1. UA MAU TANK ($28)- Best-seller. Loose, comfy and cute. Hawai’i state motto. Perfect for the beach or a girls night out.
2. MAUI TRUCKER ($20)- Most popular. If you don’t have one, you need one. You can never have too many hats.
3. MAUI GIRL BAG($20)- Most useful. Perfect for any girl living out of their car.
4. HANU HAWAII BIKINI ($25)- Least amount of material. Locally made. Cutest designs. Perfect bikini bottoms for summer.

Everyday our back hallway echoes with the sound of a tattoo gun. Our dear friend, Boze Kapoi, owner of Pride Ink Tattoo, is our neighbor. So it is only natural that the desire to get a tattoo is more likely for us girls at Maui Thing. For more than a year I have gone back and forth about the idea of permanently inking my body. What to get? Where to get it? How big? The questions were endless. Tattoos are a reflection of who you are and what you stand for. I wanted to make sure it was right.

A year ago my girlfriends and I wanted to learn the Hawaiian word for patience. We all needed it for certain reasons in our lives. This was when we were introduced to AHONUI, patience with perseverance. I never heard or saw this word before. After that night, it began to show up in unusual places in my life. The Hawaiian language is complex, which also makes it beautiful. There is always so much more in the roots of the word. The kaona (hidden meaning) for ahonui is much more than being patient. It would take a couple pages for me to explain the word, but I won’t do that. Instead I will leave you with this….

“It is not waiting to be healed, it’s using everything you know and doing everything you can to make the healing happen.”

“It is not the patience of waiting out a storm. It is the perseverance of moving through a storm to your destination.”

Ahonui is the act of moving toward something you want for as many breaths as it takes. We all can relate to this. Whether it is with our careers, family, strangers, health, fitness, relationships, etc., ahonui is a significant word for us all. I knew this was what I wanted to tattoo.

I decided to place it on my foot. Our feet are what ground us, and I am always barefoot so I needed something to make them look a little cuter. I gave the raw materials to Boze and let him figure out the rest. Now, I actually had to get the tattoo. I’m not going to lie, it did hurt a little. I had to concentrate really hard on not punting Boze in the face. Thirty minutes later it was finished.

I instantly fell in love with my tattoo. I never stared at my feet so much (I wish I got a pedicure before that though). When things get hectic or overwhelming I have something to remind me of why I got a tattoo.

Click here to check out Boze Kapoi at Pride Ink Tattoo.

I know it’s a cliché, but she really is beautiful inside and out. Kimie was actually the first artist to play for Maui Thing ever, being featured at our launch party around six years ago, then again at the Maui Thing stage at First Friday two years ago. She played at the Maui Thing store last night for her hardcore Maui fans launching her new album, “To the Sea.” Let me premise this review with my background in music and formal training. I played piano for 3 years, violin for 1 year and french horn for about 5 years. Yes I was a band geek, whatevers. But, I also had a collection of journey albums, stuff from the 80′s like “Men at Work” and “The Barkays.” I was also the only girl from my gang to make mixed tapes. So I’m not a hardcore aficionado like Brendan at Request Music, nor I am I like my husband Ken who had only one tape in his brown Civic in high school, “Legend.”

Kimie continues to write soulful melodies that make me want to lay out in the sun, contemplate life and dump my boyfriend. The more I listen to her songs, the more I feel I know her…with glimpses of lyrical emotion and rhythmic oohs. The tunes I’m most drawn to have an obvious angst and longing like “Is this love.” Her honesty continues to come through in her soulful voice and her island inspired sound. Kimie is addicting. I asked my kids (9 and 7 years) if they wanted to go to their school’s Art Night or listen to Kimie. Without a doubt it was Kimie. When taking them to school this morning while listening to Kimie’s new album I did my normal dutiful parenting thing… asking them questions and engaging them in thoughtful conversation. The question that I had for them this morning was “Do you think Kimie could compete in THE VOICE?” My children respond with a confident and very affirmative “Yes!” as if they were the ones pressing the big red button and spinning their chair around. Then my daughter continued to ask, “What team would she be on? Adam’s?”

All I know is that I am on Team Kimie and if you ever get a chance to listen to her live, don’t miss it. For all you Mauians that missed her at our store last night, she’ll be playing tonight at Stella Blue’s…for details on how to buy tickets, click here.

ALOHA HAWAIIAN COCONUT VODKA! Where have you been hiding all our lives? When we find something amazing, we love to share! The COCO-JITO is everything we love in a mixed drink…refreshing, light, fruity and stylish! We highly suggest drinking these out of a mason jar. They look better, taste better and it is easier to distinguish your glass among a bunch of red cups.

