Welcome to my "Magical" Tea Party!

Thank You for coming, and thank you to Faerie Vanessa
for hosting such a magical Tea party,
mad or not...we shall have fun!
Look! the guest are flying in!

Faerie Queen is dressed in her finest spring outfit, waiting to welcome you!
(faeries enjoy fluttering on a summer breeze)
So put on your Faerie slippers and moonstone necklace and join the fun!

The faeries have been very busy straightening up their little home.
Such a delightful place it is!

Look at all those wonderful knooks and crannies...

Faerie Jasper is polishing some new buds, making them sparkling bright!
perfect timing as the guest are arriving as we speak!
(Hold hands, let us sing and play...)

Faerie Silk had been busy in her wee little sewing room creating wonderful Tea Party garments!
(her magic mirror reflects back only smiles)

Faerie Mary has been busy as a little faerie bee... whipping up some scrumptious Faerie Cakes!

Don't these look tantalizing? She baked them fresh just for you!
(find this recipe here)
(stir, stir, bake, bake, help me create a faerie cake!)

(and cupcake decoration tutorial here!)

The party chairs have all been set out....

Come, come! Says the Queen...take a ride on the Faerie Carousel...

Jump aboard your favorite winged friend....

...and let the wind spin you around....

...and around.... :)
(up, up, round and round, dancing feet don't touch the ground...)

"Magical" Tea Parties call for plenty of song and dance with friends of all sizes.
(play the harp, bang the drum, faerie music makes you hum...)
I hope you are enjoying this wonderful day!
Look! Faerie King Teddy Bear has joined our party!
Let's have some tea and more Faerie cakes!
(berries juicy, cookies sweet, faeries sing before they eat!)

Thank you so much for coming my way, did you enjoy your day?
In honor of Mad Tea Part 2010,
I am giving away all 3 of these lovely Butterfly pins to one lucky Faerie!
I will pick a winner late June 30th, so be sure to leave me your e-mail in case you win!

June 30th is also the last day to receive free shipping in my shop! On any item to any location.

Thank you for coming to my "Magical" Tea Party!


ooops! almost forgot!-
I just started writing about Scrapbooking for an new site called Memory Keeping Collection!
In honor of this new and exciting adventure I'm having another giveaway! Please visit me here, and check out all my current postings. If you leave a comment, I'll add your name to a drawing to win a pizza box filled with enough materials to complete a scrapbook album (minus the album)- perfect for beginners...paper, card stock, embellishment, adhesive...and more! The more comments you leave the more chances you have to win! I will pick a winner on July 19th.
Thanks! and Good Luck!
~Michelle

****Faerie images and (quotes) are from "Fairy Tree House" ****
(In sunshine, wind, or summer rain, make sure you visit us again!)

Happy Birthday ETSY! & Free shipping in my SHOP till June 30th!

Happy Birthday to ETSY! est, June 2005!

I'm offering FREE shipping on ALL items in MY SHOP
untill end of June 30th , 2010!
Once the item(s) are paid for...I'll refund shipping. :)

Feel free to spread the good cheer and Happy Shopping!

I have Fantastic news to share with you!

I just started to write for a Scrapbook site
called "Memory Keeping Collection!"
I'm blogging with the likes of
Lisa Bearnson,
Eileen Hull,
Jennifer Goode,
Candice Windham
and Lisa Rojas!
I hope you'll come by and see me!
Comments always welcome and to celebrate,
I'm having a extra giveaway on this blog this Saturday!

Wheee!

I'm Back! ...sorta...

I'm really sorry for my lack of posting on this blog.
My Mother in law, Susan had been really sick for the last few months
and took a spill a couple of weeks back which landed her in the hospital.
We found out that she had pancreas cancer and it was terminal. While she was in the hospital, I got most of my tears out.
I was a mess. I also discovered my "true" friends and bonded closer to family.

She came home from the hospital to her home which was ready with a bed and hospice things.
I visited her a couple days later and while she could not talk with her mouth, she spoke with her eyes when I told her how much I loved her and thanked her for my husband Brian. I said my goodbyes.
Dyllan came with me the next day and whispered that he loved her and he also said goodbye and she smiled.
I sat in her room that day with Dyllan, making wire art together.
I like to think she was glad we were there.

A couple of days later she got worse and then a week later, last Friday , June 18th, she passed away in the morning.
I'm still freaky sad.
I'm gonna really miss her.
Now some of my creative mojo has hit a speed bump,even as I've been pushing myself extra hard to finish things due at the end of the month.

So I'm back. Sorta.

I have tons of things to share with you, but not enough oomph to write with, you know?
The above photo is from this post where I had a tutorial and a giveaway.
The below photo is what I made for the giveaway.

I just wanted to have something to share with you as I know it's been awhile.

Wednesday is the last day of kindergarten for Dyllan so this week is crazy.
I won't have another post for you until this Saturday June 26th, which is the day of Vanessa's Mad Tea Party!
I've been planning this for weeks and am totally unprepared (due to current situations), but I promise it will be magical on my end with plenty of surprises to share and giveaway!

