Mama's a Mess!

Wordless Wednesday: The Girl's Got Style....

2012-01-04T12:05:00.001-10:00

Though it may be a style of her own!

At the mall: "MOM. I HAVE to tell Santa I NEED these glasses!" 

Thank goodness Santa brought them because she obviously needed them for bowling:  

She even finds accessories while shopping in Chinatown (thanks for the pic, Amy!):

Around the house: (the bandaid is an accessory....not a necessity!):

At a barbecue: (thanks for the pic, John!)

And here is her big sister at the mall: "Mom! Look! I'm Momo!":  

Of course after Momo sees the pic she says, "MOM. I NEED ear muffs!" Reminder: We live in HAWAII. We don't need ear muffs or animals hats for that matter!

But....to an almost 5-year old it's all in the accessories!

*****

Shared with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom

Blog Design....Batman.....Spiderman......

2012-01-03T08:02:00.000-10:00

And I am Wonder Woman (more like a wandering, wondering woman.) Wondering how 2012 got here so fast!  

Yeah, 2012! So I guess this is my first blog post of the year!

And what a great way to start off blogging - with a blog makeover!

You may have noticed some MAJOR changes to my blog. Now it is much more cohesive, with a lot more style and definitely has a lot more *BAM! HERE I AM* to it. :) I have to thank my talented friend, Stephanie, from A Pocket Full of Buttons for the blog makeover! Having known me for years she TOTALLY got my vision and created exactly what I had in mind! I was totally BLOWN AWAY with the outcome and am beyond grateful! Now every time I log on it brings a great big smile to my face! Thank you, Steph! 

So back to 2012. Still hard to believe it is here! This is our last day of Christmas vacation as my kiddo goes back to school tomorrow. I am sure that tonight and tomorrow morning will be full of drama and tears. We've already had the "Wednesday is going to be the worst day of my life!" speech. I am bracing myself! 

 The good thing about school being back in session is that I can get back into some sort of routine, which of course, includes sewing. I have a bunch of projects that I need to finish AND start. Most recently I made a reversible Batman/Spiderman cape for my soon-to-be 4-year old nephew. Here's Momo, my youngest modeling it (and REALLY wanting to keep it!):

Masked Batgirl

Cape back: Batman

Cape Front

Cape back, reverse: Spiderman

I think Momo has the right attitude to be a super hero. Or a super-something, if you know what I mean!   

Hope my nephew likes his cape! Happy early birthday, big guy!

Sweet Little Cupcake Aprons x 2!

2011-12-29T18:35:00.000-10:00

Right before Christmas I heard that two sweet little girls were getting a play kitchen for Christmas! Well, what do little domestic-goddesses-in-training need while working in their kitchen? Cute little aprons of course! Even better if they have cupcakes on them! 

Their mom was sweet enough to send me this picture of them:

Seriously. Look at these cutie-patooties in action. Could I have ASKED for a better picture? No way. It is PERFECT in every way!

(Apparently the pizza delivery guy is getting an earful for being late....)

Enjoy, girls! :)

Linked up with:

Merry (Belated) Christmas!

2011-12-27T08:20:00.000-10:00

Hope you had a great Christmas!

We did things a little different this year. Instead of having a traditional Christmas tree we opted for a tropical one. A palm tree which we will keep up all year:

Not the best picture but you get the idea!

We also brought home "Elf on the Shelf". Oh my goodness! Why didn't we do this before?!? It was SO.MUCH.FUN. And with the help of Pinterest and my friend Michele (the QUEEN of Elf trickery) our Elf, Ed brought us a lot of excitement, anticipation and laughter! 

Here are some of the places we found Ed:

On the shelf above the doorway.....

Hanging from the ceiling fan.....

Cruising around in Barbie's car......

Piggy back ride on (or choking out?) Santa......

Helping himself to some juice......

Writing on artwork!

In the refrigerator!

Opening a present! (Boy did he get an earful for doing that!)

Toilet papered the tree!

Busted the girls!

Took a ride on "Chomper".....

On Christmas morning he was found hanging out with the princesses!  

We are already looking forward to next year to see Ed and his mischievous self! I think we should have an elf all year long! A Valentine's elf, Easter elf, 4th of July elf..... :)

Fold-Up Car-Mat For Your Purse or Pocket (or Christmas Stocking!)

2011-12-16T08:01:00.000-10:00

A long, long time ago (in a land far, far away) I made a fold up car mat but I wasn't thrilled with the results. Then I made a larger car mat for my nephew. Loved it but still wanted to make a smaller one to fit in my purse. Well, I finally made one that I am happy with! Since then I have made more but with different prints and different styles:

Vintage Cars

Cars, buses and trucks!

Airport on blue or red

Flip it over and drive on the tarmac!

Girls like cars too!

Flip it over and check out some Honolulu hot spots!

The car mats measure approximately 10" x 8" when open and 

2.5" x 4" when folded: 

The perfect size to stick in your purse, pocket or Christmas stocking! Each car mat can hold two of your kiddo's favorite cars!

If you'd like one I have several car mats listed in my Etsy shop and they include one new car with purchase! Unfortunately with only nine days (NINE?!?) left until Christmas I cannot guarantee Christmas delivery!

I also want to thank my talented and crafty friend, Amy from Pineapple Spice for helping me come up with the design! Mahalo! :)

Why, Hello There!

2011-12-13T12:32:00.000-10:00

Thanks for stopping by! 

I am alive and well, just been incredibly busy. I've been wanting to blog but every time I log on to do so I start thinking to myself,  "You really need to be sewing!" The other thing that prevented me from hopping on here is that I am a very chronological-thinking person. I didn't even want to publish my last post about voting in the DIY Halloween costumes (thank you to those that did, BTW!) because I hadn't blogged about my Halloween crafts! But at this rate I am never going to catch up....so there! I will let it go! (Well, for the most part. I haven't even put away all of our Halloween stuff because my intention has been to blog about it!)

So where do I start? How about I work backwards and start with the most recent project? Getting ready for Christmas! 

While there are 12 days left till Christmas (YIKES) there are only two more days of school left before Christmas vacation starts! What to get for the teachers? I really loved what I did last year for my daughter's teacher so why not do it again? I also made some for a dear friend:

Oh those dirty little kids!

Last year I made a set including one extra large bottle (hand sanitizer) and two small bottles (hand soap):

And then sets for friends:  

Truly fun and unique...and EASY to do! Want to know how to do it? Click on this link for instructions: Personalized Hand Sanitizer & Soap Bottles.

Whew. I did it. I blogged! Hoping to get back into the groove of it! Meanwhile don't forget, you can find me on Facebook under "Happy Hapa!" I check in there at least once a day!

*Post shared with:

Check out Katie's Nesting Spot's "A Crafty Soiree" for fun, Christmas crafting ideas!

Have a great week!

Parents' Magazine's DIY Halloween Costume Contest - I Need Your Vote!

2011-11-07T14:45:00.002-10:00

After posting pictures of the lovebird costumes I made for Halloween my friend Yong encouraged me to enter Parents' Magazine's "DIY Halloween Costume Photo Contest." At first I was reluctant but then I figured, "why not?" Plus, Yong is the photographer and creative genius behind "True Colors Photography of Las Vegas". Who am I to not take her advice?

To my surprise I received an email today notifying me that my photo is currently in the running to become one of Parent Magazine's weekly Reader's Choice finalists! How cool is that? (Granted, for all I know EVERYONE that entered may be a finalist...but who cares! Ha!) 

With your vote I could win an award certificate, which basically makes me feel better about spending all that time on the costumes. :) 

Grand prize is $250 - but that is in the hands of the editor. 

So if you're feeling generous, go ahead and vote for my costumes and my girls!  

Here's the link:

Parents' Magazine DIY Halloween Costume Photo Contest - Lovebirds

Thanks!

Through the Eyes of a 4-year Old.....

2011-11-07T06:08:00.000-10:00

What makes a 4-year old bust out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter?

When chicken breasts looks like a butt:

I swear I would have never noticed. *Sigh*

*A note to my sweet nephew and daughter: Is this what is considered a "chicken-hot-bootie?"

