I love it when our grocery store gets creative!

Forget the sports creations the market has done in the past...


This time it's all about tanks. And this one was the coolest according to Dyllan!


~ Michelle Cummings

Tuesday Tutorial- "Ribbon Head Bands"

The tutorial for this week is how to make Ribbon Head Bands!
Look in the photo above.
Easy huh?
Simply sort through your stash of ribbons, making sure you pick ones at least 1/2" wide. Measure the ribbon for your head and cut it at least 2" smaller then a full width of your head.
Find some large pony tail holders and hand sew the ends of the ribbon to each side.

You can then wear it just like a average head band, or put your hair into the pony tail as you would normally do, then neatly place the ribbon part on your head.
Secure in place with a pretty hair clip if desired.
These two pretty head bands will be added to this months giveaway. :)
Just leave a comment here and then visit these other posts to increase your chances of winning everything posted for June.
week 1- decorated coasters,
week 2 - soda can star lights
week 3 - dried citrus
Good luck!

Festive Friday Blog Hop!

I have been invited to be apart of a International Christmas Card Blog Hop!
Christmas now you say?
Yep, it's a crafters movement to inspire people "early" because before you know it...
Christmas will be here!
I hope you like my card and will "hop" along and enjoy all the other amazing inspiration!
Here are all the crafters involved...

1.	Terri Sproul
2.	Chris Hurley
3.	Cheryl Lindsay
4.	Laura Davidson
5.	Amanda Marks
6.	Debbie Buckland
7.	Brenda Lee Burfeind
8.	Angela Bodas
9.	Yolonda
10.	Becky Conley
11.	Fabrizio Martellucci
12.	leslie-rahye
13.	Laura Fisher
14.	The Robin's Nest
15.	Carol Berns
16.	Michelle Cummings

I have another card on The Robins Nest too! :)
__________________________________
I distressed the white background with shades of green chalk. Then tore the Christmas paper and placed on top. I stamped a bit of scrap paper with versa mark and brushed on gold perfect pearls. I added the vintage clip art and then edged the piece with a gold leafing pen before placing on the card. The holly strip on the side is salvaged from holiday wrapping paper and the "Believe" are letters cut from a magazine. Lastly I accented Santa's robe with stickles.

********************************************
This is "posted" early to keep in sync with the International participants :)
Enjoy!

Dried Citrus Window Decorations!

This week for my Tuesday tutorial I thought I'd show you how to make dried citrus to hang in the window! I made mine using my food dehydrator. It's really handy to have on hand for drying fruits, jerky and even herbs.

The dehydrator comes with a plastic tray for making your own fruit leather. Cool, huh? I usually put it at the base of the dehydrator to catch drips if needed.



Cut your citrus as thin as you can with out destroying the ring shape. I used limes and grapefruit. You can also use blood oranges, kumquats, and navel...most any citrus will work, just make sure they have a solid rind .


Don't throw away the remains! Use them in iced water for a refreshing spa drink.
If you are using lemons, salt them and rub over your copper pans and kettles for a instant shine! Or do what I did and run them in your garbage disposal to sanitize your sink and make the kitchen smell great!


Place your largest slices on the bottom trays and the smaller slices on the top trays. Don't let the slices touch or they will stick during the drying process. My book that came with the dehydrator said it would take 2-16 hours to dry @135 *F, so after about 4 hours I flipped them. Then a little bit later I rotated the slices again later on so the not so dry pieces were near the bottom.
Go with the temp stated in your dehydrators book or if you want to do this in a oven...try laying the slices directly on the oven rack instead of on a baking sheet.
Use a oven temperature of 275 *F for the first hour, then 225 *F for two additional hours or more as needed.

Your slices are dry when they are not sticky to touch.
To hang them in a window, you'll need :
transparent thread, a toothpick, suction cups, and scissors.

Poke a hole into the dried pulp and begin knotting your fruit along.
Hang individually or in a assorted line.
Place them in a bright sunny window, decorate a wreath, throw in with some dried rose petals or adorn a gift!
The possibilities are endless! :)




Thanks for coming by! I hope to have inspired you! Please visit more of my tutorials here and see what I'm giving away this month! :)

It was crazy hair day last Friday

Last Friday at Dyllan's school was crazy hair day. We went to the party store and bought some green hair spray. Then the morning of, used some of Daddy's hair gel to get it all spiky and standing up. I let the hair gel set while he ate his breakfast.
I had Dyllan stand in the shower with a towel on his shoulders to protect his shirt (not that it would have mattered- same color!)
I really love how his darling cowlick in front is accented by the gel. :)
Did you notice the missing tooth? We never even noticed that it was loose! He thinks he swallowed it in his sleep. I had him write an adorable letter to tooth fairy, explaining about the lost tooth. and when she gave him $1, he wrote a thank you letter. :) - melts my heart!
(He knows I have good connections with the tooth fairy, pick up fairy, Easter bunny and Santa Clause. :)

Time for Coffee!

Paper and rub ons from The Robins Nest.

