tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81385263061055183762011-11-03T22:28:54.724-05:00{A collection of crafty ideas that I have found or have tried}Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-29490630725541704722011-10-30T18:20:00.001-05:002011-10-30T18:20:10.327-05:00

Every year, all the way back to when Aaron and I were engaged, we have always dressed up together as a family for Halloween. It’s so much more fun that way, if you ask me. I have a feeling that this tradition may be on the verge of ending, so I begged and pleaded the family for a theme that I’ve been thinking of  for a while now. Can you guess this year’s costume theme? Disney’s Up! We love this

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-38412593865986242022011-09-15T22:22:00.001-05:002011-09-15T22:22:36.169-05:00

Joy Bryant in yellow by kricket3603 featuring buckle belts

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-33118539506272266292011-09-14T14:34:00.002-05:002011-09-14T14:37:25.786-05:00

Leather Rose by kricket3603 featuring a crinkle jacket So, I've been playing around with Polyvore creating outfit sets. This one is one of my favorites and wanted to try the blog post option. What do you think? Like it? Never again?

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-30321403531003056192011-09-07T16:54:00.000-05:002011-09-07T16:54:17.862-05:00

This past week I was participating in Freckles in April’s 21 day challenge. I wish I had known about it sooner because I would have loved to do all 21 days, but I only discovered it the last week of the challenge. Kayla picked my outfit as one of her favorites for the Sunday Shoe challenge. Check out all the featured looks here. I should say she picked my shoes. I mean, come on, who doesn’t

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-66856703169515334172011-09-05T10:04:00.002-05:002011-09-05T10:06:48.394-05:00

Library Day (7/13/11) Today was SUPPOSE to be our first try at the library as a whole group. If all went well we would continue to go once a week the rest of the summer, more on that in a minute…. First, we made personalized bags for our library books. I found these waterproof canvas bags at our Dollar Tree. Great material, not-so-great print. Very 70’s hippie chick… I had the great idea that we

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-81267018537942510952011-09-05T09:39:00.001-05:002011-09-05T09:39:26.008-05:00

On Side Note: We had so much fun with this summer that the blog fell behind. So after much complaining from my mother (love you), I figured I better get us up to date. So be prepared for post overload… Flat Stanley (7/12/11) I have always loved the books about Flat Stanley. They are about a boy who is flattened in his sleep by a bulletin board and sent on multiple adventures through the mail.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-61235709972119786882011-08-28T22:21:00.003-05:002011-09-09T02:40:15.115-05:00

Over at the Clothed Much blog on Rule-Breaking Monday last week  (yes, I know I’m a little slow), Elaine issued a challenge. Break the rule that your belt, shoes and purse have to match. I can so do this… If you’ve seen me you know that my main purse/diaper bag is big and yellow. It’s like a yellow bus…it takes everything we need, everywhere we go. I break the matching rule on a daily basis. The

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-36681429635521662222011-07-26T23:51:00.004-05:002011-08-02T10:34:54.453-05:00

Source: google.com via Marissa on Pinterest I know when I shared my inspiration I promised pictures of the bedroom redo in process. Since  some of my favorite blogs were doing link parties, I figured now would be a good time to give you a sneak peek.  As you can guess, I went with grey, yellow and blue (like a turquoise). I am so in love with grey right now and it’s quite funny.  I love white

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-19779246432015736942011-07-22T10:01:00.000-05:002011-07-22T10:01:00.755-05:00

Lego Day My boys are obsessed with Legos. Seriously. They love building with their Legos, playing Lego games on the computer, watching Lego movies, drawing Lego pictures, coloring Lego printables, and anything else that uses Legos or is related to Legos. No joke. So I only thought it fair that we have a Lego day. We started out building and playing with Legos all morning. Then, I printed some

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-26095816549611897122011-07-21T21:51:00.001-05:002011-07-21T21:51:26.614-05:00

