bonjour!

baby crafting

2012-02-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, Juli came over for some baby crafting and we made some soft blocks for our little ladies! It was so fun to hang out and be able to complete something in one night, mind you, it took us longer than you'd think to complete 3 blocks! I found this very satisfying project through Tanya when she made her own soft blocks for her little baby boy last year! We followed suit and stuffed little bells inside our blocks as well!

I am so happy I was finally able to put my Kitty Buds Fabric by Melinda to some very good use!

The baby quilt is coming along nicely. I like looking at the back of the quilt, it's the portion that no one ever gets to see. It is so fun to see each piece slowly coming together!

third trimester is here

2012-01-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

This pregnancy is flying by so fast! 28 weeks is the start of the last trimester already! (AHH!) The nesting instinct has taken over my brain and I have been having a lot of fun planning out little char siu bao's room. Her kicks are getting stronger and stronger but I noticed that she only likes to kick when it is quiet around her. I tried to see if she would kick for my family and friends when we are out in restaurants but she's a shy little girl.

An exciting moment for Jin was that he heard her heartbeat one morning when he put his ear to my belly!

I am feeling great physically and sometimes so great that I forget I am pregnant. Then I look in the mirror and see my growing bump seemingly getting bigger every time look at it! It amazes me everytime!

decadent girl brunch

2012-01-24T22:59:00.004-05:00

I have never had dessert at brunch until I started brunching with these girls!
We certainly are treating ourselves to the finer things in life.

I had a beautiful Sunday brunch at l'ouvrir with Anabela, Charlyn, Melinda, Nikki and Nikole. This brunch was especially lovely because it was the first time we were all able to come out.

All the more reason for dessert at brunch.

watch them make it

2012-01-20T00:07:00.005-05:00

If we are lucky, we will see bungeoppang's being made at the Korean grocery store and we always get a freshly made one. These ones being made have a red bean filling.

Watching food being made is just as fun as eating it don't you think?

This definitely goes on my "favourite snacks" list.

black, white and grey

2012-01-17T21:57:00.005-05:00

It has been so nice around here lately because I actually had time to start on a baby quilt.

The last time I finished a quilt was almost 2 years ago!

It took me quite some time but I finished cutting all the pieces for my new quilt and I am excited to start sewing it together. I really enjoy every stage of quilting. It is slow, but quite relaxing.

some gifts for our near future

2012-01-10T23:19:00.004-05:00

We have received some really sweet gifts so far from some of our dearest friends and I can’t stop gushing over them because they are all tiny in nature!

A peach dreamcats 2012 calendar from Anabela and Geoff that will go so well in char siu bao’s room! It will be such a treasured keepsake to have for the year she is born.

Nikole gave us this sweet little plush lamb on wheels and this adorable shirt dress I want to have in a full size version for myself!! My mind still can't believe a little human will fit into something so tiny.

A sweet glow in the dark blanket from my brother and his girlfriend by Electrik Kids. It is made with the softest organic cotton and silkscreened with make believe constellations in glow in the dark paint. I love the illustrations!

Melinda knitted the tiniest and most adorable baby mittens I have ever seen!

Thank you so much! Char siu bao is such a lucky little girl!

Angelune & Ian are married!

2012-01-05T18:47:00.002-05:00

I enjoy this quiet time of year when we are settling back into our daily routine after the holiday madness is over. I am eager to get back to it!

I am really excited to show you Angelune & Ian’s wedding because it is one of my favourites of 2011. Angelune & Ian are such a stylish couple and their wedding at The Gladstone Hotel turned out exactly that way. And without a wedding party in tow, Gabe and I were able to give a lot of focus on just the two of them.

Their wedding turned out to be a perfect day. A sweet and simple affair surrounded by their family and closest friends with the most beautiful weather one could ask for in October. Congratulations Angelune & Ian!

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The Venue and Catering: The Gladstone Hotel/ Angelune's Dress : JCrew/ Ian's suit: Kin Collection at Sydney's/ Angelune & Ian's shoes: Toms/ Hair Fascinator: Elizabeth Victoria/ Makeup: Dino Dilio/ Flowers: Coriander Girl/ Cupcakes: Bunner's Bake Shop/ Engagement Ring: Sarah Wan at The Devil's Workshop/ Wedding Bands: made by Angelune & Ian at The Devil's Workshop/ Officiant: Rinette Emerson of Enduring Promises/ DJ: Scott Cudmore

these little moments

2011-12-30T00:13:00.007-05:00

2011 was such a good year, full of adventures, growth, goals accomplished and gifts of life. It was also my busiest year ever, personally and professionally. I have so much good to look back upon and so much to be thankful for.

Those big moments are ones we will always remember, but I want to remember the more ordinary moments too. I look back on them most fondly for I have a feeling that our every day moments of 2012 will look quite different (in the best of ways).

I welcome 2012 with open arms, there is already so much to look forward to!

Happy New Year friends.

A Christmas Surprise

2011-12-25T09:44:00.007-05:00

All I want for Christmas is a Mojo bouffant for me and a salt and pepper Mea beard for Jinny!

A little while ago, Jin and I commissioned Melinda & Chris to do collaborative cat portraits of Mea and Mojo with no rush of a timeline. We were surprised when they handed us two lovely packages in time for Christmas and were even more surprised when we opened them to find that they snuck Jin and I in the portraits too!!

Just imagine howls of laughter when the paintings were revealed to us! Jin and I were completely blown away! And for the cherry on top, Chris handmade the frames for the paintings! What an amazing Christmas surprise!

