freetunes

did you know that urban outfitters has 5 compilations for over 20 songs that you can download for free.  yes, free.  this was news to me, and i love news that has to do with getting things for free.  i have been internetting (made up word?) to the fifth compilation and i have to say i like it.  check out the free tunes (!) here.  

and while you are at it, take a gander at this sea fan jewler stand.  it's boss. 

and you might want to check out these hanging jar vases they look way too easy to DIY.  think i might have to bust out some metal hangers and old mason bottles to copy it!

also, dear and yonder has posted their tour dates (here) and you hawaiian wahines aren't left out this time (wish i was there to organize a girls night to go see it!)

for all you etsy shop owners out there

gotta love handmade right?  if you love handmade, i am sure you love etsy!

i just stumbled across this e-book full of hints for those of us who have or want to have an etsy shop and figured i would pass it along.

king of pop

As I am sure everyone heard, Michael Jackson passed away. I can not believe it! Another thing that I can not believe is the amount of products that immediately popped up following his death. Corbin got in on the action and designed some t-shirts for cafe press. This one is my personal favorite.

What products have you seen since The King of Pop passed away?

talented person

My sister in law, Kathryn Knudsen, is one of the most talented people I know. She is always creating something, her hands NEVER stop. Whether it be painting,

making cute baby things,

or creating one of a kind hats!

Check out more of her artwork here. She also has an etsy shop, but everything is currently sold out.

reduce, reuse, recycle

Here is an easy and eco-friendly way to make baby board shorts:

1. Lay old board shorts out flat. On top of them place baby shorts to be traced. Fold the baby shorts in half, with the outside seam of the baby shorts along the side seam of the board shorts. Place the hem of the baby shorts along the hem of the board shorts (as pictured).

2. Cut around the baby shorts allowing 1/2 inch extra for seam allowance. At the top of the baby shorts leave about 2 1/2 inches for the waistband. Repeat process on the other side of the board shorts, using the piece you just cut as your new template.

3. Open the two pieces of cut board short and place them right sides together. Pin in place. Sew from the waist to the crotch on both sides.

4. Open up the new baby board shorts so that the crotch seam you just sewed is now in the center. Pin the legs together, aligning the bottom hems and center seam. Sew from one side to the other.
5. To make the waistband, fold down the top 1/4 inch and press. Fold down another inch and press again. Sew this down leaving a 2 inch opening to insert 3/4 inch elastic.
6. Hook safety pin into the elastic and thread it through the waist, being careful not to twist it. Sew ends of elastic together, and opening shut. Turn right side out and your re-used board shorts are ready for some fun at the beach!

half pipe

We recently built a half pipe at our house, which makes it easy for me to skate. I think that everyone should learn to skate because it is fun! So to help you get started go here for some half pipe plans, or to find a skatepark near you search here. Happy skating!

packaging

June is a busy month for me as far as gift giving goes. To me, it seems that you can have just as much fun with the gift packaging as you can with the gift itself. Here is the most recent packaging that I used for three of my sisters birthdays (yes, they all have the same birthday (today), no they are not triplets, but two of them are twins).

I liked pairing a monochromatic exterior...

with a colorful interior!

I know I would be excited to get a package in the mail like this one! Happy Birthday Sisters!

supplies

You may have seen this stuff around... I have been wanting some but to indecisive of which ones to get. I love the all the colors and the many possibilities forming in my head of how to use this stuff. So so pretty, and happy. I must decide and order this weekend.

Oh, have a happy weekend!

one day...

I will sew a skirt like this for my babe. I will. I love items like this that are so simple. There is a small problem with fabric stores in Hawaii... they are filled with 80% hawaiian prints. Leaving not so many options a resources for cute fabric. sigh... but pictures like this inspire me because the right solids are great together.

ps. I found these images on katie did... a good read that one.

daily

I found this moisturizer at the drug store and I love it! (most burts bees products are pretty good, right?) It feels nice and thin AND it has sunscreen in it. My newest fear is that I will look like leather in 10 years because I am always in the sun, so this calms my fears a bit.

coloring contest...