On a Stick Day Since our nice weather continued (and we didn’t eat the s’mores from the previous day), we had another outdoor/grilled dinner. This time our whole meal was on a stick: chicken skewers, veggie kabobs, fruit medley skewers, and s’mores! Yay, being outside!!! Marshmellow roasting on the gas grill thanks to long roasting wires (previously metal hangers). Mmmmm, s’mores… It’s

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-77994177264555811432011-07-21T18:27:00.000-05:002011-07-21T18:27:31.779-05:00

A Backyard Party Hubby’s parents were in town to bring Monkey home. Since, they weren’t going to be around the following week for Bee’s birthday we had a fun little party in the backyard. The weather was perfect right around dusk, so (sorry) some of the pictures are blurry. We hung some lanterns, cooked hot dogs on the grill, and then had cupcakes and ice cream out on the deck. It was really

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-2634641226899823282011-07-21T16:35:00.001-05:002011-07-21T16:35:09.531-05:00

Pajama Party Day! The kids playing Battleship. This day was simple, stay in your PJ’s all day and lounge around. Think slumber party with out the overnight part. Something about being allowed to stay in your PJ’s all day makes everything more fun. We pulled out the sleeping bags, watched our favorite cartoons, played board games, had a Wii Sports tournament, and ate pancakes and bacon for

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-51227139506722602822011-07-21T11:48:00.001-05:002011-07-21T11:48:10.537-05:00

*Warning: This is a long post with lots of pictures. I’ll try to be brief.  :) The first month of summer vacation went by fine. Everyone enjoyed just being able to lounge around and play and do whatever we want. Each boy even got to spend a week on their own at their grandparent’s up in Frisco. However by the end of June, I was starting to get the whole “I’m bored” repetition. Add to the mix the

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-19971881862549159872011-07-19T16:14:00.000-05:002011-07-19T16:14:10.274-05:00

When my hubby last cleaned out his side of the closet, he had a lot of old dress shirts that were too big for him. (Yay, weight loss!) So I grabbed a few and added them to my refashion pile. I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do with them but nothing was really jumping out at me. Then one day while perusing Pinterest, I stumbled across Liz and her blog, Cotton and Curls and totally fell

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-33547144195497701152011-07-11T00:22:00.000-05:002011-07-11T00:22:29.314-05:00

We wanted to sell our old kitchen dining set because with Bee no longer in a high chair it was too small for us. However, from wear and tear of 3+ kiddos the original white upholstered seats, looked like this... This grey color was after me scrubbing with various cleaners. You can only imagine how bad it was before, but trust me, it was bad. So, while the white seat cushions were okay in their

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-41269311789243437272011-06-27T11:31:00.000-05:002011-06-27T11:31:57.759-05:00

Remember that contest I entered for a room makeover? Yeah, I didn't win...#57 out of 127. Anyway...it gave me the motivation to just bite the bullet and redo our master bedroom. I can so do this...I think. Keep in mind I'm working with a student/intern budget and a husband who is very opinionated when it comes to home decor. So, I've been busy working on alot of projects (sorry for the lack of

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-91006421133695465452011-05-08T18:42:00.001-05:002011-05-08T18:42:32.345-05:00

Happy Mother’s Day! I was reading a post on Less Cake More Frosting  and Ellie G seemed to sum up my sentiments exactly. She wrote, “Certainly Mothers Day is a wonderful day, and worthy of a HUGE CELEBRATION.  In fact, we should probably celebrate Mothers more that just 24 hours each year. (Someone tell that to my kids.  I need more than just a 24 hour break.  Geez.  Who's in charge of benefits

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-42024203058487480642011-05-06T15:21:00.000-05:002011-05-06T15:21:28.962-05:00

My husband already stores his "worn once" clothes on chairs in our bedroom. I wonder if he would go for making these a design element in our bedroom...image source

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-59633590617647561752011-05-02T18:28:00.000-05:002011-05-02T18:28:45.926-05:00

Hey Friends! So, can I ask a quick favor? Depends, right? Well, one of my favorite bloggers is doing a little giveaway contest. Well, maybe EPIC might be a better way to describe it. She (with the help of her sponsors) will come to the winner's house and makeover one room. I have a 1 in 127 chance of winning, pretty good odds, right? All you have to do is go to: http://

