Yogurtland!

I know yogurt is Hawaii's new craze, and that on the mainland yogurt has been there done that.  But I LOVE it!  We have a couple different places.  My favorites are Yogurt Mama in Kailua and Yogurtland in Manoa.  THE BEST!  The toppings are fresh, the flavors are stellar, and the spoon.  I took these pics today at Yogurtland with my phone camera so they aren't the best quality, but they are giving away super cute tokidoki spoons with every yogurt. They are biodegradable and resusable.  Super cute!  I got the blue one and the white one today.  I can't wait until November 23rd when they release the next 2 colors/characters.  Check out their website at : http://www.yogurt-land.com/ for new flavors, locations, and information.  If you live on the other side in Kailua, check out Yogurt Mama.  Here is their website/location.
 http://www.yogurtmama-kailua.com/1_4_Location.html

Another cool etsy shop to check out!

So today I was browsing one of my favorite categories in life, robots, on one of my favorite sites, etsy.  I stumbled upon this really cute robot painting and wanted to share.  This is from http://www.randomhouse.etsy.com/.  There are also cute little plush animals, other robot paintings, and little robot plushes!  How cool.  I have a pretty huge obsession with robots, small robot toys, robot pictures, you get the idea...  I like robots and all things robotic.  I love this painting because of the blue robot color and the cute little hearts.  His body is angled and interesting and well.... I just like it!

Check it out at http://www.randomhouse.etsy.com/ and all the other goodies on there!

Hickam Craft Fair

If all goes well, I will be at the Hickam Craft Fair on November 14th!  I will have tons of new items, not listed in my etsy shop, lots of felted goods, buttons, and shell jewelry.  I am also going to be giving away cookies... If that doesn't entice you, well... nothing will.  There will be lots of other crafters and great items to shop for Christmas gifts!  Shop early and you can really find the best items for your loved ones! 

I am sharing a booth with a fellow crafter who makes really cool handmade blocks and all kinds of handpainted items.  Check out her site on etsy at http://www.threeladybugz.etsy.com/.  Her items make great baby gifts and Hawaiian memories.  These blocks are a sample of her work from her etsy shop. 

I will list more information about the craft fair when it is just around the corner!

All About Me

Here are 25 random things about me that you probably didn't know...

1. I love to be outside.

2. I started surfing last year and it is my new favorite sport.

3. I love to garden vegetables and eat homegrown.

4. I have a serious sweet tooth.

5. I am obsessed with furniture.
6. I could thrift shop every day of the week.
7. I love to sew, knit, scrapbook, bead, and bake. When I'm not creating, I'm not me.
8. I hate ground beef.
9. I think I live in the best apartment in town.
10. I am a potato fiend-mashed, baked, twice baked, au gratin, fries, potato pizza...
11. I went to 8 different schools from 1st-12th grade.
12. I have lived in 5 different states and one foreign country.
13. My dream is to own a row boat and live by the beach for all of my life.
14. My true passion is pastry-I can't live without sweets and I love to bake them.
15. I love to read.
16. My favorite afternoons are spent in the pool with a book and my massive float.
17. My favorite animal at the zoo is Rusti the orangutan.
18. If I could be anywhere right now it would be right where I am.
19. If it isn't a romantic comedy, chances are, I'll never see it.
20. I love sleeping on the beach and waking up sweaty in the sand.

21. I am a twin.

22. My favorite wine by far is Pinot Noir.
23. The best drink I've ever had-bang for buck-is the hurricane at Buzzard Billy's in Lincoln, NE.
24. I love singing and screaming in my car.
25. Sometimes I get island fever...

COWLS

The cowl is one of my new favorite things to make.  I wish it was cold a few days a year in Hawaii just so I could wear a cowl out and about.  I will have to make a trip this winter somewhere cold to bust out my new favorite style!  I just posted this cowl on my etsy shop for sale.  It is made with fabulous yarn that I found in France.  I believe it came from the local yarn store in Niort when I was living there.  It is really a green lovers heaven.  Moss, forest, lime, teal-all different colors of green that flow into one another.  Check it out at http://www.barefootbeadshawaii.etsy.com/.

Colorful intrigue on a fellow blog

http://mossansblog.blogspot.com/ 

I was reading through a few of the other blogs following mine the other day and I found this really cool blog.  It isn't in English, so I don't really know what it says, but I really like the art.  There are a lot of pictures of skylines, city scapes, and beautiful sunsets.  This one is one of my favorites because of the bright pink colors.  It makes me think of midwest summer nights and super late sunsets.  Lying on my back staring at the street lights and power lines in my backyard while the sunsets in the suburbs.  Check out more work like this at   http://mossansblog.blogspot.com/

A visit to Ala Moana

I went to Ala Moana today to go to the new Victoria's Secret store.  There has been a line, literally, out the door to get in since it has opened.  Today was the first day I attempted to go when there wasn't a line.  It is HUGE!  I would say it has to be one of their largest stores.  It has a huge section just for their pink line, they have clothes, swim suits, all their VS lines, and all of the lotions, scents, etc.  It is like walking into the catalog, minus the shoes.  Wow.  Impressive.  Of course nothing was on sale yet, so I just picked up some of my regular stuff and looked at everything else.
Here is a picture of the pink entrance, there is another entrance for the regular VS stuff.  WOW again, HUGE!

Another movie post...

