Reminder...

Source: lovetypeb.com via JJ on Pinterest

I saw this necklace and it reminded me.

I didn't actually honeymoon in Hawaii but we've been twice. I am planning a third trip after Christmas. (As in right now I am planning the trip in another tab!) I never expected to love it so much, to have a place so immediately seem like part of me. Little things will suddenly transport me there and I'll feel calm. Before I went I'd have told you it was too touristy, too kitsch. My other travel experiences should have taught me not to presume. When we went back the 2nd time I feared it wouldn't live up to our 1st experience. I had nothing to worry about. It was all of that and something more because we knew more about our surroundings. We still found new things and had new experiences but what we enjoyed most was having the same great experience a 2nd time. Hopefully our 3rd trip won't let us down.

We love Kauai and plan to return on the coming trip. We stay on the south shore but have been all over the island and each place has its great spots. We've been to the Big Island and had a lot of fun. It is so diverse and of course there is more area to cover there. I just can't get over the variation from one natural wonder to another. We've also been briefly to Honolulu which is a totally different experience. Perhaps a few too many people, too big city for more than a brief stay for me. We are planning to go to Maui on this trip so I'll have to report back after our trip.

This tree tunnel always tells me we're almost there!

Make It - Photo Birthday Wreath

 


I saw a version of this somewhere and thought it was a good way to celebrate my Dad's birthday. This was before I joined Pinterest so I don't know who to give the credit to (ha ha). If I ever come across it on the web, I'll link it up in this post. Lovely.Little.Laughter thought it was cute too (for several reasons) and gives some details here.

Anyway, it wasn't too difficult once I figured out how I wanted to create the wreath. In the version I'd seen before, the photos were permanently attached. I knew that I wanted to use the actual photos and some memorabilia from when Dad was growing up. I just didn't want to put the time in to reprint the photos, use decorative edged scissors and age them but I definitely wanted it to look that way. Once I realized this, I knew I wanted something re-usable and I could change. I'd already decided to use magnets (some I had and some I bought 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby) and I wanted a wreath shaped piece of metal for a base. After a trip or two to Hobby Lobby and Michaels (and one to Lowe's just in case they made such a thing), I scrapped that idea and just bought a wire wreath form from Hobby Lobby (I think it was $2 or less). This made placement a little tricker but it still worked. So for about $5 I made it!

PS - Dad really liked it so it was worth it! Here's a few more pics.

  

We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day.

- Brad Meltzer via

A young Apollo, golden-haired,
Stands dreaming on the verge of strife,
Magnificently unprepared
For the long littleness of life.


 - Frances Cornford, Youth

A little thing from this summer ...