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-14516818311558454132011-05-01T00:15:00.002-05:002011-05-01T00:50:08.085-05:00

Seriously?! Okay, If you don’t know Mandi and the awesomeness that is Vintage Revivals, go see her now. Seriously, go ahead. I’ll wait… Now, do you understand why this is EPIC?! I mean how awesome would it be to have anyone come makeover a room in your house? And then for that anyone to be Mandi? Love it!!! So, I was kind of procrastinating my entry because my room is far from being clean.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-38274439930748388322011-04-28T09:55:00.000-05:002011-04-28T09:55:26.371-05:00

I occasionally get a decorating ideas newsletter from Better Homes and Gardens. After looking at their featured slideshow, I continued to look around on their site and found an awesome slideshow about using wallpaper remanants. They had the traditional ideas that we see in the crafting world--you know decoupaged inside a tray, covering a cubby box, inside the back of shelves, and so on. But some

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-34668384620386688482011-04-08T11:43:00.001-05:002011-04-08T11:47:31.563-05:00

My fireplace mantel desperately needed an uplift. While I had planned on doing a fun switch of decor at St. Patrick's Day, my mantel has been untouched since February. I had a few things that I wanted to work in for sure and everything else I had to just wing it. What do you think? I know it's not perfect, but I really like it. I love how bright and colorful it is without being cartoonish or

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-44347584663106674072011-03-01T12:06:00.001-06:002011-03-01T12:06:44.310-06:00

Image Source Don't get me wrong, I love all the cute St. Patrick's Day decor out in blogland, such lovely cuteness. Call me lazy, but I like decor that I can keep up longer than just a week or two before a holiday. I like to think of it as multifunctional decorating. In fact, alot of my decor gets reused for different seasons by changing out or adding something. So when I found this from Funky

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-63863671696304278922011-02-22T15:14:00.001-06:002011-03-01T12:07:20.977-06:00

{image credit} Okay, funny story...I was at Hobby Lobby and saw this adorable to die-for print, I took a picture with my phone and figured I could figure out how to make a similar one at home. At home a couple hours later, I'm browsing links on Tip Junkie's link party and came across a cute blog. I look around a little bit and Voila! The exact same print I had been drooling over just hours before

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-74117145805007923262011-02-20T17:16:00.004-06:002011-03-01T11:32:41.148-06:00

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d try my hand at making a glass pendant necklace, so I would have something cute to wear. I must say I am LOVING how it turned out! I added a pink ribbon to wear it. Right now, I just tie it in a bow but I think later on I might add a clasp or chain instead. This one just has a piece of scrapbook paper with a pink heart that I distressed the edges

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-70492474597837537052011-02-19T09:13:00.000-06:002011-02-19T09:13:16.115-06:00

Okay! I totally adore this. Like wish-I-had-one-right-this-second kind of adoration. Love it! Check out the giveaway from Kiki here. Or if you can't wait that long you can order one from her Etsy shop, here. I think I might get one to put in our master bathroom to leave my hubby love notes in the morning. :)

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-81765440173108415822011-02-18T17:11:00.001-06:002011-02-18T17:11:16.323-06:00

So, the computer is fixed and we’re back in business. Unfortunately, I have quite a few projects I want to share with you. So, photos need to be edited and posts written to get caught up. Meanwhile, enjoy a cute painting from my first grade son. His picture was recently chosen (along with a few others) to represent his school at a district-wide art exhibit. He loved getting to see his picture as

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-48404936650877944342010-12-28T19:06:00.000-06:002010-12-28T19:06:08.131-06:00

Even though it's been awhile since anyone has heard from me electronically, I am still here. I broke our computer. Long story, short--I was working on the laptop one day, jumped up to get Bean off the school bus, and my foot caught on the power cord. The laptop went flying, hit the fireplace, and the screen shattered. So....we have been without a computer or internet for awhile. I'll tell the

