block printing 101

tree of life

frustrated artistes take note: renowned big island illustrator/artist caren loebel-fried will be holding a workshop to help you become a block printing whiz. the class will cover all the steps required to turn the doodles in your mind into printed paper goods and textiles of your own design.

space is limited so hele over to volcano garden arts for registration details.

• when: sat, feb 9th - 10:30a to 3:30p
• where: volcano garden arts
• cost: $80

kokua auction - final round!

lot 3

alrighty, so there have been some serious steals during the kokua auction so far. since the all knowing magic 8 ball says there may be travel in my future, i have decided to accelerate the pace a bit and have just posted the final three auctions on ebay. yep, you read that correctly . . . thanks to the generosity of stancher at etiquette, an extra auction has been added just for the fellas!

remember, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to aloha harvest which does good work helping feed hawaii's hungry.

kokua lot no. 3 (est. retail value: $40):

• 1 state of mine t-shirt from etiquette (m's size large)
• 1 letterpress note card set (3 cards) from miemiko atelier
• 1 note card set (6 cards) from big island artist caren loebel-fried
• 1 package of pat's pineapple salsa
• 1 mango papaya soap bar from north shore soap factory
• 2 handmade gift tags (dog & tiger) from downtown general store

lot 4, part one

lot 4, part two

kokua lot no. 4 (est. retail value: $175):

• 1 sterling silver charm bracelet by he'e nalu (6" to 8" diameter)
• 1 ola hawaii coconut cane sugar scrub by hawaiian body products
• 1 letterpress note card set (3 cards) from miemiko atelier
• 1 note card set (6 cards) from big island artist caren loebel-fried
• 1 lather soap bar from bubble shack hawaii
• 2 handmade gift tags (cat & lamb) from downtown general store

lot 5

kokua lot no. 5 (est. retail value: $250):

• 1 dress love (size xs) by fighting eel
• ola hawaii lemongrass sugar scrub (1) & vanilla ginger creme lotion (1) by hawaiian body products
• 1 letterpress note card set (3 cards) & 1 note card from miemiko atelier
• 1 vanilla mint lip balm from mama coco's
• 2 handmade gift tags (bear & monkey) from downtown general store

i suspect everyone has been waiting for the final lot so bid away to your heart's content! the opening bids are a fraction of the estimated value so there are quite a few deals to be had in this final round of the kokua auction.

remember shipping is on me if you live in the states (international bidders pay a flat shipping rate of $5
usd). all auctions end on monday night so happy bidding and mahalo for your kokua!

kokua auction - round two!

congratulations to the winning bidder of the first kokua auction lot who scored a sweet deal!

the second lot of the kokua auction includes nona beamer's keiki book pua polu: the pretty blue hawaiian flower featuring the artwork of caren loebel-fried and an audio cd with music composed by keola beamer.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to aloha harvest.

kokua lot no. 2 (est. retail value: $75):

• 1 pua polu children's book compliments of caren loebel-fried
• 1 letterpress note card set (3 cards) and gift tag set (8) from miemiko atelier
• 1 note card set (6 cards) from big island artist caren loebel-fried
• 1 coconut lip balm from north shore soap factory
• 1 ola hawaii lilikoi face wash & 1 kalo face mask from hawaiian body products
• 4 handmade gift tags (panda/hippo/pig/lion) from downtown general store
• 1 package of pat's pineapple salsa

the opening bid is under $25 and remember shipping is on me if you live in the states (international bidders pay a flat shipping rate of $5 usd).

mahalo for your kokua!

kokua auction kick off

i am very excited to announce the kick off of the first annual kokua auction which is now posted on ebay! 100% of the proceeds will be donated to aloha harvest which matches up food donations with island charities working to feed kama'aina who might otherwise go hungry.

this all came to be after receiving the occasional note from one of the subjects of my scribbles who wished to send a little something my way as a thank you for being featured on h|h. my policy is to decline swag for personal use (in the spirit of staying objective, natch), but one day a little idea popped up and so the kokua auction was born.

it seems like a nice way to accept the generosity of island designers/artists/makers while giving the h|h 'ohana a way to sample some of the goodies they have been reading about on the blog - all in the name of charity. it's a win-win-win situation!

so here's the scoop: there will be a total of four auctions, one per week, featuring a mix of goodness from companies like miemiko atelier, ola, riches hawaii, fighting eel, and many more! i've tried to create lots with various price points so everyone can participate in the fun, and, to sweeten the deal, shipping is on me if you live in the states and will be a flat rate of $5 usd for international bidders.

let's get on with the good stuff . . .

kokua lot no. 1 (est. retail value: $40):

• 2 sets of letterpress note cards (6 cards/3 cards) and gift tag set (8) from miemiko atelier
• 1 note card set (6 cards) from big island artist caren loebel-fried
• 1 mama coco's real vanilla lip balm
• 1 plumeria soap from north shore soap factory
• 2 ola hawaii solid fragrance pots in passion fruit citrus & vanilla ginger [11/15 update: please note these are samples]
• 4 handmade gift tags from downtown general store

since i set up an ebay account specifically for the kokua auction, the feedback is currently a woeful zero, however if you message me via your ebay account, i will be happy to send the link to my personal ebay feedback (which is very very good).

love the idea? then please help spread the word about the kokua auction via the *email this* link at this bottom of the post.

mahalo for your kokua!

handmade block party

love

one of the best things about etsy is how it has made art more accessible. caren loebel-fried, the big island artist who creates some of the most spectacular lino block prints (and who happens to be one of my favorite island artists), has joined the etsy ranks to showcase her beautiful interpretations of hawaiian legends and culture.

my fella and i both agree that the storyteller deserves a spot in our living room's little gallery of block prints. and for those romantic souls who keep the lost art of written correspondence alive, i must insist you take a peek at caren's lovely notecard sets.

the storyteller

the romance of lauka'ie'ie

artwork is archival quality and has been individually printed by hand on handmade paper from japan. both color and b&w prints are available and prices are quite reasonable ($15-$260).

when on the big island, you can admire (and purchase) caren's work at the volcano art center. you can learn more about about the artist and how her journey to this age old art form came to be on her website.

fyi - nyc readers who wish to learn the art of block printing can attend a one day workshop with caren & her mom scheduled to take place on oct 27th. more details can be found here.