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| Photo taken from our backyard |
Friday, August 31, 2012
Daydreamer
I like creating brooches that are not only pleasing to the eye, but also fun to touch.
My new "Daydreamer" brooch is made with a poofy felt cloud and soft pheasant feathers.
Available in my shop soon!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Watermelon slushy
With 90 degree weather this week, I've been making my watermelon slush ice for the kids again.
They love it, and its super easy to make!
Ingredients:
- Cut watermelons into cubes and freeze overnight.
- Your favorite juice (1-2 cups) depending on how you like the consistency.
(We use POG (passion orange guava juice), a Hawaii favorite! Its available at Fresh & Easy
and Marukai Markets).
Directions:
- Toss frozen watermelons (fill to about 3/4 full) into a blender or cuisinart.
- Add juice and grind then blend.
Enjoy!
Throughout the summer, we've used frozen mangos, peaches, and strawberries! They were all delicious! We froze kiwis last night, so we'll see how that goes today for their afterschool treat!
They love it, and its super easy to make!
- Cut watermelons into cubes and freeze overnight.
- Your favorite juice (1-2 cups) depending on how you like the consistency.
(We use POG (passion orange guava juice), a Hawaii favorite! Its available at Fresh & Easy
and Marukai Markets).
Directions:
- Toss frozen watermelons (fill to about 3/4 full) into a blender or cuisinart.
- Add juice and grind then blend.
Enjoy!
Throughout the summer, we've used frozen mangos, peaches, and strawberries! They were all delicious! We froze kiwis last night, so we'll see how that goes today for their afterschool treat!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Balloon gift toppers
Maya was invited to a birthday party this weekend, which meant I got to wrap a gift! I secretly love the art of gift giving, and the art of gift wrapping! I had this idea to use water balloons to create a miniature bouquet of balloons as a gift topper. I added tissue tassles and a handmade card for extra pizazz!
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Friday, August 24, 2012
Ink to Wallpaper
I have been doing a bit of doodling these days with black ink on archival paper. I always wondered what my illustrations would look like in repetition, so I created
a digital layout of possible wallpaper designs using my original ink drawings.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Peace Industry Rugs
Peace Industry felt rugs are made from 100% lamb's wool and natural dyes. They are handmade in small batches using traditional methods, insuring that each piece is unique and exceptional in quality. Not only are they beautiful, they are also very plush and it feels so good on your feet!We had the pleasure of visiting their showroom during our recent trip to San Francisco. We got to touch, walk, and lay on them! I am definitely saving up my money to invest in one of these babies!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
What Time Is It?
I am loving the new limited edition watches by Triwa of the Netherlands, in collaboration with French street artist Koralie.The watch features Koralie´s characteristic patterns on the dial, with
contrasting lime green sub dials and bright pink hands. The watch is set within
an ivory white acetate case with steel case back, mineral glass and a ivory
white fixed bezel.
You can purchase your very own from one of my favorite shops Huset Shop.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Mama's paintings
My mama added some amazing colors to this sheet of handprinted artisan wallpaper by Nama Rococo we had leftover from a restaurant installation project. I think she has an amazing eye for color!
Below are some of my mama's recent original watercolor paintings.
Below are some of my mama's recent original watercolor paintings.
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| "Sunflower" by Yuko Nagai |
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| "Tulips" by Yuko Nagai |
Friday, August 17, 2012
Tiki Beach Festival
New pieces
New pieces to be listed in my etsy shop soon!
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| handpainted coco bead from Bali, paired with vintage German bead. |
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| handmade gold vinyl on wood |
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| Kyanite stone with raku glass and horn. |
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Photos from NHM
Here are some photos from our visit to the Natural History
Museum.
If you or your children love animals, insects, and dinosaurs, you'll love this place!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Hawaii Part 3
I can't wrap up my Hawaii trip posts without talking about the 'local' food right?? I've been to Hawaii enough times where I can say I have eaten at many of the fancy establishments in town. They usually have a nice ambience with beautiful plating, don't get me wrong, but there is always just something missing when it comes to the food. But nothing hits my taste buds like the small joints we find around the island that cook up food resembling home cooking. The places I am about to list are discoveries we made on our recent trip where there is no denying that you can taste the LOVE in every bite!
