impressions of isis

winter sky

artist isis godfrey-byrne recently sent along samples of her work and i just love the soft and dreamy quality found throughout her paintings. isis was raised on the big island and left for the uk as a teenager where she studied at some of london's most prestigious art schools. it turns out isis comes from a long line of artists and one branch of her family tree actually founded the contemporary museum in makiki heights.

since returning to hawaii a few years ago, isis's impressionistic take of quiet spots around the islands has popped up at local galleries and museums to offer us all a momentary escape from the whirlwind of daily life.

many of the paintings remind me of taking an early morning walk while still sleepy when the world remains a bit out of focus. then there are the wide open vistas and country roads that seem to document isis's childhood on the big island along with the happy cloud studies that remind me of laying in the grass and watching the big fluffy wisps dance across the sky.

cotton candy

sanctuary

misty road

be sure to stop by fishcake during the month of may when isis will be the design showroom's featured artist. you can also find her work at cedar street galleries and nohea gallery.

• where: fishcake, 307c kamani street

you're invited (no trees, please)

circles & dots

this week's show and tell of eco-friendly goods has been filled with a few happy coincidences like the news of joie studio's adorable and affordable letterpress invites which just happen to be printed on tree-free paper. it turns out tina from joie has been printing many of her designs on cotton rag paper since the early days of her indie printhouse and was kind enough to send along details.

here's the short story: leftover cotton from the ginning process is used to make the paper diverting what would have been textile waste away from the landfill so that it could be reborn into the foundation for joie's stationery line. yet another paper producer powers its facility with 100% green hydroelectricity sending off any excess energy generated to the local utility.

the new fill-in letterpress invites, which are a small way to add a little ooh la la to your next party without the sticker shock of custom letterpress, are just the beginning since tina plans to introduce even more eco paper goodness this year.

sakura matsuri

swimming otter

until then, click over to joie's etsy shop which is stocked with new designs for any occasion calling for old school correspondence. tina will also be heading up to the bay area for the bazaar bizarre during next month's maker faire so if you plan on attending do stop by and say hello!

click rewind to learn more about joie studio.

pacific home eco party

stop by pacific home tomorrow night for a belated earth day celebration featuring the debut of the heavenly home collection from mu'umu'u heaven designer deb mascia who is bringing the charming look of her kailua boutique (sustainably styled with vintage and reclaimed home furnishings) to island design fans.

photographer clark little and artist christopher reiner will also be in the house as will details on maui's good home, the first leed-certified gold home in hawaii (with a luxe price tag of $2.5m, dare we hope that affordable sustainable design is in the works for the rest of us?).

• when: thu, apr 24th - 5:30p to 7:30p
• where: 420 ward avenue
• fyi: pupus, refreshments & music will be served!

dwr grand opening

egg birdfeeder * eames molded plywood chair

my apologies for the tardiness of this post but i wanted to let island design fans know that design within reach will be toasting their grand opening with a party at the new ala moana studio tomorrow evening.

the celebration also kicks off a weeklong effort to raise money for the academy of arts with 10% of all sales at the honolulu shop to be donated to museum programs.

• when: thu, apr 10th - 6p to 8p
• rsvp: honolulu [at] dwr [dot] com
• sale dates: thu, apr 10th - wed, apr 16th

lani blue stationery

hibiscus

custom goods are one of my favorite things about etsy so it was a happy day when a new stationery line from mililani knocked on my door. the idea for lani blue stationery came to be after clients of photographer sandy aichner inquired about invitations to go with their wedding package. after doing some research and not finding anything quite right, sandy decided to jump in and draw upon her photoshop/illustrator skills to create her own paper goods line.

since its inception last spring, lani blue has extended its offerings from wedding invites to birthday notes, baby/graduation announcements, and social stationery served up in a pretty mix of modern tropical and asian design elements. and, should the relationship ever hit the skids, follow the lead of one client who shared the 411 with a juicy breakup announcement.

another reason to show lani blue some love is that all of the designs are printed with recycled papers and vegetable based inks for a little less impact on the planet.

currently, lani blue stationery is available exclusively in its etsy shop. keep in mind that custom orders have a turnaround time of 1 to 6 weeks with preprinted cards shipping within two weeks. be sure to take a peek at the faq for additional details as well as sandy's blog for a look behind the scenes.

p.s. social wahines members save 10% off their order! contact sandy for more info.