Hello and welcome to Funkitch!  In this blog you will find instructions on how to do your own creative Home Projects and have some fun with Fashion Inspirations.

My name is Bita Arabian.  I live in northern California with my hubby, our two daughters, our Tibetan Spaniel, our Chi Dachsie pup, and our two kitties.

A little bit about me –

The one thing anyone who knows me will tell you is that I am Creative.  I have to attribute my strong right-brain attributes to my mother.  She is a true artist.  As long as I can remember we have had her beautiful oil paintings on the walls, both when I was growing up, and now, today, we enjoy my moms works.  My mom studied art and graphic design but mostly painted for pleasure.  When I was in school, she had a clothing boutique called ‘Jasmine Boutique’.  She had worldly designs, and hand-made sweaters (my mom is also a talented knitter), and interesting pieces specially adorned and improved.  So long story short (too late?), I grew up with a strong artistic influence and with a flair for fashion.

Another thing to know about me is that I have a passion for health and nutrition.  Opposite to my artsy mom, I also grew up in the same house with a very health minded father.  My dad practiced medicine for about 40 years and made sure we understood what healthy eating looks like.  We always had tons of fresh fruits and veggies in the house and were fortunate to have most meals home cooked in a healthy way.

I was born in Tehran, Iran and we emigrated to the United States in 1970.  Growing up in the mid-West with my extended family on the other side of the world, I quickly become very Westernized and American.  There is not much Iranian girl left in me other than a love for the food and strong family ties and relations.  My hubby and I both have extended family nearby now and so our kids have what I didn’t have growing up – lots and lots of extended family time.  We are hugely blessed in that way.

Selfie on our rope swing

I Love Kids – I have a background in teaching kids and have taught pre-school through middle school.  Since having my kiddo’s I have had fun teaching kinder art in a private studio and have gotten to get to know kids in our community by substitute teaching right here in our girls school district.  I enjoy time with kids of all ages.

I’m passionate about Health and Nutrition – Currently I help with many roles for a Silicon Valley start up called Kurbo Health.  I love the people I work with, being a part of a growing team in an effort to combat childhood obestiy.  At Kurbo we help kids and families learn about making healthy food choices and fitting exercise into their days.  We have a free app downloadable from the app store to help track food and exercise.  Kids can have their own Kurbo coach to offer suggestions, give tips, keep them motivated and help set goals.  I have the privilege of being a Kurbo coach!  I love chatting with my Kurbo kids once a week via Skype or FaceTime and helping kids and families across the country.

Blogging for me is a creative outlet and a chance for me to teach and share what I’ve learned.

Here’s a snapshot from our summer trip to Kauai, our all time favorite beautiful spot.

Summer trip in Kauai

I have fun working on Home Projects – We built our home from scratch 10 years ago.  It is modern style architecture with high ceilings and slanted roof lines.  Although I like the modern look, the vastness sometimes feels stoic and so I try to bring warmth to our home with fabrics and colors.  Every time I do a new home project I will share it with you and try to give details on how I did it, where to get the materials, and tips on what was easy or what went wrong.  I do some painting myself, my favorite being animal portraits.  I will share my paintings step by step with you as well.  Lastly, although I am not into sewing, I do love crochet and ‘no-sew’ projects.  I also love manipulating fabrics to come up with new designs.  I will share projects using fun fabric techniques, some basic crochet, and other clever tricks to freshen up looks in your home and in your closet.

I hope you will find inspiration in my posts and give me feedback when you try projects.  I truly love sharing and look forward to hearing from you!