morning crush: recycled kaua'i tote

with earth day just a day away, bungalow 9's new recycled canvas tote takes the shop's popular word art banners featuring kauai's favorite towns and beaches and translates the design into a to go edition.

a delightful find for both garden isle modernists and faraway dreamers, no?

$32 in-store. (phone and email orders welcome)

new peeks: pua jewelry & pareu

 

hello hello! after my mister clocked seven straight 12-hour days, it was hard to resist the chance to spend time together so i hope you will excuse my absence over the past few days. one peek of the gorgeous new goodness by pua jewelry, and you will understand why i could not stay away for too long without sharing all the latest loveliness from one of my favorite local designers.

along with new shimmer, pua designer lauren hewett caldiero is also welcoming a most becoming addition with pretty pareu channeling low-key elegance and pure polynesian grace. inspired by both her own and her mom's extensive stockpile of pareu sourced from around the pacific, lauren enlisted her hubby (who just happens to be one of town's top chefs) to help transform squares of fabric into muted and sunny tie-dye while modern tropical prints taken from her sketchbook round out the offerings.

with so many readers sharing my crush over pua's line of handmade adornment, you will be delighted to learn that lauren and friend & fellow maker meleana have spent the past few months readying their very own atelier stocked with their collections of island girl sparkle, flirty pareu, and homegrown carryalls.

more looks to woo you plus studio details after the jump!

heliconia * shell & seaglass * seabird * skeleton

the online shop is in the midst of a makeover, but until it debuts you can peek all the new pua goodness over on facebook. or, hele over to becca beach at the kahala to scoop up your very own pareu.

and, happy news! lauren and meleana will be welcoming friends and fans during their official studio warming this weekend. say hello to the designers and shop all the latest loveliness while enjoying pupus, sweets and sips!

• when: fri, apr 8th - 5p to 8p & sat, apr 9th - 9a to 12p
• where: 949 mccully avenue, suite 12
• studio hours: by appointment only

p.s. the aloha friday scoop will be on hiatus since i am off to celebrate our dear friends' wedding this weekend. enjoy the april flowers!

tiare hawaii: lost in paradise

jasmine

after catching glimpses of tiare hawaii's lineup of island beauties in shop update after shop update, i finally remembered to dash off a note to find out more about the bohemian collection from the north shore. the tie-dye gowns in sherbert hues are what first caught my eye, and the little gypsy in me who loves to get lost inside anthropologie is swooning over the girly details and whisper-thin fabrics designed to keep you looking pretty even when oppressing humidity and scorching heat arrives on shore.

designer jane hoskins was happy to share the beginnings of tiare which was inspired by the global loveliness encountered while paradise hopping around the world with friends. (oh, the perks of having a flight attendant bff!) while on holiday in bali, jane fell in love with the exotic island and discovered indonesia's striking textiles which have become the gorgeous foundation of every tiare offering.

the beautiful and packable garments are wearable from the beach to town with hand embroidered cotton voile, silk batik prints, and dip-dyed loveliness fulfilling tiare's go anywhere in style philosophy.

more favorites for happy island days after the jump . . .

eyelets & embroidery

crochet * pirate

teeny bikini * tie-dye ruffles

batik shorts

your pocketbook will also be delighted that styles from spring's lost in paradise collection are appealingly priced from $35 to $100.

alas, online ordering is not yet available so your best bet is to pay a visit to your neighborhood stockist (including drift in kaimuki, oskar's in kilauea, pueo in kona, and pink by nature in makawao). jane also kindly shared a tip that aloha 'aina at the royal hawaiian shopping center and san lorenzo in waikiki carry the entire collection in every single springtime color.

do you have a favorite tiare in your closet?

p.s. off island friends are welcome to send jane a note to inquire about placing an order or to locate a retailer near you.

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.

morning crush: island girl ruffles

a smile is never far behind whenever i spot these charming ruffled totes in my etsy favorites. a single exuberant blossom and her flouncy striped friend just say hello springtime!

handmade by laie's sleepy dreamer (who also designs the most charming wedding stationery).

$32 online.