paging dr. jacoby

i'll be the first to admit that the hawaiian sunset wall mural available at urban outfitters is not for everyone, but since this retro take on the accent wall reminds me of the island inspired office of one dr. jacoby, resident of the quirky tv town, twin peaks (aka the best show ever), up it goes.

the folks at urban outfitters must agree with me that it would be overkill in a hawaii home since they don't ship it to the islands, but you may be able to pull it off if your mainland home has a kitschy or modern vibe.

light up the night

if you have been on the neverending search for the perfect gift then take a look at these beautiful artisanal candles from moon alley. each candle is hand crafted and when the wick is lit the design glows from within. if you take a closer look, you'll notice that each piece of the design has been carved by hand making every candle a little piece of art.

there are a number of pretty asian & tropical floral designs but you can't go wrong with the hula moon and the crane, of course, would make a lovely wedding gift. if you love it, don't forget to pick up a refill kit which gives new life to the burned out candle and transforms it into a candle holder.

swanson's aloha workshop

now that you've stuffed yourself silly with samples, don't leave the made in hawaii festival without something fun in your bag. let's end the tour with a few happy tiki-licious designs from swanson's aloha workshop (love the name!). the man behind the designs was a director of animation in a past life which would explain why they remind me of saturday mornings watching hanna-barbera cartoons.

now you know and i know that your little mouse spends hours on end surfing the internet (it'll be our little secret). isn't it time to switch out that lame freebie mousepad from your isp and add some tropical flair to your desk with a lani hawaii pad?

you'll also find tote bags & cosmetic pouches that swanson's japanese fans adore plus a nice selection of technicolor prints at his eponymous shop.

snail mail goes hawaiian

aloha nui postcard

stationary is my kryptonite. my paper box is overflowing with cards that i couldn't pass up so i'm on a mission to whittle down my collection by going old school and sending notes to friends via the postal service again. my real motivation being, of course, the freedom to stock up on all the new designs that i fancy without any guilt.

and then i found pacifica island art's website today. this is the place to go if you are doing your part to keep the art of letterwriting alive & well in the age of e-mail & you love vintage hawaiian designs.

sun at the source of life

the best thing is that pacifica offers quantity discounts & free shipping on orders over $25. i think i'm going to need a larger box.

guy buffet goes to hawaii

pau hana

if you have ever flipped through the pages of a williams-sonoma catalog, the whimsical waiters created by artist guy buffet will probably seem familiar to you. i love his folksy, frenchy art and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he also has a home on maui. gb's life in hawaii has inspired some delightful artwork featuring kama'aina & their island home with nary a dolphin in sight.

plumeria pickers

his art is just so happy and optimistic about the world that it's hard not to respond with a smile. check out more of guy buffet's collection online at lahaina galleries.