Remember those Straw Wreathes?

So here are the results of the straw wreathes I got at the thrift store!


This one I made for a gal friend of mine. Her bday was this last week and I thought this might brighten her entry way. I just love this idea because you don't have to hang anything on your door. This is also not in your face seasonal decor like those banners people put on their houses. This is just the right touch and a great way to get your kids excited about their birthday coming up!







This one is just an experiment of mine. Id like to just start making these wreathes for the seasons. Its so easy and cheap.


This is a pic of it mostly done. I have since added more flowers and button to it.

Next project includes yarn, glue, balloons and bowls.


We are making these!


What a great Easter craft ya?


I would REALLY love to make some huge white chandelier ones too... Just need someone to make them for =)

The Tsunami..

So this is the first time I have experienced any kind of natural disaster other than an earthquake. Ill just say that I don't think Im very good at keeping my cool.



The night started off awesome! It was Bunko night and we had been setting up our tea theme all week and it looked amazing. Bunko is always an amazing time. Such a great group of people, full of love and tons of fun!

About 3/4 of the way through, Kilinoe checked her Facebook and saw that the earthquake had occurred and that a tsunami warning was in effect. From that point on, no one could focus very well. OUr minds were all on getting home and taking care of safety prep. Good news: I won for the most losses! YAY!

After the tea I immediately went out to fill up the car and get extra water and canned goods. I pulled out onto the highway and there was about a 2 mile line to get gas. After about 5 minutes I decided I wanted to at least go and get groceries before water ran out. Everyone who wasn't waiting for gas used the median to drive around. I pulled into the median and into the grocery store parking lot(also the parking lot for the shell gas station) and I was immediately channeled into a gas pump! WHAT!?! I guess that they had been trying to get people to come in both ways and people being the ants we are just wanted to wait in that 2 mile line! I filled up my car and headed to the grocery store. Luckily there wasn't too many people quite yet. In Kauai, once people get home from their day, they RARELY go out again. Its a big deal if they do.


i got 3 cases of water bottles, a 2 gallon size water thingy, tuna, some soup and paper plates. As I headed out to the car and was looking for my keys, i couldn't find them. I immediately felt that sinking feeling. Had I set them down somewhere? After all, my brain was in a million different places (I hadn't been able to get ahold of Evan yet since the phones were all down). I walked out and realized that I had left them in the car...but there was one more thing. I left them in the ignition...and yes, I left the car running. At least I had enough instinct to lock the car. GEESH! This girl's brain was definitely on overload! Thank heavens I was only in the store a little bit and that nothing happened.


I got home at about 11. It had taken about an hour to get gas and groceries. Jackson was sound asleep and Ev was pretty tired. We both stayed up following Fox news and the latest reports. I was freaking out about my car and wanted to park it on higher ground. Thank God for my level headed hubby. He looked at me around midnight and said "I don't think anything is gonna happen baby"... I was so insulted! Why wasn't he taking this seriously?!? Well, because he is always cool as a cucumber even in the hardest situations (reason # 99 why i married this man).

I made some coffee and stayed up...and up and up... I dozed off around 215am and like a kid who has 5 minutes till the school bus, i woke up with a startle. It was 2:45! It was about to hit! The worst thing was the Siren. It was so loud and sounded like those horror movie sirens or world war 2 movie sirens. All i could think about was Silent Hill. That scary movie with ash falling everywhere. NOT a good feeling. Evan had told me to wake him when it came time for it to hit so I went up to get him. He came down and quickly saw that the waves were not as they said they were going to be. So off to bed he went.....again. Thinking that there surely must be something big on its way I stayed tuned in for another hour.


At 4:08am I finally got to bed feeling a bit at ease with the situation but still horrified at the Japanese footage and what they were just starting to endure. Thats the other thing that made me freak. Seeing the power of that Tsunami just completely devour the shore is an image I will soon not forget.


So here we are. Another Gorgeous day on Kauai with not a thing wrong. NOTHING is damaged. Everyone is safe. Even the idiots who went right up to the water front made it out without a scratch. God was here last night. His hand of protection was upon us. Every little shoreline business here hangs by a string anyways and something like this would have been devastating to say the least.

