Tag Archives: tie-dye

DIY Racerback Workout Tee – Hippie Style

Posted by happyhippierose in arts and crafts and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

right before a nice long run

I have a new favorite tee my pals. 

My friend Carly posted a pic of a super cute workout tee a couple weeks ago.  She assured us it was easy to make and posted the link to the tutorial she used.  After I read the instructions and realized it would take about two seconds to whip one up for myself, I was all over it.

Of course I chose a tie dye shirt, duh.  The results are perfect – a super breezy lightweight workout tee that’s the perfect length.

Verbatim copy and pasted tutorial from Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth:

DIY Workout Shirt
Makes 1 sexy little tank

Ingredients:
1 old T-shirt
1 pair of scissors
20 minutes

1. Start with a pre-washed T-shirt. Any old shirt will do! The bigger the better.

2. Cut away the ribbed neckline and bottom hem. For the sleeves, cut downwards starting from the shoulder, determining how thick you want your straps. Cut straight down and then begin to curve down below the armpit seam.

3. Determine how low you want your front neckline, and cut away.

4. Flip the shirt over and make a narrow racerback, curving inward from the armpits.  Then cut a deep “V” shape from the top neckline.

5. Using the excess bottom hemline, stretch it out until it becomes one long string of fabric. Knot the string a couple of inches above the bottom of the “V” shape.

6. Wrap the string all the way down around the center of the racerback, and back up to meet the other ends. Knot the ends together tightly. Trim the loose ends.

7. To give your tank a high-low look, lay your shirt sideways, flattening it out evenly. Starting a few inches up at the front of your shirt, start cutting diagonally until you reach the back.

Throw it on with some cute yogis, grab your water, and hit the gym!
Post or email your photos if you make a shirt! I can’t wait to see your creations!

If you loved this DIY, you may also like my DIY Multi Strand Scarf! No sewing required! 

And here’s the pic by pic for each step of the way, from their original tutorial post:

 

Now, here’s my super hippie’d out version:

started with a tie dye tee, a pretty big and baggy one

the colors look more yellow than they really are

Then I followed the steps exactly as they are up above, except for doing the high/low thing with the bottom.  I actually love that look and intend to cut and angle the shirt, I just actually forgot the day I made it and now it’s in the dirty stinky laundry pile.

running tank!

racerback

maybe i should have tied it around the v on back a bit higher? i do like it as it is anyways, though. 

 

it’s cut pretty low on the sides, i could have saved a bit more fabric if i wanted to wear it as a regular tank. but i only plan to don it over a sportsbra or bathing suit.

see what i mean? it needs a something underneath it!

when it was chilly out, it worked perfectly over a longsleeve tee

Well.  There ya go!

I know it’s nothing creative on my part, seeing as I totally got the idea and instructions elsewhere.  BUT- I love love love this tank, it’s my new fave.  And I’m going to make some more for myself soon.  It’s just so EASY and fun, I wanted to pass the idea along to y’all so you can get to cutting and tying up your own versions.

As always, thanks for reading! 

xoxo, HHR

A Year of Fashions, my 2011 wacky wardrobe review

Posted by happyhippierose in my life, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , ,

Okay, okay… I’m still on the 2011 review stuff.  I’m behind, so shoot me!  This next one will be the last of the 2011 stuff, and then it’s totally onward to 2012, all my focus going into this awesome New Year we have.  (I am such a sucker for reminiscing, though).

This one is a bit of a joke, a suggestion from a good friend and blog reader, who has had to bear with my incredulous fashion choices in person.  If any of you who know me read this, I’m assuming you’ll just laugh.  When it comes to style, I certainly have one all my own!

yeah, i own overalls! and i love them. oh, i LOVE clothing with pockets, its a must-have.

Words aren’t really needed when the photos say it all.  2011 was an interesting, bright, and experimentally fashioned year for me.

The clothes!!!

A Year of Fashions: My 2011 Wacky Wardrobe

Where do I shop?

American Apparel, Free People, and J. Crew for a lot of my basics.  The J. Crew stuff I’ve had for YEARS, but simple layering solids like tanks and long sleeve tissue tees never go out of style.

The bandannas and knee socks have been in my wardrobe for a while, other than tie dye – they’re totes signatures of my casual attire.   I’ve always loved knee socks, since I was a kid.  I think it’s from liking anime when I was little, and Sailor Moon always wore tall socks, and I wanted to look exactly like her (and when I went to Asia in the 90’s, I was told that I DID look like her, which was the greatest confirmation evar!)