Loving Lovebirds!

2011-10-29T07:51:00.000-10:00

I was finally able to take a picture of the lovebirds together! 

 

We have a few more Halloween functions to attend so the girls are definitely getting some use out of their costumes! (Thank goodness!)

Have a great weekend!

Halloween Preview

2011-10-28T08:35:00.000-10:00

Just a few more days until Halloween! Fun, fun and more fun!

Here's what I've been up to......

Halloween Lanterns with Christmas Lights Inside

My kids are going as Lovebirds this year. I don't have a picture of them together yet but will take one this weekend: 

More to come!

And the Winner of the Halloween Bunting is......

2011-10-20T07:04:00.000-10:00

Number 12! "Smother Mother!"

Congratulations! Smother Mother, please check your email! I will send you a message on how to claim your prize! (Basically, what is your address?)

Thanks to everyone for their interest!

Happy Hapa in a Magazine!

2011-10-18T12:09:00.000-10:00

Months ago I received an email asking if I would like to have "Happy Hapa" featured in a local magazine. 

Whaaaat? MY Happy Hapa? Seriously? 

Apparently the magazine was looking to showcase handmade baby/children items made by Hawaii artists. The email was intriguing but I didn't think it was real. I mean, with all the shops in Hawaii, why mine? (I know! I know! Why NOT mine?) 

After doing a little bit of research I came to the realization that everything was legit! How could I say "no"? I absolutely, undeniably HAD to SEIZE the opportunity! 

The first step was to answer some interview questions. Not surprising I spent way too much time over-thinking every single one of them. Next I had to decide which pictures to submit (again...overly obsessed). At this point only my family and a few friends knew anything about what was going on. I was afraid if I made it public I would jinx myself and the whole thing wouldn't happen. 

Then I crossed my fingers and waited.

And waited.

And waited. 

That is until my girlfriend, Maureen called to tell me she spotted the new issue and that Happy Hapa and Momo were in it! Here's the magazine:

And here's the "mention" with a picture of Momo (upper right) wearing the "Rock Skirt" that I made!

NO WAY!!! (YES WAY!!!)

I didn't even notice that another Happy Hapa creation was in the back of the magazine until Maureen messaged me (Thanks Maureen!!!)

I honestly didn't know which picture(s) was going to be selected for the article so you can imagine my delight when I saw Momo in the magazine. What was her reaction to seeing for the first time?

"That is weird."

But maybe to a 4-year old "weird" means "cool?" Because she seems okay here:

I am super stoked about the whole thing! It's amazing how seeing one picture and two little words ("Happy Hapa")in a magazine can brighten up your day! :)

Thanks so much to Sascha from "Where Oahu" magazine for the opportunity! :)

Halloween Bunting Giveaway!

2011-10-12T16:56:00.000-10:00

It's almost HALLOWEEN!!! So to get into the spirit of things (and to revamp my blog) I thought I'd host a giveaway!  

This giveaway has to be a quickie, since Halloween is only 19 (EEK!) days away!  

Here is what the winner will get:

A reversible Halloween bunting (banner, pennant) made with fabrics from Riley Blake's  Halloween line. It is double sided so you can hang it across the room and both sides will show! Reuse it year after year! 

Here are the fabrics:

I am going to make it easy to enter (with additional chances to win for those that want more chances!) 

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory entry: Leave a comment!(Please make sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!)

That's it! That's all you have to do! But if you want more chances to win here are some options. Each will get you another entry!

*Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect or Networked blogs. Be sure to comment to tell me that you do!

*"Like" me on Facebook (Happy Hapa). If you already do, THANK YOU! Leave a comment telling me so! 

Giveaway will run for one week starting today - winner will be chosen via Random.org at midnight, Hawaii time on Wednesday, October 19th and announced here on my blog as well as sent an email notification. Winner has 48 hours to respond with their mailing address - if not a new winner will be chosen. 

Open to U.S. and Canada residents. 

Can't wait and want one now? I have one listed in my Etsy shop! 

Happy early Halloween! 

Wordless Wednesday - Still Hot Here!

2011-10-05T07:13:00.000-10:00

While our friends on the mainland are talking about cooler weather we had temperatures in the nineties this week! Wherever you are, Happy Hump Day! Enjoy the rest of your week!

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

*Thanks to my friend Dani for this awesome shot of Momo! Dani, did you start blogging yet?!? :)

King's Hawaiian Bread - Digital Rewards Program!

2011-10-03T17:38:00.000-10:00

King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread....if you've ever had it you know you want some. If you've never had it....you are missing out!

King's Hawaiian Bread brings me back to my childhood days growing up in Japan (of all places!) I remember my father would always bring home a loaf or two of Sweet Bread after traveling to Hawaii for work. We always looked forward to that big, round aluminum pan full of sweetness! So much to the point that we wouldn't bother with utensils - we would eat it straight out of the pan, tearing pieces off with our fingers! 

Now that we live in Hawaii we are lucky to be able to find King's Hawaiian products just about anywhere we shop for groceries. The "Savory Butter Rolls" are a staple in our house. They are the perfect size for kid's sandwiches or to take to potlucks! If you've been following my blog you may remember this post I did about King's Hawaiian Bread:

Mini Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches

Click on the link to find the recipe!

Well, our good friends over at King's Hawaiian are making things a little bit more fun by starting a "Rewards Program" - the first of it's kind in their 60-year history! Earn points and prizes, enjoy free downloads (coloring pages, recipe books, etc.) and enter for a chance to win FREE BREAD FOR A YEAR! (52 coupons valid for $4.99 of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Bread.)*

Interested? Want to sign up? Check out their Rewards Website for more information and contest rules! 

Thanks, King's Hawaiian! 

*Apologies to the residents of Hawaii as we are excluded from winning the grand prize of free bread for a year. But don't let that stop you from playing or keep you from enjoying King's Hawaiian bread. After all, we can get it just about anywhere! :)

Happy Blogiversary, A Pocket Full of Buttons! Giveaway Time!

2011-09-07T08:30:00.000-10:00

Happy 3-year blogiversary to my girlfriend, Stephanie from A Pocket Full of Buttons! Three years of blogging about motherhood, sewing, photography, bento, cooking, baking, traveling, dogs, etc! It's been an awesome couple of years and I (along with her loyal followers) are looking forward to many more! 

In celebration of this milestone event I have offered up a kawaii crayon purse to give away on her blog:  

Kid not included. ;)

I'm really not sure if I'll carry any of these purses in my shop so be sure to enter the giveaway if you want one! (Think Christmas!!!) For more details on the giveaway and to enter click here: A Pocket Full of Buttons

Congratulations, Stephanie! I am looking forward to many more years of happy blogging! :)  

Crescent Breakfast Ring

2011-09-04T16:49:00.000-10:00

Gotta love Pinterest and all the fabulous food finds! As a matter of fact I have one board full of recipes that I eventually want to try. This morning I got to do just that! I made the super simple "Crescent Breakfast Ring" which consists of crescent rolls, eggs, bacon and cheese. That's it! So simple but the presentation makes it look like you slaved in the kitchen! Here it is after coming out of the oven:

And then sliced: 

Oh yeah, baby. 

You can find the recipe at "Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo." Just click on the link! The recipe is good as is but next time I might add some sharper cheese, onions, mushrooms and peppers. I'm sure my family would probably love to add some scrambled sausage! 

THANKS to Pinterest and good friends with good finds! I'm talking to YOU, Courtney!!! Keep pinning so I can repin! :)

PS Anyone need/want an invitation to Pinterest? Leave me a message with your email addy!

Check out Etsy!