Tuesday Tutorial- "Soda Can Star Lights"

As promised, here is yesterdays tutorial..."Soda Can Star Lights"!
Supplies needed:

1. Soda or beer cans. - empty and clean.
2. Gloves. - nothing fancy, I use cheap gardening gloves.
3. Scissors, permanent pen and a heavy duty hole punch like a crop-a-dile.
4. Cardboard to make template, or dies that can cut through thin tin.
5. Big Shot multipurpose platform, 1 cutting pad & 1 rubber pad.
6. Embossing folder- I used cuttle bug swiss dots.
7. Sanding block, and wet cloth.
8. String of lights.

Start by selecting your cans. It looks like we drink alot of soda, but we really don't. We always keep cherry Pepsi and diet Coke on hand for visiting family and friends. The squirt is used as a cutter for margarita's and as for everything else, I just bought it for the can. :)

Cans. So say you drink absolutely no soda. No sweat. Health food stores carry lots of fruit drinks in colorful cans. Sometimes you can find amazing colored cans in cultural mom and pop markets.

Using sharp sturdy scissors, cut the top and bottom off your can. Be sure to cut over a trash or recycle bin can to catch any sharp slivers of tin. Rinse your tin sheets in a colander in the sink. Use a wash cloth to help clean off any syrup residue.
Dry with a dish towel and set aside. I used a cereal box to make my templates. I first cut the cardboard to the same size of the coda can sheet, then drew and cut out my stars.
I chose making my own template as apposed to using a sizzix die with the sheets because a template allowed me to get the most out of my soda can sheet.
For best embossing results, you'll want to flip open your multipurpose platform to Tab 1.
Put your one cutting pad on top, then put your embossing folder on that with tin shapes inside. Next, put your rubber mat on top and run through your machine. If you are new to embossing soda cans on your sizzix, it will feel like it's not working, but trust me, it is. :)
See? Works great!Sanding blocks can be found in the nail polish section of any store or even in discount markets.
Sand as little or as much as you want. I recommend to do it on a raised surface like a over turned plastic bowl, a paper back or block of wood. This will give you more control of what you are sanding with out destroying your finger nails. Use the wet cloth to wipe away sanding grit as you work.
If perchance you don't want to use the soda can design in your shape, your can color the blank side with alcohol inks. Just be sure to use a sealer if displaying these out doors.
You can layer up to 3 shapes when you use your crop-a-dile to punch your hole. Only use the smaller of the punch (1/8 ") or your shape will fall off the lights.
Use your scissors to snip 5 cuts inside the punched hole.
Slide each shape right over each light bulb. The cuts inside each hole help stabilize it on the bulb.
- Sorry for the blurry image! There was a slight breeze.
So pretty!
So there you have it! Easy huh? The giveaway for this weeks tutorial will be about 20 assorted soda cans sheets, cut and cleaned and then pre embossed so all you have to do is cut your shape. I will also include a sanding block. To have a chance to win, please comment here.

I have a giveaway posted every week, every month. To learn more about these giveaways and how to increase your chances of winning, please go here.

Thanks and happy creating!

Springtime in the Desert

Amazing how something can be so beautiful and painful at the same time...


~ Michelle Cummings

Happy Friday!

Stars and Stripes Forever

I made this Patriotic layout using 4th of July product and papers from The Robins Nest shop!
Please visit their blog for more themed idea's like this one! :)

Tuesday Tutorial- "Decorated Cork Coasters"

The theme for this months Tuesday Tutorials is "Party Favors & Decorations"!
So I thought it would be fun to show you just how easy it to make drink coasters.
All the items shown above, (click on photo for close up) can be purchased at once from your favorite craft shop. Coaster base is a must but does not have to be wood. It can be acrylic, plastic, tile or other cut wood if you are handy with a saw. I don't recommend any other glue besides multipurpose tacky glue- for the cork, because you need it to go on thick, then dry flat and clear.

Begin by tracing your base onto the cork sheet with a ball point pen. Don't worry if the cork curls up, it will set flat in the end. Make your design big and bold and try to limit your colors. Too much detail can easily be ruined when you go back with the outline marker. - If this happen, just flip it over and re-create.
You'll want to use permanent pens because they won't bleed when your drink glass perspires. But because the cork is porous, you'll want to take breaks inbetween colors to give the pen a chance to re-ink it self, or just have multiple pens of that color on hand.
When you have finished coloring, use a fine tip black pen to outline all the details. Then start filling in the background.
Please click on the above photo for a close up if needed.
You will need to cut out your coaster and save the corners for the coaster bottom, or "feet". Turn over and add alot of glue. Don't apply it to close to the edges or it will squeeze out in a messy way when attached to the base.
Attach cork bottoms, sign your piece and while face down, put a heavy book, (I used a big cook book) on top for a couple of hours to set.

This is fun for all ages and would even be a fun craft at a party for guests to do. They can decorate and take home their own creations!
The giveaway for this week will be enough cork to make 4 coasters.
Please leave a comment here for a chance to win.
Every Tuesday I'll post a new project with a new giveaway.
Each comment you leave per that months Tuesday Tutorials will increase your chances of winning the months worth of projects! The catch is...I need to be able to reach you in case you win. So please leave your e-mail, Fiskateer #, e-mail or full name in case I actually know you.
Thanks, and Good luck!