• You can easily DisneyBound with chronic illness—a fun way to be creative with your outfits if you’re low on energy. Here’s my look inspired by Ursula from The Little Mermaid. As much as I love costumes, DisneyBounding is much more doable with fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, POTS, and other health conditions. | cassiecreley.com
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    DisneyBound Challenge 2: Villains

    It’s time for me to share some photos for our second DisneyBound challenge, right in time for Halloween! In case you missed the first challenge, I put together a look inspired by my favorite Disney princess. Be sure to check out which princess Olivia Wolfertz of Unpolished Ponderings chose and how she brought her character’s look to life.

    Never heard of Disneybounding? It’s basically dressing up using colors, styles, or the general aesthetic of a character. It’s like a simplified take on wearing a complete costume.

    PS I just joined Instagram and will be sharing more Disneybounds in October! Follow @cassiecreleyblog

  • You can easily DisneyBound with chronic illness—a fun way to be creative with your outfits if you’re low on energy. Here’s my look inspired by my favorite Disney Princess, Ariel from The Little Mermaid. As much as I love costumes, DisneyBounding is much more doable with fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, POTS, and other health conditions.
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    DisneyBound Challenge 1: Favorite Princess

    I’m participating in two DisneyBound challenges this year, and I’m looking forward to sharing these outfits with you! Olivia Wolfertz of Unpolished Ponderings and I will be putting together two looks—the first is inspired by our favorite Disney princess and the second will be inspired by a villain. A bonus? It’s easy to DisneyBound with chronic illness!

    First up: what’s DisneyBounding? It’s a fun way to dress up inspired by the colors and aesthetics of your favorite characters, without going for a full costume.

  • Altered Coloring Book Art—I’m giving Jasmine a new look as a mermaid by reimagining a Disney coloring book page. An idea for sparking creativity and stress relief. | cassiecreley.com
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    Jasmine as a Mermaid – Altered Coloring Book Art #5

    It’s time for new altered coloring book art! This time I’m reimaging a coloring book page based on Aladdin. I’ve been so excited to give Jasmine a new look as…a mermaid!

    We’re going to keep it really chill on the blog today, because as you may have noticed, I have taken an unintentional blogging break since early February due to my health. Coloring is a fun way to share something creative with you all, and it’s a comforting activity when my chronic illness knocks me down.

    This is my way of keeping the creative juices flowing in spite of my limitations. I might not have the energy to create a new work of art, but I can create something new by looking at a coloring page from a new perspective.

  • Ariel as a Pirate, Altered Coloring Book Art #4: I’m given The Little Mermaid a makeover. A coloring idea for stress relief and sparking creativity. Reimagined Coloring Pages with Disney princesses. | cassiecreley.com
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    Ariel as a Pirate – Altered Coloring Book Art #4

    Time for new altered coloring book art! I’m reimaging a new coloring book page. Today I’m sharing how I changed the look of the heroine of my favorite Disney movie: The Little Mermaid. (Find my other makeovers of Disney Princesses here.) 

    I decided this was a good week for a lighthearted post. If you’ve been following what’s going on on the West Coast, we’ve been having unprecedented wildfires. I’ve never heard of so many brushfires and wildfires so close by, and a large one in Washington is in a neighboring city. I have several friends and family who are waiting to hear if they need to evacuate. We’re praying for everyone affected and fighting the fires, and I appreciate your prayers for the West Coast as well!

    We could all use some stress-relieving coloring…

  • Cinderella as Rosie the Riveter, Altered Coloring Book Art #3: A coloring idea for stress relief and sparking creativity. Reimagined Coloring Pages - cassiecreley.com
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    Cinderella as Rosie the Riveter – Altered Coloring Book Art #3

    I’m excited to share the latest of my altered color book pages.

    I’ve been wanting to more coloring like this (as I mentioned in my list of easy ideas for summer fun).

    I love coloring in general, and have found it even more fun to inject some originality. This is my way of keeping the creative juices flowing in spite of the limitations of chronic illness and chronic pain.

    This post contains affiliate links.

    If you love coloring too, or are wanting to give it a try, here are some insightful tips from professional art therapists about how to benefit most from coloring.

    So how do I get ideas for changing up a coloring page? I flipped through my book (this one) and Cinderella’s handkerchief on her head reminded me of Rosie the Riveter.

  • My Belle costume, based on the Emma Watson’s village dress in Beauty and the Beast. | cassiecreley.com
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    Happy Halloween everyone!

    For all my fellow booklovers and Beauty and the Beast fans, here’s my Belle costume!

    I happened to have this Medieval-style peasant dress I sewed years ago—that looked so much like Belle’s dress in the movie that I couldn’t resist dressing up as her. (And she IS one of my favorite princesses.) Adding the little details and making the necklace was pretty easy.

    I love having costume pieces and fabrics around because that makes it pretty easy to pull together costumes.

  • Altered Coloring Book Art #1 - cassiecreley.com
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    Altered Coloring Book Art #1 – Belle

    This is an idea just for fun if you want to make unique art but are low on energy.

    Often when I want to be creative, I’m too tired to make something original. I decided to turn this frustration into an opportunity to use my imagination. I love coloring books, but sometimes I get tired of having to literally color within the lines.

    Part of the joy of being creative is making something new. I started thinking back to my childhood and how I loved to change things in coloring books—I’d make the characters’ dresses different colors than they were in the movies or add detail to the background.

    This post contains affiliate links.

    If you’re like me and deal with chronic illness and/or chronic pain, you’ve probably heard a doctor emphasize the importance of managing stress. Studies do indeed show that coloring can help with stress and lower anxiety. When managing illness, I’ve learned its also important to take time to do something you enjoy. I love the oppurtunity to get creative, so coloring is a great low-key option.

    I started flipping through a Disney coloring book and just let my mind wander. Hmmm, why is the tree Belle sitting on so huge? It makes her look the size of a fairy. Aha! I could draw her with fairy wings!

    Belle Color Book Page Before Altering
    Before…