A-a-a-arm Party!!!

Hello, beautiful!

So remember that bracelet I'm wearing in my previous outfit post? That was from the Arm Swag Party hosted by Leonora from Yellow Heart Art and Ilene from Much Love, Illy. [side note: How cool is that? A blogger named Illy! Hers is a nickname by her boyfriend but I still thought it was super cool. I tweeted her about it and told her it's a sign that we should be friends. Lol For those of you who don't know, I have 3 first names - Mary Suerische ILLEE. I'm pretty sure our Illy(Illee)'s are pronounced the same way and it's not a name you come across with everyday. ;)] 

ANYHOO. Back to the..................

Basically, it's an exchange gift of awesome arm bling. You get paired up with another participant and boom! You got yourself a new friend and of course, a new bracelet. 

My partner is awesome momma Alli from Life On Leroy. 

When I got my mail from her, the first thing I noticed was she used The Incredibles stamps. That's when I knew she's ultra cool. We've exchanged a few emails the past month and I quickly learned I'm not mistaken. She's cool and super nice. We decided to do a Q&A type thingamajig so you can meet her too. Read on to learn more about this sweet chic and to see the pretty, pretty bracelet she sent me.

Tell us a little about your self:

Hey, hey my name is Alli and I blog over at Life on LeRoy.  I live in Wisconsin with my charming, energetic 3-year old Dayton, and my handsome, hardworking husband, Tony. We enjoy the simple things in life like snuggling, taking long walks, having random dance parties in our living room and tickle fights.  On my blog you'll find updates on our life, recipes, DIY's, photography, fashion and a "Life Lately" link up party every other Monday!! Stop by and say hello, I would LOVE to meet you! xoxo 

Why did you start a blog?

I started a blog because I really enjoy writing and taking pictures. I felt blogging was the perfect way to do that. I also have family and friends that live all over the country so I think it's a great way for them to keep in touch with us.  Blogging is a huge hobby of mine and it's something that I truly enjoy.  

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

As cliche as it sounds, my favorite thing about blogging is meeting new people. It's fascinating meeting people from all over the World through the blogging community.  I also love that I'm able to capture moments of my life in hopes that someday I can look back on them and see what I was doing during this time in my life.

Favorite summer memory so far:

My favorite summer memory so far is probably my brother's wedding in June.  It was something that my whole family looked forward to for so long and the entire day was a blast. Weddings are such a huge part of someone's life and I was so excited to be able to be a part of my brother's.   

If you had unlimited resources to go on your ultimate dream summer vacation, what would you choose to do?

I would go back to the mountains in Montana.  My hubs and I honeymooned there and fell in love with it!  It was the first time I had ever seen mountains and they were breathtaking.  I would spend time hiking, fishing, taking pictures and getting to know the locals ;)  A little cabin in the mountains = blissful!

What are you looking forward to the most this coming fall?

I am most looking forward to EVERYTHING about Fall! Fall is by far my favorite season of all.  I love the smells, the sounds, the tastes, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, cute Fall boots and scarves! I love it all.  I'm not a huge fan of this extreme heat we've been having so I will welcome Fall with open arms!

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See? Isn't she lovely? Head on over to her blog and show her some love. Her blog is entertaining, insightful and her little boy is such a charmer! Such a good read, I promise. :)

And lastly, here's the bracelet she sent me. She got me this gorgeous mustard suede bracelet. I didn't get to shoot more outfit posts with it but I'm wearing it quite a lot. My whole summer's been all about the blues, yellows and oranges and this has been perfect for stacking my favorite summer arm swag pieces!

And.. in action...

Thank you so much, Alli. It was so nice getting to know you. :)

Talk to you later,
<3,
Mary

Busy August!

Hey guys! Just a quick post for a couple of things...

(1). Thank you to everybody who've tweeted, liked, shared, and of course, purchased a decal for my Project RescuePH. It's doing really great and I appreciate all the help I'm getting. I've decided to do it all through August so there's plenty of time to join in. Let's help our brothers and sisters in need! The decals can be found here.

(2). I cannot tell you how excited I am over meeting and working with friends over at the Maryland Promotions Team from Etsy.My notifications are constant and I love it! We just started gaining momentum and  I'm loving how a lot of the members are working with each other. We've been brainstorming  and let me tell ya, lots of great things are gonna come from that group! Starting with....