2011-08-25T18:14:00.001-10:00

I recently went into a boutique and found a set of three baby burp cloths selling for $30.00. Really? You know darn well I pretty much dissected them: studied the fabric, design, workmanship, etc. only to come to the conclusion that (excuse my lack of humbleness) they are no better than mine or the other 28,000 (yes, you read that right!) burp clothes listed on Etsy! So the next time you're in need of a unique boutique type gift why not give handmade a try? You can find just about anything handmade on Etsy without the boutique price! You are bound to find something that you like!* 

Speaking of burp cloths, a family friend recently had a baby. Instead of spending *cough-cough* $60.00 on two sets of three burp clothes I made a total of six with fabric that I already had on hand:

Laura W., recognize the fabric? :) 

In addition to the burp cloths I've been busy sewing other things like camera straps, nursing covers, etc. And with my daughter's birthday coming up as well as Halloween I think my sewing machine is going to be running at full capacity! Thanks to all my fans, supporters and repeat customers for keeping me busy and for referring your friends! You guys are the best! 

Another note: While I haven't been blogging as much you can always find me with status updates, one-liners and pictures on my Happy Hapa Facebook page. Come say "hi" to me there! Here's the link: Happy Hapa.

Have a great week! And east coast friends.....be safe with Hurricane Irene on the way!

*In no way do I mean to bash boutiques as many carry beautiful, handmade items! Just wanted to give a shout-out to all the wonderful Etsians out there! <3  

Bake Sale Goodies

2011-08-19T07:44:00.001-10:00

Bake Sale time!

But what to make? We only had about two days notice so I had to think fast. Fast, easy and cheap came to mind but I knew my daughter would prefer something "fabulous". Thank goodness for Pinterest and an idea that my girlfriend Emily pinned! Mini Rice Krispie Ice Cream Cones! 

Aren't they CUTE? Not nearly as cute as the original recipe but that's okay! I packaged them in pairs in clear cellophane bags and they sold out FAST! I have to admit, it was hard to be humble when the other moms ranted and raved about them. My response, "Ohhh....thanks!" (insert sheepish grin) when I really wanted to respond, "I KNOW RIGHT?!? THEY ARE SOOOOO CUTE!" HA! 

So you probably want the recipe? They are basically made up of a miniature cone (they are TINY! Not even 2 inches tall!), Rice Krispie treats, melted candy melts (or almond bark), sprinkles and a candy on top (I used little chewy Sweet Tarts for the "cherry"). Here's where I found the original recipe: 

Cute as a Fox. Check her out and be inspired....they are AMAZING!

Of course since this was the first time I made them I did have some set-backs:  

1) My candy melts did not want to melt! It's not like it was my first time doing it so I was a bit baffled. I even tried adding vegetable shortening like the instructions suggested but that didn't work either. Since I didn't have any more on me I had to work with what I had. I ended up molding the chocolate onto the Rice Krispie treats. Sure, it worked but it didn't give it the look of dripping, melting chocolate that I wanted.  

2) Momo (4) REALLY wanted to help me. *Sigh* I put her on sprinkle duty and she sprinkled (POURED?) away. If it were up to her the little cones would be 90% sprinkles and 10% everything else.

3) Much like the instructions on the recipe warned me the little suckers are MASSIVELY top heavy. After putting the cones together the little things would topple over. I tried a few different things - adding frosting or candies to the cone but it just wasn't heavy enough. So, the next time I make them (and I will) I will stuff the cones with Rice Krispie treats as well. I just have to remember to make extra Rice Krispie treats.  

The recipe is definitely a keeper!

P.S. Want an invitation to Pinterest? Leave me your email address and I'll invite you!

Happy Brown Bagging!

2011-08-12T17:47:00.000-10:00

T.G.I.F! 

Seriously. I am finding myself desperately needing a break from our back-to-school routine and school has only been in session for two weeks! All the drama that comes with homework, bed time, wake-up time, after school activities, etc! Ugh! I know it will get easier (or I will become immune to it.....)

And let's not forget, FOOD! Breakfast, lunch, dinner....my child has an opinion on everything she eats and thinks she has the right to change her opinion at the blink of an eye. At least she's fair and complains about school lunch as well (minus the teriyaki meatballs which she LOVES! By the way, I have tried duplicating it and she has no problem telling me that it's not even close. Seriously? I have to compete with cafeteria food?!?)

To prevent my kid from "STARVING" herself at school (and then come home saying, "I am SO hungry!) I suggested she take home lunch on the days she didn't like what the school was serving. I had her look at the school menu and cross off the days she didn't want to eat school lunch:  

Really? Maybe that wasn't such a great idea after all? She only wants "chicken sticks!" And how can she not want kalua pork?!? Whose child is this?

*Sigh* 

In all honesty it's been working out great! I guess it's time to stock up on sandwich bread, cheese, etc! 

As my girlfriend Anita told me, "Happy Brown Bagging!"

Wordless Wednesday: Bye-Bye Summer Vacation......

2011-08-02T18:26:00.000-10:00

But not bye-bye beach! We will always make time for you!

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

First Day of School.....AGAIN!

2011-08-01T14:53:00.001-10:00

I can't believe today is the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I know most schools in the U.S. aren't starting until the end of the month or even in September but the majority of public schools in Hawaii started today. What about you? When does school start where you live? 

Much like last year I was definitely a little bummed that summer vacation was over. Trust me, Kailani felt the same way. As a matter of fact this morning she said, "Mom, if I could be any princess this morning it would be Sleeping Beauty...or Snow White.....or any princess that is sleeping." Funny girl(that doesn't even like princesses!) 

However, there was ONE thing she was looking forward to - her "First Day of School" cake. It's something we've been doing since she started kindergarten! It's always a simple cake (because I can do no other - HA!) with the new grade decorated on top. This year's topping made me giggle a little. I have to give Momo credit!

So here she is on her first day of 4th grade, followed by pictures of her first day of 3rd, 2nd, 1st and kindergarten. It's amazing to see how much she has changed throughout the years! 

Hope everyone has a great new school year!

Sharing this post with Tip Junkie's "Tip Me Tuesday":

Life as a Military Brat

2011-07-27T09:22:00.001-10:00

I recently become a member of a unique team on Etsy - the "Homefront Team".  This team consists of over 200 shops that are owned and operated by spouses/significant others of members of the military services. Not only do members share their love of crafting and selling on Etsy but they also provide a place of support when it comes to dealing with the trials and tribulations of being a military spouse. 

That would be me......as a kid......in Japan.

Their blog, "Homefront Artistry Team" often features recipes, tutorials and stories from members of the team. I recently submitted an article to the "Life as a Military Brat" thread. It is being featured today! Click here to check it out!

Postcard Exchange - Can You Help?

2011-07-21T08:52:00.000-10:00

Awhile back we took on a ginormous but fun project of collecting postcards from the 50 states. We enlisted the help of family and friends who in turn told their family and friends. The response was AMAZING! After about 6 months we received postcards from all 50 states (well, 49 as we did not ask for one from our home state)! We learned a little about each of the 50 states and a lot about our own. It was a project to be proud of and we were so blessed to have so many people help us out!  

Now a friend of ours is doing the same thing and is looking for people to contribute. All you have to do is send them a postcard and on it include one interesting fact about your state. If you would like a postcard in return be sure to include your return address!

Please send your postcard to: 

Noah and Gabriel Ehlenberger
P.O. Box 175
Oak Harbor, Wa 98277

For more info please check out the Ehlenberger's blog. 

Thanks for helping out! :)

Pinterest: Are you Pinning?

2011-07-20T16:50:00.001-10:00

Have you heard of Pinterest? Thanks to my friend Joslyn (and no thanks to my friend Trish who knew about it but never told me - Ha!*) I am now a "pinner!"

So what is Pinterest? The website describes itself as "a virtual pinboard. Pinterest  lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the  web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes,  and organize their favorite recipes. Best  of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing  pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from  people who share your interests."   

Remember in high school when you would tear out pictures from magazines of your favorite singer, actor or model and create a collage to put in your notebook or hang on your wall? (That would be  Duran Duran for me...and they still ROCK!) Well, Pinterest is like that, but you collect images from the web and pin it to different boards. "Boards" are simply categories. Some samples of boards being used are:

For the Home
Recipes
My style
Favorite TV shows
Crafts for the kids
Favorite products
Party ideas

Another fun thing about Pinterest is you can "follow" your friends, see what they pin, leave comments and "re-pin" things that you like. And of course your friends can follow you too. 

I've only been on Pinterest for a short while now but it is SO much fun! I have to warn you....it can easily become addicting. 

