weekend sales sheet

aloha, summertime. take a moment to console yourself while perusing the holiday edition of the weekend sales sheet.

save 10% off storewide at pacific home's labor day extravaganza. keep your eye out for canadian design goodies by gus which is stocked exclusively in the islands at ph.

• when: now to mon, sep 3rd
• where: 420 ward avenue

the butik is also getting in on the sale action and offering 15% off their entire stock (including sale items!) coveted by any good fashionista.

• when: today to sun, sep 2nd
• where: 1067 kapiolani blvd, suite a-3

jools, the la-based jewelry line created by the big island's sybil shimazu, is also making it a little easier on your pocketbook to stock up on accessories for the cozy days of fall. score 15% off the collection that has been buzzed about in the pages of lucky and in style.

• secret code: labor15
• expires: sun, sep 9th

and punk-n-pie, the adorable online keiki boutique owned by liana from mixed plate, is in the midst of clearing out clothing and accessories to brighten up your little one's world. click over to the sale section to save at least 10% off little twig, wallcandy arts, jeeto and more!

have a lovely holiday weekend!

heaven scent

malie kauai recently added an organic perfume to its growing roster of spa products inspired by the floral abundance of the garden isle. two scents made their debut - beautify, a combination of pikake and rose that evokes one of the earliest blends in ancient alchemy, and relax for those of us who swoon for the coconut and vanilla pairing required in any warm beachy fragrance.

all the elements that combine to create malie's organic therapy perfume are indigenous to the islands and were either organically cultivated or wildcrafted from local rainforests. another bonus, the chemical and alcohol free perfume is bottled in a roll on applicator which allows you to pinpoint the fragrance on all the right pulse points.

shop online or stop by malie's boutique near poipu when on kauai.

once upon an ipu

ipu hale

yet another traditional hawaiian art form is receiving some love in the press far beyond the ocean borders of the islands. case in point: the latest issue of craft to hit the newsstand features the big island's ipu hale which is part of a tiny community of local artists reviving an ancient hawaiian technique of decorating the humble gourd. while most of us are familiar with the curves (and beats) of the ipu, the decorative process is not well known outside the world of historians and artisans and so a quick overview to get you up to speed.

back in the day when the ni'ihau method was practiced, intricate designs were created by carving a relief into the gourd's skin which would then be filled with coffee to slowly dye the gourd from the inside out. time was allowed to take its course and, after patiently waiting for weeks or months on end, the design would eventually emerge. since the natural dye reacted differently with each specimen, a bit of alchemy occurred which resulted in the creation of a one of kind vessel.

and, with modern day artisans looking to the past for inspiration, traditional polynesian patterns à la tatau and tapa designs are making a return to elevate the ipu from a swap meet souvenir to something that reconnects us to a once forgotten art form.

elroy juan & georgia sartoris

alas, ipu hale is without a website so you will have to make your way to holualoa to admire their craftsmanship in person. while on the big island, you may also want to stop by the volcano art center and check out the work of noted gourd artists elroy juan & georgia sartoris who create hue wai pawehe (aka decorated water gourds).

learn more about this fascinating process along with a step-by-step tutorial in this excerpt from craft.

happy hearts mochi

chocolate haupia

it seems there is a new mochi lady in town. the original mochi lady whipped up gourmet versions of the japanese confection in her little cottage that had folks lining outside her door in the wee hours of the morning. luckily for customers, her secrets have now been passed on from the master mochi maker to her apprentice, the new proprietress of happy hearts mochi.

as evidenced by the photos, each piece is made by hand to create sweet delights like chocolate haupia, peanut butter, hazelnut coffee haupia, and strawberry when in season. it is mochi which has been elevated to a little luxury treat and reminds me of the artistry found in the glass cases of a patisserie or chocolatier.

bento sampler haupia

happy hearts mochi is available by advance order (minimum 2 days notice) and in numerous configurations to satisfy your guests be it for a family potluck, office party, or wedding. and, since it has been proven to be especially popular during new year's and other holidays, make sure to mark october 1st on your calendar to guarantee your holiday order is in the books.

take a peek at the rest of the ground rules and the ever important price list before placing an order for your next celebration.

how to be a social wahine

everywhere you look, there seems to be a new business opening up in the islands owned by a woman with only a dream and a little bit of moxie to guide her. for the rest of us, all this grrl power has meant access to the latest styles, gourmet treats, a helping hand, and a few more choices which is definitely a good thing in a world gone mad with big box stores.

however, the demands of being your own boss means 24/7 is spent nurturing your creation making it difficult to take a breather to dish with other business owners. and that's where social wahines comes in.

the island style networking group is the creation of morgan childs & danielle scherman, two local girls who made their way to nyc where they launched successful event planning companies. after morgan returned home to the islands, the two friends noticed hawaii's newest generation of businesswomen needed a way to collaborate with other like minded ladies. and so, social wahines was born earlier this year as a way for young professional women in the islands to expand their circle by mixing business with pleasure.

events are held on the last tuesday of the month and have included wine tastings, spa nights, and sample sales (in fact, many of the participants at last weekend's closet swap are members of social wahines). this is definitely not your parents' networking group. in addition to bouncing ideas off people who understand your world, membership has its privileges including discounts at sw partners, access to an online message board, and a resource directory.

sound good? click over to the membership application and join the fun!