lani blue stationery

hibiscus

custom goods are one of my favorite things about etsy so it was a happy day when a new stationery line from mililani knocked on my door. the idea for lani blue stationery came to be after clients of photographer sandy aichner inquired about invitations to go with their wedding package. after doing some research and not finding anything quite right, sandy decided to jump in and draw upon her photoshop/illustrator skills to create her own paper goods line.

since its inception last spring, lani blue has extended its offerings from wedding invites to birthday notes, baby/graduation announcements, and social stationery served up in a pretty mix of modern tropical and asian design elements. and, should the relationship ever hit the skids, follow the lead of one client who shared the 411 with a juicy breakup announcement.

another reason to show lani blue some love is that all of the designs are printed with recycled papers and vegetable based inks for a little less impact on the planet.

currently, lani blue stationery is available exclusively in its etsy shop. keep in mind that custom orders have a turnaround time of 1 to 6 weeks with preprinted cards shipping within two weeks. be sure to take a peek at the faq for additional details as well as sandy's blog for a look behind the scenes.

p.s. social wahines members save 10% off their order! contact sandy for more info.

goody bottle

custom soda snacks

the toast team recently rolled out a monogram option for their custom soda snack line which is such a cute idea for a wedding favor. fillings range from sweet to savory and include local favorites like iso peanuts, arare and li hing gummies for a more modern take on the small kid time treats that were scooped out of those gigantic apothecary jars at island sweet shops.

and, if you are determined to work the official wedding color into every little detail, you can opt for m&m's and jelly bellys to further coordinate your wedding decor.

minimum order is 15 bottles. get the skinny on custom orders here.

click rewind to learn more about toast.

tamara catz open house

oahu brides-to-be: finally, a save the date that doesn't require any work on your part other than marking your calendar. tamara catz has booked the coral loft in chinatown on saturday for a one day open house featuring her dreamy island inspired bridal collection.

no wedding plans? no worries, the maui designer's resort 08 collection (shown above) will also be in the house for first looks to one and all.

and if that's not reason enough to spend the afternoon in chinatown, confections from cake couture cupcakes will do its best to woo you in between fittings.

appointments may be made via email - info [at] tamaracatz [dot] com - or phone - 808.579.9184

• when: sat, mar 8th - 11a to 6p
• where: coral loft, 1033a smith street

petite sweets

fair warning to those who have resolved to eat healthy in the new year: consider yourself advised to skip this post which has the potential to sabotage your plans ever so sweetly. cari from miemiko had tipped me off on the latest cupcakerie to hit the islands last summer, and i am happy to report that i finally had a chance to sample the offerings at cake couture cupcakes during my latest visit home.

pastry chef carmen emerson-bass, known for her elaborate wedding cake designs, is the confectionery mixologist behind the charming aina haina spot where delightful cupcakes are whipped up six days a week in flavors ranging from the traditional (chocolate & vanilla) to the unexpected (chai spice & orange creamsicle).

red velvet * egg nog * peanut butter

the case was almost bare when i stopped by in the late afternoon so plan on arriving earlier in the day if you have your heart set on a particular flavor fix. cupcakes start at $2.50 a pop and an even more gourmet selection (think decadent chocolate ganache, lemon curd filling, etc) will attempt to woo you from the adjoining case.

take a peek at the rotating menu before you go and remember custom cupcake orders are also welcome.

joie to the world

it's always a happy day around h|h when a new discovery of paper goodness is uncovered. it's no secret i heart the old world artform of letterpress, and, after finding this mahalo letterpress note card on etsy, i knew i had to find out just how the designer was connected to the islands.

it turns out, tina pham, the creative mind behind joie studio, did indeed grow up on oahu and followed the path many of us know so well of going to the mainland for college and setting down roots far from hawaii after graduation. a web designer by trade, tina started designing invites as an extension of her work creating wedding websites, and eventually caught the letterpress bug after taking a few classes.

tina now spends countless hours by the side of her early 20th century golding letterpress churning out charming paper ephemera featuring a mix of antique and modern illustrations. the mahalo card is the first in joie studio's old hawaii series (a new design will be released every few months), and tina is now collaborating with the toast team to give their playful graphics a letterpress touch.

peacock

naughty & nice

2008 blooming desk calendar

click over to the joie studio etsy shop to take a peek at the lovely holiday designs, and be sure to scoop up one of the remaining limited edition 2008 blooming desk calendars which has received a lot of online buzz since its debut last month. custom work is available and the joie studio design house also offers web design and event planning services.

go behind the scenes via the joie studio blog.