A little design

I've mentioned my graphic design shop before and I always like to share little peeks at my creations and also spotlight the lovely bloggers who allow me to design for them. Here are two lovely blogs that I made over recently. The bloggers are such sweet girls and I look forward to reading what they have to share!

Sarah of Simply Dove 

Jess of Courier New Love

I really really enjoy designing and being able to give life to a dream or thought someone else has. I work on everything from blog buttons to entire blog makeovers! If you're interested in getting some design work done, feel free to email me at Melisaholguin@gmail.com or visit this info page to get more... info, ha!


In other news, I was featured on Savannah's lovely blog, Maie Dae! I just love her and felt so lucky to share tips on staying inspired! You can check it out here!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm spending the majority of my night working with le Mr. at Starbucks; which in turn means, drinking chai, doodling and blogging - best night ever.

xo.

Melisa

lets make something

I've been in the spring cleaning mood as of late and I thought I'd spruce up a few old pieces and make them a litle more fresh. I took an old frame with one of my favorite photos and made it like new. Here's what you'll need: frame, modpodge, scissors, paper doilies

step one // put a layer of modpodge on one side of the frame. Lay down your paper doilies. Some of them may overlay on each other, just be sure to apply modpodge to any area it's placed. Once they've all been placed, put a thin layer of mod podge on top, to seal the edges.

 

step two // time to cut! Take your scissors and cut along the edge of the frame; this can be a little tricky, so if you have a box cutter this would be a great time to use it! Cut along the inside next and if you want, leave a few peeking through in the corners like I did!

 

 

Super simple and just the freshening up I needed! My little jewelry corner is much brighter now. Hope you are having a lovely week!

xo.

Melisa

a wedding

Last weekend I was a bridesmaid in Kalli and Jacob's wedding. You'll remember her from here. I had so so much fun and everything looked wonderful; I just love weddings! This will make for my fourth. I know what you all are thinking, and no, the saying will not ring true. 

I think Kalli looked stunning and these lame-o pictures do not do her justice. Most of this took place at night and my camera punishes me when it's dark. I simply cannot wait to see the real photos^_^

xo.

Melisa

a word of encouragement

Lately I've been faced with some pretty big decisions; mostly trying to decide where God wants me. Without sharing too much, its been a tough week of trying to figure out which direction to turn. While some opportunities may seem great in certain areas, they also carry some draw backs. It's an interesting place to find yourself in when you don't seem to hear a definitive answer on the matter at hand. 

For the last few days I've been in a state of unrest and confusion. Most times when I feel this way I find myself praying to God and talking an awful lot, which generally leads me to one of my favorite verses in the Bible...

"Be still and know that I am God..."

And bam, just like that, I shut my mouth. I get so easily caught up in worry and logistics and planning and talking and talking (see what I mean?) that I forget to acknowledge the greatest thing of all... God is God. Well that just seems silly to say; kinda like one of those "duh..." moments, but it's easy to forget that the one you're praying to already knows the problem and even better, knows the answer, He's God after-all. At times it may be hard to hear from Him, some of you may not have ever heard from Him, but it doesn't change the fact that He's there, and He's talking, it's just a matter of whether or not we choose to listen.

I tend to want a plan (yes, we know this). More often than not though, much to my dismay, the plan goes out the window. I find it best to not make the plan, but alas I do it anyways. In this situation I want to write out my next step, I want to know what opportunity to choose and I want to know how it's going to work out, I want to weigh pros and cons and make lists... cause lists make my heart feel better.

I know now though that no matter the lists or plans, God knows better than I, and whether I choose to go to the right or to the left, I believe my destination will be the same. Each will carry its own set of obstacles, joys, mountains and valleys, but in the end I will be changed for the better. Yes. I choose to believe that these moments of what seem to be confusion are merely lessons from God in trust; not only trusting in Him, but trusting in ourselves and the capacity we have to make good choices. 

I will wake in the morning to make a call, and with that call I will choose to say yes or say no, but either way I will have peace in knowing that I'm one step closer to where God wants me. It's not always an easy journey, but it's moments like these that I'm grateful I don't have to go it alone. Agreed? 

xo.

