PUPPY LOVE

ALOHA! Long time no post. Well it's been quite the year here at CFC Headquarters and I hope to have a larger Cuckoo Revue up in the coming weeks.

For now and for those of you that do not yet know, we adopted a puppy in October.

World meet Blake.

I have been itching for a puppy for awhile now but as they say, timing is everything. The Maui Humane Society had gotten in a few batches of puppies just in time for my birthday and I could not resist.

I forced John to come meet me there one Thursday and we spent several hours "interviewing" all the pups. We narrowed it down to Blake and his Sister Kiana, but we could only get one. So we came home and slept on it, went back on friday and spent another 3 hours visiting with both. I said the first one that kissed us would win the chance to come home with us. So blake won. We also left them alone for about 20 minutes each to see who was a whiner. Blake again won, hands down without making a peep, while Kiana was a bit too loud on her own.  We needed one we knew we could leave alone and not be one of those dogs the neighbors had to put up with howling, whining and barking while home alone.

He's been super easy to train. The minute we took him out of the car at home we put him down on his leash and harness and he took the leash in his mouth and trotted off like he had been doing it forever. He was potty trained within 2 weeks and has an arsenal of tricks like sit, down, kiss, high-five and shake (which we call paw because shake sounds too much like Blake).

He is super playful and well behaved. And he sleeps a lot... as evidenced by these photo's.







When we got him they guessed he was between 2-3 months old and 11 pounds. Now about 5-6 months old and 28 pounds as of last week. He's expected to be 30-35 pounds... we hope.




Click HERE to read a post on another blog - The Maui StyleList -  I am writing for Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine. It talks about the "Wings of Aloha" program at the Maui Humane Society.

BOOK IT. BOOK IT NOW!

I recently had the chance to work on a new logo for MAHALO VILLAS here on Maui. Our goal was to make something that said vacation - surf, sun, sand - and had a bit of a vintage/old Hawaiiana feel, yet still look clean and modern.

I also made several round seals that resemble post marks that could be used in other applications as well as the website banner image and the BOOK NOW button for their website and business cards.

If you are planning a trip to Maui and are looking for a quiet place to stay on the west side in Kapalua with spectacular views of Lana'i and Molokai, check it out.

WE HEART AGNIESZKA

Early December of 2011 had us playing host to an ex-Funny Garbage coworker and good friend Agnieszka Gasparska of Kiss Me I'm Polish. She showed up with many gifts in tow proving her to be a house guest to be reckoned with. All visitor's post Agnieszka will have a lot to live up to! Seriously y'all. She was the sweetest, most easy-going guest who after some rental car snafu's made her way over to the west side by herself, three days in a row to go surf the waves at Launiupoko.

Graced with two comp days after a long and hectic closing of the magazine, I was free to join her and Conn to see the sights passed Kapalua into the northwestern areas of the island where the terrain is Planet of the Apes meets Land of the Lost. After a hearty lunch at Teddy's Burger's in Lahaina we hit the road to the blowhole and tidepools... and what appeared to be a very clear heart-shaped hole in the rock. The heart is a favorite symbol of Agnieszka's and her business.

 

We ended our first day at DT Fleming Beach Park to watch the sunset and touch the Pacific. Then headed over to Star Noodle for a deliciously memorable meal.

Day two had us climbing the mountain for big upcountry views and Haleakala crater. Not to be outdone, down country produced a rainbow to say "hey, look at me!"

Teeny tiny flowers growing in an inhospitable environment.

Conn put his fancy telephoto lens to good use when we stumbled upon an ‘ohi‘a lehua tree thick with blossoms and buzzing with native bird activity. The i‘iwi (above, bright red and curved beak) and ‘apapane (below, darker red) But you have to be lightening fast to catch them, thus the slightly blurry shots. We've been to Hosmer's Grove before but were never able to spot these elusive birds, we quickly realized this was a poignant moment for all of us to savour.

Once down the mountain, we made a hard left and headed to La Perouse to show Agnieszka the last big lava flow that happened some 250 years ago. After sunset we made our way to Sansei in Kihei.