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas from Jinny, Mea, Mojo and I (and char siu bao is hiding in there!), courtesy of Melinda & Chris!! This year has been an amazing and eventful one for our growing little family and I am very much looking forward to spending time with our family and a few quiet days at home with Jinny and Mea and Mojo this week.

Now I must head back to our Christmas festivities (which translates to "eating all day")! Bye everyone!

(I replaced the images of the paintings with scans Melinda provided me. They are much more accurate to the real paintings!)

(Thank you Henry for taking the photo of Jinny and I!)

mojo's lazy weekend

2011-12-19T21:25:00.003-05:00

He found sunny spots to hang out in and soft spots to nap in.

He decided to be nice and share the bed with Mea one morning (the sight of them together made me laugh when I woke up to find them staring at me!).

And he loves hanging out with his daddy when he is working on the computer.

Jin and I had a really fun weekend spending time together and Mojo made sure he was always present! oh Mojo!

treasures I brought home

2011-12-14T21:23:00.004-05:00

I love what I do because I feel like people ask me to take pictures and hang out with amazing people and this weekend was the ultimate amazing-people-hanging-out-time. When Becky approached me asking if I'd be interested in taking photos and documenting City of Craft 2011 a few months ago, I didn't even hesitate to say yes! I knew it would be a weekend of inspiration being surrounded by so many talented vendors. Now City of Craft has come and gone and it was amazing. I hope you had the chance to drop by.

I wanted to bring home so much more but I had to practice much self-restraint.

I got a Squirrel Crest Bottle from rcboisjoli for my brother because I saw him eyeing it when he came to visit me at the show.

Some very soothing balm from Truth & Beauty for my ever growing belly (it has worked really well so far too!)

I couldn't resist getting this pretty necklace for myself from the talented duo, Caboto!

This lovable Lucky Number 13 Cat from Fools Gold will probably keep char siu bao company in the nursery!

A few shots I took this weekend are already up! You can see them in this flickr set. Watch for more in the coming weeks!

Week 21

2011-12-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

From these photos, it doesn’t look like I grew much from last week to this week but I feel bigger and I can no longer say that I have a pudge. Some days I feel great and I forget that I am pregnant, but char siu bao will give me a tiny little kick me to remind me that she’s still there! Other days, I feel like I am in a baby brain haze (today is one of those days) but it is not so bad because everyone has been so sweet and understanding!

I am really grateful to have friends who are looking out for me. Some of our friends who have recently had babies have been passing along some good advice and a lot of Jin’s friends who already have kids cannot wait to give us their good hand me downs (yess!).

I also feel really grateful to have a friend to be pregnant with! Juli is only 2 weeks ahead of me and we have been checking in on each other to see how we’re doing! Juli, John, Jin and I finally went for a lovely dinner together last night and it was so nice to be with friends who are going through the same stages as you are! Juli and I plan to meet regularly for tea and hopefully complete some baby sewing projects together! I can’t wait!

Now back to editing and preparing for a weekend of City of Craft! Hope to see you there!

Pom Pom Party

2011-12-02T11:53:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, City of Craft held a decorating party at The Workroom in preparation for their annual holiday show coming up next week. This year, they decided to decorate with pom poms!! I haven’t made pom poms since I was in daycare, it was so much fun!

I am excited to tell you that I will be photographing and documenting the fun happening at the City of Craft this year so come by and say hello next weekend!

There are a few holiday craft shows full of handmade goodies happening tomorrow. If you are around the Kensington area, you should drop by Handmade Holiday by Kid Icarus and NOOK’s holiday sale!

It's December (already!), let the holiday crafting begin!

Victory Patterns!

2011-11-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

Kristiann is the talent behind Victory Patterns, a line of fashionable and unique sewing patterns for various skill levels. I was so excited when we met a few months ago to talk about shooting the line and I am so proud to see how everything came together! She launched Victory Patterns yesterday!

Kristiann made my job so easy, she put a beautiful girl in beautiful outfits in front of my camera and the outcome is amazing! Thank you Erin for being such an amazing model! It is hard to choose which pattern my favourite is but I am quite fond of the Madeleine skirt and the Hazel dress! It is definitely on my sewing to do list post pregnancy.

See more pieces from the launch here.
And if you sew, take a look at the full pattern collection in her online shop here.

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Thank you sincerely for all the heart felt comments, emails and tweets on char siu bao’s gender reveal! I thought it was really sweet that some of you wrote that you teared up a little! I am so happy I could share this amazing moment of our lives with you.

drumroll please!

2011-11-25T00:02:00.003-05:00

We were so happy to hear from our midwife that our little char siu bao looks healthy from the ultrasound we did earlier this week but we gave our midwife specific instructions not to tell us if it was a boy or a girl!

Instead, we asked if she could write it down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope so we could open it when we got home. Gabe kindly came over to capture this moment for us on camera because of course, I had to have it documented!

Jin and I cannot stop laughing at the pictures of our reactions! We are a little embarrassed by our goofy faces but we are overjoyed!

IT'S A GIRL!

I was completely surprised! (I really thought it would be a boy!)

And Jinny is in BIG trouble (in the best of ways!).

19 weeks

2011-11-22T11:02:00.001-05:00

Me and my itty bitty belly at 19 weeks, I call it “the pudge” because it looks like I ate a huge meal rather than having a pregnant belly to me. I still sport a waddle though, mostly when I am feeling tired. I think I am almost halfway through my pregnancy now! I can’t believe how fast time flies!