When my in-laws first took us to Jimbo Restaurant for lunch in Honolulu, upon approach I thought nothing of it. It was located in a quaint building with no frills attached. We decided to come here since it was a very hot day and thought cold noodles would hit the spot. I ordered the cold Sansai skinny udon with grated daikon. To my surprise, it was sooo delicious! Come to find out, they make their noodles by hand daily! No wonder! The noodles were boiled to perfection with nice elasticity and it had almost a translucent quality to it. The Sansai, or mountain veggies, were crunchy, with the perfect dipping sauce, apparently prepared with the best of ingredients. J ordered the Yaki udon and the kids split the cold udon noodles with tempura combo. Everything was fantastic! If ever you're in Hawaii craving Japanese style noodles, then Jimbo Restaurant is the spot for you!
Jimbo Restaurant - 1936 S. King St., Ste. 103, Honolulu, HI 96826, (808) 947-2211
On our last day in Hawaii, Your Kitchen is a spot we discovered after J researched on Yelp for a great shaved ice place. Of course you have many of your local favorites around, however, we were in search of something new! Over all the other listings, what made Your Kitchen stand out, was that they make some of their own homemade syrups! At this point, we knew we had to try the shaved ice here for sure! Your Kitchen didn't disappoint! I had the Fujiyama which is made with homemade green tea syrup with Azuki beans, my sister-in-law had the haupia pineapple shaved ice with homemade syrups as well, and the rest of our tribe had the strawberry shaved ice. It really hit the spot, and its also nice that many of their flavors come in both small and large sizes. I hear the food is great here too!
Your Kitchen - 1423 10th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96716, (808) 203-7685
If you're looking for fine dining Asian fusion cuisine, for not-so fine dining prices, go to Christie's!
Its located in an unpretentious strip mall, a very old one in fact, and I must admit, I thought maybe the interior of Christie's was going to be just as run-down. To my surprise, the interior was well lit, clean, with minimal decor. We had the pleasure of enjoying a meal here with some good friends, actually friends J grew up with. We all shared the Drunken Clam appetizer, which was light but flavorful! We all dipped our bread in the broth at the end too! Yes, that good! For my entree, I had the Boubon pork belly with mushrooms and pearl onions. The pork belly was so tender! Other entrees I got to sample that night were the Ginger scallion steamed Opakapaka (a local fish) and the Lilikoi BBQ short ribs with Okinawan purple potatoes. At the end, the kids dived into the Lychee sorbet, as the adults shared the homemade bread pudding with Kahlua brown butter and brulee bananas a la mode. Yum!
Christie's - 98-020 Kamehameha Hwy., Aiea, HI 96701, (808) 484-4511
We discovered The Whole Ox through J's good friend Roger, who took us there for lunch after a fun-filled day at the Ala Moana Beach park. He claimed that this was his weekly go-to spot! A butcher/deli, let me just say, they know how to do meat well! We had the dry aged burger cooked to perfection, and oh was it flavorful and juicy! We also had the 'special' at the time, a beef brisket with homemade slaw and potato salad right in the sandwich! Oh my, the crunchy coleslaw, with the tender beef briskets, how can you go wrong? Don't forget to order the fried potatoes and homemade pickles which compliment any or their sandwiches! Did I mention they serve breakfast too? I'm definitely going there for breakfast next time I'm in town!
The Whole Ox - 327 Keawe St., Honolulu, HI, 96813
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| cold noodles with tempura combo photo by Kristen K. |
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| Jimbo Restaurant interior |
When my in-laws first took us to Jimbo Restaurant for lunch in Honolulu, upon approach I thought nothing of it. It was located in a quaint building with no frills attached. We decided to come here since it was a very hot day and thought cold noodles would hit the spot. I ordered the cold Sansai skinny udon with grated daikon. To my surprise, it was sooo delicious! Come to find out, they make their noodles by hand daily! No wonder! The noodles were boiled to perfection with nice elasticity and it had almost a translucent quality to it. The Sansai, or mountain veggies, were crunchy, with the perfect dipping sauce, apparently prepared with the best of ingredients. J ordered the Yaki udon and the kids split the cold udon noodles with tempura combo. Everything was fantastic! If ever you're in Hawaii craving Japanese style noodles, then Jimbo Restaurant is the spot for you!