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-75912332842503204732010-11-18T17:58:00.001-06:002010-11-18T17:58:08.527-06:00

So a week before Halloween, we carved the pumpkins. ( I should say, the hubs and I carved the pumpkins.)   Isn’t that face just too cute!!! The boys cleaned out their pumpkins and then drew what they wanted me to carve. Then,  I carved their pumpkins while hubbie worked on his. Monkey’s pumpkin with “angry eyes.” Bean’s pumpkin. At the pumpkin patch, he told me he wanted an “ugly pumpkin

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-71429634126006865162010-11-01T12:32:00.000-05:002010-11-01T12:32:33.024-05:00

Have you heard of the blog Wardrobe Refashion?  "Wardrobe Refashion is a community which has had an online presence since early 2006. Based in Melbourne, Australia, owner Nichola Prested started up the site after deciding to quit buying new manufactured clothing in a bid to do her part for the planet, save money and improve her sewing skills. Participants of the blog pledge to abstain from

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-83623058322781917792010-10-27T12:47:00.001-05:002010-10-27T12:47:54.966-05:00

(picture credits) I know it’s a little late know (even though I’m still working on my Halloween decorations) but I wanted to share this. It’s fun but a little bit creepy, love it!  I will definitely make one next year. Check it out here!

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-6827435765916825892010-10-20T15:48:00.001-05:002010-10-20T15:48:37.212-05:00

So, I wanted to do another What I Wore Wednesday and thought I would share some pictures of the fun outfits I wore while on my mini vacation here... The Riverwalk in San Antonio! I got to join the hubbie while he went to a 4 day conference. He called it our “semi-romantic getaway,” because he worked during the day and we played in the evenings. It was so nice having absolutely nothing to do all

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-29249885062850598432010-10-20T14:16:00.002-05:002010-10-20T18:00:51.483-05:00

So a couple of week’s ago my friend Elizabeth and I had a girl’s night out. She had season tickets to the Houston Ballet and invited me to join her. Not even thinking about what I should wear, I asked her the morning of, what the dress standard was for the ballet. (I’ve only ever been to college performances, nothing official.) She described what she was going to wear and I responded “so Sunday

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-33975701126293222832010-10-18T17:27:00.000-05:002010-10-18T17:27:18.745-05:00

The Dating Divas are having a Halloween costume contest (here). Unfortunately, our costumes for this year are still being made and the contest closes today. So, I dug through some computer files and found these beauties, the year we were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yes, I made these costumes. I always make our costumes. It's part of the fun for me. Seth's turtle shell was actually a

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-16782562230821049592010-10-06T21:51:00.000-05:002010-10-06T21:51:55.889-05:00

(eighteen25: Today's Guest: Under the Sycamore)I love this idea! (Check it out--link is above.) I would love to do this for my son's class, but since sugar is prohibited in Texas classrooms, they have also cut out all of the parties. (We get 2: "winter" and end-of-the-year.) Also, we are usually out trick-or-treating as a family, so we aren't usually home to pass out candy. However, this year we

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-8615304724118901552010-09-29T17:02:00.002-05:002010-09-29T17:41:27.866-05:00

Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes on my last What I Wore Wednesday post. Turns out what I thought was pink eye (and it possibly started as) turned out to be sinusitis and iritis, which meant nearly two weeks of misery, but I’m back. :) This week I wanted to play with some of my accessories, many of which I made myself. I have contemplated making and selling these on Etsy. (I have a shop

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-76738376888985240382010-09-23T10:18:00.000-05:002010-09-23T10:18:07.520-05:00

Scrapbook Pages That Recycle I found this article in my email inbox and wanted to share. I'm all for recycling and some of these ideas are just pure genius! A few of my favorites: Using soda can pop tabs embellished with ribbon as "tabs" in a photo album. I am so going to find a way to use this. But first, to collect some tabs... Using packaging plastic as embellishments on your page. Like the

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-25573402017059909232010-09-18T17:24:00.001-05:002010-09-18T17:24:30.961-05:00