(3). A HUGE fall sale. Over 30 shops from all over Maryland are offering 5-30% off their shops. Holiday shopping in August? Why not? It's never too early to start! Save yourself from procrastinating this year and check out the wonderful shops. You're bound to find something perfect for everyone on your list! From August 15-30, use coupon code MDFIAS to take advantage of the Fall Into Autumn Sale. Visit the wonderful Melissa from Crafty Panda Girl for more details and a complete list of participating shops - including KISSEMHUT!

(4.) And if that's not enough, we're also having Fall Into Autumn Giveaways! Sale and free stuff?? It feels like the holidays already! Hop on over to the Crafty Panda Girl to enter the raffle. Enter as many times as you can for bigger chances on those awesome giveaways!

Awesome, right? The sale starts in a few days so get ready! Treat your self to a thing (or two) I won't tell, I promise! 

Laters,

<3

Mary

PS. Are you a Maryland vendor? Join us over at the Maryland Promotions Team, the more, the merrier! See you! :)

#prayforthephilippines

Show your support by getting these decals. All proceeds will be donated to on going relief efforts.


My beautiful home, the Philippines, has once again been hit by nature. Two years after Typhoon Ondoy, which shook up the whole country leaving many dead and a lot more stricken and damaged, a tropical storm and southwest monsoon have severely flooded areas in Luzon and Metro Manila the last few days. Over 800,000 people (increasing as we speak), have been affected. Lives have been lost, properties have been damaged. Words cannot express the horror and sadness I feel every time I see the news.

Here are some pictures I've collected to show you (little of) what the Filipino people are going through right now. None of these pictures are of my own. 

I am grateful that all my family and friends are safe but like most of the people affected, their properties have been severely damaged. Evacuations and relief efforts from all over are going on and it makes my heart beam with pride to see my countrymen help each other in this time of great need. 

In an effort to help out and organize a fund raising project, I have made Pilipino/ Filipino decals, now up in my etsy shop.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to ongoing relief efforts. These decals can be used on laptops, cars, computers, refrigerators, books, and other surfaces. Please help me spread the word and help out our brothers and sisters in need!

Let me end this post with a collage I found on facebook. I want to share with the whole world how even in times of disaster, count on Filipinos to be laughing and finding humor in the situation. Ah, how I love being Filipino, let me count the ways......

Roughly translated, text says: "You are just flood, I'm Filipino!"

<3,
Mary

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For those in need, here's a list of numbers to reach: (List copied/ reblogged from Camille Co)

• PAGASA – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration: Official Website, Twitter, Facebook

Hotline: (02) 433 – ULAN (433 – 8526)

• NDRRMC – National Disaster Risk Reduction and Mangement Council: Official Website, Twitter,Facebook

Hotline: (02) 911-1406; (02) 912-2665; (02) 9125668

• MMDA – Metro Manila Development Authority: Official Website, Twitter, Facebook

Hotline: 136 (MMDA Metrobase) ; (02) 882-4177 or (02) 8820925 (Flood Control)

• DPWH – Department of Public Works and Highway

Hotline: (02) 304-3713

• DOTC – Department of Transportation and Communication: Official Website, Twitter

Hotline: 7890, (0918) 884-8484

• Philippine Red Cross: Official Website, Twitter, Facebook

Hotline: 143, (02) 911-1876

• Meralco Emergency

Hotline: 16211

SMS: 0920-9716211(SMART); 0917-5516211(GLOBE)

• Philippine National Police

Hotline: 117

SMS: Send TXT PNP to 2920

Additionally, visit this link for a list of relief centers.

What?? An Outfit Post?!

Happy Monday, People! 


If Pocahontas and Tiger Lily turned into 1 person and lived in Maryland in 2012...........

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Must be the scarf print and the braid, no?

Details:

Top:  scarf that I turned into a top using safety pins

Bottoms:  DIY shorts from here

Shoes:  Gap, $30 (I've had them for 2 years now and I've been living in them the whole summer!)

Necklace:  Kissemhut, here

Bracelet:  Arm Party Swap Bracelet (more on that next time)

Nails: Funky Fingers' Kingston, $3 - 5 Below

<3,
Mary

Whatcha doin?