I thrift, a lot.  I believe in up-cycling, and finding new life for something instead of discarding it.  I haven’t purchased a pair of NEW jeans since 2007.  I haven’t purchased NEW leather since 2008, a commitment I made!  (Now, I did have a new leather purse gifted to me for Christmas, and I’m in dire need of good running shoes… so we’ll see what happens.)

I try to avoid made-in-china stuff, but that’s hard to do.

And finally, I tie dye my own stuff, but of course.

Thanks for looking and reading today.  Happy New Year everyone, may 2012 be a year of wonderful things, quirky fashion included!

xoxo, hhr

my 11 best of 2011

Posted by happyhippierose in church, faith, my life, playing outside and tagged with , , , , , ,

This past weekend Duggs and I have spent so much time going back and forth, asking each other: “what were your top moments of 2011?”  We tried to make a top ten list, but it was harder than you’d think.

What events were more significant than others?  What meant the most to us or had the most impact?

A lot happened this year.  Matthew and I were reunited after a seven-month deployment.  I grew my hair out long.  I tie dyed more garments than I could even count, and we hiked, climbed, swam and crawled all over this island.  2011 was a busy, crazy, strange year.   And here’s the best of it:

My Best of 2011

i LOVE those sun rays

I hope it goes without saying that certain things are the best in my life, regardless of the year, entities like my pooch, my family, my friends, etc.  So this list isn’t meant to be exhaustive of everything I’ve ever loved in 2011… it’s just the highlight reel of things that happened this year: 

1. Matthew’s Homecoming!

welcome home, my love!!!

Duggs came home from Afghanistan.  He came back, safe and sound, from his third and final combat deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps.  Homecoming was totes my favorite event of the year.  Having Matthew back here with me is just beyond words.

best. feeling. ever.

2. This Here Blog: happy hippie rose dot com

I started this here blog, yes! The very one you’re reading!  It’s been a very fun project, a constant in my life that I’ve really come to look forward to.   I enjoy this blog.

And more than any of my feelings – I LOVE when something I’ve written helps someone else, makes another person feel better, or informs someone.  The lovely feedback has just been so inspiring.

2011 hasn’t been an easy-peasy year; during the challenges and hard times (mostly talking about my health here) having a reader reach out and tell me what nice things they’ve gleaned from what I have to say – pushes me to get through it, to carry on, and to do so with a smile.  So, to everyone reading, commenting and being a part of this: THANK YOU!!!

3.  I got a job! 

This just came to be very recently, but it totally counts as a best of the year!  I am so grateful and happy.  I’ve been entrusted with this amazing opportunity and I hope to work really hard and to do a great job.

(If you want to check out who I’m working for, go here: http://www.icucmoderation.com  Just remember, this is my personal blog, and anything I say is just my opinion and nothing to do with ICUC.)

4.  Baptism (and Church in general) 

I was Baptised this year, in September, at Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay.  It wa s decision that I stand by (Catholic family members reading this can speak to me one-on-one, I love you and I’ll always be Catholic-by-birth).   Waiting for Matthew to get home, and wanting his support: September was the perfect month.  Matthew took pics and participated by being there, watching, and praying with all of us, his love on that day meant a lot to me.

Being Baptized as an adult is a really public way to declare my faith, and to just go big with it!  A highlight of the year is certainly Hope Chapel, and the level of faith I’ve exercised in general.  From Women’s Retreat to teaching at Children’s Church, to just attending service with my husband every Sunday, Church has been a solid and wonderful aspect of 2011.

Giving back, community service, helping others, and kindness have been such outward reaches of the church, that we’ve found ourselves really doing good in 2011; many of the projects we participated in were church-related.

Baptism is that symbol of being part of the church, and I am so happy and glad for that.  Praise God!!

5. The Holidays

For the first time ever, Matthew and I were able to celebrate the entire run of holidays together.  From Halloween straight to New Year’s.   Being together made the holidays so much fun.  We both love Christmas, and this year we were able to get so into it and go nuts with decorating, and cards and just everything.

happy new year!!

Sharing that New Year’s Kiss was so wonderful, too. Half of 2011 was spent in deployment mode, me alone in Hawaii and Duggs all the way in Afghan.  Kissing that all away and starting a fresh new together year, was just amazing.