Adventures in Dressmaking has a new sponsor, Zipit, and she’s giving away free zippers. Check out the giveaway here or go to Zipit’s etsy page for great deals on zippers. I will definitely buy some when I have a need for zippers. Or maybe I’ll just buy an assorted pack and let myself be inspired. :)

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-43848689999815066272010-09-15T22:35:00.001-05:002010-09-15T22:35:29.856-05:00

As you may have noticed, I’ve been linking to a lot of other craft blog’s link parties.  So I’ve been thinking that I should come up with some nicknames for the family. I created this blog separate from the family blog to help protect our privacy (and identities) and using nicknames would also help that (rather than having to say my youngest son, my little girl, yada, yada, yada). A lot of

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-73522813654084353172010-09-08T12:15:00.002-05:002010-09-08T12:18:00.309-05:00

Have you seen these floating around blogland lately? Basically everyone documents what they wear all week and then share in a link party. As of lately, I have had a hard time motivating myself to do anything productive. It’s nice when all the moms just wear their PJ’s and work out clothes to the bus stop in the morning. :) So, I thought I’d try this and see if it motivated me to get stuff done (

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-49513889508367914702010-09-06T23:37:00.004-05:002010-09-07T15:15:26.848-05:00

I saw these old pictures and figured it was past time to post about this….So, I had this ugly bulletin board that I wanted to hang (for function purposes) in our main living area. I wanted to use it to post notes and the kids’ artwork. Unfortunately, it was very plain and uninspiring.  {Before} So when our Wal-mart was clearing out their fabric section (still sad about that), I grabbed some cute

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-12599785994360776692010-09-01T14:34:00.000-05:002010-09-01T14:34:25.248-05:00

This cute little armoire was a redo of a falling apart dresser. So cute it makes me wish that Aubrey were a little older so I could make one with our crummy dresser. Check it out here--> das Sushi: Cheeseball's New Armoire

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-22700654015865516692010-08-31T14:08:00.001-05:002010-08-31T14:08:24.607-05:00

  Okay, so this is probably like the 5th Silhouette giveaway I’ve entered.  5th time is a charm? Right? Anyhoo…go to Somewhat Simple’s website anytime in September to enter yourself in the giveaway. Here’s keeping my fingers crossed that I FINALLY win a Silhouette.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-29254266205320639052010-08-30T23:09:00.003-05:002010-08-30T23:14:03.961-05:00

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a contest to win a Husqvarna Viking s21 serger. All you have to do is answer the question, “How would your life be better with a serger?” Oh, how I would love to win the Husqvarna serger. How would my life be better with the Husqvarna serger? Well, to answer that, let us join the debate already in progress between two machines, Husqvarna and Sam*, my old machine….(*name

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-28112154165011123872010-08-26T17:15:00.000-05:002010-08-26T17:15:36.312-05:00

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!! Grosgrain is giving a way a Silhouette machine! Lot's of popular craft blogs have been reviewing and giving these away lately. I totally want one of these. (This is probably the third giveaway I've entered.) It's similar to a Cricut but no expensive cartridges, instead you can download individual images or pay a monthly fee for unlimited downloads. Plus,

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-48822071165416466222010-08-11T22:25:00.001-05:002010-08-11T22:25:12.087-05:00

So I wanted to share one of my favorite blogs, Made by Joel. This stay-at-home dad and artist loves making toys for his twin preschoolers. Here are a few of my favorite projects that I would love to make. They are on my to-do (someday) list. Match game (free download) Paperclip Pick-up game (genius!) Zip-line toy Cereal box marble run Cardboard box aquarium (The fish swim

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-31653044293802969692010-07-26T18:58:00.001-05:002010-07-26T18:58:39.541-05:00

So, I promise I have been crafty lately. I just need to take some pics first, then I post about the many projects I’ve just finished and the many more I’ve discovered. For now a side topic… I feel like I have been narrowing down and pinpointing my own personal style over the last couple years. (Is it sad that it’s taken me this long in my life to discover that?) It’s hard to describe,  so I came