My heart is heavy for the Japanese people who have been tortured through not only earthquake after earthquake, but have been overtaken by the sea and covered in filth. God be with them in this time. I just cannot imagine.

Kauai Adventures!

So a gal friend of mine ( Krissy =) ) asked about what cool adventures I have come to know here on Kauai and since this is a question I commonly receive even from complete strangers, I decided its best to just blog about it!


Heres a list of things we have learned in our many vacations and 1.5 year stay here on Kauai but instead of starting with the least to most, I am starting with the most to least! After all, who wants to spend all their money on stuff thats further down the list first !?!?


1. Na Pali Coast Cruise

MY friends, It cannot get any better than this! After going on all the little tours around, this is the most bang for our buck! Which tour company to use? Capt Andy's is the best we have found! They have the newest catamaran. For your money, we suggest going on the sunset cruise. The trips that include snorkeling are not really worth the extra dough. You can go snorkel in much better spots with a cheap set from snorkel bobs for pete's sake and anyways, I have NEVER found snorkeling to be that amusing. Its just a few pics of some random fish with a very outweighing threat of sharks! ( don't be scared) Oh yeah, the cruise..... Well, you start off by going west side to Port Allen where you check in and wait for your capt to bring you down to the dock. There a little restaurant there you can eat at for lunch. You get on the boat and immediate fun and adventure happens as soon as you take off. Some of the oldies sit below to avoid splashings, but I have always been the one to sit in the splash zone at seaworld so what the heck, sit on the front deck and enjoy the amazing ocean and its power. You will most likely see all sorts of dolphins! little spinners are awesome! They jump out of the water and spin...pretty cool. Not to mention the views from the boat. As soon as you round the point and see those napali cliffs, you are going to be in awe. Theres a lot of cool movie spots too.

After you finish heading up the coast on your wild ride, you stop and turn around, sometimes letting the sails out (if the wind is right) and dinner is served ALONG with some drinks of your choice. The sneaky teaky always bites ev in the booty. hehe.

You then head back down the coast to catch the sunset.


I cant tell you enough about the beauty of this trip! Its really the only way you can see the coast up close and personal aside from the higher up helicopter ride...(but you cant really talk and be romantic on the helicopter)






2.Kayak to a Waterfall...



This is the perfect little island outing. Its a great workout and is something that you'll want to tell people you did! The Wailua one is the only one that I have done personally, but I don't think any kayak trip would be a disappointment. Just make sure to bring LOTS of bug repellent. Thats for everywhere here though. Those mosquitos are EVERYWHERE and LOVE white girl flesh!


ON this trip you kayak to a little outlet with a guide and hike back into the falls which are gorgeous!



3. Head up north to Hanalei Bay.

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This is my fav beach. Be prepared for hippies galore, but this place is heavenly. Theres a beach called Pine Needles that is our all time fav. You can sit there under the shade of a pine tree on the most gorgeous beach with the most gorgeous views! We got married at the St.Regis' beach! This beach was ranked #1 last year. It is filled with charm On the way there you will pass the beautiful "green church".


I LOVE this place. Theres even a little school there and I wonder how it would have been to go to elementary school and look up into pure gorgeousness. I mean, its like looking up and understanding why Hawaiians have the mountain Gods they have.

Don't mind the random man doing the hula!






4. ATV/zipline

This is super fun if its really rainy. Otherwise its kinda whatevs. I guess I just like to get all crazy adventurous and the amount of dirt that is caked on my car is a direct measure of how much fun off roading was.




5.Helicopter

This is something that is awesome if you have the extra cash. It takes you up up and over all the sights of Kauai. Its not totally my cup of tea but most guys like it.

6. Kipu Falls

Head on over to Kipu falls( where they shot the opening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark") and hike into the grass to get to a fun waterfall that you can jump off of if you dare. I have only done it once...on our honeymoon...eeeeekkkk! Theres also a fun rope swing. Best of all...Its FREE!



7. Resorts that no one can afford to stay in but you REALLY should check out!

1. St Regis- This is an absolutely gorgeous visit. It also has the BEST food on the island. You can enjoy some primo food at the Kauai Grille or head up to the makana terrace for a dinner with a view! Either way this place is to die for.





