May 25, 2013

Thinking of You

There have been a lot of people on my mind recently and I would like to brighten their days with a thoughtful card, so this evening I got crafty and made a few up!

Many of these cards should have been sent a while ago but life gets busy and you forget. You know how at goes. But when my pastor recently gave a message about a tactical pen highlighting the importance of encouraging one another through cards and the like I was re-energized to get these cards out. How do you encourage your friends and loved ones?

May 24, 2013

Marissa's Recent Thrift Store Finds

Krista and I met up last weekend to take a few shots of some of our most recent thrift store finds. I wore the makeup and nail polish that I recently purchased at Ulta and Krista took all of the pictures. We had a blast doing the shoot and grabbing dinner at No Thai! Side note, "weak sauce" is pretty darn hot!

Target dress for $4.99
New sunglasses for $4.99


My new makeup and nail polish from Ulta!

Calvin Klein dress $7.99




Xhilaration dress $3.69


Forever 21 dress $4.99


Attention sweater for $4.99

BRAND NEW Target t-shirt $2.99

Express button up $3.99
I have enjoyed wearing most of my new finds to work this week. What are your most recent thrift store finds?

May 23, 2013

What's In Their Bag?

Yesterday Amanda and Jennie, from 2 Girls in 2 Cities, showcased what they keep in their Sew Help Me by Marissa clutches. Visit their blog to learn which essentials they must have for all of their summer activities.

Amanda's Clutch Essentials

Jennie's Clutch Essentials

May 19, 2013

My First Trip to Ulta

Last weekend Krista took Mom and I on our first trip to Ulta and it was AMAZING! I must have picked up ten things that I had to put back, but I did come home with a few new prizes; Physicians Formula eye shadow in "Classic Nude" for $10.99, China Glaze nail polish "Jamaican out" ON SALE for $4.99, and Covergirl lipstick in "hypnotic hypnotisee" ON SALE for $3.49. 

I had ran out of brown eye shadow a while ago (MY FAVORITE) and decided to try Physicians Formula because I loved that it was hypoallergenic, paraben free, and safe for contact lens. I loved the color of the China Glaze nail polish and picked it up because it was on sale. I was also in the market for a "nude" shade of lipstick and hadn't ever tried a Covergirl lipstick so again I decided to give this one a try because it was on sale.

My new finds.

Me wearing all of my new finds!
I really liked my experience at Ulta and plan to go back soon. Next time I plan to try the Ulta brand mineral powder and eye cream. Have you been to Ulta? What did you pick up?

May 17, 2013

Flashback Friday: Spring Achievement

I can hardly believe that I have been blogging for almost two years now and haven't ever mentioned 4-H Spring Achievement! Every year that I was a 4-H member I took a sewing project to the fair at the end of the summer, but it had to be done in time for Spring Achievement where you could model your projects and be judged on your style review as well as your workmanship. This also gave you a chance to make any last minute adjustments to your project, if necessary, before the fair so you can win the coveted blue ribbon.

My sewing project.
I also wore this peach dress to my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary party. It was a hit!

My buymanship project.
I purchased the above outfit as part of my "buymanship" project the same year. The denim jacket and lavender blouse were purchased on sale at retail stores and the green floral skirt was purchased at a secondhand store. For this project I broke down the estimated cost per wear of each item, something that I still do!

May 16, 2013

My Frugal Feature on Mo' Money

As many of you already now I live a thrifty lifestyle and love to find a good deal. I even used my Christmas money to purchase a variety of new-to-me wardrobe staples!

Today my thifty-ness was featured on Mo' Money, a blog featuring living large with mobile coupons. Liz, from Mo' Money, uses mobile coupons for discounts on almost anything, even coupons for her craft supplies. She made these slippers socks for her boyfriend for Valentine's Day using coupons for the supplies and they cost her two dollars! Head on over to her blog to learn about how to use mobile coupons to save some extra cash.


Thanks for the feature Liz!

May 12, 2013

Floral Clutches Side-by-side

I have recently been working with my blogging gal pals at 2 Girls in 2 Cities on showcasing clutches from my Etsy Shop, Sew Help Me by Marissa. Both Amanda and Jennie demonstrated how they accessorized a spring outfit with a floral bow clutch. Below is their side-by-side comparison. Check out their blog here to join in their next side-by-side challenge!

