Life Update

Hello everybody!

So I know I have been laking in updating my blog. I've just been so busy. School started in August and it's just been one thing after another for me. With school, Greek life, volunteering, practicing and performing, everything kind of just caught up to me. I've only posted a couple of YouTube videos (over the summer, I would post one every week), and basically am never active on social media much (I'm a lurker now).

With that being said, I would really like to use this blog/my YouTube channel more. It was a way for me to have fun and unwind from the crazy day. Yes, it does take up a lot of time, but it oddly helps relax me.

Look forward to some stuff in the future, especially with the holidays coming up! I've recently posted some YouTube videos at youtube.com/marissacarolyn if you want to check those out as well.

Hope you all have been doing well (:

xoxo Marissa

No- Sew Greek Letters!

Hello everyone!
Today I thought I would show you how I make no-sew greek letters. I have very little sewing skills, and the skills I do have are not very good. So I figured out a way to make some letters that requires NO SEWING SKILLS! 

Let's get started(: 

First, your materials:

1. Stencils of your organizations letters (I have a pair, but if you want to make some SUPER easy ones, just photocopy a pair you have, and glue them on some cardboard) 

2. Fabric of your choosing (It doesn't have to be a certain size, just enough that will make your letters)

3. Heat n Bond Ultra

4. Scissors

5. A pencil

6. An iron and ironing board

7. An article of clothing to put letters on

8. Puff paint (optional)

Instructions:

First, you will need to get the fabric and Heat n Bond molded together. To do this, cut the amount of Heat n Bond you will use, along with the appropriate amount of fabric. 

In order to fuse them together, place the fabric pattern side down onto the ironing board. Put the rough side of the Heat n Bond on top of the fabric. Set your iron to a medium heat, with NO steam. Let iron sit on Heat n Bond and fabric for about 8 seconds, making sure you get each section. 

After you have done this, you should have your fabric basically attached to a piece of parchment paper. 

Next, you will have to trace your organizations letters on the fabric

My organization is Alpha Phi! 

After you have traced, you will need to cut out your patterns!

Once your letters are cut, take your shirt and letters over to the ironing board. Place the letters how you want them on your shirt (sometimes I use a ruler if I want to make them SUPER straight)

 Once you have found a placement, take off the paper you traced on and place the letters back on the shirt. Again, on a medium high heat, with no steam, iron on your letters. Simply place the iron over them for about 8 seconds. 

TA-DA!

Now, you can keep them as is OR you can add a border. I use puff paint to add a border, plus it also helps the edges from fraying after you have washed them a few times. 

And you're done! I made some America letters since 4th of July is coming up!

To take care of your home made letter, wash inside out, it helps to protect the fabrics. 

Enjoy your new letters! 

Are you part of a greek organization? Do you make your own letters? let me know what you think in the comments below!

xoxo

Marissa 

Homemade Strawberry Jam!

Happy Tuesday every one!
A lot of people assume jelly and jam is the same. Jelly doesn't have chunks of fruit in it and jam does! Today I am going to share with you how my boyfriend, Miguel, and I made strawberry jam!
Now we forgot to take pictures of the preparation process (We were just to excited!), so I will just walk you through it.

Things you will need: 

2 lbs Strawberries
1lb 5oz Sugar
Juice of 1 Large lemon or 2 small lemons

3-4, 8 oz Mason jars

1 large sauce pan

1 large pot 

A pair of tongs

Next, you will have to dice up all the strawberries. Put the sauce pan on medium heat. Add in strawberries and sugar and lemon juice. Mix well, you don't want the sugar to caramelize! It's important to constantly stir the mixture and to scoop out whatever foam forms at the top. 

After stirring for a while, you should notice that it becomes more "liquidy" and concentrated. Once it starts to boil, check to see if its done. An easy trick to do this is to take a plate, put it in the freezer, and place a small spoonful of jam onto the frozen plate. If it remain more liquidy, it need to cook a little longer. If it becomes more "gelatinous" its ready to be canned!

The next step is canning. You will need to boil the mason jars for about 5 minutes in order to get ride of any extra bacteria. Use the tongs to place them in the boiling water. After the jars are sanitized, use a towel or over clothes to handle the jars. Use a ladle to slowly pour jam into the jars. 

