on a kokka island

teal orchid + orange fern

spent today hopping around my favorite online craft shops for my latest decor project and discovered this lovely pattern while browsing the virtual fabric stacks at purl. it's imported from japan's kokka fabrics and the breezy cotton/linen mix is appropriately named island.

i am loving the modern pop of color on the hawaiian quilt motif. both designs are stocked in neutral and contemporary colorways and are worthy contenders for upcoming crafty projects.

happy crafting!

made in hawaii 2007 - keiki edition

oops, procrastination got the best of me yesterday so my apologies for being a day late with a few keiki finds from this weekend's made in hawaii festival.

i first learned about sweet island baby earlier in the summer via the baby awearness blog. christina, sib's owner, is a stay-at-home mom from kailua who has been making mei tai baby carriers since 2004. fanciful patterns from amy butler (one of my favorite textile designers) brighten up carriers and baby accessories like burping cloths and nursing covers. 

no worries if you can't make it to the show since you can shop online or drop by one of sweet island baby's island stockists.

okay, so stamping isn't just for kids any more. crafty keiki and grownups will no doubt be in stamping nirvana when they arrive at rubber stamp plantation's booth. in addition to island themed stamps, the company designs temporary polynesian tataus (birthday party swag, anyone?) and vintage hawaiian stickers to adorn secret notes to your bff.

next up: foodie finds

oh so kawaii

baby butterflies

if you adore all things kawaii, you will fall in love with berrysprite's etsy shop which is overflowing with handmade cuteness. one look at the little crocheted menagerie, mystery fruits, and wee pouches and you would think that holly, berrysprite's crafty owner, had been creating all this goodness for years.

not so. she is, surprisingly, a crochet newbie and an inspiring example of what is possible if you have a passion for your craft. two of the whimsical items that originally caught my eye (the fish bag, below, which would be perfect for boy's/girl's day & the little japanese girl which reminds me of four words that gave me the heebie-jeebies during small kid time: pitter patter pitter patter) were snapped up in the wee hours, however holly is always happy to recreate pieces that have already found a home and also accepts custom orders.

fish bag

little japanese girl

you best get your orders in while holly still has time to get crafty since grad school is calling her name at summer's end. and don't forget to take a peek at holly's blog to discover what's percolating in berrysprite's honolulu craft lab.

toasty goodness

one of the up & coming lines stocked at the candy shop is toast, the multi-talented team of michelle kaneko & jeremy shoda who ditched their architecture careers to launch an event planning biz and design studio.

toast's online shop recently opened and it is stocked with lots of fun stuff like cheeky paper goods and irreverent toys sure to delight your inner child. i am loving their . . . and counting note card which marks the big day (birthday/anniversary/ what have you) by its magic number.

toast has their own line of handmade stuff'd monkees and also carries string dolls, crafty curiosities created by architecture students in thailand made with just ONE piece of string! can't you just picture them hanging from the bag of a hipster visitor from japan? 

the next time you are stumped for a favor that will make a statement at that very important bash, remember these custom soda snacks filled with sweet & savory treats which are a playful alternative that will instantly tell your guests that this is no ordinary party.

and when you need an extra hand planning all the details, the toast team will put their architecture background to good use and tackle all the layers required to create a delightful wedding, baby shower, birthday, office party & anything else worth celebrating.

click here to learn more about what makes the toast team tick.

crafty discovery

spotted at the bookstore: the second issue of the very cool craft magazine with a cover story on how to hand stitch a hawaiian quilt. the step-by-step tutorial was penned by local quilter cissy serrao who has a rich quilting heritage in her ohana (her mom is a legendary quilt teacher & her dad is a respected designer of hawaiian quilt patterns).

this is the next best thing if taking one of the family's quilting classes is not in the stars. the magazine is a tad pricier than the competition, however if you have the soul of a renegade crafter it will be downright impossible not to be inspired to attempt a new project while flipping through each and every crafty page.