a stylish trip down hana road

limu + kapa

the sunbrella fabric on the chairs on our lanai have taken a beating this winter so the introduction of the hana road collection from perennials has perfect timing. it's a nice modernist take on traditional hawaiian designs like barkcloth and kapa prints as well as taking inspiration from things in nature like limu and coral.

wendy tsuji and linda ueda, the designers of the collection, were definitely inspired by hawaii and i can think of lots of ways to use their fabulous outdoor fabric. unfortunately, the hana road line is only available to the trade (no showrooms in hawaii) and the price tag is a bit hefty ($139 a yard!). however, if you can swing it you'll definitely have a lovely setting to kick back and enjoy the great outdoors.

alora ambiance

 

if you happen to frequent the trendier boutiques &/or have flipped through any beauty/fashion/home magazine in the past few years, you have no doubt seen the oh so pretty reed diffusers introduced to the states by alora ambiance.

did you know that one of alora's creators lives in the islands? not me. one of the perks of having annie hope call hawai'i home is that it inspired the creation of alora's isola fragrance with notes of gardenia, tuberose & fig . . . which may be just what the doctor ordered when you're feeling homesick.

antiques roadshow

one of my favorites antiques roadshow moments (from the san diego stop, no less) was about the koa bowl that queen lili'uokalani was purported to have given to a family friend when she was just a princess. well, it turns out that it wasn't really young lili'uokalani and the bowl wasn't really made of koa after all (check out the roadshow's follow the stories for more details) but it was still worth a pretty penny.

all you really need to know if you're a roadshow devotee (and daydream that something in your home is a hidden treasure) is that the show will be stopping in honolulu on saturday, august 26th! you do need to have a ticket to get in the door and your ticket request must be submitted no later than may 6th for a chance (it's a lottery so don't get your hopes up) to attend the summer tour in person.

can't get enough? read more at the honolulu advertiser.

in the immortal words of thomas magnum: trust me

if you lived on oahu in the 80's i guarantee either you or someone you know has a story about a chance encounter with the production of magnum p.i. when i was a kid i remember seeing magnum's ferrari at the corner store in hawaii kai and meeting one of magnum's enemies (who was also an acquaintence of my mom) while shopping at the ala moana liberty house.

not only does shirts & ladders' tom selleck tee bring back all those oh-so-fond memories from the 80's but it's also the perfect thing to wear during your magnum marathon.

all aboard the pride of hawaii

after taking my first cruise down the mexican riviera earlier this year, i learned a few things that other cruising newbies may not be aware of like . . .

• someone else tidies up your room not once, but twice a day!

• the ability to take a nap (or two) while traveling to your next destination

• never worrying about where to go for dinner. or breakfast. or lunch. or snacks (lots and lots of snacking opportunities abound on a cruise ship)

that being said, if you have always thought a cruise around the hawaiian islands would be fun then hele on over to norwegian cruise lines. it's not every day that you have the opportunity to travel on a brand spanking new ship, and, if you do your home work, you might be able to score a cruise on the pride of hawai'i (going on her maiden voyage this summer) for as little as $799 per person.

although your time ashore can be limited, with a little planning and research you can definitely travel off the beaten path and avoid the somewhat touristy & overpriced shore excursions.