Playing On My Pod #5

Updated my playlists and found these jewels for you:

1. Cover Your Tracks - by A Boy And His Kite

2. Fire Meet Gasoline - by Sia

3. Prove It To You - by Kris Allen (feat. Lenachka)

4. Try - by Colbie Caillat

5. To Leave It All Behind - by Moriah Peters

I actually have a ton more songs, but it's my rule to only share 5 at a time :)

So, you can stay tuned for another edition of Playing On My Pod real soon. 

I had a great Labor Day weekend. 

Started work on Maui, and got to pick up these awesome fabrics:

Then flew home to Kauai and spent time with the family.

I have a few pieces I need to get to work on, including this awesome metal card catalog!

Aloha,

Rebecca

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We're Moving!

So, we're moving. Back to Kauai. It's just a flight away, but still, a task to actually move everything over there. Boxes are being packed. Loads to Goodwill are being made (don't tell Ivy). We are all excited, yet a decision like this is always hard. I think it's hardest on me. Kit and Ivy are stoked, but I'm sentimental. I've done pretty well with taking it all in stride. I look at it more like dual citizenship because thankfully I'll be working on Maui every Saturday, so I can teach the students I adore so very much, and see my parents and family and friends. 

 This photo of the moon was taken on one of our last BBQ's in the driveway before Kit took off to Kauai to start working for a couple weeks. These are the moments I'll miss, because now they're no longer everyday life, they're memories of our life here. 

Ugh, how can 600 sq ft hold so much!

PROBLEM: I've been buying things left and right, as if I'm going to be stuck on an island forever! But these wire baskets from Urban Outfitters-- they're going to look awesome in my office!

Fabric is a whole other story. In my defense, there are no good fabric shops on Kauai, and with Ivy & Co., there are certain fabrics I need an abundance of! But seriously, I'll be back 1 month after I leave. I can stock up then if I need to. I'm driving myself crazy and really, I just want to unpack and be in my new space and get completely organized. 

Speaking of unpacking, I can't wait to unload this gem. It's an antique pie safe I bought from a friend on Saturday. It's going in my office :) 

If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed 3 new boards I created recently:

MASTER

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/171910910751221545/

OFFICE

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/171910910751221521/

IVYS 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/171910910751221649/

These boards contain my visions for these 3 rooms in the gorgeous 3 bedroom we'll be renting. Honestly, this awesome house is one of the things that has kept me sane in this process. I'm really stoked on it and feel like it's God's blessing for being obedient to the way He wants to orchestrate my life. We tried a few times to buy a house here on Maui and it just didn't work out. We live in an adorable cottage next door to my parents here, but we're outgrowing it quickly. So Kauai is the next adventure for us!

It's been so hot and humid here, we've been going to Ululani's Shave Ice frequently. Moving is hard. Today I killed a scorpion with a magic wand and a flower stem. No joke. 

Ok, I made it through writing this very surface level post about moving without a tear in sight. I've got a million ideas for blog posts, but they might have to wait until I get settled on The Garden Isle. Until then, 

A hui hou, 

Rebecca

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Custom Order via Instagram

I recently received a request for a custom order from Corning, New York. It was for: 

10 child's head bands

20 adult head bands, and 

20 boho head wraps

 I had complete creative liberty, so it was fun to go come up with 50 different combinations of fabric! That's right, no two head bands/wraps were made alike. Different fabric combos, different thread colors, everything. Here's what 50 head bands/wraps look like:

She gave me about 30 days to complete the order, which was totally do-able. Looking back, I can't believe how many I made. But it was so fun! 

Here's my top picks for the boho head wraps:

As I develop my style, I notice that I definitely prefer to use one vintage floral fabric with 1 geometric or subtle fabric. 

Here's my top picks for the child head bands. That center one is made up of little hearts!

And here are my favorite adult head bands: 

These will be sold at:

Mint Velvet Vintage and Antiques 

24 E Market Street

Corning, NY 

14830

Within that store, they are sold by Jess Harrison, also known as vendor 'DwP'.

To follow Mint Velvet Vintage and Antiques on Facebook, click here.

To follow Jess on Instagram, click here.

THANK GOODNESS FOR INSTAGRAM!

This whole project actually came about via instagram! Jess and I began following each other on IG I featured her on my #friday 4. (Click here to see the pic that made this all happen). and she noticed my headbands. She went to my Etsy shop and inquired about a bulk order, and the rest is history! If you're in the Corning area, go buy some! If you're not, you could always head to my Etsy shop to see which head bands we have in stock. 

GIVEAWAY!

Also, I'm having a giveaway on my Facebook page right now for $25 to my Etsy shop and a $10 Starbucks gift card. Click here to enter! It's super easy to enter.

Have an awesome Monday!

Aloha, Rebecca

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Mid-Century Side Table - Before and After!

Yes, it's another black piece of furniture. Mid-Century this time. I'm addicted. 

My cousin got this piece from Salvation Army like 5 years ago. She had plans to make it pretty, but never did. As soon as I saw it, I was INSPIRED. 

I mean, those lines, the shades of brown (the table, not the dog, but thanks for striking your best model pose, Godiva), the water spots, cigarette burn holes, and even some resin drops inside the drawers! It was a masterpiece!