Right now you have to request an invite to be on Pinterest - if you'd like to join to see what the fuss is all about leave your email address in a comment and I'll send you one! Happy pinning!

*Trish - you are a GEM so I forgive you for keeping this secret from me! LOL!

Wordless Wednesday - Use the Strap

2011-07-19T18:15:00.003-10:00

Colorful and maybe even artistic...but what is it?

It is the reason why your 4-year old (or anyone for that matter) needs to use the strap on the Wii remote! Yes....the remote smashed into the TV screen. 

*Sigh*

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 minutes for Mom.

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint

2011-07-19T17:46:00.000-10:00

While on vacation we actually managed to do some crafts! My friend, Kim from 4 Crazy Kings mentioned making sidewalk chalk paint and I just so happened to have all the ingredients and supplies needed! Water, cornstarch, food coloring, paint brushes and bowls! The kids painted while on vacation as well as since we've gotten back!


Sidewalk chalk painting - even I got in on the fun!


Painting the steps at home.....

When the paint dries the colors POP and it really look like chalk! Check out the before and after pictures of Kailani's dragon:

Dragon - wet.

Dragon - dry!

Super easy and super fun! To remove (why would you want to?) just hose it down!

To make the sidewalk chalk paint just mix equal proportions of water and cornstarch then add food coloring. That's it! To make two muffin pans of colors I used two cups of water and two cups of cornstarch plus food coloring. Perfect. We even left the pan outside overnight and painted the next day!

Wordless Wednesday - Grandma

2011-07-13T07:33:00.000-10:00

Bittersweet Moment: Placing flowers on grandma's grave.

For more "Wordless Wednesday" visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

We're Baaaaack!

2011-07-12T15:29:00.001-10:00

Alooooooha!

We are finally back after our month long trip to the east coast! Our trip was awesome but the jet-lag has been FIERCE and I'm having a heck of a time getting back into the groove of things (including blogging, minus going to the beach!) So, instead of trying to put into words what we did here is a photo montage highlighting parts of our trip!

"Before" - Just got on the plane and everyone is happy!

"After" - 12 hours of flying...not so happy.

Finally off the plane!

Pool time everyday....

Visited candy heaven! (Mast General Store)


We picked our own blueberries....

And made some animal friends.....

Found an inch worm....(and surprisingly didn't freak out!)

And fell into a creek.....

Spent the day at Water Country U.S.A.!

Made our own candles at Yankee Candle Company...

Smelled candles....a LOT of candles!

Had fun at the Virginia Living Museum....

Learned about butterflies.....

Explored the Air & Space Museum

Momo acted like a pilot.......

While Kailani directed planes.....

Checked out the GROSSOLOGY exhibit.....fascinating....

Spent not-enough-time with old friends from Hawaii <3

Went bug-eyed over the HUGE curly fry!

Went to jail.....

Didn't always get our way......

Depended on papa to take the kids on spinning rides......

Fed some animals.....

Went sluicing for gems.....

And found some!

Took advantage of mall rides......

Made fashion statements.....

And......the best part ever.....the grand kids got to hang out with "papa!"

An absolutely AWESOME trip! Thanks, dad! 

Sewing Frenzy

2011-06-03T14:01:00.001-10:00

I went on a bit of a sewing frenzy this past week. Two mermaid towels, two double tier circle skirts with matching wristbands, more circle skirts (Hello Kitty!), Barbie dresses and burp cloths for friends that are having babies soon. If there is ever such a thing as "Power Sewing" that was ME! I needed to finish everything because we are leaving for a short (long?) vacation TONIGHT! I'm totally bummed that my husband won't be joining us - we're going to miss him!

Anyways! Here is what I've been up to (minus pictures of the mermaid towels): 

My Etsy store will be closed for a few weeks while we are out of town. This morning Momo (4) asked if we could take RIBS on the plane (uh....that would be a "no") and later asked if I was going to pack my fabric. No.....not packing fabric but I WILL be buying fabric to bring home! I know of a HUGE, GINORMAOUS, MECCA fabric store store in N.C. and I will definitely be stopping by! Search and rescue" may need to be alerted to come and find me! ;)

I'm not sure how our vacation is going to affect blogging....but I'm sure it won't keep me off of Facebook! Come follow me there under my Etsy Name, "Happy Hapa!"

P.S. Don't forget to check out Pinkalicious and a Crafty Soiree for more handmade gift ideas!

Brownie Pops!

2011-05-26T08:28:00.001-10:00

Last week I had to make some baked goods for a Girl Scout bake sale. When I asked Kailani what she wanted me to make she said, "Brownies......but not just ANY kind of brownies." I had to laugh. She wants "crafty" brownies. ;)

After scouring the web for ideas I decided to make Betty Crocker's Brownie Pops. They turned out pretty cute and sold out FAST! 

As a matter of fact they turned out SO cute that Kailani wanted me to make more for her end-of-the-year class party! 

While you can find the recipe here I made a few changes after reading some of the reviews: 

to make the brownies thicker (and easier to slide a craft stick into) I doubled the brownie mix recipe
baked in a 9x13" pan (have to bake a bit longer - I found it was about 10 - 20 minutes more!)
instead of chocolate chips I used chocolate flavored almond bark
since you have to lay the brownies flat for the chocolate coating to dry I found it's only really necessary to put candy coating and/or chocolate dip one side of the brownie. The other side is going to get smooshed.
I cut the 9x13 pan of brownies into 24 pieces - fit perfectly into little bags!

Ohhhhh...the potential to change things up! White chocolate dip! Double dip! Definitely a recipe to keep! 

PS Have anything pretty and/or pink to post? Link up with the "Pinkalicious Thursday Blog Party" hosted by "Frugalicious Me!" And don't forget to check out all the handcrafted ideas at "A Crafty Soiree" hosted by "Katie's Nesting Spot!"

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner!

2011-05-26T07:13:00.000-10:00

And now for the winner of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! 

Drum roll please..........

CONGRATULATIONS to #51 - Michelle from "Daydream Believers!" 

Congratulations Michelle! Please check your email to find out how to claim your mermaid towel!

I want to thank everyone for taking their time to stop by and enter my giveaway and for leaving some of the sweetest and most inspiring comments. I am beyond grateful! THANK YOU! :)

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!

2011-05-22T08:41:00.000-10:00

It's time for the "Sew, Mama, Sew!" giveaway!

I want to take a second and say "ALOOOOOHA!" and WELCOME to those stopping in for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! Best of luck to you and I hope you win some fabulous prizes!  

While I hope to be on the winning side of things (Fabric! Handmade items! Supplies!) I will also give away my most requested item - a mermaid towel! 

Here is a sample: 

The winner will receive one mermaid towel - the color will be a surprise! 

You have several chances to win! Please leave a separate comment for each and be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner! I am happy to ship worldwide!

Here's how to win:

1) Simply leave a comment!

2) Become a follower of this blog (comment if you already are)

3) Become a Facebook Follower (Happy Hapa) 

Giveaway runs through Wednesday, May 25th - midnight Hawaii time (that gives most everyone a little extra time to enter!) Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced here on this blog as well as via email....so please be sure to include your email address with your entry!

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

PS Can't wait? Want a mermaid towel now? I have one left in my Etsy shop!

Wordless Wednesday - Goggles

2011-05-18T06:18:00.000-10:00

This girl cracks me up! Never a dull moment!  

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Craft Hope - Orphan Outreach

2011-05-18T05:40:00.000-10:00

The last time I participated with Craft Hope was back in February of 2009. I can't believe it's been over two years! Back then they were asking for handmade dolls to be sent to an orphanage in Nicaragua. Here's what I sent in: 

(You can find my post about the dolls here.)

This time around they are asking for handmade bracelets to be sent to an orphanage in Russia. What a coinkydink! I just so happen to have everything we need to make some bracelets. I let Momo (4) give it a shot:

And the girl has been addicted ever since:

Watching her "string" the beads through the wire by herself got me thinking. If it was easy enough for my 4-year old to do what about other kids the same age? I decided to host a play date and have some other kids (and moms) make some more....and here's what everyone did:

Aren't they pretty?

