announcing: zakka nouveau!!

zakka nouveau is now open for business! it has been such a wild ride these past 3 years while figuring out how to bring an idea into fruition, but after many, MANY long hours + SO MUCH love/support from SO MANY people, it has finally happened! i am so excited to be sharing this with you today! when you have a moment, please come and visit our site~ and thank you for following everyday curiosities!

//zakka nouveau

hitched : wedding event

found this lovely post on bonnie tsang photography's site~ sounds like fun~ anyone interested in possibly checking it out with me?

// hitched

shopaholic : maglove

craving to go on a magazine run for some mags that have been on my radar for the past few months... unfortunately, some are not in stores and i usually like to flip through a new mag before making the final purchase (although i have bought one blindly in the past and only have regretted my purchase once! and all these mags do look quite lovely~) do you have any thoughts on some of the mags listed below? i would love to hear your feedback! thanks!

// lula
// uppercase
// idea mag
// artichoke
// mixtape

indie craft show + block party : handmade brigade OC

i'll definitely have to check this out! if you're in the orange county area on the weekend of july 10th, go and check out this block party~

// handmade brigade of orange county

happy birthday skippy!

i wasn't able to post this yesterday, but it was our pup skippy's 1 year old birthday~

thank you for coming into our lives skippy. you have helped me to realize what it means to forgive, love unconditionally and enjoy life every day, every moment.

we love you so much!

studio love : studio temp (it)

while looking for a possible move into a new neighborhood, new home, new everything, i am torn between choosing a place. on one hand, i long for a serene environment, detached from the hustle and bustle of busyness, being able to hear birds chirping amongst the trees and see stars when looking above. on the other hand, i also yearn for a local feel where around the block, within walking distance, one can visit a small independently ran sandwich shop and while munching, stroll into a ma + pa shop where they sell small trinkets for crafty individuals. but of course, one has to choose one or the other.

studio temp's work, visually, feels like the local neighborhood i am looking for where one could leisurely stroll and enjoy the sites, but dive further and one could find a deeper connection with each store. each work created by the studio looks different as with different shops lining a street, but together give the sense of cohesiveness, which in itself is inviting.

take a glance, then dive further. you might find something unexpected.

// studio temp

shopaholic : madewell

during our trip to NYC last summer, on a solo trip to soho for the first time (yes! my first time ever going to NYC was when i was 28! i'm sure many of you are gasping in disbelief as i've been a native angeleno and had never visited the east coast until last year) i was walking past the many MANY boutiques lining the street when i walked passed this one store. the clothes in the display just called out to me and i had to go check it out! once inside, i realized that i had possibly found my dream closet... well, casual dream closet. the textures, relaxed design and something about the clothes reminded me of something that i had seen before and liked, but i couldn't put 2 + 2 together.

then today, i received an email from jcrew (another one of my favorite clothing companies) to say that they were introducing pieces from their 'sister' website, madewell. that's when things just clicked! no wonder i was really drawn to madewell.... b/c their sister company well~~ i've only loved them since i was in high school.

no deep revelations today in my blog post. just that i love their clothes and hopefully can add some of their pieces into my wardrobe someday. so relaxing just looking at the designs. i want!

// madewell

i {heart} work : eleonora marton (italy)

with the overcast skies of los angeles looking down upon me this morning, i was thinking about how this type of weather usually makes people depressed. actually, many of my friends who live overseas just ooze with envy when i say that i'm from los angeles... the land of never ending sunshine. perhaps i'm spoiled by the beautiful weather here + won't appreciate it until i move away from it, but honestly, i long for seasons. to see the leaves change color in autumn, to witness the first snow fall, the lively colors of spring.... but i don't like hot summers. that is one season i can do without. oh! wait, i take that back. i love cold, crisp, juicy watermelons in the summer. ohhh yes.  but looking past all this, the cloudy skies actually make me happy because it breaks up the pattern of blue-ness and brings a fresh new feeling that would otherwise be forgotten.

coming across illustrator eleonora marton's work was just that... a break in the usual mix of work that i had been viewing as of recent. something about the aesthetic i long for... maybe it's the part-traditionalist side in me that is connecting to her humanistic hand drawings or her whimsical sense of style that tickles my tummy. beautiful work that just brings you into another world and yet familiar. it was the cloudy skies that i was hoping for in the mist of blue skies. just lovely~

maybe you are longing for a change of pace also?

// eleonora marton

shopaholic : clogs

happy june! i don't know about where you live, but it is heating up in LA! and when the temperature rises, it makes me want to change up my wardrobe to something color, fun, but relaxed. who wants to be bothered with dressing up when you could just throw on a few cute pieces and run out to have some fun in the sun?

a must on my summer shopping list is a pair of cute colorful clogs. adorable and comfortable, i could wear a pair of jeans, throw on a t-shirt, slip on a pair of clogs with a colorful punch and be out the door. and if you really wanted to go all-clog-all-summer, you could dress up your evening outfit with a high-heeled clog or wear birkenstock-like clogs to the beach for a relaxing weekend. so versatile!

so many to choose from... which one? hmm...

// sven : westcountry clogs : piperlime