a peek inside the crafty playground

during small kid days, i was the little girl who always rocked the pigtails and, upon entering the fifth grade, the oh so sophisticated ponytail. every. single. day. my friends would wonder what i would look like if my hair ever had the opportunity to escape their elastic constraints. the one constant of both styles were those little plastic goody ponytail holders that, upon a quick release, had a tendency to crack your knuckles hard like one of my cousin's weapons of pain so essential to his quest of becoming the next bruce lee.

if these adorable hair accessories from tasha's bags & baby had been around, no doubt i would have wanted to trade up for a little more cuteness (bonus: no more bruised fingers!). tasha grew up on oahu and spent many hours in her grandfather's picture framing shop crafting to her heart's delight. now that she's tending to her own little one, spare moments are spent whipping up sweet creations with charming japanese textiles her father discovers and posts to hawaii.

in addition to hair goodies, stop by tasha's etsy shop to pick up handmade zip bags, totes, and other accessories sure to brighten your day (i am loving the hedgehog apron). if you are planning on hitting oahu's holiday craft show circuit, look out for her booth which will be stocked with all the goodness you see here.

slipping away

alrighty, wednesday seems to be a good day to post the all around fun island inspired finds scavenged from my (too many) hours spent screen shopping. a welcome diversion from the midweek slump when the weekend seems a tad too far away.

this week: all slippers, all the time!

1 - mobi added some much needed zip to the dull world of resealable bags a few years back. impress tsa screeners with toiletries safely stowed in a flip flop spiral zipper bag (love the adorable, and, dare i say, quite appropriate with all the superferry brouhaha, save the whales design).

2 - you know all your aunties will love these not overly precious embroidered slipper dishtowels from plum party.

3 - take a peek at this inventive reuse of slipper scraps transforming what would have been trash into colorful recycled doormats.

4 - if you are tired of constantly tidying up the slipper pile outside your home, you just may love this inspired solution (alas, it seems to be sold out but you can diy with supplies from the craft store).

5 - for the little one, a too cute personalized embroidered onesie found on etsy.

6 - annabelle's flippin' out bag can be semi-customized to tote your stuff to the beach or keep your crafty stash organized.

surfer chic

file this under inspired by an island lifestyle. maku furniture, which is based in san diego (once my home away from home), recently launched an outdoor furniture line that would make any surfer meets design junkie's heart go aflutter. in fact, the idea for the company was born during a surf trip to indonesia when the owners realized there was a big void in stylish yet casual, modern yet accessible furniture designed with adventure seekers (or dreamers) in mind.

and they were right. if you have ever shopped for outdoor furniture suitable for a modernist home, chances are good you followed in my steps during what seemed to be a never-ending scouting expedition stopping at every mall/patio/big box/modern design shop (and then back to the beginning) only to encounter an endless array of ornate ironwork, shoddy construction, or not in this lifetime prices. add a co-decider to the mix, and it was practically impossible to find something we could both agree on without looting the rainy day fund.

perhaps it would have been a different story had maku's teak lanai furniture been a reality way back when. the collection comes to life in the company's california hq and is then crafted by local artisans in indonesia which also happens to be home to the teak plantations where maku sustainably harvests all the wood used in their furniture.

maku also mixes elements from old school longboards (see entry doors below) and old world craftsmanship (take a peek at the limited edition lounge chair which features a carved frangipani design reminiscent of the hefty koa chairs found in many island homes back in the day) in many of their designs.

the price point is appealing considering dove tail joinery and kiln dried hardwood are part of the deal. maku also participates in 1% for the planet so you can lounge around on your new furniture knowing that your socially conscious purchase is helping to make the earth a better place for all its inhabitants.

alas, no local shops stock maku in the islands yet (hint, hint), however the company's california warehouse is happy to ship to hawaii (just drop them a note to confirm shipping rates before ordering). mainland dwellers have many choices on the stockist list, or if online ordering is your thing click over to design public to score free shipping (caveat: offer is restricted to the 48 states).

learn more about maku's mission via an interview with co-founder johnny west over at hatch.

weekend sales sheet

aloha, summertime. take a moment to console yourself while perusing the holiday edition of the weekend sales sheet.

save 10% off storewide at pacific home's labor day extravaganza. keep your eye out for canadian design goodies by gus which is stocked exclusively in the islands at ph.

• when: now to mon, sep 3rd
• where: 420 ward avenue

the butik is also getting in on the sale action and offering 15% off their entire stock (including sale items!) coveted by any good fashionista.

• when: today to sun, sep 2nd
• where: 1067 kapiolani blvd, suite a-3

jools, the la-based jewelry line created by the big island's sybil shimazu, is also making it a little easier on your pocketbook to stock up on accessories for the cozy days of fall. score 15% off the collection that has been buzzed about in the pages of lucky and in style.

• secret code: labor15
• expires: sun, sep 9th

and punk-n-pie, the adorable online keiki boutique owned by liana from mixed plate, is in the midst of clearing out clothing and accessories to brighten up your little one's world. click over to the sale section to save at least 10% off little twig, wallcandy arts, jeeto and more!

have a lovely holiday weekend!

once upon an ipu

ipu hale

yet another traditional hawaiian art form is receiving some love in the press far beyond the ocean borders of the islands. case in point: the latest issue of craft to hit the newsstand features the big island's ipu hale which is part of a tiny community of local artists reviving an ancient hawaiian technique of decorating the humble gourd. while most of us are familiar with the curves (and beats) of the ipu, the decorative process is not well known outside the world of historians and artisans and so a quick overview to get you up to speed.

back in the day when the ni'ihau method was practiced, intricate designs were created by carving a relief into the gourd's skin which would then be filled with coffee to slowly dye the gourd from the inside out. time was allowed to take its course and, after patiently waiting for weeks or months on end, the design would eventually emerge. since the natural dye reacted differently with each specimen, a bit of alchemy occurred which resulted in the creation of a one of kind vessel.

and, with modern day artisans looking to the past for inspiration, traditional polynesian patterns à la tatau and tapa designs are making a return to elevate the ipu from a swap meet souvenir to something that reconnects us to a once forgotten art form.

elroy juan & georgia sartoris

alas, ipu hale is without a website so you will have to make your way to holualoa to admire their craftsmanship in person. while on the big island, you may also want to stop by the volcano art center and check out the work of noted gourd artists elroy juan & georgia sartoris who create hue wai pawehe (aka decorated water gourds).

learn more about this fascinating process along with a step-by-step tutorial in this excerpt from craft.