happy holidays!

Happy Holidays, friends! Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope it's a wonderful time of love and merriment for you and your family. As we bow out for the year, I wanted to share a couple photos (and some outtakes) from our family holiday card, shot by Max Wanger and Our Labor of Love. Since this was our first holiday card photo, we decided to do something fun and festive! Ruby was hungry and cranky at the beginning of our session, but as soon as this silver tinsel came out...bam, she was loving it and could have played in it for hours (well, maybe 20 minutes)!

Oh, and I had to share this recent video of Ruby walking down the street after we took our family photos. This last month has been so fun as we've watched her turn into this tiny mobile person. This little girl is, indeed, my favorite Christmas present yet!

Have an amazing holiday and New Year's everyone! Thanks so much for following along over here this year, and I look forward to sharing more with you in 2013. I'll be taking a blog break next week, so I'll see you back here on January 2!

P.S. If you're looking for any last-minute holiday inspiration, see how I create A Colorful Christmas tree, try my new favorite holiday cookie recipe or make some sweet pop-up placecards for the dinner table.

{Photos by by Max Wanger and Our Labor of Love. My dress is by Tracy Reese, belt is vintage, shoes are from a past season at Anthropologie, and hair pouf is by Ban.do; Bob's tie is by J.Crew and denim blazer from Mr. Porter; Ruby's dress is Jason Wu for Target and pink tights from Gap.}

a-door-able...

I've been totally in love with doors lately, and the idea of turning a door into a statement piece. Whether it's your front door or one inside your home (or even cabinet doors), doors are pretty fun elements to play with. I covered my studio door in rose-gold polka dots and would love to do something whimsical like that to our front door when we own a house. Here are a few of my favorite doors I've found on the web recently (and here are a few more I've collected over on my "A-door-able" Pinterest board).

{Image credits: Halfsies door via Design*Sponge, rainbow cabinet doors photographed by Magnus Anesund, and neon door via Tretoen.}

hers & mine...

Oftentimes we end up matching, whether I plan it or not...

top | Hers: silver mocs from Freshly Picked. Mine: Clare Vivier messenger bag from Roztayger.

middle | Hers: MaS hooded jacket (similar). Mine: Kate Spade jacket (from a few years ago).

bottom | Hers: Bunny from Walnut Animal Society. Mine: CrewCuts oxfords.
(Yep, kids' shoes fit grown-ups if you're a size 7 or below!)

Do you guys ever find yourself matching your loves ones by accident?

{Photos by Oh Joy}

Make Someone Happy - No. 04: Party on the Go

This month's Make Someone Happy video is all about taking the party wherever you go and spreading cheer'not only for the holidays, but year-round. There's nothing like a little confetti to help make anyone feel a bit more cheerful this season, especially in light of the recent events in Connecticut, which have made all our hearts heavy for the brave adults and little angels lost. I hope you enjoy it'and that it inspires you to fill every day we have with a little spark of happiness.

P.S. Thanks to the girls of Ban.do for being my special guests! The materials used in the video include: clear ornaments in plastic or glass (we sprayed the tops with neon spray paint), metallic sparkle confetti, large tissue confetti, art tissue confetti, gold pleather, washi tape, neon pink twine, and glitter horns (used to fill the ornaments).

{Video by Modshift. Music: "Living Life" by David Swensen, licensed from With Etiquette. My outfit: dress by Tracy Reese, Coat by Crewcuts (or adult size here), and hair accessory by Ban.do}

feeling like a little meal...

It's been so fun watching Ruby's little palate develop over the last several months. Now that she eats whatever we do, I love being able to nurture her exploration of food through tasting different things, reading about different foods, and making meal time fun in general. Here are a few of my favorite ways to instill a love of eating in the littles..

{01. Skip Hop plate and mat, 02. Brita water bottle for kids, 03. French Bull plate set, 04. Hola! Jalapeno and Yum Yum Dim Sum books,  05. Baguette sandwich toy from Land of Nod, 06. Skip Hop bento box, 07. Prince Lionheart seat (so great for places that don't have high chairs!), 08. Lollacup.}

*This post was brought to you in partnership with Brita Bottle for Kids. Help teach your kids to learn to love water. Learn more right here. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting these sponsors that allow me to create special content like this for Oh Joy.

happy friday + the mixed family...

With December being such a family-focused time of year, what with the holidays, I've been thinking a lot about family and traditions, and how much our world is becoming a bigger and bigger melting pot. While Ruby is Asian, she's a mix of two Asian cultures (I'm Thai, and Bob is Korean). She'll hear her grandparents speak in two different languages, she'll learn about two different ethnic traditions, and she'll become familiar with two different kinds of foods'all on top of the American culture we're raising her in and everything else we expose her to.

