Super Sneak Peek Preview!

We were busy bees today and did a small photo shoot! Who says that fall has to be dreary? We are playing up a bold floral pattern with a variety of textures and details in our new inventory.

Here is a little sampling of what you can expect to see in the shop in a couple of days!

A Stylish Surprise!

If you love adorable clothing and unbeatable prices then you need to head over to ModCloth posthaste. Right now the amazing clothing site that I webstalk religiously has started up the Stylish Surprise promotion!

Image Property of ModCloth.com

How it works:

You pay 15 USD + shipping, pick your size, and ModCloth sends you a wonderful little surprise which could range anywhere from $30.00 to a whopping $250.00! I am being overly optimistic, rolling a hard six and hoping for an extravagant $250.00 surprise.

I just put in my very own order for the Stylish Surprise and I am beyond excited for what could be in the mystery box!

After I placed my order I bored my husband to tears by talking about all the amazing things that could be in the box.

This is pretty much how I was while he was trying to watch a movie...


“A boat’s a boat, but the mystery box could be ANYTHING. It could even be a boat!”

If you haven't already then get on over to ModCloth and sign up for your very own 15 dollar surprise(plus shipping), because it could be ANYthing! Even a boat.

May 29th, 2011: The Best Day Ever/part 1

My last post got me thinking about the best day of my life.

May 29th, 2011. My Wedding Day.

Yup. May 29th is a very special day and when I was going fangirl over Taylor Swift's new album RED (WHICH IS AMAZING!) I  said it would be the best day ever, well next to my wedding day. That little line I wrote hastily down got me thinking about the day in question because it really was the best day of my life.

Rewind 1 year ago and I was standing in Las Vegas, NV with a fluttering heart and a killer dress. Yes, we got married in LAS VEGAS!

Isn't that awesome? Rich and I had both never been to Vegas and so we decided to make our first visit count ;)

While a Las Vegas wedding often conjures up images of Elvis, white tuxedos, and drive-thru wedding chapels, our wedding was anything but.

 
Richard and I were married at the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas which is an amazingly beautiful venue for any event. The Springs Preserve is a serene little oasis and is only a stone's throw from the bustling main strip of Vegas. The Preserve focuses on educating the public on water conservation, habitat preservation, green living and sustainability, and design. To say the least the Springs Preserve is an absolutely breathtaking and unique place to visit, and its staff is absolutely world class. I fell in love with the Preserve completely online. NERVE RACKING! I was a little nervous about booking the venue for the ceremony and reception based solely on photos and reviews, but I was not let down in the slightest. I was blown away by the beauty and quirkiness of the venue, and also by the kindness of every staff member we encountered on our journey to getting hitched.

We had a lovely morning wedding with a sit-down brunch with a few close friends. I did all of my own flowers and decorations with the help of friends. I made sure to keep the decorations and color scheme simple and fun; a word to future brides set on DIY, KEEP IT SIMPLE! I had crazy visions of some intricate things, but then as the date approached I realized that I would need to reign in my imagination. I am incredibly happy with every choice I made and I couldn't have been happier with how the day turned out.

I chose to do only 2 flowers for everything, Crespedia or Billy Balls as accent pieces and bunches of Baby's Breath served as centerpieces. I also made my own no sew pennant flag decorations (the same ones that you can see in my shop photos) and I collected vintage handkerchiefs for table decorations. I really wanted to have little unique touches to our wedding that would show our personality, and so I looked for affordable options to help us bring fun to the day.

For our guest book I found a great affordable option in favor of a stinky old book which would eventually get shoved in a drawer somewhere. I went to Etsy and found LoveFromTheThumb! A personalized tree that our friends and family put their fingerprints on in place of leaves was a big hit at the wedding and love seeing it everyday in our home. LoveFromTheThumb is an amazing shop and they were so wonderful in getting us a quality product that is a part of our everyday life.

We opted for mini-cupcakes and were able to get several delicious flavors on the fly after we had arrived in Vegas. The mini-cupcakes were fun, and affordable and we couldn't have been happier.

For my bouquet I wanted something that would last and wouldn't shrivel up and die so I started thinking what I could make that would be meaningful and could stand up to time. What did I come up with? A floral brooch and pin bouquet. It's AMAZING! I had so much fun making the bouquet and I started collecting brooches and pins about 6 months before the wedding. I used floral wire, the brooches, craft glue, ribbon and a bit of love to make my beautiful keepsake. I am definitely going to do a DIY post on how to make the bouquet for your own special day.

And that is the end of part 1! I will do a follow up post with a few more details on our day like my dress, the best wedding gift, the total cost for the day (your jaw will drop at the savings!) and the grand finale. ;)

Things I love: Taylor Swift

I am an unabashed Taylor Swift fan. Yea, I said it. I love me some Tay-Tay.

I call her Tay-Tay because we are close like that.

Seriously, though. Taylor Swift's music has pulled me through some fairly dire break-ups, and I don't understand how anyone can have a dislike of Taylor Swift after taking the time to listen to her lyrics. That being said I know that everyone is entitled to their own music snobbery, ect.

