ALOHA Friday Link Party #16, another sneak peek of our family photo shoot, and an announcement!

Welcome to Jed & Ivy's
Aloha Friday
Link Party #16!

Last week I showed a photo we took for our Christmas Cards, taken by my very good friend, Ajja. (Click here to see that photo and post.) I want to share one more from that shoot.

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)








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

I love this homemade napkin tutorial from 2 Little Super Heroes:

Also from 2 Little Super Heroes, some creative gifts for teachers. 
This photo is of some cool DIY magnets, using animal figurines.

Yellow Spool has an awesome tutorial about how to make a durable Nativity Scene out of blocks. I think it is so important for kids to learn about Jesus, not just at Christmas, but every day of their lives! 

Lastly, I'd like to share a new blog I just started, completely dedicated to great bunting:

I'd love to feature your bunting!
Comment on this post or email me at jedandivy@icloud.com if you'd like to be featured.
You can also link up your bunting by clicking here.

<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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Ivy's Green and Blue Room Tour

We live in a tiny cottage that used to be one of my parents' Vacation Rental units here in Hawaii. Even though it's small, I love making it into a fun little home for Kit, Ivy and I. Especially for Ivy. Let me take you on a "tour" of her green and blue room. 

First of all, all of the dark blue furniture was mine. My dad built me this bed when I turned 15. I got to design it when I finally had permission to stop sleeping in my canopy princess bed I'd had since I was 3. :) When I was 21 and moved home after college and living abroad, I painted it blue, and added the dark blue side table and bookshelf, which my dad also built for me. I was so excited when Ivy transitioned out of the crib, so I could let her sleep in my old bed. I like that kind of thing.

This mobile hangs above her bed. It's made out of a 3-prong metal plant hanger. I made it when we moved into this house when Ivy was 6 months old. The butterflies were a gift a student gave me, and Cailin had tied that blue ribbon around our dog Godiva's neck when we brought Ivy home from the hospital. Such a special moment. 

 I made the bunting in the window, as well as that heart garland (click here to see that post). Kit made the "Kulia" plaque (that's Ivy's middle name, meaning 'fortunate'). 

The doll on Ivy's bed is named "Amy" and she's 29 years old. 

My late aunt Sara made her for me when I was born. 

I wore her dress home from the hospital. 

On the right is a little side table. I got it at a garage sale 7 years ago. 

Sitting on the table is a fabric bucket I made, in the same fabric as her chair cushions. It contains some of the only pink decor in the entire room...! I have nothing against pink, but the child is named "Ivy." I think it's only appropriate that her room match her namesake, at least a little. We are also super into the ocean, so I think she should be surrounded by blue too. There will be plenty of time for tons of pink and purple things in her life. :) 

The fabric bucket also matches this hat box I recovered the other day, which now holds her Barbie's. Tutorial on that coming soon. :) For other fabric bucket tutorials and posts, click here, here and here.

If you've been following me for a while, you will recognize the Kids' Pottery Barn table and chair re-do. There's 4 chairs in the set, but I keep one next door at my parent's house. Ivy's room is just too small! For the full post on this re-do, click here. It holds her coffee maker and tea set. The placemat is from Cailin... Urban Outfitters! (I have it in orange, too.) The rug is also from UO. I made the chair cushions. Click here for that post. 

 Like any good room designed in 2009 or later, Ivy's got a gallery wall. It contains the letters of her name (of course), torn out pages from a vintage book (of course), maternity shots of Ivy in my tummy (of course) and family photos (of course). PS: the fabric in the long frame is one of my absolute favorite fabrics of all time.

 Photos are by:

Ajja Photography (family)

Naomi Wong Photography (maternity)

Noah Hamilton Photography (maternity)

Sears (the family portrait down below that looks like we're from the 1970's)

I LOVE this picture/book page/illustration:

Here' the view looking "out" of Ivy's room. I use shoe storage on the back of her door to give a home to random toys. 

And of course, the bunting. My reason for starting this blog. I love to make bunting. Want some? Give me a color scheme, style and length and we can do a transaction via my Etsy shop. 

Oh, and these awesome floor-length curtains are from Pier 1. I LOVE them. They're kind of the reason I did this room tour. I felt like her room was finished once they were up. 