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-62617950287318735002010-07-12T00:36:00.002-05:002010-07-13T01:11:12.579-05:00

Just read this post and I had to share! How fun is this tie?! And the tutorial makes it seem pretty easy. Once I finish my current project, I will immediately make a large stock of these for the two boys. Getting dressed for church each week will be so much more fun! Check out Sewing in No Mans Land for her tutorial and cute pictures of her boys…

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-47796819873389629352010-07-08T16:56:00.001-05:002010-07-08T16:56:24.723-05:00

I love it when I find great second-hand treasures! We were at Goodwill looking for a couple of tees and onesies to repurpose into dresses when I happened upon this beauty (sorry, for the sad picture it was taken at naptime in a sleeping child’s room)… A wooden play kitchen for only $10!  Score! I have been contemplating making one for Aubrey for Christmas. So, I quickly snatched it up.  I

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-46045607375765749502010-07-06T10:59:00.001-05:002010-07-06T10:59:42.686-05:00

Sorry, I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been busy brainstorming, crafting, and as usual taking care of little ones. Here a  few of the things I have done as of lately… I turned this… into this. I don’t quite like how the sleeves turned out, still working on that.   A piece of the wedding stuff we were working on… Soccer pancakes to celebrate World Cup fun… Decorations for our

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-71273395362571252482010-06-25T11:02:00.002-05:002010-06-25T11:09:15.753-05:00

So, last Friday was Etsy’s 5th birthday/anniversary. To celebrate they invited the Etsy community to host craft parties through Meetup.com. The top 50 parties with the highest attendance would receive goodies from Etsy. Houston’s party, hosted by Sew Crafty, was #1. (The top three parties were all in Texas. Go Texas! Way to represent!) I went and had so much fun! It was neat to get to meet all

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-86046077349200427132010-06-11T00:21:00.001-05:002010-07-08T17:25:04.882-05:00

Okay, so I wrote up this post a couple of weeks a ago, saved it as a draft, and just needed to take some pictures. Late, I know, but I still wanted to share. So, I've been searching for a cute teacher gift. There are a lot of cute ideas out there but being a former teacher I know that practical gifts (or gifts that will be used, rather than looked at) are always welcomed. Being on a very limited

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-83527254884441297972010-06-11T00:07:00.002-05:002010-06-11T00:10:09.590-05:00

We had six seniors, from our ward at church, graduating this year. We went to a graduation party for all six of them.  So I made these cute little notebooks. The notebooks had a built in elastic to keep them close (the black band on each one). I embellished with their names using scrapbooking supplies. I tried to make each one kind of fit their personalities.   Shalysse was our babysitter

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-50823890664062476102010-06-10T23:48:00.001-05:002010-06-10T23:48:50.432-05:00

So I was going through old pictures and found these that I took of the nursery, one year ago.  A year later, I still love it. Although, I think I might have painted the walls a different color. (The pink was Aaron’s request.) I made just about everything in the room, except the furniture and the bedding. My first attempt at wood burning. Thanks, Jen! Proof that Aaron painted the room

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-73276328572541270742010-06-10T23:30:00.001-05:002010-06-10T23:30:37.075-05:00

So, I thought I’d share some past projects (mainly so I can delete pictures from my camera). This was the “grand prize” for our church chili cook-off back in March. I bought the apron for $1 at Michael's. Then, I appliquéd felt chili peppers. The text is just black acrylic paint stamped (yes, stamped) with rubber stamps. I was so proud that I wanted to make one for myself, but I hoped that

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-66231785773351925082010-06-08T14:52:00.001-05:002010-06-08T14:52:42.658-05:00

So, while perusing the streets of Ebay, I took a trip down memory lane. I began looking at vintage sheets (they make great/cheap fabric). I stumbled upon this beauty  and knew it had to be mine. I had the exact same sheets as a kid. I love it! I immediately bid on it (with only 15 minutes remaining) and won.  An impulse purchase, I know, but for less than $3 (with shipping)  it can’t be beat! I

