red pineapple roundup

red pineapple proprietor nalani mclaughlin holliday scored a little mention in dailycandy yesterday for her eponymous cookie creations. with mother's day fast approaching, time to gather 'round for a show and tell of whimsical gift ideas stocked at nalani's ward centre boutique:

1 - for the green thumb: garden-in-a-bag creates instant blooms

2 - for the fashionista: a stiletto door stop makes for a flirty homage to her choos

3 - for the sweet tooth: pretty packaging conceals nalani's famous cookies

4 - for the wave warrior: a stylish swim tote complete with waterproof liner

missing the gifting gene? take a rain check on that panic attack and let the red pineapple 'ohana whip up the perfect mother's day basket for you. minimum order is a budget friendly $11 plus red pineapple offers delivery and shipping direct to your mom's door.

sweet blossoms hawaii

even with the abundance of flowers grown in hawaii and this invention called the internet (which magically connects your business to the world whether potential customers live down the block or across the ocean and is underutilized, if at all, by so many hawaii businesses), it seems that finding a florist with a knack for modern arrangements outside the booming island wedding marketplace can be as difficult as locating a needle in a haystack.

enter sweet blossoms hawaii, a small floral shop on kapahulu that opened its doors last september with a focus on composing lush arrangements be it a simple prom boutonniere or a cascade of petals for everyday celebrations. a lifelong love of flowers prompted irene, sweet blossoms shopkeeper & head floral designer, to create wedding arrangements for family & friends during college before spending a few years learning the tricks of the trade while working in the flower trade.

what most impressed me about sweet blossoms is that an environmental policy is posted on their blog (which stands in for the official website): green waste is composted, when water is changed it gets sprinkled in the garden, cardboard boxes are reused and recycled, and tradewinds (aka the original a/c), keep the shop cool while also reducing sb's carbon footprint.

sweet blossoms also opts for local blooms when available to support local flower farmers while customers are encouraged to return vases in exchange for store credit.

the online gallery showcases an array of floral goodness and the staff welcomes customer input to create just the right mix of flowers for whatever the occasion may be. a consultation nook (love the saarinen table!) is also at the ready for planning out flower details for weddings, private parties, and company bashes.

• where: 1014 kapahulu avenue, suite 210
• shop hours: mon - sat, 8a to 7p & sun, 8a to 5p
• delivery area: koko head to aloha stadium ($10 fee)

sweet nothings - take three

1 - once a year, big island candies bakes up heart shaped versions of their yummy chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookies. 

2 - flowers are a valentine's standby so mix it up and send your sweetie an organic bouquet this year. upcountry protea specializes in the prehistoric bloom grown the way mother nature intended (fyi - valentine order deadline is mon, feb 11th. pick up the phone to score a 10% kama'aina discount).

3 - island grown chocolate is the secret ingredient of sweet paradise chocolatier. indulge your love with a sweet offering of mango mojito and kona cafe mocha truffles and discover why the big island chocolate maker won a blue ribbon at the 2007 kona chocolate festival.

4 - sometimes a simple message says it best à la joie studio's letterpress love note (fyi - these have been selling out so you may need to convo tina to place an order).

may day flower show

bamboo protea basket * orchid sprays

the excitement of may day festivities may be somewhat faded especially if those kodak moments of little ones performing in the annual island ritual are but a faint memory (or yet to happen). nonetheless, there is no better day than today to gather inspiration for big spring events like mother's day and graduation.

the prehistoric loveliness of protea flowers may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you dream of the lushness that is the tropics, however their longevity cannot be beat when shipping across an ocean is your only option. take a peek at the abundant arrangements from hana flowers (shown above) and anuhea flowers which grow proteas on their own farms.

make the other moms on the block jealous by celebrating the one who made you chicken noodle soup when you had the sniffles with a shower of delicate orchid sprays from hawaii flower lei.

micronesian ginger * cigar crown * orchid christina

graduation leis are a hawaii tradition that may have made its way to the mainland but, unless a leimaker lives nearby, your favorite graduate will be lost in a crowd of single strand orchid leis. make your graduate's walk across the stage even more memorable with a fragrant maile/orchid twist from with our aloha.

the lei stands of hawaii are legendary and the most exquisite selection of leis online can be found at the hawaiian lei company (shown above). the craftsmanship is breathtaking (over 600 orchid petals combine to create the floral equivalent of featherwork in the christina lei) and are sure to put a smile on the face of moms and graduates alike.

{update | may 2008: photo removed per with our aloha's request}

green honolulu

unless you are planning a wedding, finding flowers with a fresh, modern composition in the islands can be a bit of a challenge so i was quite excited when i learned about green honolulu last year and happily added the site to my bookmarks. or so i thought. with valentine's day approaching, it was time to gather up a few romantic picks for h|h, however, to my dismay, the bookmark along with the company's name had simply vanished from both my computer and my memory.

poof.

then last month a reader sent me a tip and i rediscovered green honolulu who just happens to be co-owned by one of the proprietors of soha. in addition to event and floral design for weddings and soirées, gh designers avery solmssen and brooke israel also welcome orders for one of their artful arrangements for those times when a bouquet from costco simply won't do.

and no worries about the blooms going to waste post-bash since green honolulu is happy to help you donate flowers to a local charity or hospital so they can continue to brighten someone else's day.

{mahalo lori!}