Cosplay From Start to Finish - Mercy from Overwatch

In an attempt to chronicle my journey as a beginner cosplayer, I have taken a page from book of the amazingly talented, beautiful, and awe-inspiring cosplayer, The Geeky Seamstress, and decided to dedicate a post about the making of my latest cosplay project, the character Mercy from Overwatch.

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Cute & Simple DIYs for Friendsgiving

Source - The Sweetest Occasion

Hello friends.  How many of you participate in Friendsgiving, the practice of holding another Thanksgiving meal with just your friends? Sadly, I have never been to a Friendsgiving before but I think this year, I really like to host one at my house.

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Season of the Witch - Part Two

Happy Friday!!

Earlier in the week, I went through some of examples of strong, powerful women with magical powers in movies, books, TV and music.  I'm fascinated by the concept of witches as women with powers and abilities to use for good or bad.

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Let's Decorate for Fall - Easy DIYs

I'm so excited for fall to arrive. Even though I'm on a 3 week restrictive diet (of which I may later blog about), I still can't wait to drown my face in Pumpkin Spice Lattes, fried State Fair festival food, and mugs of Oktoberfest hefeweizen beer.  However, despite my current limitations I can totally decorate for fall without any hesitation.

I don't know if any of you like to scour your local craft store for anything new and interesting like I do, but I have been seeing some cute alternatives to the traditional fall crafts.  Like using raw cotton plants in place of your usual fall foliage, and acorn inspired decor rather than your usual pumpkin theme.   Here are some super easy DIYs to decorate your home with warm, cozy, fall inspired decor.

Acorns

Acorns are the easiest, cheapest way to making your abode look in season.  Just grab a couple from the nearest oak tree, bake to remove any bugs, and adorn.  

I love this idea of removing the fruit, retaining the acorn cap and replacing with colored polymer clay balls.  The neutral of the acorn cap plays beautifully off the super bright clay colors which you can find at your local craft store.

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Simple DIYs for a Fun & Whimsical 4th of July!

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The Fourth of July is almost here!

In anticipation, I've rounded up some simple DIYs for a fantastic holiday bash.  

Enjoy!

Decor

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I'm in love with this holiday wreath.  If you have kids, let them help by making pom-poms with yarn.  It's super easy and all you have to do is glue or pin onto wreath base and voila!  Instant cuteness!

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Click on the above link to find a free printable banner from PagingSuperMom.com.  This is probably one of the easiest DIYs on this list.  Just print, cut and staple and you can adorn your home or patio in just a few minutes.

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These Mason Jar Painted Lanterns may take some prep time in painting and then letting the paint dry but they look so worth it!  Really, just when you thought you had seen every craft under the sun involving Mason Jars, someone clever thinks of yet another use.  Just make sure to paint the outside, not the inside!   

Outfit

Pinterest Link

I never have any idea what to wear for a Fourth of July party.  For so long I just threw on one of those Old Navy patriotic themed shirts and called it a day.  Now I can turn my old jeans into cutoffs, and paint those cutoffs with fabric paint!  Genius....or shall I say Jean-ius? (Shut up, puns are fun)

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Now you can buy this headband from Fab.com or....................you can just make it with some glitter foam sheets and a black stretchy headband.  Just cut out three stars to your liking from gold glitter foam sheets that can be found at most craft stores and attached to headband with some hot glue.  Pretty and simple.

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Or if you fancy, you could do a version with fake flowers instead.  You know this how Lana Del Rey does it.  I mean I assume.  Who doesn't like the Fourth of July?  Canadians, that's who!  And probably the rest of the world.  

Food

Pinterest Link

Usually, I'm pretty happy with a hot dog and some ice cream on the Fourth of July, but my mom likes to make a similar Strawberry Spinach salad as pictured above.  Just toss blueberries, sliced strawberries, almonds and some crumbled feta cheese in with some spinach leaves.  Then drizzle with some raspberry balsamic dressing and you have a tasty, festive salad sure to please!

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Oh mah gawd!  Patriotic Taco Salad sounds amazing and slightly ironic, no?  I could also see this as a way to dress up a Seven Layer Dip.  Just decorate the stripes with shredded cheese and sliced tomatoes.  Add some olives and extra guac to the top left corner and you have the most delicious version of the American flag to ever exist.

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 Dude, ice cream floats with red and blue sodas?  I'm soooo there.  This one is pretty much a no-brainer but so pretty and tasty looking at the same time.