 

Once you have put jam into all the jars, its time to disinfect again! Place the closed jars back into the boiling water. Leave them for about 10 minutes. This helps get ride of all the fungus and bacteria from the strawberries. 

After 10 minutes, take the jars out to let them cool. You'll hear the tops of the jars make a popping noise, that means it is sealed!

You now have some lovely jam to keep for yourself or give to family and friends! Jam lasts for about 1 year un refrigerated. After you open the  jars, make sure to refrigerate them! 

Do you guys like to make homemade foods? If so, what? If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it! Enjoy!

xoxo

Marissa 

Music I'm Diggin'!

Hello everyone!

Sorry I have been MIA recently, life get the better of everyone at some point. It sure got me these past few weeks!

Anyways, I wanted to let you guys in on some of my favorite stuff to listen to! I like to think of myself as a person who listens to a variety of music, and I LOVE to share it with other people, so why not share with you guys?! 

1. She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert. I'm sure you have heard of Mackelmore's song Same Love. This lady was featured in it, and this is the song that is used for the chorus in Mackelmore's song. I would check her out, she has a really great singing voice, and this song has a powerful message about the LGBT community. 
2. Don't Wait by Mapei. I feel like she is relatively new, but maybe she isn't, anyways, I am SO GLAD I discovered her music. This is probably my favorite song by her. It's catchy and super different in all aspects of music. I just feel like it keeps you on your toes. 
3. I'm Ready by AJR. Here's come more of an electronic feel to this playlist. It's catch, upbeat, and in general makes me feel really happy. I play this especially when I'm working out or cleaning. It keeps me going and makes me feel, well, READY!
4. Kaleidoscope by Joe Brooks.  Another guy I discovered recently is Joe Brooks. He gives off this Jason Mraz kind of vibe. I love how he uses an acoustic guitar, acoustic is my favorite kind of music to listen to. But he gives it an upbeat feeling, with some crazy drumming in the middle of the song and it slowly winds down. It's also my favorite song to cover at the moment!
5. No Interruption by Hoodie Allen. Now if you like Mackelmore, I would check out this guy too. He doesn't do super crazy rapping like Mackelmore, but he's very similar. I like the beat of this song and how it makes me feel. Not to sure what it is about it, but the music makes you move your head back and forth. He's pretty new, give him a try I love his work!

If you want to check out more stuff I'm listening to, go over to my  Spotify Account!

What kind of stuff are you listening to? Let me know in the comments below! x

OOTD: A Day of Thrifting

Today, my boyfriend and I decided to go thrifting (I'm trying to redo my room to make it more suitable for guests while I am at school). It has been significantly cooler here in CA, and we were outside, walking around a lot and looking for some great treats!

I decided to go with a simple black dress today. This is seriously the comfiest dress I own. I could sleep in it! I threw a jean jacket over t for when it was chiller (like earlier in the day), and a statement necklace because of the deep V in my dress. My bag also matches my dress, but also adds some texture since it's leather, and has some brown as well! My dress is Roch L.A., my jean jacket is thrifted, necklace from Claire's and my purse is a Big Buddah.

 I love these sandals, they are Steve Madden and they are super comfy and cute! I like mixing browns with blacks, some people don't like it, but I love it! Neutral pairs always look so good together!

The last thing I love about my outfit are my Alex & Ani bracelets. I recently got these for my birthday and they are so great to layer or wear by themselves! The first one I have has my sorority letters (Alpha Phi) and a motto that is very close to my heart(which I will explain in a later post), "Everything happens for a reason."

But this is my outfit for the day! I feel like this is also a good casual outfit for any kind of day, especially during the summer.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like mixing browns and blacks together? Also What do you like to wear on a day out shopping? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Marissa 

Hello!

Hello everybody!

First thing is first. My name is Marissa and I am from sunny California. I currently am attending school to become a music therapist. I'm a big fangirl, but I also love fashion and beauty. I have started to become more interested in social media type things. After creating a YouTube and Twitter account, my presence has become more out there. So I decided to create this blog!

I'm currently on summer vacation now, and I decided to make this blog in order to document the summer (I feel as though this will be one of my best summers yet!). So stick around, get to know me a little bit. Follow me on my summer adventures and I'll give you guys fashion advice, beauty tips, and everything else in between! 

xoxo

Marissa