Festive Christmas "Card" Blog Hop!

 This week for the Festive Christmas Christmas Card "Blog Hop", I played around with some embossing fun!
Materials used: Embossing ink pad, a cornstarch pouch, heat tool,  inks, favorite stamps, a heat proof surface such as the cork backing of a hard place mat, embossing powder/glitter, glitter glues, vintage trim, and a pencil with a unused erasure, foam tape, favorite adhesive.

 

Juice up your embossing pad and prime your pencil erasure. Simply rub it across a patch of carpet until it does not have a hard surface. (remember doing this in High School)? 

Rub your starch pouch on the paper, it will help deter stray  emboss granules.

Then stamp your pencil erasure into the emboss pad and then onto the paper. After 4-5 stampings, quickly sprinkle with choice of embossing powder/glitter. Continue this routine until you've done all your stamping.

 

Shake off the excess powder back into your container. If you used more than one color of embossing powder and they start to mix, pour it into a  baggy or other container to use on a later project. :) 

Heat dots with your heating tool and then set aside to cool while you work on the rest of the craft.

 

I layered my cards with foam tape, stamped the candy with embossing powder, then cut them out and added them with foam tape as well. I glittered the edges of the card layers with glitter glue and added some fabric  

and vintage trim. Including the time for the embossing, this card was made in 15 minutes, tops.

 

If you liked this card, please leave me a comment and then continue along on the "Hop" with the rest of the participants.  You can start with #1 or go #13 Diane W. Tuggle - she is after Me.  Some of the participants are having giveaways on their blog! 

Happy Blog Hopping!

1. Terri Sproul 
2. Chris Hurley  
3. Cheryl Lindsay  
4.  Amanda Marks  
5. Brenda Lee Burfeind 
6.  Angela Bodas  
7. Becky Conley 
8. Leslie-Rahye 
9. Laura Fisher 
10. The Robin’s nest  
11. Carol Berns  
12. Michelle Cummings  
13.  Diane W. Tuggle  
14.  Debra Buckland  
15. Yolanda Anthony  
16. Maria Chuy Soto 
17.  Laura Davidson 

Stamp Camp "Cards" Inspiration

  

Every month I get together with a amazing group of ladies. All of them are dedicated card makers/ stampers. Usually we have a themed card swap, but this month we did something different. Each of us brought a stamp from home that we have never used and swapped it. The stamp we did get, we took home, and made a card or two with it. Then we gave the stamp and the creations back to it's owner so they would be newly inspired to use their stamp. 

I swapped out this peacock stamp from a Fiskars acrylic stamp set. And (above) is the card someone created for me!

Here are some more amazing card creations from swapped stamps!

 This next one is the one I created. :)

 Before our little meeting starts, some of the ladies bring cards and tags that have made since the last meeting and pass them around like a "show and tell"

 

See more "Stamp Camp" card inspiration here!

Mrs. Hancocks Baby Quilt

 At the end of 1st grade, Dyllan and I presented this quilt to his 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Hancock. She was expecting her first child, a girl by July.Mrs. Hancock has cats, so I wanted to incorporate them into the quilt with complimenting colors. I also thought that since she's a teacher, she might create a "eye spy" game with her little girl as she grew...to maybe count the different colored kitties. :)

 This was the first project I made with my sewing machine in nearly 6 years and also the first machine sewn quilt I've ever made. When it comes to crafting, I don't really like to follow rules, -  not all the squares are perfectly cut, and some of the stitches may be uneven, it's still made with Love and that's what counts, right? :)

 

My Step Mom who's a seasoned quilter gave us the idea of creating our own signature for the back. 

I love all the zig zag stitches. It's so Me!

 

Lady Bug Love

~ Michelle  Frae Cummings

Ice Museum 2011

This past summer at the Orange County Fair, we visited the Ice Museum, which was on it's second year.
Dyllan and I went 1st thing on a Wednesday before we rode rides all day. Admission is free with your fair entry and you have a option for a insulated blanket to drape over your shoulders or brave the below freezing temps like I did.
My camera kept fogging up so I took photos as quick as I could. Look how cute Dyllan looks with his freezing rosy cheeks. :)
The window sculptures can be seen from outside line, but the view is so much better from inside looking out.
Details are simply amazing!
I love this clam and pearl. Especially when they colored part of the sculpture and lit up the rest with special lights.


Look how graceful this jelly fish looks.

Ice Queen Dominique Colell was there daily with her all women troupe "The Chainsaw Chicks" carving up new sculptures.
We can't wait to go again next summer!