Melisa

freshening

Spring is upon us people! The sun is shining and the birds are singing, and I've been on a whole redecorating kick! Recently he Mr and one of our friends created this necklace holder for my booth. I've just been smitten with it ever since and instead of storing it away, I decided to put it to good use! I put it on my make shift nightstand (a pile of suitcases) and I just love having everything right by my side. 

Inlike most people, I like to get ready in the morning in front of a small mirror I prop on my bed while I watch tv, cause that makes sense, right? Anywhos, it's nice having everything in arms reach! Thought I'd snap a few photos and share with you. I just love the little details. And I've actually added a few things since taking these photos, oops.

 

 

 

 

Have a lovely weekend friends! I have a long week of work ahead, so I'm going to enjoy the rest of this day with design, rest and completely delicious (and probably unhealthy) nachos with friends!

xo.

Melisa

shop update

I just finished up with a little shop update. Some of you were asking about these items when you saw photos of my booth, so I thought I'd list a few. You can purchase and view them in the shop! These Geo Rings are definitely some of my most favorite! I love a good statement piece! Hope you enjoy!

Y'all have been ever supportive as of late and as a thank you I made the code "SWEETREADER", you can use it at the checkout to receive 15% off your order. Can't beat that! 

I'm excited to have the day off and enjoy a good date day with the Mr. What do you have planned for the weekend?

xo.

Melisa

a word of encouragement - to myself

Do you ever go through situations and think, "a few years ago, there's no way I would've survived this", or " last year I would've never thought I'd be where I am today."? I do, like all the time. I think of how silly young me was and thought it would be fun to have a little creative writing lesson, and maybe (hopefully) provide a little encouragement or inspiration for you.

Dear 15 year old self, 

it's me (you) eight years from the future! Weirds right?? Yes, you say weirds now. I just wanted to say hi and let you in on a few tips. There's a lot of lessons up ahead that are soon to be learned. You're going to go through a wide variety of craziness, but overall, you turn out okay. In moments of weakness, trust that you are indeed stronger than you think. When you face difficult decisions, trust your instincts, and don't be easily swayed by others. Believe in yourself; start to dream bigger and wilder than you ever have before! When you fail, and yes, no matter how much you fight it, you will, get back up and try again; perseverance and endurance will become your best friends. Patience truly is a virtue and don't ever pray for it because God will hear it and you will find yourself in "waiting situations" a lot! But I suppose it's okay because He always follows through, so no worries. In moments of confusion, don't overthink it, you'll get stressed out and get migraines and make situations 100 times more complicated, just trust that God is in control and you don't always have to have a plan. No matter how dim your past or present may seem, your future is bright. Continue to value yourself, don't settle for anything less than the best and learn to love who you are. 

I know that's a lot to take in, but truth is, there isn't enough time or room to teach you all you need to know. The best part is, is that I don't have to. Even though it's hard, confusing and overwhelming, every situtation, every obstacle, every problem,,, it has a solution, it has an answer and it holds an opportunity for growth. You may not feel this way now, but one day you'll be proud of who you are, you'll feel less insecure, you'll be okay with standing out and won't constantly want to fit in, you'll have girls looking up to you and because of what you've faced, you'll be able to teach them and help them through similar situations. If there's one thing I want you to know; that one thing I wish I'd known from the start... it's that life is rarely what you plan, but for some reason it comes out so much better.

You and Elisha are still together (hooray!), you lose some friends, hold on to others and make new ones. You get to visit lots of fun places, learn more than you ever thought possible, learn to play an instrument (thanks to hundreds of hours in the practice room), you get a degree, you get your credentials,  you take lots of photos, get to hold lots of puppies (but unfortunately still not own one) and best of all, you're happy. Life isn't always peaches, but you are happy and content; it's really all you've ever wanted. I know there's moments I wish I could relive, people I miss and things I wish I hadn't taken for granted. Enjoy everyday.

xo.

Melisa

ps: the winners of the sponsor spot giveaway have been emailed! Thanks so much to all who participated!!