6. The Tanners!

Did you think I’d leave our Hawaiian besties out of the list?  This past year we’ve really grown close to the Tanners, and we’ve made so many fun memories with them.  From the Navy Day Ball to boating out on K-bay, crafting nights with Ashley and watching Jed and Duggs be utterly ridiculous together, we love the Tanners!  Thanks for so much fun in ’11.

bailey and jj, BFFs

this is not drunk knife throwing

duggs and jed

me and ashley

7. Tie Dye Business! 

me, hard at work

Yeah, this year brought into being my little homespun tie dye business.  There’s been a lot to learn, and it’s also been a lot of fun.  I’m not sure what the future of hhr is, as of now.  Regardless, it brought purpose, focus, creativity, and ingenuity to my 2011.  To all my customers, I am so thankful for your support!

Want to check it out?  www.facebook.com/happyhippierose

8. Family Visting

This year saw a lot of our family members out here in Hawaii.  First came my Dad and Stepmom.  A couple weeks later, my Mom came out to see us.  In the fall,. Matthew’s Aunt Anne and Uncle Jeff were out here for business, and we were able to spend some time with them.

my stepmom and dad, cheers!

matthew with my mom (kathy)

aunt anne and uncle jeff out to lunch at the shack

matthew with his aunt anne, on k-bay

Being so far away from family is hard.

So seeing those familier faces in the baggage claim was such a joy.  During their trips we were able to see so much of this island by playing tour guide, it was like being on vacation ourselves!

9. My Birthday

Duggs says that my birthday was a highlight of 2011 for him.  That he loved buying me presents and making the day (heck, the weekend) so special for me.  It was our first time being together on my birthday!  So I know that it was special.

I gave a tithing Testimony at church the weekend of my birthday.  So, in that respect, my birthday was a very important day to me too!!

10. HAWAII 

ahhh, amazing

Just being here is a constant amazement.  This is really the most beautiful place of earth.  All year long we explored, hiked, swam in the warm waters, and sighed at the neon sunsets.  I love living here, and I am forever grateful to have spent 2011 on gorgeous O’ahu!

the view from turtle bay

yeah, turtle bay is gorgeous

aloha!

When we leave, Hawaii will carry such a special place in my heart for a long time to come.

11. Overcoming

I was going to put climbing Stairway To Heaven as one of my highlights.  I mean, it was totally a highlight!  An achievement, for sure.

But there were a lot of metaphorical stairways to climb this year, and I’m proud to say I reached the top, or damn near close, of most of them.  With Duggs holding my hand, the climb is always easier.  And once at the top, the view, spectacular.

trigger point injections, my favorite way to spend a day

grrr, i AM tough!

Pushing through and overcoming the tough stuff is the sort of thing that builds character, and gives me that resolution to dig in and overcome the next time ’round.  You only become strong through opportunities that require strength.

2011 has been amazing in it’s own ways.  But it’s a year I’m glad to see behind me.  I’m so stoked for 2012 and all that it may hold!

As always, thanks for reading! xoxo, hhr

time to crank out the jams…

Posted by happyhippierose in around the house, church and tagged with , , , ,

…And By Jams, I Mean Tie Dye!

I’m so excited, I just gotta share this news with someone.  I’ve been asked, last minute, to host a craft booth at my Church’s Women’s group event this Monday.  As in, a few days from now!

Over 350 women have already signed up and paid, but even more are expected. For some people this may sound so small-timey.  But for me, this is my first time selling tie dye at an event, or really selling in person at all.

So between now and then, I need to crank out some tie dye!  

i need to make lotsa tie dyes, like this!

Now, I do have booth selling experience. Quick story:

My folks used to own a phone card business (trust me, I know that sounds so bizarre).  Back in the 90’s my dad and I went to France with my elementary school’s exchange program (he was the group translator, that’s a whole ‘nother story on it’s own; he learned french in eight months just so he could be the translator, hahaha, Viper is amazing!).

(i know i had a photo of us in france somewhere. i can’t find it… grrr… i’ll keep looking later on)

So we get to France – and all the pay phones required these prepaid cards you swipe, no coinage. Dad thinks it’ll be the next big thing, we become the biggest phone card dealer in the whole Southeast, and the only licensed dealer of Visa Cash Cards (a derivative of phone cards, it’s a prepaid card, like a credit card – but not based on credit, it’s just prepaid so you don’t have to carry cash around).

Next thing ya know… those pesky cell phones become all the rage, and payphones become all but obsolete.

But anyways, back in the heyday of the phone cards, we used to travel around to all kinds of conventions and sell them.  I’m talking Europe, Asia, everywhere.  So I know how to stand at a booth and sell… I just haven’t done so in a decade and a half, and never with my own tie dye.

