lau lau woodworks

one of my favorite stories is about emma thompson and the magic pen her father gave her when she was a child. the pen has been by her side during exam time at school and eventually graduated to writing her oscar winning script for sense & sensibility. makes you wonder about the undiscovered potential from the pen lying on your desk, doesn't it?

now that you know all pens are not created equal, perhaps your favorite grad would appreciate the gift of possibility with a koa pen from lau lau woodworks. designer aaron lau crafts each pen by hand using everything from curly koa wood to crushed sunflower seeds as inlays. and while your grad may never get around to writing the great american novel, at least jotting down her "to do" list will be elevated to a whole new level.

hawaiian lei company

tuberose + firecracker + money leis

graduation day check list:

• cap & gown . . . check.
• camera . . . check.
• tuberose leis for your bff . . . check.
• candy leis for your other friends (the ones you'll never see after you flee the stadium) . . . check.
• money leis for you . . . wishful thinking, kid.

if your favorite grad is far from the lei stands of hawaii then it's time to hit the internet and check out the selection at the hawaiian lei company. the lei designs are some of the prettiest online (loving the firecracker with kukui nut lei shown above) and their prices are pretty reasonable.

now you can continue that island tradition of piling on the leis (the more, the better) until the graduate can barely see the sign with her name waving around in the parking lot.

punahou blues

there's nothing better than kicking back with a good book on a lazy summer afternoon. add a little island flavor to your summer book list with the latest novel from kirby wright (another uc san diego alum!). punahou blues is a coming of age story set in honolulu and molokai during the 1960's & 70's and is filled with plenty of colorful local characters and stories that could happen only in hawaii.

it's a perfect beach read . . . although you just may wish you had a bag of hot malasadas from the punahou carnival to enjoy while flipping through the pages.

modern island style

lavaflow 1

living on a lava field may not be most people's idea of the oft repeated real estate maxim "location, location, location" but if you love modern architecture you'll certainly admire the work of architect craig steely. i first learned about craig when his big island home was featured in dwell a few years back and it's wonderful to know that there are folks working to bring modern design to hawaii.

now if only someone would create affordable modernist prefab housing for the islands.

picture bride

if your family arrived in hawaii at the turn of the 20th century there's a good chance that your (great) grandmother may have been a picture bride. the late filmmaker kayo hatta's 1995 film won the audience award at sundance when it was released and takes a poignant look at the journey of a young girl who arrives from japan to enter into an arranged marriage to a plantation worker.

it's a good look at a time that many of us have heard stories about while growing up so add it to your netflix queue and immerse yourself in a little local history.