sweet nothings 2011 - take one

while my st. valentine's cards wait to be addressed and posted in the mail, i hustled up a few gently priced delights to share with you today.

1 - meet shop toast's newest debut - the very playful smit-tin filled with heart-shaped arare and pink gumballs. ($7)

2 - patagonia's organic live simply tees always make me smile, and a sweet little whale adorned with a flower lei sends just the right message to the little girl in your life. ($25)

3 - berrysprite's crocheted ipod cozy bear will charm sweeties with a kawaii crush. ($13)

4 - add a hint of old timey romance with space moderne's pretty in pink take on its always lovely handmade felt brooch. ($22)

will you be playing cupid with your favorite sweethearts this valentine's day?

one shabby chick kokua auction

australia quilt

with 2011 already filled with a lengthy list of diy projects, making the rounds of my favorite design and craft blogs has jumped high on my daily to do's. the curated eye candy is always inspiring, but it was an unexpected post that immediately brightened my day late last week.

the sweet discovery was made while catching up with the north shore's one shabby chick. amber carrillo, the crafty goddess behind the blog, recently joined the craft community's efforts to help australia recover from the devastating floods and is auctioning off one of her gorgeous handmade quilts to benefit relief efforts. the quilt is charmingly contemporary mixing patterns from amy butler, anna marie horner and heather bailey in a warm rainbow of color.

such a pretty antidote to rainy days and chilly weather!

more auction details & peeks from one shabby chick's sewing studio after the jump.

fetching aprons

pretty potholders

summer days camera strap

bidding is already up to $300 and ends next monday (jan 24th) with 100% of the winning bid going to the premier's flood relief appeal.

while handmade lovelies are occasionally listed in one shabby chick's etsy shop, a custom order may be your best bet if you covet a quilt, apron or camera strap. current turnaround time is four to six weeks for a quilt and two weeks for smaller items.

happy bidding!

introducing pretty swell

vintage carnival garland + preppy citron hairpins

happy 2011! my wicked winter cold has lingered on into the the new year and a stuffy head sidelined any hope of writing pithy posts until now (fingers crossed). i always heart a fresh start and today's etsy find encompasses just the type of loveliness i hope to share with you this year.

i chanced upon the playfully named pretty swell while browsing etsy and immediately swooned over the chalkboard backdrops and gorgeous product photography. (take note: shop purveyors-in-the-making.) although little pockets of modern goodness have popped up since h|h was established many moons ago, delightful design experiences are, alas, too few and far between so a glimpse inside pretty swell gives me hope that there are more lonny-reading, design lovelies hiding out around the islands.

all of the playful confections are handmade by katie speed of laie who scores a well deserved gold star for the modern yet old timey reusable decorations in addition to the spot-on art direction. the whimsical fabric floral garlands promise to be an instant charmer, and i can just imagine the smiles of guests when greeted by such a cheery welcome.

the little sage cottage makes my heart happy too. as does this noel edition. don't you just want to string up a few strands and invite your friends over for cake?

the price tag hovers in the $20-range with complimentary shipping on orders over $9. in addition to garlands, fabric floral crowns, hairpins and cake toppers can be found in pretty swell's etsy shop. custom orders are also welcome for those wishing to coordinate a color palette just for you.

have you discovered any fresh island delights for the new year?

{photo credit: party/natalie norton}

a shop toast holiday

ocean in my pocket calendar

before dashing off for the holidays, i wanted to share the small delights that jeremy and michelle from shop toast have been busy crafting in their handmade workshop. we all know the toast team is an essential source for whimsical gifting all year long, but this year's playful selection of elf-approved xmas goods made me smile from the wood veneer ocean in my pocket desk calendar ($8) to furoshiki-wrapped boxes filled with gourmet cookies ($5).

there's even the brand new and super cute tiny tin's grocery store where you are welcome to mix and match sweet treats and tasty snacks ($3 to $8 each) cleverly concealed in pint sized packages to create a yummy yet one-of-a-kind gift basket. even nicer is that a portion of tiny tin sales will benefit the hawaii food bank.

more peeks after the jump!

while it may be too late for mail order, oahu friends still have time to pop by and scoop up last minute gifts during the kaimuki storefront's extended holiday hours:

• when: thu, dec 23rd - 12p to 6p & fri, dec 24th - 12p to 4p
• where: 3434 waialae avenue, suite 3, kaimuki

p.s. the scoop will be on hiatus this week. happy wishes for a very mele kalikimaka to you & your 'ohana!

happy hale*days 2010: budget edition

because in the last minute holiday frenzy, it can be easy to forget that a good gift does not have to make your bank account shudder:

1 - big island peeps will delight in penning notes to friends and 'ohana on sig zane's hilo one greeting cards. ($15/set; shop online or in-store at the hilo boutique)

2 - joie studio's limited edition 2011 exotic calendar is letterpressed with love on bamboo paper. ($20; online only)

3 - spend $15 to gift an organik SMARTdeal and your favorite someone can scoop up $30 worth of eco-friendly style. (purchase online by fri, dec 24th, spend in-store by mar 31st)

4 - charm homesick jetsetters with a vintage hawaiian passport holder made by mu'umu'u heaven. ($12; available at the kailua flagship)