Marvelously Messy and an Osprey Feather

We've moved.

For a time anyway.

We're trying something different and I am loving the change.

Nearby our new place, there is a baseball field with giant lights pointing down on it.....and it is there that some very handsome Ospreys have chosen to nest. 

They love to nest on man-made structures. In fact, in places where there are not a lot of high structures for Osprey to nest, kind people have been known to help by building tall platforms. Ospreys are known to mate for life. 

I found a gorgeous contour feather on the field below the nest that is, no doubt, an Osprey's:

What is underneath the feather is one of my current projects that I am LOVEing. 

Here's the mom and dad (one of them with a fish in it's talons) coming back to the nest:

Gorgeous birds. 

And, very chatty!!!! They peeped (and they really *do* peep) at me for the whole time I was there. 

Ospreys are diurnal, meaning they are awake during the day and asleep at night. 

Smart birds. 

:-)

Okay. Here's my favorite from last weeks party!!!!

Starfish Placemat by Burton Avenue. Super dooper cute!!!!

Now, on to the party!!!

Minted: Unique Cards and Great Prices!!!!

Minted.

It's the newest in awesomeness when it comes to making your own cards online. 

I've used several different online card companies for the holidays..... but, I'll tell you.....I'm loving the Photo Christmas Card designs they offer. I have definitely seen it all in my many visits to these types of sites, and I really do think Minted offers some unique designs that many don't. 

They have got plenty of intriguing styles; from Minimalist, Rustic, Simple, Modern, Bold.......all the bases are covered. I'm a big fan of the rustic/craft style (I'm sure you can figure out why). 

Another option that they offer that I've missed on other sites is this:

Lots of different shapes for a lot of the cards. Usually, what you see is what you get, but with Minted, there are lots of choices. 

They just recently finished a $500 giveaway for an "Inspiration Boards" contest to help inspire your creativity and show off their styles in a cool way. I loved this wedding board:

I would definitely recommend Minted. 

They have got plenty of options and very competitive prices. 

Right now, until the 5th, they are offering 15% off Baby and Kids products with the code: SUMMERFUN15

You can find them online at

www.minted.com

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Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review Minted in return for free product. All opinions are my own and written in my own words. 

A Marvelous Mess and Fotor Photo Editing

I spent a lovely day at the Boothbay Botanical Gardens on the coast of Maine. 

They were just voted the #1 best Public Garden in the United States by tripadvisor!!! And, I'm super proud that it is in my state. If you get a chance to check out the list of the top ten, you should.....see if you have been to any of them. If not, why not make it a trip this summer?? I know I've been to one other on the list, Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina. Believe me, it is gorgeous there as well. 

When I was at Boothbay Gardens, I took lots of photos. I was recently asked to review a website called Fotor, for photo-editing, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to showcase how this site works. For instance, here is a before photo of a garden shed:

Not too bad, right. 

Here I am editing the photo on Fotor:

And, here is the finished product:

Wow, right??? 

Scroll up again and take a look at that before picture. Holey moley.

Fotor streamlines photo editing better than any other site that I've been too.... and, believe me, I've shopped around. They have got so many options from the basic to the unique. Great possibilities abound at this site, from editing to card making to collages. I can already imagine how I'm going to use the collages on my site.......

Look at how simple it is:

All those templates to choose from. 

You know what this site reminds me of.... Gmail, now that I've switched over to the new inbox with all the different tabs. I thought it would be confusing, but the truth is that it has made my email so much more streamlined than ever. I like the simplicity of the page. Other photo editors get bogged down with all kinds of icons (and I find I have to hover over them to find out what they mean because they aren't very intuitive). Fotor has all the same options and more.... and it is organized very easily.
I truly suggest you check out Fotor for your next photo editing project!!

You can find Fotor on these Social sites as well:
FACEBOOK
TWITTER

Now, on to business. 

Party business, that is!!!

My favorite post from last week is.....

Free Mobile Phone Cozy Pattern by Crochet Dreamz.

Thanks to all of you for linking up!

Now, on to the party!!!

Disclaimer: I was reimbursed monetarily by Fotor for this post. All opinions are my own.