lau lau woodworks

one of my favorite stories is about emma thompson and the magic pen her father gave her when she was a child. the pen has been by her side during exam time at school and eventually graduated to writing her oscar winning script for sense & sensibility. makes you wonder about the undiscovered potential from the pen lying on your desk, doesn't it?

now that you know all pens are not created equal, perhaps your favorite grad would appreciate the gift of possibility with a koa pen from lau lau woodworks. designer aaron lau crafts each pen by hand using everything from curly koa wood to crushed sunflower seeds as inlays. and while your grad may never get around to writing the great american novel, at least jotting down her "to do" list will be elevated to a whole new level.

summer sample sale

you know you're a style junkie if you just. can't. recycle. the oodles of fashion magazines precariously stacked on your coffee table. cross that with bargain hunter syndrome (trekking out to waikele to rifle through the racks at the barney's & saks outlets) and this weekend's fashionista's market summer sample sale is a style maven's dream come true.

register online to be added to the invite-only list and rsvp to gain entry to the designer sale for a reduced cover charge (a portion of the proceeds will benefit the life foundation of hawaii). and don't forget to wear your best unmentionables since changing in the communal dressing room with other fashion savvy strangers is part of the sample sale experience.

spa day

flowers for mother's day? been there. done that.

okay, start passing the collection cup and give your mom what she really wants for mother's day: a day at the spa. elements spa & salon has oodles of packages created just for mom like the hot mama & like mother like daughter (if a trip for two is in your budget). and, elements didn't forget moms-to-be (and neither should you) so pre-natal massages are also available on their spa menu.

the star-bulletin has a nice background story on elements' owners who stepped away from their careers at a local law firm to be their own bosses in the beauty biz.

{update | dec 2009: elements changed ownership last year; more details can be found here}

flower power

anthurium & ti

if you have a ph.d in procrastination, this is just a friendly reminder that the clock is ticking if you haven't ordered flowers for mother's day yet. for those who prefer the personal touch, click over to emi's flowers & gifts where they not only send you a photo of your chosen arrangement, but they'll also keep your order on file to help you avoid sending the same arrangement twice.

for future reference, emi's also rewards the uber-organized and will include a little gift with orders received 5 business days in advance. just remember that your mom should be in honolulu, hawaii kai, kailua, kaneohe, aiea, or pearl city or you'll have some explaining to do on sunday.

hawaiian wearable art

searching for something pretty but a little bit different for mother's day? stop by vicky durand's online boutique and admire her tropical hand printed scarves, sarongs & skirts. vicky is a former international surfing champion who turned her lifelong love of textiles into an island inspired line created steps from the beach at her makaha studio.

hawaiian wearable art is hand dyed and printed on natural fibers like linen and silk and is just the thing to give moms who appreciate the art of textile design.