Games

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Okay so I may have lied a little bit when I said, "simple DIYs" but how awesome is this Patriotic Corn Hole set?  Yes, to some of my readers out there, there is a game called "corn hole" and it is played quite frequently outdoors.  Basically it is a set of elevated boards with a hole cut out across the very top.  Players divide into teams and try to sink as many bean or sand filled sachets through the top or "corn" hole.  If you know how to build or know someone with basic carpentry skills, how cool would it be to bust these babies out?  Painted in red, white and blue.

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Now this Custom Beer Pong Table is entirely within my skill set.  Just get a slab of plywood or if you'd like something sturdier, a hollow-core door, from any hard-ware store and paint a flag using painter's tape for straight edges.  Then rest the table on top a pair of saw horses and your patriotic tribute to drinking games is now complete!

So tell me, my precious readers, what plans do you have in store for the holiday?

Marg

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Just What Kind of Blog Do You Think This Is?

Tell me, because I have no idea.  Seriously.

I originally started this blog as an outlet for my wreath shop on Etsy, appropriately named SugarSkull Industries' (W)Reef Shop, because I love a good pun. I read online that the best way to build up an audience of which to introduce my wares was by casting a wide net into the blogosphere.  Fair enough, I thought.  Plus I love writing and telling funny stories about my childhood, like that one time I found a dead bird in our backyard playhouse that my mom took great lengths to sew little fabric curtains for, which made me believe for a short time that we actually had an evil, Satanic playhouse that was murdering small animals.  Turns out we just left the little front door open and an an old bird was looking for a quiet place to pass on.

So maybe I started this blog for the wrong reasons.  I mean who hasn't heard of a wreath.  "Oh excuse me, ladies and fine gentlemen!  Allow me to introduce the newest thing, straight from Paris, you have never seen anything like it, I promise!  Behold--the wreath!"

I started with a bold direction for my blog.  Nothing exactly new or innovative but tried and true.  I enjoy reading Radical Possibility and thought, hey I like decorating my house, I love exploring the nearest city, I love drinking gin! I settled on posting some fun home decor DIY projects, artistically impressive photos of my travels, and the occasional think piece on whatever my little dorky heart desired, like books, music and/or anything comic book related.  The readers would surely flock.  I am and will forever be an optimist. Fatally optimistic is what my paternal grandmother once said.  I, of course, was like, "What the hell, Granma?"  (She prefers the spelling without a "d")

I'll be honest, I did have fun posting.  Even though my DIY projects were sadly short-lived.  I have neither the imagination nor skill to come up with successful DIYs on a regular basis and forget taking successful photos of the whole enterprise.  Seriously, are there any night owl bloggers?  And if so what do you post?  Do you take your pictures at night, after work like I try to?

I don't travel enough to take beautiful landscape pictures of things like an abandoned cemetery or like, a duck pond.  I don't have a mate or children to take pictures of or, conversely, to take pictures of me while doing DIYs.  Sorry if I left  you with the impression that I may or may not be left handed.

So what is left then?  The funny stories, I guess?  I could try cooking but come on, not even I'm optimistic enough to beat that dead horse.  Also, I'm like a remedial cook at best.  I know how to cook some stuff, like spaghetti, meat loaf, tacos but I'm not adventurous and at the first mention of a food processor or mixer, I give up.  I got a rice cooker, an 18 year old toaster, a blender and a panini press.  I mean I can't even make rice unassisted.

I could try the fashion angle.  Taking pictures of every single outfi---nah, scratch that.  I'm too lazy.  I got bored halfway through that last sentence.

So what are your thoughts?  What do you look for in your favorite blogs?  After 6 months of blogging, I'm asking you, dear readers, what do you like to read about?  What gets you interested and engaged?  Just curious.

; )

Marg

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Decor Ideas for Hosting an Easter Lunch

Easter never gets all the hype the Christmas does, but it should.  I mean not just for religious reasons but because Easter coincides with a beautiful season, Spring.  I remember hunting for Easter Eggs as a child with my two younger sisters.  My mom would hide them around the house.  My younger sister S would tear around the house, showing no mercy, grabbing every egg in sight.  My mom still hides one egg in my sister’s home in Indianapolis.  Picks the hardest place she can find, just so my sister can still experience the thrill of the hunt.  

My mom still hides eggs around the house for me and my youngest sister T, now both grown adults.  She hides them inside of light fixtures, underneath furniture, buried under a bowl of fruit.  She’s pretty crafty, my mom.

Pretty much my mom and step dad the night before....."hahaha, they'll never find the egg in here".  Source

When my dad remarried, we used to spend Easters with him and my stepmothers' family, gathering for a huge outdoor picnic.  Both my parents were cradle Catholics, and raised me and my sisters the same way.  We never got out of going to church, it was the one thread that held both sides of my mom’s family and dad’s family together, but at the picnics we were too old to hunt Easter Eggs.  Instead we took turns donning an Easter Bunny suit for the younger kids. 