Since our friends are so multicultural, Ruby's friends are mostly children of mixed race or mixed ethnicity, too. It's funny to think that we rarely meet kids who are 100% of any one background these days. It's amazing and beautiful, and I feel like our generation is the first in which it's becoming more common and more accepted to see such a rainbow of faces. After I posted about Ruby's Dol, a reader recently asked if I would share what we do (or hope to do) in both our marriage and as parents to continue to incorporate our mix of cultures in her life. And, because I'm still figuring out a lot of this myself, I'm always up for being inspired by others. So, I also asked some friends how they mix in their various cultures into their own family. Here's what they, with some of my own thoughts as well...

feeling like objets d'art...

Both beautiful and functional, here are a few things I'm loving that are pretty easy on the eyes. They'd also make sweet last minute gifts for your dear friend, sister, mom, or another special lady in your life...

01. sculpted knot from Leif, 02. Artecnica mobile, 03. Caitlin McGauley tray, 04. tassel bracelet from Leif, 05. copper graters from Poketo, 06. clutch by Kindah.

practice makes...

For the last couple nights I've been watching the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Have you guys seen it? I originally thought it was going to be mostly beautiful images of one of my favorite foods'and though I walked away craving sushi like no one's business, I was even more inspired by Jiro's process and way of thinking. The 85-year-old Michelin-awarded sushi chef and his sons talk about how important it is to spend time learning your craft, and how skills are developed over time. They emphasize that there's no fast and easy path to being successful or rich, but that with hard work and dedication, you can become really good at something you're passionate about.

The documentary also features the vendors that Jiro works with (the rice dealer, the shrimp dealer, the tuna dealer), all of whom know their specialties to a tee'but all of whom also strive to improve and learn more every day. With our world being so fast and focused on instant gratification, I love the reminder that sometimes the best things and the best rewards in life do take time and love to grow and mature...

{Movie stills via Magnolia Pictures}

a daily essentials {giveaway}...

You know those few must-have items that you grab right before you head out the door? Well, today we have a special giveaway featuring three of my current favorite essentials right now. For our last giveaway of 2012, I've partnered with Of a Kind to give away these three limited-edition pieces to one lucky reader: a Clare Vivier cheetah suede cross-body bag, an Otaat embossed leather card holder, and a Shipley & Halmos dot scarf (a $376 total retail value).

 To enter, simply sign up for Of a Kind's mailing list, then visit the Of a Kind website and leave a comment below telling us another item from the site that you're loving. Entries must be posted by this Friday, December 14th at 8 a.m. PST, and one winner will be chosen at random*. Good luck!

Also, as a special bonus, Of a Kind is offering 20% off anything in their shop. Use code OFAKINDLOVESOHJOY through December 19th.

*Sorry, limited to U.S. readers only. Please do not leave your email or web address in the body of the comment, only in the allotted boxes. $376 USD total value. Winner will be contacted by email once comments close, and announced at the bottom of this post soon after.

{oh joy eats} no. 1 noodle house...

One of my favorite places to eat in Philly (my hometown) is Han Dynasty. It's the best Chinese food in the city, in my opinion. And ever since moving to L.A., I've been trying to find similar Szechuan-style food here. Thankfully, out in Rowland Heights (about 40 minutes outside of L.A.), there's a mecca of Chinese food options. I was so happy to come across No.1 Noodle House and find a close-ish match to some of my favorite dishes back in Philly.

I loved the wontons in chili oil and the dan dan noodles. I love things on the spicy side, and there's a Szechuan pepper used in many of the dishes that has an intensely fragrant, citrus-like flavor and produces a tingly, numbing sensation in the mouth.

It's kind of weird, but also really delicious! I could seriously spend the day in Rowland Heights eating up a storm of noodles and other niche foods you can only get out there.

No.1 Noodle House | 18180 Colima Road, #B | Rowland Heights, CA 91748 | 626.839.7093

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My outfit: Coat by Crewcuts (a kids size 14 fits a women's size XS/S! or adult size here), eyeglasses c/o Rivet & Sway, corduroys by J.Crew, shoes by Madewell.}

how to be wrap star...

My favorite thing about giving gifts is wrapping them. I don't know why, but I've always loved figuring out fun ways to adorn a gift other than with the usual bow. For example, I got these mini-LED lights to wrap around this gift. Nothing's more festive then a lit-up, glowing package, right?

I also love using materials that can be used again...either for wrapping another gift or for something else altogether. For example, these stretchy headbands can be used to hold your wrap job together for a colorful, clean, no-tape option. Then just tie on a pretty ornament!

Or top off a simple ribbon with something unexpected, like these animal chip clips. They add a sculptural quality to the present, and offer a little extra function for your recipient's everyday snacking.

