Hawaii Vacation Gifts by Double Brush-Hawaiian Gifts & Blog

Bacon Shortage?! Remember to "Keep Calm and Love Bacon"

Keep Calm and Love Bacon Print Gift Design Pork iPad Covers by KeepCalmPrints
Find more iPad accessories.

The news lately is all about the predicted world wide bacon shortage in 2013. Short of raising your own pigs for pork and bacon, what's a person to do? Perhaps all you can do is to "Keep calm and Love Bacon".

Britain's National Pig Association, "the voice of the British pig industry," warned recently that a global shortage of bacon and pork "is now unavoidable" because of shrinking herds.

The trade group reported Thursday that annual pig production for Europe's main pig producers fell across the board between 2011 and 2012, a trend that "is being mirrored around the world." The group tied the decline to increased feed costs, an effect of poor harvests for corn and soybeans. from CBSnews.com

 

 

New York - Paris - London - Hilo, What does it mean?

New York, Paris, London, Hilo. Driving around Hilo I have been seeing this on black and white bumper stickers on cars everywhere. What does it mean? I think it can be interpreted in several ways.

Population? New York and London have over 8 million people living there, and Paris over 12 million. Hilo has 43,263 according to the last US 2010 census.

Fame? Pretty much everyone has heard o the cities of New York, Paris and London, but mention Hilo and many people are puzzled. (We are located on the east side of Hawaii Island, affectionately known as the Big Island.)

Famous landmarks? New York has the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Paris is identifed with the Eiffel Tower, and London has Buckingham Palace. Hilo has the Palace Theatre. (opened in 1925)

New York, Paris, and London are know as exciting cities that never sleep and are open 24 hours a day. In Hilo the only place open 24 hours is the local Ken's House of Pancakes.

So what does "New York, Paris, London, Hilo" mean to you? I think Hilo is a state of mind.

Easy Papaya Sorbet Recipe with Hawaiian Papayas Shipped

Make this super easy papaya sorbet dessert for a cool and delicious treat. If you have papayas that are a little over ripe or bruised, this is the perfect papaya dessert recipe to whip up.

First, cut open a papaya (allow 1/2 to one whole papaya per person) and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Save the papaya seeds to make a delectable Hawaiian papaya seed dressing or meat tenderizer. Next, spoon out the papaya fruit and put the fruit pieces in a plastic bag or container and place in the freezer.

After the papaya fruit is frozen, place it in a food processor and puree with a little bit of water till the texture is smooth. I don't add any sugar, but you can add sugar to taste and puree again. Serve immediately or store in the freezer in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Please remember that we can have fresh Hawaiian papayas shipped to the mainland directly to your doorstep year round.

Keep Calm and Discover On Print on the Etsy Front Page

Our new store Fun Keep Calm Art Prints on Etsy got some needed exposure when our motivational print "Keep Calm and Discover On" was included in a treasury that made it to the Etsy front page yesterday! It was quite exciting as Etsy members curate thousands of treasuries, and the Etsy administration chooses one treasury to be displayed on their home page for about 20 minutes at a time.

An Etsy treasury is a collection of 16 items that are chosen for a theme such as a holiday, event, color, or any kind of expression or idea that can be shown visually. The Etsy marketplace includes handmade items, vintage items, and crafting supplies.

This is what I thought our motivational artwork poster was about:

"Keep Calm and Discover On" is our original digital art print take off from the popular British Keep Calm and Carry On poster. This inspirational print features a bi-plane airplane or aeroplane, flying over a map of the world. It is a visual reminder that life is constantly unfolding before you and bringing new and exciting people, places and things into your life. Open you eyes to discover the greatness and beauty in your life. Success is what you make it.

This blue and white unique motivational print would look great as wall art in a living room, bedroom, dorm room or office for a touch of fun modern home decor, office decor, or apartment therapy.

The Prettiest and Best Presented Candles I've Ever Had

We have received many thank you's for our service and compliments on our candles from the person doing the ordering, but today received this note from the recipient of our beeswax sushi candles. It feels so good when someone appreciates what you do and takes the time to let you know.

