Upcycled Business Magnets

My classroom had tons of business magnets all over the magnetic board. The advertisements of lawyers and pizza discounts were making the board look cluttered, so I upcycled them. Here are the basic steps for this simple craft project, which makes use of scrap paper and prevents these magnets from ending up in the landfill.


1. Peel off the top layers of the ad (usually thin plastic and paper layers).


2. A thin layer of rough paper should be left. Cut the magnet to desired size and shape. I left most of the magnets as is, except for one, which I cut into a heart (see top picture).


3. Trace the magnet on the paper you want to use. I used scrap pieces of craft paper and origami paper which were left over from former projects. Thicker paper (e.g. card stock) works better than thinner paper.


4. Cut out the traced piece and glue on the magnet. I used a thin layer of all-purpose glue. Smooth out the any bubbles and let dry.


5. All pau! Ready to be posted on the fridge, board, or filing cabinet.
Simple and easy. Cute and functional.

Crafty Therapy

Unfortunately, I was under the weather during the latter part of my Spring Break. I used some of this downtime to whip together a few cards and decorate some mini photo albums, while sipping on honey-ginger tea.

Pearl and the Beard

Jeff stumbled across this band on YouTube. This particular song gave us flashbacks from our wedding reception, when our uber-talented friend Anna rapped the Fresh Prince intro before singing Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am."
Oh, and in one of their other videos they play the KAZOO, like Anna did during her Zee Avi song.
Get jiggy wit' it!

For more music that we've been listening to, check out our Tunes page.

To Sophia

I especially wanted to share this online book with my hanai niece Sophia, all the way over on the mainland. Since I can't be there in person to hang out with you, here's a link to a cool storybook that you can read with your mommy, who's one of my dear friends.
An Awesome Book of Thanks!
I hope you enjoy the artwork and the message! I miss you both!
~Aunty Gee

Missing Taco

What is this world coming to?
Taco has his own blog now:
http://missingtaco.blogspot.com/

Anniversary Photoshoot

We asked our friend Alyssa to shoot some casual pictures of us to commemorate our first anniversary. The shoot was kinda last minute- we just walked around Kapolei with Taco while the sun was setting. The rest of our favorite shots are posted on Jeff's website... please click here to check them out:
http://www.moderntwistphotography.com/blog

Anniversary Lunch

It's been a year already! Jeff and I celebrated our first anniversary this past Sunday on March 13. Mom gathered a few friends to have lunch at the Kapolei Golf Course, where our wedding reception was held last year. Being at the restaurant brought back many happy memories!
Later, Jeff and I went to mom and dad's house for a lil cake.

7 Turtles and a Reptile

After visiting Haleiwa's main strip, we stopped by one of my favorite spots in the island. This semi-secluded beach often has turtles swimming near the shore or basking on the sand. Today, we spotted at least seven in the water, each about four feet in length.


Below, Mia and Mariah posing near two turtles.


When Jeff and I arrived at our apartment complex, I spotted this little guy crawling on the pavement under our car. We're not sure if he (she?) hitchhiked on our car from somewhere on the North Shore, or if he came from somewhere in our complex. I'm just glad we didn't run him over when we parked the car.
He's a Jackson chameleon and had the word "Danny" written on his back. The yard maintenance crew came over when the saw Jeff taking pictures of him and said they would turn him into the manager's office.

Haleiwa Trip

Jeff and I took Taco, and our lil hanai sisters Mia & Mariah to the North Shore for some sight-seeing, shave ice, and strolling on the beach. The weather was warm, sunny, and clear- perfect for cruising and relaxing.

Brown is the new Green

Soooo, we are back on Oahu!
No more gushing waterfalls, trees, constant ocean views, and ubiquitous greenery.
We're back to brown-ery.
And cement.
And graffiti!

The Story of Tori

Tori is the youngest gal of the Tolentino-Quatro-Sisterhood... I've known her since she was a wee little tyke, and now she is a high school Senior, which makes me feel like a senior citizen. Tori and her sibs- Ariel, Kayla, and Ashley (in backwards chronological order of birth), along with her fashion stylist, Alys, joined us on the shoot. The result? Hours of sassy, giddy fun. We ended the eve with some group shots in a movie theater parking lot. To see the rest of the pics, check out Jeff's site: moderntwistphotography.com
Click on Blogo. My fave is the Spidey pose.