The Happy Type

Today's post is short and sweet because I'm moving to a new blog! For the past couple of weeks I have been in touch with Melyssa @ The Nectar Collective on putting together a new blogging home. I'm as happy as a fat kid in a cake shop with what Melyssa has put together and working with her has been so easy!!

Seoul Sold will be shut down and I won't be posting here anymore because I will be back in the states in just a few weeks and wanted a blog that was had nothing to do with my Etsy shop. I'm not sure if I'll even keep the shop going once I get back to stateside, but I will keep blogging. :)

So without further ado, please head over to my new blog The Happy Type!

Snail Mail Collective

Hello everyone! So, today I have a question for you all and I'm going to be sharing some pretty rad news with ya.

Question:
Am I alone in LOVING actual mail? Like the good old-fashioned paper kind (so long as it isn't school loans, amirite? ;)) because there is just that excitement of opening something someone PHYSICALLY sent to you with their own two little hands vs. email.

I love getting mail from friends and am a card hoarder. Fun fact about me, if you send me a card I will never, ever, ever throw it away. EVER. I keep all the cards people send me in a semi-organized pile/on the fridge so I can go back through them and re-read all the sweet words friends and family have sent me. I've always been a card hoarder, but I have become borderline militant about keeping physical mail since I've been feeling all kinds of homesick and seeing familiar handwriting is like having a little connection with home.

News:
If you are like me and card-hoard, let's be friends and hoard together! I'm announcing the brand-spankin' new Snail Mail Collective! The talented and beautiful Melyssa @ The Nectar Collective and Chelsea @ Lost. In. Travels have put their clever heads together and have created a great opportunity for people to connect via mail.

Here are the rules straight from Lost.In.Travels:

Rules & Information

In order to participate in the Snail Mail Collective this July, please fill out this form. Filling out the form means you commit to actively participating and following the rules below.

1. You will be paired with one new person. We will do our best to make sure this person is from a different country, or at the very least, a different area of your country. We will strive for you to make international friends, but it's also nice to get to know the different parts of our own homeland.

2. Each month's gifts will have a theme. The first theme (for July) is to introduce where you live - what's special about it?

3. Each month, we will be taking sign-ups until the 7th day of the month. After that, the pairings will be posted on our blogs on the 9th or 10th of the month. Please check Lost in Travels or The Nectar Collective to find out who you're paired with.

4. You will have 72 hours to contact your partner (both partners must communicate together). If you're partner does not respond within 72 hours, please e-mail Melyssa or Chelsea.

5. You will have about two weeks to get to know your partner. After that time, your gifts must be sent by the 22nd of the month.

6. Gifts: Your present(s) should not total more than $5. We want this project to be affordable for you, so think small, but meaningful. Also, all packages must include a postcard (preferable) or a letter to your partner. Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them this month, and make them feel special! We could all use a little encouragement, especially from our new friends.

7. Once you receive your gifts, we highly encourage you to write a blog post about your experience. Share what you gave, received, and learned through participating in the Snail Mail Collective and meeting your new buddy.

8. At the beginning of each month, we will hold a link-up on our blogs (The Nectar Collective & Lost in Travels) where you can share and link-up your SMC blog posts. This way, you can see how people around the world interpreted the theme, learn about other cultures, and meet even more new friends.

A little peek at what Melyssa sent out to all of her participants during a recent postcard giveaway.

So I'm pretty exited to get in on this Snail Mail business and I can't wait to see who I'll get paired up with for the month. I am so ready to get some adorable Korean cuteness ready to send out into the world and if you are up for making a new friend abroad then join up with the Snail Mail Collective because you are going to be in great company!

Have a wonderful day and maybe I'll get to send you a piece of mail soon! ;)

Weekly Wishes

It's time to stop the chatter and listen!

Hello everyone! Today's post is all about hopes for the week and I'm excited to post my second Weekly Wishes link-up with Melyssa @ The Nectar Collective.

Last week, I decided to focus on being completely present in the moment and I'm happy to say that I feel like I rocked it! I spent much of last week in beautiful Boracay and so focusing on the moment and really embracing everything around me was just what I needed. People have been telling me that I look more relaxed and carefree and I know it's because I have been working on just enjoying the now, and not stressing about where I'm supposed to be in the next few hours.

This week's wish is:

Listen to myself, and listen to people.

When I say listen to myself, I really mean listen to my body. I'm a fitness nut and I have been nursing an injured knee for almost 2 months now. I can't seem to completely get over it because I refuse to give up my Taekwondo, but I'm going to try and do better for my body...hopefully. >.> I don't want to be 50 years-old with a crazy injury because of something that I did foolishly in my 20's.

I want to be able to listen to be people better. I won't lie because I love to talk, but I love hearing interesting stories and making the person I'm listening to feel important. I can't stand being in a conversation where I feel like the other person is just waiting to speak and I always want to ask them to repeat what I last said. I am going to strive to be more of a listener this week and I hope that by doing so I'll gain a new perspective on conversation and relationships.

