one shabby chick kokua auction

australia quilt

with 2011 already filled with a lengthy list of diy projects, making the rounds of my favorite design and craft blogs has jumped high on my daily to do's. the curated eye candy is always inspiring, but it was an unexpected post that immediately brightened my day late last week.

the sweet discovery was made while catching up with the north shore's one shabby chick. amber carrillo, the crafty goddess behind the blog, recently joined the craft community's efforts to help australia recover from the devastating floods and is auctioning off one of her gorgeous handmade quilts to benefit relief efforts. the quilt is charmingly contemporary mixing patterns from amy butler, anna marie horner and heather bailey in a warm rainbow of color.

such a pretty antidote to rainy days and chilly weather!

more auction details & peeks from one shabby chick's sewing studio after the jump.

fetching aprons

pretty potholders

summer days camera strap

bidding is already up to $300 and ends next monday (jan 24th) with 100% of the winning bid going to the premier's flood relief appeal.

while handmade lovelies are occasionally listed in one shabby chick's etsy shop, a custom order may be your best bet if you covet a quilt, apron or camera strap. current turnaround time is four to six weeks for a quilt and two weeks for smaller items.

happy bidding!

go fish

spied this lovely fish tote on fighting eel's facebook. love the bright pops of cheery yellow and happy design!

$42 in-store.

aloha friday scoop

hello hello! just a handful of sales and island delights for your weekend . . .

enjoy the sunshine during bank of hawaii family sunday at the academy of arts. this month's theme is self-constructed with the chance to become part of a moving human sculpture and discover dance moves from around the world.

• when: sun, jan 16th - 11a to 5p
• where: 900 south beretania street
• tix: free! (donations welcome)

meet chef alan wong during a book signing for his new cookbook, the blue tomato. remember to print a voucher (download here) or whisper campbell high school at checkout since a portion of your entire purchase will benefit the leeward campus' agriculture learning center.

p.s. off island foodies can support the cause by ordering online at b&n and entering book fair code 103953309 at checkout (ends sat, jan 20th).

• when: sat, jan 15th - 1p
• where: barnes & noble, kahala mall
• fyi: read the fine print for eligible products

Click to read more ...

moleskine hearts hawaii

moleskine hawaii edition

my morning email included the most delightful news from interisland terminal about its new collaboration with moleskine, maker of the legendary notebooks adored by so many. (the pocket calendar is my constant companion whenever i am on the go). the limited edition notebook features local designer angelica rabang's modern take on the hawaiian islands embossed on the front cover which will surely make paper goods geeks who love the 808 state swoon with happiness.

extra details: large notebook. grid pages. hard cover. $25.

even more noteworthy, every single dollar will benefit interisland terminal's public programs for contemporary art, film and design. isn't that nice to know?

notebook pre-orders just opened on the IT website earlier today. oahu pickup starts next week at na mea/native books at ward warehouse or ship to your mailbox for $5.

sketch artists

tools of the trade * ocean of peace

the arrival of my winter cold meant very little shopping was done on my trip home last month. after a leisurely lunch with friends at uncle's fish market, i mustered up just enough energy for a quick stroll around chinatown and popped by super citizen to peek the shop's eco-friendly goods.

my plan was to nudge the mister over to the super soft organic tees by vers, but, happily, he was immediately drawn to the very cool screenprinted designs all on his own. the newly released tools of the trade tee with its collage of surf necessities was quickly snapped up while the ocean of peace tee was the perfect gift for our dear friends' two-year-old cutie who delighted us with his sweet declarations of "aloha" and "malasada!" during his first trip to hawaii.

lady logger * pen belt

malolo & love tree

the hand drawn designs are from the sketchpad of local artists roxanne chasle and matthew ortiz who produce each organic offering in small editions. the pair founded vers with the intention of crafting wearable art made for everyday, and their detailed depictions of waves and nature (along with the occasional irreverent design) will be a happy find if you also happen to be on the lookout for sustainable style.

prices range from $20 for toddler togs to $35 for grownup tees. although the online shop is not taking orders just yet, you can browse the gallery of designs for your wishlist then shop locally at super citizen in chinatown, drift in kaimuki, and aloha 'aina in waikiki.

take a peek and share your favorite vers!