and the winner is . . .

olivia from waikiki whose halloween just arrived a bit early with the addition of four sweetly spooky companions compliments of toast!

many mahalos to everyone who entered the giveaway! the charming boo!zu boys landed at the wedding café and menehune mac a few days ago, and, of course, can be found in toast's online shop and studio for a limited time.

• where: 3434 waialae avenue, suite 3, kaimuki
• shop hours: m / w / f / sat - 12p to 6p

congratulations, olivia!

{mahalo to jeremy & michelle!}

dreams of paradise

dawn patrol

the most dreamy photographs have been popping up all over my favorite design blogs so i am quite happy to share the very first lovely snapshots captured around the island by jan from hazelnut cottage. iconic beach shots of hawaii tend to highlight the perfect wave, bikini babes, or turtles lounging in the sand which leaves something lacking for those of us who hold a more romanticized view of the world.

lucky for us, jan's photography transports viewers to enjoy the small moments in life with her lens focusing on slippers left on shore, fisherman waiting for the daily catch, and wistful memories of long lost swing rides. a sweet blush of nostalgia accompanies each photo which reminds me of how life slows down and becomes just a bit more subdued when the sun skips behind the clouds.

more peeks below . . .

pier

i had to go

innocence

currently, the photography offerings are limited to a handful of images with plans to grow it shot by gorgeous shot. the petite price tag ($25) also makes it an affordable way to pretty up your space.

click over to hazelnut cottage's etsy shop to find one you love. and, be sure to scoop it up in the next week since jan is offering the h|h 'ohana complimentary shipping on all photo orders!

• secret code: hapahale (enter in notes to seller)
• expires: thu, oct 15th
• fyi: shipping will be refunded via paypal

toast halloween giveaway

they're back! jeremy & michelle from toast recently released the annual halloween edition of the boo!zu boys (better known to fans as jax, cross, vein & frank). originally inspired by japanese folk tales, toast's handcrafted quartet are meant to be a sweet talisman to ward off rainclouds and woo the sun's rays.

the snack-sized creatures are available individually ($6) or as a set ($20) which just happens to be toast's halloween treat for one lucky oahu reader game to venture to toast's kaimuki studio for pickup!

here's the scoop on how to enter:

• email your name & current hometown to: aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com by thu, oct 8th
• please put toast halloween giveaway in the subject
• one entry per person/household
• fyi: oahu peeps only, please

winner will be announced on friday.

good luck!

{update: winner list posted}

monster mash challenge

happy october! chinatown boardroom issued a ghoulish challenge to local and mainland artists to conjure up creatures made to mix and mingle. jackie, cb's fabulous gallerista, kindly sent along a sneak peek from monster mash, a group art show which opens to the public tonight (costumes encouraged!).

featured artists include ryan higa, pegge hopper, may izumi, jeff lamm, miss mindy, otto, kat reeder, rich richardson, cade roster, masako schwalbenitz, dave tanji, mike watanabe & robert watanabe.

a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the hawaiian humane society.

• opening reception: tonight, oct 1st - 6p to 8p
• where: 1160 nu'uanu avenue
• show dates: today to sat, oct 31st
• gallery hours: tue to sat, 11a to 4p

fresh impressions

tropical blossoms

my first peek at mozaic paper's letterpress offerings arrived in my mailbox compliments of lei ann, the lovely kama'aina shopkeeper of seattle's momo. the delightfully cheery note card turned out to be part of the first run collaboration between the in-house graphic designers from honolulu's design logix (co-owned by lei ann's sister carrie) and electric pencil's print house who cranked up a recently acquired letterpress machine for the project.

what began as a holiday surprise gifted to clients soon became a creative lark for the designers when the company decided to produce a series of letterpress stationery for sale. the first two offerings, illustrated by designer lori nuha, feature gorgeous island botanicals that pop off the paper via two color impressions of delicate blossoms like hibiscus, tiare and ohia and tropical ulu, palapawai and red ti leaves.

tropical leaves

happily, the mozaic paper online shop is now open for business and the everyday notes have just arrived at soha in kahala mall.

individual note cards are priced at $4.50 while sets of three to six cards range from $12 to $21.

{mahalo lei ann!}