shop letarte opening

the once sleepy beach town of paia has been abuzz with the opening of letarte's flagship boutique earlier this week. the letarte 'ohana (lisa designs the luxe swimwear line while sister michele handles all the behind-the-scenes business) designed the shop with an eye on sustainability including eco-friendly paint and lighting while offering packaging made from post-consumer recycled materials to tote your purchases home.

ana from letarte was kind enough to send along peeks from the 2009 collection which is already on the rack in the new shop. does anyone else think letarte's modern take of gorgeous island inspired patterns would be equally lovely at home?

peacock bikini

kenneth jay lane for letarte

handblock fish print one-piece

maya tunic

letarte surfboard

lisa & michele

the paia shop also stocks keiki line petite letarte, alora ambiance home fragrance, claus porto soaps, golden child jewelry, in2 design lariats, t-luxury & more.

• where: 24 baldwin avenue, paia
• fyi: 10% of purchases during opening week will be donated to surfrider's maui chapter.

p.s. off-island fans can scoop up select styles from the 09 collection in the newly relaunched online shop.

merrymaking goes upcountry

while the economic slump has everyone fretting about their holiday budget, the upside may be a little less commercially manufactured cheer and more appreciation for handmade goodness, festive moments with family and friends, and dazzling displays of twinkling lights.

one way to celebrate the season without dreading the arrival of the post-holiday bill collector is to kick off a new tradition with the help of ali'i kula lavender which is hosting weekly wreath workshops on its maui farm.

the hour long session includes materials and instruction, you just need to bring a little craft moxie to deck your space with a fancy wreath for a fraction of the cost.

• when: every fri, sat & sun (until dec 21st) - 10am
• where: akl, 1100 waipoli road, kula
• fee: $30
• fyi: reservations required

social wahines 2.0

danielle from social wahines recently sent along word that the group's new beta website has launched with the addition of an online social networking feature. it's like an über-exclusive facebook, an online pa'ina to meet new peeps and a way to help biz-minded island girls expand their empires.

the new features mean that sw is switching to paid memberships so, if you are already a member, you will need to re-establish your account to access all the good stuff including monthly networking events (at a discounted rate) plus member-only deals, message boards & much more.

annual memberships go for $65, however, to celebrate the new website, social wahines is offering h|h readers an introductory membership deal. it's on a sliding scale so the sooner you hele over and sign up, the more you save:

• $45 membership ($20 savings)
  secret code: swnov
  expires: sun, nov 30th

• $55 membership ($10 savings)
  secret code: swdec
  expires: wed, dec 31st

click rewind to learn more about social wahines.

p.s. once you register, please join the new h|h group on sw!

maui thing fall sale

tree fall + organic bubble tube dress

maui thing has become known for style staples with a message via artist-designed graphics featuring fresh translations of environmental issues affecting the islands. malia from maui thing just sent along word that the online shop is in the midst of a fall sale so click over to save 20% off everything sitewide!

spread the word + birdie tank

readers on maui are also invited to stop by the wailuku flagship for a weekend sale which kicks off with local singer/songwriter anuhea's cd preview party in-store tonight (6p).

• online sale: now to sun, oct 26th
• shop sale: now to sat, oct 18th
• where: 7 north market street, wailuku
• shop hours: mon to fri, 10a to 6p & sat, 10a to 4p

through the looking glass

floating

for the past year a photography technique called through the viewfinder (ttv) has captivated my imagination along with a growing community of online fans and enthusiasts. amateur and professional photographers capture modern day moments with a warm, vintage feel by first composing shots through an old medium format camera and then clicking away through the viewfinder with a digital camera.

it's a bit of a juggling act (and one i have yet to fully attempt) and, after an exhaustive search for beachy-type prints for my own walls, i happened across the recently opened etsy shop of maui photographer lisa brodzinski . . . after ordering them elsewhere. (murphy's law strikes again. sigh.)

while lisa studied photography early on, she only recently stumbled upon ttv and was instantly smitten with its dreamy nostalgic style. since her introduction to ttv, lisa has roamed the island snapping subjects from sunny beach scenes to moody rainy days along with a few sweet flower portraits and whatever else catches her fancy.

the appeal of ttv is that it seems to soften the edges of our 21st century go-go world giving everything a vintage glow like old photos stuck in the pages of forgotten family albums documenting midcentury life.

carry me

sugar beach

ocean breath

lisa's etsy shop stocks prints and photo blocks plus custom orders are welcome should you require something special. to celebrate the grand opening, order one item and save 50% off your second item through the end of october. and, to sweeten the pot, lisa is giving readers an extra bonus of 15% off their entire order just by mentioning h|h at checkout!

• expires: jan 1, 2009

in addition to her etsy shop, lisa's photos have become a popular souvenir at her family's kihei gift shop where maui readers can stop by to flip through the collection in person:

• where: jade's aloha souvenirs, 1941 south kihei road (kihei kalama village)

p.s. click over to the ttv flickr page and take a peek at the online gallery of snapshots from around the world.