Sunday, October 10, 2010

We have a Winner- Congratulations Melissa!

Mahalo to everyone to entered the Halloween skirt giveaway.  A big congrats to Melissa- I'll be sending you an email :)

"That skirt is adorable! My daughter would love it. 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I end up winning ;) "

Friday, October 1, 2010

Halloween Skirt Giveaway

Oh oh oh.....a rule slipped my mind in all the excitement of sponsoring a flash giveaway & having 400+ fans!  So, I'm moving the giveaway contest here to the blog.  All those who commented on the Fan Page, I'll update your entry here :) 


If you are a fan/follower, remember Oct. 1 to Oct. 5- Buy 1 & Get the 2nd 1/2 Off at Hot Lava Clothing Just let me know you are a fan or follower in the notes to seller during checkout.  Discount will be taken from the item of lesser value & refunded through Paypal or email me at hotlavaclothing@hawaii.rr.com for a reserved listing 


To see more pictures, please visit my Etsy Shop
Winner will be drawn at random on Oct. 9th 2010
at 5pm HST (8pm PST/11pm EST).


1 entry per person & of course, share w/ your friends!  Winner will be drawn at random on Oct. 9th  Skirt is available in Sizes 6mos to 10 (well, newborns too :) )

Winner will be announced here and on the fan page on Oct. 11th!








To enter:  
Either follow my blog
Tell me your favorite item from my shop
Or  "like" Hot Lava Clothing  
(current followers/fans eligible).
and then comment here on the blog along with your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

A nice Hawaiian morning

Thought I'd quickly share the view from our backyard.  Things have been incredibly busy lately- my husband had reconstructive knee surgery a few months ago and things have been going well with my Etsy shop & with getting items stocked at the Olivia Clare Boutique in Hawi.  The kids have been back in school for about a month now so we're all getting settled in the swing of things again :)

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Hot Lava Clothing May Giveaway Winners!

Mahalo to everyone for entering :)  Here are May's winners!


1st Winner is Comment #61

Snowflake07 -tweet: http://twitter.com/SnowflakeDay/statuses/14880030830
Giveaway Prize: Your choice of a Girls Hawaiian Dress







2nd Winner is Comment #76
Giveaway Prize:  Your choice of a Girls Skirt or Boys Shorts





3rd Winner is Comment #38
I tweeted about your giveaway today :)
Giveaway Prize:  A coupon for $10 Off any purchase at my Etsy Shop

Friday, May 21, 2010

Food: Using leftover Roasted Potatoes for Potato Salad

Using up leftovers ... like I mentioned on my Facebook fan page, there's more to life than fabrics & threads :).

I will admit- unless it has to do with actual baking (ie cakes, breads, cookies) we don't measure that often... its more like a dash of this, a handful of that.  I should mention by the way, my Italian/Scottish husband is an excellent cook and his "gravy" (spaghetti sauce) is phenomenal.  He learned well from his mom and grandmothers.


We cook alot in our house.  Especially on the grill and last night one of the side dishes was roasted yukon gold potatoes accompanied with red bell peppers, sweet onions, garlic, olive oil, and a variety of spices (parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, & basil). Its particularly humid tonight so I've taken the leftovers & added mayonaise, dijon mustard, dill, chopped celery, grated carrots- easy homemade Potato Salad :)
 
Now, I realize its easy to buy pre-made potato salad but we like "really" knowing what we are feeding our family plus its an easy way to "disguise" a leftover as something new.
 
Back track to the roasted potatoes:
 
This easily serves 8 as a side dish or 4 with left overs for the potato salad
2lbs yukon gold potatoes, washed & cut to bit size cubes
1 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic 
parsley (roughly 3 TBSP dried)
Thyme ( 2 TBSP dried)
Oregano (2 tsp dried)
Basil (2 TBSP dried)
Rosemary (optional- 1 TBSP dried, or 2 TBSP fresh)
1/2 cup Virgin Olive Oil
 
We roast ours on the charcoal grill- stir frequently to avoid sticking for approximatley 45 minutes.
 
For the potato salad
Take the left over roasted potatoes and add the following:
1 stalk celery- cleaned & diced
1 medium carrot, peeled & grated
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup mayonaise (more for a creamier texture, less for a drier version)
dijon mustard 2 TBSP
Dill 1 tsp (dried)
Optional addition would be to add 2-3 hard boiled eggs, chopped or grated
 
This is a picture of mine
 

Hot Lava Clothing Giveaway!

