kokua japan - take two

while the world delights in the royal wedding today, a smaller celebration is taking place at greenroom hawaii which is marking the first anniversary of their surf art gallery-slash-boutique with a love for japan silent auction this weekend (more details in today's scoop). some of our favorite island artists have donated artwork including oahu illustrator kat reeder who created an especially lovely poster which embodies our islands' aloha for japan with quiet sweetness.

if venturing to waikiki on saturday night is not in the stars, kat's online shop just stocked up on her aloha for japan print ($25) which benefits the red cross's relief efforts in japan.

since the first kokua japan roundup, kinohi designs has released more love for japan plus our friends at owens & co., so'mace, and the wedding café have made cute new tote bags to help the cause. peek all the new designs after the jump!

love & hope by kinohi designs

if you have been waiting for the next round of help heal japan goodness by kinohi designs, two new offerings have joined designer jennifer tanabe's heal button. the hope design will benefit unicef while proceeds from the love tee will also help the red cross. an etsy shop will be launching soon, but in the meantime send jen a note to place an order.

{$20 online}

help heal japan tote

occasionally, there is a silver lining to being cursed with procrastinating ways. first the wedding café 'ohana sent over a peek the other day of their new help heal japan tote bag mixing sister shop eden in love's birdie motif with japan's rising sun. understated in the most delightful way with 100% of tote proceeds donated to the american red cross.

{$20 eden in love + the wedding café}

then a note from isla at so'mace arrived yesterday with news of a design fundraiser with missy at owens & co. (chinatown's lovely new design & home goods shop). the graphic collaboration is printed on recycled cotton and available in two cheery hues with proceeds benefiting direct relief international. add $5 for shipping if you wish to rock an aqua or bright pink tote on the neighbor islands or mainland.

{$30 owens & co. + so'mace}

have you happened across any new local prettiness to help our friends in japan?

kokua japan

hope heal love * aloha for japan

forgive me for my absence. i have been wrestling with writing about style and design finds which seem a little frivolous right now. half my family tree is japanese and even though my great-grandparents left for hawaii's shores over 100 years ago, the coverage of the devastation following the earthquake and tsunami continue to be heartbreaking.

then yesterday i received a note from jennifer of kinohi designs about a small project to send kokua to japan. the first offering from her hope love heal: a love letter to japan series is a sweet button debuting at eden in love this weekend. online ordering is in the works and i will be sharing the next two releases as soon as they say hello. {$2 a button with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the red cross and unicef}.

inspired by jen's generosity, i remembered how many local designers also share a connection to japan, and how the interweb bands together when the world is touched by tragedy. my evening and morning have been spent scouring all my sources for more goodness from hawaii and beyond to help japan. one of my favorites is the aloha for japan tee which is already on backorder. find yours at aloha army, barefoot league, butigroove, fitted hawaii & in4mation. {$20 with all the profits supporting relief efforts in japan}

more kama'aina offerings + a sampling of designs from around the world after the jump.

maui raised, la-based artist edwin ushiro will be contributing original artwork to this weekend's giant robot show to help unicef's efforts with keiki survivors of the earthquake.

share the love

lisa from modern philosophy created a capsule collection of handmade adornment just for japan. {$12 to $41 with 100% of the proceeds going to the red cross}

help japan scout books

portland's scout books has printed up a special edition help japan notebook with 100% of the profits benefitting mercy corps work in japan. {$15 for a set of three + free shipping on u.s. orders}

thinking of home

brooklyn artist & tokyo native naoko stoop will be donating $10 to the red cross from each sale of her sweet thinking of home print. {via books, paper, scissors}

help japan

weiden+kennedy's help japan offering is spare and to the point. {$25 with all net profits going to the red cross; via pinterest}

lotus * waves

i love the hopefulness and simple beauty found in designer linda yuki nakanishi's japan earthquake series. {various sizes; 100% of profits will benefit the canadian red cross's relief efforts in japan}

cherry blossom heart

along with the delicate design of the cherry blossom heart from this paper ship in north carolina who also whipped up a thousand paper cranes print. {$20 with 90% of proceeds benefitting the salvation army}

alas, this is not for sale but illustrator natascha rosenberg's sweet pair quietly expresses how so many of us feel. {via pinterest}

and, h|h will be participating in for japan with love's day of silence tomorrow which means an early edition of the aloha friday scoop will be posted later tonight.

have you happened across more design kokua to help our friends in japan? if so, please do share!