Hey lovely, I just wanted to message you, my best friend brought a set of these candles from you for me as a birthday present. They have to be the prettiest and best presented candles I've ever had the pleasure of owning. I can't even tell you how much I adore them. Thank you so, so much! <3

Dr. Oz says Natural Cure for Belly Bloat is Pineapple

I was watching the Dr. Oz show on tv the other day and he said the cure for belly bloat is pineapple. This is great news for everyone because you can now eat delicious pineapples that have no side effects while flattening your stomach at the sime time!

How does eating pineapples flatten your tummy? The secret ingredient is a digestive enzyme called bromelain that is only found in pineapples. Bromelain is present in all parts of the fresh pineapple plant and fruit, but the most concentrated bromelain extract is found in the core of the fruit -- which many people throw away!

Dr. Oz recommends eating 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple daily.

 

Tuna Melt Sushi Candles Featured at Fair Ivy

Tuna Melt is the clever name given to our sushi candle by the lovely folks at Fair Ivy. We were honored to have our original designed sushi candle featured at Fair Ivy. Fair Ivy is an online company that excels in the art of surprise giving. What makes this new gift giving idea so unique is that they also specialize in choosing only HANDMADE in the US items! Their motto is, "Surprise packages with Unique Handmade Gifts".

Fair Ivy's mission is to support individual crafters and smaill businesses in the United States by matching them up with people who love surprises and giving handmade gifts -- what a great concept!

Surprise someone or yourself with a delightful gift in the mail, chosen by professionals who excel at what they do. Choose from gifts for women, men, babies, pets, girls, and everyone. At Fair Ivy they have a great eye for fun, beauty, quality, and craftmanship with a price range to fit anyone's budget. Check them out and tell them that Double Brush sent you:)

 

Easiest Way to Clean Candle Votive Candle Holders

Love to burn candles but not cleaning out the left over candle wax on the bottom of your candle votive holders? You are not alone. First I will tell you what not to do. Don't scrape or pry melted votives out of their holders with a sharp or even blunt orject. It won't remove all of the wax cleanly and you risk scratching or breaking the delicate glass or hurting yourself.

This is how to clean out candle votive holders the easy non manual way. Just place your glass candle holders in the freezer for a few hours. The wax will shrink just enough for the left over candle butts to pop right out. I use this simple technique for beeswax candles, paraffin wax candles, and soy wax candles and it works for all of them.

Remember, if you are in need of high quality handmade candles, please check out our Hawaiian soy candles and unique beeswax candles and original sushi candles.

Hawaiian Barbeque Pineapple or How to Grill a Fresh Pineapple

Impress your family and friends by grilling fresh pineapple at your next barbeque or summer Hawaiian luau party! Create a memorable occasion with this easy to do dish that tastes so "ono", the Hawaiian word for delicious. Or using local Hawaii slang it would be "broke da mout".

What makes grilling a pineapple tastes so delcious is the reaction of the fire on the fruit. It caramelizes the sugars in the fruit to create a golden brown color and intensifies the flavor. Most people use grilled pineapple as a dessert, but it is also great as a side dish to whatever else you are barbequing.

The photo above is from the book Planet Barbeque by Steven Raichlen. I love this photo! It looks so cool to grill a whole pineapple and display it that way. However, if you want to know how to do it this way, you will have to purchase the book or borrow it from the library.

I did find a good grilled pineapple recipe with step by step directions and photos here at What's Cooking in America.

If you can't find fresh pineapples in your local area, we can help! We ship fresh Hawaiian pineapples from Hawaii to the mainland (continental US) in a pineapple 2 piece case or pineapple 6 piece case all year long, but why wait?  The pineapples seem sweeter in the summer.

Who Loves Plumeria Flowers?

Who loves plumeria flowers? Well, everyone that I know! Locals and visitors alike to Hawaii love the sweet musky intoxicating fragrance, and the simple 5 petal flower shape blossom that bloom in a rainbow of colors and blend of colors. In other parts of the world, plumeria is called frangipani and is equally beloved.

It is summer now, and driving around in the warm sunshine on the Big Island, it is easy to spot these beautiful trees full of blooming plumeria flowers in people yards, on the side of roads, and of course at the airport. People always remark to me how nice the air smells in Hawaii as soon as they arrive!

Plumeria flowers are used to make plumeria leis and garlands, and worn behind a person's ear to signal if they are single or spoken for. Read here to find out which ear you should wear your flower behind. Brides also love plumeria flowers for their wedding decorations and bouquets, and it has come to be known as the wedding flower.

