Spring's Sprung

Well, FINALLY, Spring is in full swing around here!! I love watching the perennials poke up out of the earth and start filling out the garden space. Every day, I check to see what else is new in the garden. I've put a lot work into those beds and this year I can finally see the results. Yay!! I meant to start seedlings this late winter/spring.....but honestly we were just so busy. I've got some just beginning their true leaves in the windowsill....even though my timing is late, I can still use the seedlings and dirt as a fun teaching tool for the munchkin. :-)

Don't ya just love the strange symbiotic relationship between ants and peonies? Some people believe that the peonies produce a particular nectar that is incredibly sweet for the ants and as the ant licks off the nectar holding the leaves shut, the leaves open and the flower blooms.

Not only are plants blossoming this time of year, but....so are young adults:

Isn't that a sweet graduation announcement rom Shutterfly?
I lucked out this past Christmas and got to work with Shutterfly for my Christmas cards. They turned out spectacular!! I totally recommend them for any of your photo stationary needs.
Hey, while your sending out those graduation announcements how about you go shopping for a personalized gift for the proud student:

You could get them a personalized notebook with photos of family and friends for when they go off to college!! Another great gift for a Graduate would be a photo book. I know from experience, as I am sure you do, that being far from home, family, and friends can be really tough....an especially in the beginning of that transition there is nothing like looking through pictures of your loved ones to help center you.

You can customize a photo book to be just the way you like.....or Shutterfly can make it really simple and do it for you. Sounds perfect to me!!

So, there are some ideas to think about. I have some graduates in my life right now and I know that perusing through the Shutterfly site gave me some good ideas. As a side note, if you are a blogger you can work with Shutterfly too.... Sign Up for a chance at a free photo book!!
 

Promotional Products

As I continue blogging, crafting, and even thinking about selling my crafts I have taken the time to consider promotional products. Something that I could place in a gift bag, hand out from a table, or mail along with a gift. I still have promotional pens around my house that I received from a bank or a magnet on my fridge from on online store.....and I look at those products almost *everyday*, so I know they can be effective!!

If I were to really put some focus into my business I might even get customized notepads for my office!! I can just see, "From the desk of Marvelously Messy" being handed out to colleagues. Or, just a simple notepad with my blog name on it that I could give out with extra information at craft fairs and such. There is obviously a whole world of advertising that I am walking into here.

A great place to go looking for promotional products and printing is Amsterdam Printing. After perusing around the website I found screen printed tote bags, digital magnets, umbrellas, and even flash drives. And, I thought they were all fairly reasonably priced!!

This post was sponsored by Go Promos and Amsterdam Printing, the opinions found here are my own

Shabby Coffee Table Makeover

It was a perfect day for photos. I am in love with this one. Setting everything up in front of my front porch, it's my favorite spot. Wait.....I should be talking about the table!! ;-) 

But, I really do like that photo. 

I found this table at Goodwill. Don't ya just *love* it!! 

I found it unpainted and unloved, hidden between two shoe displays. 

So.....pretty darn simple. And, I would've taken pictures except my camera is kinda out-of-state. Should be arriving in the mail soon. :-)

I sanded. 

I cleaned.

I sprayed.

I sanded again.

Here are some of those sanded spots:

And, I kept the original hardware. I thought it fit the look I was going for. 

And, no.....this is not my day job. :-) So, no worries.

I am a shabby furniture newbie. 

Any good tips for me??

I shared this post at the following wonderful parties:

Get Your Craft On

A Marvelous Mess #13 and Features!!

I have been so swamped recently. You know that feeling?

Definitely how I'm feeling right now. But, I aim to fix that.....by first  getting my features from last week out there!! Yikes. Here we go:

Isn't this Diagonal Sweater Purse so cute!! Show Share Tell has always got something funky going on!!

And the post I am going to feature for a week on my sidebar..........

A Sewing Notions Wreath from Something Created Everyday. Isn't this so unique? I just love it. 

If you were featured on this post, be sure take a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="A Marvelous Mess" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonparty2-1.jpg" /></a></center>

Now....On to the party!!

Freschetta Simply Inspired

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 I can tell you that I've had just about every variety of frozen pizza imaginable. Yeah, I went to college. :-) I've tried them all and I definitely have some ole standby's that I tend to gravitate towards when the hour is late and the cook is uninspired. When I am really craving a pizza, I am not looking for one of the cheap-o brands that come out like baked cardboard sprinkled with mozzarella..... I am looking for a pizza like this:

 

Delicious, right?? That's a Freschetta Simply Inspired pizza. This one is called the Harvest Supreme. Yum!! There are 8 incredible varieties in the Simply Inspired line. One of them (if not all of them) is bound to appeal to you..... in fact, you can take a quiz to find out which style suits you best here:  http://www.freschettasimplyinspired.com/

Not only is Freschetta great tasting, they also are great at thinking "green". They have reduced the packaging materials on their pizza's by 30%!! They call it their Fresch-taste seal. It keeps all the vibrant flavors in while helping the environment at the same time.

Another aspect of the pizza I am thrilled with is the thin and crispy crust. I have traveled a bit in my time and spent a month in Bosnia. When I was there I has some of the most incredible pizza, and they achieved it by keeping the crust light and crispy. In many ways, Freschetta pizza reminds me of that.

FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™

Check out Freschetta SImply Inspired on Facebook, they are offering weekly giveaways and awesome prizes. Also, they will soon be offering a $2 off coupon on their facebook page. Totally worth it, in my mind!!

http://www.facebook.com/FreschettaSimplyInspired

Here they are on Twitter as well:

http://twitter.com/#!/FreschettaSI

Ampli-5 Wrist Band

 I was recently given the opportunity to review an Ampli-5 bracelet. It was perfect timing on the review, because I have some health goals I have been working toward  (weight loss, increasing energy) that this bracelet ended up helping me made some progress on. Ampli5's Health/Sports products are designed to increase your body's performance by balancing your natural energy field and restoring your natural internal frequencies. 

The basic idea behind Ampli-5 science is that all living systems are run on electromagnetic frequencies and that man made electromagnetic frequencies as well as some other outside sources are lower than the frequencies in our bodies and can become a hindrance to our bodies. The Ampi-5's technology helps your body to find equilibrium with the EM forces.

Though I was not as regular as I should have been with using this bracelet, I DID get some positive results. I found that when I wore this bracelet while exercising, or in the morning when I was particularly low on energy, I would find an increase in energy and focus. Usually in the morning, I try to wheedle my way out of walking....and when I used the Ampli-5, I found I was much more interested in exercise. On the Ampli-5 website, they have got an interesting video to see the technology work....it is worth watching!! Here it is.

If you would like to learn more about Ampli-5 check out these sites below:

Ampli-5 Website

Facebook

Twitter

I received product for the purpose of review. All opinions are 100% my own!!

A Patio Area That's Grandkid-Proof

Guest post written by Angela Hinderson

For a while after our kids left home, we didn't really think much about what anyone else would like or would be convenient for them in the house. We just always consider what would be good with us. But now we have our first grandchild on the way and have to start thinking about kid-proofing the house once again. One of the first areas that we're thinking about is an area that we spend a whole lot of our time in, the patio.
We really do enjoy our time there and have fixed it to fit our personal wants and needs, but I think that we're going to make a few adjustments that will make it easier on our upcoming and future grand-kids. While I was online looking up some child safety measures on there, I ran across the site get.wildblue and after I looked through it a little bit I decided to sign up for one of the satellite internet packages on that page.
We have some tiles laid down in that area now and I think that we might put some rugs over them or something that has a little more give to it. But I think that won't affect the overall look of the area that much.