My Favorite Photo

I took this last night on Dyllan's Birthday. He's holding his favorite character from Disney, Donald Duck. The happy smile on his face is just priceless. It's my favorite photo. More to come, I'm sure, ~ as the party is tomorrow!

Now we are 5

Today is Dyllan's 5th birthday!

Oh how you have grown through out the years...

Such a Happy little boy!

Always full of laughter


Here you are on your 1st birthday...

~ And now we are 5!
Happy Birthday Dyllan!
Love Mommy and Daddy
and all your family and friends*

Where I Create & a Little Giveaway!

I'm sorry for my lateness in joining the party!
It's been a whirlwind of a week and only to get crazier!
I leave tomorrow for a few days at my Dad's with Dyllan. I'm taking Dyllan to San Diego's Comic Con on Sunday and we are stoked! Dyllan will be dressing as "Captain Rex" from Clone Wars and I will be a pink Mom. It's our first time going and I don't know what to expect so I just want to be comfortable. Ya know? So since I will be the keeper of snacks, liquids and what nots in my pink back pack, I thought I'd also wear my pink croc's-wanna-be's , a cute pink top, grey leggings, pink nails and a cute pink tiara. Next year I might attach Faerie wings to the back pack...we will see....
*
So as for the where Bloggers Create party hosted by My Desert Cottage, I'm sharing a few pics as to where I find my inspiration when I create.

~In the garden. I love to crush the herbs, lavender, basil, mint, oregano and my peppermint geranium in my fingers.
Their scent renews me. I, with a sketch pad in hand, create new wonders to make out of paper, wire or fabric.

Even though my green space is small, I let it over run, making it almost like a secret garden.

My Plumeria is almost in full bloom. I pluck one for my hair, enjoying the tropical scent while I continue my creative journey.

Look at this wee chair shaded by a over grown mushroom....

It's the start of my new Faerie garden... just a peek is all I can show for now,

In my studio, I have a little section to display my own and art by people I admire.

It keeps me happy and inspired. Those colorful boxes you see are "Scrapboxes" and they are waiting to be filled with paper treasures before being shipped off to some patiently waiting friends.
For the party...I'm giving away 2 newly made charms. I have some left over from a current swap I hosted (things with wings) more photo's to posted next week!

One person will win 2 charms. One itty bitty nest and one owl piece.
Just post here on this post and double your chance by popping over to my other blog as well!
I'll pick a winner when I return on Tuesday the 28th.
So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

btw...Congratulations to Angellandspot for winning my last RAK!

Lovely package exchange!

The lovely package exchange is a swap of lovely things with an emphasis on ... packaging!
It is for anyone who appreciates a good package: both receiving and sending them.


Sign up by July, 27th at "oh, hello my friend"

Mark Your Calendars!

Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage is hosting a party!
Inspired by the publication of Where Woman Create, you will be able to see where your favorite bloggers create! I'll be joining in on the fun, so be sure to stop by and say hi!

In honor of my 2nd blog, RAK!

In honor of my 2nd blog, "Art and Life of Michelle Cummings"
I'm giving away this craft kit. Also included, but not shown is a gently used clear letter stamps, some glitter, and lots of fibers/ribbons and embellishments. You can be sure I'll stuff the shipping box full! I'll pick a winner this Friday, so make sure I can reach you. By e-mail or non-private blog. To increase your chances of winning, hop on over to my 2nd blog and add your self as a follower. Those now following and those that add them selves before Friday will have a extra chance to win.
Thanks for stopping by!

By the way...I'm (recently) very excited!!! Go HERE to see why!

Honorable Mention

Is what I received at this years County Fair for "Blast Off"
I'm happy with how it turned out since I had to put it in a frame for their wall!

I'm sure the reason why this one did not place was because I did not add a title or journal card.
I just did not know what to "add", with out ruining the lay out! I'll add something later when the fair is over . I used Prima flowers and rhinestones. I hand stitched around the photo and added two dimensional wings. For the prima flowers I added stickles for a little glitz.

I think it's the most beautiful Lay out I've done in a while.
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For my "Vintage Inspired Chunky Charm Bracelet"....It took me two day to make it. I collected the beads from my personal stash and antique flea markets. I was duplicating a vintage bracelet that my Great-Great Grandmother made.

I macrame braided the base of the chunky charm bracelet with gold elastic elastic cord.

I then randomly sewed with extra elastic cord these charms I so carefully made.

The lot mainly consisted of vintage jewelry that I took apart, cleaned then mixed and matched to make the charms.

Here is the original which was the source of my inspiration.

I was sure that judges would be impressed with the craftsman ship and uniqueness of my bracelet. I guess not. The positive part about this that I've created something that I'm proud of and look forward to making more to add to my shop!
The 1st place winner of this category made something that I was both surprised and happy to see...a wire wrapped/ beaded Tiara! Now that I know Tiara's are part of the jewelry category, I plan on making some for next years fair!

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We met up with some friends at the fair last night. We ate, walked around, watched the kids ride rides and left tired. I'll take photo's next week when I go with just Dyllan. We want to see the animals, shows and ride on some rides together. What a fun day that will be!

Big Trees and Angels

Last month we went away for a week up north and one of the places we always visit is Big Tree's State Park!
They have some of the tallest trees around and it's so beautiful and quiet.
(((Please "click" on ANY photo for a close-up!)))





~ In this next shot, I was surprised to see that I captured what appears to be an Angel.

2 seconds later...nothing.

But then on the next frame, I get this...and it appears that Dyllan is watching it. (I was not aware of any of this till I saw the images on the computer later)

After taking a few shots of Dyllan, I snapped off a few more at the trees roots as I was "drawn" to their beauty...

It seems, whatever I captured started to dissipate upwards till it was gone.
What a visual treat!

Here we are enjoying our picnic lunch with a few friends....

Brian caught a shot of me sitting on a unique bench, viewing the worlds tallest tree.
then I got a quick shot of Brian and Dyllan inside a olden days drive through tree.





This little guy scared the willies out of Dyllan when he went to throw away some trash.

Hope you enjoyed the photo's!

***~Please come and visit my 2nd blog..., Art and Life by Michelle Cummings
I posted about 4th of July on that one!

Radishes

I've recently acquired a new art piece to add to my growing collection of favorite inspirationsal artist's!
This one is a oil painting of radishes by Jolie Guillebeau!
It reminds me of the vegetable garden we had when I was younger, growing up in Borrego Springs, CA.

She even included a personal note with one of her cards!

In her shop, you can find beautiful jewelry on miniature watercolors of her oil paintings....

And then the originals.

~This shape ball brings back so many happy memories....
Please take the time to stop by her shop for a trip down memory lane.

Cup Cake ATC's

I recently participated in a cup cake ATC swap! Here are the goodies I received...mine is the middle top row in the first photo.





If you'd like to see more ATC's I've done...please go here.