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-72801191843019197012010-05-20T03:06:00.000-05:002010-05-20T03:06:41.517-05:00

I LOVE this dress from Make it and Love it! (Her daughter is adorable in all her pics.) What's funny is that the last couple of week's I've been trying to dream up a way of turning an old t-shirt into a cute dress and I just stumble upon this idea. That's the great thing about craft blogs from crafty people everywhere, all of these wonderful ideas floating around in cyberspace just waiting for me

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-39485024490267118052010-05-12T01:29:00.001-05:002010-05-12T01:30:53.260-05:00

I am totally loving "Skirt Week" at Simply Modern Mom, a week full of repurposed skirts. This one is called the "Knot-Me Tie Skirt." I want to make this one for Aubrey. First, I just need to figure out the zig-zag stitch on my ancient sewing machine. :)

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-25089944992349596292010-05-11T08:12:00.000-05:002010-05-11T08:12:06.764-05:00

This is a super cute and girly skirt (repurposed of course) from Simply Modern Mom. The story about her daughter is just as cute as the skirt. Read the story and the tutorial on how to repurpose a women's knit shirt into this skirt, here. I think I might make it but with fewer ruffles.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-2162291215973478312010-05-11T08:03:00.000-05:002010-05-11T08:03:45.739-05:00

Love this idea from Makeit-loveit.com! It goes from this... ...to this! She gives some basic directions for the transfer, but she also includes a pattern for purchase. I am totally loving this! I'm having a hard time finding shorts I like this summer, so I'm switching to skirts. I will definitely add this one to my list. I have the perfect dress...

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-78910590570123595552010-05-08T18:08:00.000-05:002010-05-08T18:08:59.297-05:00

I just discovered the wonderful blog of my friend Jen! I knew that she was talented but wow she is talented! I love this wall hanging for T's room. Great on it's own but even better in a group of three! Thanks Jen for sharing! Check out how she did this here.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-24577697620917078082010-05-08T16:36:00.001-05:002010-05-08T18:10:01.696-05:00

I love shirts repurposed into dresses. I have yet to make one but it definitely has my brain going! I love the braided straps on this one from Makeit-loveit.com. Check out her easy tutorial.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-3116128239666389292010-05-07T02:18:00.000-05:002010-05-07T02:18:51.875-05:00

I saw this on Unnecessary Necessities' blog and I'm thinking about doing it for our teacher. Very cute! Check out the original post here.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-26539578274059861722010-05-07T02:02:00.000-05:002010-05-07T02:02:22.514-05:00

Another great dress from Simply Modern Mom. This one is upcycled from a Men's dress shirt. Check out her pictures and tutorial. I definitely want to try this one.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-57612768448131308972010-05-07T01:55:00.000-05:002010-05-07T01:55:32.974-05:00

I am totally loving this dress! Check out the pic and tutorial from Simply Modern Mom. This is one of those projects that I stumble upon and go "Oh! I want to do that! Oh! I have the stuff right now to do it! Yeah! I'll start right now!" I so love this dress and I am going to make one for my little dear. I already have two vintage pillowcases that I am ready to transform. I will post pics as

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-74099053516279426322010-01-06T18:25:00.001-06:002010-08-31T12:09:40.426-05:00

Another one of those "I want to make this now" ideas. I saw this idea on Make and Takes website one night and thought "What a great idea, and I even have the stuff I could make it right now!"  Well, that was 11pm and since I hadn't had a full night's sleep in awhile, I figured I'd make it later (i.e. the next morning). I immediately dug through my rubber and acrylic stamps to see what I could

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-78272518277188489972010-01-06T12:19:00.000-06:002010-01-06T12:19:20.703-06:00

This was the last craft I made in our church creativity group. I love how it turned out (I'll tell you how in a second) but I'm sad that our creativity group will not go on as is (per new policy). I hope that Cameo will continue to get us together as a group of friends, occasionally for a craft night. If not, I just might have to do it, to appease the need to craft. We will see... Cameo got