Thanks to my friends and their kids from "Aloha Moms" for helping out! 

But while the bracelets are done they aren't quite ready to be shipped. That would be because:

Yeah. She's STILL beading!

When I explained to her why we were making bracelets and who would be receiving them she said, "Mommy, I know! Let the kids with no mommies and no daddies come live with us!"

*Heart Melt*  

Since that's not going to happen she's decided to make more and more bracelets for the orphans. She has become a beading beast! Luckily the deadline for the bracelets isn't until June 15th so if you want to participate you still have time!

For more information on Craft Hope and this project (or others) check out their website:

Wordless Wednesday - Same Towel

2011-05-11T10:19:00.000-10:00

Some six and a half years later!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Simple Skirt - by Made

2011-05-10T08:34:00.000-10:00

I know Easter has come and gone but I did make some skirts for the girls. They are definitely not your typical Easter skirts. As a matter of fact the only Easter thing about them is the color and....hmmmmm....that they wore them on Easter day! Does that count? 

I made the skirts using totally irresistible fabric, "Thunder Flower" by Alexander Henry in pink (you HAVE to see the red!): 

Oh yeah. These anime girls kick bootie like my girls do:

HAI-YA! 

I tried using the "Simple Skirt" tutorial and this is how it came out:

It turned out cute, but I after I was done and Kailani tried it on I realized I should have made the top layer longer (like in the tutorial). Can't make the bottom layer shorter as she is tall and her legs go on for days! Next time I will tweak it a little bit. Regardless, SHE really likes it. 

(Update: I pinned the bottom layer to see how it would look altered. MUCH BETTER! Don't mind the pins in the pic:) 

For Momo I just made a gathered skirt with the same fabric but with a pink hem:

Pretty sweet!

If you want to make one head over to "Made" for the free tutorial! She has instructions to make both a single layer and a double layer simple skirt! Thanks Dana!

PS And for more handmade inspiration check out:

Wordless Wednesday - YAY! It's May!

2011-05-04T06:55:00.000-10:00

May is here which means SUMMER VACATION is right around the corner! Nobody around here is excited. ;)

Click here for more -----> "Wordless Wednesday."

Happy Peepster!

2011-04-26T08:34:00.002-10:00

Or rather.....Easter! And belated at that!

I knew my oldest would be coming home from school with TONS of Easter candy so I decided not to send any to school.  Instead I made some felt Peeps as seen on "MADE." Ever since I saw laid eyes on them last year I made a mental note to eventually make them. I'm so glad I remembered this year!

And here they are:

Talk about cute to the maximum! 

Kailani passed them out to her classmates and to my surprise (I thought the kids would be bummed not getting more candy) the kids were not disappointed. Some of them tied it to their backpacks and a few more took out a permanent marker and drew faces on them. I was mortified for a second but then had to admit it was quite clever!

It was a fun project and will definitely make more again! I'm thinking of making the Peep bunting next. I've already cut out more Peeps......

Question is, do I make it now or next year?

Be sure to check out "MADE" for the free tutorial! And for more homemade gift ideas check out:

Monkey Bread Recipe

2011-04-08T18:04:00.000-10:00

Yummy, sticky, sweet, buttery, "cinnamony," sugary, hot MONKEY BREAD!

Ohhhhhh......yeah.

My girls LOVE cinnamon rolls so I asked them if they wanted to make some of their own, monkey bread style. 

Monkey bread? What is monkey bread? And why is it called that? Well, monkey bread is basically little rolled pieces of dough dipped in a cinnamon-sugar mix, piled into a bundt pan, then covered in a buttery-sugary topping (yes, more sugar!) and baked. Can you say "SINFUL?!?" 

And apparently it got it's name because people look like monkeys when they pull off pieces to eat. Ah-ha! Now it makes sense! 

Well, my little monkeys didn't need any convincing to make it. Sugar? Cinnamon? Bake? It's like crafting with food! They were SOOOOOO "IN".

I started off by prepping the ingredients and let them roll the dough and dip it into the cinnamon sugar mix. They then tossed (literally) the balls into the pan and baked it. After a few short minutes the kitchen started to smell HEAVENLY. Here's what it looked like when it first came out of the oven:

And here's what it looked like flipped over and out of the pan:

And here is what Kailani wanted to do:

Easy, girl. Easy.

Verdict? Deeeeeelicious!

We used one of the monkey bread recipes from AllRecipes but I'll also post it here. Tastes great reheated the next day (that is if you HAVE any leftovers!) It's also a great playdate activity if you've got lots of little ones that want to help! 

*Note - the cinnamon/sugar mixture makes a LOT and we had quite a bit left over. Next time I will only make half.  

Monkey Bread via AllRecipes:

Ingredients

3 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup white sugar

                      Directions                     Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
                     Quarter the biscuits with kitchen shears.  Dip  shears in water after each cut to keep the biscuits from getting too  sticky.  Dip biscuits into sugar mixture, and place in a greased tube  pan.  Do this until all biscuits are used.                 
                     Melt butter or margarine, and mix in 3/4 cup sugar.  Pour mixture over biscuits.                 
                     Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 30 to 35 minutes.                 

Somen Salad

2011-04-05T09:32:00.001-10:00

Have you ever had somen? Somen is a Japanese cold noodle dish served with a light dipping sauce or soup, veggies, fishcake, nori and egg, etc. Delicious to eat on a hot day, especially when you ice the noodles!  

Here in Hawaii we are lucky to have Japanese restaurants and Asian grocery stores that sell it already made or made to order. I recently went shopping at Marukai (Japanese membership grocery store) and they had (get ready for this, somen lovers) a SOMEN BAR: 


Marukai - Somen Salad Bar!

Oh my yum. They had udon too.

Then on another day I went to "Aloha Sushi" for just that, sushi. But then I saw somen salad on their menu:


Aloha Sushi's Somen Salad

Did I get some? I plead the 5th.  

There's also another version you can make to feed a large crowd (or a small one with a big appetite!)but instead of dipping the noodles into the sauce the sauce is poured on top of the salad. It's quite popular here in Hawaii and you often see it at potlucks. I made it awhile back and it did not last long:

The salad kind of fell apart when I put it in the bowl but you get the idea!

There are tons of recipes for somen salad floating around on the web but I make mine much like Jessica at Zakka Life does (one of my new, favorite blogs!) She even posted pictures of the ingredients - which is helpful if you are unfamiliar with any of them. The only thing I do differently is add sliced Japanese cucumbers and nori (missing from my picture). So instead of posting my recipe here I will link to hers. Oishi desu! (Delicious!)

Rock Skirt.....or Collector's Skirt!

2011-04-01T13:47:00.000-10:00

I recently saw a crazy-cute skirt pattern on Etsy that I wanted to make. The design was simple but the skirt had lots of character. It was called the "Rock Skirt" as the pockets are big enough to stuff rocks, leaves, shells, etc. into. I put it on my "to-do" list but didn't take the initiative to make one until after a recent play date. There I watched my friend's daughter collect leaves and  stuff them into everyone's pockets - including mine. Definitely a sign to make the skirt!

I made the first one for Momo. I bought this batik print forever ago and had planned on making something for myself - like that ever happens! 

Then I made two more in this print for some little girlfriends (including the one that was stuffing everyone's pockets!): 

Isn't the fabric cute? I love it! Thanks to my BFF Stephanie who lives in Korea for sending it! :)

Now I just have to remember to check these pockets before it goes into the wash!

You can find the pattern on Etsy at "luckypennymake" I tweaked it just a little bit (lined the pockets)and am really happy with the end result! 

Time for the Ultimate Blog Party 2011!

2011-03-30T09:01:00.000-10:00

It's that time of year again! Time for the 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party! Enter to win some fabulous prizes (see the prize list here)! And for the first time I will also contribute a "Happy Hapa" creation for a door prize! What will it be? With it officially being SPRING and with summer right around the corner how about a....

A MeRmAiD tOwEl?!?

The color will be a surprise! 

The party runs from April 1-8th! To find out how to win this and other fabulous prizes check out the 5 Minutes for Mom website!  

