Aloha from across the Sea

Paul and Milton have returned from Japan. They each kept a journal while there, so you can follow each of their stories of their journey to Ishinomaki, Japan where they helped passed out much needed supplies and helped in the clean-up efforts.

Follow them here.

Thanks for stopping by today and follow Paul's and Milton's stories every day. Thank You again for all of your generous donations and support which we were able to use to help the people of Japan.

Second August Joy of Crafting Show

On this show, we're doing some paper crafting projects! We start off the show with a great project for Back-to-School!

Puna, from our Enchanted Lake BFC, shows us how to make a cute Monster bookmark!

It's a fun way to keep the keiki interested in reading, don't ya think? It's great use of your scraps, too!

Next, I'll show you how to make a simple tissue holder for those pocket packs. Great to have and great to give away! There's a project sheet for it, too.

Then, I come back with a Hano Hou segment on a Side Step Gift Card Holder, my twist on a cardmaking favorite. Told you I was getting ready for the Holidays early this year!

Thanks for stopping by today and Hope you had a Great Summer!

More Cards of Aloha made by YOU!

Here are more Cards of Aloha that have been passed out to the people of Ishinomaki, Japan. Paul and Milton have been able to share these encouraging cards with the people living in the temporary housing as well as the small clusters of people still living in Ishinomaki.

Thank You again for taking the time to make these cards. You have been able to touch the lives of many by letting them know we are all still thinking of them and hoping for the best.

Thanks for stopping by today and Have a GREAT Weekend!

Ishinomaki, Japan

Earlier, I told you about how Paul Mizoguchi, Company VP/Owner and Milton Fujii, CFO, were assisting on a relief aid mission to the earthquake and tsunami struck areas in and around Sendai. Well, it's been about a week since they have been working in Ishinomaki, one of the hardest hit areas.They have been staying at a karate dojo and we haven't had a lot of communication with them but this morning, I got an e-mail from Milton saying that they had passed out the Cards of Aloha that we sent with them.

They have been passing the cards out along with other supplies to the people living in the temporary housing as well as small clusters of people remaining in Ishinomaki. They are also sending along some cards with a group of volunteers who will be taking some children from the karate dojo on an overnight trip to Sendai.

Milton and Paul will be sharing their experiences when they return to Hawaii on our website and Facebook page. This past week has touched their lives forever as they have seen the devastation first hand as they try to help clean up and recover the area. They have also seen the power of the human spirit as these people who have lost everything rebuild their lives with hope for the future, especially for their children.

 For all of you who helped us gather Cards of Aloha, Mahalo Nui Loa! You have really helped to lift the spirits of these people with your kind words of encouragement. Here are some samples of the cards you all made.

Here's a card that really made us smile, the words are so cleverly thought out and you can tell they come from the heart.

Again, ThankYou so much for helping the people of Japan with your donations and encouraging words. I will post more Cards of Aloha tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by today and reading my long post. Have a Great Aloha Friday!

August's First Joy of Crafting Show

Lots of fun crafts are featured on August's first Joy of Crafting show. We start off with a contest announcement!

"Mini Masterpiece" is a contest where you embellish a 4" x 4" stretched canvas! You can paint it, make a collage or mixed media piece, whatever you feel like! You be the artist! Just turn your Mini Masterpiece entry in at any of the Ben Franklin Crafts stores by Monday, August 22. Check stores for official rules.

Need some inspiration for your Mini Masterpiece? Well, our first guest, Puna from Enchanted Lake BFC, shows us how to do some collaging on the canvas and also a wonderful finishing technique. Watch and learn some great tips, too!

Next, we have a Hana Hou visit with Brandon, also from Enchanted Lake BFC. He shows us how to use the YuDu. It's really great to be able to screen your own designs on T-shirts, tote bags and other items. Especially great for creating unique Back-to-School gear or uniforms for your soccer team!

Lastly, I'm starting to plan ahead. I'll help you get started on making some easy gift card holders. Christmas will be here before you know it!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all are having a great weekend!

Close Up and Personal...

Want to know a little more about me? Check out my OC16 CloseUp! Click Here to watch the video.

Some stuff may surprise you and others will just make you laugh!

Thanks for stopping by today and have a Great Weekend!

Be like a turtle...

Here's my Week 2 - He-art Journaling pages. The theme for this week was Sandy Sunshine (sun, sand, beach,etc.)

We had to do a two-page layout. As you can see, I love to paint and tear up paper!

This time, I "stuck my neck out" and drew my little guy.

Do ya think he's too bald?LOL!

My quote is written in the sand, ah...to be so content and happy!

Thanks for stopping by today and Have a Great Weekend!



There was Something Fishy going on @ Market City!

This past Saturday, Market City Shopping Center sponsored a Craft event.So Ben Franklin was in the upstairs lobby making Cards of Aloha, a flower decoration and I had a Hello Kitty Easel Card Make and Take. It was a lot of Fun! We'll let you know when we do it again!

The cool thing was on one of the tables, we had a special guest, Dr. Glenn Takaki. Most people know him as their dentist, but he also does Gyotaku fish printing!

So, on Saturday, he demonstrated his technique and people were able to make fish prints! We even did them on T-shirts.Here's some finished sample prints.

Here's the papio fish that they were using for the prints.

Here's Azariah Simpson with his Mom, Sigrid, and their fish print!

Want to Thank everybody for stopping by and making some crafts with us! Especially want to Thank Dr. Takaki for his wonderful demonstration! Funny, I was craving a poke bowl that night!

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you're off to a great week!