island crush: painted ladies

glimpses of old waikiki have become ever elusive as the years go by so i am swooning over kat reeder's dreamy illustration of the royal hawaiian hotel commissioned by starwood for its 2012 calendar. the matted print makes the most delightful souvenir if you have ever wandered along the lush garden path to be romanced by the breathtaking spanish-moorish architecture of the iconic pink palace.

why, you can almost smell the perfume of the plumerias and hear the gentle strums of a ukulele floating up from the mai tai bar.

$40 online. (fyi: additional sizes available by request.)

p.s. order by sun, nov 20th and score a complimentary trip to your mailbox with secret code freeshipping.

island crush: hawai'i calls

ku'uipos * waikiki surf girl * pupukea

heather brown's california debut wooed me and the mister to abbot kinney last week, and what should i find but the official launch of pretty iphone cases featuring the happy surf art that makes so many of us smile. even nicer, they are made in the usa of post-consumer recycled plastics.

sweet + sustainable = (sigh)

there are three delightful designs to crush over with 15% of the price tag benefitting kokua hawaii foundation, surfrider, and living beyond breast cancer.

now if i only had an iphone.

$55 online.

typecast: jeff canham designs

more design goodness for you! with the exception of the official hapa | hale facebook page, i remain a steadfastly intermittent and somewhat reluctant fb-er when left to my own devices yet must follow a dizzying number of designers and shops to scout local possibilities to share with the h|h 'ohana. i can only suspect that my google reader shudders every time i log on with all the unread posts vying for my attention.

while catching up with greenroom (the petite surf gallery in waikiki), a passing reference to one of their featured back in town artists being a local boy made my day. earlier in the year, i serendipitously stumbled upon sf-based designer jeff canham's website and was delighted to browse his collection of creations which range from old timey signage to handpainted wooden collages (scallop-y waves . . . be still my heart!). at the time i did not realize that he grew up in the islands, but once this little tidbit hit my radar i did the happy dance for the chance to share a peek inside the portfolio of one of my favorite designers.

shall we scroll through a few selections which make me smile?

are you swooning over the jack johnson album billboard too?

a seattle baby by birth, jeff spent most of his childhood on oahu surfing waikiki before studying art at the university of oregon upon graduation from punahou. bfa in hand, he soon became art director at surfer magazine and, upon saying aloha to pursue freelance life, eventually found his way up the coast where he settled in san francisco.

after accompanying a friend who was having a sign made for a new surf shop (the now iconic mollusk), jeff immediately began an apprenticeship with the sign writers at new bohemia where he practiced his lettering and discovered a natural knack for hand painted signage.

the signs are what first caught my eye and i love how they playfully capture a bygone era when mom & pops outnumbered chain stores. isn't it especially nice to see a long lost craft from the past enjoying a small renaissance?

jeff's limited edition honolulu and waikiki prints (only 100 of each) were made especially for the greenroom show so hele over if you hope to make one (or both) yours:

• where: 2350 kalakaua avenue, waikiki
• shop hours: daily, 9a to 11p

raise your hand if you are crushing over jeff's designs too!

new peeks: east maui love

summertime has been quite the design whirlwind over at everything is jake! which recently released a new island to its delightfully retro travel poster series. this time around maui's made by mother nature landmarks have been recreated to remind locals and visitors alike of chilly treks up to haleakala to greet the sunrise, rambling along the oh-so-curvy road to hana, and wandering through the whispering bamboo forests of kipahulu.

$18 online.

p.s. click over to the EIJ! design blog where nick is giving away a set of prints to two lucky winners.

and the winner is . . .

barbara from texas whose nest will be welcoming heather brown's turquoise waters print to one of its walls soon!

the number of notes arriving in my mailbox daily proved that heather's art has the sweetest way of wooing smiles from fans around the islands and far across the pacific. alas, there was only one print to share but you can still find a framed edition of those delightful waves in heather's online shop.

happy congratulations barbara!

{mahalo nui to heather for sharing a little loveliness from her collection!}

p.s. no scoop this week since my internet connection took an unexpected siesta making me too tardy to gather up possibilities. happy weekend!