Here's a few interesting stuff that I found around this wonderful, wonderful world of the internet:

**  Office party coming up? Need a mindless gift idea? Just too much money and need more stuff to hoard? Well, this list might just be what you need. A cookie dunking utensil perhaps?

**  You can NEVER be too old for S'mores - you just find new ways to enjoy it.

**  And just in case, the S'mores are not sweet enough, here's more DIY chocolatey goodness!

**  I am in love with this geometric table by Kat from We Can Re-Do It

**  Clever DVD display. This will definitely be in my future home's entertainment center.

**   I'm not big on makeup but if I were, this is what make up paradise would probably look like to me.

**  These things just take me back! Remember 3 1/2 Floppy disks? Well, they'd probably won't do anything for you and your computer right now so why not use them for something else? And check out this awesome Coca-cola cans concept inspired by one of my favorite old school arcade games, Space Invaders

**  Speaking of childhood, was it just me or did you dream of becoming a mermaid and swimming with Ariel too? Well, look what $250 can get you! Sure, it wouldn't make you breathe underwater and wouldn't make all the sea creatures talk to you but this is close enough. I would totally timeshare this with someone! Sisterhood of the traveling fins. Yes?

**  If you decide to be part of my Sisterhood, we'll write each other using beautiful sparkly top pencils! ....

**  ..... And we can get this morbidly appropriate Walking Dead DVD Set (gore-alert!) or recreate movies using legos.

**  Patience is a virtue. And it can make you produce awesome artwork.

All right, break's over. Have a few laughs before you go. Here and here. 

<3,

Mary

Escaped the WEAKday

Halloooo! Happy Monday, friends! Did everybody have a good weekend?

I had a FANTASTIC one! My boyfriend, brothers, sister, and I did the Rebel Race! We signed up for it a couple of months ago with high hopes of going into proper training and getting fit and ready for this but before we knew it.. race day was upon us. 

It wasn't bad. We only signed up for 5k. It was definitely a challenge. All the obstacles and the mud made it seem 5 times longer than it is but it sure was a lot of fun! Glad I got that off my list!

I got new stuff for the race that I can just dispose later on. I wanted a really bright outfit so they'd find me if I got lost. Ha! Got cheap $10 shoes from walmart, bright green shorts and a regular neon pink shirt that I turned into a workout top using this tutorial. 

In Memoriam

Here's a couple of photos from the event taken with my trusty Kodak Playsport:

The BEFORE shot. (l-r): My brother, DEAN, my boyfriend, ALDENE, my sister, JULEEN, Me, my youngest brother, ROMAN

After the first mud crawl.  (Me, Dean, Juleen, Roman)

We made it! Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP?!!

I was little bit sore after but it was all worth it! Now I'm back to crafting and getting my things together. Working on a new DIY now.

Til later..

<3,

Mary

Today I Played with an Old Pair of Jeans

Hey my dears! 

How are you all doing? Did everybody have a fun fourth of July? It's been soooo hot in my side of town! Plus, if you aren't from around here, let me tell ya, last week has been cuh-ray-zee! There was a severe thunderstorm on Thursday. We lost power that night and didn't get it back til yesterday. 7 days without power! Which also means 7 days without any crafting - I stayed at my boyfriend's house for a few days cos it's unbearable here at home (they got there power back within a day. Lucky!) So I didn't have any of my supplies.

So as soon as I learned that we got our power back, all I really wanted to do was sew. Oh my darling sewing machine, I missed you so much! I started the day with cleaning the basement which is also my crafting space and found a few pieces of clothing that I could reconstruct! Yay! First up was an old pair of jeans that's already too short for me (I choose to believe that I'm still growing taller at 25). 

I've been wanting to make shorts from old jeans but I didn't want it to be just plain so I grabbed my stash of zippers and found neon orange ones. Perfect! I had this vision of a distressed/ rugged pair of summer shorts so I didn't even bother making sure my lines were straight. A few snip, snips, sew, sews and a  few painful accidents with my pins (not required for this project - just me being me) later.......

Tada!!


I love how the zippers add a pop of color!

The zippers are about 6" and fully functional although I do not recommend wearing them with the zippers up! No, missy!

I wasn't able to take photos of the steps. I was debating whether I should do a full picture tutorial or not since it's pretty simple. 


Basically, here's what I did:


1. I put the pants on and marked how short I want them to be plus add 2" for the fold. If you're in doubt, add more allowance. It's easier to cut a little bit more later than end up with your shorts being too short!


