Marvelously Messy

Monday, June 18, 2012

Searching for new style....

It's time to revamp my style.

(No, that isn't Chloe)

I've become a little too lazy when it comes to clothes and this summer I want to rock it out, big time, when it comes to clothing. Some shopping was done last week and I've got new summery dresses and some new sandals as well....now it's time to find some new jewelry.

Now, I could go to a store that specializes in fancy jewelry, like Kranichs. They offer some fantastic looking pieces....I mean, seriously look at this Ritani princess engagement ring:

Okay, so I don't really need an engagement ring. :-) But, isn't that fantastic?? Or how about this Verragio Parisian:

FAAAANcy.

Okay, back to reality. What I have been thinking about (and doing, a little bit) is making my own jewelry. A while back I made some feather earrings. Then I made some twisted wire sea glass earrings. Haven't made any necklaces yet....bead work kind of intimidates me, to tell the truth. If I can come up with a successful product, I'll be sure to post a tutorial!! Do any of you have any tips for a beginner??

Gawd, I would love to be able to make something like this, wouldn't you?????

Photo by Maria Robledo

Necklace, c. 1943. Silver wire, string, ribbon. Loop: 15 3/4 inches; element length: 5 1/4 inches. Inscription: "Calder." Private Collection, New York.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Marvelous Mess #67 and Features!!!

Sorry for the late start on the party!! We just got back from a little mini vacation in Bar Harbor!! I'll be doing a post about our trip (and my recommendations) in a couple of days. For now, here's a fun picture to give you an idea:

Just gorgeous. And, the weather was incredible!!

We had another great party last week. A lot of fun summery ideas were linked up....make sure you visit other people in the party....you will find yourself inspired, I know it!!

Here are my fave's from last week:

6 Week Summer Reading Adventure from Inspired by Family Magazine. Such a wonderful way to get your kids more interested in reading....and summer is the perfect time to take the opportunity to read.

And, the post I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is....

DIY Lightbox from Snickety Things. What a great idea!! And, totally handy, especially if you're working towards selling products or just want to make your project photos a bit fancier!!

Thanks to all of you for linking up!! If I featured your project in this post, feel free to take this button and place it prominently!! :-)

Sunday, June 10, 2012

A Marvelous Mess #65 and Features!!

I've been working on making our yard more playfriendly and inspiring. Just a playset doesn't work....a sandbox is great too....but I've been looking for ways to add in some natural play. For instance, we took down a maple last fall and had this big trunk left over. So, I used it to make a "stump garden":

I buried the pieces about 6 inches into the ground to make them more stable. Kiddos love hoping from one to the other.

Then next thing I did was borrow some hardware from the playset that wasn't needed any more and attached it to a tree:

You see, we took off all the lower dried up branches on this fir tree and made a little cleared out spot for play. We used a cheap metal garden fence (found at the dollar store), added some chimes, and I few decorations, and on the front side of the tree we placed this rock climbing hardware so that kiddos could practice climbing and get some exercise.

More additions to come!!

So, my fave's from last weeks party are: