bits and bobbins

i’m back from hawaii! it was so amazing! i’m in such a fog today…i think my brain is still on vacation!

you can find a few choice shots from our travels in my hawaii 2008 flickr set (should you be interested in that sort of thing. i know other people’s travel pics can be a major yawn!)

i allowed myself one official souvenir from hawaii: this handmade hawaiian quilted tote with a pineapple motif. in orange, NATCH. *grin* i bought it at the hawaiian quilt collection, an adorable little shop in downtown waikiki (on kalakaua avenue). the cute little old ladies who ran the shop told me the pineapple pattern represents “friendship or welcome”. a cheery meaning for my happy new bag.

the shop was filled with lots of supremely lovely bags of various and sundry shapes and sizes, as well as gorgeous pillow covers, kitchen accessories, and full-sized quilts, all in beautiful vivid color pairings. i was in heaven, i wanted to buy absolutely everything i saw!…and i also believe i was also the youngest gal in the shop! guess these sorts of things aren’t appealing to the youth of today! har har. anyway, i do believe that i am now obsessed with hawaiian quilting…it’s something i am raring to try sooner rather than later, giving it my own spin somehow…

i managed to do a little thrifting whilst on vacation, too!

here be the motherload of 80s enamel earrings! thrifted in kailua, oahu, hawaii:

only 50 cents per pair. whatta steal!

glitter dot blouse, thrifted in kailua, oahu, hawaii:

silky vintage floral blouse, made in hawaii! thrifted @ the savers in kahului, maui:

vintage japanese-made mugs:

an adorable local that was standing nearby when i was checking out told peter and i that these japanese made mugs were a give-away gift at a local hawaiian savings bank.

some choice picks from my thrifting haul this week…that happen to all be knits!
found at goodwill and out of the closet thrift store, here in san francisco.

an orla kiely wool sweater!

i saw it from afar…and had a feeling it was something good. i mean, HELLO, it has orange polka dots on gray, people!! you KNOW how i feel about orange and gray (if you’ve been lingering about for a while, anyway!). a peep at the tag confirmed my good luck. YAY!

a sleeveless turtleneck knit shell with a PIXEL print (omg!)…

a simple red-orange wool cardi:

and a mustard-colored drop-waist tunic…

it doesn’t look like much, but i loved the color. and i figured this would fit over my ever growing belly, and would be cute over slim/skinny jeans or leggings or whatever, plus, with a cowl of mine over the neck…one of many layers to keep me warm here in chilly SF.

all found at thrift town, SF, this past week.

one of my top thrift finds of all time: an eley kishimoto shift dress with a white and red-orange print. when i stumbled across it, my jaw actually, factually dropped and then i felt like i was high for about a good hour afterwards. thank you, o great thrift gods!

this dress is part of my incentive to get back in shape post-bebe!

a sweet summery sundress:

zipper-detailed alligator textured 80s pumps:

orangey-brown vintage boots:

the perfect replacement for this now dead but dearly loved pair i thrifted in manhattan several years ago. also, a fine and MUCH CHEAPER substitute for this pair of loeffler randall beauties i was coveting. again! thank you muchly, thrift gods! i’m forever reverent to you!