go hawaii

 

well, i'm finally off on a long awaited trip home and have a list a mile long of things to check out during my short but sweet visit. h|h will still be updated so don't forget to check in to see what's new with a few of my favorite islanders.

one thing that i will be stocking up on while i'm home is hawaiian blend suncare. i first spotted it at longs a few years ago and it is the. best. sunscreen. ever. it smells just like hawaii and the ingredients are top notch (you'll have to take my word for it since i left my last tube at a hotel by accident, but believe me when i say that i am the kind of girl who knows her ingredients and this is good stuff).

you can find hawaiian blend at longs (of course) and the abc stores. why, it's even available for our friends down in guam. if you can't get to the nearest pacific island then hele over to their e-store.

paging dr. jacoby

i'll be the first to admit that the hawaiian sunset wall mural available at urban outfitters is not for everyone, but since this retro take on the accent wall reminds me of the island inspired office of one dr. jacoby, resident of the quirky tv town, twin peaks (aka the best show ever), up it goes.

the folks at urban outfitters must agree with me that it would be overkill in a hawaii home since they don't ship it to the islands, but you may be able to pull it off if your mainland home has a kitschy or modern vibe.

light up the night

if you have been on the neverending search for the perfect gift then take a look at these beautiful artisanal candles from moon alley. each candle is hand crafted and when the wick is lit the design glows from within. if you take a closer look, you'll notice that each piece of the design has been carved by hand making every candle a little piece of art.

there are a number of pretty asian & tropical floral designs but you can't go wrong with the hula moon and the crane, of course, would make a lovely wedding gift. if you love it, don't forget to pick up a refill kit which gives new life to the burned out candle and transforms it into a candle holder.

deconstructing aloha

le'ale'a

being an eco-conscious girl, i love to see the different ways other people are making less of an impact on the earth (you know the whole reduce-reuse-recycle triangle), so i am loving the blossoming movement of designers deconstructing vintage hawaiian fabric and transforming them into new pieces.

meleana is one of the designers making her mark in the world of handbags. the style makers in her adopted home of nyc have been giving her lots of buzz this year and so far meleana's creations have been featured in lucky magazine and daily candy.

what's really cool is that you get to semi-customize the bag by mixing styles and patterns until you find the perfect one. the result is a modern meets vintage bag that says aloha to everyone you walk by.

one more reason to love your computer

. . . especially if you have wi-fi. why brave the crowds or circle around kapiolani park trying to find a parking stall when you can enjoy the 24th annual hawaiian slack key guitar festival via lava.net's live video webcast?

the event kicks off on sunday, aug 20th at 11am hst with peter apo and continues on into the evening when melveen leed takes the stage.