I have a feeling it’ll be like riding a bike though.

My Dad (Viper) and Step-mom (Anna) still actually run the business… it’s just not as crazy booming as it once was.  You can check them out: Kars Unlimited. 

Okay, I have company coming in this afternoon.  Another guest for dinner will be coming over tonight.  And I have all this tie dye to crank out. (And maybe make some pricing signs, I have to sort and prep all the inventory I do have, and make some kind of poster for custom orders or something).

Not to forget- at the very same women’s event I’m hostessing a toiletry drive for the local women’s correctional facility.  They do gift bags at Christmas for the inmates, and we’re collecting donations for said gift bags.  Oh, busy busy!!  Lots of sheets to wash, laundry to fold, sweeping and fixing up to do. Oh my!

Thanks for reading!  xoxo, hhr 

P.S. If you’re interested in helping with the toiletry drive, let me know anytime before midday on December 5th (Hawaii time), and we can figure something out!  You can comment here or email me: happyhippierose@gmail.com   -thanks!!

P.P.S. I really will make a siggy soon! I swears it!

one of the kids' shirts i'll be selling!

sharpie tie dye: my first try, how-to with pics!

Posted by happyhippierose in arts and crafts and tagged with , ,

Thank you, RAIN!  It’s all my friend Rain’s fault that I had to go and try yet another style of tie dye.

Let me tell you how this all came about.  It’s been kind of a blah-ish day; I’ve been sick all weekend, so today was a stay-at-home, take-it-easy, kinda day.   I was Skype-ing with Rain, my dear pal, and she mentioned this new “sharpie tie dye” technique.  She’s throwing one of her girls a tie dye themed birthday party, and she’s wondering if this style would be cleaner, easier, cheaper, less hassle then doing traditional tie dye with dozens of kids.

Shaprie Tie Dye – My First Try

my finished product... pretty neato, huh?

According to the internet, it’s all the rage.  It’s evolved past mere artwork and it’s being touted as science.  Science!  That’s so fancy.  (I’m such a scientist now. Eeps!!).

Rain gave me a couple links to show me.  And as we continued to discuss the idea, I realized I had all of the needed supplies on hand.  So here we go!

Links:

I’m not gonna lie, some of the kids on these other links have done a cracker jack job with this technique!  I think I did okay for my first try.  Matthew is going to get some more sharpies/better colors tonight on his way home, and perhaps my next try will be even better or brighter.

What  you need: a garment to dye, rubber bands, plastic cups, rubbing alcohol, and Sharpie markers in a variety of colors.

my supplies, all ready to go!

How-To

According to SteveSpanglerScience.com – it goes like this:

Warning: Rubbing alcohol is very flammable and must be kept away from any open flames or heat. This experiment must be conducted in a well-ventilated area, preferably outdoors or in a room with open windows.

  1. Place the plastic cup inside the middle of the t-shirt. Position the opening of the cup directly under the section of the shirt that you want to decorate. Stretch the rubber band over the t-shirt and the cup to secure the shirt in place.
  2. Place about 6 dots of ink from one marker in a circle pattern about the size of a quarter in the center of the stretched out fabric. If you like, use another color marker to fill in spaces in between the first dots. There should be a quarter size circle of dots in the middle of the plastic cup opening when youSharpie Pen Science are finished.
  3. Slowly squeeze approximately 20 drops of rubbing alcohol into the center of the circle of dots. DO NOT flood the design area with rubbing alcohol. The key is to drip the rubbing alcohol slowly in the center of the design and allow the molecules of ink to spread outward from the center. As the rubbing alcohol absorbs into the fabric, the ink spreads in a circular pattern. The result is a beautiful flower-like pattern. Students often remark, however, that the design looks like the colorful surface of a compact disc.
  4. Apply as much or as little rubbing alcohol as desired, but do not let the pattern spread beyond the edges of the cup. Allow the developed design to dry for 3 to 5 minutes before moving on to a new area of the shirt.
  5. It is important to heat set the colors by placing the shirt in the laundry dryer for approximately 15 minutes. Teachers have also suggested rinsing the shirt in a solution of vinegar and water as a means of setting the colors.

Enjoy experimenting with various patterns, dot sizes, and color combinations. Instead of using dots, try drawing a small square with each side being a different color, or use primary colors to draw a geometric shape and accent it with dots of secondary colors. Half circles, wavy lines, and polygons all make unique patterns when rubbing alcohol travels across the ink. Your designs are only limited by your imagination. Try as many different patterns as you like. The secret is to keep your patterns small and in the center of the design area on the shirt.

