Apr 21 
with earth day just a day away, bungalow 9's new recycled canvas tote takes the shop's popular word art banners featuring kauai's favorite towns and beaches and translates the design into a to go edition.
a delightful find for both garden isle modernists and faraway dreamers, no?
$32 in-store. (phone and email orders welcome)
Mar 29 
look what i spied while browsing through re-nest's list o' etsy favorites this morning! how fun would these plyboo cutting boards of the hawaiian islands be at your next soirée? kaho'olawe appears to be missing, but still a darling pupu display for a luau, wedding, or weekend gathering.
made by brooklyn's aheirloom who is happy to customize the placement of a little heart to mark your hometown or favorite island spot.
$40 online.
p.s. mainland states also offered.
design, eat, gifting, home sweet home, locals only big island, eco goodness, kaua'i, kitchen, lana'i, maui, molokai, oahu Feb 25 
mainland week is about to come to a close and i hope you were inspired by the kama'aina lovelies sharing a hint of the islands in their adopted hometowns. before we wrap it up, let me introduce you to today's gorgeous find!
while visiting san diego last fall, i spied a mention of tend owner britton neubacher in a local glossie and became curious to find out more about her oahu connection. while dishing with britt over email, we discovered that we lived just down the street from each other in hawaii kai, and possibly crossed paths during after school candy trips to the pantry on the corner.
even before we shared that small world moment, the mini landscapes found within tend's earthy terrariums (known as eco orbs) already had me at hello. since i hope to one day cultivate a green thumb, it seems only appropriate that my gateway to garden nirvana be grounded with a blush of succulents and other botanical delights which are both drought-tolerant and resistant to my ineptness.
i just love how the modern terrariums are an effortless way to bring nature's abundance indoors and can be set on a table top or hung as a floating garden. britt also plants spectacular living walls around san diego, and creates eco-friendly wonders for cali weddings inspired by nearby deserts with the help of succulents, proteas, air plants, and locally harvested flowers.
let's step on the lanai for a few of the fetching possibilities . . .
while hawaii friends willing to source plants locally are welcome to order just the fixings, the four varieties of pre-composed eco orb kits with greenery can only be yours if you call the mainland home. until tend's online shop launches later this year, place your diy order at pigment's plant lab or make your way to the north park storefront when in san diego.
price tag starts at $25 with four sizes to woo you. and do say hello to britt if you require loveliness for your home or i do's.
p.s. find glimpses of britt's latest botanical riffs on tending to it (cheekily subtitled notes from a garden hoe), and follow her monthly column on design milk for modern plant musings.
{photo credit: 1-4/scott caligure & 5/sarah yates}
Feb 22 
hello, hello! mainland week is traveling across the country to nyc today where honolulu designer lehua chong recently established a small letterpresserie called hour of nine. the lovely jeweler misa hamamoto can be credited for introducing me to the eco-friendly paper goods printed on lehua's antique letterpress machine, and i found myself completely charmed by the sweet whimsy of her lovable supermonsters trio.
before hour of nine made its first impression, the former fashion publicist was sending handmade postcards to friends as an old fashioned hello. the lucky recipients were so delighted to find the unexpected notes in their mailbox that lehua became encouraged to start her own stationery line. the debut collection is filled with eclectically inked designs drawing on the twinkle of furry friends and reimagined architectural elements to the ethnic flourish of hindu weddings and makahiki celebrations.
despite being only a few months old, hour of nine has already received coverage in the ny times and made the cut at the standard hotel's gift shop.
intrigued?
as hinted above, lehua opted for tree-free cardstock selecting 100% bamboo paper which also happens to be chlorine-free. and, custom orders are always welcome whether you require a full wedding invitation suite to social stationery and business cards.
if you call nyc home, you can find a selection of hour of nine notes at the standard, or click over to the online shop where card sets start at $17.
{mahalo misa!}
design, hour of nine, paper goods, wedding eco goodness, love nest, studio Feb 11 
love is in the air which can only mean the valentine's day flower hunt is heating up. if you swoon for the artfully arranged blooms featured in the dreamiest weddings, yet ever elusive at the corner florist, do have a peek at rainforest if you call oahu home. floral designer and shop proprietor michael miyashiro creates the most lush bouquets and just happens to be one of the very first eco-sensitive florists in the islands.
now you know why michael was chosen to style all the flowers required on my wedding day. he is truly an artiste and his lei designs, reknowned far beyond the islands for their intricate beauty, are what first led me to his shop. our moms absolutely adored the lei they were given on our wedding day and raved about their exquisite craftsmanship. high praise considering the many lei they have worn over the years! our wedding maile (which we exchanged in place of rings) were each beautifully wrapped in a pu'olo, as instructed by our kahus, and remains the loveliest maile lei we have been lucky enough to wear.
but let's allow the flowers to speak for themselves . . .
i also love that michael looks to the stars to create birthday flowers inspired by your zodiac sign, and designs arrangements tailor made for your fella.
the rainforest 'ohana will be busy playing cupid this valentine's weekend so just know that pre-orders and pickups are welcome, and oahu deliveries are available for a fee. lei can also be shipped to the mainland.
have you discovered any more eco-friendly, indie florist shops around the islands? if so, please share!
p.s. if you are searching for more valentine's ideas, wander through the blossoms to find the perfect petals.
{photo credit: rainforest}
blossoms, gifting, rainforest eco goodness, lanai-garden, oahu 
