Another Ribbon Lei

We were in need of more lei, so I decided to try my hand at a different ribbon lei style after watching a reel by @yannyletters.

Unfortunately, the store I went to did not have the correct kind of satin ribbon, so I bought whatever I could find in the colors I needed (because I wasn't about to go to another store).

It was a lot of improvising, making do with the ribbons I had, and I also added kukui nut in between to take up space.

I think the lei turned out pretty decent with the ribbon types I used, but I'm going to stock up on the correct ribbons ahead of time to make a better ribbon petal lei for next graduation season. 

It definitely goes to show you that you can make lei with whatever you have on hand or can find, and as long as it is made with intent, the recipient will be appreciative.

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Ribbon Lei

While scrolling through IG, a lot of lei tutuorials and reels were popping up in my feed, and one that I watched all the way through was made by @hannahsleis.  It was an exquisite lei, in which she used thin strips of ti leaves in an array of colors, and even though I didn't have ti leaves to use for lei, I thought I could try it with the same process with some ribbon I had on hand.  

Well, I only had one color, and I didn't have enough for an entire lei, nor did I make those lovely "wisps" as she did on her lei, so I made do with what I had to finish a lei - kukui nut!  

I can't wait to try it out with more ribbon and colors, and maybe one day I'll try and do it with ti leaf!

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Finger Lei - Four Yarns

Links below are affiliate. 

In addition to the Eyelash Yarn Lei, I made some Finger Yarn Lei.  I used to make the two-color finger yarn lei often when I was in school, so if you're familiar with the process, it's the same exact thing, just with more yarn.  

I watched this video by Ben Franklin Crafts for a refresher (since it was years since I made finger yarn lei).

I used eyelash yarn and rattail (both bought on Amazon.com)

Even if you never made this type of lei before, the process is really easy to pick-up.  

This lei takes longer to make than the straw lei, but you use less of the yarn (one skein of yarn can make up to 3 lei).  

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I Tried It - Nat's Eyelash Yarn Lei Instructions

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I wanted to get a head start on lei for graduation season, and decided to try making the Eyelash Yarn Lei that Nat blogged about a few years ago - she made it look so easy!  

And it was!

I ended up buying the eyelash yarn on Amazon.com since I couldn't find the colors I wanted at Longs (it was also cheaper than the sale price at Longs).  

I also repurposed kukui from all the lei I received from hotel visits, used a straw I had lying around, so the costs for supplies were minimal.   

I think they turned out great - and like Nat said, they are super easy to make, takes very little time, are economical, and last forever (they can be re-used and re-gifted too).  

Thanks, Nat, for blogging about the Eyelash Yarn Lei! 

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Holiday Candy Train

I bought a big variety mix of Hershey's miniatures candy, and on the back of the bag was a picture of a Holiday Candy Train.

The littlest wanted to make it, so we grabbed some Reese's PB Cups, a Hershey's Kiss, Rolos, and Milk Chocolate Miniatures.

We hot glued the pieces together, and in no time we had a cute Holiday Candy Train!

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Santa Craft

My littlest was so excited to share with me this Santa Craft he made out of a recycled toilet paper roll!  

He found the instructions online from one of his virtual classes.

Basically, take the toilet paper roll and draw / color Santa's pants, shirt, belt, and hat.  

Next, tear up some white pieces of paper to make the beard, then glue it on to the toilet paper roll.  

Draw in the eyes.

Finally, cut out a square, decorate it like a present, and glue it on.

Easy! 

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Bubble Art

Over the weekend, the littlest and I had fun with Bubble Art!  I actually tried Bubble Art five years ago at a media event, where we used this technique to customize our own plates!  

We simply filled plastic cups with about 1 T of acrylic paint, 1/2 c water, and 1 t dish soap.  You can eyeball the quantities and adjust as necessary.

Mix everything up in the cup with a straw, then blow!

Blow until lots and lots of bubbles start overflowing from the cup, and "pour" the bubbles onto paper.

When the bubbles pop, they leave a fun design!

We're turning these into note cards to send to loved ones!

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DIY: Lava Lamp

Derek Kawakami, the Mayor of Kauai, has been posting entertaining how-to videos on Instagram TV, to "break the boredom" during this shelter-in-place order.  Today we tried to make a lava lamp following his video demonstration and it was a hit with the boys!

Here's how to make your own at home:

Add water to a clear glass bottle or vase with water - fill the bottle about 1/5 full.

Add oil (tip the jar so that the oil is added slowly to the water but doesn't "mix" in with the water (the oil will sit on top of the water). Leave some room at the top.


Add approximately 8-10 drops food coloring

Drop two effervescent tabs of Alka Seltzer into the mixture.

Watch the lava erupt!

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Tie-Dye Eggs

I may be late to the game, but I recently discovered how to tie-dye eggs for Easter!