I essentially followed these steps, but ended up getting bored and jazzing it up a bit.  I used WAY more rubbing alcohol than he said to use!   I added dots in weird places and not just a little cluster in the center.  I also did lines and some squiggles.   Sometimes they worked, sometimes I think they just kinda fell flat and the ink didn’t travel the way I thought it would.

A couple tips:

  • the tighter you had the section of the shirt over the cup, the better it seemed to work
  • the darker and more concentrated the color dots, the better
  • open a window, your house will reek!
Photo How-To:

my first attempt, before i dropped any alcohol on

the only dropper i had

my little dots starting to spread out

go colors, go!

I only had three cups (old MikeyD’s big plastic cups I use as water cups when I paint), so I could only on three little spots at a time.  This is a craft that requires patience.
So I just kinda went up the shirt, doing the front first, and then the back.  I actually like how much white space I left untouched on this one.  It would be fun to do a super intense shirt, full of tons of little sharpie spots.  But I liked being restrained on this specific tank.  It looks pretty, subtle.
My first little sharpie bud flower was in the bottom right corner of the shirt, and I just kept working my way up.  After I would do two buds, and I’d take off the rubber bands and un-do it, I’d go in and do a little bud in between.  Rubber banding around the mouth of the cup puts an automatic distance between each one you can do at the same time, so you have to go back in and fill that space in.
Does what I just typed make any sense to anyone? Haha.  Hopefully you know what I mean… the cups put space between the designs, so you have to go and fill it in on your next turn.

so far, so good

three at a time = my primo setup

finished product!

Rain had the very clever idea to connect the “flowers” with a vine.  So I made a teeny green vine with a fine point green sharpie and I dripped alcohol over it so it would be all blurry and in the same style as the whole shirt.

the front, you can see the vine that i made

It came out so cute, and I lurve the vine idear!
The shirt has been hanging up drying for the past few hours, and it hasn’t changed at all.  I’m going to wash it soon, and hopefully washing it doesn’t change it too much.  I like how it looks now!
Thanks for reading – love, happyhippierose
P.S. – This specific shirt is already taken, Rain called dibs on it. Sorry! But if you’re interested in purchasing one, you can always email me at happyhippierose@gmail.com or go to my FB page, http://www.facebook.com/happyhippierose

i started a tie dye business!

Posted by happyhippierose in my life and tagged with , , , , ,

happyhippierose has branched out:  I started a business selling tie dye!

A group of my friends suggested it one day, and I was giving them all these reasons why it wouldn’t be a good idea.  I was saying it would be too much work and not enough money,  no one would want to buy tie dye, yadda yadda yadda…  Finally, my friend Jenny made the whole concept sound feasible. Something about the was she presented it to me, it just clicked; I knew I had to do this.

I started brewing all these ideas, but I wanted to wait until Matthew called till I started to do anything. (my husband Matthew is currently deployed) The next time Matthew called, I told him about the idea and he was all about it, and even joking that he can’t believe I hadn’t tried to do this sooner.  It was so awesome how supportive he was on that first phone call, and how supportive he’s been on every call since.  He’s so excited to get home and get involved, I love that!

So once I knew my husband was supportive and cool with me starting this, I didn’t waste a minute!   I ordered some pro grade dye right away, and then went out and got some baby onesies, toddler tees and shirts… once my dye came in the mail, I was off and running, and I haven’t looked back!

For the past few weeks I’ve been a dying fool, creating so many awesome happy garments! I’ve been having a blast.  Every time I tie dye, I have fun doing it.  I was worried that I would start to hate it (it was one of my fears in starting a business selling it), but nope, the opposite has happened!  every time I dye I get all excited to see what I can do.  I’ve really been experimenting a lot with my technique and trying to keep stepping up my skill level one garment at a time!

There’s been a lot for me to learn business-wise, but I like a challenge and it’s been hard in a good way.   I’m really proud of how I’ve been managing the financial aspects of this company, keeping up with my balance sheet, and just staying really organized.

You can check me out online:

I’m really proud of how far I’ve come in about a month.  I’ve already dyed and shipped out a fair amount of orders, and everyday more are coming in. And the best part?  So far, my customers are loving my work and they seem really pleased with the garments they’ve bought from me!   I love my customers so much, and I’m grateful for them beyond words!

THANK YOU amazing customers, xoxoxo!! 

my 2011 awesome easter!

