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!

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island crush: painted ladies

glimpses of old waikiki have become ever elusive as the years go by so i am swooning over kat reeder's dreamy illustration of the royal hawaiian hotel commissioned by starwood for its 2012 calendar. the matted print makes the most delightful souvenir if you have ever wandered along the lush garden path to be romanced by the breathtaking spanish-moorish architecture of the iconic pink palace.

why, you can almost smell the perfume of the plumerias and hear the gentle strums of a ukulele floating up from the mai tai bar.

$40 online. (fyi: additional sizes available by request.)

p.s. order by sun, nov 20th and score a complimentary trip to your mailbox with secret code freeshipping.

kisses from kaua'i

lisa from bungalow 9 just shared the newest addition to her design shop's print collection!

i love you from here to kauai is an especially sweet notion for homesick kama'aina and faraway loves of the garden isle.

offered in five colors and sized to fit standard issue frames.

$42 in-store (phone & email orders welcome).

island crush: pua pillowcases

look what i happily happened across last night while catching up on facebook . . . the dreamiest pillowcases featuring pua's lovely pareu designs which debuted this past spring.

if you covet a pair, the wana and limu prints will be produced in a very limited number of handmade cases (standard size) so do hele and send lauren a note to order.

$50/set.

shop peek: hound & quail

sometime in the spring, happy news arrived that mark and travis from [area], which shuttered in 2009, had rebooted their mini design mart as hound & quail, a curated shopette stocked with vintage furnishings, whimsical curiosities, and elusive goodness not typically found in hawaii.

while i have yet to step inside, a few clicks around the website uncovered the most fabulous fare from card catalogs rescued from the library and old timey typewriters to touristy shell trophies and decorative letters. it's like the vintage section of etsy without the worry of shipping!

more lovely discoveries after the jump.

the proprietors' day jobs limit in-store browsing time so do preview the current inventory online and contact h&q to inquire about purchasing your favorite find.

• where: 1400 kapiolani blvd, suite a21
• shop hours: mon, 5p to 8p & by appointment

p.s. mark your calendar for h&q's next monthly market on sun, sep 18th!

fashion forward: alfred shaheen

the hawaiiana fashion house alfred shaheen has been enjoying a bit of a revival over the past few years with reissues of their vintage textiles making the home decor rounds. isla from soh inspired! recently shared the news that indoor and outdoor spaces wistfully waiting for lovely yet resilient island style can now be prettified with patterns from the designer's surf 'n sand label. duralee welcomed more alfred shaheen goodness last month with the introduction of the copacabana collection (loving the sophisticated motifs which remain quite modern!), and i spied a few tropical delights hiding in the abbey road and big sur offerings.

while admiring the fabric swatches, i noticed that the archives have also been opened to seascape lamps where you can illuminate your nest with a selection of shaheen shades. do have a peek if your home loves a retro luau look! since not everyone is well versed in mid-century aloha wear, i whipped up a fun diversion to capture the essence of the iconic honolulu label with a vintage outfit vs. modern design goods faceoff!

peek a few of my favorite fashion and design twins after the jump.

mini mum garden

the three tier mini mum garden ($290) meets its a-line doppleganger in this strapless lovely ($300).

kona tapa

love the handdrawn nature of the kona tapa design ($210). and the graphic sensibility of this darling surf 'n sand playsuit ($105) remains au courant with rompers all the rage these days.

regina asian blossoms

jackpot! i discovered the ladylike regina asian blossoms lamp ($210) has a deadringer in this très jolie cocktail dress ($69.95).

hooray for etsy where i truly lucked out sourcing coordinating vintage looks. the prices some styles are fetching are certainly incentive to go hunting through the closets of your fashionable mamas and aunties!

and, stay on the lookout for hawaii's alfred shaheen: fabric to fashion, a traveling retrospective which the star-advertiser reported is expected to stop in maui this fall.

p.s. surf & sand fabric sources include johnny mango at the gentry design center and housefabric.com which woos with discounted yardage (but beware high shipping charges to the islands).

{update: hancock's of paducah seems to be a better bet for online orders to hawaii. although a smaller selection of surf 'n sand patterns is offered, half yard orders can be placed & shipping via usps is an option.}

morning crush: pupu platter

look what i spied while browsing through re-nest's list o' etsy favorites this morning! how fun would these plyboo cutting boards of the hawaiian islands be at your next soirée? kaho'olawe appears to be missing, but still a darling pupu display for a luau, wedding, or weekend gathering.

made by brooklyn's aheirloom who is happy to customize the placement of a little heart to mark your hometown or favorite island spot.

$40 online.

p.s. mainland states also offered.