While I had to go back to work, Conn made it out to Launiupoko a few days to snap our guest surfing the waves. Here she is hangin' out, waiting... and her patience paid off. She caught a few good rides!

MAUI NO KA 'OI

After quite the dry spell of no blog entries, it's time to get back to it. We can now tell you what has kept us so busy the last few months.

In June we got word that our favorite publication was hiring a new Art Director.
In July, John filled that role at Maui No Ka 'Oi magazine and he now has 2 issues under his belt.

The September/October cover.

The current November/December 2011 issue on stands now.

John has been working feverishly on the complete re-design for the January/February 2012 issue which goes to press in 2 1/2 short weeks. That includes a new logo, testing new fonts, interviewing illustrators and photographers, and looking into new paper alternatives.

He is a one man Art Department and for the last 2 issues has has been re-introduced to the world of magazine design. The last time he worked at a magazine (SPIN and DETAILS) he had a full Art Department to rely on. Now he finds himself wearing many hats - photo editor, graphic designer, production manager, location scout and so on. He has also been able to visit some incredible homes here on Maui for possible use in the home features. At these home shoots, he also acts as prop stylist and pet wrangler. 

On a recent scouting trip to Keokea, John got to venture inside the Kwock Hing Society Building, which is otherwise locked. It is featured in the current issue.

On a recent scouting trip to Keokea, John got to go inside the Kwock Hing Society Building, which is always locked up, the inside is not open to the pubic. It is featured in the current issue.

October found him traveling off island for a 2-day visit to the printer in Waseca, Minnesota. 

I stayed busy during August and September compiling the 7 page Holiday Gift Guide for the November/December 2011 issue which is on stands now. (see attached pages below)

Not only did I compile the products in the Guide, but I photographed about half of them. What I did not photograph, I tracked the images down from merchants, which was no small production. John says I basically acted as photographer and photo editor for the entire guide which was a big help to him.

It was a huge undertaking to get products for the gift guide because I basically had to start from scratch with the stores and vendors. I did not have a single contact. It's been great fun for me to get to explore the island and meet new people. Kind of rejuvenating actually. I mean, I get to shop days on end and not spend any money. In some cases, companies did not have images for me to use and they asked me to shoot products for trade. We have quite the supple of salt and honey.

A behind the scenes look at shooting the book "Surfing Jaws" for the Holiday Gift Guide here in the studio.

At present, along with my other freelance work,  I am also compiling two Great Finds pages for the January/February issue. One on Luxury items and the other for Golf Items. Great Finds is basically a page of "must have" products that I locate around the island. This is also a recurring gig for each issue!

Most of you know that we left our office once a week at best when we worked from home. Now John is on the road to Wailuku most days and I have can be found cruising around the island in search of items to feature in the magazine. While we loved being home all the time, it's fun to get out and see behind the scenes of Maui.

In January I will be getting back to my fashion roots as I will be styling a 6-8 page fashion story for the March/April issue. Booking models, hair, make-up, and pulling all of the clothing to be featured. I can't wait for that project.

Mahalo for bearing with us... and we hope to be posting more now that things are a bit more established with our roles at Maui No Ka 'Oi.

A hui hou.

JANE LOUISE BRATTAIN - A LOOK BACK

ALOHA…

Yes, we're still here. We have had quite a spring and summer full of changes and lots of work. It's kept us quite busy and away from updating CFC.

Some of you know that my grandma was here in March and returned back to Indiana in early April. She passed away April 26th, 3 weeks after returning from a 3 month trip in Florida and 3 weeks here on Maui.

This post is in remembrance of her in pictures from her early days at 9 years old to her 3 trips to Maui through March 2011. Of course there are many more, but these are some of my favorites.

More updates on our changes to come.

A hui hou grandma -
September 18, 1921 - April 26, 2011
xoc

9 years old

Smoking in the pool.

Smoking and drinking somewhere on the beach in Florida.

The following images were from her 3 trips to Maui: 2007, 2008, 2011.

2007

2008

2011