2. The Hyatt Grand Regency- This place is the epitome of Poipu class. I think its like $500-600 a night for a garden view? Anyways, you HAVE to go visit here! The views are spectacular. If you can afford it, splurge for a night here. Its worth it. At the Hyatt is a really great cocktail lounge call Stevenson's Library. You def need to hit this place up for drinks and live music!


7. FOOD!


The BEST places to eat on Kauai! Im breaking it down into N,S,E,W sides!


West Side- NOt MUCH! theres a taco stand thats pretty good.

South side- a. Kalaheao Cafe $$

b. Merrimens downstairs $$

c. Stevensons library $$

d. Keokis Paradise $$$

e. The Beach House $$$


Workin our way to lihue

a. Dukes (Nawiliwili) $$/$$$

b. 22 North at Kilohana.$$ lunch $$$ dinner ( all organic kauai grown) Our FAV for Sunday brunch! Theres a rum company there as well.. A pretty good spot to go and shop and a great place in general. Food is outstanding! We had our rehearsal dinner here as well.

c. Kauai Pasta $$

Workin our way to Kapaa ( East side)

a. Monicos $$- Good Mexican

b. Kauai Pasta Lounge $/$$- This is a recent fav! GREAT food at decent prices with a really late menu. Open till 11pm! Everything closes here at like 8 so having a lounge to go grab food and drinks with your hubby or friends is a GREAT THING!

c. Trees Lounge $/$$- This is one of our fav little local spots that serves really good drinks and has pretty good music. Their Garden salad is my fav and they have some excellent pupus too!


d. Chicken in a Barrel $- This is the best take out place in Kapaa and the healthiest. Its awesome tasting steak, pork or chicken with great chili and brown rice. its a little secret on the side of the road right after you pass Ostukas furniture!

e. Verde $/$$- BEST MEXICAN ON THE ISLAND! This place is a little bit pricey but its worth it. Its in the Big Save Shopping Center in Old town Kapaa near the Shell gas station. We LOVE it and you have to try the Ahi tacos!


North Shore!

a. Kauai Grille $$$$ - BEST gourmet food on the island. Very posh.

b. The Tavern $$/$$$ This little place is located at the Princeville Golf Club just south of The St regis turn off. It is a little hidden gem! Great food, Great prices and selection for a nice place in the North shore.



Heres my "Bests"

Best trip
Napali Coast Cruise

Best Beach
Pine Trees

Best Food
Kauai Grille

Best Cheap Food
Chicken in a Barrel

Best Luau
Smiths


Best Hotel
St. Regis

Best side for Sun
Poipu

BEst side for beauty
North shore

Best church to visit
Lihue Missionary Church =)

Best Kept Tourist Secret
Actually, head on over to Kealia Bike path in Kapaa. Its not THAT secret but I sure wish I knew about it when I visited. The most GORGEOUS path to go for a morning walk on. You will not regret it. Its really really a sweet peek into the way we who live on Kauai start our days off with. Its so peaceful and relaxing.



Of Course this list is not the tell all of Kauai! There are tons more things to do also!

Off the top of my head :
horse back riding
hiking
snorkel
scuba
snuba
kauai coffee
waimea canyon
tubing
spa days
deep sea fishing
golf
rafting
art nights
wailua falls
taro fields
all of hanalei



Enjoy you guys! This place is pretty darn amazing!

Installment 3: Some People Flip Houses, I Flip Home Goods

Here we go...Final installment of Thrift store finds for now =)

Here is a gorgeous old wood frame that I got at the Habitat for Humanity. For the womens tea I used old frames and put chicken wire on the backs and painted them all ivory. I wish I had found this frame earlier cause the filagree is exactly what I wanted! So here is the process of turning into a jewelry/picture holder frame for your bathroom or wherever!






You can choose to not paint the entire filagree area and rub off, but I feel that it hides a lot more of the ugly if you paint then rub....does that make sense? Here are the 3 different looks you can get with filagree... 1st: paint then rub off 2nd: all painted 3rd: quickly and lightly brushed over(the transverse of the first)




Here we go! This is one that I made for the tea. It was a buss up old oak frame that I staple gunned Chicken wire onto the back of. Here it is hanging in my frenny Kim's house! LOVE it Kimmy!




