Lei by Kealohi

11/21/2024

Spent a month on Moku o Keawe (Big Island) & it was filled with lei 💜 Grateful to have some time to tune in with ‘āina & build pilina with plants that I got to mālama at my aunty’s home - including this pōhinahina! This is one of the first plants they’ve grown in abundance to reforest their farm with native plants 😊

09/02/2024

08/28/2024

Fall semester starting up this week but I’m still appreciative of having the chance to make lei for graduates last semester. Loved seeing this polaroid collage of Cerritos College graduates in the EOPS office — white carnation lei on blue 💙

07/11/2024

I often forget to take pics thru out the lei making process, but sometimes I gettum. just a scrappy backyard setup with plants & a dream to share lei with community ☀️

06/27/2024

how precious is she?! 😭💗 Matching pink/purple set for this sweet lil baby’s preschool promotion 🫶🏼

06/14/2024

Top 10 best feelings is when you see all the lei you’ve made for them adorned beautifully in their home 💚
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The wonderful thing about lei is that it’s not a one time wear, keep them until you’re ready to let go. Remove the string & bow, then return the natural materials to the land — it’s ceremony, it’s a release of the mana in that chapter you’ve been holding on to. I take my lei to water, whether it’s the ocean or river, and let it wash away the crushed dried flower to continue in the life cycle 🦋

06/13/2024

First plumeria blooms of the season at the minami household 💛 The excitement builds as our trees have slowly grown full with leaves and buds… as seasons change so do the plants we’ve nourished thru the years & it’s a beautiful thing to bear witness to. Without fail, nature reminds me there’s no flowers without rain & loving like ‘āina means embracing the ebb/flow of growth 🌊

05/08/2024

Lovely lavender graduate + performer 💜
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These lei kept me grounded & connected to the plants growing around me as my dear friend asked for foraged plants. Theo wrote a song in collaboration with a poem their grandma composed mentioning gifts of rosemary. Asking neighbors for plants from their yard, I feel blessed to build community while calling upon ancestral memories making this different lei hili of rosemary 🪻
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(Ps: enjoy these rough cut pics in my “lei stations” cuz we make do with what we got & reality is not always as aesthetically beautiful as what we create😝)

05/07/2024

Congratulations to Cerritos College EOPS/CARE/LINC/NextUp grads!! 🦅💙
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This lei was donated to their raffle celebration & was won by this sweet graduate. Graduating college is no small feat & not only do graduates deserve their flowers, but the family, friends & community who support them along the way also 🌹

04/18/2024

Officially open for orders for graduation! After taking a year to deepen my relationship to lei making beyond money/selling, I’m excited to share lei with you all! I’ve returned per the request of friends/family interested in compensating for this labor of love — I’ll gladly accept new customers as well :)
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Learning from previous years, I will be accepting a limited amount of orders per week to prevent being overwhelmed. Check the link in bio for prices & bundles or message me for more info/to place an order.
(Note: rolling California orders and Colorado only accepting for May 23-30)

04/18/2024

Some fun with carnation lei made in the past. They are both made in the kui style (needle and thread), but have some key differences. The first pink/red lei is wrapped in hypericum and the needle pierces through the stem of the flower. The second lei is made in poepoe (round) style where the needle pierces through the flower’s base (rather than through the middle). Both are beautiful and a crowd favorite on the continent year round!❤️🤍🩷

04/16/2024

Lei for Lāhainā heart🌹
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Back in October we partnered with Calvary Chapel Artesia (CCA) to sell lei at the International Fair to raise money for Lāhainā following the fires. CCA brought a team of volunteers to Maui for disaster relief, including my sister, so it was a natural partnership to sustain this important work from CA. This was healing for me to make lei as kanaka diaspora with ancestral/family ties to Lāhainā, embracing the pain & creating beauty to contribute how I can from far away.
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We raised $115 with lei sales and collected donations for a total of $456 send to support Calvary Chapel Central Maui that’s providing food and necessities to impacted families. Mahalo CCA for the partnership in helping our hometown!

04/16/2024

Lei for Lāhainā
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Back in October we partnered with Calvary Chapel Artesia (CCA) to sell lei at the International Fair to raise money for Lāhainā following the fires. CCA brought a team of volunteers to Maui for disaster relief, including my sister, so it was a natural partnership to sustain this important work from CA. This was healing for me to make lei as kanaka diaspora with ancestral/family ties to Lāhainā, embracing the pain & creating beauty to contribute how I can from far away.
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We raised $115 with lei sales and collected donations for a total of $456 send to support Calvary Chapel Central Maui that’s providing food and necessities to impacted families. Mahalo CCA for the partnership in helping our hometown!

04/10/2024

Making lei with friends is a love language 🫧
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My birthday was abundant with laughter & love ~ one of my favorite parts of the day was making lei lā’ī (tī) together. It’s so important to build community with ppl who support your passions & are open to learning new things 💕☀️

04/09/2024

“Hae nani o Hawai’i, E mau kona welo ana”
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Pua kalaunu (calotropis gigantea) also known as the crown flower is not a native Hawaiian plant but is a staple of lei making in Hawai’i. It’s important to be mindful when picking these flowers because they attract butterflies that lay eggs on the leaves. Since it’s a milkweed, the milky sap can cause irritation/sickness so be careful when making lei. This flower was Queen Lili’uokalani’s favorite which is fitting since her favorite color was purple. I made this lei for pacific graduation with pua kalaunu buds to serve ali’i realness in honor of our queen 💟💫

08/01/2022

Mahalo nui iā ‘oukou no ke kāko’o a ke aloha 💜 Thank you to everyone who came to support & celebrate Lā Ho’iho’i Ea! It was so healing to hear all the laughter & friendship by making lei together. We’ll still be collecting mutual aid supplies (water, reusable water jugs, money) for the Wind River reservation until next weekend! We’re all truly connected thru wai & today reminded us of that 🤙🏽 SHUT DOWN RED HILL
📍Occupied Cheyenne, Ute, Arapaho land (Denver)

07/26/2022

Aloha kākou! We will be hosting a lei making workshop & mutual aid event “Connected by Wai” (water)! In celebration of Lā Ho’iho’i Ea (Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day), this Sunday 7/31 we’ll learn about ea (sovereignty, life) & how we’re connected thru the protection of water! 💧
We’re calling out for water, reusable jugs, and monetary contributions to support Northern Arapaho water protectors on the Wind River Reservation, organizing on the ground amidst a water crisis.
Tickets are sliding scale ($10-35) which will include:
- Natural materials to make your own hapa lei (ti leaves & flowers)
- Education about Hawaiian history, culture & lei making with resources to stay connected
- Li hing mui snacks
- Upcycled Hawaiian Sun cans as fall plant starter kits
Send me a message to RSVP if interested in attending, or if you can’t make it but would like to contribute resources for water protectors!
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📍Ruby Hill Park 1200 W Florida Ave. Denver 80223

07/19/2022

Ke’oke’o & Uli ~ white & blue orchids with white roses paired with a ti leaf faux maile lei with white orchids 🦋
We love being apart of special occasions like birthdays - mahalo for sharing 🤙🏽
[ID: ti leaf faux maile with white orchids on grass with a white & blue orchid with white roses lei in the middle
ID: aforementioned lei being worn by a woman with pulled back brown hair in a black dress & denim jacket holding a cup in a backyard]