machinemachine {hearts} workshop

one of my favorite designers to follow (since 2007 . . . my, how time flies!) has been shannon hiramoto of machinemachine, and i am so delighted to share the happy news that the doors of her very own studio will be opening tomorrow night on kaua'i. the former auto bay tucked away in the hanapepe arts district has been reimagined as workshop, a space for making all the upcycled pretties adored by island lovelies and devoted fans across the pacific.

in addition to creating a dedicated sewing studio, a small plantation-style storefront will be stocked with machinemachine merch along with vintage finds and keiki goods and paintings made by friends forever little, the wren collection, and artist mary bethany.

shannon kindly sent along a few sneak peeks to share with you . . . after the jump!

Click to read more ...

shop toast hula kokeshi

the cuteness that is shop toast's newly launched hula kokeshi makes for a sweet peek on this beautiful aloha friday. the petite wooden heart stump containers are the canvas for delightful details - tiny grass skirts, flower lei, and a ribbon haku - for happy smiles all around.

and, the wee noggins open up to hide a small present for your lucky recipient.

available in boy and girl editions for a limited time online & in-store:

• where: 3434 waialae avenue, suite 3, kaimuki
• shop hours: m / w / f / sat - 12p to 6p

p.s. scoop one up during tonight's kickoff of third fridays kaimuki (6p to 9p) when neighborhood merchants (including shop toast, drift, town, and so many more) welcome you with art, music, food and one night shop specials.

paper peeks: hour of nine

liliha * napoleon

while catching up with the summer arrivals by hour of nine, the letterpress studio of nyc-based designer lehua chong, a trio of new notecard collections was waiting to charm me. this time around the pretty patterns are distilled from wooden tiki carvings, a circle island tour of oahu's sunny beaches, and the cheeky cult flick heathers.

how very!

{and so so timely since there are whispers of my most beloved and watched movie during high school possibly getting a reboot on bravo next year . . . shudder.}

shall we have a peek?

Click to read more ...

hello september!

hopefully, your summertime was filled with good times spent with your nearest & dearest along with random new discoveries destined to become lifelong favorites (mine: duck confit corn dogs handmade by the delicious kitchen at real, a gastropub. next time, our pau hana party agreed to order up enough plates so we each have one to call our own rather than splitting with our sweeties).

let me begin the first post of fall by sending a big mahalo to you, my sweet h|h 'ohana, for all your patience so i could enjoy a much needed summer free of online obligations. it allowed me to be next to my dear hubby's side as we said our final farewells to his dad and then recharge my soul with downton abbey marathons, reading stacks of books borrowed from the library to fall in love again with well-written words, and tackling all the tiny projects that had fallen by the wayside (mending pile - check!, archive emails - check!!, transfer domain to new company as my small protest against former registrar's ad campaign objectifying women - check!!!).

i'll be back tomorrow with an especially sweet post but 'til then find a few fun diversions for your week ahead along with the makers of the fab designs featured above after the jump!

• click over to gypsy's online shop & scoop up discontinued styles for 40% off with secret code luna (expires: fri, sep 7th).

• photographer rita coury who just happens to be one of my lovely sponsors & who snaps the most delightful photographs of little ones and the people who love them will be hosting her second annual mahalo showcase on fri, sep 7th. a gallery of rita's favorite pictures snapped over the past year will be shared (find an adorable preview in h|h's sidebar) along with giveaways galore.

• super citizen, the indie emporium specializing in eco-friendly goods, has decamped from chinatown and opened up shop at kahala mall. (alas, former neighbor chinatown boardroom shuttered its doors earlier this year.)

oh, and a bit more background on the designs featured above before i sign off for the day. i first spotted these cheery hi tees at the human imagination in chinatown which offers them in a generous selection of styles and colorways for keiki and grownups.

and the bubbly typeface featured in ashley johnston's happy-go-lucky we live hawaii design can't help but make kama'aina smile. stickers can be had in a rainbow of colors or share the aloha with a trucker hat.

off to make a batch of pineapple fried rice and listen to the first lady's speech!

and the winner is . . .

brynn from hilo who will be jotting down her hellos on lovely note cards handmade by my letterpress friends at hour of nine, joie studio and miemiko atelier. i must apologize for the delay in posting the giveaway update, but an unexpected weekend visit required a mad dash to tidy up our nest.

with july starting out with a trip home to attend my fil's funeral, h|h will be taking a summer hiatus to allow me to tend to family affairs and to catch up on offline projects. that said, too good not to share events & sales will be posted on facebook and you are always welcome to follow me on pinterest where i pin the occasional swoon-worthy find.

posting will resume after labor day. (fyi: subscribing to the official email list is a fine way to be notified of my return.)

wishing you a lovely & happy summer . . .