Second trimester has been a lot better than the first. I have a lot more energy than the first trimester and my appetite is back (I experienced a severe lack of interest in the taste of food in the first trimester, it was torture!). I can still run up the stairs if I need to, but sometimes I feel nauseous if I move too fast!

We went to our second ultrasound yesterday and Jin and I can’t wait to get our results back to see how our little char siu bao is doing and to find out whether char siu bao is a boy or a girl!

(Insert squeal here)

New Specs

2011-11-17T23:06:00.000-05:00

I am still getting used to my new pair of glasses. I think I will love them as much as my last pair.

(Jin's been getting his glasses from Bob since he was in university and now I go to him too! He's the best!)

Kate & Matt are married!

2011-11-10T00:26:00.000-05:00

Kate & Matt are the kind of people who always greet you with the biggest and warmest smile, the kind of people who are always having a good time, and the kind of people you would feel fortunate to have amongst your circle of friends.

Kate & Matt are also the kind of people I almost wish their wedding wasn't over quite just yet because it means that my time to work with this amazing pair has come to an end. But I am so delighted with the moments we captured that I couldn’t wait to share their wedding with you! Gabe and I are so fortunate to have been part of their beautiful wedding in the Distillery District. Congratulations Kate & Matt!

Friends new & old

2011-11-03T14:27:00.001-04:00

Slowing down life (because I physically move slower these days), carving out a bit of time to catch up with old friends and meeting some new ones too.

Trish, Nikole and I have been trying to meet up since August and originally it was for ice cream! The insanity of summer turned August into October and we met for a warm brunch on a slightly chilly day instead.

We met at The Depanneur for a lovely homemade breakfast; it was exactly what I needed. The patrons were friendly and it was a nice change of pace to just sit around the table and chat with friends on a Saturday morning.

It was so nice to finally meet you Trish, and I always love the chance to see Nikole again!

baby bump, or lack thereof

2011-10-30T23:40:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for your kind comments, emails, tweets, and warm hugs in person (for those folks I am fortunate enough to see in person)! There is so much baby love coming our way! Jin and I have been really lucky. Everyone is being so generous to us and are so excited for us, and we are getting a lot of great advice from friends with kids.

This weekend, I went to prenatal yoga for the first time and someone in class asked if I was pregnant! That is how small my bump looks! I am 16 weeks now and I almost can't wait for Char Siu Bao to show a little more but something tells me I should enjoy being small while I still am.

When things slow down a little bit around here, I look forward to curling up on the couch to make some baby things. Burp cloths, swaddling blankets, and other really cute things I've seen Tanya make over the course of her pregnancy (like these and this). A baby quilt is first on my list. Lets see how far I get!

Hope your weekend was grand!

char siu bao

2011-10-24T17:40:00.000-04:00

In Chinese, char siu bao means steamed barbecue pork bun and I taught Jin how to say it because that is what we nicknamed our little bun in the oven!

I am so happy to be able to finally tell you that Jin and I are expecting our first little baby in April next year and we couldn't be more excited! It is constantly on our minds and I feel like I was keeping it a secret for such a long time! I am no good at keeping secrets!

Below is what our char siu bao looked like at 12 weeks (I am 15 weeks now). We joke that it has my nose and Jin's forehead! You should see Jin's face whenever he gets to show this photo to friends on his phone! Already a proud daddy!

thankful, grateful, happy.

2011-10-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

I am so happy! This past Saturday, I finished my last wedding of the season! This season, I have been to the most weddings I have ever been to in a year and I am so lucky I was able to capture, document and be part of the weddings of some really amazing couples! Also this year, I had the opportunity to shoot with Claudia, Gabriel, and Daniejla on some of their weddings! I learned so many invaluable lessons from these talented photographers and they have been so generous and encouraging to me.

I am grateful.

Now time for me to crawl into my editing cave and work on the remainder of the weddings waiting to be completed. Now that my season is over, my body feels tired. Just like in school when I never got sick until my studio deadline was over, my body held strong until my last wedding and I am starting to feel a little soar throat coming on. It's like my body knows it is time to relax a little, and relax (while editing) I will!

The photo above is a little preview of Angelune & Ian's beautiful wedding 2 weeks ago. When Gabe showed this shot to us on camera, I instantly loved it! Thanks Gabe, for being my rock this year.

gold

2011-10-12T23:55:00.000-04:00

I feel lucky we live in a place with four seasons. When the sun comes out at this time of year, it is beautifully golden.

A happy 4th birthday to The Workroom! And many many more. It was so good to see old friends again yesterday!

Little Lauren

2011-10-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

Remember my talented friend Elaine who built my website at the beginning of this year? I am so happy to tell you that about two months ago, her and Zac welcomed their first little baby into their home and I was lucky enough to meet little Lauren when she was only 4 days old! I have never met a little human this young before and the thing I remember the most was how good she smelled. Do all newborns smell this good? It brings a smile to my face.

She is a little over 2 months old now, Elaine says she's grown a lot since I saw her last. We will have to visit her again really soon.

Lydia & Sam are married!

2011-09-29T08:00:00.002-04:00

There is a lot to love about Lydia & Sam's wedding. Their wedding was at the Iron Horse Ranch in Ontario's beautiful countryside on a perfect summer day. We thought it was going to rain on us during the ceremony, but we were lucky we could put the umbrellas away shortly after the guests took them out. Gabe and I had such a great time hanging with their friends and family and I am in love with the colours they chose for their wedding! The boys looked so dapper and the girls were gorgeous.

