AT MY BEST...: Hawaii

Mokoli'i Island, Hawaii - YouTube

10:00 AM

Returning to Reality - Missing Hawaii

6:00 PM

If any of you follow me on Instagram you will know that we took a long needed holiday and headed back to the tropics of beautiful Hawaii for 3.5 weeks. It was a great holiday, allowing us to see and do things that have been on our Hawaii bucket list for a while, and take in the differences between the different islands.

I will do a separate blog post for each place we stayed, but this post is more to let you all know that I am still alive. Although coming back to reality has not been easy!

Our first stop was Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. What a great place to have spent time. The people are amazing here and oh so helpful (Its not everyday you get a hug from the lady who saved us hours at AT&T!). They love sharing their part of the world with you and there was always someone to talk to. Its also the gateway to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which is a sight to behold!

Stop 2 was Napili on the island of Maui. Maui is a very different island to the Big Island, and had plenty of things to do. We saw Honu (sea turtles) in the wild on an uncrowded beach, touched the sky from the top of a Volcano and took the narrow, windy road to Hana to see the real Hawaii. This was our first ever AirBnB experience, we shopped and lived like locals, ate some amazing food and explored the historic town of Lahaina.

Our third stop was on the island of Oahu, but away from the main tourist area. We lived like locals in Hale'iwa on the stunning North Shore. I love the island of Oahu so so much, and having the chance to stay on the North Shore, rather than just a day trip was on that bucket list. It is the most laid back town, where everyone is so friendly and happy to have a laugh. This place was my relaxation place and I will be back (hopefully next time in their winter to catch placed like Pipeline pumping).

And if you are after shopping and hitting up placed to see and be seen, there is not going past Waikiki (even if it is just to eat at The Cheesecake Factory). After spending time away from here, my love for Waikiki is fading, but seeing Diamond Head always makes me smile. It is my reminder that I am in the Hawaiian Islands - my favorite place on earth.

For those of you thinking of heading to the islands, please leave your questions for me and I will answer them when I do the more in depth blog posts. I love these places, and would love to pass on this love and knowledge so that others can fall in love too.

Chipboard

'Paradise' Desk Frame - Hawaii Theme

7:00 AM

I bought this little frame a while ago now, with the idea that I could put a quick photo in it then put it either on my scrap desk or my work desk. The frame wasn't too expensive and was purchased from Harvey Norman. The frame comes with the photo mat in it and the insert space is 4x4 inches. Just perfect for an Instagram photo.

This little project took no time at all to piece together, and would make a great little gift idea. Especially with Christmas just around the corner.

The photo that is in the frame was taken on our last trip to Hawaii in 2014 so I have gone with a tropical 'Hawaiian' theme for this project and it gave me the change to use some of my absolute all time favourite chipboard pieces.

All of the pieces that I have stuck down are Words or Whatever products. The pineapple, which is one of my absolute favourite pieces, has been coloured with sharpie makers, a gel pen and Tim Holtz distress ink. It has been stuck directly to the outside of the glass.

Another of my favourite pieces of chipboard that Words or Whatever have released are these mini palm trees. They look great coloured in black as a silhouette or in colour. This occasion I went with colour. These have been coloured in with sharpie markers and Tim Holtz distress ink. My next step was to make sure that there was a layered effect - One stuck on the outside of the glass and the other directly to the frame.

The paradise title is a Words or Whatever light wood veneer. It was actually the last piece that I pulled out of my stash for this project and I really wasn't sure where I was going to stick it, but I'm really happy that I worked with it to make it fit my idea.

For now this frame will be staying in my scraproom. It is proudly on display on top of my bookcase. It will end up on my scrap desk once my scraproom makeover is finished.

This project took all of half an hour to pull together. So simple yet so effective for personalising items either for yourself or as gifts.

12x12

'Hello Happiness' - Words or Whatever

6:30 AM

I have been hanging to share this layout with you all. This is my current favourite and it just came together so easily. I know that I am a bit biased in regards to photos from our Hawaii trip last year, as it is my ultimate paradise, but what you see in this photo, is exactly how it was to the naked eye. This spot was one of the most beautiful and relaxing views I have ever seen. And to think if it wasn't for a closed road, we would probably never have stopped here. This island really is my happiness and I am constantly longing to go back.

Hello Happiness

Using chipboard 'let me tell you the story' journal prompt (WOW2348), chipboard palm trees (WOW2322)

I have used a few of the new May Words or Whatever chipboard releases on this layout. I found the 'let me tell you the story' journal prompt fitted really well in the space I had, and draws a bit of attention to the journaling. This one has been painted black.

How cute (and appropriate) are these little chipboard palm trees. These have been painted in the same black as the journal prompt. I think they will be a staple in my chipboard collection going forward! I also love the little bottle top saying. 'There is something beautiful on the horizon'. Doesn't it just fit Hawaii so well.

As these palm trees come in a sheet, there are plenty of different options to fit your project. This next one is a double that leans the opposite direction. And a good old flair from {A Flair for Buttons}. Another staple in my stash.

I love the look of white on white, and in this case it looks like cream on white. Texture as a slight feature just seemed to work so well on this layout. These dots are a new Altamatz from Words or Whatever, and I love that they gave me a few target points to add the blue sequins to.

I love that this layout is based on white space. Things are very disjointed (rather than all of the usual layering), but they all work in harmony together. This was a quick page to pull together too. I'm just about as in love with this and I am with Hawaii in general.

Thanks for calling past.