Will you have me back?

Dear www.ivy-and-co.com,

I'm sorry I've neglected you. I have good reasons, I promise, and I'm going to tell you all about them over the next few days! It's gonna be exciting. The truth is, I've been on Facebook and Instagram like my life's depending on it and I'm trying to figure out that dang Google+ and Twitter.

Sometimes I feel like the only reason I joined twitter was to keep up with @jimmyfallon #JimmyFallon #TonightShowWithJimmyFallon
— Rebecca Owen (@IvyandCompany) February 28, 2014

In the meantime, I know you'd like a little love from me (aside from my Friday 4's, where I feature my Instagram favorites. You know me, I love to help promote other artists and bloggers!) 

So let's catch up! One day, these two things happened:

At Home

At Work:

It's funny how my home life and work life sometimes look so similar.

Speaking of work, my co-worker (ok, she's basically one of my best friends) asked me to "fix" this tear in her Billabong shorts. #Lacelove (I don't think I've ever used a hashtag on my blog before. I told you I've been trying to figure out Twitter!)

We sold our couch a while back, and I told Kit that we would not be getting a new one. Our living room would include a recliner, and my sewing center. After a little rearranging, my corner now looks like this:

Yes, that grey entertainment center used to be under our TV and was home to DVD's and speakers. But now it is full of sewing goodness. 

That shelf up above was in our bedroom, but I also cleared out our bedroom and streamlined the furniture in there (see the Wizard of Oz dresser here, and the Refurbished Antique dresser here), so it was relocated. I love it as it houses some of my branding items (tags, stamp, business cards, etc). 

And I love this photo of Ivy and I from Ajja Photography, so I put it up on the shelf, too. 

At first my computer was in the sewing area too, but I could only handle that so long until the sewing took over. So I created this little nook next to the Card Catalog. I love everything about it: the cane chair, my Mac, the coffee, my Rifle Paper Company weekly calendar, a permanent home for my external hard drive, a reliable stash of pens! I'll go more into detail about the black desk in another post, but I love that too. (Notice how suddenly all my furniture is going black?!)

So now, dear www.ivy-and-co.com, this is home to where I will write to you. It's focused, it's clear, and I'm ready to return to you. Will you take me back?

With love,

Rebecca

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ALOHA Friday Link Party #15 and a Sneak Peek at our Christmas Photo Shoot

Welcome to Jed & Ivy's
Aloha Friday
Link Party #15!


We took photos for our Christmas Cards this week with my very good friend, Ajja.
I've only seen this one so far, because she posted it on Facebook.

Ajja's photography is AMAZING. I like to describe her photography style as capturing life in motion. It's honest. It's what really happens. Ivy and I were actually about to hug right here.
Ironically, her business motto is:

Love Gets Sweeter Every Day

There was a moment in the shoot when Ivy fell in the shallow river we were posing in. My husband was a little upset, I was trying to convince Ivy that it was ok, and Ivy was almost in tears over her wet dress. Needless to say, Ajja showed me a picture she took of us through the trees at that moment, and said it was her favorite shot so far. We didn't look ticked off (which we all were), we looked as if we were caring for one another, trying to remedy a situation, and doing it together. She captures life's moments, not life's poses. 

Live on Maui and need some photos? Planning on taking a vacation to Maui? Don't live on Maui but have a wedding or other important (or not so important) event and you want to fly in a photographer?

Hire Ajja Photography to help you remember those times for years to come.

Click here to "like" AJJA Photography on Facebook. (You really should)

Click here to go to her website. (You won't be sorry)

Ajja did not pay me for this post, these are all my honest sentiments and I owe her big time for all the moments she's captured in my life :)

Hana Hou! Let's see these great projects again. 

Ineseda's Roses for Rose earrings

This whole blog is in dutch, I think... so I don't have much info, but I loved these earrings as soon as I saw them! I do know that Ineseda has an Etsy site and these earrings are for sale! Click here to go to her site.

Violet Imperfection's Burlap Thankful Banner

Go to the blog post to check out the detail in her little corn!

Last feature: A Handmade Bird House from Sweet Boutique

Her husband and son made it together. She explained they just kind of made it up as they went along. I LOVE those kinds of projects. I think all my projects are like that. 

<a href="http://jedandivy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Jed & Ivy" src="http://jedandivy.blogspot.com/"/></a>

Pau Hana! 

It's the end of the week. Let's party.

DIY projects - Etsy products - Giveaways - Furniture Re-do's (my fave) - Sewing Tutorials - Inspiring Stories
Grab the button and post it on your blog, if you have one. 

Follow this blog, if you can.

By linking up, you're allowing me to feature your photos on this blog and pin them. 

Share the Aloha and visit some links! 