Lydia & Sam are a perfect couple to work with. They are so easy going yet, they knew what they wanted from the beginning and how to get it executed. I loved their attention to detail and their wedding turned out just as perfect as their adorable engagement session.

Congratulations Lydia & Sam! I am so happy for you both!

Off to Breda

2011-09-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

I am physically not off to Breda (I wish!), but this letter I wrote is going there. I just took an evening walk to the post box and dropped this off.

Sometimes when friends are so far away, a phone call or an email just isn't enough. I am hoping I will have more time to write to friends, near and far this coming winter.

Things have been a little quiet on this blog lately, but I promise you, things are bubbling under the surface. I just can't show them to you yet!

Sea of Red

2011-09-12T21:14:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, it was full on tomato season (and maybe it still is?) and Jen had Melinda and I over for the second year for a full weekend of tomato canning! This year, we had a little supervisor to make sure we were doing things right (Jen's sweet foster cat, Blossom).

We did so much with the tomatoes! We peeled, boiled, roasted, or chopped depending on what we were making it for. And then we sealed them in the jars so that we can enjoy them all year round.

It is was a lot of work, but it is always worth it in the end.

Jen kindly tallied up the totals for us! We made all of this with 3 bushels of tomatoes over two very long days.

1.75L of basil ketchup
5L regular ketchup
15L tomato sauce
8L crushed tomatoes
4L charred tomato sauce
2L charred salsa
7.75L zesty salsa

I was quite impressed with our results.

Lately

2011-09-07T22:14:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Jin and I celebrated 3 years of marriage and we went out for a really nice dinner. Jin had mentioned he was looking for something to hold his business cards and I found him this one from Makr. He loved it!

It was so nice to spend some time with Jin, we both have been pretty busy lately so we had a lot to catch up on. I have been to some really beautiful weddings and lucky to be part of some really exciting projects. I cannot wait to show them to you!

I've been so occupied, I didn't realize summer had left us already. I had to find my coat this morning!

cat watching

2011-08-30T22:49:00.000-04:00

I wonder how that orange cat got a nib for a tail.

Mojo is probably wondering how to escape to the outside world....

A boy can dream.

There is nothing cuter...

2011-08-25T21:19:00.002-04:00

...than a kitten!

Except maybe, a whole basket of kittens!

Meet little Russell. He melts my heart! Gabe and May are the proud new parents of this handsome little boy!

pictures taken by all of us, as we just pass the camera around when we get together!

disappearing, fast

2011-08-23T22:34:00.000-04:00

I feel like summer is going down fast.
What are you doing to enjoy the last bits of summer?

Kira + Ed: married!

2011-08-17T21:37:00.000-04:00

Remember Kira + Ed? They married a few months ago under the most beautiful canopy of trees and their guests ate dinner under the stars under a glass pavilion. Sounds magical doesn’t it? Everything about their wedding was just that. Magical.

Somehow, Kira + Ed made this gorgeous wedding happen in 4 short months! When their day came, they were so calm and easy going and so full of laughs! Their family and friends are some of the sweetest people we have ever met, overflowing with warmth and love. Because of them, Gabe and I were all smiles, all day.

Ed had some fun surprises for us up his sleeve. Him and his best man are hardcore Tetris players and unified their love of Tetris with Tetris cuff links. And if they never showed us their ankles, we wouldn't have seen their surprise socks!

Kira + Ed, thank you so much for letting us be part of your day, now can we go for some Chinese food soon?

not enough blueberries

2011-08-13T09:13:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, we went blueberry picking at Wilmot Orchards but we were only able to stay for a bit.

We ate as we picked but we got rained out soon after and barely picked half a bucket. That's too bad because the blueberries were far better than any we have bought from the store. Hopefully we can go back for some more, soon.

Happy weekend everyone!

gifted

2011-08-09T23:53:00.001-04:00

"It would be happier with you" my friend said.

I asked her many many times "are you sure?? are you SURE??"

Well, first I said "No! I can't take it!" but she insisted.

Being gifted a camera is a rare and beautiful thing, and I have a special fondness for the Lomo LC-A too. I borrowed it from Gabe some years ago and that was my first exposure to film photography. I was instantly in love.

I had always wanted an LC-A since then, but to have a friend drop my first love (in camera form) into my lap, well that is just my dream come true.

I am testing out my first roll right now. In the meantime, you can see my first LC-A photos here.

Thank you Yumiko! xo

Jaana & Tyler are engaged!

2011-08-05T11:45:00.001-04:00

This gorgeous pair was so easy to work with, they were really comfortable with each other even with a third wheel (me) around. You can tell they have known each other for quite some time.

Jaana & Tyler met when they were much younger at a skateboard park and they are going to have a beautiful wedding in the fall. Even though I really do not want this summer to end, I really can't wait for their wedding to come!

take it outside

2011-08-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

Instead of eating in restaurants, we have been seeking every opportunity to get food for take away and enjoying it in the park.

We did this yesterday for the first day of August, the last month of summer.

I can't believe it is August already guys.

(burger's from Burger's Priest. We have been obsessed with this place this summer!)

Lydia & Sam are engaged

2011-07-27T22:24:00.000-04:00

I have always been intrigued with the path people take to get to one another. I love hearing stories of how lovers made it to the point in their lives where their paths cross and how long time friends came to be.

As I work with my couples, the question of how they heard about me will always come up. Lydia found me through Nikole’s Sneak Peak feature I photographed for Design Sponge! The powers of the internet and its ability to bring people together never cease to amaze me!

