Heiva i Honolulu HERE I COME!!!

The countdown begins...Thursday, March 17, 2010...2pm...doors open to one of the biggest Tahitian competitions in the world! I just celebrated my 30th birthday (which in Tahitian Dancing world is REALLY old). I decided I better compete now before I'm too old and the hips and knees don't want to do what I tell them to do. It's on my bucket list!

I haven't made my costume yet. The preliminary round is danced in a More ("grass") skirt. I did finish that! I haven't danced in grass in about 12 years so when I went into the garage and unrolled my neatly stored More, I found that it had yellowed and looked incredibly ugly!! So I took one out of my store and dyed it. I've never danced in a colored More before...always natural. So I picked RED! It's my favorite color and, with the help of Kaila (my daughter), decided red is fabulous! =) I made a headpiece, but...well, I'm not sure how I'm going to get it to Hawaii in one piece with the niau sticking out all over. Back to the drawing board.

Finals are danced in a printed pareu (wrap). I have two I'm deciding on...one is black and tan with tangerine orange tiare flowers. The other is yellow and brown with white Tiare flowers. I was going to use the same headpiece, but red doesn't match with either of these colors. So...looks like I'll be creating from now til Wednesday!!

I did finish two headpieces for a lady down south yesterday. I have one more pageant order to do and then I'm free to work on my own!

Auntie Helen's Celebration of Life...Our 1st Performance

One week notice, no costumes and a dance troupe that wasn't supposed to perform until July! Well, what do you do? YOU SAY, "YES!"

Accomplishments this month so far...

1. I learned how to use a serger!

2. I learned to sew on a zipper...thanks to YouTube! Here's the link I used... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05J2KyqpvRE ...Karen is AWESOME! =)

3. Finished 4 White Sandy Beach dresses.

4. Finished 2 keiki Otea costumes.


5. Finished 15 sets of Tane legpieces and 15 neckpieces.

6. Finished Brandee's Otea costume.

7. Finished 3 Over the Rainbow costumes.

8. Danced/Instructed ... lost track of hours.

9. Finished my Solo headpiece.


Whew...I have an AMAZING life!! =)

Next stop...March 17th... Heiva i Honolulu 2010!

Why did I raise my hand??

I was approached about a month ago by a few high schoolers asking for my help. They were starting a Polynesian Club at school and wanted to put something together to perform at games and stuff. Of course...I said yes. I'm actually really excited for them and I love seeing their progress. They're learning so fast.

Here's the part that went wrong...





I volunteered to make the hip hei (belts) for their costumes. Originally there were 10 dancers...not bad, not including the guys either...final count on Tuesday was 30!! OMG...what was I thinking? I've been working on these ALL weekend.


I've finished 10!! Oh well, that's what I get.

How to make a coconut bra...

Okay, I know you all have been wondering how to do this!! So here it is!

1. Pick a coconut! You can normally buy these from the grocery store. Make sure it's big (or small) enough to cover your, well, body parts, once it's cut in half!

2. Lay the coconut on it's side. Measure and dot the points in the middle all the way around it. Draw a line to connect the dots. This will be the line you cut it in half with. (Don't cut it yet!)

3. At the top of the coconut, you will find a small knot where the branch was once stuck. You will want to drill 2 small holes on each side of the line you drew, about 1/2" from the middle on both sides.

4. Drain your coconut into a jar or something so you can use it later for dessert!! Yum!

5. On the opposite side (the bottom) of the coconut, drill the same size holes, both about 1.2" from the line.

6. Deside which side on the coconut looks better and use that as the top. Drill 2 more holes for your neck strap, again 1/2" on both sides of the line you drew.

7. I use an electic saw to cut my coconut in half. BE CAREFUL!! Slipping coconuts can cause accidents. DO NOT CUT YOUR HAND/FINGERS/TOES OFF! (I stick my coconut in between 4 wood boards.)

8. Using a large metal spoon, scrape out the coconut meat. (Put asside for later eating!)

9. I use a power sander to smooth the outer coconut. You can do it by hand with regular sand paper, but it takes longer.

10. Attach your strings. I use leather cord because it doesn't come untied easily and you don't want those things fallin' out while your performing!! Also, leather doesn't break like some other strings. Knot the leather cord on one side, feed it through the drilled hole and knot it on the opposite side.

11. Make sure to seal any cracks so the splitting won't continue. Natural cracks are normal...it's a coconut!

I have these available for sale on www.etsy.com search sellers: hulamelani or just email me!


Mel =)

Young, dumb and outta control

Sometimes we do things when we're young that aren't fully thought out and turn out...well, bad. Like going to Tahiti, getting tatooed by a local who doesn't speak English while laying on the floor in a hut! He freehanded this...








I had my cousin fix it after 10yrs of people asking me, "What is that? A face? A clown? A bird?"

A really cool chair...

Why is it that I can never remember to take a picture of the projects I work on BEFORE I work on them?? Oh well...I gave this really cool chair a facelift this morning. It was ugly!! Now, it's pretty!

Mel =)

Cute, cute, cute!!

Two of my favorite people are moving to Georgia...Yeah...why someone would want to move from California to Georgia is beyond me, but whatever. I just found out they're leaving Tuesday...I whipped them up a going away present. It's mostly for their two kids who will be stuck in the car for 5 days. It came out super cute. I was really proud because I normally am not too good at altering stuff! Check it out!

