happy hale*days 2011: mele edition

a few whimsical possibilities to dress up your december with a little island inspired holiday cheer!

1 - xmas greetings get modern with hour of nine's merry letterpress notes. {$18; enter secret code hapahale in the special instructions box at checkout & your order will arrive with preprinted return addresses on the envelopes}

2 - old school xmas lights are even more delightful when transformed into handmade felt ornaments by honolulu's danielle london. {$25}

3 - pretty up gift boxes with shop toast's happy wooden charms engraved with holiday cuties. {$6}

4 - mailbox smiles are guaranteed when heather brown's eco-friendly cards featuring the sweetest three little birds arrive with holiday wishes. {$20}

more merriment after the jump!

5 - tag presents with a personalized flourish printed by honolulu's pikake press. {$8}

6 - swap out your old cookie cutters for playful ninjabread men and gift the coolest baked goods ever. {$8.95}

7 - coral felt wool placemats by haleiwa's aestivation designs will decorate table settings with festive flair. {$85}

do you prefer to stay true to xmas traditions or do you adore mixing in newly discovered holiday delights every december?

happy hale*days 09: gifting edition

little wonders

hopefully, everyone has been busy with their holiday preparations and failed to notice my unintended absence this week. alas, between tending to a lovely new project, nursing the mister back to health over the weekend, and hurriedly finishing up all the little holiday details, this year's gifting guide got pushed (and pushed) to the back burner.

anyhoo, please enjoy this tardy roundup of last minute stocking stuffers scouted around the islands and beyond!

for the play date: the delightfully handcrafted emma the alien. ($45 | cuddle with aloha)

for the sumo baby: a wee onesie in sizes from 3m to 18m. ($15 | sweet dumplings)

for the keiki: adorable teddies and stockings made with fabric remnants. (mu'umu'u heaven; in-store only)

for the future picasso: sketch away with mini twig pencils in a rainbow of colors. ($8/dozen | available at toast).

for the tidy tot: handmade art roll featuring a fab orla kiely pattern. ($17 | tasha bags & baby)

design geek loveliness

for the frugalista: help her save her pennies with a pretty piggy bank. ($26 | not neutral)

for the not-so-green thumb: water-sipping succulents blossom in a living vase. (1st look exteriors)

for the office mate: rock that return address with a custom peacock rubber stamp. ($21.95 | for yoo)

for the saimin connoisseur: slurping ramen is tastier in a kitschy ceramic noodle cup. ($12.99 | available at think geek)

for the coffee lover: enjoy each sip with the blue flora coffee service. ($64 | not neutral)

for the front door: modernist mainlanders will appreciate an understated remove shoes plaque. ($32 | rae dunn)

beachy goodness

for the teacher: ecolicious canvas totes featuring waves, butterflies, flowers and fishes. ($24 | ecolicious)

for the treehugger: tread lighter on the 'aina with eco-friendly slippers made from natural rubber. ($30 | organik)

for the armchair adventurer: slip under the waves with the shorebreak art of clark little coffee table book. ($100 | clark little)

for the surfing 'ohana : a custom surfboard sign for the hale. ($40 | three ladybugz)

style makeover

for the indie spirit: wearables for the entire 'ohana (w's pom circles shown above) plus new arkotyke goods for the little hipster. ($22 | arkotec)

for the beauty queen: sweet solid scents made to linger with a blend of shea butter, vanilla bean extract, and essential oils. ($22 - $9 off and free shipping with secret code birthday | maoli perfumes)

for the surfer girl: handpainted star pendants add a little whimsy to the waves. ($30 | christie shinn)

for the water warrior: paddle in style with a lovely tiare jersey. ($40 | 'oiwi ocean gear)

for the mister: represent the 808 with an embroidered tiki crew sweatshirt. ($70 | kicks hawaii)

for the ironman: triathlon and honolulu marathon-inspired charms. ($50 | fly jewelry)

for the local boy: limited edition hi life warrior cap. ($40 | available at butigroove)

p.s. be back on friday with the final sales sheet before santa lands on your rooftop!

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.

a handmade holiday

partridge in a pear ornament + ginko song wine pocket

it's been a bit too long since the last etsy day post, and, while scouting for holiday goodness, i discovered that space moderne recently re-opened its etsy shop after a long hiatus. lucky for us, momi, the baltimore-based designer behind all this felted loveliness, has introduced a handful of new designs and stocked the shop with past favorites just in time for the holidays!

our space is too small to squeeze in a xmas tree but the handmade ornaments would certainly add a modern bit of indie cheer to your holiday decor whether you will be gathering round a towering pine or opt to hang a simple, festive garland.

wine pockets made to be gifted (and re-gifted), playful ipod cases, and whimsical vases complete the collection.

mod dot indie trees

scully bird clutch

bubble ball ornaments

almost all of the featured designs are currently stocked in limited quantities in the space moderne etsy shop so do hele over asap to scoop up your favorites in time to enjoy them this holiday season. (the exception is the delightfully wintry bubble balls which are from last season so if you covet a set do convo momi to see if she has any hiding in her stash)

p.s. readers near baltimore have a chance to say hello in person over the next two weekends when space moderne hits the local indie craft show circuit. click over to the etsy shop for all the details.

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.