2. Take the pants off and cut where you marked your fabric. Adjust if necessary. NOTE: Watch out for the pocket linings! If they're sewn in with the seam, you can cut it too and just sew it in with the zipper as well. What? No. I didn't forget about mine. My shorts don't have uneven pocket linings now. No, don't check)


3. Fold and pin the bottom in place.


4. Cut the sides where the seams are, as close to the seam as you can. Again, it's easier to give yourself some allowance and adjust later on than cut too much!


5. Pick a side to do first. Take your zipper and line up the bottoms and pin. Make sure you check if your zippers are pinned correctly that it opens up the right way - the zipper on the bottom when closed. I won't tell you how I decided to put that reminder here.


6. Sew around the zipper and then sew on the cuff as well. I decided to use a zigzag stitch rather than just straight ones to add to the rugged effect and to stop it from fraying (not sure how effective this is though)


7. Do it on the other side.


8. Cut off the excess zipper. And there you go!


Optional: I was thinking of distressing the front but I don't want it to look too heavy/busy. Thoughts?


I did a couple more projects with the parts I cut out. I'll share them next time. So what do you think?Are the instructions clear? Please let me know if you have questions. I can do a step-by-step picture tutorial if you guys want. I'm so sick of wearing jeans. I feel like cutting all of them up. 


Let me know!


Have a happy weekend!


<3,
Mary

GIVEAWAY TIME!

So the other day, I couldn't sleep so I decided to finally try making friendship bracelets that I've been meaning to do for so long now. They're everywhere these days and they are so easy to make! I know a lot of my friends are interested in these so I've decided to do a fun giveaway! Here's what the bracelets look like:

Cute, right?




Alright, well here's how it works:


1. Take a look at this picture and guess how many buttons are in the container.

2. Go on over to my facebook page. (Make sure to like the page!)


3. Post your guess as a comment on the giveaway post.


4. You're done!


Other things you need to know:


*** Giveaway is open until Saturday night, June 30 - 10am EST
*** You may enter up to 3 answers.
*** In the event that nobody guesses the correct number, the person who is closest to the correct answer wins.
*** I can take up to 3 winners if more than one guesses correctly (first 3 people to post the number)
*** You have to join (as in "Like") my facebook page. That is the ONLY requirement. (Although I wouldn't mind if you follow me on twitter or any of my social networking accounts too - links on the top right side.)
*** This is open to international friends as well. No purchase necessary. Shipping is included.
*** Winners will be announced and contacted within 24 hours of the closing. 
*** Winners will work with me on the size, colors, and other details they want.


There you go! Thank you for joining and guess away! :)


Good luck!
<3,
Mary


PS. Would you like for me to do a tutorial on the bracelets?

Here We Go

Hey All!

So remember when I said bigger and better things are coming? I have finally have enough to move on and announce what to me is the beginning of a new era.

First of all is I decided to rename my blog from Kissemhut to Rethink Borders. For me, this name reflects more what my goal is for this blog and for my life. I started my handmade store, Kissemhut, a year ago and everything has been going fine but when I reassessed all the things that I want to achieve, I realized that sticking to making and selling handmade goods was not entirely what I wanted. Sure, I love making my own stuff but ever since I was young, I have been in love with beautiful and affordable fashion and it has always been my goal to set up my own RTW boutique. Now that I have the opportunity, I decided to go for it and launch a shop dedicated to fun, stylish, beautiful but most importantly, affordable fashion.

Last month, I opened up KISSESories and last week, I finally moved it to it's permanent home on Storenvy. I am starting by offering jewelry but as soon as things are more stable, I would expand to bags and purses and who knows, maybe even shoes and clothes. We'll see. :)

This blog will continue to be my creative outlet where you'll be able to join me as I go on my adventures. I will continue to share things I make, I love and things that inspire me to do whatever it is I'm working on. I hope you'll be there as I certainly cannot do this on my own! New and old friends are always welcome!

Thank you so much for all your support and I appreciate you reading my blog.

Until next time,

<3,

Mary

PS.

You can now find me on twitter. You can also find my other links on the sidebar. Isn't the internet wonderful?

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3810660/rethink-your-borders?claim=p439dccetnn">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Midweek News

Happy hump day, my friends!

