so you think you can dance

sorry to disappoint but this is not a dance off challenge from me to you. consider this a little reader alert that hawaii will be well represented on this season's so you think you can dance, aka my guilty pleasure show of summertime. much to my delight, my cousins & i will spend another summer sending dance critiques and
contestant picks back and forth across the pacific until the winner is crowned and, happily, we now have a local contender to cheer on!

[a vicarious sytycd-related thrill came compliments of one cousin who had a close encounter with contemporary choreographer mia michaels while visiting las vegas last year. the sighting at mandalay bay excited her so much that, as the story goes, my cousin shrieked "MIA MICHAELS!!!" loudly enough to startle la michaels who promptly gave her a quick wave to acknowledge this exuberant expression of fan girl love before dashing off to safety. fortunately, that one simple act satisfied my cousin enough to extinguish her devious plan to infiltrate the auditions, take the stage, and "dance" for the world.]

anyhoo, the hawaii voting block will certainly be out in full force dialing & texting away to support oahu boy mark kanemura who was already a favorite (before his sister revealed the hawaii connection on social wahines) after pulling off a hilarious interpretation of queen's "bohemian rhapsody" during his audition.

the top 20 start dancing their little hearts out tonight so tune in and go mark!

manuheali'i summer style

this just in - new styles from manuheali'i's popular accessory line have just been stocked in the online shop. alas, the travel tote featured earlier in the year (which promptly sold out) is nowhere to be found, however do take a peek at handbag designer meleana's signature design made just for manuheali'i which is rocking a lovely two tone colorway this season (shown above).

laua'e kathy flounce + bamboo bag

another new arrival is the silk laua'e collection featuring a comfy silk/cotton blend to keep you cool during the long hot summer (m's aloha shirt can be found here).

shop online or hele over to manuheali'i's two oahu outposts to scoop up the designs on your wish list.

cuckoo for coconuts

a peek inside . . .

a little monday morning design eye candy for you compliments of one of my favorite island blogs - cuckoo for coconuts. i originally spotted designers conn brattain & john giordani on design*sponge a few months ago when they shared a diy tutorial with d*s readers. intrigued, i immediately clicked over to their blog which chronicles their move from nyc to maui along with the year long rehab of their property and the day to day goings on of life on the valley isle.

hints that conn & john's diy aesthetic extended beyond the remaking of over the counter shelves with grasscloth (genius!) only piqued my curiosity more, and when they shared the news that their maui home would be showcased in readymade this summer, well, i became even more enamored of this designer duo. (the story of tending to a lost baby bird, now known as kekoa, only made them more endearing.)

conn & john's cozy 800 square foot home is a showcase of how a small home can be both livable and stylish and is filled with mid-century elements and subdued tropical touches. personally, it's refreshing and way more inspiring to get a glimpse inside a real island home lived in 24/7 and transformed with a little of the owners' elbow grease instead of the ubiquitous millionaire honolulu penthouses and ocean front hawaii estates that typically dot the pages of national & island design glossies.

gorgeous grasscloth shelves!

conn & john

what i didn't discover until the issue hit the newsstand was the extent to which conn & john committed to making their haiku home as sustainable as possible. not only do they tend to their very own farmers market in their backyard (tempting readers with yummy photos of homemade jam) but their home is totally off the grid powered completely by solar panels. and they have gone a step further since freshwater flows from the taps compliments of water catchment tanks which capture rain falling from the skies.

snap up your very own copy of the jun/jul 08 issue of readymade now or click over to the digital edition to take a peek (more photos here).

{many mahalos to conn & john for all their kokua!}

{photo credit: readymade magazine (1/3) & cuckoo for coconuts (2)}

pau hana clicks

continuing on with today's foodie theme . . .

• just in time for summer, citymama scoops up homemade banana ice cream.

• epicurean appetite enjoys a french country brunch at the cream pot.

• big island chef peter merriman pens a local take in defense of homegrown food.

have a happy weekend!

little kitchens = good eats

the place to be next friday evening will be the 2008 little kitchens foodie fundraiser at the hawaii state art museum. enjoy nibbles from island restaurants, farms, and food producers while supporting slow food oahu. if you are unfamiliar with the slow food movement, as you might expect from the name, it is the opposite of fast food focusing on locally produced food, treating animals more humanely, and growing organic.

take milk as an example. as i like to point out to friends, organic milk should simply be known as milk since that is the way it was made prior to the industrialization of the once bucolic dairy farm. if the milk most people schlep home from the market were labeled truthfully - unhappy cows chowing on an unnatural diet of feed to fatten them up (instead of grazing on the grass they were meant to eat) and shot up with hormones - most folks would think twice about taking yet consume every time they pour themselves (or their little one) a glass of milk - perhaps more people would reach for the organic offering.

yes, it will cost you a few more pennies but it's better for the environment and your body since studies have shown that organic milk has more antioxidants and vitamins compared to conventional milk.

alrighty, off my soap box. if my little rant has piqued your curiosity, click over and watch this episode from diary of a foodie for a look at how people around the world are doing slow food right.

• when: fri, jun 13th - 5:30p to 8:30p
• where: hawaii state art museum, 250 south hotel street
• tix: $60
• fyi: 21 and over

p.s. big island readers: if you have a bounty of fruits and veggies growing in your garden and don't want it to go to waste, contact your local slow food chapter which has volunteers in waimea and waikoloa happy to pick the extra produce and deliver it to the food bank.