Our chosen flower for today’s Flower Friday is another of my backyard beauties. This yellow rose is called Golden Showers and it is of the climbing variety. I have repotted 2 of the rose stalks in separate large pots. These, I had bought at the end of this past Spring from a mega store at a deep, dirt cheap so to speak discount. I also have one plant of this same variety in the ground, but it has not produced but 4-5 blooms in so many years. this lone little rose decided to grace me with its full bloom beauty this morning. Yesterday it was just a bud. Lucky Me! Roses the week before Christmas. I’ll say it again…Lucky You Live Hawaii…

These pretty yellow blossoms are only 3″ in diameter. I prefer my roses and most flowers for that matter to have a fragrance. These Golden Shower lovelies are no exception with a light yet spicy aroma.

The above shot is with a macro lens which has made every amateur photographer believe they are a pro.

Flower Friday is here again. The photos of flowers are so lovely that I have decided to feature them in the larger format. So much better to appreciate them. In this case, bigger IS better.

This dendrobium spray has been happily blooming in my house for a month now. It sits on my altar but I took the orchid plant outside for some fresh air and better light to snap photos. Unfortunately, the name of this dendrobium orchid has been lost to me. But here is its story. My great friend Kiyo knew the older Japanese gentleman who had recently potted up a whole slew of orchids in addition to various other plants. He died and Kiyo thought that my green thumb would nourish the little keiki. I commented that his death was most likely unexpected seeing that  she had passed along about 30 newly potted young orchid keiki. Orchids that would take a couple of years to healthy growth then eventual flowering. Plants that were newly potted say…1 month-2 months, max. Nope, she responded, he was 96.

I love that story! Regardless how old you are, you must have something to look forward to. Plan for the new begining. The old and tired and worn is behind you.

So here they stand so tall and pretty. The first blooms. And perhaps they have the old man’s longevity, because Lucky Me! they have been adorning my house for over a month!

These dendrobiums have no scent. And yes, some regard them as common. But I remember to adjust my attitude about life every time I see them.

My flower garden has pleasantly surprised me this week with a plethora of rose blossoms. Truely only 5 flowers but their colors are presented as a mini bouquet to me and now I can share them with you. Each rose bush gifted me with a single bloom. I don’t know much about roses but I feel extra special that I have these 5 flowers in 5 different colors, in December to boot. The individual flowers have their unique scent. Where’s that scent-a-rama application when you need it? This 1st photo was taken on my front porch where the light was true.

This 2nd photo was taken inside under artificial overhead light. These flowers were so pretty that I had to share them twice.

Is it usual for roses to bloom so abundantly in December? I’ll do a bit a research and report back. Have I mentioned yet how…

Lucky we live Hawaii…

We are getting ready for this weekend’s craft fair. The last big craft fair of the season is The Pacific Handcrafters Guild showing at Thomas Square. There is still a bit of sewing to be completed before tomorrow albeit not too much as sales at the past couple of fairs have been steady but not overwhelming. We have also sold a number of Hawaiian hardwood rice paddles and kitchen pot stirring sticks so we have been working on getting the inventory up to speed.

There was a time when this Christmas craft fair put on by the Guild was the premier event of the season with over 100 artisans and thousands of customers happily browsing and buying. Alas, times have changed but the entrepreneurial spirit inherent in us crafters and artisans have made us rose colored glassed amnesiacs. Therefore I continue to stitch without too much bitch. I have a couple of tablerunners to complete along with a few sets of placemats. I have also been working on napkins this week. Time was in the not too distant past that would find us all madly creating and filling inventory after the wild Sauturday rush. Late into the wee morning hours we would work to replenish our handmade gems that had flown out of our booth during that first Saturday madness. Sniff, those were the days. Now, it’s sometimes a nail biter hoping to ‘make booth’, meaning recoup your intial outlay for booth expenses. So good luck to all us handcrafters out there in Hawaii. Shoppers and the shopping atmosphere has changed. More Big-Boxers fewer artisans with the stamina or talent or optimism to keep on truckin’. And a whole generation of folks who don’t give a rip…never did never will– about the skill and love that goes into a hand finished creation. I need to end this session of grumbling so that I can redirect my thoughts to the positive and recognize my personal joy in creating.

Hope to see you this Saturday or Sunday December 5 & 6 at Thomas Square for the annual Pacific Handcrafters Guild Christmas Craft Faire.

Our Lei Shop is closing today…sob.

Po’ohala Lei and Flowers, the last of the Hawaiian owned lei shops in Chinatown Hawaii is shuttering the business. It has been a family owned business for 27 years. It has been a tough couple of weeks as our customers have been stopping in to say their farewells. Emotional for all.

These are photos of our windows displaying our stunning fresh Hawaiian sewn lei.