• Hawaiian Coconut Flavored Vodka
• Santa Cruz Organic Strawberry Lemonade (You can experiment with all types of juices. Ginger and peach lemonade are also a good choice)
• Blueberries
• Mint
• Ice
• Mason jar

I came across this card the other night at my girlfriend’s house. The minute I read it, I was instantly enlightened. These five simple rules are stuck with me. They are simple, and a reminder that we can all obtain happiness.

There are many amazing things on Maui that us locals have never done. Tourists even seem to cram more ‘MAUI TO-DOs” in a week than I have done in my lifetime. So, my girlfriends and I developed a “MAUI BUCKET LIST.” It includes places, activities and all sorts of things we still have not experienced on this island we call home. We decided it was time to start checking some things off. So this past Saturday we ventured out of the Waiside and headed for the country. We rarely go to Haiku. We had to rely on Google maps to get us to our final destination, MAUI KOMBUCHA! We arrived hungry, thirsty and excited to experience something new. There was only standing room and we lingered on the side, a little unsure of how this whole place operated. We were greeted enthusiastically with four shots glasses of Palo Santo. We had no idea what it was, but that didn’t stop us from clinking our glasses and sampling the Kombucha goodness. Next up, Ginger Lime and Lychee Juniper Lime. The mmmmm’s and ohhhh’s coming from our mouths were a clear indication that we just stumbled into heaven. We ordered a round of Kombucha and finally managed to get a table and begin the eating. Pupu style is the way to go here. Everything looked too good that you couldn’t have one. We got the Quinoa salad and a Rainbow Roll Sushi to start. The mmmmm’s and ohhh’s couldn’t be contained. Next, Da Kine Chili and the Garden Veggie Pizza! AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! This is not an understatement. Every bite got better and better. Then came dessert, and I only need to say two words, HAWAIIAN TOAST! Some cracker, jam, bananas and a whole lot of amazingness! Another round of Kombucha and we were definitely experiencing a strong sense of elation. The two guys running the front of the house made the entire experience more pleasurable. The service was superior, their sense of humor entertaining, and we hadn’t been called chicas that many times since…never. We were told to try the coffee. Mind you, 3 out of the 4 of us don’t drink coffee. If I did drink coffee, it definitely would be that one. We all shared one cup of coffee and passed it around the table like a sacred ceremony. At this point the only word to describe the moment is bliss. Happy stomachs, souls and minds. Just when we thought we had done it all, we heard the word HOT SHOT. It already sounds dangerous and intriguing. The women next to us were raving about it, so we ordered one. It looked scary good. The initial sip isn’t bad, but it’s a creeper. The best thing to compare it too is Hawaiian chili pepper water. We felt alive after that one! As our Maui Kombucha experience came to an end, we didn’t want to leave. Happy, happy is all we could say. Happy to be with friends, happy to eat good food, and happy to live on Maui.

To check out Maui Kombucha, click here!

GROWTH. RENEWAL. PROSEPRITY. These three words sum up the color for 2013….emerald! It is crazy how one color influences fashion, design, moods, purchases and so much more. We aren’t complaining because we love emerald. There is something captivating and mystifying about this green hue. From the beautiful gemstone to the tranquility of the ocean, emerald brings a sense of clarity in our complex world!

If you don’t know yet, Valentine’s Day is next week!! This day brings mixed emotions for each of us. Whatever your thoughts on Valentine’s Day, we are all fans of love songs. We have that certain song that makes us feel love. Or that one song that remind us of someone special. Music is a very powerful thing in this world. We thought we would share some of our favorite songs to get you in the Valentine’s Day mood.

• Maroon 5- If I Ain’t Got You (Live)
• Cas Haley- No One
• City & Colour- The Girl
• The Green- Love I
• Ingrid Michaelson- Can’t Help Falling In Love
• Bob Marley- Stir It Up
• Jason Mraz- I Won’t Give Up
• Ka’au Crater Boys- Still The One
• Sade- By Your Side

Don’t forget, our store is filled with lots of great gifts for your special someone:)

I love baking…which means that I’m usually in charge of desserts for family parties and always looking for new recipes (there’s only so many times that you can make a chocolate bundt for the family before they start complaining). This is the my latest, easiest, yummiest dessert that has gotten rave reviews by everyone! Thanks to my gal, Lee (whose hubby is a “master baker”) for the ono recipe!

Ingredients:
- 24 cute cupcake cups (cute cupcake cups are a MUST;)
- 1 bag Oreo cookies
- 3/4 block melted butter
- 2 8oz. boxes cream cheese
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 small boxes instant chocolate pudding
- 3 c. cold milk

Directions:
1. Crush Oreo cookies. I usually put all the cookies into a gallon zip lock bag and crumble them with a rolling pin. Mix oreo cookies with melted butter.
2. Layer Oreo cookie crust in cupcake cups.
3. Mix cream cheese, vanilla, eggs and sugar.
4. Layer cream cheese mixture over Oreo crust.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Mix pudding mix with cold milk.
7. Once baked, top cupcakes with pudding.
8. Decorate!