Lately
- Lei Lupea
- Jan 26
- 2 min read
What I’ve Been Up To Lately
Aloha kākou, it’s been a minute since I’ve sat down to write, so I wanted to share a little update on what’s been happening behind the scenes at Lei Lupea lately.
New year, new lei on the table
This new year has started off surrounded by flowers and more flowers. I’ve been working on some really fun lei ʻāʻī pieces, including a thousand-punch eucalyptus lei with raffia that I shared over on Instagram recently, and a second version twisted together with ti that headed off to the continent all wrapped and ready to travel. There’s something really grounding about repeating the movement of sewing a lei again and again and watching the form slowly appear in your hands.
Lei features and sweet moments
One of the sweetest surprises lately has been seeing my work show up in other people’s feeds. A recent post featuring a bombucha carnation lei made its way onto another account, and it honestly stopped me in my tracks to see my work honored that way. Moments like that remind me why I started Lei Lupea in the first place: to make pieces that help people feel seen, celebrated, and loved.
I’m also slowly weaving in more “remembering” posts, little reminders about the people and moments that really shape our lives, because the stories around a lei are just as important as the materials in it. If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ve seen some of these reflections sprinkled in between the flower spam.
Talking story on Big Island TV
One of the biggest (and scariest) things I’ve done recently is saying yes to being a guest on a Big Island TV show with Lyman Medeiros. As a pretty introverted person, being in front of the camera and talking about my lei practice is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I also felt really honored to be invited to share. Sitting across from Lyman and talking story about lei, kūpuna, and why this work matters felt like a full-circle moment.
I’m still processing the experience, but mostly I’m just grateful for the chance to represent even a tiny part of our island’s creative community, and for everyone who has supported, corrected, and encouraged me along the way. The segment aired earlier this month, but I'll link to the archives so you can watch if you’d like.
What’s next for Lei Lupea
Looking ahead, I’m continuing to juggle a mix of custom lei orders, content creation, and some longer-term projects that I hope to share more about soon. I’ll be posting more behind-the-scenes clips, in-progress lei, and little teaching moments over on Instagram @leilupea, so if you’re not already there with me, come hang out.
Mahalo nui for being here, for reading, for wearing my lei, and for letting me be a small part of your special moments. I’m excited (and a little nervous, in the best way) to see what this next season of Lei Lupea becomes.
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