swanson's aloha workshop

now that you've stuffed yourself silly with samples, don't leave the made in hawaii festival without something fun in your bag. let's end the tour with a few happy tiki-licious designs from swanson's aloha workshop (love the name!). the man behind the designs was a director of animation in a past life which would explain why they remind me of saturday mornings watching hanna-barbera cartoons.

now you know and i know that your little mouse spends hours on end surfing the internet (it'll be our little secret). isn't it time to switch out that lame freebie mousepad from your isp and add some tropical flair to your desk with a lani hawaii pad?

you'll also find tote bags & cosmetic pouches that swanson's japanese fans adore plus a nice selection of technicolor prints at his eponymous shop.

frank sinatra ate here

another day kicking it at the made in hawaii festival website and it's definitely time for a tasty treat. if you're heading to the blaisdell this weekend, the abundance of samples you'll get to dig into will probably put the sport of grazing at costco to shame, but this photo of a happy cake will have to suffice for those of us far from honolulu.

you simply cannot go wrong with any of these words: chocolate. macadamia nut. fudge brownie. and let's not forget it's all baked into a cake (a happy one, mind you). this is not your mother's duncan hines so if it's moist and delicious it sounds like a winner.

and did you know that hawaiian happy cakes also has a hollywood connection? the cakes are baked at kemo'o farms in wahiawa which just happens to be one of the hawaii location's seen on from here to eternity. once upon a time stars like frank sinatra, ava gardner & lana turner had pineapple happy cakes shipped up to the mainland so make like a movie star and have your favorite flavor sent to your door.

wee artiste

day 2 of the made in hawaii festival tour finds something for the little one in your life. add some aloha to art class and send your keiki off to school with an art smock from lanakila, a local non-profit that helps islanders with disabilities.

not only will your little artiste be stylin' while wielding a paint brush but, by shopping consciously, your purchase will support the many programs lanakila provides to the community like adult day services, workforce development & meals on wheels.

it's definitely a good thing.

made in paradisus

with the made in hawaii festival just around the corner, let's go on a tour of some of the exhibitors who will be showing off their goods at the blaisdell this weekend (fyi - save $1 off admission with the coupon on the website or go old school and pick your coupon up at first hawaiian bank).

first up, the mother & daughter team behind paradisus jewelry and their refined tropical asian designs. the delicate sterling silver pikake necklace is so life-like that you will probably anticipate the scent of a pikake lei to bloom whenever you wrap it around yourself. the collection includes monstera leaves, bamboo, heliconia and more . . . why, it's like a virtual garden awaits you every time you get dressed!

take a peek at the paradisus collection online or stop by nohea gallery for an up close and personal look.

salsa magic

dehydrated food typically conjures up thoughts of vacuum sealed packets of sustenance for astronauts & campers. a more gourmet option is pat's pineapple salsa which has been featured on food network's food finds.

each packet is filled with dehydrated pineapples, onions & chili peppers (no additives or sweeteners) straight from hawaii. all you need to do is add a few tomatoes and watch the ingredients magically plump up into fresh hawaiian salsa to enjoy no matter where you call home.

the salsa business is a labor of love for the family of the late pat campogan who are following his dream of sharing his culinary creations with the rest of us. the family also dishes up organic fare at the nasturtium café in kealakekua on the big island so stop by and see what they can whip up with nary a food dehydrator in sight.