So please come back for the fun!
(and thank you for your support) :)
~Michelle

Will return Friday

I have been in a funk lately. ALL sorts of stuff going on that I have no control over and I'm sorry if it has effected my blogging. I'll be back on Friday with some cute Fathers Day projects to share. The above image was made by Jessica of Zakka Life...and she has them for the whole week!
See you soon!
~Michelle

Happy Flag Day!

Happy Flag Day Everyone!

How do you Recycle?

3 months ago i was browsing the web looking for local recycling centers to take our soda cans to when I found a site called Bottles and Cans. I started bumping around their site finding all sorts of great information including a free recycling kit! But when I signed up to receive it, I thought I would be getting a information packet, not this...
Not that I don't like it! We love it!
It's fun to fill and convenient for when I have crop parties. It's also light weight and very durable. It was a nice surprise since I had ordered it so long ago!
Some of my favorite things on their site are:

• How to find a recycling center in your area
• A CRV refund calculator. You can get a estimate before you go!
• FREE stuff! Posters and the recycling kit above. perfect for your office, school or busy home like mine!

Frogs & Peace Sign Scrapbox

Here is a Custom Scrapbox I made for someone in my shop!
They wanted frogs and peace signs...


I really like how the colors came together.

And I cut out all the frogs by hand from patterned paper!

If you would like to see more of my Scrapboxes...you can go here and here.



Thanks for looking!
and don't forget about the Charm Swap I'm hosting!

"Wish You Were Here!" Summer Charm Swap!

The Theme is "Wish You Were Here"


Please make 15 charms. (if less than 15 sign up, I'll ship extra's back to you)
$5 for shipping,Stamps OK but no meter labels please.
I also accept payments via pay pal, (I'll give you that address per request)
Due by July 31st, 2010
International Welcome...please include extra shipping.

the premise: make up 15 (mostly the same) charms of your ONE favorite summer memory.
Can be from childhood to now.
Any memory!
Include with each charm a 4X6 card made up to look like a post card.
Should be sturdy. not paper thin.So as not to get bent in shipping.
(same as recipe/index cards, but you can cut your own too)
The ( postcard) image side is about your summer memory but does not have to be exact.
Can be assorted images, collages from travel brochures, painted, stamped, fabric, or even a real photo.

the other side should look like a real post card.
On the left side: Write your greeting...(just like you would normally on a PC)
Dear Friend,
example- I'm having so much fun camping with the girls scouts. I love Yosemite!
sign it..Wish you were here!

The right side will have your contact info.- web site, blog, e-mail....
these can all be made with a printer or copy machine
(please do not write all 15 by hand!)
but have fun and make it creative!

Please be creative in making your charms!
(sorry I don't have a charm sample to show yet!)

Use fun supplies but be sure they are safe to wear or display.
Your charm must have a ring or clasp attached.
( can be wire wrapped, but be sure the charm will not fall off.)
Please do not make your charm out of paper, unless the design is approved by me.

You can get idea's from our past swaps of what materials can be used~ shrink plastic, wire, bottle caps, rusty things, glass, clay, recycled, felt, soldered, fabric, buttons, beads, findings...
and more!
Sign up's are taken until we reach 15 charm makers.
If you are interested in joining, feel free to post here and then shoot me a e-mail!
altered-art@hotmail.com
Thanks!

Charm Making Participants so far:

1. Michelle Cummings
2. Mahala Elliott
3. Ashani Samuel
4. Victoria Sturdevant
5. Marissa Wong
6. Jessica Mount
7. Angela Hoffman
8. Carol Hoffmann
9. Elizabeth Coffey
10. ?
11. ?
12. ?
13. ?
14. ?
15. ?

100th Post for 2010 - Giveaway!

This marks the count for my 100th post for this year! That means since My 1st post on June 15th, 2007...I'm at 614 posts! I do roughly 150-200 posts per year, and I'm thinking that maybe by the end of next year I'll be able to celebrate my 1,000th post? :)

So on to the giveaway....My scrapbook /altered art group is having a local Craft & Hobby garage sale at my place at the end of June. And since then, I've been filling up my garage with things to sell!
And as you can see I have a lot of stuff!
So for my giveaway...as I sort, I will fill a pretty good sized box (12X9 4"deep) with "studio de-stash".
For your chance to win, comment here with idea's you have found that work to store your stuff. Earn a extra chance to win by linking to your blog or flickr to show photo's of your organization!
If I pick you (by random # generator) and if I can't contact you because your blog profile is private or you did not leave a active e-mail addy, I will promptly pick another winner.
I will pick someone Monday Morning. Good luck to you! and good luck to me in sorting my stuff!

That Impish Grin...

I don't know about you...but Dyllan's cute little cowlick and impish grin gets me all giggly inside!

Jackie has some NEW hats in her shop!

Jackie has some new hats in her shop!
Please check it out and come back to THIS post to let me know which hats you like!
Jackie is this months featured seller for my Etsy Spotlight!

I'm still looking for someone to be featured on June 18th!
If you or someone you know might be interested...please have them e-mail me!
altered-art@hotmail.com

To be featured here on my blog....

1. Your shop must be current
2. Once accepted, you'll featured on a 3rd Friday of a month,
and will be visible on my blog for the whole time.
3. You'll need to mail me 2 good quality shop samples
4. I will handle the shipping of the "won" item to your winner.
5. In the case I don't have a seller to spotlight,
the current seller will have a extra month.