We designed our new print Keep Calm and Love Plumerias as a fun decorative, and pretty home decor pinrt to bring the tropics indoors. Why the saying, "Keep Calm"?

"Keep Calm and Carry On" was a series of posters produced by the United Kingdom government in the beginning of World War 2. These posters were intended to raise the moral of its citizens in the event of an invasion. Forgotten for decades only to be rediscovered in the year 2000, it has now grown into an international phenomena with many parodies of the original saying.

Our original digital prints are printed as 8" X 10" prints on archival paper, and are packaged with a foam core backing in an archival plastic print sleeve. We can also do custom print orders upon request. "Keep Calm and Love Plumerias" is available for purchase, as well as other Keep Calm and Carry On prints. Our unique artwork prints are reasonably priced at only 20.00 each, which includes free shipping in the U.S. These posters would make a wonderful home decor gift for you or someone that you know. We invite you to please take a look. Mahalo (thank you)!

Quick and Easy Chicken Salad in a Papaya Bowl Recipe

Cool off by eating a delicious quick and easy chicken salad in a papaya bowl. This healthy papaya recipe is fast to make because you can use left over chicken or buy a rotisserie-roasted chicken from the supermarket. If you don't have any papayas nearby, we can ship fresh Hawaiian papayas from Hawaii to your doorstep! (U.S. mainland only)

Chicken Salad in a Papaya Bowl Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie-roasted chicken, skin removed and meat chopped (about 3-4 cups)

1/2 cup low-fat mayonaise or plain yogurt

1/2 cup chopped apples (with skni on)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1/4 cup raisins or cranberries

1 teaspoon curry poweder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

3 medium, firm, ripe papayas, halved and seeded

Chopped macadamia nuts for garnish

Directions:

Mix everything in a large bowl. Fill the papaya halves with the chicken mixture. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Garnish with macadamia nuts. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Photo credit from The Grommon. Check them out for a fruitier chicken salad filling.

Inexpensive Delicious Hawaiian Wedding Shower Favors, Choose Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts

If you are looking for inexpensive delicious Hawaiian wedding shower favors, or favors for your Hawaii themed wedding, consider our individually packaged chocolate covered macadamia nuts made in Hawaii by Mauna Loa. (We also carry their plain macadamia nuts and honey roasted flavor mac nuts in the same individual serving unique triangle foil package.)

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We guarantee that you will receive the freshest candy, personal service, and packing so that your candy arrives in good condition.

I was so pleased to receive this email yesterday which inspired me to do this post.

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Aloha Cheryl!

 

I wanted to thank you again for making sure I recieved the chocolate macadamia nuts in time for my wedding shower. I recieved them yesterday along with your note. I love the scent of the Island Mango solid perfume, in fact I'm wearing it today. I'm very happy with everything, these are going to make great shower favors!! Thanks you so much for all that you did it is very much appreciated!! I can't wait to come and enjoy your beautiful islands for our honeymoon!!

 

Mahalo,

Jenny

Happy Housewarming Gifts-Gift Ideas Under $30

Our pineapple design beeswax taper candles are included in a great blog post Friday Finds: Housewarming Gift Ideas - Under $30.  The author is a realtor so she is always looking for and in need of thoughtful and original housewarming gifts.

I am sure that she knew that pineapples are the symbol of welcome and hospitality. Also, to give a pineapple gift shows your intention to promote friendliness and graciousness to the recipient.

Check out her blog Big Plans Little Victories for more design finds, projects, and more!

 

 

Our Best Selling Print is Keep Calm and Love Hippos

Who knew that the hippopotamus was so popular! Our new Etsy store Fun Keep Calm Art Prints was a way for us to have fun designing new Keep Calm and Carry On prints -- a popular trend in Home Decor prints and housewares.

Keep Calm and Carry On was a series of posters created by the British government during World War 2. In the event that Britain was invaded, these posters were intended to raise the morale of the United Kingdom citizens. England was not invaded and these posters (most of them lost or destroyed) lay forgotten for decades, only to be rediscoverd in the year 2000. The image is now in the public domain since the Crown copyright for artistic works created by the UK government expires after 50 years.

The Keep Calm and Carry On movement has grown into an international phenomena with many parodies of the original saying. We have designed some Keep calm posters with the classic look of a small icon over a centered block of text, but we also went wild exploring different kinds of artwork, colors, fonts and size of graphic elements. 

