clear blue hawaii

molokini kayak

okay, i'm not the most sporty girl but i love to kayak. most anyone can do it and you can explore areas untouched by land locked humans like a calm lagoon or enjoy an ocean ride without a surfboard. the only downside is that you never really get to see what's going on down below unless a dolphin swims by or a flying fish jumps in front of you.

then clear blue hawaii introduced their molokini kayak which has racked up kudos for its innovative transparent design. yep, now you can peek beneath the ocean waves at the underwater world beneath you without jumping in the water. the molokini is built for two and you can even add an outrigger system if you prefer a smooth ride.

blue sun solar backpack

clear blue hawaii also makes inflatable & folding kayaks plus neat travel gear that utilize solar power. the blue sun solar backpack would be super handy when you're on the road and need to keep your cell phone, lap top, ipod, etc. charged no matter where life takes you.

most of their gear is available at clear blue hawaii's website, via hammacher schlemmer, or if you're the touchy-feely type click here to find a dealer near you.

akane clothing

as the year winds down, a lot of folks will start cleaning out their closets to gather up donations for charity. so what happens when your tax deductions hit the rack at goodwill? emerging island designer zana tsutakawa just may see potential in your discards when she's shopping at island thrift shops for threads to deconstruct for her up & coming clothing line.

you never know where you might bump into that old skirt once it has been transformed into a new piece for akane clothing. the line has become a favorite of the club crowd and island fashionistas who want to make a statement and has been flying off the rack at h|h favorite ma honolulu. each piece that is created is also numbered so you know you're getting a one of kind design for that recently edited closet.

guys also get some akane love so click here to check out the men's line.

kauai caffeine fix

despite the fact the i am quite possibly one of the few people on earth who don't drink coffee, one thing i know is that coffee lovers everywhere swoon when you gift them with a bag of coffee from hawaii. the big island typically gets all the glory but did you know that coffee farms also exist on the other islands? in fact, kauai was the first island in hawaii to establish a commercial coffee farm way back in 1836.

kauai also happens to be home to the blair estate which grows 100% organic coffee on their farm north of kapaa. you really get to understand life on a coffee farm on their super informative website, but if you want to see the journey from coffee bean to cup of joe firsthand, the owners also welcome the public to take a tour of the family owned farm.

of course, if you can't get yourself over to kauai you can still savor blair estate coffee (and chocolate covered beans, and guava jam, and lilikoi butter . . . yum!) via their online shop where the beans patiently wait to be freshly roasted until the order button is clicked.

reversible island style

audrey handbag (circa 1960's)

one peek inside the closet and you will discover that, more often than not, a girl can never have too many bags. denise tjarks, a handbag designer based on kauai, originally kicked off her business by whipping up bags made out of vintage muumuu fabric, but with demand outpacing supply she was inspired to expand the line to include a mix of modern textiles.

an added bonus is that all the styles are reversible which make the bags infinitely more versatile. if bags aren't your thing, denise recently introduced reversible fabric belts which are too cute for words and would definitely add some flair to your favorite pair of jeans.

and, lucky you, even if you are not ready to get a head start on your holiday shopping, you can still take advantage of the free shipping offer which is available on all orders until the end of the year!

sustainable sugar cane

most people don't give much thought to the humble paper plate holding their picnic/potluck feast but remember this biodegradable dinnerware the next time you drive past yet another subdivision. the cool thing is that these plates and cups are made from sugar cane fiber so not only are a few more trees saved from the chopping block, but it also prevents the bagasse, which is a byproduct of the sugar refining process, from being burned and generating more air pollution.

the irony for the islands, of course, being that all the sugar cane land that used to dot the landscape  and which has been systematically cleared away for development seems to have found a renewed life in the 21st century.