Here we are at the lamp I found at the Animal Shelter thrift store. Isn't it gorg? I Love the cream and rustic aqua! I have yet to find the perfect shade for it. You guys have also seen on my Facebook the huge mustard yellow one. Got that for $5 and am going to either keep the mustard color acrylic under the mustard color paint or paint it a fun shade of blue, green or grey and cut the shade down to be more low profile.





Here we are at the awesome craft supplies I found at Salvation army! These are what I make my yarn wreathes out of! I never buy the wreathes here though because they are entirely marked up and expensive. I walked into S.A and saw these for $2! Cant wait to transform them into fun fashionable wreathes!




Finally, here are two 2'x2' square frames with matting! An artist's dream! They currently show off two prints of hawaiian fish and were from the lihue marriott before the remodel. Really great quality perfect for displaying some artwork of our choosing. I do like the fish but 1. two of the same print is not ideal and 2. they need to be freshened up!




So there you have it... Some of my most recent home finds. Remember people, be OPEN MINDED when searching for things to redo and use in your home. That is the only way you will truly save a bundle and have fun doing it!

Until next find.... Heidi <3

Installment 2: Hand Bags

So Here we go...to the land of Bags! I will admit, I lost my head a little on these. Went crazy! In my defense, I don't think I have bought a new purse of significance in about 3 years and considering all of these and more(not pictured) were too much of a deal to pass up, I think im ok. I do have plans for all of them though!

{Animal Shelter Thrift store. $2} First up is this little diamond leathered purse. While it does kind of look like clown pants, I couldn't resist all of the yummy colors of leather on ONE purse. Even though I might only use it once, that was good enough for me! I thought it might look awesome with some dark jeans/black top and some sweet cowhide leather boots.


{Animal shelter thrift Store. $2} This is just a simple but awesome quality little purse. Ok so heres my idea which the next purse inspired. I am going to be experimenting with painting/staining these purses! Kinda with a bohemian lotus flower/tattoo art kind of look. I cant wait to see how they turn out!



{ Animal Shelter Thrift Store} This is my FAV! Isn't this amazing! For a whopping $2! I love how authentic it is. If I ever got a tattoo it would look something like this. This is the bag that inspired me to do the leather art. I got a bunch of just plain leather bags that i am going to be working on. I thought they might be great "see ya later" gifts for my girls when we move! What do you think?


{ Salvation Army $.50} Ok so everyone here on Kauai is having to deal with this Plastic shopping bag ban. Its pretty annoying but its also a great opportunity to find some cute cloth bags! I couldn't resist these. The neon green with the pink ewe is an awesome burlap bag that will be perfect for grabbing a few things here and there. I thought the orange one would work well as a gift bag for a good bottle of wine...OR even better, to hold my current crochet order wherever I go. Either way, these are fun. BTW...the EWE matches my new hot pink Tamba Trucker hat (that I abstained from taking a picture of)... hahahahaha


{Salvation Army. $2} Here is my most practical find! A gorgeous huge leather traveling bag. It will be PERFECT for the airport or the day to the North shore. Its a gorgeous cream leather and has ample space to be anything I need it to be. The best part is, I will not be worried if it gets messed up by anything.



So there you have it (most of it) Ill have to post some of the plain ones after I paint them! What was the grand total for all of these finds? About $10..including the ones I have not posted. Totally sounding like a hoarder, but... Great deal!

Stay tuned for tomorrows Final Installment of "Im not a Hoarder I SWEAR!" for a look at some of the home goods I have found!

Not a Hoarder I SWEAR: Installment 1

So many of you mainland friends out there are probably wondering why I am even stepping foot into a thrift store. Let me explain.

For those of you shoppers who have lived on a tiny island, forgive me. To the rest of you, be very grateful for your Tj Maxx and Marshalls.

When we moved here I wasn't too worried about not having shopping outlets and chain restaurants. It was actually a nice change from all the hustle and bussle. After about 6 months I started noticing that really all there is to do for a housewife is to go out shopping! That was/is my only "me" time! So naturally choosing between Costco, K Mart, Walmart and Macy's gets a bit tiresome and BORING! Granted Jeans warehouse has been getting better stuff in hahaa.....


So here I am, with a HUGE void that cannot be filled by the stock numbered items or blue light specials.