Out of the dozen of 8" X 10" prints we have sold so far, we sold 5 Keep Calm and Love Hippos prints. That is almost half and that really surprised us!

Please visit our new store Fun Keep Calm Art Prints, and tell us what you think of our designs. If you have something special in mind please let us know. We may just be inspired to make it!

 

Aloha Everyone! We are doing some blog housekeeping and added several new buttons to make it easier to share our posts. Google+ Tweet Pinterest Facebook Like and Reblog.

Happy 4th of July and Don't Forget My Senior Citizen Discount!

Don’t Forget My Senior Citizen Discount Gift Items T-shirt by LoveKissesAndMore
Personalize shirt designs at Zazzle

Happy 4th of July, land of the Free, or at least land of the discount if you are an American senior citizen! We (Double Brush Co.) created this humorous design "Don't Forget My Senior Citizen Discount" in patriotic colors of red, white and blue, on t-shirts, phone covers, magnets, buttons, stickers, greeting cards, hats, shopping bags...If you are looking for a fun design for the older person in your life, check these out.

Don’t Forget My Senior Citizen Discount Gift Items Button by LoveKissesAndMore
Custom design buttons at zazzle.com.

As artists, we have found another way to share our artwork by starting a new Zazzle Store called Love Kisses and More. What is so great about Zazzle is that it makes it possible for us to have more time to concentrate on the art of creating new designs. Zazzle takes care of all of the printing on products (numerous cool products), shipping, and customer service. They also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, where if you don't absolutely love your printed item, they will take it back!

Please leave a comment to tell us what you think of our new senior citizen gift design and zazzle store.

Your Friendly Hawaiian Neighborhood Pig

I was startled by our dogs frantic barking. I ran to the window and saw a baby black pig almost in our garage! At first I was afraid that a huge angy mama pig would show up and beat up our dogs. However, this little piggy wasn't the least bit afraid of our dogs, even though she was half the size of them.

She had two white colored feet, and the tip of her tail was white, which she waved in friendly surrender.

She responds to our calls and human pig grunts, and really wags her tail happily like a dog while making the cutest grunting sounds.

Okay, she must be someone's pet. She looks like a pot bellied pig. She stayed for about 15 minutes than trotted back down our driveway. We live in a Hawaiian rainforest and there was a light rainy drizzle which created lots of tiny sparkles on her dark colored coat.

The next day we found a note on our gate: Lost pot belly pig, saw her by your driveway (with a phone number). I have called several times but the phone number is never in service. In my gut, I feel that being a pig she is naturally smart, and was never lost. She chose to cruize the neighborhood and then went home because she knew the way back. If not, she would have stayed here where we would have kept her and loved her!

 

Experience Lahaina Noon, an Astronomical Phenomenon 2011

What is Lahaina Noon? It is an Hawaiian name given for an astronomical phenomenon that occurs twice a year in the Hawaiian Islands, when the sun is directly overhead at high noon.

Hawaii is the only state in the United States where this crazy hot event occurs, because this phenomenon only happens in the tropics. If you happen to be in Hawaii in July 2011 on these dates (the other dates occurred in May), have fun standing out in the sun and not casting a shadow.

See flag poles, coconut trees and other objects that for moments are not casting any shadows. Please share your pics on our Double Brush facebook page.

Lahaina Noon Dates, Times:

Hilo: May 18, 12:16 p.m. and July 24, 12:26 p.m.

Kailua-Kona: May 19, 12:20 p.m. and July 24 ,12:30 p.m.

Hana: May 23 p.m., 12:20 pm and July 19, 12:30 p.m.

Kahului: May 24, 12:22 p.m. and July 18, 12:32 p.m.

Lahaina: May 24, 12:23 p.m. and July 18, 12:32 p.m.

Lanai City: May 24, 12:24 p.m. and July 19, 12:33 p.m.

Kaunakakai: May 26, 12:24 p.m. and July 17, 12:34 p.m.

Honolulu: May 27, 12:28 p.m. and July 16, 12:37 p.m.

Kaneohe: May 27, 12:28 p.m. and July 15, 12:37 p.m.

Lihue: May 31, 12:35 p.m. and July 11, 12:42 p.m.