*Hope I win something this year!!!*

P.S. Thanks to Stephanie from A Pocket Full of Buttons for the reminder of the UBP 2011! Be sure to check her out as she is giving away something crazy cute as well!  

Wordless Wednesday - What's at the End of a Rainbow?

2011-03-29T19:26:00.000-10:00

Naughty Leprechauns!!!

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom

Been MIA because.....

2011-03-28T09:31:00.000-10:00

My father was in town and we kept busy!

We went to the Honolulu Festival.....

And met Totoro.....

Practiced writing our names in Japanese.....

Went to a parade where Momo fed the lion.....

Waited for the fiery dragon......

Played splash wars at the beach.....

Hung out with Na Kama Kai and rode on canoes.....

Surfed for the first time......

Saw the most amazing sand sculptures being built.....

Sold Girl Scout cookies.....

Went on a boat ride and saw a rainbow.....

And a pod of five whales.....

Played at the park and climbed some trees.....

Went camping with the Girl Scouts and did a little fishing.....

And climbed more trees...

Told you we've been busy!

Now back to regular scheduled programming......

Wordless Wednesday - She Surfs!

2011-03-16T16:04:00.001-10:00

She SURFS! Thanks to Na Kama Kai and her instructor Josh for an awesome morning! Memories were definitely made this day!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom!

Girl Scout Aprons and Headbands

2011-03-02T08:50:00.000-10:00

Did you get your Girl Scout cookies yet? Thin Mints? Samoas? What's your favorite? :)

This is our first year of being part of the Girl Scout family. My girls (yes, I said "girls" as in plural even though Momo isn't old enough yet) have really enjoyed the experience! I think we're going to be in it for the long haul!

To make things even better (for me) I recently found out that one of my favorite fabric designers, Robert Kaufman has a line of Girl Scout fabrics! NO WAY.

YES WAY.

Oh the things to be made! I went ahead and bought some fabric and made some aprons and a headband for the girls (and extra for my Etsy shop):


Reversible Half Girl Scout Apron

Reversible full Girl Scout Apron

I found a super simple tutorial on how to make a headband. It takes just a few minutes and instead of using a piece of sewing elastic you use an elastic hairband:

Clever I tell ya. Want to know how to do it? Check out the tutorial at Blue Bird Studio.

Now, who wants cookies?

Costume Discounters - Business/Product Review

2011-02-26T13:51:00.000-10:00

Who says costumes are only for Halloween? No way! And if you have kids the more costumes the better! So you can understand why I felt very lucky to be approached by Costume Discounters to do a review of one of their products.

My first step was to choose a costume. Now, THAT was a dilemma because they have a HUGE selection to choose from. Kid's Halloween costumes, adult costumes, girls dress up costumes, and costumes for all sizes from infant/toddler to plus size! They even carry accessories, make-up, dog costumes, props and decorations!

I let Momo take a peek at the costumes and after changing her mind about a million times she decided on the Girls Pink Deluxe Power Rangers costume. The package included the jumpsuit, belt, belt buckle and mask, with optional accessories sold separately.

I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the costume shipped and how carefully it was packaged. If was even wrapped in bubble wrap! (I'm assuming the bubble wrap was used to protect the mask?) However, when I saw the mask I thought, "Oh boy. This mask isn't going to last a DAY!" It's made of the plastic that would crack the first time it was sat on or stepped on, which is BOUND to occur in our household:

But guess what? So far so good and it's been about two weeks!

Momo couldn't wait to put it on. Here she is in all her Power Ranger glory:

Regarding size: Momo is off the charts for her height and weight. She just turned four but I knew that a small would probably be too snug and the medium would probably be too long. Decisions, decisions! I opted for the medium and I'm glad that I did. While my prediction was right and the jumpsuit ended up being too long it only took a few seconds to roll up the sleeves/pants. (Don't mind the dirty Crocs she is wearing. Remember, optional accessories like the Power Ranger boots are available for purchase, though I didn't see any pink or white ones!)

To give you a better idea on the size/fit I had Kailani (8) put the same costume on:

She is a true size 7 and the medium fit her perfectly. No rolling up of anything necessary!

I was actually surprised that she cooperated and was willing to try the costume on for me. She did insist on wearing the mask. Not because she was embarrassed to wear a Power Ranger costume but she was a little annoyed that her sister chose the PINK costume. HA! Third graders...I tell ya.

Regarding the quality - being someone that sews I can be quite particular about clothing construction. I have to be honest and say that the costume is well made and will probably last quite a while. I still have my doubts about the mask though. Just speaking the truth here!

You should also know that the costume is made of 100% polyester. Could be itchy for some kids though mine didn't have any problems with it. Also, with it being 100% polyester it could get hot during the warmer months. However, even living here in Hawaii my kids had no issues with it whatsoever!

My final thoughts? With the huge selection, competitive prices, fast shipping and overall good quality of the costume I have to give Costume Discounters two thumbs up! Let me also mention that they GUARANTEE to have the lowest prices! If you find an identical costume on the web they will price match it AND give you an additional 20% off! So if you are in need of a costume, whether it be for Halloween, a party, theater performance, play date, you name it, be sure to check out Costume Discounters!

Thanks to Costume Discounters for the opportunity to do a review!

Note: Costume Discounters provided me with a costume free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

DIY Ribbon Wands

2011-02-22T08:52:00.000-10:00

If you saw my post about Momo's party you may have noticed the ribbon wands that I made for party favors. They were super easy to make! The hardest part was deciding on what color ribbons to use!

I found the tutorial via The Ribbon Wand Shop. The only change I made was I used 3ft of ribbon versus 4ft. and the ribbon was still really long and pretty! My girlfriend helped me out by sealing the edges with glue to keep the ribbon from fraying.

Now, if I were to make these again for 3-5 year olds I think I would use a smaller dowel - one that was just large enough for a small hand to wrap around. Possibly 4-5" (versus the 12" that I used.). Why? The ribbon wands quickly turned into ribbon SWORDS. How on earth I didn't see that one coming I have no idea!

It was a fun project and I look forward to making these again for another occasion!

For more homemade projects or gift ideas check out "this & that" and "Tip Junkie."

Bubble Birthday

2011-02-21T17:11:00.000-10:00

Happy Belated Birthday to Momo!

Momo turned four this month. While her birthday was on a Monday we didn't tell her because we weren't celebrating it for another week (and I wasn't ready to be asked a million times a day, for seven days "When's my party?!?") The plan was to have a bubble themed birthday party in the park, but Mother Nature wasn't having it!

Oh dear. And this was the first time EVER that I would be throwing a party with NO structure - no crafts, no games, no pinata....no nothing! Just bubbles and cake! (Pretty ballsy of me, I know!) I figured with the party being outside the kids would be content running around in the grass blowing bubbles, playing on the playground, etc. But nooooooooo. The rain was coming. For sure.

So....against my own wishes I held the party at our small apartment. Yes. Crazy. And we were expecting about 12 kids and their moms. *Breathe in. Breathe out.*

But guess what? It all worked out okay.....even in a small space, with no structure everyone had a great time! Unfortunately I didn't take nearly as many pics as I would have liked. Thank goodness that my BFF took some (and helped with the pizza.....and the favors.....and the balloons..... THANKS BFF!)

There was some pre-party dancing (Momo always dances to the Black Eyed Peas!):

A little glitter in the hair:

CAKE (from Costco, of course):

Lots of playing indoors due to the rain and mud outdoors:

Did I mention mud?

I didn't realize till after the fact that I never even took a picture of the "bubble bar" outside (under the overhang). Darn! :( But here's a pic of the party favors. Homemade bubble solution and ribbon wands:

Even if it didn't turn out the way I envisioned it Momo had a GREAT time...and that's what counts! :) When I asked what was the most favorite part of her party she said, "BUBBLES!"

Happy birthday, Momo! :)

Mama's a Mess + 4 Crazy Kings =

2011-02-16T09:00:00.001-10:00

SO MUCH FUN!

I have stayed quiet about this (and it was HARD!) but now I'm spilling the beans!