Similar to a sports mascot, the suit zipped up the back, covering you in a coat of synthetic fur, and the mask was an over sized bunny head, with two tiny holes for the eyes.  The nose of the bunny was so over sized, you couldn't look down to see where you were going.  I quickly realized why Mickey and Minnie at Disneyland always did that creepy, head patting motion at Disneyland. 

This was me....."oh where are you, screaming child?  For I cannot SEE!" Source  

It’s because you literally cannot see small children in that suit.  You have to pet their heads to find out where they are.  You’ll just feel something hug you suddenly at like knee level but you cannot see where the child is.

Aside from Easter Egg Hunts or Easter Bunny suits this year I want to celebrate by hosting an Easter lunch at my house.

As always I turn to Pinterest for some fresh inspiration, whenever I get too discouraged by all the cookie cutter holiday decor out there.

Here are my picks for the table setting.

Table Runner

I was looking for some type of alternative to the traditional pastel colored table runner and thought this cute version made from burlap would be really simple to do.  You can make the little bunny tails with white pom poms and I like how it doesn’t absolutely scream EASTER.

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Place Card Settings

You do a two in one, using little planted succulents as a place card setting and take home gift favor. Yes, succulents are everywhere, I know, so why not add them to Easter?  I love the inclusion of the pink aquarium gravel you can get at any pet store to make it more seasonal looking.  I know the succulents and mini terracotta pots are some of the cheapest things to buy at a hardware store.  How cute with this be, with a little name card propped up against it?

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Centerpiece

For centerpieces, I usually see the standard pastel colored eggs in a plastic or wood basket.  It’s not too bad but I was looking for something unusual and cheap.  Always what’s cheapest.  I love this combination of glittery eggs and simple carnations thrown together in a white bowl.  I really like how the colors pop against the white and how the glitter adds an extra layer of texture.  Low cost, inventive and easy to make, what’s not to love?

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Party Favors for the Kids

This year I want to invite my two twin kid sisters as well.  They will almost be 11 this year, but hopefully that’s not too old to be into these adorable DIY Bunny Ears.  You can make several pairs with colored construction paper and colored tissue paper, just glue to a cheap headband and voila!  I will totally make some for the adults as well.  Instagram will be all like blowing up with the photo ops these bunny ears will provide.

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Household Décor

I do usually sprinkle my seasonal décor throughout my living room and dining room to set the tone.  While I’m not all that crazy about a ton of pastel colors, I think I can live with a little pastel, especially when juxtaposed with neon colors.

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Source - A Pretty Life In The Suburbs

How cute are those neon branches?  These would be super easy to scatter artfully along my bookshelf or in a glass vase on my coffee table.  The garland, while pastel, seems doable to me, especially if you keep around a lot of yarn, like I do.  I like the pastel colored yarn balls, giant pom-poms, and the tiny birdhouses you can find at most craft stores for a dollar a pop.  While I don’t have a fireplace or even a mantel I can picture a garland like this adorning my side table, or *ahem* even my bar cart.  

So what you are guys looking forward to for the Easter holidays?  I personally gave up pizza for Lent and have been daydreaming about the greasiest slice for almost six weeks now.  What traditions does your family have?

Drop me a line in the comments!  I want to know!

Marg

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Hello Spring! How to create the best Outdoor Space Ever!

Hello my peeps!

Today is the first day of spring!  Woo-hoo!  My neck of the woods has seen bi-polar weather resulting in 40 degree lows and 80 degree highs the very next day.  It's been murder on my seasonal allergies but better than the ice and snow still plaguing the North and the Mid-West.  Hopefully the weather will calm down soon and we can enjoy the sunshine on our faces.

As spring approaches, I'm looking forward to enjoying my backyard with a nice cool drink and public radio playing the Black Keys and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and such.  Right now my backyard and lawn are a complete mess.  Tree branches fallen everywhere due to the high winds, dandelion weeds popping up out of control, and my outdoor string lights destroyed by the insects and squirrels.

This weekend I'll need to pull out the lawn mower and get to work, hard work.  Which is not fun.  For motivation, I've combed through Pinterest looking for inspiration in having the best outdoor space ever!  Let's take a look shall we?

Outdoor Seating

Quick, what is an outdoor space without any seating?  It's just a field, really.  Outdoor seating tops my list for any must have.  I do have a random assortment of outdoor furniture already occupying my covered patio and front porch.  I got some white plastic Adirondack chairs on sale last Fall but they are ill-suited for my porch.  They are too big, do not match my 1960's house, and don't pop with color.  So I will relegate them to the backyard with all the green foliage.  