Just a quick post to take this moment and marvel at the beauty of this baby that came in the mail today........

My Silhouette Cameo!!!!

I am so excited!! I have been wanting to get one since earlier this year and last week, I finally ordered it online. I found this one on Amazon (came with the vinyl bundle. Score!). I have ZERO idea how it works and what to do with it first so uhm... yeah, it might be a while before you hear about me and my silhouette but I'm going to try my best to figure it out now so wish me luck! 

I know that's not the most flattering picture but the FedEx guy came as soon as I walked out to go on a run. Being the disciplined (*ehem*) runner that I am (more on why I'm trying to run and train next time), I decided to open it after I get back hence the too happy/too sweaty photo. 

How's your week going? 

<3,

Mary

It's Monday?

Happy Monday, my friends! 

I don't remember the last time I was happy that it was a Monday. Today marks the first official day of my freedom summer vacation plus I have today off at the med spa. Every Monday after this, I will be working from 9am-10pm so you get why today is special for me, right? :)

I am out on a mission to make today productive. I've already made a list of "things to accomplish" for the week (i looooove lists!), caught up with all my email lags, took more photos for my etsy shop's relaunch (happening soon, I promise!), checked out my amazon and etsy carts that have been sitting there for a few weeks now (oooh, packages!), and.........

Signed up for Linda(from Craftaholics Anonymous)'s Handmade Gift Exchange June 2012! I am beyond excited for this! This is the first time that I'll be joining a gift exchange (or anything like it). I am determined to meet fellow bloggers/ crafters and of course, I am excited to make (and get!) handmade gifts.

If you're interested to join in, you can read about the mechanics here. Sign up is open until June 7, 2012. It'll be a lot of fun so I encourage everyone to join! You don't have to be a professional crafter to be part of it. Love for handmade and willingness to commit to making something is all you need!

Already part of the exchange? Visit my profile here. Let's link up and be friends!

See? I told you I'm being productive.. all that (and a blog post!) before 1pm. Yay! 

Have a fun week, lovelies.

<3,

Mary

PS. I realize that I have too many parentheses in this post. Let it go. :P

What's up?

Hey beautiful people of the internet! 

I hope the beginning of the summer is treating you well. I can't believe how hot it's getting here at the DMV area - I can't imagine what the rest of the summer's gonna be like.

Lots of things going on in my end - school's wrapping up, we'll be off by Friday. Woo-hoo summer break! I am so excited to catch a break from teaching. It is still so much fun and I love my students to bits but I am exhausted! I also can't believe that for the first time in 4 years, I'm not going to teach camp at all. It's gonna be interesting. 3 months away from the school! Wow! I decided that I'm going to work more hours at my other job (as laser technician for hair removal). I'm gonna be working 3 days a week for 13 hours a day (yikes!) but then I'm gonna have 4 days off which means more time to attend to other things especially crafting! Yay! I am so excited. I am hoping to relaunch my shop by next week - stay tuned! :) 

And last thing, speaking of shops, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Ultimately, my life dream is to run my own boutique. I am loving all the sewing and crafting that I'm doing but I did an assessment of what I really want to achieve. I've always love fashion - accessories in particular. And more than my love for DIY fashion is AFFORDABLE fashion. I've never been big on designer brands. I always go for nice and affordable things. I would rather buy 12 things that I got for cheap than 1 designer item that I know I'm gonna get tired of and ruin at some point. 

What am I getting at? Well, combining all my life goals and wants, I decided to open another shop! Don't worry, I am still keeping my etsy shop, Kissemhut, open and I am still planning to do all sorts of DIY stuff but along with this is my new baby, KISSESories. This new shop will focus more on affordable accessories. Basic ones and some on the higher end but you can get cheaper than what you would pay for at retail stores. 

So there you have it, my life that's slowly but surely molding into what I've always wanted it to be. I am so excited and I appreciate your support - from reading my blog to visiting and shopping at my shop. 

Here's a preview of some of my favorite items from KISSESories

Rock Paper Scissors Two Finger Ring

Carolee Island Breeze Bracelet

Vintage Style Camera Long Necklace

Since I'm just starting up, quantities are limited so shop now before they're gone! Thank you and happy Wednesday! :)

<3,
Mary

Everybody's Fighting A Different Battle

Chin up, my friend. The sun will be out tomorrow.

<3,

Mary