sugar cane sweetie

anyone who has planned a wedding in recent years is familiar with the gift bag bestowed on guests who make the journey to celebrate your big day. it's a fun way to share your favorite hometown finds with out of town pals - in fact, i still remember strolling the aisles of costco & local shops scooping up hawaiian style goodies days before our first wave of guests arrived in the islands.

if you are short on time but big on budget, you may want to click over to sugar cane sweetie, a new gifting service based on maui. partners jen martin and liz mcgain started their company to offer corporate events a fresh take on the tropical welcome basket trading standard issue mac nuts and sweets for gourmet goodies, luxe spa treats, and other delights evocative of paradise.

many h|h favorites made the cut including letarte coverups, malie kauai potions & maui beach sheets plus your picks can be gifted in a simple lauhala basket or a stylish meleana tote bag.

jen and liz are happy to work with weddings and private parties (minimum quantity required - contact scs for details) and offer an à la carte selection for those who prefer to customize gift options. delivery is available on maui and the neighbor islands plus gifts can also be dispatched to the mainland to set the mood for your guests' upcoming tropical getaway.

click over to the website to take a peek at the sugar cane sweetie selection (price tag is $40 and up).

{update | feb 2010: sugar cane sweetie has closed its website}

toast giveaway

since the internet is still working its magic, i wanted to give you a peek at the latest giveaway compliments of toast, hawaii's very crafty design house. it's toast's super limited edition mother's day love fruits! basket filled with handmade red apples with a sweet menehune mac surprise inside.

only 25 baskets have been made and they have just landed in toast's online shop as well as the wedding café and menehune mac factory store. i suspect these will sell out quickly so if you simply must have one hele over and reserve your basket asap.

or try your luck and email aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com with your name and current hometown by 11:59pm hst on tue, may 6th for a chance to win! please put toast giveaway in the subject. the winner will be announced on wednesday.

{mahalo jeremy & michelle!}

{update: winner list posted}

happy may day!

with mother's day just around the corner, may day seems like the perfect time to be wooed by the tropical beauty of the islands' flowers. all of this year's picks have been grown with consideration of the 'aina (organic or free of pesticides).

1 - upcountry protea specializes in organic varieties of the prehistoric blooms (fyi - prices include s/h).

2 - a dizzying selection of orchid plants can be found at aloha orchid nursery which uses organic & environmentally friendly fertilizers for all the flowers grown in their big island greenhouse.

3 - gift boxes of hana flowers, pesticide-free and washed with biodegradable soap, are harvested daily on the family flower farm.

also, keep in mind that all of the flower farms ship early in the week (typically m/t/w) so plan your order accordingly to ensure timely delivery.

wishing you all a lovely day of flower filled festivities!

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)