I love the two DIY ideas below for additional seating and to bring some color in the mix.   

I feel like I could create this colorful bench with cinder blocks, home-made cushions and wooden beams.  The geometric shape is a better profile for my front porch and those cushions are so cute.

I also love re-painting old furniture and this idea to paint a wooden bench in stripes seems really fresh and interesting.  Any stripes really, are always a good idea.  I'm really digging the yellow, white and aqua combo.

Outdoor Lighting

I had a combination of rope lighting, outdoor cafe lighting and twinkly white Christmas lights going on last year.  Unfortunately the bugs and the squirrels took out the outdoor cafe lighting.  The squirrels had a great time using it as their own highway through my backyard.  Most of the rope lighting and all the twinkly lights survived.  This year I need to think outside the box in setting up my outdoor lighting.

I like this concept of placing the twinkly lights together in a basket like so.  It makes a bigger impact that just a small strand.

I also like the twinkly lights dripping of the trees.  Seems like that may be a better alternative to draping the cafe lights horizontally.  The effective is rather romantic and dramatic.

Outdoor Chandelier

I had also put up a DIY Outdoor Chandelier to bring a lil' sparkle to my backyard last summer.  I made it with colored plastic gems, a little Ikea octopus dryer with the eight arms, and some strands of beads.  The wind actually caused the beads and gems to get pretty tangled and ruined.  So I've found some new chandelier DIYs to try for this year.

 I could attach the plastic gems to base made from chicken wire or wire mesh.  This way the gems or beads wouldn't be long enough to tangle and I would still keep the sparkle.

I could try to make a chandelier using nautical floats for a pretty pop of color.  I know the nautical floats can be found in some antique shops but they are not cheap.

I like the simplicity of this grapevine wreath with mini mason jars hanging from it.  Really rustic, lovely and super easy to do.

Planter Love

The aloe vera and succulents I've been keeping inside are almost ready to come outside.  Some of my plants have grown and need to be re-potted into larger pots.  I want to spruce up my plain terra cotta pots before then and found some really cute, color-blocking ideas.

This seems simple enough.  Just paint a coat of yellow paint, then free hand the lines in white.

I like that the inside is painted a contrasting color as well.  Really cute and again there's my new favorite color combo of yellow, white and aqua!

This seems perfect for my skill level and my tendency to get really lazy, just paint the rim and you're done!

Flowers

Lantana plant

Here in Texas, there are parts of your outdoor space that will totally get absolutely fried by the sun.  I have a few trees that provide some much needed shade.  But there are some spots that I have trouble getting anything to grow because of the heat.

My mama plants lantana plants in the un-shaded places in her garden.  They will thrive in the brutal sun and are absolutely gorgeous.  They also attract butterflies so WIN all around.  I'll be stocking up on these to plant in my planter box outside.  

How cute is this planter box?

So tell me, mis amigos, are you excited to get started creating your own little backyard oasis or are you dreading the spring cleaning?  What tips or DIYs do you have to share?

Tell me!  I would love to know.

Later gators,

Marg

Image Source - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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DIY - Quirky Flower Vases

Right around this time, I think most people yearn for spring.  The warming of the temperatures, sunshine on our faces, flowers beginning to bloom.  Even in Texas, spring is still a few weeks away.  My mama doesn't take her plants outside until April, instead keeping her citrus trees, aloes, hibiscus plants, and pineapple plants locked up in a modest greenhouse for the winter.  I don't have quite the green thumb she does, but I have managed to keep two giant aloe plants she bestowed upon me alive.  They are currently keeping warm in my garage.

As a way to quell my spring fever, I like to pick up some flowers at the supermarket every once in a blue moon.  I only get the really cheap bouquets, this time I picked up a small bouquet for $4.88 at Walmart.  Be sure to pick the flowers that are still partially closed and have yet to fully bloom, as these will last you longer.

So pretty.

Now comes the fun part.  Instead of using traditional vases, I've been holding onto empty glass soda bottles, an empty Voss water bottle, even an empty coffee can.  I like the thrifted feel they add to a small group flowers and they really help to personalize the little mini-bouquets for me.  My favorite item to use as a vase, however, is this hot-pink measuring cup I got from Target last summer.

To start, cut down the stems of your flower at a 45 degree angle and re-arrange, stripping any extra leaves or flower buds that may have been crushed or damaged.  Don't be afraid to cut down some stems even more so that your flowers are staggered.  You don't have to use all of the flowers or greenery. 

I played around with my different containers but decided to pass on the coffee can.  Next time, though!  Then I like to place flowers around my main living space.  The kitchen counter, dining table, side table, wherever you like.

Now get you some flowers and get happy!

Love,

Marg

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