a spring bag wardrobe {giveaway}...

Thanks to all your amazing comments on my handbag post with Fossil on Monday, Fossil has kindly offered to give away a very big gift to one lucky reader...a $1000 gift card to go towards a spring bag wardrobe from Fossil!

To enter, simply visit Fossil's website, and then leave a comment here telling me which bag is your favorite from the new spring collection (here are some of my favorites!). Entries must be posted by this Monday, February 4th at 8 p.m. PST, and one winner will be chosen at random*. Good luck!

*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. $1000 USD total value. The gift card can be spent on anything on Fossil's website and not limited to just bags. Winner will be contacted by email once comments close, and announced at the bottom of this post soon after.

{Photos above by Bonnie Tsang at the LACMA.}

{oh joy eats} half & half tea house...

You know might know that I love a good boba tea. Since I'm not a big coffee drinker, I love milk teas as a little midday pick-me-up, and Half & Half Tea House in Rowland Heights has become my new favorite spot.

With drink options like sesame black milk tea, lavender green milk tea, milk tea with caramel, pudding, and honey boba, plus a million other flavors, these teas are serious treats if you're up for some fun, exotic flavors. And Half & Half Tea House's tasty concoctions come in the most giant cups I've ever seen. They don't even fit in the cup holders in my car and they make me look like I have tiny hands! It's probably a good thing this place isn't too close to where I live because I'd be here every single day.

Half & Half Tea House | 17575 Colima Road, Ste. C | Rowland Heights, CA 91748 | 626.810.8778

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. I'm wearing headphones by Frends, Madewell dotty leggings,  Milly jacket from a past season, eyeglasses by Rivet & Sway, hoodie from past season of J.Crew (similar), and boots c/o Loeffler Randall.}

a few things i'm loving...

Whenever I start a big new design project, I flood myself with as much inspiration as possible to get my creative juices flowing and make myself start thinking outside my norm. For this new project, I even started drawing on paper again! It's been so long since I've done that'I usually go straight to the computer to design. As I was doing research for my project, here are just a few things I came across online that I had to share with you...

{Top to bottom: 1. Vrindavan by Katrin Korfmann,2. Oh My Deer X Pennyweight print, 3. floor-to-wall tiled bathroom by Studio Too Good,  4. Powder photos by Marcel Christ, 5. Typographical moss by Hayli Alyce.}

you can't just have one...

Bob always asks me why I need so many handbags. He'll say, "Why can't you have just one?"

I mean, does he even know me? Or know women at all? 

As we women know, different bags serve different purposes'therefore, we need at least a few to cover various occasions, as well as complement the outfits we wear. So today I've partnered with Fossil to share some of my favorite bag styles for different moods, needs, or situations'and show you what I carry in each.

One piece I've recently added to my bag collection: an iPad case/carrier. Especially when taking it to meetings, I love making sure my iPad is protected, and this case also holds my business basics, too (a notebook and pencils, business cards, my phone, and a cute leave-behind).

When I'm out with Ruby, I always carry a roomy tote bag. I rarely use a traditional diaper bag anymore since she doesn't need quite as much stuff now that she's a toddler. But I'll still bring a few essential baby musts in a tote, including a zip pouch to hold diapers and wipes, snacks, a multi-purpose ointment, and a small pouch that holds my own daily essentials so I can quickly find my money, keys, and phone in a bag full of baby stuff.

happy friday + little moments of joy...

The other day'while at a friend's house'Ruby had an absolute ball hiding inside and behind these curtains. I can't remember the last time that anything that simple made me so happy. It was seriously amazing to watch. I hope you all have a weekend full of pure joy from the simple things...

P.S. You can now get Oh Joy posts straight to your email! Sign up for it right here.

{Photos by Bob Cho}

feeling bundled up in blue...

Blue is one of my favorite colors (after green) because of the range in shades it offers. From hot to cool and from soft to brazen, it's a color full of personality...

{01. Oasap coat, 02. Kate Spade earmuffs, 03. Land of Nod baby blanket, 04. hat by Annie Larson, 05. Kate Spade flats, 06. Loeffler Randall for Bird tennis shoes, 07. Falconwright camera strap.}

Make Someone Happy - No. 05: A Little Letter

The first four videos from my "Make Someone Happy" series have involved making something'an actual object or surprise'to bring joy to another's day. For the next couple, it's all about bringing that joy to someone by telling them how you really feel about them...which is sometimes the hardest thing to do!

And if you need a little help, feel free to use my handy fill-in-the-blank letter to get you started...

{Video by Modshift. Music: "Love Me, Love You" by Trimountaine, licensed from With Etiquette.}

{how i'd wear} a head-to-toe etsy outfit...

When Etsy first began back in 2005, it was heavily craft-based and made up of a mix of folks making stationery, knitted booties, and any kind of crafty thing imaginable. To my delight, it's grown into a place where you can find indie designers and vintage clothing'but still a ton of handmade goodness, too. So I thought it would be fun to put together a head-to-toe Etsy outfit with pieces from some my favorite Etsy shops and searches as of late...

1. Faux fur hat, 2. A Quiet Curiosity necklace, 3. Leah Goren tank, 4. vintage green jacket, 6. Three Little Ducks pants, 6. Patkas handbag, 7. vintage ankle boots from Thrift Shark.

{illustrations by Jennifer Vallez for Oh Joy}

a little sprucing up...