Wide Smiles Overcome Wide Hips -- Hershey Kisses with Macadamia Nuts

Received this customer email which we just had to share!

Hi Cheryl,

 

I was so excited to receive my package from Hawaii.  The bags of Hersey's kisses I ordered from you arrived just fine. No problems. The only problem is going to be that they all will end up on my HIPS!

 

I enjoyed the magazine wrappings you used for packing the bags. My mom was here when I received the packages and we both looked the ads on the papers and simply sighed a big "ahhhhh" as we looked at the ads of beautiful Hawaii. 

 

You will be my source for the precious little blue Aloha kisses from Hawaii and I plan to order more. I want to thank you for your genuine interest in finding out how the packages arrived and for including your gift of the soy candle.  The candle arrived in perfect condition too and smells wonderful.  Thank you for your kindness and for taking time to care about your customers. 

 

 

Take care of you,

Respectfully,

Angela in Overland Park, KS

 

New Double Brush Etsy and Artfire Banner

Sometimes temporary can turn into permanent if you aren't careful. That is what happened when I opened our Double Brush Etsy store and Double Brush Artfire store and threw up a cobbled together store banner. That was a couple of years ago, and today I was finally able to put up something better.

I wanted something that reflected our company, about who we are and where we live. We photographed our newest candle design of monogrammed hand rolled beeswax hearts with one wick connecting them, on a mossy log. I love this log in our Hawaiian rainforest back yard with the different mosses and little Ohia trees growing on them. I also like the soft ferns growing under it and was so sad that so much of the photo had to be edited out.

This is our new banner. What do you think?

Double Brush Published in Candlemaking the Natural Way

Candlemaking the Natural Way is a recent book published by Lark Crafts. It features 31 candle projects made with only natural waxes: soy wax, palm wax, and beeswax--absolutely no paraffin. The benefits of natural waxes in candlemaking are that plant bases waxes and beeswax (plant matter processed by bees) are renewable resources and biodegradeable. Paraffin on the other hand is a byproduct of the oil & petroleum industry, which is a limited resource and a cause of great pollution on our planet.

The decision to choose natural wax candles is personal one that supports farmers, and a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Burning natural wax candles also has the benefit of being non-toxic and non-carcinogenic to the air you breathe. Recent studies have shown that paraffin wax candles when burned can release carcinogenic smoke and soot, with many of the same toxins found in diesel fuel.

We were contacted after the author had seen our sushi beeswax candles and soy candles at our Double Brush Etsy store. She asked if I would be willing to come up with an original candle design for the book and of course I said yes!

My contribution to Candlemaking the Natural Way is 'Favors with Heart', a two toned color swirl of beeswax sheets, cut, rolled, and shaped into a heart shape. Sorry I don't have a photo of it, but will post one later.

The list price for this book is 19.95, but you can buy Candlemaking the Natural Way now at a 25% discount which is 14.95 brand new, at our etsy shop. I will also autograph the title page if you want. Just tell me who to make it out to and what you want me to say. This book can inspire the creative person in you or someone you know to create beautiful and useful candles.

Historic First Meeting of Team Etsy Hilo in Hilo, Hawaii

Hilo is known for many things, such as the laid back atmosphere and small town feel, the Merry Monarch Hula Festival, the wonderful farmer's market, and so much more, but now Hilo may be put on the map for something else as well. That something else is the tremendous talent of creative people selling their wares directly to the public via Etsy.com, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, and craft supplies.

On June 10, 2011 there were meetups for Etsy sellers around the world, including our first local Hilo Etsy Meetup. Nine people showed up (two with their adorable daughters), and we were all welcome at the Old Hawaii Hotel. Walking up the steps under an arbor of Hapu'u ferns gracefully arching over you, it opened onto a bright and airy breezeway, instantly transporting you to a feeling of old time Hawaii.

Broke da Mouth, located right on the side of the staircase was serving up hot coffee, fresh baked goods and brunch fare. I had a delicious frittata and perfect blueberry scone. Soon, everyone introduced themselves and how they found out about Etsy, and what kinds of things they sold in their shop. Our group was so diverse in so many different ways, but we all felt the aloha and everyone was just so happy to be together--we can't wait to meetup again. Anyone living on the Big Island with an Etsy shop is welcome, but if you live in Kona, you may want to start your own group because of the long commute.