Before I readily admit my thrift store obsession, let me preface by sharing a bit about the thrift stores here on Kauai and how they are SO SO different from Salvation army on Tustin avenue!

The wonderful people of Kauai/Hawaii are a cultural bunch set in their ways. They are a special people made up of artisans, seamstresses but are lacking in decorators and design specialists. Basically Kauai is completely stuck in the 80's. Happily.

Don't tell the aunty at the register that the tea cup is ugly because she will likely give you the stink eye, or tell them you are going to cut up a dictionary for a really cute garland idea...they just wont get it.

When you walk in, there are endless possibilities. The stuff that Hawaiians see as junk really is NOT! This stuff would go in a california second at the thrift stores in OC!


So theres a little insight to my obsession with filling my shopping void at the thrift stores!~

Installment One


DRESSES!



I LOVE dresses! I think they are so feminine and versatile! My favorite reason is that you don't even have to think about pairing a top with bottoms and coordinating with shoes...(since you take them off at the door here anyway)

Here are Some amazing dresses I have found. All have been washed...twice. haha...



The first is a vintage Koi fish patterned hand made dress. That is perhaps my most favorite thing. Some little Aunty made this dress by hand. The thrift stores are FILLED with handmade dresses and those really cute morning robes like Lucille Ball used to wear in the mornings!

For a cool $4



The next is a great find from the Thrift store that supports the Animal Shelter! I love supporting the pets of Kauai while shopping!

It is actually a super duper expensive dress ($148) by Young People. Its so cute and I love the eclectic comfortable feeling this dress brings to the table!

This was an awful $5.50



Finally there is this sweet pea dress that I found at habitat for humanity. It is also hand made.



Isn't that so sweet! I love it.


So theres my little installment of Vintage infused Thrift Store fashion!

Stay tuned for tomorrows installment that will cover the Accessories! You'd Don't want to miss it!

Diary of a Decorator

So after successfully coordinating decor and set up for our church's tea party I have encountered a couple comments that I never really have thought about before but find interesting.


A couple times i have heard...

" That was a lot of work for a couple hours"


I guess I have never really thought of it that way and let me tell all of you logical people out there, NO designer does hahaha....




As a designer, once a task is presented to you and a budget is presented the first thing your mind does is brain storm. HOw do I stretch my dollar? What big ticket items can I afford/need? How many focal points? How much WORK am I going to have to do? etc...


All of these things do not come into alignment right off the bat. It takes a week or two of dreaming intently, both at night and during the day! In all actuality a designer never thinks of hours of prep vs. hours of enjoyment. If they did that, Michaels stock would be through the roof with brides planning their own weddings.

My experience with almost every event/ decor project includes hours of mental pre-planning. Coordinating all the little things with the big things and making the big picture work. So I guess you could say that the event lives in my head for WAY more than 2 hours. By GO time I am so ready to see my picture come into reality. For an event decorator its all about seeing the people's reaction to your vision. Seeing them react to all the little touches that have been thought out for weeks.

I mean hey, wedding receptions rarely last more than 2 hours and look how long those take to plan/prep! I guess that I just don't do events the boring way. I always always feel the need to make each event special. To bring the most creative ideas out into reality and solving budget problems with amazingly effective decor elements. I love that.


The hardest thing about doing it all is being a decorator in new surroundings. After all, you are your reputation. The hardest thing for me to do is share my (most of the time CRAZY) vision with others and have them understand it. Most of the time I get a lot of "Are you crazy?" type looks. Well, maybe I am! I just like to do things a little bit out of the box. This tea was a great example of that. Hanging valences and drapery from church ceilings is not exactly done a lot over here. Using square tables and rounds in the same room? hahha...that idea was very hard to get across. To most, those two should not be in the same sentence, let alone the same room.


Im not gonna lie, these events wipe me out. I was writhing in pain from being up on my knees for 5 hours straight. I was a walking zombie for 2 days after....BUT THOSE 2 HOURS WERE SO WORTH IT. I loved seeing the faces of all those special ladies who were there. I loved showing them what their little church could do. What it was capable of. This group of women deserve every single second of dreaming and work. They all have touched my life in different ways and have made our time here on Kauai mean so much. Ill never forget the validation I have received from these loving people.

Its easy to be passionate about life when you are surrounded by passionate people.