Such a cute stamp!!

I got this on ebay...not sure if it's by any particular company, but I LOVE IT!!! My Cardio Hula class at the gym starts in 10 days!! I'm so excited!!

Mel =)

I'm gettin' better at this scrapbooking thing!

I just finished the Northern California Paper Chase...and yes, I went to all 20 stores!! I finished my "progressive scrapbook". Now I have so much stuff to play with, I don't know what to do with myself! Have you ever sat in front of your pile of new stuff you bought and realize none of it matches and you don't have any pictures anyways!? hehehe...I can't be the only one!

Here's a page I created for our Philippines trip. Yes, it was a few years back, but it was a blast!! That was one of my favorites!

Some more cards for you all to copy!! I mean..."borrow"! hehehe Happy Monday!

Mel =)

Hello Ladies!

HAPPY SUNDAY!!! I know...I know...it's like "Return of the Living Dead"!! It has been a long time. I was sad to hear the Bellaholics Blog was disbanned. Does anyone know if another one was started? I had a few REALLY cool sistahs on that site that I, unfortunately, lost contact with.

Anyways, to make up for my missing in action moment, I posted a few cards. I have some projects on the way too. Enjoy!!

Mel =)

Happy Halloween!!

The night started out kinda slow. It seemed like it took forever for the kids to get dressed up. (With the exception of Little Sunshine who instisted on wearing her princess dress to school!)

Kaila couldn't find the top to her pirate costume so we had to make due with another shirt. She looked cute anyways.

We went to Mom's first and took the kids around my old neighborhood with my nephews. Then we went to Dad's house. There were more trick-or-treaters there! It started raining...boo! It wasn't as cold as I remember last Halloween being.

Then kids stayed at my sister's house and Dale and I went to a lounge in Sacramento. It was the first time there. $1500 in prizes for costumes and free admission until 11pm! Sounds like my kinda party! My friend Melanie (yes, her name is Melanie too!) came. She drinks too much...but who am I to judge!? =P We met some really cool people there and watched an angry drunk try to pick fights with anyone who had a costume resembling the military. She got kicked out...FAST! I loved the atmosphere. It wasn't a bunch of drunken messes like at some of the other Sacramento places. We had so much fun!!

Here's me in my "gold digger" costume with Mel "The Sailor".



Dale didn't have a costume, but he still looked hot! =) he ws going to be a Sugar Daddy candy, but we couldn't find the jacket. The costume stores only had the pants and the hat.




I'm so excited...Thanksgiving is next and that's my FAVORITE holiday!! woo-hoo!

Mel =)

Check this out!

I found this little project on SCS. It's a file folder folded into a Xmas planner! The forms are on this really neat site. http://organizedchristmas.com/printable/christmas-pocket-planner

I used silver cord to make it more like a book. It doesn't open all the way like the one on SCS. Here's some directions for anyone who would like to attempt to make one! Good luck!

1. Take a regular file folder, open it up. Hold it in front of you "book-like". Score it 8" from the top so your line will cross the fold. This will create your pocket.

2. Next, score parallel to the center fold 4 1/2" from the middle on both sides. The tab sections (the front and the back) will be more narrow than the inner sections.

3. Fold it like an accordion.

4. Decorate your folder doo-dad, inside and out. I direct inked my edges to take some of the bright folder look away from the project. You will need 2 decorated papers and 2 solid papers for the look I did. (12x12 sheets)

5. Print the calendar thingies and stick them on the plain card stock to give them some class. I used the gift ideas, gift list and card list templates.

I'm not the best when it comes to directions. Just have fun!! I gave you the measurements...the rest is up to you!! =)

Life's been a little hectic lately. Sorry I've been a little MIA! My craft table is so sad. I placed a Bella order yesterday hoping to spark that creative bug again! Thanks Debby for thinking of me! Your email came at a great time!! Thank you! =) This one's for you!

Mel =)

Blog candy without any effort!!

I like these kind of blog candies!! No work, just a comment...hmm...maybe I should do these kind instead of the games! Check it out...it's a good one too!

http://papercraftsbyrach.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Mae!

My Bella sistah sent me the coolest image holder yesterday! ...so...you know what that means right?! Yep, I had to attempt to make one too! I'll get a hold of things eventually. It was a little time consuming at first, but it got easier with each mistake! hehe...I filled it with actual cards that I tried to match with the front of the book. Each card has a different "Go, fight, win" message...such as "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt and "Our greatest glory is not in never failing...but rising up every time we fall." by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The sayings are from CTMH.





I finished another 6pk of cards. You can't see it from the picture, but I embossed in baby blue around the white piece the image is on.



I found these checkbook holder/calendar holders at my favorite store. There were 5 for $4.50. Great for quick gifts and best of all, you can change the image inside whenever you want!!



I made some gift tags too and needed somewhere to stick em. This tin worked out perfect. It used to be filled with paperclips. It has a magnet on the back so it could stick on the refrigerator or something. Why someone would need paperclips on the fridge beats me, but...to each their own!! =)


I'm almost done with the craft fair stuff. I never know how much of what to bring. I figured if I made too much stuff, I could always give it away or use it! I'll post the covered picture frames and the totes I made later! Happy Thursday!

Mel =)