I'm so happy and fortunate to have such great friends and customers :)  Hot Lava Clothing has grown to 200 fans/likers on Facebook and its time for a giveaway!!  There will be 3 prizes from Hot Lava Clothing

1st Winner:  Your choice of a Girls Hawaiian Dress
2nd Winner:  Your choice of a Girls Skirt or Boys Shorts
3rd Winner:  A coupon for $10 Off any purchase at my Etsy Shop

Here's a peek at a few of my favorites :)



Board shorts are a staple item here in Hawaii and popular not only for the beach/pool, but just to wear anyway :)

These are available in sizes 6mos to 10












Girls Hawaiian Halter Dress 6mos to 4T
and also available in 5T to 10

Hawaiian fabric prints make for such adorable dresses and I'm always so pleased when I see one ordered :)

My designs are so that the dress will fit her later on as a halter top too.









Of course, something for Juniors/Womens too.  I've recently added just a handful of things and will be adding more soon.

Womens Hawaiian Top
This top is cool & comfortable- shirred across the front & back and ties on the shoulder.  Perfect for the summer months.
















Here is how to enter:
Mandatory Entry - Visit Hot Lava Clothing (http://hotlavaclothing.etsy.com) and select one favorite item, leave 1 comment with your email address (so I can contact you if you win).

5 Entries - Purchase any item from Hot Lava Clothing (http://hotlavaclothing.etsy.com) , leave 5 comments

3 Entries - Blog about this giveaway, leave 3 comments and the link to your blog post

1 Entry - Become Hot Lava Clothing Facebook Fan/Liker (current fan is also eligible), see link on the right panel of the blog, leave 1 comment with your user ID or name

1 Entry - Follow Hot Lava Clothing on twitter, www.twitter.com/hotlavaclothing tweet about this giveaway (remember to add @hotlavaclothing on your tweet) , leave 1 comment each day you tweeted with the link to your tweet

You can also copy this tweet " Cute Clothes #Giveaway @hotlavaclothing  http://hotlavaclothing.blogspot.com/2010/05/hot-lava-clothing-giveaway.html "
***This Giveaway is open to USA, Canada & International***

There are so many different ways to win. This giveaway will end on Sunday May 31st at 11:59pm PST. Each entry is assigned a # and the winning # will be drawn and announced on this blog as well as emailed.

June 1, 2010 This giveaway is closed- please see this post for the winners :)
http://hotlavaclothing.blogspot.com/2010/06/hot-lava-clothing-may-giveaway-winners.html

Friday, May 7, 2010

Fast Food VS Home Cooked

Its been awhile (okay, a month) since I've posted on here but this is something that's been on my mind alot lately.  Without a doubt, I have a "large" family, 5 kids is nearly 3 times the "average" for the USA so while this may not work out to the same savings for every family, it definitely makes sense for us $$ wise but health wise too.

Let me preface this with the fact that my kids love the idea of fast food-- french fries, the toy, etc.  And, I will readily admit, I love Big Macs & french fries.  BUT these days, fast food has increasingly become more expensive than eating at home.  Not to mention how "bad" it really is-- the calories, the fat, the sugar, and all of the "ingredients" that make it taste so good.

We are a family of 7 (2 adults 5 kids) so eating at Mc D's, the King, etc. costs us about $45 by the time you factor in 4 kids meals (roughly $3.50 ea), 3 adult meals (about $6.50 each) plus a couple of extra burgers/sandwiches ($4.00/each).- afterall, my husband and oldest son (who is now 15)  can eat :)
So for us to eat at Mc D's--
$41.50 + 1.72 tax = $43.22 TOTAL  (not to mention the gas to drive to & back)

The comparison?  NY Steaks, a veggie, salad, garlic bread, & milk
$17.85 Steaks (3 large steaks is enough for all of us believe it or not)
     2.25 frozen veggie- 16 oz. white corn or green beans (pop in the microwave to cook)
     3.41 a loaf of pre-made garlic bread (reheat in the oven)
     1.62 1 head of organic romaine lettuce (salad)
     1.42 cherry tomatoes (salad)
        .75 shaved Pecorino Romano cheese (salad) + olive oil & balsamic vinegar dressing (homemade of course)
     2.00 1/2 gallon of milk
      4.00 charcoal for the grill plus the incidental electricity/water
$ 33.30 + 1.39 tax = $34.69 TOTAL

I could substitute the milk for Soda (soda pop) and it would probably add a $1.  Still, for nearly $10.00 LESS, my family gets a higher quality dinner at home, not to mention that its healthier.  I know that $35 for dinner isn't cheap by any means... so down the road, I'll post one that's even more budget friendly.

