volcano art center

watching her brother fish | caren loebel-fried

if you ever make a pilgrimmage to kilauea make sure you stop by the volcano art center which is located inside volcanoes national park. you can spend as much time wandering around the gallery admiring the many offerings from local artists & artisans as you will watching the lava flow.

they also have an online shop which carries a nice mix of artwork stocked at the center. my newest favorite is up & coming artist harinani orme who delves into the mythology of old hawaii. her work is currently featured in the bishop museum exhibit - pa'a ka la'a animism & totemism: contemporary expressions from an indigenous mind (whew, that's certainly a mouthful).

kahu mano | harinani orme

maui slowing the sun | dietrich varez

the volcano art center is also home to the complete collection (225 and counting) of the mesmerizing linoleum prints from dietrich varez (who is all about bringing affordable art to the people) as well as the colorful block prints by caren loebel-fried.

9-8-7 . . . the kokua countdown continues

well, you may have noticed that i fell behind on the kokua countdown over the weekend. i will refrain from blaming holiday shopping in the real world or snuggling in to watch the charger game last night and just get on with the good stuff.

no. 9 - alu like
provides a multitude of services for native hawaiians from keiki to kupuna. i especially like that they understand the importance of being financially literate and offer classes to native hawaiians to help them take control of their financial future. alu like also runs ulukau and the hawaii digital library which gives everyone online access to hawaiian & english materials written in the 19th & 20th centuries.

no. 8 - lanakila
focuses their efforts on providing assistance to those in the community with cognitive, physical, social or age-related challenges. in addition to adult day services, lanakila also has a program to train folks with a disability who want to join the workforce, a center for the blind, and operates meals on wheels for those who are homebound.

no. 7 - christmas wish program
which is run entirely by volunteers on a mission to bring xmas & a little stability to big island keiki and their families whose only home may be a shelter or one of the many tent cities that have popped up around the islands in the last few years. they have a pay pal donation option and have also posted a gift card wish list of island stores where the organization can stock up for their gift giving events.

chess club

playing chess seems to be growing in popularity in the islands so if your favorite someone loves the game here's an idea for the holidays: a hawaiian chess set which replaces standard chess pieces with icons from ancient hawaii.

of course, if they prefer to whittle their own pieces à la tim robbins in the shawshank redemption, you can always upgrade their board to one made of koa. and, for the truly old school gamer, a game table made from a single koa log by maui woodworker peter naramore.

be back a little later with a few more inspirations for the holidays . . .

old school holiday ideas

three graces

as promised, here are few more traditional ways to add some island style to celebrate the holidays. xmas cards from pacific island art cards spread the aloha spirit around the world with an eloquent holiday greeting translated in hawaiian. take a peek at their entire line of holiday cards and remember all orders over $25 receive free shipping.

island heritage has got you covered in the gift wrap department so you can have plenty of choices when you finally lock yourself away from the rest of the world for that marathon wrapping session. i'm loving the faux lauhala wrap. and if you want to give your gifts that extra special touch be sure to stock up on mele kalikimaka printed ribbon.

of course, nothing says hawaii like a lauhala box and the best source online is ailana kai which has a good selection of box sizes plus lauhala totes and wine bags. the woven boxes are also an earth-friendly option for gift giving since they can be regifted next year or reused to stash stuff for a clutter-free home.

stocking spectacular

mele kalikimaka stockings

expecting to be on the nice list this year and waking up to find little bundles of holiday treats waiting for you on christmas morning? the tree may be the biggest thing on your decorating list but don't forget about xmas stockings pretty enough to receive non-coal goodies from a certain someone.

i decided it was time to go hunting for stockings with a little aloha spirit for those of us who appreciate good design. the ground rules? no raffia or surfing santas and i soon discovered this was no easy task. after many, many clicks, i was relieved to find these elegant hand quilted xmas stockings from kenui quilts that mix traditional hawaiian design with the festive colors of the holiday season.

hable construction hawaii holiday

a bit too traditional for you? my favorite is this playful hawaii holiday stocking from nyc's hable construction. yes, it's a tad pricey but the feel good factor is high once you consider the number of holiday uses it will endure and that the felt appliqué design is sewn by a woman's cooperative in hungary. act fast if you love it since this is a web exclusive design and quantities are limited (fyi - the other color in this pattern recently sold out and has a waitlist for 2007!).