Posted by happyhippierose in my life and tagged with , , , ,

I had such a fun Easter this year, full of egg dying, face painting, bouncehousing, sunrises and surprises.  It wasn’t just one day, but almost the whole month of April.  And since I feel that Easter is by far the best candy holiday (Easter candy >Halloween), I wasn’t complaining about it being drawn out a little this year.

(Think about it, Robin Eggs, jellybeans, peeps!!! Easter has such good candy.  It’s the best.  And prettiest.   Christmas has the best decorations, but Easter colors are so sweet.  I love pastels so much).

The Easter Fun Fair at Hope Chapel

My “Easter” started a few weeks ago when my church had it’s Easter Fun Fair.  I volunteered to help set-up the Fair and to paint faces all day.  The event was a huge success, and a really good way to get me all in the Easter mood.

I wanted to do a whole blog post about the Fun Fair… but since I was at the face painting booth the whole time, my perspective was pretty limited. Therefore, I just decided to include it with my Easter Post.

I got the Fair a few hours before it started tio help decorate and set up.  A bunch of us were there, and I had so much fun being giddy and silly with everyone as we were turning the church into an Easter Fun zone.

all bright n early, ready to help set up

yeah, face painting (the booth i worked at all day) was located right by the crafts and the shave ice. score!!

at one point during the pre-fair set up, i hitched a ride on a golf cart and i was quite unruly.

The egg hunt was inside the church, and the theme was “under the sea.”   The entire sanctuary was converted to the ocean floor through the work of some amazing volunteers.  They hand-crafted all kinds of elements to make the look complete.  Fish, seaweed, a giant whale – it was all there.   Timo let Joy and I sneak in and get a look before the hunting kids were able to wreak havoc on the space.

See all those hoops and what-not on the floor?  That’s all part of the egg hunt for the kids.   An entire obstacle course was set up for the kids to have to crawl and jump through, so cute and fun!

i stole this pic from joy's fb album: me, cardboard ariel, and joy - fun!

does anything about this photo surprise you? (joy took this one too!)

Then of course there’s my mad face painting skills, haha.  I tried my best!  Face painting with real paints and brushes is pretty hard, so I kept it pretty simple with the designs.   The kids seemed happy though, and that’s the important part.

Here’s the best part of the Easter Fun Fair: WAFFLE DOGS!  Do you even know what a waffle dog is?  It’s a hot dog who lives in a waffle.  It’s so delish.  These guys come out and set up a booth and they have these giant waffle irons and they make the waffle dogs fresh to order.  I had one and it was awesome!

mmm... the waffle dog irons. the smell was awesome.

What better way to celebrate a day of hard work painting faces?  Shave ice!

me with bow, after a day of facepainting awesomeness!

Dying Eggs with Friends

On Good Friday, Carly, Sydney and I went up to the army post on island to hang out with our friends The Colemans; we ate pizza,  dyes eggs with Matthew and Jason, and had a really awesome afternoon.  There may have also been some bouncehouse action involved! The lil guys are so cute and hilarious, we had a blast.

The Colemans doggysat JJ for me when I went home in March, and the boys love JayJers, so I took the pooch with me to say hi.  There was so much fun stuff going on at once, it was such an awesome day!

oooh, pretty dye colors!

curious??

carmela and sydney, dying eggs

those little wire things you're supposed to dip the eggs with are for chumps. why bother with them when you have hands?!?!

matthew getting some assistance from auntie carly, who wore her rad earth day shirt on actual earth day. love!

so bright and purty!!

we got the royal treatment - we got to play in the castle bouncehouse, with the hose attached to make the slide a water slide (probably a pretty inappropriate activity for earth day, but a super fun activity nonetheless)

my lil pooch was going nuts while i was in the bounce house, he kept running around trying to figure out where i went

it's kinda hard to tell through the mesh - but that's me, upside down on the waterslide. i LOVE this bouncehouse. it's the most fun thing ever. i wish i had one of my own!

matthew's photoshoot with the pooch- so much cuteness!

of course jason wanted to do whatever matthew was doing, so they asked to both have their photo taken with jj. aww, i love how much they love my doggie! he gets so much sweet attention from these boys, it's great!

all tuckered out on the way home

Easter Sunday

The Protestant Church on Base was advertising all over the place about doing a sunrise service.  The bleachers were set up facing Ft. Hase Beach, the beach barely two blocks from my house.  Carly and I love to watch the sunrise, so we decided to go check it out!

