MaryJo McGraw

It has been so long since I have written much of anything . I find it hard to write. With the advent of FB reels and Tiktok my world has become even more visual than it was in the past .

 I had a few issues there for a bit. After a med change/ reduction, I feel better than ever. So I try again to get back on the Art horse and try to do a few things. Lately I have been using the Gelli Plate and really just messing with it ,trying to make paper. As you can see from this screenshot I let my hair go gray, actually, that was a 2- year process . It seemed like forever. Much easier to deal with in many ways. 

 A very long while. Some of you know that I had a heart attack back in 2017. I recovered from open heart surgery  that May and did very well immediately following. Having said that there was no way I could have known how difficult the next few years would be and how those additional illnesses would take away my ambition, energy and stamina. I must admit until 2018 I really had no real idea what fatigue really was. You must know at this point that I thought I did, having been a legitimate sufferer of insomnia since 1985. After several years of this I had a few realizations.... #1 I could no longer teach. I could lift any weight. I could not maintain speaking for long. I could not remember basic techniques #2 Somedays I barely had the energy to get up. Needless to say this killed my ambition which was ever present in my life up to this point in my life. #3 I had to focus on my health. So that really is it why I have not been around. Now I would like to try to get back to it just...

So last week Tim ( http://timholtz.com/tim-holtz-products/ ) sent me a bunch of Distress Oxide pads. I was curious and wondered how they were going to stack up against all the old pads I had loved for like more than 20 years. Well I was very pleasantly surprised and pleased. The colors are great and the blendabilty was excellent! This is a fusion ink which has properties of dye and pigment. I have always loved that the color line of all Distress products has a good array of neutrals which many stamp pad lines do not have. When I put the first color down I thought they felt a little dry but I was working on Mixed Media Strathmore paper so any pads would feel dry. I put a couple more colors down and pulled out the awesome Distress Sprayer. I really like this Sprayer!!!!! It's very easy to use and that little on/off button makes it great for travel. Once I started spraying I could see what the fuss is all about. The colors blended really well ...

On the Secret Blog today Dylusion Spray! Join today only $45 for a lifetime. See the sidebar for details and links. posted from Bloggeroid

I like to post a little here and a lot more on the SECRET BLOG. Most of what is here is related to events. Ocassionally I do a project. Like today. Here is the only page I will show here from my Forgotten Journal. All the rest are on the SECRET BLOG. Join us..........Here is your bonus of the week though...Go to  acolorfullifedesigns.com at the bottom of your order put MaryJo10 and get a surprise discount! This stencil is called BOHO fabric. I am using a pink PITT pen here since Pitt pens are india ink they go over most surfaces. including old dyes and paint. Just filling in the stencil with color at the end of the page I flipped the stencil and created an eye from the design. More on this particular page soon......Lots more on the secret blog with the other pages. posted from Bloggeroid

paypal.me/maryjomcgraw/45 COME on and join us. Loads of fun stuff and lots of info. There are projects and lots of journals, altered books and more. Its only $45 for a lifetime membership!

Friday Nov 10 from 4-7pm I will be doing our last class of the season at 88 Sargent DR Hayden Crossing in Hayden ID. Join me for a fun technique based class for journaling and cardmakers alike. We will be going CRAYON CRAZY with every kind of crayon I can think of to show you. Water soluble or wax based, we will have loads of fun with stencils, layering methods and simple coloring techniques. We will use stamps and collage and so much more. I hope you can join us for this one since I won't be back until the spring! You can always Join the SECRET BLOG for all this info TOO!  Its only $45 for gobs of info and you get it for a lifetime....ONE price forever! posted from Bloggeroid

Oct 27 Colored Pencil for Christmas 4-7pm $25 at Hayden Crossing 88 Sargent Dr Hayden ID  maryjomcgraw.blogspot.com Join me this coming Friday for a fun, fast paced, Christmas Card class using colored pencils and more. If you have not tried colored pencil before this class will reveal some of the tricks to acheiving brilliant color and simple shading and if you have tried colored pencil and find it to slow then this class is for you! Send me a message here or on facebook if you are coming

Well we had a great class Friday the 13th, wonderful ladies and lots of laughs as always! Here is a finished example of one of the cards from class. This one uses a  Fred Mullett stamps  (stamp). I know the text is upside down! I actually like the card in the other direction....thats what I love about square cards. I hope you can join us for the next class on Friday October 27th which will be Christmas Cards in Colored Pencil! Same place, same time.... More info to follow tomorrow! BTW There are new posts on the Secret Blog! If you have not joined yet.....now is the time. Click on the side post for more info or just message me here. posted from Bloggeroid

I created the Secret Blogs a few years back so I could post ideas and concepts to my old customers/friends in a more private way with out having to travel. Many of you go out and teach classes yourselves and I am OK with you passing these ideas along. When you join it is for a lifetime. Right now there are 2 Secret Blogs ; #1Just you and Me (the original secret blog) #2 the Draw & Play Secret Blog. There are over 1200 posts with photos. 25 pages including info on Gelli Plate, art materials transfers altered books ,journals, greeting cards and much more. I only post the info to those in the Secret Blog the info is not posted anywhere else.....although I make mistakes so be patient.....my memory is not what it use to be. You get in by knowing the code and the blog secret name. If you have joined in the past and don't remember the info contact me. If you would like to join it is $45 for both blogs that is for a lifetime (as long as Blogger is running) You can pay it throug...

Join us in Hayden Idaho this week for a fun cardmaking class. Mini Collage Cards @ Hayden Crossing 88 Sargent dr only $25 for a 3 hour class. See my previous post for details or message me in Facebook or here and i will get back to you asap posted from Bloggeroid http://maryjomcgraw.blogspot.com/2017/10/blog-post.html

posted from Bloggeroid

Join me for a fun and easy card class Friday the 13th at Hayden Crossing (88 Sargent Dr) in Hayden Idaho. We will cover everything from basic collage and stamping techniques to how to make your card look more professional with a few simple tricks! I will be featuring Fred Mullett Rubber Stamps and A Colorful Life Designs stencils (use MaryJo10 for a special discount) I teach all levels and we will make several cards in class as well as showing you how to turn it into an artsy pin to send as a gift. 3 hours only $25 Come and have some fun and get out of the house before winter comes! Bring along any little bits of paper, old photos, paper tapes, buttons, bits and baubs that you have laying around.  Little scissors and glue stick and thats it I will bring the rest!

I got a whole load of new stencils for my classes from www.acolorfullifedesigns.com and if you buy stencils from them and use code MaryJo10 when you check out you get 10 percent off!

I have made so many dear friends through the years from teaching. Terry is one of those. He came in with his adorable dog to Carmen's Veranda one day and soon took a class. From that time on we have been friends. Thanks for this lovely testamonial Terry....very appreciated by this lowly teacher. ‎ Terry Tyson ‎   to   Maryjo Mcgraw 22 hrs  ·  Maryjo, it is wonderful to hear that you are teaching again. The reasons are many, but let me say that if it wasn't for you and those classes I took many years ago, my love of art, fine craft and creativity would likely not be as strong or as important to me today. Truly, you inspired me to teach my own classes and I am still sharing the collective knowledge and skill you instilled in me with the very first class I took from you. Your classes were so well organized, the instr uctions complete and the final product pleased me greatly. I hope I don't embarrass you too much by saying that within the cra...