tattoo lesson

it's been far too long since the last design roundup so enjoy this little show & tell of polynesian tattoo design made for the modern age.

1 - good china gets a maori makeover with this swoon worthy 18-piece porcelain dinnerware set.

2 - since h|h last checked in with manoatoa, the polynesian tee company has continued to release fresh designs inspired by the art and culture of the pacific islands. the newest design is the eye catching mata tee with a cool wraparound graphic.

3 - readers loved the mix of wall sticks featured in 2007 so here's a tribal twist via scribble's tahitian series.

of course, all of these modern interpretations are rooted in the past so click over to youtube to see a fascinating video of the traditional tapping method. the clip is from skin stories, a pbs documentary which aired a few years back that chronicles the history of tattooing throughout polynesia (dvd copies are available at native books in ward warehouse).

weekly sales sheet

you can now shop selections from pacific home from the comfort of home! the honolulu design shop just opened the doors to its virtual storefront and to celebrate is offering 10% off all online orders!

• expires: sat, mar 15th

stop by queens candy shop on saturday afternoon for the qns bbq sale. save on the latest streetwear designs plus island designers bliss lau, leah evans, mechakawa vintage, michele lau, roberta oaks & toast!

• when: sat, mar 1st - 12p to 7p
• where: 831 queen street

Click to read more ...

souvenir special

hawaii pillow

there were only a handful of readers when i first posted about this folksy embroidered hawaii pillow way back when, but i recently stumbled upon the makers' website and discovered that the hawaii design (one of many created for catstudio's geography collection) is now offered on everything from glassware to dishtowels.

and, as further evidence that it truly is a small world, while clicking around the website i learned that carmel swan (a former music exec turned textile artist) who owns catstudio with her husband, just happens to have a hawaii connection too.

hawaii glass

if you want to pick up one of these charming additions for your space just know that online orders have a $40 minimum however ground shipping is free.

p.s. you can shave a few dollars off the hawaii pillow (which takes 40+ hours to embroider by hand) by ordering direct.

a taste of fishcake

fishcake may be better known as one of the many ingredients in a bowl of saimin, but its latest incarnation is as the newest design shop in honolulu. the name is a holdover from the kibun fishcake factory which was a potential showroom site, and although the location was eventually nixed the name stuck.

the kaka'ako showroom is filled with a mix of modern and eclectic pieces sourced the world over from turkey to thailand including furnishings from italy's meridiani, handmade pottery and glass from vermont's simon pearce, and linens from india's abraham & thakore.

in addition, fishcake will shine the spotlight on contemporary artists from the islands via seasonal art exhibits in the showroom.

• where: 307c kamani street
• hours: tue - sat, 10a to 6p & sun, 11a to 4p

sweet nothings - take three

1 - once a year, big island candies bakes up heart shaped versions of their yummy chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookies. 

2 - flowers are a valentine's standby so mix it up and send your sweetie an organic bouquet this year. upcountry protea specializes in the prehistoric bloom grown the way mother nature intended (fyi - valentine order deadline is mon, feb 11th. pick up the phone to score a 10% kama'aina discount).

3 - island grown chocolate is the secret ingredient of sweet paradise chocolatier. indulge your love with a sweet offering of mango mojito and kona cafe mocha truffles and discover why the big island chocolate maker won a blue ribbon at the 2007 kona chocolate festival.

4 - sometimes a simple message says it best à la joie studio's letterpress love note (fyi - these have been selling out so you may need to convo tina to place an order).