Monday, December 12, 2011

Last Minute Gift Guide For Your Family

A friend asked me to help her come up with gift ideas for her family members. Sometimes, your family members can be the hardest ones to shop for. I have brothers that won't tell me what they want besides cash, a sister that isn't a girly girl and has a very interesting taste, and parents that either they doesn't really care to get more stuff or feel bad making me spend money on them.

I hope you'll find something. (Sorry I didn't have time to design it all fancy.)
If you're looking for a charitable gift, check out the blogpost I designed for work. 


FOR BROTHERS
1. Vignelli's Stendig Calendar. At the end of the year, I use it for gift wrapping. 
2. Beard Cap. Do you think I could handle wearing it as a girl?
3. Wood Glasses Frames. Help your brothers stay cool and fashionable. 
4. Lobsters. I didn't know you could actually order lobsters online. 
5. Hamburger Press. For the meat lovers who season and grill their own burgers.  
6. Pizza Stone. I was surprised when I saw Dean take a frozen pizza and stick it directly on the oven rack. It made a mess afterwards. This is so your brother doesn't have to clean the oven.
7. Stanley Lunchbox With thermos. I thought this could also be used for road trips. 
8. Urbanears Headphones. I can't afford to get my brother the $200 "beats by dre" headphones but I can get him this! In my opinion these look way cooler. 
9. Frame Bottle Opener. I've been wanting this for awhile but it was sold out. Glad I found another site that carries it! It's definitely on my wish list. If you want a manlier looking bottle opener check this out.
10. Wood Inlay Axe. I thought this would be cool for camping. 


FOR PARENTS

1. Heath Ceramics House Number Tiles. If I had a lot of money, I would get the entire collection. Perfect for parents with a permanent address. 
2. Bedside Carafe. A set of 2 would make a nice gift. 
3. Cheese of the Month Club Membership. This was a success with Dean's dad.
4. Max Brenner Hug Mug Hot Chocolate Set. This is such a cute way to drink hot chocolate. Not to mention how delicious their hot chocolate is. 
5. Kiwi Shoe Shine Kit. For your dad that loves to have shiny shoes. 
6. Hanging Plant Kit. An indoor garden for the winter time. 
7. Custom Return Address Rubber Stamps. I designed one for my wedding and loved it. If you don't want to design one, check this calligraphy one out.
8. Moleskine Desk Calendar. This is great for your mom in the kitchen or for your dad in his office. I kept one at work this past year, and it was really useful. 
9. iPhoto Book. If your parents are more sentimental, this is a great one. Since I got married this year, I'm getting my parents/grandparents a book with all my wedding photos in it. It's quick and easy to use.
10. Koostik Natural Amplifier. This is going to be my next purchase for my iPhone.


 FOR SISTERS

1. Teapot. Isn't it cute? I love it. Tempted to buy one for myself. 
2. Zag Tray. I also want this for myself. Right Now. 
3. Scotch Naturals Nail Polish. Last year, it was Essie. This year, it's Scotch.
4. Japanese Brass Bike Bell. If your sister has a bike, this would be a great gift. I want one and I don't even have a bike anymore. 
5. Hanging Nests. This is another cute hanging planter. Love the color too. 
6. Perforated Placemats and Napkins. Great for picnics or a casual lunch!  
7. Penguin Hardcover Fitzgerald Series. I'm collecting the Fitzgerald series and the Hardcover Classics series. The book covers make me wish I had designed them. 
8. Mason Jar Shakers. It took me 2 months to find a S&P shaker set that I loved. These were worth the wait.
9. Turkish Bath Towels. Love the colors and the patterns. And they look soft.
10. Celestial Coasters. I recommend going to the store and hand-selecting a set.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Raspberry Goodness 2


Remember this post? After spending way too much money on Simply Juice Raspberry Lemonades, I decided to try and make my own fresh raspberry lemonade! I came across this recipe on google (Amanda's Cooking). The raspberry lemonade turned out delicious!

I tend to like things a little less sugary and I wanted to be able to taste the raspberries more so I modified the recipe a bit:

6 medium lemons
1 1/2 - 2 cups mashed fresh raspberries
1 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups water

1. Make a simple syrup. Pour 3/4 cup of sugar & 1 cup water into a saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and cool.