Recently I had the opportunity to meet one of my most favorite bloggers EVER, Kim from 4 Crazy Kings. I've often made reference to her blog as she is my go-to gal for kid's crafts! Well, Kim and her family came to Hawaii for vacation and I jumped at the chance to meet them!

How did it go? You tell me:

In other words, IT WAS AWESOME!

Although it was our first time meeting in person I truly felt as if we were two long lost friends reunited! I couldn't get enough of her and her family and hope they come back soon!

The girls got along wonderfully as well! Here are the two little ones, Em & Momo:

And here are he two older ones, Kailani and Lulu:

We met up at the Dole Plantation and walked around the grounds so the mamas (and papa!) could talk and the girls could cut loose. We went into the "World's Largest Maze" and tried to find all the hidden booths:

They found the "Fish" booth....as you can see by Momo making fish lips!

We didn't find them all of them but we had a lot of fun trying!

We talked so much that we shut the place down. Seriously. We were *this* close to getting kicked out. The announcement over the intercom stated that the plantation had closed (30 minutes prior) and to exit out the front! I think they were speaking to us directly. HA!

A fun time had by all!

A note to Kim, Papa King and the girls..... "COME BACK SOON!" :)

Stop by Kim's blog for a few more pictures!

Wordless Wednesday - Bathing Suits Optional!

2011-02-09T06:02:00.000-10:00

No bathing suit?

No problem!

Just swim with your clothes on (which is a better alternative to swimming in the nude!)

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom!

Checking in.....

2011-02-08T07:02:00.000-10:00

Been awhile since I posted (yet again!) We've had back-to-back visitors since mid-January and now my BFF (best friend forever) is here from Korea with her beautiful family! So lots of sight-seeing, shopping and beach days to come with not so much blogging and sewing till they go!

But that doesn't mean no crafting! My sweet (and a little bit crazy) Momo had a birthday yesterday and turned the big FOUR! CRAZY! Her party (I like to say "playdate with cake" as I'm trying to keep it simple) isn't for a few more days so we didn't tell her....so shhhhhhhh!

Meanwhile I am working on some favors. Here's a sneak peek of them half way done. Any guesses to what it might be?

Will post a picture of the finished product with the tutorial on how to do it!

Barbie Clothes!

2011-01-31T14:46:00.002-10:00

I'm back! Well, kinda sorta. I won't bore you with the reason for my blogging absence! Just a lot of stuff going on all at the same time, if you know what I mean! Luckily during the craziness I did get some sewing done.

I had some special requests via my Etsy shop - nursing cover, burp cloths, camera straps, aprons etc. I am certainly grateful to those that have seeked me out! <3

This morning I finally got around to making a belated birthday gift for one of Momo's special little friends. Barbie clothes!

Can I just tell you that I secretly enjoyed taking pictures of Barbie modeling? Made me laugh!

I got the FREE tutorial from "Craftiness is Not Optional." Check her out!

For more handmade craft ideas check out: "this and that's - I Made it Tuesday" and Tip Junkie's - "Tip Me Tuesday."

Wordless Wednesday: Hawaiian Monk Seal

2011-01-19T12:06:00.000-10:00

Is it Wednesday already? Wow. I guess it is!

Two days ago we celebrated my birthday by spending it at the beach. When we arrived this beautiful creature was waiting for us:

An endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal! Not to worry, he was okay. He was just basking in the sun and enjoying the beautiful day!

Here's a picture of him in the background. My kiddos were super stoked. (Oh who am I kidding? I was too!) What a special treat!

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Happy 2011!!!

2011-01-01T08:49:00.000-10:00

Wishing everyone a happy, prosperous, healthy and fun new year!

We started ours off with a "BANG!!!!" ;)

Woof Woof!

2010-12-30T09:28:00.000-10:00

And the pictures are in!

Remember the fleece dog jackets I made for my sister's dogs? The timing was perfect as my little nieces went to the snowy east coast for Christmas vacation. My sister sent me some action shots of the dogs sporting their Hawaiian style wear! Looks like they had tons of fun!

Want more handmade gift ideas or inspiration? Check out "A Crafty Soiree" hosted by Katie's Nesting Spot!

Crayon Apron - Full and Reversible!

2010-12-28T17:01:00.000-10:00

After the holiday craziness I was finally able to get some sewing done yesterday. YAY! A friend had asked if I could make a boy-friendly crayon apron. When I asked if she had a theme in mind she mentioned dinosaurs.

Whoa.

Just two days prior I ordered some Michael Miller dinosaur fabric and was waiting for it to come in the mail! It was definitely a sign!

So here's how it turned out. One side has the crayon pockets and the reverse has a chest pocket. My model was snoozing at the time so I had to take the picture on "Addie" the dress form:

When Momo woke up from her nap she reluctantly put it on for me so I could take a picture. Oh the drama!

By the way - you can catch my blog on Facebook if you like! It's joined up with my "Happy Hapa" Etsy shop. Clear here to follow (or you can do a search for "Happy Hapa" - local business and it will take you there!) Thanks for being a follower and helping me get started! :)

Want more homemade inspiration? Check out:

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-27T20:47:00.002-10:00

Merry Belated Christmas! Hope you had a wonderful holiday with loved ones!

Our Christmas was great! First and foremost, I am incredibly grateful that my husband is home and not deployed elsewhere. On that note, my thoughts go out to the military families (and all other families) that had to spend the holidays apart!

We did a lot of running around days prior to Christmas day. You know, the usual....last minute shopping, trips to the post office, etc. etc. But we also paid a visit to Santa and both girls actually took a decent picture!

We also did some easy Christmas crafts. I bought some glass bulbs and had the girls drip paint into them and roll it around. We turned them upside down and placed them into a small paper cup to drain. When they were dry we hung them up. Here is a picture of a few of them:

Kailani also left some cookies and a note for Santa:

We were also invited to a Christmas party where our friend Jill had a local style mini-Christmas tree on display. She hung it with Li Hing Mui, nori make and gumdrops. Isn't it cute?

And then of course, Christmas morning. Can you believe the kids actually slept in? Of all days! I even made it a point to wake up early so I could at least have a cup of coffee before all the opening of the gifts! I ended up waking them up!

Hope you had a merry one!

More Soap Bottles....

2010-12-22T16:05:00.001-10:00

More Personalized Bottles.....

I lost count of how many I made.

I also lost count of:

how many times I had to go back to the store (during holiday season, mind you) for more bottles because a certain someone said, "oh....I forgot about so-and-so"
how many times I had to go to the copy store to make more transparencies.....(must be printed using a laser printer)
how many times I had to remove all the labels and then scrub off all the gummy bits (Thank goodness for Goo Gone!)
the number of ribbons I tied....
the number of finger cramps...
etc. etc. etc.

All this with two kids in tow. If you're a mama I know you're feeling me.

But in the end, with all the bottles lined up next to each other they looked great. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do them justice but I was done.....D.O.N.E. stick-a-fork-in-me-done! I just hope my husband's coworkers like them. They don't have to LOVE them, but remotely like them will be okay. Each one got a bottle of hand soap and a bottle of hand sanitizer....along with a Girl Scout cookie ticket. :)

Want to know how to do it? You'll have to head over to one of my favorite sites, "The Idea Room". Amy was nice enough to provide a link to download the circular monogram design for freeeeeee! As if the awesome idea wasn't enough! ;)

Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-20T22:56:00.000-10:00

Did you see it?

With all the cloud coverage it was pure luck that I was able to see anything. Quite honestly I had totally forgotten about the eclipse until a girlfriend's sweet daughter mentioned it on Facebook. I chanced it and went outside to see what I could see:

The picture doesn't do it justice. The moon looked like it was glowing....radiating......

Unfortunately the rest of my family wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as I was. However, as I was trying to take a picture Kailani did ask as if the eclipse was man-made. That gave me a good chuckle (and I forgave her for not being excited enough.) ;)

Apparently the best viewing of the eclipse is about an hour from now but with the heavy cloud coverage here in Hawaii it's doubtful we'll see a thing. Darn.