I love the energy and enthusiasm Lydia & Sam have had about planning their wedding from the beginning. These two are always all smiles! I am super excited for their wedding coming up in a few weeks!

Kinfolk

2011-07-24T00:32:00.005-04:00

The cats gathered around as I opened this lovely package I received from Nathan in the mail. I think they sensed how excited I was to take a peak at the first issue of Kinfolk Magazine.

Nathan compiled an amazing group of people for the first issue; I have read all the articles, poured over every image and I am so inspired by each piece. Congratulations to everyone involved!

I was lucky to be part of the first issue in a small way. My photo of a house from our travels is placed at the end for farewell. I quite love it in that spot.

I spent the evening reading through the magazine with the cats sitting close by. I mentioned before that I never really had success getting Mea and Mojo in the same photograph together but for one reason or another, they both decided to sit with me that day. I loved that I was spending time with my cats while reading about time spent with yourself, or with loved ones.

before the sun sleeps

2011-07-17T13:32:00.000-04:00

It is so hot these days that we take cover inside and come out just before the sun is about to set. This is our favourite time of day to go for walks.

I think it is the neighbourhood cats favourite time too.

Have you seen the first issue of Kinfolk Magazine? So much beauty and so many people I admire in one book. It has really made me realize that I need to carve out some moments to spend quality time with the ones I love, especially in these busy times.

Like going on these evening walks with Jinny more often.

Kira + Ed are engaged

2011-07-13T01:04:00.000-04:00

When I first met Kira and Ed, the creative couple behind Studio 1:1, it was in a dark room at the Gladstone's Come Up To My Room show in January. They were showing their interactive installation of sparkly lights made from numerous fibre optic strands that created a magical effect. I knew they were a cool couple in our brief meeting in the dark.

Naturally, I was really excited when they asked if we could sit down to talk about photographing their upcoming wedding!

They are so fun and easy going and so adorable together. They made me laugh a lot on the morning of their engagement session! In the dark or in the light, Kira and Ed are perfect!

Kira and Ed actually got married a few weeks ago! Congratulations! I cannot wait to show you the photos from their wedding!

laundry

2011-07-07T22:17:00.001-04:00

A few days ago, I pinned an image that leads to a tutorial on how to make your own laundry detergent! I was so intrigued.

As I read the post, I was even more intrigued because it didn't sound like a difficult task at all. I was happy to find that I already had 2 out of 3 ingredients in my home. I couldn't find the soap they used (Fels-Naptha) but I read that Dove or Ivory soap would work as well.

I used it on a few loads of laundry already and I think it works! Mostly, I felt proud that I made something because I haven't made anything in a quite awhile!

You should try it!

How do you pick your strawberries?

2011-07-04T22:56:00.000-04:00

I am so happy we finally went strawberry picking over the weekend. Strawberry season is one of those things I look forward to every year.

I am also happy my parents came along with us because they were extremely amusing. My mom decided to pick her strawberries in the most peculiar way. She cut the stems with the nail clipper she keeps in her purse because she doesn't want to hurt the berries. I tried to explain to her that it doesn't hurt them to pick them by hand, but she was not convinced.

I just laughed.

The Details

2011-07-01T21:08:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments and emails for Melinda + Chris' wedding! They did such an incredible job of putting the whole event together. There were so many aspects I loved about their wedding, one of them is the fact that a lot of the vendors involved are people we really admire, and some are even our good friends.

The Venue : Thrush Holmes Empire
The Caterer : Audrey Demers
The Flowers : Coriander Girl
The Cakes : Nikole Herriott
The Hair/Makeup : Yumiko Caffrey
Melinda's Necklace : Odette NY
Chris’ Suit : Tiger, Sweden, Grreat Stuff, Toronto
Chris' Bowtie : Silver Fox, Cabaret, Toronto
Groomsmen's period costumes : Malabar!

Their wedding invitations were letterpressed in Tanya`s studio!

A lot of people loved Melinda's wedding dress and I am not sure if you know this or not, but along with all the other amazing things she made for the wedding, she made her own dress too! It was stunning to see in person!

If you would like to see more, pop over to Melinda's flickr, as she has loaded more photos from their wedding, here!

Today was one of those amazingly productive days for me but I am signing off for the weekend! Happy Canada Day! Fireworks is on the agenda this weekend!

Melinda + Chris: married!

2011-06-28T23:36:00.001-04:00

This is by far my biggest post, ever. I hope you don’t mind but I had such a hard choosing which photos to show from the wedding of two very special people to me, Melinda + Chris.

Two weeks prior to Melinda + Chris’ wedding, we watched the weather very closely because it kept saying thundershowers and rain. I am not very superstitious but it didn’t put me at ease that their wedding was on Friday the 13th.

But as you will see, the day came and everything turned out perfectly. The clouds parted just for Melinda + Chris, everyone kept dry, and everything about their wedding was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

I am not one for a lot of words so I will let the photos tell the story. I have to say this though, it was a perfect wedding. Melinda + Chris, Thank you for letting Gabe and I be part of it.

Angelune + Ian : favourites

2011-06-22T22:24:00.006-04:00

Angelune & Ian took me to some of their favourite spots around the city. First we went to High Park, no doubt one of the best parks in Toronto, especially in the spring. We dropped by for some coffee at the Mascot, their weekend morning hangout and we parted at their favourite alleyway. Toronto is full of so many cool alleyways!