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-41587976409318040332009-12-22T15:50:00.000-06:002009-12-22T15:50:46.714-06:00

Super cute Christmas applique kitchen towels from Little Birdie Secrets. These are so cute. They are just flour-sack towels with diecut fabric trees ironed on. I think the ribbon is also iron-on. She then sewed on the buttons. She bought her towels 5/$5.50 at Walmart but I think you can also get them at IKEA for $0.49 a piece. After Christmas, I want to make some (with a different applique) for

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-72919061804986723872009-12-16T14:50:00.000-06:002009-12-16T17:26:52.297-06:00

I saw this and instantly made one! Sooooo easy! The picture is from the Make and Takes tutorial. But it is pretty self-explanatory.  Just attach the "hook" part of any hook and loop tape (i.e. Velcro) to a plastic ball. Voila! An instant game.  I had to take my car into the shop this morning and I knew it would take at least an hour for them to do an estimate.  So I quickly made one of these

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-7051564017905763542009-12-16T14:40:00.000-06:002009-12-16T14:40:54.699-06:00

I wish I had found this idea before Thanksgiving. It is so cute! The crafty people at Make and Takes just attached feathers and foam stickers for the face to a plastic bowling ball set. The tutorial also mentions that you  could use plastic soda bottles. I bet you could also use water bottles (for a smaller set) and then use construction paper hand cut-outs for the tail. I will definitely make a

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-58687405476578187362009-11-20T18:00:00.000-06:002009-11-20T18:00:28.610-06:00

Now that it is starting to get colder I have found that my baby girl is short on cool weather clothes, especially pants. I love the baby legs idea, but it seems expensive for just one pair (a pair of pants would be cheaper). As this problem has arised, I have seen lots of different homemade versions of these and have been so tempted to try these. I saw this post on "Little Birdie Secrets." These

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-75914541421795873512009-11-20T14:30:00.000-06:002009-11-20T14:30:41.684-06:00

I flipped out when I saw this! I actually have a stack of vintage embroidered pillowcases, that I've been trying to figure out how to restyle. When I saw this adorable and simple dress, I just knew it's the answer. Here's the link to the tutorial on "Little Birdie Secrets."

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-74165258427696123022009-11-20T14:02:00.000-06:002009-11-20T14:02:18.240-06:00

How cute is this?! I have seen various versions of hairbow holders, but this one is my favorite BY FAR. Those women at "Little Birdie Secrets" are so clever. My dear baby girl is already getting a collection of bows and barrettes, so I know that I will be making one of these in the near future. I'll post pics when I finish mine.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-64911274691689227652009-11-20T13:50:00.000-06:002009-11-20T13:50:14.265-06:00

Ok, so I know summer is coming to a close, even here in the South. But this just too cute to pass up. I bet I could find some super cute fabric at my favorite quilting store. I found this (photo) on "Little Birdie Secrets" which they got the idea from someone else. The link will take you to the original tutorial at "Altered Cloth" with detailed instructions on how to make this.

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-85060338518180846852009-11-20T13:36:00.000-06:002009-11-20T13:36:01.768-06:00

I found this tutorial on the "The Little Birdie Secrets" blog. It is instructions for a knit hip cover, it helps keep you modest with low rise jeans or you could use it as a maternity band to extend how long you can wear non-maternity clothes. I wish I had found this tutorial a few months ago while I was still pregnant a bought something similar for $18 to cover my preggo belly. Maybe I'll make

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8138526306105518376.post-21068445765898425492009-11-20T13:20:00.000-06:002009-11-20T13:20:13.572-06:00

Anyone who reads my personal blog, will probably ask this question. I have recently discovered the glorious world of craft blogging. I love just looking at other people's ideas. My first thought is ALWAYS "I bet I could make that." So, my head fills with ideas and I never get any of them started because I usually forget or can't find where I found the idea. So, this is simply a collection of the

Marissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01109024433085385460noreply@blogger.com0