yummy honey

 

one of the first things that caught my eye when i first spotted a jar of volcano island honey was the label. the artwork was donated by dietrich varez, the noted big island linoblock artist (and one of my favorites), who must be a fan of the lovely organic white honey. in addition to the original honey, you can also savor honey with a ginger, lilikoi or lehua twist.

the artisanal honey company has been sharing their nectar for 25 years and it has been said to be "some of the best honey in the entire world". the secret may be that the honey is harvested from a kiawe forest on the big island where some sort of alchemy occurs when the unique topography and nature meet up with the honeybees.

volcano island honey can be found at specialty shops around the islands. if you're ordering online remember that there is minimum order of $40 to avoid a shipping surcharge or just stop by your nearest whole foods which also stocks the honey.

oaks hawaii fall/winter 2006

woo hoo. there are a lot of cute designs to look forward to in the fall/winter collection for oaks hawaii. i'm all over the stripe patch tee (love the peace sign and the not quite half sleeves) and have started to wonder if it is possible to covet all the tops in the new collection?

mo hoodie

i am particularly fond of the mo hoodie which would hit a nice balance on cooler autumn days when it's a bit too warm for a long sleeve but your arms will freeze if they are too exposed. the detail on the cuff is simply lovely. and don't forget to take a peek at the latest fabulous boho deconstructed skirts that oaks is known for (and featured earlier this summer).

honokaa hideaway

for those of you thinking of heading to the big island with the latest airfare deal, avoid the overpriced, tourist-filled resorts and go explore one of my favorite places on earth: the hamakua coast. the proprietors of waianuhea offer all the comforts you would expect from a small b+b inn like homemade breakfasts and afternoon wine tastings, but non-luddites will appreciate rooms stocked with modern luxuries like dvd players and lcd tvs.

the inn is also off the grid, powered solely by solar panels, so you know that you are treading lightly while visiting one of the most beautiful spots in the islands. the reviews over at tripadvisor are stellar and, more importantly, the tex drive-in is down the road which means the best malasadas on the island are just minutes away.

beat that waikoloa!

ocean vodka

one of the things on my "to do" list while i was home was to check out first friday in chinatown. we didn't get far when my mom spotted the hasr wine co. and drifted into their courtyard to check out the wine tasting going on inside.

while my mom was off investigating the wines, i spotted bottles of maui-based ocean vodka (which was launched earlier this summer) being poured. since a strong cup of tea is as hard as i go, i nudged my other half who was game to sample the first vodka made in hawaii (his review: smooth!).

unfortunately, the faa ban on liquids prohibited us from picking up anything larger than a trial size bottle to stash in our suitcase so hopefully ocean vodka will be stocked on the mainland soon.

here are a few cool things about the company for those of you thinking of adding a bottle of ocean vodka to your home bar:

1. the vodka is organic
2. it's made from actual ocean water (courtesy of the folks behind mahalo deep water)
3. they have pledged to donate a portion of profits to environmental groups working to save the ocean

as for me, i managed to score a few bottles of pineapple & mango soda from waialua soda works before the night was over (review: refreshing!).

muumuu heaven freebie

ku'uipo coral + monsterra dreaming

one of the many life meets blog moments happened on the flight home when mu'umu'u heaven was featured on hawaiian airlines' in-flight programming/magazine. it was nice to get a glimpse into life at mu'umu'u heaven which seemed to be filled with pretty girls twirling around in their fabulous skirts while a wee baby and happy dog played in the background.

and what do i find in my inbox yesterday but news of a size addition to mu'umu'u heaven's collection (extra large, natch) plus a sweet mahalo freebie for their expanding fan base.

details:

• order a one-of-a-kind skirt *or* embellished tank & receive an embellished i (heart) recycling tank top
• request sml or lrg on order form if the standard issue med/one size fits all won't work for you
• offer expires sat, sep 30th