There are still a few left this morning. We invite you in to share our little bit of Aloha.

 Aloha… happy to report, we still have a lot of

No such thing as Monday Blues when you work in a lei shop. How could that ever be possible when surrounded by these beautiful and fragrant lei. At Po’ohala Lei and Flowers on Beretania St. in Downtown Honolulu Chinatown, today’s offerings will chase away any blahs or blues you may have. How fortunate to have another fresh ilima to twine with the heady pikake bud. If your sweetie prefers a non scented but stunning lei, adorn your special someone with this scarlet double or rope rose. This red rose bud beauty will last for days. Among the many lei shops in Hawaii, Po’ohala is the only one offering these  strands of rose, pikake and pakalana artfully twined and heavenly scented. Today we sewed them in both pink and red roses. After I have worn a lei with roses in it for a couple of days, I cut the string then remove and float the roses in pretty bowls of water and place them in different parts of my house for an extra pick-me-up of loveliness. All these lei are appropriate for both men and women…and no, in Hawaii giving and wearing  of lei are not hobbled by gender boundaries…and YES, another reason “lucky we live Hawaii”. Ahh, too many choices. Which lei will you choose?

If the Scent-a-rama (although shouldn’t it be scent-a-roma?) ever becomes an app, today’s download would send you to teen heaven. Today’s Saturday selection at Po’ohala Lei & Flowers is a lei lovers delight. This photo does not do justice to these superb lei. Made today is the rare ilima twined with a single strand of pikake. We (remember I help out here at the lei shop) also made pikake strands, pakalana whose season is winding to a close, and awapuhi ke’oke’o in the Micronesian style. Can you imagine the delighted look on the face of your special someone when you present this skillfully crafted rope pikake? Just peeking below the rope pikake is the awapuhi in our inimitable feather style and right below the feather ginger is the purple crown flower a favorite of Queen Liliu’okalani. We give this lei a spicy hint of scent by twining it with a single strand of pakalana. Oh so sweet these lei. Come by the shop on Beretania St. between Smith and Maunakea in lovely downtown Honolulu right in Chinatown, our Hawaii. Or ring up. 537-3011. Served with Aloha.

This is possibly one of the most beautiful and unique lei that I have created. I made it for my husband’s birthday this past week. As you can see, it is so knock-down-over-the-top-show-stopping-breathtakingly-darn-frickin’-jaw-dropping-GORGEOUS!!!!! And its fragrances are divine!

This special lei is hala ula. pikake and pakalana gently twined together to create this memorable birthday gift. Of course it came from Po’ohala Lei and Flowers, the best of the lei shops in all of Honolulu, Hawaii. The scents of these three strands was intriguing. The sweet and musky of the hala ula twined with the spicy pakalana and the intoxicating pikake combine to create a lei with its own unique fragrance not overpowered but delightfully enhanced by each strand.

And long lasting too…this is the same lei that my husband wore the next night to a fabulous dinner at Alan Wong’s. Mahalo Annie!

Looking Good Honey!

These are only 500 buttons from my stash of 500,000. And yes, somehow I am managing to let them go at the YARDage Sale tomorrow. Lots and lots of fun fabric and notions and other craftiness goodies to be had. Maybe even a couple of industrial sewing machines too-an industrial Singer straight stitch and a comercial serger(or is it surger). Hawaiian quilts and koa boxes will be for sale, as will be baskets for your projects or gift giving solutions along with thread in a myriad of colors, hard to find bullion trim and yards and yards desireable brush fringe. Let me not forget 4 ply cording in alluring colors. The banana bread however, is sure to be snatched up quickly.

See you at PO’OHALA LEI & FLOWERS                                                                      this SATURDAY 9/26 from 5-8pm and SUNDAY 9/27 from 9am-3pm                                  69 N Beretania St. between Smith and Maunakea in beautiful Downtown Honolulu smack on the edge of Chinatown, Hawaii

Another gorgeous lei from the gals at Po’ohala Lei and Flowers. Pictured on the top is the rope pikake and pink rose lei. We have crafted it in the exquisite double or rope style. The roses are long lasting and of course the scent of the luscious pikake is heavenly. Have a Hawaiian sweetie? Let them know how special they really are to you. This lei is the one that says it all. Also pictured is the non-scented 3 strand pink rose lei, a 5 strand pakalana and a Micronesian style ginger artfully brightened with yellow rose petals. Laying enticingly on the bottom is the full rope pikake. Notice how many pikake flowers we put in this lei? Our creations are full and fresh. We don’t scrimp on the blossoms. We don’t scrimp on the Aloha. Po’ohala Lei & Flowers in downtown Chinatown. Hawaii grown. Hawaii sewn