My friend sent me the link to Mayor Derek Kawakami's demo on IGTV and it looked like a lot of fun! Best of all, no special kits are required - just hard boiled eggs, food coloring, paper towels, a spray bottle filled with water, and rubber bands (I used string which I feel works better). Gloves are optional but highly recommended!

Wrap an egg in paper towel as tight as possible, and secure it with a rubber band or piece of string (see pic above).

Add drops of food coloring (a little goes a long way) onto the paper towel. Be sure to leave some blank spaces in between your drops of food die. 

Using a spray bottle filled with water, spray the egg with water.

Let it set for at least 30 minutes or longer. Then unwrap and voila! 

A tie-dyed egg!

What's even more cool is you also get a tie-dyed paper towel!

I'm sure there are many ways to incorporate the tie-dyed paper towels into another craft project, but I am hanging them up outside as decoration.

 Have fun decorating your eggs and have a Happy Easter AT HOME!

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Eyelash Yarn Lei

With graduation season in full swing, what better way to congratulate your graduate than with handmade eyelash yarn lei? They're more popular than ever, since they are easy to make, economical, colorful, and will last forever. 

You'll need: 

• skein of eyelash yarn
• bubble tea straw (regular drinking straw will work too)
• Grosgrain ribbon (3 1/2 - 4 ft in length)
• two kukui nuts
• pin or paper clip
• masking tape

You can use up to three different colors/skeins - I prefer to use two (white and color).  These are commonly purchased at Ben Franklin or Long's and are usually on sale during this time of year.

Thread one end of your Grosgrain ribbon through the straw so that about an inch of the ribbon is sticking out, and tape to the straw as such:

Tie a knot on the opposite end of your ribbon about 8-12 inches from the end.

Then take one end of the yarn (if you are using two color of yarn, hold the ends of both skeins together) and tie the yarn to the bottom end of the straw:

Then start wrapping the yarn around the straw:

Keep the tension even, being careful not to wrap it too tight. 

As you get to the top end of the straw, carefully slide some of the wrapped yarn off the straw onto the ribbon, leaving some of the wrapped yarn on the straw to prevent gaps in your lei.

When you have reached your desired length (this will usually be at the end of the skein), remove the ribbon from the straw, tie the yarn to the ribbon (like how you did at the start).

Thread the kukui nut through each end of the ribbon using a pin or folded paperclip, then tie a knot in the ribbon to secure the nut.

Tie the ends of the ribbon together in a knot, then a bow, and then you're done!

I didn't time myself, but I would say it took me less than 30 minutes to make one lei. 

And it cost me about half the price of a ready-to-wear lei!

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Magnet Wall

One of the things our family collects whenever we travel, or even when we visit local attractions, is magnets.  They've been filling up our fridge, and even our magnetic doors in our living room, but I wanted to corral them all in one space.

After searching for ideas online, I decided to make a magnet wall.

We simply bought a sheet of metal at a local hardware store, attached it to the wall with screws, and then we gathered all the magnets throughout the house and placed them on the magnet wall!

It's a great way to not only display our magnets, but also to look back at all of the fun places we've been to.

Now to find a way to display all of our travel key chains!

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Velcro Craft Sticks

I have a craft bin full of all kinds of craft supplies, and one day I decided to make some Velcro Craft Sticks for the kiddos to (hopefully) keep them busy one summer day.

I simply took some colorful craft sticks and attached Velcro (I used Velcro squares and cut them in half) to them.

On some sticks I had put the Velcro on opposite ends of the same side; on other sticks I put the Velcro on opposite ends on alternating sides.

My kids enjoy creating shapes, letters, and all sorts of objects.

Such a simple project that yields lots of fun and creativity!

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Crayon Stars

After seeing a post by The Angel Forever on Instragram of a fun crayon craft, I decided to do a similar activity with my kids to try and keep them busy one summer day.

We took some old crayons, unwrapped them (cutting the wrappers with an X-Acto knife helped tremendously), broke them into small pieces, and placed them into an old silicone star mold.

I put the mold on a baking sheet and into a pre-heated 200 degree oven it went for 20 minutes.

After letting the melted crayons cool for at least 30 minutes in the mold, I put the entire mold in the freezer for another 30 minutes to ensure they hardened nicely and would not break upon being taken out of the mold.

The crayon stars came out quickly and easily, and my kids thought it was so cool to draw and color with them!

On Instagram someone suggested buying molds in all sorts of different shapes and sizes from a dollar or thrift store, and I think I may just do that!

What a fun way to recycle crayons!

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Reindeer Kisses and Christmas Kisses

Christmas is just around the corner, so I decided to start working on treats for my kids' classmates and teachers.

I used the sticker freebie from Amanda's Parties To Go to make Reindeer Kisses for my middle son's classmates, and a cup full of Christmas Kisses for his teacher.

The stickers really make the Hershey's Kisses that much more festive and special!

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