2. Mash the raspberries and pour 1/4 cup of sugar over it. Let them sit for at least ten minutes to macerate.

3. Extract lemon juice. I cut up the lemons in half and used this beauty from Crate&Barrel to squeeze out the lemon juice. Amanda made a suggestion to zest the lemons and freezing them for some other use. I like to take the juiced lemons and putting them down my disposal to make my kitchen smell nice.

4. Pour the lemon juice through a strainer to eliminate the pulp and any seeds. Pour the juice into a 2 quart pitcher.

5. Push the macerated berries through a strainer using the back of a spoon. Pour the sweetened berry juice into the pitcher with the lemon juice.

6. Pour in the simple syrup (sugar water) into the pitcher and mix with about 3 1/2 cups of water. You can adjust the amount of water according to your taste.

7. Refrigerate & Enjoy! (Don't worry, this recipe made double the amount shown in the pitcher. I drank half of it before I realized I should take a picture before it's all in my tummy).

Monday, October 17, 2011

My new lamp

I saw this on a blog...(unfortunately, I can't remember which one)...


Then I asked Dean, "can I please please please get one!?"

And he said YES!

So I paid for one. Luke said he's shipping it to me tomorrow!!! I wish I had the budget to purchase everything on his site.




Roadtrip with my coworkers #1

 

My coworkers and I + Dean went on a day trip. But my friend definitely tells the story way better than I can so I'm going to let her tell the story. (Guys, she's a copywriter. She writes scripts and clever taglines. My writing capability of a designer can't compete with that.)

For the story, click here.

Also, I definitely looked like an asian tourist, with my straight bangs, asian looks, messenger bag, & most importantly, a holga camera around my neck. But hey, if a white Blondy wore the exact same outfit, with my haircut, and a holga camera around her neck, she would look like a normal artsy girl. NOT FAIR.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Raspberry Goodness!

Sorry, I accidentally deleted the post! So I'm rewriting this.

I've always wanted to go berry picking. Luckily, Saturday was the perfect weather to go pick some raspberries. I heard from a friend about a farm in Spanish Fork where you can pick your own raspberries. 

Dean and I had so much fun picking berries. We ended up picking 5 pounds of raspberries! The couple who runs the farm were so nice, they gave us a discount on the berries we picked. They even threw in some tomatoes for free! 

When we got home, I decided I wanted to make some jam. This was my first time making jam all by myself so it was really exciting. I made 8 jars of jam and we still have plenty of raspberries left!  If any of you have any suggestions on what I can make with raspberries, let me know!  

Also, you can get a glimpse of how I've decorated the kitchen/dining area. The white & gold prints you see on the wall are from one of my favorite design studios, seesawdesign. They used to be a 2011 calendar but I couldn't wait until next year to frame them so I cheated!

PS. I am officially back to blogging now that pre/post wedding madness is over! And no, I have not forgotten the promise I made about posting my wedding pictures. I just have so many that I can't choose which ones to share!



Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Mini Update!


My wedding photos are done! BUT I still haven't gotten the actual files yet. So here are screen-shot versions of a few of my many favorites....





PS. Lately I've been feeling a little down about Etsy. I feel like it's starting to get over-rated. I'll find a few vintage etsy shops that may have a few items that I think are ok but other than that, my feelings for etsy has slowly been dying. Until I saw this shop! They seriously have the cutest collections of everything. Not to mention that the photography is great and the pages are categorized by COLOR!!!!! LOVE IT Rox & Sam!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Paris!

My friend Amanda (she's a great designer!) had this on her blog post. And I decided to give it a shot although I have terrible luck when it comes to winning things.

I've actually been to Paris twice in my life. But both times I wished I got to explore the city beyond all the tourist spots. If I go next time, it'll be nice to have a local be my tour guide!

PS. I promise I'll post an update WITH PICTURES of my wedding when I get them.


UPDATE: Didn't win :( But doesn't matter because I've got a little wedding picture sneak peak!

Friday, April 8, 2011

SELLING MY CONTRACT!





If you know anyone who is looking for a spring / summer place, I live right by campus!

Friday, February 4, 2011

I think I found the one!

So for about 6 months now, I've been looking for a tote bag. Something versatile and yet in my price range. I think I found it! SeeSaw is doing a giveaway. Hope I win!



And guess what I purchased last week? Remember these?