Throughout this holiday season, I'll be sharing some of my favorite ideas for gift-giving and gift-wrapping over on this Pinterest board in collaboration with Target. Every day, I'll be pinning a new idea that I'm loving or that I've come up with, so I hope you'll follow along for some last-minute ideas and inspiration!

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Target. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting these sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Oh Joy.

{Photos by Oh Joy}

happy friday + say cheese!

Happy Friday, friends! How is it mid-December already? And, why do I always wait till two weeks before Christmas to start getting things together for the holidays? This weekend, I'll be in heavy family photo mode. I'm finishing up a photo book of Ruby's first year to give to our parents for Christmas, and then we take our family photo this weekend for our Christmas card!

As I was looking through photos from the past year, it was so fun to see how many Smilebooth's we've been in as a family this year. Those photos are always the most fun...totally goofy and not too serious. Hope you have lots of goofy moments this weekend with those you love most...

P.S. Congrats to Patricia C. from Chicago for being the winner of our giveaway with Roztayger! 

Also, as a special bonus, Roztayer is offering 10% off anything in their shop for ALL READERS. Simply use code OHJOY thru December 11th.

a paper you...

Remember those family portraits I posted about a few weeks ago? I recently came across these foldable portraits and had these two made of Bob and I. They crack me up and would make for a quirky gift for that person or couple who has everything...

{photo by Oh Joy}

a dreamy print shop...

One of my favorite photographers, Max Wanger, just launched a brand-new shop today filled with gorgeous prints of some of his favorite images captured over the past year. Max's signature composition style and whimsy are apparent in every photo, and I love that you can choose the size of the prints, as some would be amazing really large over your couch, while others would be perfect as small prints right above your desk. They'd make a pretty awesome gift for that art lover in your life.

P.S. Max is offering a holiday special for 15% off through January 1st. Simply enter PINECONE at checkout.

{Photos by Max Wanger}

wise words at the dinner table...

As a kid, I loved Roald Dahl books. They were always whimsical, yet smart, with lessons to be learned from each. And I love that those lessons are ones that we, as adults, can also live by'especially in our busy day-to-day lives when we can sometimes get a little stuck in our routines or our ways of thinking. So, I thought it would be fun to turn a few of my favorite Roald Dahl quotes into paper placemats to use at the dinner table this holiday season as a conversation starter...or just a little daily reminder.

You can even hang them up as prints!

They're super easy to make. Here's how...

a silver lining {giveaway}...

It's a busy month over here with giveaways ('tis the season, right?). And I've got a fun one for you today. I love bags that have a little something special to them, but are timeless enough to become a daily staple. So I've partnered with Roztayger to give away this Clare Vivier silver messenger bag (which retails for $358) to one lucky reader. It's been the perfect size to carry around my laptop along with my everyday must-haves. There's a longer shoulder strap (not shown here), and the bag is made of the softest silver nubuck leather...

To enter, simply "like" Roztayger on Facebook**, then visit the Roztayger site, and leave a comment below telling us another purse or accessory from their site that you're loving. Entries must be posted by this Friday, December 7th at 8 a.m. PST, and one winner will be chosen at random*. Good luck!

Also, as a special bonus, Roztayer is offering 10% off anything in their shop. Use code OHJOY thru December 11th.

*Sorry, limited to U.S. readers only. Please do not leave your email or web address in the body of the comment, only in the allotted boxes. $358 USD total value. Winner will be contacted by email once comments close, and announced at the bottom of this post soon after.

**If you don't have a Facebook account, you can sign-up for Roztayger's mailing list (on the homepage) as an alternative for entry.

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My outfit: trench jacket from A-Thread, corduroys by J.Crew, blouse by Lauren Moffatt (similar), boots c/o Loeffler Randall.}

what i'd wear to {a holiday party}...

With holiday soirees aplenty coming up, it often feels like you need so many different outfits for different kinds of parties with different groups of people and different levels of dressiness. Sometimes you have to attend your partner's more conservative holiday party; sometimes it's a more festive cocktail-style party you're headed to. So I like to wear accessories that can go with lots of things and simply change up the main component of the outfit depending on the occasion.

For a company holiday party (especially when it's a spouse's or partner's, I try and stay on the more conservative side (no cleavage and nothing too short!). Paired with some colorful heels and a fun clutch, in this look my personality still comes through with the bit of color and pattern.

01. Jewelmint earrings, 02. J.Crew dress, 03. Kate Spade glitter bow belt, 04. Kindah clutch, 05. heels from Mod Cloth.

For a more laid-back and festive party with friends (a White Elephant party, perhaps?), I'd wear a sparkly number like this striped sequined dress. Topped with a blazer (in case it gets chilly) and the same heels and clutch, I'm ready for a holiday celebration filled with present-swapping and my closest girlfriends.

06. Ban.do smooch hair bobbi, 07. Madewell tuxedo blazer, 08. Forever 21 sequined dress, 09. Kindah clutch, 10. Heels from Mod Cloth.

chocolate chip nutella candy cane cookies...