Thanks for taking the tour!

Aloha, 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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Diagonal Curtain for the Kitchen Window

After we installed our new window treatments (click here to read that post) in our dining and living rooms, we realized the kitchen window needed to get with the program. I had made valances for the kitchen in the first place we lived after getting married 5 1/2 years ago, and one of those valances was up in our current kitchen. It was pretty much my very first sewing project, and the print on the fabric wasn't straight. This might be my all time favorite fabric, but we were due for an update.

Because I like things to be quirky and different, I decided I wanted to do a diagonal curtain for "semi-coverage." I bought two yards of fabric to make this happen, even though almost half of it was going to be cut off. 

I ironed and pinned all the seams I'd be sewing first (left, diagonal and right edges). Once those were done I folded the top down 4" and sewed it: once 1/2" from the top and another 3.5" from the top. This curtain was finished in like an hour. So simple. Or should I say, "Sew Simple." 

Of course, Kit didn't quite understand why I would make a diagonal curtain. It made perfect sense to me: a good amount of coverage since the sun shines really bring in that window in the morning but you still want some light, and it just looks so fun! I had orange pom pom fringe to go along the diagonal hem, but Kit completely nixed that idea, hahaha. It was a little much, I'll admit. I'm on the lookout for some subtle brown pom pom fringe, since that would blend nicely and be a cute touch. 

Here's the view of the "continuity" from kitchen to dining area. Dishes drying in the sink, hats on the wall, cups on the table, that's real life for ya, in the Owen household. No staging here!

This is one of those projects (like most of them) that makes me happy when I see it, which is pretty often. :)

Aloha,

Rebecca

Come link up to our party, happening now! Click here.

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A Few Of My Favorite Things - the Green edition

I've been indulging a little. In shopping. Just a little. 

The last month or so I've picked up some things that I'm super stoked on.

And most of the things I'm buying happen to be green, which is probably my favorite color.

Item #1: Mod Hand Towels from Ross. 

I love them.

What makes them even better is 

Item #2: Matching Wash Cloths! 

I have them rolled up in my Ikea pot.

BTW- that's my bathing suit from when I was an infant. 

I painted the frame of a garage sale shadow box and put 

italian wall paper I got off ebay in the back of it.

Item #3: Meyer's Liquid Hand Soap

Can you say SPLURGE?! At $4.99/bottle, it's not your most economical handsoap, but I really wanted to see what the fuss was all about. It smells pretty good, but kind of strong. 

Favorite quote on from the label:

"The longer you rub your hands, the cleaner they become." 

Thanks, Meyer's. I enjoy rubbing my hands a little longer.

Item #4: Kale, only $2.99/bunch (have you read my "Simple. Quick. Kale Chips" post? click here)

Item #5: Green Superfood in Orange Dreamsicle flavor

Item #6: Chia Seed

I've been kind of on a health kick for the last year and a half. This is not like me. I used to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. My decision has nothing to do with losing weight (I'm actually under weight). You see, I suffered from frequent sinus infections for as long as I can remember (at least 8 or 9 a year). After having sinus surgery in January 2011, I continued to get the infections and was on round after round of antibiotics. So in September 2011 I began to see an acupuncturist and herbalist and also found out I was allergic to 4 foods I ate constantly.

I've never been healthier! I've had only 3 tiny sinus infections this year, compared with 20 infections last year, each lasting at least 14 days. Yay for health!

The Candida Rescue is NOT one of my favorite things.
The taste is UNBEARABLE!! Anyone want it?


Item #7: Urban Outfitters Stamped Scallop Rug

Who doesn't have this on their wish list? That's what I'd like to know. I'd been eyeing it for at least a year. I'm glad I got it, but I will say, it does not sit well on carpet. It frequently wrinkles up and folds over. Still one of my favorite things, but I had higher hopes. Click here for the link to where you can buy it.

Item #7: Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Luckett's Green

Who doesn't want to try MMS Milk Paint? Everyone says it's a dream to work with. Mine arrived earlier this week! I can't wait to get outside and paint something with it!

Are any of your favorite things green? 

Aloha, Rebecca

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