I participated in Brooklyn Bride's Annual card swap again this year. I made some nice blog friends from last year's swap that I couldn't resist signing up. {Waves "hi" to Ami}
Here are the rules:
Your cards must be handmade [think Gocco, glitter, photoshop, cut + paste, sewing, etc....] Make something that's easy to do multiples of.
Send out your cards by December 15 at the latest!
Wait patiently by your mailbox!
I can't blog my Christmas card design just yet. They are quite labor intensive and I have to make them in batches. This means I haven't finished my cards for non-card swap friends and family. I don't want to ruin the surprise.
I got partnered up with some interesting folks this year. Check out their blogs: Kelly
At Tai and Ivy's housewarming and baby shower, Ivy mentioned she thought she would have her baby in the next week or so. She was right on the money. A little more than a week after their party, Joshua arrived.
I had the honor of being one of Joshua's first visitors. I was on a mission. I wanted to get some great portraits of Joshua for a project I'm working on. {This will be posted on The Paper Stylist blog}. I only visited them for an hour, but in that hour I was able to snap 85 shots! People say that newborns don't really do much. However, if you watch them carefully, they do emote and find differing ways to express themselves. For a 3 day old, Joshua was very focused, alert and interested in his surroundings. Believe it or not, Joshua is very good at working the camera.
Here are my shots:
Formal Portrait
Joshua yawned...
...and slept...
...and cried.
He also stuck his tongue out at me when he was tired of photos
When that didn't work, he tried flirting with me.
{I think Tai and Ivy need to watch out. They have a little lady killer on their hands.}
I know there is a recession going on and there are lots of really important things I could ask for this Christmas. However, I thought I'd indulge in a little wishful thinking. I know my list is technology heavy as usual, but I did throw in a few fashion items. A new purse, cute shoes and some make-up are always welcomed;)
I'm not sure exactly what this says about me, but I have become a professional wedding attendee. Sometimes I'm a guest. Sometimes I'm assisting my coordinator friend. Either way you slice it, I've been to 9 weddings this year. This rivals the year I turned 26. That year I went to 8 weddings. {25-26 is primo marrying age in Virginia.}
I enjoyed all the weddings I attended this year make no mistake. Some I was more emotionally invested than others. I got teary-eyed at every ceremony. I'm a sap. Carmela & George's wedding is no exception. I've become friends with Carmela & George over the course of the last couple of months. George is a sugar fiend like Rob. So, we have periodically traded favorite desserts. I've been especially vested in this wedding because I have worked closely with Carmela on a good portion of her paper accessories. {Note: I did not design all projects. This girl has a lot of her own creativity. My handiwork will be featured on my design blog} We have made a multitude of trips downtown for materials and chatted endlessly over every project. Everything she worked on was meticulously executed. I give her extra points for getting all of these details done a week before the wedding.
The wedding was more beautiful than imagined. The food was awesome. They did their first dance to "Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe. Anyone that can dance like that in a wedding dress or tux kicks @ss in my book. The event exuded ambiance and modern romance.
I think it helps that Carmela & George had a dream team of wedding vendors. The venue La Venta Inn was picturesque. The food and catering service provided by New York Food Company was superb. Tom Chandler of California Sounds was a charismatic emcee and DJ. Sarah K. Chen and Jason Q. Tran were photographers on hand. Pamela Masters Photography manned their photobooth. To help everything go smoothly and on schedule, my dear friend Paola of Just Chic Events was the coordinator of the day.
I had a fabulous time and am glad to end my year as a professional wedding guest on a high note. Congrats to Carmela & George!
I torture Dottie every year for a Holiday photo. This year is no exception. I dropped into my local Target and bought this year's photo prop - Light-up Reindeer Antlers for the low, low Target price of $2.50. I have to say Dottie is a good sport because she let me happily snap away for 45 minutes. Although, I think this is partially because I bribed her with Roast Beef and she was a tad bit sleepy.
Either way, here are some pics to laugh at. I think Dottie was definitely a tad bit bored and annoyed.
Our busy social calendar continues. Rob and I attended a party at my friend Ivy's house. I met Ivy through this blog and the knot, of course. Ivy was one of the first people to comment regularly on this blog. {Waves "hi" to Ivy} She and her husband Tai are multi-taskers. Not only was it a housewarming party, it was also an baby shower. They just finished the first part of their home renovation and their baby boy is due any day now. I am bad blogger because in my excitement to see their home I forgot to take pictures of it. Let me just say that I'm a sucker for refinished original hardwood floors, open floor plans and bold paint colors for children's bedrooms. It was my favorite kind of party...a party with a huge array of food. My personal chef even contributed a few dishes. The spring rolls were among my faves. {Sorry, Rob} We had a great time, but again didn't stay long because of the nasty cold that I haven't quit gotten rid of.