BTW, how adorable is that pretty little baby? Her name is Amy and I went to her first birthday, which is a massive deal in Korea. Amy loves to play "telephone" with her foot, and has all kinds of conversations with her very stylish self. Amy dismayed her grandfather when she picked a microphone up out of the items she was presented with for her birthday. In Korea when a child turns one they are presented with 3 items, which they "pick" from (basically whichever item ends up in their hot little hands OR mouth) and this item will indicate what kind of life the child will have. For example if they choose a gavel then they will be a lawyer/judge, or a sack of money means they will be rich. Amy likes to jam and snapped up the microphone in .5 seconds so apparently Amy is future K-Pop royalty!

If you want to get in the Weekly Wishes link-up action then here Melyssa's rules straight from The Nectar Collective:

1. Share your posts about your goals, challenges, and wishes for the next month, week, or year! Posts completely unrelated to the theme will be deleted.

2. Link back to this site so others can get their goal-setting on, too (You can use the button below)

3. The most important rule of all! You must visit the person's blog who linked up before you and leave them some motivating comment love. This is non-negotiable and is such an important part of this link-up! We are here to encourage each other to accomplish our goals. Let's do this together! Can't wait to visit your blogs and see what you are wishing for this week!

Let's Be Friends!

This is pretty much how I feel about losing google reader.

Today I wanted to do the obligatory the-sky-is-falling-no-more-google-reader post! BOO! While I'm bummed that google reader is going bye-bye, I am really excited because I'll actually be LEAVING blogger very soon for wordpress.org. *cue awesome dance montage with flowers and birds...or cash >.>*

How I feel about my new blog, WHICH IS ALMOST DONE!

My site, The Happy Type, is being worked on by the lovely Melyssa at The Nectar Collective and I have been ABSOLUTELY blown away with the amazing collaboration and mock-ups that she's sent me. My new blog is going to be the best thing since sliced bread/cheese, and boy do I love carbs and dairy products (mostly melted together) so I don't use that phrase lightly. ;) I know that my site will be good-to-go in REALLY soon, but I wanted to make sure that all you wonderful people would be able to find me easily since I won't be able to rely on google reader to spread the good word.

So, let's be friends on bloglovin', because then we can totally rock a teeter-totter in confidence knowing that the other has got our back! Follow me on bloglovin', here. I am so excited about my new site and I can't wait to work on creating the vision that I have for it, but most of all I am escatic about sharing it with as many people as possible.

Have a wonderful day, beautiful!

The Clothing Collective Series: Beach Fun!

Hello everyone! I am so excited to write about today's Clothing Collective post because it is the last in the original series of posts that Katie and I came up with, AND I get to share some great shots of my time in Boracay because today's theme is:

Beach Fun!

It's that time of year, ladies! Get out your favorite swimsuit, sunnies, and cut-offs because the sun is shining and the water is fine! I am definitely a summer girl and I had a blast in Boracay because there was no shortage of sun or beautiful beaches to soak it up on.

I'm not much of a bikini girl and so when I pick out my swimwear I always tend to lean towards a more vintage cut with a halter top or high-waisted bottoms. I can't enough of the classic silhouette and fit of vintage-inspired swimwear and I feel like it's a universally flattering cut for most women. Here are some shots of my swimsuit selections for my summer holiday:

I'm a big fan of hats, can you tell?

Last summer when I was shopping for swimsuits I fell in love with these two hot potatoes on Modcloth and I never looked back! I love how both of these suits make me feel confident and stylish with me having to worry if I'm going to pop out of them (bikinis make me so nervous on account of a possible wardrobe malfunction whilst gallivanting).

I love how the red gingham one-piece gives me a structured top and bottom without making me look dowdy and grandma-ish on the beach. I've been working my thighs out a lot lately, but I'll confess that they have been a trouble area for me and so being able to cover them a bit makes me feel more in charge. It's really important to remember that confidence is 90% of the game when dressing yourself and looking good, because when you feel good you look good!

I can't get enough of this high-waist bikini because of the practical coverage and pretty shape that it gives to me. The suits top and bottoms help accentuate features of my body that I like and I am a sucker for polka dots so it's a win-win situation for me on the beach. ;)

I had a so much fun in Boracay and I am already planning my next beach vacation. I am planning on coming back to this part of the world in December when it's peak season and so I'll be sure to add to my suit collection for my next holiday getaway. A valuable lesson I have learned when purchasing swimsuits is not skimp because you really get what you pay for when it comes to swimwear! Until then I am more than happy with my swimsuits, which you can find at Modcloth. A cheap suit is often flimsy, poorly lined, and offers little support so when shopping around make sure to make a quality purchase. I love Modcloth because I have never been disappointed in the quality or customer service provided and it's into turned the first place I check for suits.

Check out Katie's beach style at The Style Dunce, and let her know what you think of her outfit!

Do you have a go-to swimsuit that just makes you feel confident and chic while enjoying the water? I hope that all of you are having a wonderful summer and hopefully you have your own beach getaway planned! As always let us know know what you think of The Clothing Collective and please, share any ideas for upcoming posts with us because we will have a brand-new set of posts ready to go soon! Have a great day and enjoy that sun, pretty ladies!

Bathing Beauty One piece in Cherry pie, here. Modcloth, $89.99.

Beach Blanket Bingo Two piece in Soft black, here. Modcloth, $89.99.