Thank you, Emily. <3

Jailhouse Rock! Elvis Place Mats

2010-12-19T08:09:00.000-10:00

Elvis fan? One of our friends might just be his biggest! As a matter of fact this friend of ours just got back from a trip to Graceland! That's some hardcore Elvis lovin'! :)

So the question arose as to what to give him for Christmas. Nothing major...just a "thinking of you" kind of gift. But what do you get a guy that has already has everything? On top of that has everything Elvis? Not a clue until I saw some Elvis fabric. Then the question was what to do with the fabric?

Since the Elvis prints almost looked like panels I decided to cut out the four different pieces and do something with them. Ahhhh. Place mats! Not something I would usually gift a guy.....but I'm hoping that the whole Elvis plastered on the front of the mat will make up for the fact that they are....well......place mats! Ha!

Elvis Place Mats

Back of the place mats.

It should have only taken me about an hour to make them but as it turns out, no matter how much ironing I did the panels were not perfect squares (GOSHDARNIT!) Then I had to take the imperfect squares, center them onto the black fabric, iron, applique and then sew them on. Ugh. You'd think that would be enough work but then I got super ambitious and decided to pad the mats as well. Before I knew it the place mats were going from a "thinking of you" type of gift to a "thinking of you A LOT" kind!

Anyways.....the end result? After several HOURS of being totally obsessive I finished...and I'm happy! And there is something about the Michael Miller stripes that I LOVE. Not sure why but I do! It's very rich looking...and masculine. Perfect for this project.

I also totally scored on a black and white retro Elvis photo mug that I found at Ross. Gotta love Ross! Matches the place mats well!

Dirty Little Third Graders

2010-12-16T13:47:00.001-10:00

*Sigh*

I am going to do my best to sound chipper here. For the last six days both of my kids (and now husband) have come down with some sort of stomach bug. Kailani has missed several days of school, but yesterday I saw a glimmer of hope - hope that she would return to school and I would get my life outside of a pukie house back.

Long story short, no such luck.

That's alright. Maybe she'll be ready to go back on Friday, the last day of school before Christmas break. That will give me all day today to get my (last minute) classroom crafting done. Just as I was thinking it Kailani says,

"Mom, I don't have school on Friday. The class Christmas party is on Thursday."

"SAY WHAT?!?"

Enter the super-sonic-crafting-trance (on top of taking care of a sick family!) I needed to give something to her teacher and her classmates and I really wanted to avoid candy or sweets of any kind.

So, her teacher first. I have been SO looking forward to this project ever since I saw it posted at "The Idea Room":

Personalized bottles of antibacterial sanitizer and liquid hand soap! I titled it, "Mr. Kodama's Dirty Little 3rd Graders" and I put all the kid's names on it.

I doubt anybody else will be giving him the same present. :)

Wanna know how I did it? Click here.

Now for the classmates. We were going to make reindeer dust again this year but opted for something different. Instead we bought a bunch of bells and ribbon and made each of her classmates a bell necklace. I reused some cardboard and painted it and cut it out to look like gift tags:

Bell necklaces for the classmates - 30 of them!

Nothing special on back! Just tape!

Did you know that I found one of these bell necklaces selling for over $5.00 a piece?!? Seriously. When I add it all up it cost about $.60 per kid! Of course that's not incorporating the cost of labor....

So the super-sonic-trance worked. I got them all made and delivered to her class TODAY. YES. GO ME. I did it.

Now....to get the family feeling better so we can actually enjoy our Christmas break!

Are you looking for more homemade Christmas gift ideas? Check out "A Crafty Soiree" over at Katie's Nesting Spot! You'll definitely find some inspirations! Click on the button:

This One's for the Dogs....

2010-12-15T10:09:00.001-10:00

My canine nieces.....to be exact.

My sister has two miniature schnauzers - one being a puppy. I have to be honest here and tell you that it's her schnauzer that actually converted me to liking small dogs. I've always been a big dog lover - labs, retrievers, rottweilers, etc. and thought of smaller dogs as "big dog snacks" until I met Gretchen:

Gretchen

Total cuteness.

And now add their puppy Maxine to the family:

Maxine

Oh my word.

Now for another confession. I've never been a fan of dogs wearing clothes. That is until I found a reason to justify buying the BEAUTIFUL Aloha print fleece that I admire every single time I walk into one of my local fabric stores!

Since we don't have a dog (and Gretchen and Maxine live thousands of miles away) I had to ask my sister to take some measurements for me. Hopefully I did everything right and they will fit! Here are some local models trying on the jackets:

Locals modeling the doggie jackets. Yes, we have white tigers in Hawaii.

Hopefully these little fleece jackets will keep the dogs warm this winter! I will upload pictures of the actual dogs (if they fit) when they receive it!

WOOF WOOF!

Market Bag Winner!

2010-12-13T20:54:00.000-10:00

And the winner of the "artsy crafty babe" market bag is:

#14 Chelsea who said,

"Ooh very pretty...I love it! I found you through A Pocket Full of Buttons"

Congratulations, Chelsea! Look for an email from me telling you how to claim your bag!

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to enter!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2010-12-12T14:43:00.000-10:00

My most favorite cookie EVER! I've been making these for years!

You can find the recipe on the back of some of the miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cup bags but I use a slightly different version that is posted at AllRecipes. Even with that recipe I do a couple of things differently.

First off, to keep the peanut butter cup from melting and losing it's shape I freeze them ahead of time. I also recommend using a medium sized cookie scoop (measures about 1.75" across) - when you use the scoop the cookies end up being the same size and they bake evenly. Instead of ending up with 40 cookies (as the recipe states) in my version you end up with approximately 28. However, since mini-muffin pans have only 24 cups you could save some time and add a tad bit more dough to each cookie.....

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

28 miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (frozen - put in freezer for at least 30 minutes)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
Scoop cookie dough using the medium sized cookie shape dough into 28 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes. While the cookies are baking remove the wrappers from the miniature Reese's Peanut Butter cups.
When cookies are done baking remove them from the oven and immediately press a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup into each cookie. Cool and carefully remove from pan (I use a small spoon to help lift them it out.)

Cooling in the pan....

This baby's got some height and weight to it!

Wrapped and ready for a cookie exchange!

Market Bag, Facebook and a Giveaway!

2010-12-06T09:19:00.000-10:00

So what to start with first? How about the market bag?

Have you heard of "artsy- crafty babe?" Maybe you've seen her link on my side bar. Talk about a talented lady! Recently Rebeka had a sale going on in her Etsy shop and I took advantage of it and bought her market bag pattern. I love the simplicity and the roominess of the bag! You can fit tons of stuff in it! And it's so much prettier than some of the recusuable/recyclable bags you see being sold in the stores (that I always forget at home or in the car!)

I made one using a Tokidoki-inspired print and added a splash of red with white polka dots for the lining. Here it is:

Market Bag

Lots of room on the inside. Love the splash of red!

Close-up of the print....

Can you say, Christmas presents? Oh yeah.

And maybe one for my Etsy shop.....

And maybe one for a GIVEAWAY?

Perfect timing for a giveaway, don't you think? Especially with the holidays coming up! But another reason is I'm setting up a Facebook page for my Etsy shop - "Happy Hapa." Just jumping on the bandwagon of social networking!

Sooooo.....let's do this!

Here's how to win. Read carefully please!

Mandatory Entry: Leave me a comment. Please be sure to include your email address if it is not easily found on your Blogger profile.

Once you have completed the mandatory entry you can earn more chances to win! Please leave a separate comment for each:

1) Become a follower of my blog. Already a follower? Just let me know!
2) "Like" Happy Hapa on Facebook.

3) Earn FIVE extra entries by blogging about this giveaway! Post about it on your blog and link back to this thread. Let me know where to find it on your blog! Be sure to comment five extra times for five extra chances to win!

International entries welcome!

One winner will be chosen via Random.org at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Monday, December 13th. Winner will be announced here on this blog, the Happy Hapa Facebook page as well as be sent an email notification. Response is required within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Cannot guarantee Christmas delivery but the sooner the chosen winner responds the sooner the item will be shipped!

Can't wait for one? Want one NOW? I'm putting another in my Etsy shop! Check back soon!

Best of luck...and thanks for spreading the word!