Ivy & Co. Tanks & Tees are in!

For Christmas this year my hubby gifted me with t-shirts & tank tops for Ivy & Co. I absolutely love them! That's me modeling the Adult X-Small unisex tank.

No scrimping on these tops. They are American Apparel Tri-Blend (rayon, polyester, cotton - a.k.a. super soft!) in a gorgeous heather coffee color. 

We have sizes 2T up to Adult XL in the unisex tanks, and sizes Adult XS through Adult XL in the unisex t-shirts. This is a 2T to the left. Isn't it cute?

My parents watch this little guy, and he's rocking his size 4T tank top. 

He and Ivy are buddies, can't you tell? 

Ivy likes her size 6 tank.

Get your own Ivy & Co. head band here.

After we picked up the box of shirts, my husband put on his size Large t-shirt before we even made it in the house! They're that comfy!

All sizes and styles are for sale in the Ivy & Co Etsy Shop, but they won't last long! 

Click here to place your order. Thank you in advance for supporting Ivy & Co.! 

Aloha, Rebecca

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Instagram 1K Giveaway - 4 Awesome Prizes for 4 Winners!

We made it! 1,000 followers on Instagram. 

It felt like I was hanging out in the 700's forever! 

I just want to thank each and every one of you for helping Ivy & Co. reach this goal. 

Before we get to the giveaway, I'd like to explain a few things about my approach to Instagram.

(If you don't care, just scroll to the bottom and wait for the Rafflecopter giveaway to load, haha).

I love a good Instagram feed. Am I the only one? 

I actually put a lot of thought into the order of my pics. Anyone else do this?

I instagram somewhat frequently. On average, I'll post 5 pictures in 24 hours. 

I don't like similar photos to end up next to each other, or on top of each other. (I'm crazy, I know). 

This goes for pictures of Ivy, or Ivy and I, projects I'm working on, 

(i.e.: bunting or a furniture piece), or any photos with words. 

I'm particularly proud of the flow of photos above. 

Somehow they all have some blue, green & yellow in them. 

I'm probably never going to have one of those ALL-WHITE background feeds. I love color!

(Oops! Words on top of each other up above! But it's ok, cause it's 3 in a row.)

Okay, enough about my OCD Instagram tendencies, and onto our awesome prizes! 

16" gold filled chain, gold filled bar, hand forged, hammered, custom stamped with the word "fansea." Donated by Simone Jeanette.

The Introduction to Essential Oils Kit includes 5 ml bottles of dōTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint essential oils. Donated by Donna Owen.

Honest Hazel Eye Gels - 10 pack. Natural ingredients: Cactus Collagen increases skin elasticity, improves circulation and reduces puffiness. Soothing Aloe Vera, Vitamin C and Vitamin E smooths fine lines and wrinkles. Arbutin combats dark circles and hyper-pigmentation. 
Donated by Honest Hazel.

Surprise Pack from yours truly! Feel free to leave a comment with which Ivy & Co. products you like best, 
so I can try to include those when you win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck & mahalo for your support,
Rebecca

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LOCAL SPOT: Maui Children's Bookstore - now carrying Ivy & Co.!

Maui Children's Bookstore owner Amanda and I. 

There is great satisfaction when you meet someone who's vision aligns with yours. Today I had a meeting with Amanda, owner of Maui Children's Bookstore (MCB). Immediately I could tell that Amanda has the gift of friendliness and encouragement, and is a true artist, which is evident in her translation of her shop space, inventory selection, and fashion sense. (She hung my bunting way better than I did).  It was unbelievably gratifying to be in the space and talk with her! Here are a few reasons why:

1. She owns a bookstore! 
Those are rare these days, and I know that's why the masses are rallying around Amanda and her shop. Literacy is so important to development, and it's essential that kids never lose the chance to turn the pages of their favorite books. She shares a storefront with the well-established Maui Thing, and it's been so neat to see that partnership develop. MCB carries a handpicked selection of new books including children’s literary classics and contemporary stories for babies to tweens. I noticed some great renditions of Alice in Wonderland and Pride & Prejudice!

"We aim to spark wonder and deep appreciation for the beauty of books, story and language."

Photo courtesy of Maui Children's Bookstore.

Ivy & Koa checking out all the fun toys. 