Please vist all of our Etsy shops:)

Manila Extract Finely crafted and unique handbags made from burlap Hawaiian coffee sacks

Redemption Art An eclectic collection of vintage goods

Stone & Bone Handmade tribal chic jewelry

Palm Tree Princess Fun and beautiful girl's clothing

Hilo Beads Beads for all of your jewelry making needs and unique handmade jewelry

Hoboville Cute rubberstamps made from original drawings

Smitten For You Romantic and enchanting handmade jewelry inspired by the beaches of Hawaii

MaiAloha Original handmade mosaic art

Double Brush Unique handmade soy wax and beeswax candles

Photographs courtesy of Tanya from Manila Extract

Broke da Mouth (339-1199), and D & S Bed & Breakfast at the Old Hawaii Hotel (934-9585) are both located at 150 Kilauea Ave in Hilo, Hawaii

 

 

 

Etsy Treasury of First Hilo Etsy Meetup, Eastside Big Island of Hawaii

Etsy.com is a catalyst for the world wide handmade crafts movement. Crafters, sellers of vintage things, and craft suppliers are coming together to form dynamic communities online and offline. On June 10, nine people that live in and around Hilo met for the first time, and it was awesome!

I created my first Etsy treasury in honor of this historic day. I will be writing another post with photos of the meetup later. For now, enjoy seeing the diverse creativity coming out of Hilo, Hawaii!

 

Summer Time Orchids Blooming in the Hawaiian Rainforest

Today the forest is filled with the sound of many different birds happily announcing the arrival of summer. The Hawaiian rainforest which we call home, is bursting with colorful life. Green hapu'u ferns and brightly colored  orchids are everywhere we look.

These purple beauties are called Miltonia orchids. This orchid plant is over 10 years old. You can see how the new pseudobulbs grow right over the old ones. These flower blooms will last for several weeks.

 

New Honeysuckle Candles to Celebrate Honeysuckle, the Color of the Year 2011

Honeysuckle is the color of confidence, vitality, and courage. It is a dynamic reddish pink that will encourage and uplift you throughout the year with its bold spirit -- something many of us can use right now!

For a quick dose of Honeysuckle verve, try our new oversized Honeysuckle colored extra large soy votive candles. We paired this energizing color with our custom blended Tuberose fragrance, an exotic scent with floral base notes and a hint of musk. Our handmade honeysuckle candles will add warmth, beauty, and fragrance to any room. Purchase our honeysuckle candles here.

Honeysuckle was named the color of the year for 2011 by Pantone. Having gone to art school, it seems that I have always known about Pantone, but for people who don't know what it is, here it is in a nutshell. Pantone was the first company to create a system for people in the graphic arts industry to accurately reproduce color in print media. Since then, it has expanded its color matching system concept to a variety of industries worldwide.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

 

Big Island Handmade Rocked at the Ka'u Coffee Festival 2011

The 2011 Ka'u Coffee Festival was a huge success, with thousands of local people and tourist, literally buzzing around from the all-you-can-drink free samples of genuine Ka'u coffee! Besides drinking gourmet internationally recognized Ka'u coffee, there was top notch free entertainment all day, and lots of booths filled with delicious food or interesting arts and crafts.

Our Big Island Handmade tent was a popular stop for people. With inviting smiles from Tanya of Manila Extract, Raven from Molecular Muse, and myself representing Double Brush, fair goers came in to look at and purchase Tanya's stunning Ka'u coffee burlap handbags and pillows. Raven's beautiful sterling sliver jewelry pendants and charms with the visual molecular symbol representing caffeine, were also popular gifts. People enjoyed smelling our Ka'u Coffee soy candles & Hawaiian fragrance soy candles, and sampling our solid perfumes.

Our tent was honored to have Young Miss Ka'u Coffee and her friends stop by.

Many different hula groups from keiki (children) to kapuna (seniors) performed all day to the delight of everyone.

Near the end of the day, Cyril Pahinui graced the stage with his musical talent. It was a wonderful ending to a great day. Dear reader, I hope you are able to make it to the Ka'u Coffee Festival next year, we will definitely be there!

Mahalo to Tanya for providing the terrific photos!

Happy Mother's Day from the Big Island of Hawaii, the Orchid Isle

Happy Mother's Day! This gorgeous display of whitle orchids with deep velvety purple throats bloomed just in time for Mother's Day. Living in Hawaii on the Big Island, which is aptly named the Orchid Isle, has been a brown thumb gardener's dream. The differnt orchids I planted on Ohia trees around our house have grown and bloomed on pure neglect!

