lau lau woodworks

one of my favorite stories is about emma thompson and the magic pen her father gave her when she was a child. the pen has been by her side during exam time at school and eventually graduated to writing her oscar winning script for sense & sensibility. makes you wonder about the undiscovered potential from the pen lying on your desk, doesn't it?

now that you know all pens are not created equal, perhaps your favorite grad would appreciate the gift of possibility with a koa pen from lau lau woodworks. designer aaron lau crafts each pen by hand using everything from curly koa wood to crushed sunflower seeds as inlays. and while your grad may never get around to writing the great american novel, at least jotting down her "to do" list will be elevated to a whole new level.

hawaiian lei company

tuberose + firecracker + money leis

graduation day check list:

• cap & gown . . . check.
• camera . . . check.
• tuberose leis for your bff . . . check.
• candy leis for your other friends (the ones you'll never see after you flee the stadium) . . . check.
• money leis for you . . . wishful thinking, kid.

if your favorite grad is far from the lei stands of hawaii then it's time to hit the internet and check out the selection at the hawaiian lei company. the lei designs are some of the prettiest online (loving the firecracker with kukui nut lei shown above) and their prices are pretty reasonable.

now you can continue that island tradition of piling on the leis (the more, the better) until the graduate can barely see the sign with her name waving around in the parking lot.

flower power

anthurium & ti

if you have a ph.d in procrastination, this is just a friendly reminder that the clock is ticking if you haven't ordered flowers for mother's day yet. for those who prefer the personal touch, click over to emi's flowers & gifts where they not only send you a photo of your chosen arrangement, but they'll also keep your order on file to help you avoid sending the same arrangement twice.

for future reference, emi's also rewards the uber-organized and will include a little gift with orders received 5 business days in advance. just remember that your mom should be in honolulu, hawaii kai, kailua, kaneohe, aiea, or pearl city or you'll have some explaining to do on sunday.

may day is lei day in hawai'i

one of my favorite online flower shops is anuhea flowers located in makawao, maui. tropical flowers don't always survive the voyage up to the mainland but the protea flowers that anuhea grows is very resilient and their blooms will brighten your home for at least a few weeks.

anuhea's coconut basket would be a cute gift for mother's day, but remember to plan ahead and give yourself a few days lead time when ordering since weekend shipping costs extra. and if you ever find yourself in upcountry maui don't forget to make a reservation for anuhea's farm tour.

chance encounters with a red pineapple

the past week has been filled with happy accidents (which, by the way, is also a very fun vincent d'onofrio flick) with nalani mclaughlin.

first, i discovered auntie nalani's cookies while researching island weddings last week. then i noticed that her wedding received a nice spread in the latest issue of pacific rim weddings. and then after i decided to write about red pineapple's opening at ward centre i realized that the proprietor was none other than auntie nalani herself.

weird.

anyhoo, red pineapple is the place to go when you need a gourmet gift basket or want to pick up goodies not easily found in the islands. you can fill your basket with auntie nalani's cookies, delicacies from dean & deluca and gourmet treats from the islands. red pineapple can deliver the goodies around oahu and, even better, they ship to the neighbor islands and the mainland.