I feel so lucky to get the chance to work with Angelune & Ian and I am so happy to finally show you some of my favourite shots from our day!

Angelune & Ian, you were both amazing! I really can't wait for your wedding in the fall!

summer makeover

2011-06-20T10:53:00.000-04:00

Goodmorning!

How was your weekend?

I got a little hair cut (more like a trim) on Friday and I already feel lighter, but I must say, Mea stole the stage for impressive summer looks in our house by far!

Even though the process of getting her hair cut was not so pleasant, I think she feels much happier now with her new do! I am starting to think we should do this every summer! What do you think Mea?

back to real life

2011-06-15T21:12:00.002-04:00

We eased back into our regular lives pretty easily thanks to Gabe and May who looked after the Mea and Mojo and our house while we were away. Knowing that the cats were well loved when we were not there really eased my mind. Thank you so much Gabe and May! What would we do without you??

It was the beginning of spring when we came back to Toronto so easing back into our lives consisted of biking around the city again, making friends with neighbourhood cats, spending much needed time with Mea and Mojo, and some girl brunch.

We also flew back just in time for the busy wedding season and I have some new work I cannot wait to show you!

And I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me share so many stories from our adventures in Hong Kong and Korea. This was more special to me than any other holiday we have ever taken. I have so many more stories I haven't told but I feel like it is time to get back to my daily routine here. Perhaps I will pull something out from the archives in the future.

One more story though. Almost everyone asked about the photo of the fish tied up with yellow string in my previous post. Jin said they are salted fish (I believe it is Yellow Croaker. Very delicious!) eaten as a side dish and he thinks you buy them by the strand at the market. A long time ago, they used to tie the fish using some sort of straw or twine, but this one is tied with yellow nylon string. They use nylon string for everything in asia!

colourful Seoul

2011-06-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

It is time to leave Korea and I wanted to leave you with colourful bits I noticed around the city. It was interesting to experience the differences between Hong Kong and Korea and I felt it through the people in the city and through our families most of all. I think I have a little better understanding of where Jin came from but he often tells me that the Seoul he grew up in is very different than the fast paced city it is today.

10 days barely scratched the surface of things to discover in Korea. Luckily, I am fairly confident I will come back here soon. I feel like a trip to Hong Kong will always be paired with Seoul in our future!

small gardens

2011-06-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

Even with limited space in the city, people seem to make an effort to have a small garden for themselves in Seoul. I loved seeing their carefully arranged gardens usually consisting of small potted plants. They make it look so good.

This has inspired me to do the same at home. I miss gardening so much.

I became an aunt

2011-06-02T19:30:00.001-04:00

If I learned one Korean word in Korea, it would be this one.

Wei Sungmo!!!! (that`s me!)

Meet my adorable little nephew and niece! Whenever I heard them call wei sungmo, I would look for Jin and demand for an instant translation on what they were saying to me!

I knew when I married Jin, I would automatically be an aunt as well, but it never became reality until we were in Korea. I have met my nephew before at our wedding (he was SO cute) but then I haven't seen him since.

Maybe I am a little biased, but I think they are the most adorable kids I have ever seen! And that last photo of my niece makes me laugh every time I look at it!

By The Sea

2011-05-30T23:40:00.000-04:00

Jin's sister's family and his parents took us away to Jeju-do for a weekend, which is an island just south of Korea. It was nice to get out of the city and see another part of the country.

When we got to the island, Jin's brother-in-law took all of us to see a rock that looked like the head of a dragon, but Jin found something far more interesting down by the waters edge.

Ever since we watched this video from Bizarre Foods, we put eating San Nachi (live baby octopus) high on our priority of things to eat in Korea. Jin has had this before when he was growing up but this was a totally new experience for me!

I know the idea of eating something while it is still alive is unsettling to some people, but in a culture that is fresh obsessed about their produce, this is really as fresh as it gets (in a civilized way).

Eating seafood caught by these ajummas, sitting right beside the ocean on these pink and turquoise plastic stools, washing our snack down with Soju, was definitely a highlight for me on Jeju-do.

street sweets

2011-05-25T21:28:00.000-04:00

Jin always talked about growing up with amazing street food in Seoul so we tried as many different types of street food we could find when we were there! I am sure it was a little trip down memory lane for him.

I really liked red bean pastries, and that waffle had four scoops of ice cream sandwiched inside! We had some weird street food too, by far the weirdest was the boiled silkworms in the last photo. They were sort of sweet, but mostly weird, but I had to try it!

Finding our way

2011-05-23T19:13:00.000-04:00

We landed in Seoul and we oriented ourselves to the new-to-us subway system. There are a lot more subway lines in Seoul than in Hong Kong! We were never quite sure how to get anywhere without staring at the map for at least 5 minutes!

But even if we got lost, there was always a lot of interesting things to eat in Seoul. In the end, eating well is all that matters to us when we travel.

Farewell Hong Kong

2011-05-20T00:10:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe I came from this place.

Hong Kong, you stole my heart in unexpected ways.

Farewell, but you will see me again soon.

(now, off to Seoul!)

Dim Sum Anyone?

2011-05-17T15:33:00.001-04:00

Of course we went to dim sum in Hong Kong! We went a few times with family, but on one of the mornings we had to ourselves, we made a special trip to this 50 year old establishment in Central for a taste of old Hong Kong.

My friend Ian told us about this place Lin Heung Tea House, and it is famous because it feels like what I imagine 1962 was like when you step inside. It was loud and crowded and you always had to watch behind you because you were blocking the lady with the dim sum cart – and she wants to pass you.