My reasoning for posting this isn't that I'm going "anti- fast food".  Its moreover a realization that eating at home is not only better for your family's health, but also the bank account.

Ah... and if I could, I've recently added a few things for Juniors/Womens.... take a peek!


With that thought... here are a few of my favorite finds from fellow Etsy sellers!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Sidetracked by Monster Eggs........

Ah okay... so I must admit, I have been on "blog vacation" for a while.  Things have been busy and still are as I am finishing up a second custom prom dress along with some other orders at my Shop on Etsy .

Here are a few pics of some fun Monster Easter Eggs my kids and I did- lots of fun though I have to say, the glue did not want to dry fast enough- I'm sure the "sweaty" eggs (condensation) didn't help.  All in all, the kids had fun and that's all that matters :D.


























Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Featuring Eco-Friendly Finds from The Green Haven on Etsy

Megan at TheGreenHaven.etsy.com has a great selection of eco-minded products- snack bags, gift bags, lunch bags and napkins- all re-useable which helps keep our environment healthy :) 

Here are just a few of the items found in her shop:

Hearts and Cookies Coffee Huggie (Coffee Cozy)















Cloth Cocktail Napkins - SET of 4- Fiesta in Pastels

 










Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Etsymom Street Team Giveaway-- SewBrookie

I really enjoy seeing what others create and by being a part of the Etsymom Street Team, I've met several very talented gals!  The Etsymom Street Team is a great support team and everyone there is extremely helpful so if you're a mom selling on Etsy, join us!  There's a February Giveaway going on at the Etsymom Street Team Blog so take a look and see a sampling of the wonderful creations.

One of them is SewBrookie . She uses beautiful all natural fabrics.  Here's just a few things at her Shop on Etsy--

www.sewbrookie.etsy.com




Friday, January 29, 2010

A few newly discovered things on Etsy

Just an update on a few new wonderful shops and items I've come across on Etsy.  I'm constantly amazed at the talent of these Artists.  Perusing their shops is a great way to be inspired by colors and themes.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
HotLavaClothing.etsy.com

Monday, January 25, 2010

Featuring items from Jennifer at Destiny's Treasures on Etsy

I met up with Jennifer @ Destiny's Treasures in the Etsy forums about a month ago.  She carries a little bit of something neat for everyone including cute Cat toys :) .  Her prices and shipping rates are reasonable so check out what she has in stock!

Here's a set of Toys any kitty is sure to love

Two Valentines Day Catnip Toys

















Something fun to hold your lipstick! (also available in light pink, Lavender, & hot pink)
Red Lips Lipstick Holder

















She also has a great selection of "How To" Books
Aida Plus Trinket Boxes Book


Spreading the Aloha Spirit

A dear friend of mine recently found out her husband has Stage 3 Brian Cancer that has been deemed inoperable.  They have 3 young children.  For the months of January and February I will be donating 1/2 of the profits from my shop to the familly to help defray their ongoing medical costs. 

Through the month of January everything at my Etsy shop is 25% off so its a win-win-- you save 25% and 1/2 of the profits go to deserving family!

Girls Peasant Top in Red and White Damask

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The first of the 2010 Additions....... Go Hawaiian :)

2010 is here and so are these cute Hawaiian Halter Dress for girls- from baby to Toddler & young ladies!  These dresses are easy to wear, easy to care for, and as she grows, they will continue to fit her as a halter top.

Adorable prints just perfectly picked for Spring and Summer- enjoy!  Clicking on the links will take you directly to the listing for more info.  You can view my entire shop by clicking here.











The Mod Plumeria Hawaiian Halter Sun Dress and  My Hula Girl Halter Sun Dress