Andy Davis is a favorite artist of ours. He also has a clothing line featuring his original style of surf art called ando and friends. I just noticed that they are having a coloring contest which struck me as funny and juvenile until I noticed the winner gets $250 bucks and a "plethera of product." Time to dip into the past and whip out my coloring skills!!

quilt tutorials

i love making quilts. i always have one in the works these days. currently i have two waiting for quilting and binding (and hopefully to be sold!).
and i think i have mentioned before, i am a sucker for a good tutorial. it is so fun to see pictures of a work in progress and see how it turns out. a cute girl named candace (sparkle power blog and etsy shop) posted about a little quilting tutorial from katie did that i am loving.  which means i have to start another quilt so i can learn how to use quilting pins and do some overlapping diagonal quilting.  what do you want to make?

(candace's quilts from the katie did tutorial)

go ahead, play with your food

luke emailed me this a while ago and i just found it and had to post, who doesn't love a hot dog octopus?

old surf wax candles

just found a cool article here on surfline that shows you how to make candles from old wax.  i can't wait to strip a board or two and give this a try. 

suppose

a good friend of mine opened a quilting boutique in idaho a few months ago.  now, i know, idaho is quite aways away from me and most likely from you too.  but their online shop is up and running now!  they have tons of fun fabrics and cool books.  

the suppose blog is a fun read as well.  check out all the cool stuff she got to see first hand (and even touch-there is just something about quilts that needs touching for some reason!) at the pittsburgh spring quilt market.  i am so jealous, how fun would it be to be there? oh hello kaffi fasset and hi to you too amy butler!  like i said, so jealous!

weekend sewing

Here are some projects I just completed from Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing. I hope they inspire you to start a project this weekend.

I unpicked the sleeves from a plain white onesie and added the ruffle in matching fabric to make a complete outfit.

Happy Aloha Friday!

kids art

Here is a unique way to display your kids art that will definitely make him/her feel special. You can order a "design your own t shirt kit" from poloppo.

The kit includes markers, square paper, a catalog of t-shirts and a pre-paid return envelope so kids can send in their artwork and get it printed onto a t-shirt. You can chose to print the artwork onto a kids, or adult sized shirt. Great gift idea for that very special Dad in your life! (Father's Day is June 21st)

awww shucks....

I often read the pretty little blog called party perfect.... thanks for featuring our outdoor party! We really like you.

fabric dollhouse

Handmade gifts are always the best gifts. They are unique and require more thought. For a little friends birthday I made this fabric dollhouse. It was very fun to make and inexpensive. She loved it!

I also painted this little wooden family to live in the dollhouse.

The possibilities are endless, so go and get started!

a must have

This is one of my favorite items... the DYMO label buddy. I think it is a must have.

I love the way the labels look. To get a little creative cut a strip of cool paper the same width as the label tape and feed it through the label buddy, then you have an even cooler looking label! Get yourself a label buddy here.

santa cruz skatepark

I love Santa Cruz. Whenever we visit the mainland it is a priority to visit. One of the things we love to do when we are there is skate at this skatepark. It has northern California's first  17' full pipe! My favorite thing about the skatepark is that the bowl area is blue like the ocean, with the full pipe looking like a wave, and the street course is sand colored. So creative.

Check out their blog for more photos and videos and you can even buy a t-shirt!

how to make a quite book

Aloha! I'm Meg. I love skating, surfing, sewing, art-making, Corbin and my baby's dimples. I'm excited to have been invited to be apart of this sun-shining blog! I hope I can inspire some of you because I know you inspire me.

Sometimes I am inspired to make things because I am too cheap to actually buy it. That was the case when I made this quiet book.

You can make one too!

1. Cut (6) 10"x8", and (2) 11.5"x8" pieces of heavy weight fabric. I used white canvas. The slightly larger pieces are for the cover and first and last pages. 

2. Gather the notions you have lying around your house; buttons, zippers, snaps, velcro, ribbons, shoe laces, etc...

3. Make words to match your notions. I actually printed onto muslin. I cut the muslin to the size of a piece of paper, then fused iron on material (found at fabric stores, used for applique) to the back of it, but I did not pull off the papery backing. Then fed it through my printer. It worked surprisingly well. I also printed a photo of my daughter to personalize the book.

4. Sew the notions/words onto the pages. Figuring out the order is a little tricky, I used folded pieces of paper to help me visualize it. (The word does not always match the notion it shares a page with, but when you place them all folded together like a book they will match up.) Kind of confusing I know.

5. Gather your pages and place right sides together and sew, leaving a hole for turning. Turn and top stitch near the edge of each page. You should end up with three double sided pages and a cover.

6. Take the cover and sew the pages onto it.

7. Enjoy hours of quiet entertainment!