After circling the restaurant, we finally found two seats in a large round table shared by old men reading their daily news, not giving a second glance at Jin and I. I ran up to one of the cart ladies and came back with 5 dishes of dim sum, forgetting that it is only Jin and I eating all this!

I enjoyed that dim sum so much. The food and atmosphere felt authentic. This is the Hong Kong I imagine my parents grew up in.

Lin Heung Tea House: 160-164 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong 852-2544-4556

song birds

2011-05-14T16:42:00.000-04:00

I had an unexpectedly busy week away from the computer! I cannot wait to show you what I have I been up to in a little bit, but in the meantime, I'd like to continue to take you through our experiences in Hong Kong.

Jin and I spent a day going through the interesting market streets of Mong Kok. There is a 'goldfish street' and a 'flower street' where an entire street has stores dedicated to selling everything you need to start an aquarium or a garden. My favourite market street was 'Bird Street'. I loved looking at all the colourful song birds and the beautiful wooden birdcages. We were highly considering shipping one of these intricate birdcages home. Maybe we will on our next visit...

Bird Street is also where men come to show off their song birds to other bird owners. I never questioned why some men carried birds in cages around with them wherever they go, I just accepted it from a young age. I like that these men pamper and treasure their little song birds.

Antiques & Treasures

2011-05-08T15:23:00.000-04:00

Jin and I had some days to ourselves when my family was at work. On one of those days, we went to Hollywood Road in Central where there are some Chinese antique stores to see, and Man Mo temple. The inside of Man Mo temple was amazing. Unfortunately, they didn't allow any photos inside.

While the antique stores were interesting to see, I had more fun looking through the market stalls on Upper Lascar Row (aka Cat Street). These vendors carried items that were perfect as souvenirs because they were small and affordable. Some items were new, some were old, and some were just made to look old! It is a short pedestrian street, but every time I turned my head, there was something colourful that caught my eye.

visiting our ancestors

2011-05-04T07:08:00.001-04:00

My aunts brought us to pay our respects to my other grandfather and my great grandmother up in the mountains, not far away from the city. The sights truly blew me away.

My great grandmother rests in an older style cemetery where they all sit pretty close together and the headstones are all shaped this way. We asked someone to repaint the words on the stone as part of keeping her resting place clean.

This is one of my most favourite places we visited in Hong Kong. It was so peaceful there.

with my grandparents

2011-05-01T10:20:00.001-04:00

The first thing we did when we woke up in Hong Kong was visit my grandparents. My parents, cousins, uncles & aunts told me that they have gotten much older, and thought to myself, of course they have. But it doesn't really hit you until you see it for yourself.

I have always liked my grandfather. I remember him as a funny man and 20 years later, he still makes me laugh. He is such a good man. He is nearly 90 and he still takes care of everyone around him. Especially my grandmother who has changed the most because of her health condition. She struggles to do daily things like eating lunch, but he is patient with her every bite. As I watched this, the only thought going through my mind was 'this must be what true love looks like'.

We visited my grandparents a few times over our visit. He took Jin and I for a walk in the park. I love the photograph of my uncle and my grandfather gazing over the pond. Maybe it is because I spent time with them, but I think you can tell just by looking at them that they are father and son.

We're back!

2011-04-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

The past 3 weeks flew by for us and we are home already. Our trip was amazing in so many ways, but mostly in the family sort of way. Our little family here in Toronto seems so quiet compared to the ones we have in Hong Kong and Seoul, but lovely all the same.

Among the busy family visits, I still managed to take some photographs. I am excited to battle my jetlag, look through my photos, and hopefully show some to you soon.

In the meantime, I am going to take a cat nap. Hopefully I won't wake up until morning, Toronto time.

coming & going

2011-04-10T14:05:00.002-04:00

I love being at the airport. It is filled with people coming back with exciting stories to tell, and people going for adventures to be had.

It has been quiet around here because we are in Hong Kong at the moment taking in new sights and spending time with a lot of family! Hopefully we will come back with a lot of stories to tell.

See you in 3 weeks.

in front of the camera

2011-04-04T22:48:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago when there was still snow on the ground, Gabe, May and I went out for a little photo session where I was to be in front of the camera!

I was really nervous to have cameras pointing at me for once, but Gabe quickly made my jitters go away as I was totally at ease with him soon after we started. These are my favourites from that afternoon.

The first photo is one that May secretly snapped of me at the The Tampered Press (where they make a delicious chaider), and the second photo is by Gabe, which I am excited to make my portrait photo on my website!

You can see it here!

Thank you so much Gabe & May! I always love it whenever we get the chance to work together.

Also, I am so happy for Gabe as he recently started a blog for his photography! I look forward to see his upcoming work (which will be amazing, no doubt)!

preparations

2011-04-02T00:55:00.000-04:00

Things are a little hectic around here as we prepare for our trip to Hong Kong and Seoul. We are reading about these cities, packing provisions for power, and I have been getting my camera equipment ready.

I customized my camera strap by covering it with this polka-dotted fabric, and I looked to Karyn’s amazing tutorial for guidance!! I really look forward to taking photographs on this trip.

I had a hard time deciding on gifts for our relatives, but thank goodness for my mom. She said ginseng would be a great gift from Canada. Apparently, we grow really good ginseng here!

I am getting some really great tips for our trip (thank you)!! Particularly about Korea! I want to share with you some great resources on South Korea's current creative community.

