happy hale*days 09: mele roundup

big storms seem to be pounding both sides of the pacific today so cozy up with a toasty mug of cocoa and enjoy a little roundup of merry finds from hawaii and beyond designed to delight your december with the xmas spirit!

1 - heather brown's charming peace bird ($20/set) is a budget-friendly way to share a peek of the local artist's work.

2 - tina from joie studio tipped me off on these mele kalikimaka wishes ($16.50/set) by fugu fugu press, pasadena letterpress friends who swoon for a permanent island holiday.

3 - dress up your bulletin board with xmas magnets ($2 each) featuring kat uno designs' adorable reindeer, cheery santas, and sweetly snarky gingerbread (available at alliway).

4 - 100% recycled notes printed with soy-based inks is just one reason why my favorite peeps found norie & lee's sweet surfing buddies ($9/set) in their mailbox last year.

5 - vertallee letterpress wraps xmas lights around balmy palm trees to send faraway friends wishes for a hot holiday ($16/set)

6 - bvik ink from san diego offers up a swell santa ($20/set) letterpressed with folksy charm.

7 - seaworthy silhouettes compose portland-based kapuanani designs' carefully constructed xmas tree cards ($12/set) printed with aloha on 100% recycled cards.

8 - mele kalikimaka stickers ($12/set) by kauai's simply embellish can be customized to adorn gifts or holiday cards.

9 - nix the paper wrap and give cheer ($10) via chewing the cud's reusable eco-friendly furoshiki wraps printed on organic cotton.

10 - hand appliquéd pineapples add an island pop to arcadia home's felt tree skirt ($180).

11 - dimmalimm's hibiscus slip-on coasters ($24/set) i.d. wine glasses and protect your tabletops with a hint of tropical cheer during holiday bashes.

new peeks: kat uno designs

tropical geisha

after a long hiatus, graphic designer kat uno recently reopened her etsy shop stocked with more of her charming paper goods documenting the ideal day in the life of a modern island girl. the cheery designs are a fun way to send a snail mail hello to your girlfriends (in fact, i just received one of kat's cards in the mail from a pal much to my delight) who may be tempted to cash in a sick day after opening the envelope.

modern geisha

kat is also adorning petite pins with her sweet illustrations accompanied by mottos ranging from perky to cheeky making for a budget-friendly find for those last day of school goody bags.

click over to the etsy shop to scout out your favorites or stop by alliway at ward warehouse which continues to stock kat's playful paper offerings.

happy hale*days 08: mele edition

hello again! i had hoped to post while i was away but the best place to write had zero wifi access while the house of wifi was also home to an enchanting new baby who is infinitely more entertaining than the internet.

let's continue with the holiday roundup of island style finds!

1 - pint sized xmas cheer compliments of sweet blossoms' delightful table top topiary ($50). the kapahulu florist sources locally grown greens from island farms and is offering readers a 10% discount when mentioning h|h! (fyi - allow two days for order turnaround)

2 - hable construction's canoeing snowmen stocking sold out quickly last year and is happily back in stock (shown above: hawaii holiday : surfing santa : coral). even better, knock 25% off on all regular priced merchandise during the ongoing holiday sale.

• secret code: save
• expires: thu, jan 8th

3 - sing-a-long to jack johnson's acoustic version of "rudolph the red nosed reindeer" recently released on this warm december, a brushfire holiday vol. 1. (or, download on itunes).

4 - hula beach ceramics' delicate handcrafted conch shell ornaments ($5 for two) are budget-friendly beach bling for your tree.

5/9 - joie studio's letterpress has been busy churning out the holiday 08 collection plus a gorgeous 2009 menagerie desktop calendar. and, happy news for paper goods fans, tina from joie is also offering h|h readers 20% off online orders over $18!

• secret code: aloha
• expires: sat, dec 20th

6 - add a delightfully modern take on xmas & new year's greetings compliments of kat uno's stylish island girls. (alas, kat's etsy shop is temporarily closed so you'll have to hele over to alliway at ward warehouse to scoop up your favorite designs)

7 - vintage fabric embellishes tori higa's sweet mele kalikimaka cards.

8 - big island artist caren loebel-fried boxes up hawaiian style block print holiday wishes.

p.s. click over to the kokua hawaii foundation who recently kicked off a simplify the holidays campaign with kanu hawaii filled with tips on greening your celebration.

kat uno designs

geisha on moped

at times blogging can feel like you're in a self made bubble but occasionally a note of encouragement lands in my inbox which confirms there are others out in the world who love the same modern island designs as me. recently, i received happy news from freelance designer kat uno who made a design connection of her own while shopping at alliway (after discovering the ward boutique on h|h - yay!).

originally from maui, kat landed on oahu to study art at uh manoa and earned her graphic design chops while working for a local company after graduation. she has since hit the freelance scene balancing work, school (studying web design), and the launch of her paper goods line.

when i first started h|h a few years ago, girl about town illustrations were everywhere online but no one quite captured life of an island girl as fabulously as kat who blends her lifelong love of design with the culture surrounding her. kat's illustrations are fun, flirty and filled with all the sweet details that make life in hawaii oh so internationale.

tropical sunset

i love sushi

you can scoop up kat's note cards at alliway as well as in her newly minted etsy shop which will soon stock a menagerie of handmade amigurumi designs (custom work is also welcome - convo kat for details).