May 11, 2013

May 10, 2013

Flashback Friday

Helen's Handiwork

This photo is a testament to Helen's best sewing skills. You may remember last week's Flashback Friday was a picture of Sheryl, Marissa and Krista. I was wearing a coral outfit that Marissa had mentioned in one her posts about feeling lost without her sewing machine. I wanted to bring this photo out and fill in some of the blanks. This is a photo of Helen and Duward's fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. Can I get a "woot woot" for fifty years? Thanks mom and dad for that example. On to the sewing skills. Let your eyes travel to the far left. Katy (grand daughter of Helen and Duward) is wearing a red velvet dress that Helen made for herself for a Christmas party. The next grand daughter is Megan wearing Helen's wedding dress. Helen is wearing a beautiful peach colored lace overlay dress that she made for a daughter's wedding earlier.  See how smart she was about wearing a "fancy" dress for more than one special occasion  Next is me (Sheryl) wearing the coral colored outfit that I had made for the wedding. The two sweet little girls in the front are Marissa and Krista (part of the crafty trio). They are wearing the flower girl dresses from the same wedding. Those dresses were deep green velvet and satin. Mom and I (Helen and Sheryl) made those together. What a great way to share our lives and continue to learn skills together. That is our version of lifelong learning!

May 9, 2013

Sew Help Me by Marissa Floral Bow Clutch Showcase

Today Jennie, from 2 Girls in 2 Cities, styled her floral bow clutch with a bright pink peplum top and black skirt. I just love how trendy her look is and her photos make me want to live in Chicago!

See how Jennie's friend and co-blogger Amanda styled her floral bow clutch here. If you're interested in purchasing your own clutch or other wedding accessories please head over to my Etsy shop, Sew Help Me by Marissa!



May 8, 2013

Sew Help Me Floral Clutch Showcase

I recently sent floral bow clutches to two of my favorite bloggers, Amanda and Jennie from 2 Girls in 2 Cities, and asked them to style the clutches with a spring ensemble. Yesterday Amanda styled her clutch with a pink tweed jacket, skinny jeans, and a pair of colorful pumps. How would you style your Sew Help Me by Marissa bow clutch?



 



May 7, 2013

Dress Slacks Refashion

I love purchasing my dress slacks at thrift shops, especially because I can almost always find a great brand and great fit that usually only need a new hem. After about twenty minutes the slacks are a perfect fit. I got these H&M dress slacks with some of my Christmas money.

Slacks before
Perfectly colored tulips from my garden!
Slacks after
I gave these slacks a new hem line because I think the previous cuff made me look shorter. Do you like cuffs on dress slacks?

May 5, 2013

Pinterest Busters: Microwave Cleaner

Honestly, my microwave isn't usually this dirty. I swear! But I do LOVE baked beans and I had a little incident recently when I tried to re-heat some in the microwave.


I didn't even take any "artistic license" here. The bean on the counter top actually jumped out of the microwave because it was so dirty.


Thankfully I spend a fair, ahem, amount of time on Pinterest and remembered a "How To Clean Your Microwave" pin that I had on my cleaning board. I quickly followed the directions, microwaving a water and vinegar solution for five minutes and then wiping down the microwave. I had to microwaved the solution for twice as long as the directions called for and still needed a fair amount of elbow grease. However I was happy with the outcome and glad to have used a safe cleaner for my microwave. I eat things out of there!


Pinterest Busters: Winner

May 4, 2013

Pallet Craft with My Pal

I spent last Saturday with my pal Stephanie and she had a fun pallet project planned for us, which was PERFECT because it was the first really warm day of the season and we were happy to spend our time outside.

Stephanie had seen a variety of pallet home decor. on Pinterest and wanted to make one of her own. Thankfully her husband has access to pallets, a circular saw, and a super willing spirit. What a sweet guy!



Once Cody had the pallet cut down for us we painted the corners a few other edges with black paint to show through once we sanded a bit of the top coat off. In order to protect the black paint we covered the paint with Crisco before painting the whole pallet cream.



After the whole thing was painted cream, front and back, we began to sand off the cream paint in the corners and on the edges where we had painted black underneath the Crisco to create a distressed/vintage look.



With all of the sanding done was wiped the dust off the pallet with a rag and sketched the Bible verse Stephanie wanted to paint.



Stephanie had to paint quickly because the sun was drying it as soon as she could get it on the pallet!



Wonder-Man Cody came to the rescue again and helped Stephanie hang her finished project, which apparently was no small task. I can't wait until I have a home and can do fun projects like this!