Well, at least now it is. 

After a quick sanding and scraping removal of some iridescent pink nail polish drops, I dry brushed it with a TINY bit of dark grey, and tomato red. I just like having depth in my black. By the way, I am IN LOVE with that chip on the drawer. Isn't it awesome? 

With the random resin drops in the drawer, it was essential for me to line the drawers with fabric. Also, with antique pieces, your clothes really smell like "antiques" when you put them inside those drawers. That's another reason why I've been white-washing my drawers, and lining them with fabric. As much as we all love "vintage," I don't think we want to smell "vintage." I love this black and white wood-grain fabric. Can you believe it's from Wal-Mart? I don't normally buy fabric there, cause most of it is pretty thin, but this pattern is gorgeous and perfect for lining drawers! They have it in red and black too. I keep going back for more. BTW- I have a baby bundle set using this fabric in my Etsy Shop. Click here to see it. 

Love those original brass casings on the bottom of each mid-century tapered leg. Of course, I'm using Miss Mustard Seed's Typewriter (black) Milk Paint, over the grey and red. Then I sand some more, apply her Antiquing Wax and Furniture Wax (all VOC-Free!) and she's ready to go! I just love the way I can use the MMS Milk Paint and still see the wood grain through it. 

I love the neutral doilies contrasting with the dark background. 

It started to rain while I was taking pics, and you can see the drops down below. Good thing she's all waxed up! 

It sold within 2 hours of me posting it on Facebook!

Don't forget to pin it, for when you find one of those Salvation Army, cigarette hole mid-century pieces and need inspiration!

Aloha, Rebecca
And PS: if you're interested in seeing all my black furniture pieces (there are many) click here, here, here, or here.
Also, have you entered my Facebook giveaway? Click here to win a $10 Starbucks gift card and $25 to my Etsy shop!

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DIY Felt Princess Tiara and Wand

At 2:30 a.m. my dog started barking. I got up to shush her, and an hour later, I'm still up. This has happened a few times this week now... I'm hoping it's not some new habit that's forming within Godiva, or my body's sleep pattern :( I'm hoping a little "screen time" will put me to sleep, though I'm sure the effect is counter productive. 

But, it has been a while since my last blog post, so my insomnia is a blessing in disguise. It's not like I've been busy or anything... I've just done 2 dance camps, finished out the summer dance semester and choreographed Fame. So while I work out my insomnia issues, I'll tell you about a little project that's been sitting in my archives since, oh, last December!

Ivy was invited to a birthday party, and I really wanted to give the little girl a homemade gift. So Ivy and I whipped this Tiara and Wand set out. 

Actually, we whipped out two, cause Ivy wanted one for herself.

Here's what I used:

-elastic

-felt

-bias tape

-vintage button

-ribbon

-small piece of netting

-dowel

-sewing machine

-glue gun

TIARA:

1- I made a "scrunchie-style" tube to encase the back elastic section of the tiara.

2- I cut a tiara front out of felt.

3- I threaded the elastic through the scrunchie tube and then sewed the ends of the elastic to the outer edges of the tiara.

4- I sewed the bias tape along the bottom edge of the felt, and used it to cover up the edges of the elastic/scrunchie tube.

5- Use the glue gun to decorate with ribbon and a button!

WAND:

1- I wrapped the dowel in ribbon, using the glue gun to secure it along the way.

2- I cut out 1 felt star and a felt circle (it's the yellow felt behind it).

3- I sewed long strands of ribbon and a piece of netting to the center of the star  (the button is covering the stitch)

4- Glue gun the felt pieces to the dowel, and to each other.

5- I chose to stitch two sides of the star to the circle, through the netting, just to make it more secure.

And that my friends, is what we did. 

My eyes are heavy now, so thank you. Here's to sweet dreams of princesses with their tiara's and wands. :)

Aloha, Rebecca

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Pretty-fied Media Table

I like to stare at pretty things. I've been staring at something that needed to be pretty-fied. I've actually been staring at it for a few years now. 

Our dog, Godiva, doesn't look too enthusiastic about this little media table, either.

Ivy and Kit are on Kauai for 3 days, so being that I can do whatever I want after work, I loaded it in the car, and took it home to beautify it overnight. 15 hours later, here it is, right back where it started:

I got some grey mistake paint for $1 at ACE Hardware. I sanded, then primed the particle board media stand with Kilz, really quickly, then applied the glossy grey. 2-3 coats or so... it was pretty much dark outside when i was painting, so it's not the best paint job. There's some definite imperfections. I modge podged the taupe fabric on the top surface because there were so many nicks and a lot of water damage. Paint would have just been bumpy and chipped off. The modge podge went on really poorly on the fabric, so it looks like batik fabric... I'm not happy about that, but for the amount of time I spent, and for the vast improvement, I'm stoked on it. 

Prettify-ing this media table was a similar situation to this rolling media table I did back in January (see full post here):

Ivy and Kit come home tomorrow! So there probably won't be anymore projects completed in 15 hours.... But I'm so excited for them to come back! It was fun having my time (and my mind) to myself, but I sure do miss them!!

Aloha, 

Rebecca

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