A couple minutes before 6:00am, as we were just sitting down

a hula ministry that blessed us all with a really awesome performance. they were super professional and talented!

the gorgeous sun rise. just amazing.

me y carlita at the end of the service in the morning sunshine!

After the sunrise service on base, we both went back home to chill out and get ready for Hope Chapel’s 10:00am service.  Yeah, we were so pumped for Easter, we were going to church services back-to-back!   I mean, I do joke about candy and eggs – but of course I know that He’s the reason for the season.  And He is Risen!  Easter is such a happy, magnanimous time.

self-portrait of my awesome big white happy. i was so happy to go with such a southern motif for my easter outfit this year. just wait till you see the dress though (lol)

Hope Chapel put out this awesome spread of food.  It was a welcome table, for new or visiting people who were there for Easter service.  It’s really cool that they did a lot of special things to make new church goers feel welcome.  Easter is always the highest-attended service all year long, Christmas is second place.  Instead of making Easter-only church goers feel awkward and judged, it’s cool the HCKB is all open arms about it.  Obviously the desire is to encourage Easter attendees to come back and join the church – but more importantly is feeling that even if Easter is the only time you ever come to church, you are welcome and we’re glad to have you, as you are.

the welcome table, chock full of awesome treats!

trevor getting ready to lead worship

the easter bunny didn't bring our husbands home. the usmc will bring them home soon though! from left to right: lauren, sydney, carly, and me!

me prancing in my lawn, showing off my purty dress! i found it at ross - check out the bedazzled butterfly. i almost didn't buy it because of the butterfly... but i'm so glad i did. it kinda grew on me!

i'm such an easter ham

oh my, the hat is my most favorite part!

happy easter y'all

 Surprise Announcement! 

I started a small tie dye business a couple weeks ago, and on Easter I decided to announce my new line of tie dye: “i52.”  Named after Isaiah 52, that reads, “clothes yourself in your beautiful garments!” (NASB).  Tie dye is beautiful garments, at least I think it is!

Here are a few items from the i52 line.  If you’re interested in finding out about the i52 line, email me at happyhippierose@gmail.com – or my facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/happyhippierose

whew, i’ve been so busy!

Posted by happyhippierose in my life and tagged with , , , , , , ,

So I know I’ve been a total derelict about posting.  I’m a bad blogger.

I was so scared that when I started this I would come in all fast and hard, all excited with the newness of it and post, post, post… and then I would fall off, forget about the blog, etc.  I promise that is not what’s happening!  Promise!

I’ve just honestly been so busy.  Like, crazy busy.

My normal life includes:

  • working part-time as a babysitter, random/haphazard hours
  • lots of doctor’s appointments, which involves lots of commuting time and lots of sitting around waiting rooms
  • teaching Sunday school (volunteer)
  • participating in small groups associated with my church a few times a week
  • taking care of the pooch
Now, I’ve added some things to the mix:
  • I’ve started a business! Yes, I’m running my own business now.  I’m still in the “getting stated” phase
  • I’m teaching children’s church on Friday nights (volunteer)
  • I’ve started working out again, so I’m running almost everyday, doing yoga daily, group fitness classes
  • and just about every weekend has had some sort of event going on, it’s insane!
  • I’ve become a little more involved with my church’s women’s group, and that’s been a time commitment too =)
So a couple weeks ago was my church’s Easter Fun Fair.  It was on a Saturday, and my pal Whitni and I (wo)manned the facepainting table.  It was a really fun day and the kids had an amazing time.  Almost 100 new families came to Hope Chapel for the first time that day too, which is awesome!  The Fun Fair was a part of the Children’s Ministry, the group that also runs Children’s Church.  I’m now teaching First Grade on every Friday night.  It’s so cute and fun, and it’s been a really rewarding way to volunteer.  I love teaching the kids, doing crafts, just having a good time.  And well, it’s something that’s really important.  Educating the youth is a serious investment.   Praying with kids is so cute and sweet, I love their innocence and their honesty.  It’s so neat to hear them talk about God and how they understand religion.  Aww.

decorating at church for the easter fun fair (seems kinda reminiscent of hanging all those puffs at sasha's wedding, huh? someone must have gotten word that i'm a pro!!)

one of the many face paintings we did that day

rewarding myself for a job well done with a tasty shave ice!

