Jan Avellana | Hazelnut Cottage

a visit to indigo.

girl dates are very good for the soul. two of my bestest girls have animal nicknames: ape (short for april) and cat (short for cathy). this time my date was with ape.

we made our way to chinatown’s indigo restaurant. nice ambience so far. (girls like ambience, you know.)

heavy hinges and tall doorways...

delicate hawaiian ginger and anthuriums...

a quiet table...

poetry of light and shadow...this corner makes me want to WRITE...

fresh ahi poke...

duck wraps...

beef wellington...and meaningful conversation about the twists and turns of life. it was nice to have a grown up meal in a grown up restaurant. we’re doing this again soon. oh yes we are.

downtime.

ahhhh...a breather at week’s end. much needed downtime with the family and myself.

happy weekend, everyone!

oden.

oden is a japanese soupy type of dish. it is very homey, very country made with love and large chunks of veggies and fishcake and tofu and other yummies. this is the first time i’ve made it, although i’ve eaten it before...i would have liked fresh tofu, but all i had in my fridge was the deep fried stuff, so into the pot it went!

the inside is just like regular tofu, but firmer and the outside is brown and chewy.

then i put in konnyaku. some people really don’t like the smell of konnyaku, but to me it has the aroma of nature, somehow.

the texture, too, is a bit of an acquired one. it is much firmer than jello and chewy. i love it!

then goes in daikon, fishcake and boiled eggs. i would have loved some lotus root and kombu, but my pantry was lacking...

i also put in some pork shoulder. i don’t think meat is a traditional ingredient, but i was feeding some hungry men (and one hungry me) and it seemed like just the thing.

{mom and dad’s place out in sunset beach}

it is a japanese comfort food at it’s most simple and perfect for these rainy, thunderstormy days...

little bliss list #3

{ hope hand stamped necklace :: ©  jan avellana, hazelnut cottage }

:) (most!) every friday i’ll be playing along with liv and the gang over at liv lane’s blog, where each week she lists things that bliss her out. here’s my little bliss list for this week:

1. grateful for hope. she keeps me going when giving up seems like the brightest idea all century!

2. blissed and blessed by my family, my two healthy, happy, sweet, wonderful boys and my husband of nearly 19 years.

3. thankful beyond mere words, for God’s mercies that are new every morning:

 ²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.

        ~lamentations 3:22-23

illustration friday :: fluid.

{ her thoughts flowed :: digital illustration :: © jan avellana, hazelnut cottage }

(illustration friday is an illustration website that highlights with a new word prompt every week. it is open to everyone—no jury, no clients, no limitations other than the theme for the week. come and join us!)

a quickie drawing in illustrator. if i had to choose between having to write or speak the rest of my life, i’d choose writing for sure. my words tend to flow so much more fluidly when i write than when i speak, especially in front of groups—oh, ick, public speaking is wayyy high up there on my AVOID list. my favorite part of this illustration? the bottle of ink! :D

little bliss list #2

:) every friday i’ll be playing along with liv and the gang over at liv lane’s blog, where each week she lists things that bliss her out. here’s my little bliss list for this week:

{ true love womb locket hand stamped necklace :: © jan avellana, hazelnut cottage }

1. so grateful for the opportunity to re-invent my hand stamped jewelry over at hazelnut cottage. to make a long story short, i’m finding my voice again and learning to slowly merge my love for words with my mixed-media art. :) stay tuned!!!

2. so thankful for my health. we are truly fragile creatures, we are.

{ glittery mixed-media art mess }

3. blissed out to have found my way back to art. it was a long, long, (did i say long?) road back. (here’s an old video anthony vallejo-sanderson did for me, for jenny doh’s art saves site that talks a bit about it all.)

Art Saves from Anthony Vallejo-Sanderson on Vimeo.

 

4. happy for fluffy beds, cool, rainy nights, and that right-before-you-fall-asleep feeling.

5. blissed about new opportunities and for doors that open if you lean on them hard enough. :D

illustration friday: popularity

{ girl with the red umbrella :: digital illustration:: © jan avellana, hazelnut cottage }

...she was popular with the mice in her neighborhood...heehee! yep, that’s the theme this week over at illustration friday, a fun, judgement free, come-one-come-all site for artists of all kinds!

it’s been fun to practice the basics of illustration and art—color, composition, and concept—using digital illustration and the weekly illustration friday prompts to get me going...you know, this might end up in a painting or collage soon, too! seems to be a useful part of my artistic process. who knew?! :)

little bliss list #1

:) i am playing along with liv and the gang over at liv lane’s blog, where each friday she lists 5 things that bliss her out. here’s mine:

1. blissed out that i was able to break through and capture this image as an original painting. it nearly killed me. it began as a pencil sketch, then grew into a digital illustration, and after 3 failed painting attempts, voila! yay!

2. so grateful for those moments of clarity and gigantic and not so gigantic shifts that happen in life. it’s been a season of unexpected growth lately and i really feel like i’m a different girl than i was just a week ago!

3. so utterly grateful for my children. my husband. my family. for love that surrounds me.

4. blissed out on forward motion. thank you chris guillebeau.

5. so glad i made it through another week. happy aloha friday everybody! :)

hello, 2012.

over half my family lives on the north shore of oahu, in a surf community called sunset beach. everytime we go take a day trip to see my family, it’s like being on retreat. things on that side of the island are slower, more casual, less frenetic.

and this is where we usually spend new years eve. as a family. an early dinner at leilei’s at the turtle bay resort.

an orchid on my plate...

the next day, it’s our new years day feast with lots of traditional and local style japanese food...chirashi sushi...

...ikura (salmon roe)...

...onaga with somen noodles to symbolize good luck and long life...

...home made, heart made butter mochi...

...pounding surf...

...and thoughts about the year ahead...

here is wishing you and yours the happiest of everything this new year!

xoxo

winter.

{my first time experiencing snow :: mount charleston, nevada, 2011}

i can’t quite put the words together to explain all that has been happening here these last few weeks, but i will try. even now, there is sorrow intermingled with joy and the little bits of life that go on regardless of what’s happening in and around you.

{annual hazelnut cottage show, 2011}

i had my annual showing...did i tell you that? it was nice. small and intimate, just the way i like it.

{my dad, manabu hongo :: congressional medal events, hawaii, 2011}

and i was able to celebrate the hawaii congressional medal of honor events with my father and family this past weekend...it was beyond wonderful. not only did i get to experience this with my dad, but the love and support that my family showed for my dad...i know he will cherish this weekend forever.

{extended hawaii and san mateo family :: honolulu, 2011}

{nevada, tokyo and d.c. family :: las vegas, nevada 2011}

in the end, it’s the relationships that matter most. our relationship with God, relationships with family far and wide. these are the things that sustain and strengthen us especially in those needful times.

wishing you and yours the best and brightest this christmas season...

xoxo