don't be coy

koi pond notecards

my favorite part of going to ala moana as a little kid was paying a visit to the koi. a recent conversation with my fella had us wondering if the planners realized that the placement of the koi ponds in the center of the mall acted as an unspoken dividing point, a sort of neutral territory, if you will, where everyone could mingle regardless of whether your family shopped on the sears side or down by liberty house.

coy by palacepapers

koi in a fountain dessert plates emma gardner koi pond

no matter if it was by design or purely coincidence, my fascination with the gentle koi has remained with me since those long ago small kid days. for now, there is no space for a pond of my own but at least the design world has discovered that a little koi can add a lot of happiness with a dash of whimsy to your space.

hot dog! it's a sale (or two)

pacific home

in·de·pend·ence
-noun

1. the state or quality of being independent.
2. freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.

here are two good reasons to take a breather from shopping the chain stores and support local indie shops this independence day weekend.

crave something fresh to decorate your space? hit pacific home for some inspiration (my mom loved these aloha letters when we stopped by last month) and score 10% off storewide. don't forget to keep an eye out for items on clearance which have been marked down a cool 30-70% off retail.

• when: thu, july 4th to sun, july 8th
• where: 420 ward avenue

the butik opens its doors on friday with a post-4th tag sale. scoop up irresistible savings on items marked red ($10), white ($20) & blue ($30). if you are new to the butik all you need to know is that it is co-owned by lan chung of the fighting eel design team and stocks many coveted designers from la, ny & beyond (think 12th street by cynthia vincent, mara hoffman, etc).

• when: fri, july 5th to sun, july 8th
• where: 1067 kapiolani blvd, suite a-3 (first floor of the public storage building)

have a happy & safe holiday!

slice of island life

these lovely 'ilima notecards are taken from a series of work by big island artist eve furchgott who was commissioned by the hale kuamo'o center for hawaiian language & culture at uh hilo as a teaching aid for students enrolled in hawaiian immersion programs across the state. the images of what are essentially hawaiian word cards are so evocative of life in hawaii that they make me just a little bit homesick (but in a good way).

eve, who is primarily self taught, has a way of capturing the little moments that make life in the islands so unique. her plantation children monoprint reminds me of photos of my mom & aunties as small kids in their homemade dresses back in the day.

plantation children + the want ads

take a peek at eve's website to see more of her work (the want ads shown above) and to kick start the ordering process (email, phone & usps orders welcome). and you can feel good that you are helping to make a difference since a portion of the proceeds from sales of the 'ilima notecard set goes to further the efforts of hale kuamo'o.

see more from the series (which is numbered at over 300 images) via art in the iron works' website.

a day at the museum

hisam's elegant facade

we had a bit of an adventure finding the hawaii state art museum on our trip home (which i find a tad ironic considering i walked past the building every saturday morning in my youth). the museum opened in 2002 in the former ymca (and prior to that was the original royal hawaiian hotel) and houses a wonderful collection of work by island artists.

the walls are filled with artwork (herb kawainui kane, jean charlot & madge tennant are just a few of the artists represented), photography of hawaii's past & present, sculptures, and some of the nicest benches to sit upon and ponder the art before you.

our time inside the gallery was a bit of a whirlwind since the parking meter was ticking away, but even with the time crunch we managed to find a photograph snapped by my mom's high school chum on display.

a few tips:

• admission is free (but donations are welcome)
• be sure to check out the events page before you go (especially if your little ones enjoy art making)
• save time cruising the streets for a spot for your car with the very helpful parking guide

as for downtown, the museum's spanking new café by the folks behind kaimuki's town, while my lunch companions were underwhelmed with their selections i was happy with my salad made of local, organic ingredients. the space is airy and filled with light and, of course, artwork making it a pleasant spot to meet friends for lunch or grab a bite before you wander through the galleries.

despite our uneven experience, i would give it a second try considering they had only been open a little over a week when we visited and still had a few details to iron out. and, worker bees looking for something new for lunch should check out downtown's weekday quick service asap menu which sounded, dare i say, even yummier than the sit down side. check out nadine kam's review for her take.

{photo credit, no.2 : hawaii state art museum}

{update | jan 2010: the museum may be reserved for private events and makes a lovely site for a romantic wedding!}

hostess with the mostess

how charming is this ceramic pineapple candle from bath & body works recently spotted in lucky? considering the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality and it features a fruity pineapple mango fragrance evocative of the islands i think it scores as a fun hostess gift.

once the final flicker has extinguished, it can be refilled with your favorite candle or, with a little crafty reuse, the pineapple can enjoy a second life as a lovely catchall to hide coins, cotton balls, or all the other odds and ends that never seem to find a good home.

b&bw is having a sale this memorial day weekend with a free shipping promotion on orders of $50 and more (and, because i know you're wondering, yes, hawaii is included)! while you are screen shopping, take a peek at the new temptations for summer 2007 (two words: sunset mango) and the luxe ile de tahiti line in all their tropical splendor.

• secret code: freeship50 (enter at checkout)