nine tail fox studio

ebony wood + sterling silver triple band ring

while clicking around etsy i was thrilled to discover the fabulous nine tail fox studio. fran and anson, the husband and wife team who must have lot of fun in their honolulu studio, are creative souls working hard to bring design with a modern edge and some much needed irreverent style to the islands.

abstract wave

in addition to their very cool jewelry designs made of wood, nine tail fox also has a number of resin pieces with a japanese touch. for those who are interested in life behind the scenes, check out ntf's blog about the creative process which is a fun read for armchair diy'ers who daydream about casting and welding. 

and - fyi - all orders also enjoy complimentary shipping via first class mail!

reversible island style

audrey handbag (circa 1960's)

one peek inside the closet and you will discover that, more often than not, a girl can never have too many bags. denise tjarks, a handbag designer based on kauai, originally kicked off her business by whipping up bags made out of vintage muumuu fabric, but with demand outpacing supply she was inspired to expand the line to include a mix of modern textiles.

an added bonus is that all the styles are reversible which make the bags infinitely more versatile. if bags aren't your thing, denise recently introduced reversible fabric belts which are too cute for words and would definitely add some flair to your favorite pair of jeans.

and, lucky you, even if you are not ready to get a head start on your holiday shopping, you can still take advantage of the free shipping offer which is available on all orders until the end of the year!

hawaiian legends of dreams

while wandering through the stacks at the bookstore, i discovered that one of my favorite artists, caren loebel-fried, has published another book delving into the mythology of ancient hawaii. her stunning block prints are sprinkled throughout hawaiian legends of dreams which is a treat for both young and old.

keola beamer sums up the book very nicely in his foreward:

"dreams are the beginning. they are the seed of our ambitions, the source of our inspiration, and the impetus for our creations. the book you hold in your hands is the manifestation of caren loebel-fried's dream to share the mana`o of traditional hawaiians on the amorphous world of dreams.

in this book, her love of our culture is evident in her research and beautiful art. she has captured the spirit of our view of the world, in which all things are connected and there is no distance between souls, alive or passed over, which cannot be bridged. we believe that mana, or life force, flows through the universe, and all things have a voice . . . even in our dreams."

the companion book, hawaiian legends of the guardian spirits, is also perfect for bedtime stories so definitely check them out if you want to share the hawaiians' love of storytelling with the little ones in your life.

holiday style with fighting eel

time to take a peek at the holiday 2006 collection from fighting eel . . .

and there's more news from fe since their chinatown showroom is now officially open to the public on fridays from 10a-6p. now you can snap up hard to find pieces and score 30% off styles from past seasons and maybe, just maybe, meet the designers in person!

h|h on mixed plate!

while i was untethered from the computer in hawaii, liana over at mixed plate (and designer-at-large at on a friday) did a sweet writeup of h|h for her blog of the week. much mahalos liana!

and, if you are always on the lookout for new indie designers, do stop by mixed plate to get the low down on all things cool & crafty from liana who is super connected to the flourishing indie scene.