2. She is family-oriented, which I've noticed is central to the mission with MCB. After all, this is a CHILDREN'S bookstore. Check out her latest blog post to see all members of her family working to get MCB up and running. Prior to securing the location within Maui Thing, Amanda facilitated pop-up shops around the island, with an emphasis on story time and healthy snacks for the whole family. Her husband and son seem to always be helping out and actively participating in MCB's activities. They both popped in during our meeting. Later on Ivy showed up, so Amanda got to meet part of my family too. 

Aside from books, MCB carries children's clothing, baby products, eco-friendly educational toys, and art work.

3. She likes Ivy & Co.! 
She gave me one of the biggest compliments I've received in a long time: she loves my fabric choices and the way I put them together. You see, I've always been a performing artist. Since Ivy & Co. (sewing & furniture restoration) came about in 2011, it's been interesting to watch my creativity morph into something new. It's a little bit of an insecurity to put myself out there in this way (I'd be more comfortable dancing onstage in a flashy costume!), but now this aspect of artistry is being validated by these shop owners who are carrying Ivy & Co. 

If you can't tell, I'm elated about this working relationship with Maui Children's Bookstore. 

If you're on Maui, pop on by: 

Maui Children's Bookstore

7 N. Market St. 

Wailuku, HI 96793

(Shared space with Maui Thing)

Follow MCB on Facebook

Follow MCB on Instagram

www.mauichildrensbookstoreandcafe.com

"Through books, through play, through sweet classes and tea.  I want you to know that we're going to do our best to create an environment that begs to be filled with heart-synched moments like these."

-Amanda, from the blog post "At the heart of it all"

Don't forget to draw something on the chalkboard while you're there!

Aloha, Rebecca

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DIY Mermaid Costume & picking grandma's flowers

So this post is about a year overdue. Last year for Halloween, Ivy was a mermaid.  I don't know how much of a DIY this will actually be, because I made this costume so long ago! Let me try to jog my memory… 

Basically I bought purple clearance fabric and made a tube top with elastic and some pleats. I used a peach-colored elastic headband to make a little halter strap. I used my seaweed ribbon and a real starfish from the year before's costume (see the Starfish costume here). For the skirt/mermaid fin, I measured Ivy's waist and cut out a maxi style skirt out of the scalloped fabric, a little wider than her waist and added elastic to the waist. I made the bottom edge come to a point in the middle. Then I used the blue/green batik fabric to make fins (8 panels to make 4 panels - 2 fins on the front, 2 on the back.) I sewed giant sparkly green rik rak on the front 2 fins, then sewed them all to the pointed edges of the skirt. 

PROBLEM: kids can't walk in mermaid fins

To solve this problem, I made a slit up the back of the skirt/mermaid fin. Then I added snaps on the side of the fin and skirt, so it could be hiked up. Oila! She can walk!

Our ritual each year is to go to the beach in front of my grandma's condo and take pictures of Ivy in her Halloween costume. It's actually not my grandma's condo anymore. She passed away a few years ago when Ivy was about 2. I remember going to show my grandma my Halloween costume every year growing up, and it seemed to bring her so much joy. She loved seeing the grandkids all dressed up. Every time I take Ivy, I remind her about who her "G-Gma" was and that this was where she lived and talk about how special she was. She and my grandpa's ashes are spread in the ocean right where Ivy is looking. 

What was crazy on last year's trip to the condo is that Ivy stopped on the sidewalk exactly in front of my grandma's condo and picked a flower for me. I couldn't believe it! She had no idea that she was exactly in front of G-Gma's condo, (it's been remodeled by the new owners), but also, I picked flowers from that same bush for 20+ years, and gave them to my grandma. 

I don't know what Ivy is going to be this year… we are on a different island now, but will have a chance in mid-October to go visit my grandma's beach. I better get my act together and make a costume! (And hopefully it's beach-themed again, haha). 

This girl makes it too easy to take pictures! She's just up for anything. Don't you love the starfish head band? A friend of mine saw I was making a mermaid costume, and said she had the PERFECT head band for it. Pearls and starfish. I love it!

If you have more questions as to how to make this costume, feel free to comment or email me. 

Sorry the DIY part of this post is pretty lame… haha. 

Aloha, Becca

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