a day at the museum

hisam's elegant facade

we had a bit of an adventure finding the hawaii state art museum on our trip home (which i find a tad ironic considering i walked past the building every saturday morning in my youth). the museum opened in 2002 in the former ymca (and prior to that was the original royal hawaiian hotel) and houses a wonderful collection of work by island artists.

the walls are filled with artwork (herb kawainui kane, jean charlot & madge tennant are just a few of the artists represented), photography of hawaii's past & present, sculptures, and some of the nicest benches to sit upon and ponder the art before you.

our time inside the gallery was a bit of a whirlwind since the parking meter was ticking away, but even with the time crunch we managed to find a photograph snapped by my mom's high school chum on display.

a few tips:

• admission is free (but donations are welcome)
• be sure to check out the events page before you go (especially if your little ones enjoy art making)
• save time cruising the streets for a spot for your car with the very helpful parking guide

as for downtown, the museum's spanking new café by the folks behind kaimuki's town, while my lunch companions were underwhelmed with their selections i was happy with my salad made of local, organic ingredients. the space is airy and filled with light and, of course, artwork making it a pleasant spot to meet friends for lunch or grab a bite before you wander through the galleries.

despite our uneven experience, i would give it a second try considering they had only been open a little over a week when we visited and still had a few details to iron out. and, worker bees looking for something new for lunch should check out downtown's weekday quick service asap menu which sounded, dare i say, even yummier than the sit down side. check out nadine kam's review for her take.

{photo credit, no.2 : hawaii state art museum}

{update | jan 2010: the museum may be reserved for private events and makes a lovely site for a romantic wedding!}

bridal beauty

maleana lip control kit

all the factors that make hawaii one of the most beautiful places on earth to be married tend to create a few beauty dilemmas unique to the tropics (shine control, anyone?). if you have planned a wedding in the islands over the last few years, you have probably heard of dorys foltin, a makeup artist to the stars who is also quite in demand for brides in the know.

two years ago, dorys introduced maleana, a cosmetics line designed for the specific needs of the bride battling the island's hot and humid weather. there's organic rice silk powder to combat shine, a treatment for kissable lips, and a few secret tricks from dorys' professional makeup arsenal to create smudge-proof eyes.

for the moment, orders can only be placed by phone or email, however new products and a redesigned website are set to debut next month. stay posted for more details.

it's a good day for a white wedding

countless brides and the men who love them have planned their big day with the help of manoa's wedding café and now you can take a peek behind the scenes with white which takes a unique spin on the traditional and typically dull vendor directory.

white's m.o. is simple - playful profiles and back stories of the shutterbugs, paper purveyors, favor makers, pastry pushers and generalissmos who make it all happen mixed with a generous dash of insider tips to help you find THE dream maker who gets your vision (which, from my own unwedding experience, increases your odds of the day's details being executed the way you imagined).

complimentary copies are yours for the taking at the shop or you can stop by borders, b+n or bestsellers in the islands (bring $9 to avoid an unpleasant encounter with security). the directory can also be accessed online but you will have to download .pdf files page by page for the convenience of going paperless.

{update | jan 2010: the wedding café has relocated to ward warehouse}

green honolulu

unless you are planning a wedding, finding flowers with a fresh, modern composition in the islands can be a bit of a challenge so i was quite excited when i learned about green honolulu last year and happily added the site to my bookmarks. or so i thought. with valentine's day approaching, it was time to gather up a few romantic picks for h|h, however, to my dismay, the bookmark along with the company's name had simply vanished from both my computer and my memory.

poof.

then last month a reader sent me a tip and i rediscovered green honolulu who just happens to be co-owned by one of the proprietors of soha. in addition to event and floral design for weddings and soirées, gh designers avery solmssen and brooke israel also welcome orders for one of their artful arrangements for those times when a bouquet from costco simply won't do.

and no worries about the blooms going to waste post-bash since green honolulu is happy to help you donate flowers to a local charity or hospital so they can continue to brighten someone else's day.

{mahalo lori!}

toasty goodness

one of the up & coming lines stocked at the candy shop is toast, the multi-talented team of michelle kaneko & jeremy shoda who ditched their architecture careers to launch an event planning biz and design studio.

toast's online shop recently opened and it is stocked with lots of fun stuff like cheeky paper goods and irreverent toys sure to delight your inner child. i am loving their . . . and counting note card which marks the big day (birthday/anniversary/ what have you) by its magic number.

toast has their own line of handmade stuff'd monkees and also carries string dolls, crafty curiosities created by architecture students in thailand made with just ONE piece of string! can't you just picture them hanging from the bag of a hipster visitor from japan? 

the next time you are stumped for a favor that will make a statement at that very important bash, remember these custom soda snacks filled with sweet & savory treats which are a playful alternative that will instantly tell your guests that this is no ordinary party.

and when you need an extra hand planning all the details, the toast team will put their architecture background to good use and tackle all the layers required to create a delightful wedding, baby shower, birthday, office party & anything else worth celebrating.

click here to learn more about what makes the toast team tick.