Learn about the Origin, History and Tradition of Polynesian Tattoo Art in this in-depth article

If you're looking for some fun party ideas or a gift idea for a new mommy in your life, then you've come to the right place! It's amazing what you find when you are on social media. Our favorite this week is the new mom wine labels! We also LOVE that Pineapple Under the Sea

Try flavorful, meaty short ribs with a sweet, Polynesian-style glaze as an alternative to conventional barbecued ribs.

A yummy, easy and super flavorful dinner meal! Grilled Hawaiian Chicken recipe bursting with salty, sweet, tangy flavors serve with grilled pineapple on a bed of coconut rice. Save well as leftovers and perfect for meal prep as well!

The 3rd graders created beautiful polynesian art in celebration of their artist in Residence program in November. These pictures were created in two steps: First, each child painted a beautiful watercolor background in rainbow order, then they painted stunning silhouettes of palm trees. All of these pictures were very unique and very beautiful. They provided an elegant background for the program.

I'd like to make a big shout out to Tracie from SSAB (Samoan Stationery and Books) for getting my sister and I in contact with Cliff Cole of Tautua Ink in Avondale regarding a lima malu or sacred hand tatoo for Samoan women. The first time I noticed one was last year during a community meeting that I attended and the woman who wore it was in her 70s and when I asked her about it, she didn't venture into any details. Then when I was in Samoa, last July, I became aware of it through one of my sister in laws discussing how many Samoan women from overseas were travelling to Samoa and requesting the lima malu on hand and/or legs. It reminds me of the taulima (or tattooed arm band or wrist band) in the 1990s and then in the last 5 years the rise and interest of getting the leg malu or original malu on the legs now followed by this new phenomenon of have a malu tatooed on one hand usually. There is much history regarding the origins of the malu that have been lost in time but some of the iconology that is used still remains the same for example: centipede caterpillar stars jellyfish birds footsteps the sacred womanhood icon etc. Other icons that have been added onto the traditional symbols are the 'cross' of Christianity, possibly the fish and people icons but I stand to be corrected as well as there is still much for me to learn about this important tattoo for woman. One thing that I am sure of is that it is an honour to wear it and a very humbling experience as I believe that what a tufuga ta tatau (Master carver) tatooes on an individual is the tatoo choosing the person and not the other way around. I would also like to ask for women wearing either of the tatooes to remember that one must be cautious and aware of this ancient form of tatoo that carries with it responsibilities and expectations in wearing marks of honour, love, belonging etc. One must wear it in a way that is respectful and in humility of not bringing disrepute to it and carrying it appropriately with dignity and mana as the intellectual property does not belong to you but to Samoa. Definitely something worth considering of not wearing it lightly...

Here is an easy project for your kids to do this summer. Making an Edible Hawaiian Lei is a fun hands on craft that is also a sweet treat.

Rather than mayo, this Polynesian-inspired coleslaw with sesame seeds uses a soy sauce-peanut sauce for a change of pace.

The science and stories behind the remarkable Polynesian settlement of the South Pacific and finally New Zealand, with plentiful illustrations and maps\nThe Polynesian navigator Kupe is credited with the discovery of the land his expedition named Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud. How did he and the many canoes that followed find their way without modern navigational techniques through perilous seas in wooden canoes? By examining myth, star charts and contemporary Polynesian seafaring, Jeff Evans traces the methods by which the early explorers made their epic voyages in Part One. The book's second part travels with Maori canoe expert Matahi Brightwell and navigator Frances Cowan aboard the traditional canoe Hawaiki-nui following traditional navigation - with no modern aids - on its historic voyage from Tahiti down to New Zealand.

Glazed in a homemade yakitori sauce, these Japanese Grilled Chicken and Scallion Skewers are hard to resist! You‘ll love this simple Yakitori recipe with an easy savory-sweet sauce that you can make ahead. It‘s great for grilling outdoors or under the broiler oven.

Physical map of Samoa showing major cities, terrain, national parks, rivers, and surrounding countries with international borders and outline maps. Key facts about Samoa.

Ever since I first spotted this recipe on the blog A Beautiful Bite, I've been dying to make it. Melanie actually calls her salad "Crunchy Polynesian Salad." The salad isn't terribly sophisticated, but it sounded fun and different. I love her unique, crunchy additions - toasted ramen noodles and macadamia nuts! I made this salad

For those of you who like trying recipes, here's a few I recommend. First up, some terrific friends I know in real life: Spanish Home Fries or Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting {tremendously great friend, vegetarian so I don't tend to use most of her recipes, but go have a look, you might find something you'll love...and she's ridiculously fun and sweet to boot!} Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry with Quinoa, Peppers, and Basil And some incredible bloggy friends :): Mary's Garlic Chicken Pasta with Red Peppers Chicken Couscous Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Basil Grilled Chicken Snickerdoodles More recipes than you can imagine I'd also like to share with you my mom's Polynesian Chicken recipe. I think she got it passed down through the family, but I'm not certain. It's probably from an old cookbook somewhere, so my apologies for not sighting it, I have no idea its originality. I like to get just thighs and drumsticks and intermix them. Buy a large package of thighs and a large package of drumsticks, spray a 9 x 13 inch pan lightly with cooking spray, add chicken. Mix the apricot preserves and russian dressing, add onion soup mix and stir. Camera was having issues. So like the Sandra Bullock line in While You Were Sleeping... I just don't remember it being this orange.... Pour over the chicken. Cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours at 300°. Mom used to always do this while we were at church {along with baked potatoes in the oven at the same time} and it'd get slightly burnt/black and crispy but it almost tastes better that way! So don't be afraid to cook it longer. Add a starch and veggie, and you've got yourselves a yummy meal!

