happy hale*days 2010: keiki edition

the islands are beckoning me back home so posting will be in limbo for the next few days. in the meantime, please enjoy a few adorable possibilities for the tiny stockings on your gift list:

1 - let's go fishing with an adorable wooden play set by korean designer jae keun song {$36; limited quantities available at super citizen}

2 - test your hawaiian vocabulary with hulo!, an island style puzzle game for ages 5 and up. {$12; via lovely clusters}

3 - storytime fans will want to gather round for the lovely legend of the gourd translated by kaliko beamer-trapp and illustrated by big island artist caren loebel-fried. {$16.95 - ring bishop museum's shop pacifica to order}

4 - little dew drops handpaints tiny scenes of aloha on its line of organic keiki togs. {$25 and up; personalization available for $3}

5 - playtime kitchens will be delighted to serve berrysprite's crocheted sushi set complete with wasabi and ginger.

6 - handmade baby blankies from cuddle with aloha reverses to a very cozy fleece minky. {$35}

and the winner is . . .

katherine of houston who will be adding the lovely naupaka to her bookshelf soon!

many mahalos to all who entered . . . it seems caren's lovely block prints have found fans from all over. you can scoop up a copy of naupaka at island bookshops and online at amazon.

congratulations, katherine!

p.s. clf's gorgeous artwork can be found in her etsy shop.

{mahalo caren!}

naupaka book giveaway

big island artist caren loebel-fried kindly sent along a review copy of her new book, naupaka, penned by the late aunty nona beamer and i finally had a chance sit down and savor page after beautiful page.

it's a beautiful retelling of a hawaiian folk story describing why the naupaka flower blooms in perfect halves despite different growing conditions down by the sea and up in the mountains. the illustrations are gorgeous bringing old hawaii to life with the technicolor beauty of caren's block prints which complement the
bittersweet tale of two star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the ahupua'a kept apart by their different ranks in life.

one lucky reader has a chance to score a copy for storytime and introduce her/his little one(s) to the world of hawaiian mythology. the book is told in both english and hawaiian and includes an audio cd narrated by aunty nona with music by her son, keola beamer.

here's the scoop on how to enter:

• email your name & current hometown to: aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com by thu, mar 26th
• please put naupaka giveaway in the subject
• one entry per person/household

click back on friday to find out if you are the lucky winner.

{update: winner list posted}

p.s. email subscribers - simply hit reply and follow the instructions above for a chance to win.

happy hale*days 08: mele edition

hello again! i had hoped to post while i was away but the best place to write had zero wifi access while the house of wifi was also home to an enchanting new baby who is infinitely more entertaining than the internet.

let's continue with the holiday roundup of island style finds!

1 - pint sized xmas cheer compliments of sweet blossoms' delightful table top topiary ($50). the kapahulu florist sources locally grown greens from island farms and is offering readers a 10% discount when mentioning h|h! (fyi - allow two days for order turnaround)

2 - hable construction's canoeing snowmen stocking sold out quickly last year and is happily back in stock (shown above: hawaii holiday : surfing santa : coral). even better, knock 25% off on all regular priced merchandise during the ongoing holiday sale.

• secret code: save
• expires: thu, jan 8th

3 - sing-a-long to jack johnson's acoustic version of "rudolph the red nosed reindeer" recently released on this warm december, a brushfire holiday vol. 1. (or, download on itunes).

4 - hula beach ceramics' delicate handcrafted conch shell ornaments ($5 for two) are budget-friendly beach bling for your tree.

5/9 - joie studio's letterpress has been busy churning out the holiday 08 collection plus a gorgeous 2009 menagerie desktop calendar. and, happy news for paper goods fans, tina from joie is also offering h|h readers 20% off online orders over $18!

• secret code: aloha
• expires: sat, dec 20th

6 - add a delightfully modern take on xmas & new year's greetings compliments of kat uno's stylish island girls. (alas, kat's etsy shop is temporarily closed so you'll have to hele over to alliway at ward warehouse to scoop up your favorite designs)

7 - vintage fabric embellishes tori higa's sweet mele kalikimaka cards.

8 - big island artist caren loebel-fried boxes up hawaiian style block print holiday wishes.

p.s. click over to the kokua hawaii foundation who recently kicked off a simplify the holidays campaign with kanu hawaii filled with tips on greening your celebration.

ko'olau - a true story of kaua'i

the lovely woodblock prints by big island artist caren loebel-fried are one of my favorite things so you can imagine my excitement upon discovering that a stage production in nyc featuring her artwork made its debut last week. the story of ko'olau is being told through japanese-style puppetry created by ny-based local boy tom lee (who is also directing the show) set against projected backdrops based on caren's woodblocks.

this traditional storytelling style combines with live shadow animation and video projections to tell the story of kaluaiko'olau, a 19th century paniolo on kaua'i who resisted being deported to a leper colony and separated from his family after contracting the disease. together they fled to a remote valley where the family lived until the death of ko'olau and his son.

after the ordeal, ko'olau's wife pi'ilani recounted the family's struggles and it is her dramatic tale of love and 'ohana that the production is based on.

since most of us can't make the show, click over to the gallery to take a fascinating peek at the puppets and production design. performance details below for those lucky readers who call new york home:

• show dates: now to sun, oct 5th
• show times: fri/sat - 10p & sun - 5:30p
• where: la mama experimental theatre club, nyc
• tix: $18

let's hope ko'olau makes it way west and across the pacific one day!

p.s. prints of caren's work are available over in her etsy shop.