p.s. good magazine has also posted a helpful roundup of charity organizations deserving of your donation.

happy hale*days 2010: mele edition

the interweb crashed on me earlier today so it's nice to finally be back online to kick off the first gifting edition! of all the guides, the mele roundup is the one i look forward to most since it gives me an excuse to wander my favorite design haunts in search of festive holiday happiness. it's also my rare fix of xmas delight until i walk into the winter wonderland that is my mom's home.

here's the scoop on my current holiday crushes:

1 - three cheers for the bold contemporary graphics of mozaic papers' charming i'iwi greeting cards! ($11/6 cards or $14/box)

2 - kinohi designs whips up playful photo cards for a modern family portrait. (fyi: i am a tinyprint affiliate so my piggy bank will be filled if you shop via this link)

3 - la belle vie's hula girl silhouette may be made in texas but it will definitely brighten up mailboxes near and far from the the islands. ($18/box)

more festive finds after the jump!

4 - tiny tags from shop toast share the sweetest sentiment with simple perfection. ($2/set)

5 - lei chartru's mele mele kalikimaka tags offers up a modern monstera pattern for a pop of xmas happiness. ($7.50/set)

6 - anthropologie's darling iced whale ornament has already sold out online, but check your neighborhood outpost for a possible xmas score. ($16)

7 - blushing pearl's pearly shell gift tags letterpressed in seaspray blue will live on in the new year as a pretty reminder/bookmark. ($10/set)

8 - treat your tree to a handmade candy cane ornament by honolulu glass artist jessica landau. ($25)

9 - only lucky readers who shop kealopiko's holiday market (details in tomorrow's scoop) will have a chance to purchase the gorgeous screenprinted wrap featuring local motifs.

10 - the ukulele monkey gift wrap from sf's hello lucky! just may be too cute for keiki to tear off their presents on xmas morning. ($5.75/roll)

11 - gussy up some kraft paper with japanese washi paper tape imported by cute tape. ($16/set)

12 - gift surprises big or small in a kealopiko pareu which doubles as lovely furoshiki wrapping cloth. ($35; akoakoa pattern shown)

did you discover anything new to love amongst these twelve things for xmas?

p.s. click back to the past for more ideas on sharing a little modern island cheer this xmas.

new peeks: kinohi designs

tropical tryst

the iffy economy is putting a squeeze on many budgets including pricey wedding celebrations for both island and destination brides & grooms. as someone who planned every single detail of my big day without a hired gun by my side, i know firsthand that it is possible to throw a lovely bash complete with fancy gown, hard to book photographers, and gourmet eats for a fraction of the cost, and, most important, without going into debt so long as you know how to allocate your funds wisely.

if invites are the area where you choose to scrimp, you will want to take note of the latest offerings from kinohi designs. since partnering with wedding paper divas and its sister company tiny prints, honolulu designer jennifer tanabe's contemporary paper goods line continues to mark life's happy moments sans the boutique price tag.

many designs hint of kinohi's island home to the delight of modern tropical style connoissiers, however my current favorite is certain to be frowned upon by the etiquette set - the cheeky blank you design with its playful twist on the traditional thank you note which is sure to be the saving grace for anyone who forgets to acknowledge gifts in a timely manner.

blank you

summer style

hello baby

and, while the stylish stationery has been perfected for weddings, birthdays, and other big announcements, savvy shoppers can put their own spin on many designs with a few quick clicks.

take a peek at kinohi designs' entire lovely lineup over at tiny prints and wedding paper divas.

keeping up with kinohi designs

quilted floral

the other day i dipped into my stationery stash happy to find a few remaining thank you cards left over from my wedding from way back when. while a graphic designer friend pitched in to create our invites, the thank you notes came from kinohi designs who was first on the scene with modern island wedding invites that i swooned over and coveted very much but, alas, were beyond my budget.

when i clicked over to see what's new with kinohi, i discovered that designer jennifer tanabe has quietly shuttered the custom paper goods side of her business to focus on other projects. luckily, she continues to offer her charming designs in a fresh mix of island motifs via wedding paper divas and tiny prints, an online print house that helps you craft semi-custom invites and announcements to celebrate life's big moments.

beach stones

baby fern * under the sea

all of the designs are digitally printed to keep the cards at an appealing price point for personalized stationery. and, if you find the perfect card but the sample text doesn't quite do it for you, just remember that a few clicks will allow you to tweak the wording to better reflect your event.