A few months ago we went to a fair while we were on vacation. My daughter became fascinated by the squirting race game that they had. She referred to it as “the contest”. We all played the game together and our daughter won of course. After her victory, she was able to select her prize. […]

Here's your chance to print and colour your own Samoan flag!

Free printable beginner level worksheets to learn and/or teach the Samoan language.

These colourful Handprint Parrots are fun and easy to make, the perfect summer craft to do with kids! Suitable for ages 0 to 5 years old.

I don’t know about you, but we can’t get enough of the Disney Moana movie around here! More often than not somebody in our house is singing “I’m so shiny!” (ok, it’s usually me 🙂 ). So naturally, with a house full of Moana fans, I set to work creating a Moana craft for the kids. And I came up with this super-easy Moana paper plate craft, inspired by the shiny Tamatoa crab!You’re going to love how easy this paper plate craft is to make. Plus, I created a free printable to help you along the w

Happy Wednesday everyone! I missed my wish list last week, but I have definitely found some goodies I would love to share.....and hope to...

Welcome to our first Wednesday Sketch Challenge of September! As the summer winds down it's always fun to get back into the craft cave and create. And man oh MAN the September release sure is filled with inspiration, don't you think? Below you'll find Sketch 244. Create cards, scrapbook layouts, home decor, treat containers, mixed media, etc. using this week's sketch and be sure to link your project below for a chance at the weekly My Favorite Things Gift Voucher worth up to $20. Let's give a warm welcome to this month's MFT Challenge & Inspiration Guest Designer, Lindsay Amrhein! Lindsay is a busy mother of two boys, but somehow she manages to cram in time to create. It's one way she can relax after a busy day! Because time is a factor (and isn't it for all of us?), Lindsay tends to make uncomplicated cards with pops of color and clean and simple designs. Lindsay has been playing along with our sketch challenges since January. It's always fun to see what she has created with products from My Favorite Things! Let's look at how Lindsay interpreted her first sketch as our guest designer: Sketch 244 is a simple one which is perfect for Lindsay's uncomplicated design sense. A bold rectangle takes the place of the tag, and she used her stellar coloring skills to created a tropical scene by combining the Birds of Paradise and Polynesian Paradise stamp sets. The lovely florals not only create a spot for the bird to rest, but it also takes the place of the banner of the sketch. The Challenge Team is at it again with inspiring creations. Let's see how they interpreted Sketch 244! Alice elaborated on the sketch to creat this fun scene using the brand new London Mouse stamp set and London Skyline Die-namics. Big Ben replaces the tall aspect of the tag in the sketch while the utterly adorable mouse stands sentinel. Erin Lee sticks pretty closely to the sketch with the tag, the banner, and the rectangular panel. Her design is super glamorous with the gorgeous brand new Delicate Pretty Poppies stamp set and the Etched Flower Background stamp. Jill rocked out new stamps, Die-namics, and a stencil to create this energetic card. The Soda Pop line features all sorts of fun puns and iconic images. I love how Jill took the sketch and then angled it for this bubbly design. Miriam's stunning poppies steal the show on a crisp white banner. The contrast of the black sentiment and border frame the lovely design, and her artistic use of the Scattered Bars stencil creates a magnificent backdrop. Like Erin Lee, Vera stays pretty true to the sketch, but look how different the two cards turn out! The POWER of good sketch, don't you agree? I love how she paired the whimsical birds from the Birds of Paradise stamp set with the subtle and intricate background stamping. A very pretty juxtaposition, indeed! Veronica double layered the banner in place of the tag and inked up the brand new Fall Florals stamp set and Die-namics for this delightful autumnal bouquet. She is a master of mixing all sorts of pretty inks. Congratulations, DJ Rants! You are the randomly selected winner of last week’s sketch challenge. You can view all the entries for last week’s challenge HERE. Download previous sketches in handy PDF format on our Printable Resource Page HERE. Want to challenge yourself even MORE head to the MFT blog to see how YOU can be a Card Design Superstar! Simply click on the photo below for all of the juicy details. You have until Tuesday, September 8th, at noon EDT to add your link and be eligible for the prize of up to $20 in MFT Cash to be spent in the MFT boutique. Winners are chosen at random, so everyone has a chance! The weekly prize is a $15 Gift Voucher to My Favorite Things, but if you use MFT stamps and/or dies in your project, you’ll receive an extra $5. Watch for shout outs on the blog every Tuesday, too! We'll feature fun, unique, clever, and noteworthy projects submitted using MFT products with design tips and trend talk. Who knows? You might be SPOTTED! Share your cards on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the hashtag #mftstamps. Join the fun at our MFT Challenge & Inspiration group on Facebook! Lindsay InLinkz.com Alice InLinkz.com Erin Lee InLinkz.com Jill InLinkz.com Miriam InLinkz.com Vera InLinkz.com Veronica InLinkz.com As always, we are thrilled to have you participate in our inspiring sketch challenges! Susan R. Opel, Creative Ambassador for My Favorite Things An InLinkz Link-up

Scarlet went to sleep-away camp for the first time this summer - the same camp I went to as a kid. She loved it! I, on the other hand, was having mini-panic-attacks the whole time.