By now you must be thinking I watch a lot of movies, and I absolutely do.  I mostly like comedies, romances, and oh yes, romantic comedies.  I like to laugh, smile, and feel good at the movies. None of the horror, scary, make you scream stuff.  I want a warm fuzzy feeling when I pay for a night out.  Tonight I saw Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, to name a few of the actors.  It was funny, insightful, and a total chick flick!  I really liked it.  Each couple has different problems and different personalities, it made it easy to relate to some parts of the movies and to find humor in it.  There's a couple fallen out of love, a couple happily going through the motions, a couple trying so hard to make it work that it can't, and a newly divorced man with a girl half his age.  The setting for the film is beautiful and the idea of a vacation is enchanting.  Overall, I give this film a 4 out of 5 on my scale.  It was funny, entertaining, and made you feel good.  I wanted to see more.  Go check it out, you won't be disappointed. 

You can find showtimes, spoiler reviews, previews, trailers, and more information about the film at :  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1078940/

There is also an official website at http://www.couplesretreatmovie.com/ with a photo gallery, bios, trailers, and other information about the film.

  

Breakfast at the Hau Tree Lanai

(This picture is taken from the website for the Hau Tree Lanai)  This morning I had breakfast at the Hau Tree Lanai in the New Otani Hotel by Kaimana Beach.  The setting is beautiful, right on the beach, and the food was pretty good.  I had the french toast made with hawaiian sweet bread, coated with macadamia nuts and coconut.  It was pretty awesome, and the server came over and smothered it in whipped cream for me, which really made the day!  Here is a link to the hotels website, and then another link directly to the restaurant.  You can make reservations on-line at opentable.com, and you can check out their menu to get an idea of prices and all their delicious dishes.    They are open for breakfast from 7-10:45, lunch from 11:45-2, and dinner from 5:30-9 daily.  I would totally recommend giving it a try. 
http://www.kaimana.com/dining.htm
http://www.kaimana.com/hautreelanai.htm

Surfing the big waves... yeah right

Yesterday I went surfing on some really strong stellar waves!  They were small, but big for me!  I am pretty proud that I didn't drown or freak out at the power of the white wash...  I caught some really good ones, and I learned how to turtle the right way.  Wow did my day improve after I learned that!  In honor of a fantastic surf session, I am going to share a photo that I took in La Rochelle, France of a really cool wave.  Imagine yourself at the top about to drop in.  Pretty cool right?

Bird nerds etsy shop

Do you like birds? Even a little? You will totally love birdnerds etsy shop. She has awesome collages of all kinds of stellar birds. The way she puts it all together really creates a personality and beauty to all of her birds.  If you aren't in need of wall art, she also has tea towels, pins, magnets, pendants-you name it!  Don't worry, her shop fits all price ranges too-it starts at $1.50 for a button, just $10 for a 5 X 7 print, or you can spend around $100 for her original artwork. You can check out her website at http://chelsea.sevorg.org/  or check out her etsy shop at http://www.birdnerd.etsy.com/.  She was also a featured seller on etsy so if you really fall in love and want to read more... http://www.etsy.com/featured_seller.php?featured_user_id=34858 here is yet another link.

My favorite items are her smaller pins, I put them on my felted bags and other knitted items to spice it up a little.  I also love her linocuts and I think my favorite bird is the cardinal.  Of course you can decide for yourself, but it always wins me over.

Here is a note from her etsy homepage::
Our Feathered Friends are in danger! If you would like to learn more about our diminishing birds please copy and paste this link to Audubon and sign this petition:


http://audubonaction.org/campaign/birdsandclimate

newest items to post soon!

Soon to be on my etsy shop!  New designs, new beads from the soft flex show, and beautiful shining earrings, necklaces, and bracelets!  Check them all out at http://www.barefootbeadshawaii.etsy.com/

Barefootbeadshawaii

zombieland

I went to see Zombieland last night and loved it!  Alright, I know some of you may be thinking, "Zombieland just isn't for me" or maybe..."I don't really like zombie movies."  Well you are going to like this one.  Laugh, scream, hide behind your blanket, and get that fuzzy romatic feeling inside during this fabulous film about life in Zombieland.  Jesse Eisenberg (left) and Woody Harrelson are hilarious and loveable.  Then you have Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin who are also funny and believable- and you find yourself really enjoying their characters.  Do yourself a favor, go see this movie.  Go see it when you feel like a good laugh, a good scream, or a romantic night out.  It seriously rocks.  Check out trailers and more information at http://www.zombieland.com/.

M o c h i !

I went to my favorite place for mochi today in Ala Moana Center, Kansai Yamato. They have a little kiosk in the middle of the food court right when you walk in. They sell handmade, fresh, squishy mochi (for under $4 a pack). I took this picture with my phone because the lady behind the counter kept watching me stare at all the mochi and I felt silly pulling out my camera... They have chocolate mochi, mango, peanut butter, honeydew, red bean, and tons more. I could stand and watch them make it all day. Their mochi is so fresh and the large round pieces are the perfect size. My favorite is the honeydew mochi because it isn't too sweet, but it definitely satisfies my sweet tooth. I always get it as a perfect end to a day of shopping at the mall. Here is a picture of the pack I got today: a mix of honeydew and mango. As always, the soft squishy texture and mellow sweetness were perfect.

Check it out in Ala Moana Center, open 7 days a week!

new business cards!

Check out my new business cards.  What do you think?  I got them in the mail today and couldn't wait to see how they turned out!

Fusing Plastic Bags

Who hates plastic bags and the endless plastic waste produced by everything we buy?  I do, and I decided to do something about all these bags piling up in my house.  Of course, I bring my own bags with me when I shop, I have a fold up bag in my purse for mall shopping, and I use canvas at the grocery store.  Yet, somehow, I still seem to collect bags. 

In an effort to reuse and reduce my waste, I decided to try to fuse plastic bags together to create a product.  I had seen tutorials on the web and seen products before, but never tried them.  I am quite happy with the results and can't wait to make more.   Check out this site for information and tutorials on how to make something just like this.

 http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/06/16/plasticbagstory/