<a href="http://www.jedandivy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Jed & Ivy" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f275/gerry100/linkparty2.png"/></a>

Aloha,

Rebecca

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Mini Valentine's bunting, baby bunting, and the wall in the Starbucks bathroom

Here's some small projects I did this last week:

First, I made a mini version of my big Valentine's Day bunting and sent it off to Cailin:

And, since we just got back the "ALOHA" sign that Kit made for Ajja's photo booth, it was laying around and "got in" the picture :). After all, Aloha means love! BTW- Ajja, you were supposed to keep the ALOHA sign!

Then I made some bunting for my friend Dasa's new baby Tara in Slovenia.

...she probably hasn't gotten it yet, but I couldn't wait to share. 

I wanted it to be girly, but not too pink.

I bought this adorable Owl fabric on the right for Cailin, but have yet to make her anything with it :(. 

I also used it on Kit's mom's bunting a few weeks back. See it here.

And here's the ALOHA sign again, which Kit made.

Lastly, Ivy had to go potty "right now" the other day, and the closest bathroom was Starbucks. As I sat there waiting for her to do her thing, I noticed the tile on the walls was soooo cool, (just like the rest of the decor in Starbucks). It looked like wood/paint brush strokes, but it was tile. And of course it looked awesome next to all the metal fixtures. I snapped a photo on my iPhone. Then washed my hands. And disinfected my phone.

Last thing... still looking to get 25 followers so we can have our first giveaway!!! Click the "follow" button on the right or up above. I know some of you follow by email, but I can't figure out how to track those numbers...

Happy Sunday!

--Becca

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Headband/Bandana/Scarf... whatever you call it

I teach dance. My hair is short. I want it out of my face. Those elastic headbands give me headaches-- always have. I have this one double-sided bandana thing from Old Navy that I got in 2001 (I checked the tag, yep, 2001... I was a senior in high school) that I've been wearing more frequently. It looked simple enough to re-create. I used it as a "pattern"

This aqua & grey snake print/damask/tribal material is from my very first Urban Outfitters tapestry. Cailin gave it to me back in 2009! It is my favorite material, such a great airy feel to it. First I made two curtains out of it for our bedroom closet which had no doors on it. Then when we moved, I sacrificed one of the curtains to projects I wanted to do... there's only a 6" sliver of it left, and I don't know what I'm gonna do when I run out of it! Do I sacrifice the other curtain!!?

 The white dotted-line fabric was from a pillow case I got at Salvation army the other day for $1. Score.

I really wanted to use my vintage rick-rack, and I was in luck cause I just got it back from Ajja, since it was still hanging on her photo booth backdrop. See post here. I cut two strips of the rick-rack and pinned it in prior to sewing the pieces front-to-front.

After sewing it almost all the way around, I turned it inside out, then did a re-enforcement stitch around the whole thing so it wouldn't twist and turn. 

Here's the finished project.

I took a few pics of me wearing it, but they were all "myspace profile pics" where I'm holding the camera at these crazy angles and it just looks stupid. So, I couldn't bare to post one. Regardless, I've worn this half a dozen times since making it last Monday!!

And Ivy has graduated to wearing my elastic headbands (and various other accessories)...

And btw- the shirt she's wearing is from Cailin... Cailin buys us lots of awesome gifts. :)

-Becca

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Photo Booth Backdrop

My good friend Ajja is an awesome photographer (and dancer and friend and... I could go on and on... we've actually traveled Europe together multiple times... we once shared a full size air mattress in a former socialist apartment building for 6 weeks straight) ...BACK TO MY POST ABOUT A PHOTO BOOTH.

...she's been working hard on her branding and website as she takes the next step in her career. Just before Christmas she called me and told me she was throwing a launch party for her website's debut. She wanted me to make the backdrop for the photo booth. Me? A backdrop? Like a set? Normally I work on what MOVES on the stage, not what stands still. Back to reality, this was a photo booth, not a production... After she gave me her inspiration, I set to work....

First I chose a ton of ribbon in her brand colors, in a lot of different textures.

 I am in love with this oversize rick-rack in the center... It's from Sew Special :)

I took down the curtains from Ivy's room, since they were the perfect neutral. Ajja gave me bamboo from her back yard, which the backdrop was going to hang from. (Yes, in Hawaii we often have bamboo laying in our back yard.)

 I sewed lace in between two panels of curtains so that it would be the right length.  

Then I sewed the ribbon over the back of the curtain by hand

This thing was huge in my house... 8' tall x 10' wide!! 

Our home is only about 600 sq ft to begin with, haha!

Oh and the last detail-- 

we hung this pallet which my husband custom made for this project:

And here is the final product in its home at the party:

Ajja & Ivy

Kit & I

My crazy parents

Kit & my dad

 My dancer friends & Ivy & I

(Katira- in burnt orange, and Katie- in blue, made the props!)

I guess I can mark "Creating a Photo Booth Backdrop" off my bucketlist now! 

So fun!

Thanks Ajja. :)
Now go check out Ajja's brand new website: http://www.ajjaphotography.com
and hire her for your next wedding, portrait session, celebration...
she's usually game for just about anything! 

--Becca

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