Say that three times fast! With the holidays approaching, I've been wanting to make a twist on my favorite year-round cookie'the chocolate chip cookie. Peppermint is the flavor of the season, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'll gladly get a peppermint latte or pick up those Peppermint Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's during their limited time run. So, I've decided to add some of that candy cane action to some delicious chocolate chip cookies, with a little extra something'Nutella!'for a super rich and chocolately taste.

Here's the recipe for my newest cookie concoction...

feeling snowy metallics...

I can't think of anything any more wintry and sophisticated then the pairing of white and cream with gold, rose gold, and silver. Here are a few of my favorite sultry and snowy pieces...

P.S. While I won't be doing traditional gift guides this year, all of my round-up posts over the next couple weeks will be with a focus on great items to gift. You can also check out some of my favorite holiday picks over at: Uncommon Goods, Oeuf's Gift Guide (pg. 7), West Elm, and Serena & Lily.

{01. Frends Layla rose gold headphones, 02. Monogrammed leather tote by Mark and Graham, 03. Juicy Couture baby booties, 04. scratch map from Uncommon Goods, 05. leather card case by Almanac Industries, 06. ASOS heels, 07. Marc Jacobs for Target pouch}

happy friday + ruby's 1st birthday party!

Ruby's party was all about patterns. Someday she'll ask for a princess party or something trendy that kids are really into; while I still have some say, I wanted to make everything colorful and festive. So we asked everyone to come dressed in their favorite patterns.

That's Ruby and her boyfriend, Axel, having a serious discussion about their future wedding. This photo is going in their wedding slideshow, for sure.

I was in crazy book-tour mode during the couple months leading up to Ruby's party and needed help making decorations. So I asked Jenny Batt from Hank & Hunt to help out with her amazing DIY skills. We chatted about the colors I wanted and the types of things I could work with in a park, and she painted and DIY-ed to her heart's content...something that helped out so much during my travels, and made Ruby's party look just like I had imagined.

In addition to what Jenny made, I ordered a bunch of paper plates, wooden utensils, and paper napkins in a few different colors and patterns to go with the theme. Just to make sure things didn't get too crazy-looking, I narrowed down the color palette to just a few colors and bought most of the patterned pieces in polka dots or stripes. The giant plastic animals that Jenny painted were meant to be for decoration, but ended up also being perfect for holding down the napkins, too, on the slightly windy day (and also perfect for using as decorations in our house afterwards)...

We served mostly hand-held food made by our friends at Heirloom LA. Boar empanadas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and bite-sized chicken and waffles were some of my favorites. For dessert, we had more easy-to-eat treats like hand pies, cookies, and for the adults, some seriously delicious Crack Pops.

The bigger kids had a ball just running around in the park. All we brought were balls and bubbles, and they were thoroughly entertained. And all the little ones made their way to the ice cooler...clearly, ice is fascinating!

For Ruby's cake, Sara from Matchbox Kitchen, made a fresh strawberry and chocolate cake. It was all organic, made from natural ingredients, and so, so tasty...we loved that it wasn't too sweet, and both the kids and adults enjoyed it. Ruby didn't really understand the whole singing and blowing-out-candles thing, hence the confused and slightly pissed-off expression on her face.

It was an awesome day, and we all had so much fun. Oh, and if you remember this post about gifts, we decided to ask for donations to Operation Smile in lieu of presents. Some guests still brought gifts, anyway, but we really wanted to start teaching Ruby about giving back and hope to continue this tradition in some way every year.

Thanks so much to our family and friends who shared Ruby's special birthday with us! It meant so much to have you there! And thank you to our friend Bonnie for taking such beautiful photos of the day that we'll cherish forever.

Have a great weekend guys!

 

Photos | Bonnie Tsang

Location | Grand Park in downtown LA

Food | Lunch by Heirloom LA; lollipops by Crack Caramel

Cake | Fresh strawberry and chocolate cake by Matchbox Kitchen

Decor | Plastic animals, tablecloths, picnic blankets, fringed garlands, paper poms, and favor bags DIY-ed by Jenny Batt of Hank & Hunt; felt shape garlands from Land of Nod; tea towels from Poketo; food signs made by me.

Disposable Tableware | Plates, cups, and napkins from Shop Sweet Lulu; wooden utensils from Sucre; gold polka dot trash bags purchased a few years ago from Adrian Mondratowicz's project.

We wore | My dress is vintage from Etsy, cardigan is past season of J.Crew (similar), flats from ShoeMint; Ruby's dress is by Pink Chicken (from last year), striped leggings by Nature Baby, gold pom by Ban.do, sandals by Saltwater; Bob's pants and tee are past season of Bonobos, shoes by Zuriick.