Mother Nature gives our orchids all the rain, sunshine, and nutrients these orchid plants need. These delicate looking but hardy flowers should bloom for another few weeks.

Double Brush will be at the Ka'u Coffee Festival 2011

 

We are so excited to be a part of this year's Ka'u Coffee Festival on May 14, 2011 at the Pahala Community Center in Ka'u on the Big Island of Hawaii.

This unique Hawaii coffee festival will feature a Ka'u Coffee tasting presentation, a Ka'u Coffee recipe contest, farm tours, music, hula and many booths offering local food, coffee and crafts.

Double Brush will be part of a Etsy collective called "Big Island Handmade". We will be bringing tons of our special Ka'u coffee soy candle votives, Hawaiian soy candles, and Hawaiian scented solid perfumes. We will be sharing a tent with Tanya of Manila Extract who is featuring her finely crafted handbags made from original Ka'u coffee burlap bags, and Raven of Molecular Muse who makes the most extraordinary silver jewelry that represents our favorite things such as coffee, down to the visual molecular make up!

For more information visit the official Kau Coffee Festival site.

Hope to see you there!

American Cancer Society's Hawaii Cattle Baron's Ball A Big Success!

The American Cancer Society's West Hawaii inaugural event, the Hawaii Cattle Baron's Ball was a huge hit! This fun and entertaining event held at the Mauna Lani Hotel and Bungalows on April 16th, raised almost $52,000 for cancer patients and their families that live on the West side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Everyone came dressed in their cowboy and cowgirl finest, and some even brought their beautiful horses! There was stellar entertainment including an auction, awesome food, music, and dancing. You can see over 400 photographs of the event at JocksHotShots.com Photos were not enabled to be shared or I would have posted some here.

The Hawaii Cattle Baron's Ball was made possible because of the work and effort of many people including Ken and Mary Colucci who really got the ball rolling -- no pun intended;) They were the ones that called us (Double Brush) and asked if we would be interested in providing Hawaii candle favors for the event.

From what started out as our Hawaii designed candles that we have in stock, quickly turned into custom candle favors once beautiful artwork from Jennifer Buddenhagen was obtained. We suggested doing our natural soy wax candles in red, white and blue colors to represent America, with coordinating Hawaiian fragrances of Tuberose, Plumeria and Hawaii Ocean to represent Hawaii.The artwork was wrapped around each square candle, placed in a crisp poly bag and tied with twine that looked like miniature rope to tie into the cowboy theme.

Recently, Maile Carvalho who is the Community manager of Income Development sent me an email which read in part:

The candles were a big hit just as we predicted.  This is a quote from a couple from Illinois that joined us:  "The details that are incorporated for a first time event are phenominal, like these different colored candles.  You folks have set the bar and we look forward to being invited to more CBBH Events"

This is what 200 custom candle party favors look like! This photo was taken in our art studio before the candles were delivered.

We  already have designs in mind for the candle favors at next year's Hawaii Cattle Baron's Ball! Hope to see you there.

 

Invitation to an Etsy Virtual Bridal Show for Wedding Shower Favors

You are invited to an Etsy virtual bridal show, premiering a diverse and amazing selection of handmade wedding favors. Whether your taste runs from eco conscious green wedding favors made with natural materials, to decadent mouth watering gourmet chocolates, there is something to suit every bride and groom's style.

This virtual bridal show for wedding showers is hosted and authored by Parties by Kristin. There are also links for readers to donate to Wish Upon a Wedding.

“Wish Upon a Wedding is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization that provides weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. Often, couples facing such situations do not have the energy, time, money, or resources needed to plan their wedding. Our organization takes care of all the details, offering couples a chance to relax and enjoy a very special day while surrounded by the love of their closest family and friends.”

A nice feature of this Etsy virtual bridal show, is that there are 16 different etsy stores featured, and each has a slide show of about a dozen products. It is great because you don't have to be clicking on and off to each store, you can sit back and get a good idea of what each store is about without leaving the page.

Our Double Brush etsy store is also featured and shows some of our handmade soy candles, sushi beeswax candles, and beeswax candles for gifts and wedding favors.