a peek inside general store

it's back to the west coast for today's mainland week discovery. i first happened across a mention of san francisco's general store in sunset magazine last fall which briefly noted shop proprietor & artist serena mitnik-miller's childhood ties to kaua'i. the carefully curated shop, which serena and hubby mason st. peter opened in early 2010, sounded like a little haven for design geeks so the mister and i made our way to its outer sunset neighborhood during our holiday getaway to the bay area.

the spare design of the shop interior combined with the handmade mix of merchandise was a pleasant antidote for my lingering winter cold. within minutes of our arrival, i was delighted that we agreed on the perfect clock (made in japan!) while i happily scooped up the elusive travel size bottle of jasmine scented hair powder along with a pair of pastel washi tape. somehow my wish list had magically manifested on the shelves within the tiny storefront . . . a very rare occurance for me.

with a few crushworthy objects left behind for another trip, i was most impressed with serena and mason's cultivated eye for thoughtfully designed goods. since we are slowly dispensing of no longer loved things in our small space, general store's wares reinforced our notion to live with less and fill our surroundings with well crafted designs that bring happiness to our day.

curious to see more?

wood stamp

malibu

i have also become quite taken with serena's artwork composed of minimalist wood stamp prints and quiet photographs of the sea. low-key and graceful reminders of keiki years spent exploring the islands and her adopted hometown of san francisco. (fyi: a current inventory list is available on request.)

for those not able to pop in and say hello, an edited selection of pieces from the general store inventory can be ordered in the online shop. and, bay area friends are advised to sign-up for the mailing list to stay posted on pop-up events and art openings hosted by the shop.

• where: 4035 judah street, sf
• shop hours: mon to fri, 11a to 6p & sat/sun, 10a to 6p

hour of nine letterpress

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?

brint

taliesin

makahiki

radhika

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!}

photo.phile: maile lani photography

their umbrella flew away

with cali being my home away from hawai'i and so many kama'aina spreading their wings to far off places, a mainland week seemed like a fine idea as 2010 began to fade and a new year glimmered on the horizon. and so, all week long i will be profiling local girls following their dreams away from the islands.

first up is new orleans-based wedding photographer maile lani who snapped this cheery beach umbrella photograph that i happily discovered during an etsy session. although her family left the islands before her first year luau, maile still embodies the sweetness of the islands and her love for toy cameras, vintage polaroids, and through the viewfinder photography made me an instant fan.

despite my already married status, i still find myself smitten with all the very lovely weddings filled with the prettiest little details. if you swoon along with me, please wander through maile's online galleries for glimpses of sweet southern i do's as well as photo souvenirs from her travels. for today, i gathered up a few of my favorites from maile's portfolio . . . all quietly dreamy and filled with romantic delight.

more peeks and a q+a with maile after the jump . . .

sarah & jeff

it's springtime in the south

{photo.phile notes}

what inspired you to pick up a camera and start clicking?
i really started getting into photography around the time i turned 14 when my family went back to hawaii (i was born there) for the summer. i remember taking this one photograph of palm tree silhouettes against this brilliant pink and purple hawaiian sunset. it sounds so silly, but at the time i was so excited by the fact that i created something that looked like a postcard that i kept on doing it.

photography muses that spark your imagination?
anthropologie catalogs! i have so many of them stacked around my house :) i love the eclectic mix of items and the way they arrange everything so perfectly. one of my favourite spreads ever was when they had their new line of purses photographed underwater. it was one of the coolest things i had ever seen!

favorite seaside moment captured on film?
i think that the one that stands out most in my mind is a polaroid i took last summer. i have a huge obsession with kites, but i had never really flown one before. so, my wonderful boyfriend got me one with these little fairies all over it. eventually, after my little kid excitement wore off, i asked my boyfriend to hold the kite so i could take a polaroid of it. as soon as i clicked the shutter a seagull flew by in the same direction my kite was flying. it's such a simple photograph but it just makes me feel happy every time i look at it.

any simple tricks to share on how to best capture a lovely lo-fi shot?
think about what you're shooting! the worst thing i ever did when learning how to use toy cameras was follow the "shoot from the hip" rule. a lo-fi camera is still a camera and if you want beautiful photographs then you have to think about how you're going to compose your images. i really believe that the magic of lo-fi photography comes from the photographer that is using the camera. as photographers we have to take our own visions and adapt them to a different formats. that is what makes a lo-fi image so beautiful :)

which camera stays close by for everyday shooting?
depending on what film i have, either my polaroid spectra pro or my holga. :)

pay it forward with the best photography advice shared with you:
i don't know if this counts as advice, but when i first started taking pictures it was a super expensive hobby. it was always such a big deal when i was allowed to shoot one roll of film and i was told to be careful and not to waste any of the photographs. now i just sort of take pictures carefully naturally because i'm so used to it. it drives me crazy that digital photography has made the "spray and pray" method so popular. i just shoot everything as if i were still paying to process the photographs!

local delights that are a must in your beach picnic basket?
jambalaya from the jambalaya shoppe, abita purple haze, and fresh louisiana strawberries.

mahalo maile!

click over to the etsy shop which is stocked with a lovely selection of prints. and, if you are planning your own i do's just know that maile accepts bookings near and far from nola.

factory girl: jana lam textiles

you may know by now that i swoon for textiles so i was quite delighted when sandra from super citizen tipped me off on a new arrival to her shop. one peek at the gorgeous goods by honolulu designer jana lam, and i instantly set out to learn more about the maker of these fetching hand-done backdrops.

jana recently returned home to hawai'i after studying interior design at the academy of art in san francisco (with a career detour to nyc beforehand). after gifting her wedding party with handmade pillows and a serendipitous meeting with sandra, a plan was hatched to introduce an accessories line requiring a crash session in sewing and pattern making.

the lovely results speak for themselves. many of jana's patterns are grounded in nature, and the tropical motifs are noteworthy for their modern and organic take on traditional island florals and fauna. a hint of the approachable appeal of lotta jansdotter, one of my favorite textile designers, also carries through jana's collection. good company indeed considering the number of compliments my lotta tote receives whenever it accompanies me on jaunts back home to the islands!

join me for a peek after the jump . . .

fiesta flowers clutch

sea flowers * stream * happy snails * fishes dream

pillows!

sketches making the cut are carefully silkscreened by hand with jana and her mom sewing each and every handbag and pillow.

price tag starts at $42 for a small clutch and goes up to $125 for a roomy baby bag.

online ordering will be launching soon, but until then find selections from the debut collection at super citizen in chinatown and riches at kahala mall.

{mahalo sandra!}

morning crush: heather brown x matsumoto

happy anniversary!

i'll take one rainbow with ice cream, please! for all the matsumoto shave ice fans, the iconic haleiwa landmark recently enlisted artist heather brown to design their super cute 60th anniversary tees.

m's and w's styles offered in a handful of colors.

$17 online + in-store.