Hope you all had a great weekend! You might notice a little update over here today. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve my site, and today you'll see a few new features I've been wanting to implement since the redesign last fall. There are a few visual improvements as well as some functional ones.

My two favorite new features: You can now roll over any image to "pin it" on Pinterest, and I've finally added the option to read Oh Joy via email! Simply sign up by using the box in the right column, or click here and daily posts will come straight to your inbox. {If you're already signed up for the general Oh Joy mailing list, you'll have to sign up for this separately, as this is new and for the blog only}.

{Envelopes by Lox Savvy}

where's waldo?

Trying to get a toddler to stand still in front of a wall'especially right after she's awoken from a nap and wants a snack'is nearly impossible. So, here's our best attempt to recreate that scene from Garden State, only this time with my baby dress and wallpaper designs (because how could I not try and make this happen?!?).

Luckily, she did much better for her 15 month photo and was all smiles after...

P.S. A little note that all Oh Joy for Winter Water Factory baby clothing is currently 40% off through the end of the month (along with everything else in the WWF line!). It's a special winter sale, so get it while you can! Enter NEWYEAR40 at checkout.

the bathroom of my dreams...

...I mean, just look at that tile!

{Designed by Greg Natale}

{oh joy eats} breakfast at the parish...

The Parish has been getting lots of praise for being one of L.A.'s best new resturants, and one of my favorite things to do is explore the breakfast or lunch menu at restaurants that are known for their dinner menus. For me, it's like seeing what a chef might make at home...a more casual version of their palate, if you will...

The breakfast staples at The Parish include a few kinds of biscuit sandwiches, like Fried Chicken with Maple Dijon and Pickles, Trout with Jalapeno Slaw, and Grilled Tomato and Cheese. They were all warm, savory, delicious and the perfect breakfast way to start the day.

I also loved the industrial, yet still warm and homey, feel of The Parish's Downtown L.A. space. The restaurant reminds me of one you'd find in Portland, with its very distinct aesthetic and comforting staples.

The Parish | 840 S. Spring St. | Los Angeles, CA 90014 |  213.225.2400

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit: Trench jacket from A-Thread, corduroys by J.Crew, blouse by Lauren Moffatt (similar), bag by Clare Vivier, boots c/o Loeffler Randall.} 

feeling just a bit of neon...

Who would have thought? A couple years ago, neon returned from the 80's and is still going strong! I'm loving our current version of neon with tiny doses here and there...

{01. pillow by Ferm Living, 02. Jeni's rainbow frozen yogurt, 03. Schier shoes, 04. Madewell tank, 05. Boutique 9 heels, 06. Atsuyo et Akiko kids tee, and 07. Fable and Lore necklace.}

a day with us...

 

Last month, the girls over at Small Fry spent the afternoon with me and Ruby to film us for their sweet series on mothers and their kids. Shot by the talented Jenner Brown, this little movie beautifully captures the simple moments from our day. Thanks so much to Jenna, Nicole, and Emily for having us, and to Jenner for his ability to capture beauty in everyday things. I'm honored to be included'I'll treasure this little film forever. 

{Video by by Jenner Brown.}

you like hearts, hunh?

We took these photos on Christmas day after Bob commented that I have a lot of things with hearts on them. I said, "Oh yeah...I'll show you! C'mon Ruby! Let's count 'em!"

...that last photo says it all...

"Mama, are we done yet??"

{Photos by Bob Cho. Ruby's sweater from Pink Chicken.}

{los angeles} top 20 bites of 2012...

With a new family member in tow, 2012 included a lot more casual dining as we attempted to keep meals on the quicker side whenever possible. But I certainly continued to snack {a lot!} and explore the range of foods that L.A. has to offer. Here are my Top 20 Bites of 2012 in Los Angeles {in no particular order}...

1. The Brown Bread and Brown Rice Green Tea ice cream from Scoops {more here}.
Photo by Bonnie Tsang.

2. Crispy Pork &and Shrimp Potstickers with Curry Aioli &and Sweet Soy Reduction from the Asian Cravings truck.

3. Twenty-course omakase from Sushi Nishi-ya.

4. An ice cream sandwich {made with cupcake tops!} from Sprinkles Ice Cream {more here}.
Photo by Bonnie Tsang.

some wearable textiles i'm loving...

Patterns on fabric are one of my weaknesses. So I love seeing how artists, illustrators, and designers translate their work into fabric form. Here are a few new textiles I'm loving right now from Leah Goren {top and bottom photos} and Lulie Wallace {middle photos}...

documenting the first year...

Remember when we used to have photo albums with actual printed photographs in them? With the amount of images from our iPhones, our "good" cameras, and those taken by friends and family, it can be so hard to keep up with all the digital photos you take of your kids, especially in that first year when you're super snap-happy. So, after Ruby was born, whenever we snapped a photo that was a keeper, I filed it into a folder on my computer marked by month. I'd also email photos to our parents and post them on Facebook, too, but the plan was that I'd make a book at the end of year with all our favorites in chronological order.

There are a few great sites where you can make books, but I decided to try out a new one called Artifact Uprising because I loved the cloth covers and how high-quality the paper looked. And, when the end of year came, it was that much easier to start laying out a book because I already had all of my favorite photos saved by month. All I had to do was narrow down the picks even more (because who wants a 1,000 page book?!?). It was so fun looking back through our photos and looking back at how tiny Ruby once was, too...