The pooch keeps me so busy!  I mean, not really… but I make ways to stay busy with him.  He loves to run and exercise, so I’ve been trying to get him out more.  Health-wise, I’m not really feeling better at all – but I’ve learned that I feel the same if I stay in bed all day or if I’m on the go – so I’m choosing to be on the go!  A couple weeks ago I started running again.  Which is great for my spirit and attitude, and so great for the pooch.  He’s got lots of energy he needs to get out.

jayjers says: let's get out of bed and run and play!!

this is my awesome running outfit. it was the same day as the easter fun fair actually, hence the socks, haha!

the jogging jj is happy!

Speaking of pets – we have a new resident here!  Meet Doris, our Orb Weaver.  This pretty lady moved in several weeks ago, and she’s been spinning away, making an amazing web.  She helps to keep the flies out, hooray!  True, at some point millions of her babies are going to be crawling all over the place.  But uhh… we’ll see what happens.

doris the spider

Last weekend was Gabe’s second birthday (Whitni’s son).  John and Whitni had a sport’s themed party, and it was so very cute.   We were all asked to come dressed to the theme.  I think most people wore tees/jerseys of their favorite team.  Well.. we ain’t most people!  Carly, Chiffon, and I dressed up as track and field.  It kinda came out 70’s style, lol.  But we were cute!

track stars: me, chiffon, carly

the birthday boy and his awesome soccer cake, love!

So while we were at this birthday party, I discovered a new love in my life: BOUNCEHOUSE!  Have you been in one of those as an adult?  They are sooo fun.  I see them all the time, they’re super popular here in Hawaii.  People use them for pretty much any and every even involving kids.  So finally, I went in the one at the birthday party, and I was shocked at how much fun it is.  I didn’t want to get out!  I couldn’t stop bouncing!

i wish i had my own bouncehouse so bad. it's the most fun thing ever!!

Last weekend was also all of the Earth Day events out here.  On Sunday, after church, we went to the “I Love Kailua Town Party.”  Kailua is the town we live in (well, it’s right outside base so it’s the nearest town), and the “I Love Kailua Town Party” was basically a big block party with vendors and music, people selling art, all kinds of FOOD you could buy (it was like a “Taste of Kailua” kind of thing going on), and there was a whole village of bouncehouses (that they wouldn’t let adults in. what gives?).

here i am enjoying a shave ice at the kailua town party

(I’ve been pretty busy eating shave ice, lol).

Another thing keeping me busy: I started my own business.  Tie Dye by happyhippierose.  I’m selling tie dye!  So awesome, right?  I’m in the process of setting up a storenvy shop (it takes forever, you have to upload every piece of inventory one at a time – you can’t make albums like you can on FB), and I’m thinking about making an etsy store.  I have some opportunities to sell at some upcoming events, and so far I’ve been doing business from the FB page I started and through word of mouth. It’s so very exciting, and I’m so grateful to all of my friends and family who’ve been supporting me and getting the word out!

i make and sell totally rad shirts like this

i've been working so much on my craft, i feel like my skills keep getting better and better

The business has been taking a lot of time.  I really tip my hat to small business owners.  It’s crazy how much work goes into it.  I knew that there would be a lot involved, but stuff keeps coming up that I never even thought of.
The challenge of learning how to do everything has been great though.  It’s nice to workout my brain.  I’m proud of myself for how organized I’ve been, and how well I’ve been managing all of the money aspects.   And the creative aspect of it all has been so fulfilling.  I love making the tie dye and working on new techniques, new designs. I sell from an inventory of stuff I’ve just made, and I’m doing custom orders.  Pretty rad!
I have a secret line I’ve been working on too, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen done before.  You heard it here first: I’m ready to take tie dye to the next level!
I’m still getting my feet wet, getting organized and all that.  I don’t have business cards yet, I don’t have my own business website or anything.  But once I do, you know I’m going to post the info all over the place here.  For now, I’ll give y’all the address to my business FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tie-Dye-by-happyhippierose/159025650823206  Check out the photos of my inventory.  If anyone has any tie-dye related questions, you can email me: happyhippierose@gmail.com
……….
Whew!  I’ve been BUSY.  Staying busy is awesome though, it’s been making the time just fly by.  Deployment is starting to wind down, and my husband is going to be home so soon (a couple months from now).  Everyone always says that getting through a deployment is much easier if you stay busy and I really have to agree.  I miss my husband so much everyday,  but I’ve also had so much to keep me motivated, happy, excited, etc.
Having so much going on has been a great way to just keep my spirits up in general.  I’ve been investing my time in so many positive things, like volunteering at church, starting an awesome business where I get to be artistic and creative, working out and being so good to my body, etc., it’s just been generating a lot of positive energy in my life.   Everyday I’m spending my time doing things that make me smile – how lucky am I?