live aloha campaign

 

if you are one of the growing number of kama'aina concerned about creating a more sustainable future for the islands, meet up with like minded souls during this weekend's live aloha campaign hosted by kanu hawaii. the (almost) island-wide event is filled with projects to help "brighten our communities" on the big island, kauai and oahu.

volunteers can choose to donate sweat equity on an affordable housing build (kauai), help public housing residents with beautification projects (all islands), or share their arts & crafts talent with moms and keiki at a local women's shelter (oahu).

sign-up details are posted on kanu's website.

• when: sat, jun 20th
• fyi: lunch will be provided at all events

p.s. oahu volunteers who recruit five friends will also score a kanu tee for their kokua.

organik spring/summer 2009

happy news for organik fans! the big island-slash-nw-based label has gotten its eco-friendly line into whole foods at kahala mall and released its threads from the earth spring/summer 09 collection.

the hand screened styles continue to be printed on planet friendly fibers ranging from organic cotton to bamboo knits and recycled textiles. new for the season - yoga pants and accessories including a gorgeous bamboo shawl and a fun kona coffee burlap tote that gives new life to the sturdy bags used by local farmers to store their beans.

more peeks below . . .

peacock tee + swallowtail shawl

butterfly beauty

herons

pirates + soul music

beach bum bag

inside the green room

in other news, organik recently opened up a new space on the big island (near costco) which stocks overstock styles from past seasons and misprints/seconds for those who are not too picky about perfection. the green room will also feature the work of local artists and is the exclusive big island dealer for bret surfboards from the north shore.

• where: 73-5580 maiau street, unit g, kailua-kona
• shop hours: by appt only or when the surfboard sign is out

alas, you can only scoop up a handful of styles in the online shop (w's there; m's here) so click over to the stockist list to support your neighborhood purveyor of organik goods.

the gaymazing race

as a devoted amazing race fangirl, i could not let ravenchase's recent announcement pass by without a mention. the cleverly titled gaymazing race takes place in waikiki next weekend with an open invitation to use your beauty, brawns and brains plus a little ooh la la to break down clues and race to the finish line for a chance to compete for the top prize.

• when: sat, jun 27th - 5p
• tix: $25 per player

p.s. big island and maui readers can also join the fun with upcoming races scheduled in hilo and lahaina (click the above link for more details).

tex message

i promised to share a few favorite finds from my last trip home and realized that a month has whizzed by with nary a mention. like any good local girl, many happy moments have been spent waiting in line for freshly fried malasadas with most of my sugar rolled moments (hold the cinnamon and fancy fillings, please) compliments of leonard's which is, imho, the gold standard.

it was only on a trip to the big island a few years ago that my fella and i discovered the delicious dough fried up at the tex drive-in. where leonard's version is light and airy (making it easy to justify many, many bites), tex offers up a denser delight sturdy enough that any leftovers will miraculously hold up until the next day (although you may want to warm it up and sprinkle a little sugar on top).

a piping hot tex malasada is one of the perks of kicking it on the hamakua coast which is home to tex's only outpost (in honoka'a off hwy 19). we typically take our order to go and savor the sugary treats while soaking up the breathtaking views from our rustic rental cottage overlooking the waipio valley.

next time you find yourself on the big island make your way to tex's and sample the sugar rush for yourself.

• where: 45-690 pakalana street, honoka'a

bon appétit!

kilauea confidential

birth of the unreckoning

since my fella is a fan of both lava and local boy slash la-based artist edwin ushiro, i suspect he will be coveting edwin's latest piece, birth of the unreckoning, which paper tiger has just released as a limited edition print.

the offering to madame pele, inspired by the whispered tales of big island sightings of the goddess of fire, sports a reasonable price tag ($100) considering its size (12x12) and that edwin has signed and numbered each print.

of course, with only 25 prints to go around you best hele over to paper tiger's online shop for a chance to add one to your personal gallery.