Jimbo Restaurant - 1936 S. King St., Ste. 103, Honolulu, HI 96826, (808) 947-2211
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| Your Kitchen, Kaimuki HI |
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| Haupia Pineapple shave ice photo by Michelle Sekine |
On our last day in Hawaii, Your Kitchen is a spot we discovered after J researched on Yelp for a great shaved ice place. Of course you have many of your local favorites around, however, we were in search of something new! Over all the other listings, what made Your Kitchen stand out, was that they make some of their own homemade syrups! At this point, we knew we had to try the shaved ice here for sure! Your Kitchen didn't disappoint! I had the Fujiyama which is made with homemade green tea syrup with Azuki beans, my sister-in-law had the haupia pineapple shaved ice with homemade syrups as well, and the rest of our tribe had the strawberry shaved ice. It really hit the spot, and its also nice that many of their flavors come in both small and large sizes. I hear the food is great here too!
Your Kitchen - 1423 10th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96716, (808) 203-7685
 |
| Ginger scallion steamed Opakapaka |
Its located in an unpretentious strip mall, a very old one in fact, and I must admit, I thought maybe the interior of Christie's was going to be just as run-down. To my surprise, the interior was well lit, clean, with minimal decor. We had the pleasure of enjoying a meal here with some good friends, actually friends J grew up with. We all shared the Drunken Clam appetizer, which was light but flavorful! We all dipped our bread in the broth at the end too! Yes, that good! For my entree, I had the Boubon pork belly with mushrooms and pearl onions. The pork belly was so tender! Other entrees I got to sample that night were the Ginger scallion steamed Opakapaka (a local fish) and the Lilikoi BBQ short ribs with Okinawan purple potatoes. At the end, the kids dived into the Lychee sorbet, as the adults shared the homemade bread pudding with Kahlua brown butter and brulee bananas a la mode. Yum!
Christie's - 98-020 Kamehameha Hwy., Aiea, HI 96701, (808) 484-4511
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| The Whole Ox |
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| Dry Aged Burger photo by Joo H. |
We discovered The Whole Ox through J's good friend Roger, who took us there for lunch after a fun-filled day at the Ala Moana Beach park. He claimed that this was his weekly go-to spot! A butcher/deli, let me just say, they know how to do meat well! We had the dry aged burger cooked to perfection, and oh was it flavorful and juicy! We also had the 'special' at the time, a beef brisket with homemade slaw and potato salad right in the sandwich! Oh my, the crunchy coleslaw, with the tender beef briskets, how can you go wrong? Don't forget to order the fried potatoes and homemade pickles which compliment any or their sandwiches! Did I mention they serve breakfast too? I'm definitely going there for breakfast next time I'm in town!
The Whole Ox - 327 Keawe St., Honolulu, HI, 96813
Monday, August 13, 2012
New Earring Cards
I really love my new earring cards! I made them with wood, hemp, and paper.
I am giving these earrings away as a gift to a very patient customer who put up with me while I was on vacation in Hawaii.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Natural History Museum
We will be visiting the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles with a handful of good friends tomorrow. Maya is looking forward to the Butterfly Pavillion, which is on exhibit until September 3rd, and Jaxon the Dinosaur Hall and Insect Zoo, a permanent exhibit.
Although I've visited NHM before, I will probably still marvel over all their Gems & Minerals and Shell Collections! Have a lovely weekend!
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| photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging |
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Hawaii Part 2
Here are some things I brought home with me.
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| cute melamine bowls probably from the 1950s made in Japan. |
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| vintage dress by Hibiscus, HI. $5.99 from Goodwill in Aiea, HI |
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| Midcentury stool by Nevco, given to us by J's parents. |
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| Hawaii is the best place to buy sandals! These are The Maltese Sandals by Roxy |
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| cute magnet I found at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet |
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| Had to bring our Leis home! Thank you Celeste & Steve!
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Hawaii Part 1
We just got back from our two week vacation in Hawaii.I thought I would share some of my favorite photos. The weather was beautiful, the food was excellent, and the local people are just amazing!
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| exotic flowers |
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| view from my in-law's beautiful home. |
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| papayas. |
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| vintage textile. handmade by J's great-grandmother. |
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| old rock wall. |
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| Ko Olina |
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| Pah Ke's Chinese Restaurant Kaneohe, HI. |
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| view from Sarento's Restaurant Honolulu, HI |
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| cool cinder blocks...love the color! |
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| Pupukea, North Shore. |
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| nice wall art Honolulu, HI |
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| I love the green mountains. |
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| The Whole Ox Honolulu, HI. |
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| Dillingham Ranch |
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| Cousin Jenna + Kai's Wedding |
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