A Marvelous Mess and Fotor Photo Editing

I spent a lovely day at the Boothbay Botanical Gardens on the coast of Maine. 

They were just voted the #1 best Public Garden in the United States by tripadvisor!!! And, I'm super proud that it is in my state. If you get a chance to check out the list of the top ten, you should.....see if you have been to any of them. If not, why not make it a trip this summer?? I know I've been to one other on the list, Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina. Believe me, it is gorgeous there as well. 

When I was at Boothbay Gardens, I took lots of photos. I was recently asked to review a website called Fotor, for photo-editing, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to showcase how this site works. For instance, here is a before photo of a garden shed:

Not too bad, right. 

Here I am editing the photo on Fotor:

And, here is the finished product:

Wow, right??? 

Scroll up again and take a look at that before picture. Holey moley.

Fotor streamlines photo editing better than any other site that I've been too.... and, believe me, I've shopped around. They have got so many options from the basic to the unique. Great possibilities abound at this site, from editing to card making to collages. I can already imagine how I'm going to use the collages on my site.......

Look at how simple it is:

All those templates to choose from. 

You know what this site reminds me of.... Gmail, now that I've switched over to the new inbox with all the different tabs. I thought it would be confusing, but the truth is that it has made my email so much more streamlined than ever. I like the simplicity of the page. Other photo editors get bogged down with all kinds of icons (and I find I have to hover over them to find out what they mean because they aren't very intuitive). Fotor has all the same options and more.... and it is organized very easily.
I truly suggest you check out Fotor for your next photo editing project!!

You can find Fotor on these Social sites as well:
FACEBOOK
TWITTER

Now, on to business. 

Party business, that is!!!

My favorite post from last week is.....

Free Mobile Phone Cozy Pattern by Crochet Dreamz.

Thanks to all of you for linking up!

Now, on to the party!!!

Disclaimer: I was reimbursed monetarily by Fotor for this post. All opinions are my own. 

A Marvelous Mess (Literally) Party!!!

Well, I've a had a time of it with my computer recently.

Someone got into my gmail account and spammed *everyone*.

Then, they did something with my blog as well.....and blogger deleted it while they could review it. 

Luckily, I just got the blog back in time to get my party out.....

Here's what I've been up to this week:

Mason Jar Glass Gem Craft

Now, my favorite from last weeks party.....

Best Bubble Solution from One Little Project

This is such a fun thing to have in the summer time!!!!

Congrats! Don't forget to grab a button (on my sidebar) if you were featured.

Now on to the party:

Mason Jar Glass Gem Craft

Don't Forget To Join My Marvelous Mess Party!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself inspired by the Empress of Dirt and her garden treasure jars. I had all the supplies sitting around and decided to make this lovely little craft, not just for treasure.....but for outdoor lighting too. It makes for a lovely ambience. 

Here's what it looks like during the day:

Pretty sweet garden decor, right?

Wanna make one?

Here's what you need:

Mason Jar

Mason Jar cap and lid

Clear Silicone Sealant

Post

Flat sided Glass Gems

Screw

Drill

~Take your mason jar and, making sure to leave room for the lid to fit on, starting at the base of the jar being applying a dollop of sealant to each gem and placing them where you'd like them. The Empress of Dirt squirts the sealant all over the jar first, but I think it works just as well to do each gem separately, then it's less messy too. This is the stuff that I used:

~Cover all sides and the top as well and let dry.

~Use some sealant to secure the inner lid of the mason jar to the rest of the cap; just put a layer around the inside edge of the outer part of the lid. 

~Once it is all dry, take some your post ( I spray painted mine for fun) and attach the center of the lid to the top of the post, like so:

~Find a spot in your gardens or own your lawn where you'd like it to go and, before you put the glass covered jar on top, secure that post into the ground. Make sure it's steady and safe before you put the mason jar on top because all those gems make it heavy. 

~Put that top on!!!!

~In the evenings, add battery operated tea lights and you'll have some lovely lighting for your gardens. 

I hope you find this helpful and fun!!!!!

I shared this party at all of the link ups at my "Parties" tab above and at these below as well:

             Transformation Thursday 

Cafe Press: Find it, Love it, Create it!!

Have you ever been to Cafe Press? They have so many awesome options for gifts for all those weddings and birthdays, graduations and holidays, retirement parties.......you get the idea. It's unbelievable. We're going to be moving in a week and a half (*yikes*) and one of their canvas prints caught my eye (literally):

But then, I got wandering around the site. 

How about a personalized gift?

Or these adorable First Birthday Invitations: 

Bachelorette invitations:

Actually, there are plenty of party invitation templates. And, boy, it seems like there is extra need for cards in the summer time. 

Me, I think I've decided on the design your own t shirt option:

Over the years, I've collected funny quotes my family and friends have said (by mistake or with intention) that have made me chuckle and I thought for one of their birthday's this summer I would make a personalized t shirt for them. I won't give out any details, for fear that they might read it and guess their own present........

But... I'm excited. 

Check out Cafe Press!

They have So Many great options for presents. 

A Marvelous Mess Party and Etsy Additions

Howdy Folks!!!

Before the party starts, I wanted to show you my latest in Etsy additions to the Marvelously Messy shop:

Who know's what I'll make next? (I usually find out at about 2:30 in the morning) 

Now, my fave from last weeks party is.....

Watercolor Doilies from The Elephant of Surprise. (Loving that blogs name too!!)

On to the party:

A Marvelous Mess Party and Plastic Suncatchers

Don't Forget To Join My Latest Marvelous Mess Party!!!!!
Howdy and thanks for joining me for my latest Marvelous Mess Party!!!!!

Here is what I've been working on recently....

Plastic Suncatchers made from pony beads and random plastic necklace pieces!!!

To do these, you need:

Pony Beads

Jewelry Wire

Pliers

Drill

Sea Glass

Pie Pans 

Muffin Tins

~Take you pony beads and organize them in an old (and not to be used again) muffin tin or aluminum pie tin. 

~Put them in the oven at 450 degrees and watch them very closely, they melt fast and they are a hazard..... both by fumes (open all the windows and do this craft when the kids are out of the house!!!!!) and because they are flammable. As soon as the plastic has melted, pull out the tins and place them outside to cool, on the driveway where they won't burn anything. 

~Once cool, they should pop right out of the tin.

~Using the smallest drill bit you have, drill holes into the plastic where you'd like to connect it to other beads, sea glass, etc. Connect a line of muffin sized suncatchers using the wire and pliers to twist it into shape, use a pie size and a muffin size tin with some sea glass in between......the options are endless!!!!!

And, they are lovely.

Just remember.........the fumes are *terrible* for you and your kids.........open the windows and get everyone outside while they melt and wait until the house airs out!!!!!

Not to freak you out, but seriously man. 

I shared this craft at the following parties (and all those listed at my parties tab):

Now.....

My favorite post from last week.........

These Watermelon Stars from Nap Time Creations!!!!!!!

Super cute. 

Thanks to all of you for linking up!!

Now, on to the party!!!!!