sure you both enjoyed the process!

Anonymous said...

Awwww, Kathi, you ARE a good Grandma! How wonderfully sweet - both the experience and the cute cards!

Sharli
CTMH - AZ

Anonymous said...

Kathi I said it before and I'll say it again - YOU'RE AN AWESOME GAMMA! The times you skedaddle him to bed will stand out less in his mind than the time you spend with him sharing something you love to do.
I spent alot of time with my grandma growing up, some of which involved 'liquid embroidery', a shared passion for reading Double Day Book Club books and Doodleart. I can't remember my Grandma ever 'skedaddling' me anywhere but I remember those special things.
YOU ROCK!!!

Jeanne said...

Oh Kathi! Thanks SO very much for sharing this with us. Not only for the absolutely adorable cards but for the memory you created. I completely agree with Ms. Pammie! This is going to be a cherished memory.

Loved the part about your being his best friend and how fleeting that can be. I'm loved and unloved by Jessica on a regular basis...depending on if she likes or doesn't like what Mommy tells her. LOL

Sylvia said...

You and Mathias do good work. Just think of all the memories for both of you. I loved your frog stamps a few post ago. I am going to have to the Toadily set from Penny Black.

Heather said...

What a cute project for Grandma and grandson. What great memories! I'm sure my mother-in-law can't wait to create with my little guy! They look great! Tell the little man he did a great job!!!

Lori Betz said...

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful personality and generosity with us. I love reading your posts nearly every day. Maybe one day I'll actually get to meet you!

I do have a question for you that I'm sure you've probably answered (maybe even several times). How do you emboss your CTMH papers without the white core coming through? Sometimes that is a desired effect, but other times, it's not. Do you layer your papers? THank you.