I'm kind of a freak but I kind of love it

I just received my new dslr last night, so I thought to take it out for a spin this morning. I've been itching to shoot portraits -- I've been really into portraiture and interiors lately, rather than my usual nature shots.

I decided that I wanted to go for a more "editorial" but still casual photo today. I wanted hair in the face and rigid posing. I went for some fun colors like purple on the eyes and bright pink turtleneck and matching cardigan. Stephanie had this weird but cute manicure with only half her nails painted. I've been really embracing that little weirdo in me these days. I mean, there's always been a part of me that's been a little quirky. I love tacky. I love things that are just a little and a whole lot of odd. 

Anyways, I styled my twin sister's clothes and makeup and went out onto the driveway for a 10 minute mini photoshoot. I love this girl with all my heart. I take for granted the fact that when I belt out the first few lines of a song, she'll always finish the lines for me, even from a separate room. And the fact that when we lose ourselves dancing to the car radio together, at the beginning of every song, no matter how bad it is, we proclaim "OMG ITS OUR JAM!" I genuinely believe that she is the most magnificent thing in the entire world. 

This whole shoot had a different vibe from our last photo session. Loved them both.

Until next time :)

The best way to wrap a gift | 5 reasons and 5 steps

A few girlfriends and I arranged to have a secret santa gift exchange back in late November, and it wasn't until this past weekend that we were finally able to get together and gift swap! I decided to make a simple tutorial to teach you how I wrapped a gift for my giftee (the loveliest Jen Yu), and to explain why you should wrap it this way as well. Although the following method takes twice as long to wrap as the typical one-sheet-of-wrapping-paper-around-a-box method, it is my favorite way of wrapping presents for a few reasons: One, the box and lid are individually wrapped so that there is no pretty wrapping paper ripping involved when opening. (I always feel a little sad when I have to tear gorgeous, sturdy, expensive wrapping paper. Can I get an amen on that?)  Two, my giftee can reuse the box to give another gift which (a) protects the environment by saving paper and (b) saves my giftee time and energy from rewrapping. Three, I use solid colored wrapping paper so that my giftee can personalize it again for any occasion and personality. Four, no more fooling your giftee by putting their gift in a box from a different store. (I once received ugly christmas socks wrapped in a Tiffany's box. Now that was just cruel.) And five, it's just way more fun to open. :)

Yes, I actually think about these things. There is logic, reasoning, and math behind wrapping gifts! :P

Read on for the steps!

Step 1: Wrap the box and its lid separately. Use scissors (or a gift wrap cutter like I did) and some clear tape. Straight-forward.

Step 2: Line the box with tissue paper in two different colors. Carefully place your gifts inside the box. Then take a circle punch to cardstock paper and punch out some confetti! Sprinkle that confetti on top of the presents.

Step 3: Tie hemp cord around the box and lid as you would a ribbon, and secure with a bow. I opted to use hemp cord instead of twine -- both have an earthy rustic look but hemp cord looks neater and has a much more pleasant texture to feel.

Step 4: Cut out a tag from cardstock. Here, I used a stamp to embellish. Punch a hole at the top of the tag using a regular hole punch (or tiny 1/8th inch hole punch like I used) and thread a loose end of the bow through. Tie a knot to secure the tag in place.

Step 5: Sign the tag and give your gift to your lucky giftee!

And there you have it. Simple :) And now that I've successfully de-stressed from an overwhelming Monday via blogging, I must get back to real life. Pray for me, friends! 

Until next time!

A Wonderful Gift

For my birthday a few months ago, Eric made this for me after I had requested a tape dispenser for my beloved collection of washi tapes. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it because it completely fits my style. It's both modern and rustic, simple, clean, and impeccably made. I like to think if I were a tape dispenser, I would be this one. Its quiet and unobtrusive as well as cleverly designed and has shock factor.

Eric will make a post about how he made this on his blog. Check back here in a few days for a link to his post. In the meantime, have a look at his past work at http://www.fourbardesign.com.

On a personal note: You would think that Eric and I make a great creative team since we both love to design and build. And we are...when we aren't working on the same task at the same time. ;P You know creative minds -- we're always particular and opinionated. I've learned that the best way for us to seamlessly work together is by dividing up tasks, working separately, and building trust and confidence in the other's abilities. When I flip through a lifestyle magazine, I always chuckle when I come across a photo of a couple smiling and laughing while mixing a bowl of cookie dough together because I think of how wonderfully different Eric and I are from the couple in the photo. When it comes to our creative sides, we're both serious, intense, driven, and wildly passionate. And while we both shoot for the sky, we expect more of each other than vocational success. 

I can't even begin to describe how hard Eric and I work on our relationship daily and needless to say, we've gone through our more-than-fair share of disappointments and obstacles. But the wonderful thing is that, thanks to God's amazing grace, through our failed attempts and disappointments comes God's clarity, and through clarity comes conviction of the heart. Thus, I'm so thankful for how deeply we've grown together and how truly original we are as a couple. 

That's it for now! Until next time :)

current obsessions || week 1 of 52

Happy 2013! I look forward to this year, I feel a mix of hope and anxiety surge and sting through my veins. 2012 certainly had its highs and lows (and very low lows) but I don't regret the fact that I lived as much as I could. I pushed everyday, pursued the things that I loved, and discovered much about myself. I'm so thankful to God for what has been placed before me and I hope that new doors will open for me this year!

I realize that I don't talk much about my personal life and infuse my personality on here. I've made it a resolution to do more of that this year! On New Year's Eve, I spent the countdown at a fashion show in NYC with two of my sisters. It was such a new experience for me and I loved meeting new and old faces (and some I didn't like meeting....boom.) I just turned 23 a few months ago but sometimes I feel like I am more comfortable being in more mature crowds.  Since I'm currently in my post-adolescent semi-idealistic phase, I prefer being around older, very logical, and grounded people to balance me out. Funny, I'm sure that when I'm a little old lady, I'll want nothing more than to be around young people full of life and idealistic aspirations.

Anyways, I've compiled a list of things I've been seriously diggin' lately! Beautiful, aren't they?

Click the links below to find the image sources and/or where you can purchase the items:

fragrance / necklace / ring / pet

Fragrance: I was doing some holiday shopping with my family when I sampled this scent and loved it! I shamelessly sniffed my wrists all day. Yup.

Necklace: I'm obsessed with Baublebar. This necklace is incredible! Can something be simple and complex at the same time?

Ring: I find it very charming when I find a piece of jewelry that is a little geeky. What can I say? It's only natural that I enjoy anything that involves trinkets and tech.

Pet: The more wrinkles, the better. So model-status. ;)

Until next time!