BUT!

Have you ever been in love? Have you ever had your heart broken? Have you ever felt small and homesick? Felt invincible? Ever been a girl?

If you said yes to any of these then Taylor Swift has a song for you!

I used to be a non-believer, but then I got my heart smashed up real bad; it was not pretty. Does anyone remember Kate Winslet's gas sniffing attempt at soothing her broken heart in The Holiday?

 

Anyhow, I found Taylor, and her music spoke to me. A beautiful girl with poor taste in men, yup, that was me! It was kind of comforting that she was still plagued with the same man problems that I was dealing with in my single and in-between complicated days.

Because like Taylor Swift says, "No amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity."Words to live by.

I am beyond excited for her new album and yes, I have been buying every single she has released with the glee of an overjoyed fan girl. I often am the source of amusement in Seoul's metro system because of my impromptu sing-alongs with all of her newly released material. No one minds, Seoul perfected the art of karaoke!

OCTOBER 22nd WILL BE THE BEST DAY EVER!
Next to the day I got married...and graduated....and got my dog, but AFTER THAT! BEST.DAY.EVER.

I love you, Taylor!

Adventures: Chuseok 추석

Google's Chuseok Tribute

Chuseok (추석)is a Korean holiday which is very similar to what most of us in the West know as Thanksgiving, but Chuseok is Thanksgiving with an ancestral rite component.

On Chuseok, Korean families visit all of their immediate and extended family, and it can be a very extensive and exhaustive Holiday when traveling time is factored in. For many Koreans, returning to their hometowns is a must and the roads out of the major cities are havoc. Chuseok is a little like musical chairs, but with meals, and each Aunt, Mother, and Grandmother's home can be like a revolving door for family members.

Families reunite and visit the graves of their ancestors to offer up food, and drink, and to clean away any overgrown plants and trash around the graves. Usually there is a lot of eating and fellowship, games, and general merriment over the holiday and the time spent with family. I asked several Koreans I know what meant the most to them about Chuseok, and they each said the same: spending time with family which they don't normally get to see because of location.

There are foods such as Hangwha (Korean version of rice crispies, which is made with puffed rice and honey) and Songpyeon (a rice cake that can have a variety of fillings, I had the good fortune to enjoy sesame filled cakes) which are very specific to the holiday and are really only consumed in force during Chuseok. Think fruit cake and Christmas.

I was graciously invited by Heo (my Taekwondo master) to attend his family's Chuseok celebration and it was a beautiful experience that I will never forget. I was a bit nervous about the state of the roads for Chuseok, but all was well since we were only taking a short bus trip out of the city to Yong-in. We blended in quite easily with the groups of tourists heading to Everland for the day, and even caused a bit of confusion when we hopped out of the bus a stop before Everland to meet my master's brother. We had a pack of foreigners chasing us down thinking we were leading the way to Everland only to realize that we were getting into a waiting car....I won't lie it was pretty funny seeing about 10 waygooks standing there in the middle of an empty parking lot staring after us. I did feel bad for them....after I giggled. >.>

On the way to Yongin and the temple

When we arrived in Yongin, Heo took us to Beomnyunsa Temple a very famous Buddhist temple and according to Heo it was the only thing in Yongin worth seeing besides Everland.  The temple was absolutely beautiful and it was a picture perfect event at the temple in the foothills of Mt. Munsusan. Here is an assortment of photos from our beautiful foray into the temple and the surrounding grottos and gardens.

The natural and delicious spring water at the temple that Sung-wen and I were crazy for.

We were all unsure of what to expect because Heo's family speaks very little English and his parents knew basically no English whatsoever. We did bring some insurance in the form of my Kyopo (Korean born abroad) friend, Sung-wen. Sung-wen served as an excellent go-between for us and Heo's family, especially since my Hangul skills are still in their toddler stages and I was only able to communicate on a very basic level with Heo's family.

FEAST

The ice between myself, my husband Rich, Sung-wen, and my friend Kat, was broken very quickly when Heo left to get his brother and we were left to our own devices with Heo's family. His mother and father were so warm and kind and insisted that we refer to them as Oh-ma(엄마) and Ah-pa (아빠). By the time that Heo returned we were laughing and making what conversation we could while Ah-pa manned the grill. It was cute to watch Heo's parents together as they tutted about how big the pieces of meat were and if the vegetables had been cut to specification. 엄마 was lovely and she refused to sit until everyone else was stuffed and even then she kept offering us drinks and sweets to eat. She reminded me very much of my own mother and grandmother at holiday meals, and I was homesick for my own bustling Mexican family. My camera and phone magically died at the exact same moment and so I am left without any photos of the magnificent Chuseok dinner or all of the fun that passed afterwards. I will say that my first Chuseok was amazing, it will definitely be a story that I will share with my family, and one I will remember for years to come.

THE HEO FAM!

 I cannot wait until next year's Chuseok when I might actually get to help make Songpyeon or participate in Bulcho (helping clear out the debris and weeds from the graves).