Here are some pcitures
The new homeowners and proud parents-to-be - Tai and Ivy
Rob's Thai-inspired beef skewers
Rob's Orange-Glazed Chicken Skewers
My contribution to the party - a little flower arranging and favor tags design
What started out as a little cold turned into a week-long illness. It took me a while to sort and color correct my photos from New York. Some of the images in my Flickr collection were previously posted here.
I failed to mention in my harried travel blogging that this was my first trip to New York as an adult. The last time I was there I was 6 and only have vague recollections of that trip. Although I lived on the East Coast most of my life, I just never got around to visiting the city again. I had heard horror stories and it just wasn't a priority.
After my short little jaunt, I really like New York. I only got a little taste of the city, but from what I saw I loved. Yes, it's gritty and dirty in some parts. However, New York has an edge that L.A. just doesn't have. I can't even fully articulate what the edge is exactly, but it's definitely there. Rob, my L.A. Native husband, has been debating this with me since I returned. I think he takes it a little personally when I say I prefer New York to L.A. Underneath it all, I'm still an East Coast gal. Even worse for Rob and I hate to admit, but had I visited New York before I moved to L.A. I might not have ever made it out here at all. Although, I don't know if Anne K. in NYC sounds nearly as good as Anne K. in L.A.
Without furher ado, here are some of my pics. Some photos are a little better composed than others.
It shocks me sometimes how men can maintain friendships from childhood. I can barely remember the names of the girls I rode bikes and played Barbies with, let alone tell you where they are now. Rob, however, is like most men. He not only keeps up with his elementary school friends but, grabs a beer with them from time to time. One of these friends is Quincy (Q for short). Rob and Q have a long history that involves a shared love of various sports such as BMX riding and paintball. Q and his sweetheart Stephanie got engaged last year after 12 years of dating. Coincidentally, I "met" Stephanie on .... you guessed it... the L.A. Knot board. To make a small world even smaller, I went to high school and was close friends with Stephanie's cousin Lani. Needless to say, we were excited to be invited and were looking forward to Q and Stephanie's wedding.
photo by GT
photo by GT
photo by GT
Q and Stephanie were married at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Eagle Rock. Their reception was held at the Pasadena Hilton. Of course as a knottie, Stephanie had planned and executed many personal details. It was fun to see her ideas come to fruition. What I really enjoyed was meeting so many of Rob's high school friends. The stories that were told were hilarious. The one thing that rings true is that Rob is still as hyper and high energy now as he was back then. We also ran into two of my favorite wedding vendor friends, Stephanie and Jill of Style and Grace Events. They were Q and Stephanie's wedding coordinators. We cut out of the reception a tad early due to my jet lag and cold. I wish we had stayed longer. From all accounts and the photos I've seen, the rest of the reception was a raucous time.
To Q and Stephanie, congratulations!
Here are some of my pics. I forgot to load a card into my camera. So, I only have iPhone pics for the ceremony.
Rob models our escort cards yet again
Rob and Lu Lu had groomsman duties yet again. He's getting to be a pro at it.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. This is one of my favorite holidays. I love the camaraderie and, of course, the food. I had an elaborate post planned enumerating all the things I'm thankful for, but sadly I'm feeling a tad bit under the weather. Nothing major, just a cold. All the excitement of the last couple of weeks has finally caught up with me. So, I'll save that post for another day. Just know I spent this day with a grateful heart.
I didn't want today to pass with out a post. It's my Blogiversary! Well, sorta. Technically, I started this blog 3 years ago before I left for my first trip to Europe. I revived it twice and abandoned it. It wasn't until last Thanksgiving that I started blogging with some regularly frequency. A year later and here I am. I can't believe it. I'm a regular blogger. In honor of my Blogiversary, I'm asking any lurkers I may have to come out and say "hi". I'm curious about who reads this blog... if anyone actually reads this. Every blogger likes a little comment love. Post a comment and I will randomly select a reader to get an Amazon.com Gift card. Let's hope I can continue to come up with things to write about;)
Our Tree in L.A.
Christmas Tree in Virginia
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
