kenui quilts

it's hard not to be impressed when you stand in front of a hawaiian quilt. master quilters earn their sewing stripes only after devoting years to their craft of transforming simple pieces of fabric into those familiar hawaiian designs.

kenui quilts has elevated the design of hawaiian quilting with their luxurious satin silk 'ulu quilt, a definite departure from the more colorful quilts we all grew up with (can't you imagine lying on your bed and tracing the wave-like pattern with your fingertip?).

contemporary quilts have really taken off over the past few years so this is a cool way to include the traditional hawaiian style in a home with more modern sensibilites. this is a hand crafted piece so if you love it start saving your pennies, however, since it is made to order, you can select the color (or send in your own fabric) so the quilt matches your bedroom decor.

hawaiian legends of dreams

while wandering through the stacks at the bookstore, i discovered that one of my favorite artists, caren loebel-fried, has published another book delving into the mythology of ancient hawaii. her stunning block prints are sprinkled throughout hawaiian legends of dreams which is a treat for both young and old.

keola beamer sums up the book very nicely in his foreward:

"dreams are the beginning. they are the seed of our ambitions, the source of our inspiration, and the impetus for our creations. the book you hold in your hands is the manifestation of caren loebel-fried's dream to share the mana`o of traditional hawaiians on the amorphous world of dreams.

in this book, her love of our culture is evident in her research and beautiful art. she has captured the spirit of our view of the world, in which all things are connected and there is no distance between souls, alive or passed over, which cannot be bridged. we believe that mana, or life force, flows through the universe, and all things have a voice . . . even in our dreams."

the companion book, hawaiian legends of the guardian spirits, is also perfect for bedtime stories so definitely check them out if you want to share the hawaiians' love of storytelling with the little ones in your life.

secrets of hawaiian warriors

aloha from hawaii! yep, by the time you read this i hope to be kicking it on the beach and enjoying ani's sweetbread & papaya for breakfast. the trip this summer was way too short so among the things on my hit list is a field trip to the bookstore. until then, i thought a few readers may be interested in a book we picked up on the last trip home called lua: art of the hawaiian warrior.

if you fancy yourself a lover of hawaiian history, you may want to pick up a copy of this fascinating book which delves into the centuries old secret martial art that has survived into modern times. the book features background on the philosophy of this almost lost art plus legends, gods & chants, and illustrations depicting techniques still used by lua practioners today.

capturing the aloha spirit

boy with ukulele

the other day i happened across the website of big island artist suzy papanikolas and have fallen in love with her work. suzy's art captures all that is beautiful about the islands and the spirit of the people really comes alive in her paintings.

wahine looking left

we are definitely lucky that suzy's mission is "to record the renaissance of the hawaiian culture". take a peek at original artwork currently for sale or contact suzy to inquire about purchasing prints of pieces that have already found a home.

snail mail goes hawaiian

aloha nui postcard

stationary is my kryptonite. my paper box is overflowing with cards that i couldn't pass up so i'm on a mission to whittle down my collection by going old school and sending notes to friends via the postal service again. my real motivation being, of course, the freedom to stock up on all the new designs that i fancy without any guilt.

and then i found pacifica island art's website today. this is the place to go if you are doing your part to keep the art of letterwriting alive & well in the age of e-mail & you love vintage hawaiian designs.

sun at the source of life

the best thing is that pacifica offers quantity discounts & free shipping on orders over $25. i think i'm going to need a larger box.