Katie Merchant's Seoul City Guide (And Katie's blog is full of goodies about Seoul!)
WOWSAN - South Korean modern culture blog.
Seoulist - Bespoke lifestyle + Culture

We have so much to do before we go, but at the same time, it will feel like a lifetime away! I am so anxious to start this adventure!

girl brunch

2011-03-28T23:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I met up with Nikki, Melinda, Charlyn and Anabela for a really delicious brunch at Marben.

They sat us in the sunny booth, so even though it was a little chilly outside, we were really toasty inside. Maybe spring is finally on its way?

I was really impressed with the food. My bread pudding french toast might just be one of the best french toasts I have had in the city so far! Nikki and Charlyn ended brunch with a homemade ice cream sandwich. Wow. Those girls really know how to brunch!

keep warm

2011-03-24T23:12:00.000-04:00

Winter decided to come back again this week and it is too cold for my liking right now!
I am going to stay inside and keep warm with good food, good wine, and good friends.

Looking forward to spending some time with some friends this weekend before we leave.

Thank you so much for the Hong Kong and Korea tips so far! I am getting so excited!!

our next big adventure!

2011-03-23T14:41:00.001-04:00

My uncle makes me laugh. This is what he said to me in an email.
"...you can meet and chat with them and introduce your handsome half to us."

Of course, my handsome half is Jin :) and I can't wait to show him off!

In a few weeks, we are going to visit our families in Hong Kong and Korea. It will be the first time Jin will meet my relatives and it will be my first time seeing them in over 20 years. In a way, it feels like I am meeting them for the first time as well, but I know my grandparents are quite anxious to see me again. I am excited and nervous at the same time.

Jin and I have been reading some guidebooks on Korea and Hong Kong from the library. It was funny that they only had one guidebook on Hong Kong, but quite a few on Korea and Seoul. Thank goodness we have the internet!

I have been looking forward to this trip for years, mostly to visit my grandparents, but I am also super excited to see where Jin grew up in Seoul! It will be quite the adventure!

If you have any suggestions for us on places you think we would like to do or see in Hong Kong or Seoul, please send them along!

Polyhedron

2011-03-20T12:08:00.003-04:00

Look at this giveaway I won from Caitlyn of Lemonade! I have been loving faceted geometric shapes lately and the colours she chose goes so well together! I love her style, and if you are lucky enough to know Caitlyn in person, you'll agree that she is one of the cutest girls you'll ever know. I am so happy I have this necklace! Thank you so much Caitlyn!

I always get a little nervous when showing my work for others. Your extremely kind comments always make me feel silly that I even worried! So, thank you for your kind words on my last post, from the bottom of my heart.

Is today the first day of spring? Well, if it is, happy first day of spring! I am going to try to make this for dinner today! It looks so good!

Some outtakes

2011-03-16T15:14:00.000-04:00

Remember that little project I was working on with Nikole? Well, I am excited to finally show you our results!

Nikole styled a cozy winter scene of minty green and hot chocolate. We shot this on a perfect winter day where a fresh blanket of snow fell down, just for us. Even though at this time of year, I do not wish for snow to come again, these sorts of winter days are some of my favourite kind of days. Sipping some hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows from Nikole makes it perfect.

These are some outtakes from our shoot. As always, I really enjoyed collaborating with Nikole, and I really enjoyed taking her portrait. This was for Oh Joy’s beautiful closet & casa series, and you can see Nikole’s closet & casa here.

brunching often

2011-03-13T18:29:00.001-04:00

These past few weekends, I have been brunching here and there, but this weekend, I found myself brunching on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday was with Yukiko at Mildred's. A favourite of mine.
Sunday, I caught up with some lovely university friends, Sacha and Agata. We went to the Kensington Cornerstone which is new to me and I quite like it.

I think I am taking in as much brunch time with friends as I can before the wedding season starts.

If you haven't seen this already, Gabe and May ranked their top 10 brunch spots in Toronto! I love how Toronto is such a brunch loving city.

boy time

2011-03-09T23:43:00.003-05:00

When Jinny sits down to do some work on the computer, Mojo will climb on his desk and sit right in front of him, just like so.

He likes to be the centre of attention, and I suspect Jinny doesn't mind giving it to him.

He is such a sweet boy.

as if it was for me

2011-03-06T19:36:00.001-05:00

Tanya printed these cards for the PAL-SAC social letter writing night last week and I was very excited to pick one up.

I joke to Tanya that these were made, just for me.

That yellow burst makes me so happy!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I can't believe it is over already!

magic in the night

2011-02-28T13:03:00.002-05:00

Even though it was already midnight, Jinny managed to get me to strap on my boots to go for a walk with him on Saturday night.

It was calm, warm, and snowing in big fluffy chunks.

In other words, it was magical.

Jinny always knows what’s best, I am so glad that he convinced me to go for that walk.

to keep us going

2011-02-26T11:00:00.002-05:00

I was working on a little project with Nikole and I don't know about you, but when I am hard at work, I get really hungry. Snacking is a must.

A snack Nikole put together on the fly. Rice cakes with cheese melted on top. Yum.
And we had purple smoothies a little later.

Can't wait to show you what we worked on. I am quite happy with the results.

sweet girl

2011-02-23T23:06:00.000-05:00

Watch out Mea! There is someone behind you!

Mea loves sitting in that ratty old box, and Mojo always claims his spot on the bed.

I can never get the two of them in the same picture, but this is pretty close.

A day in Hamilton

2011-02-19T13:34:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday, Karyn, Andrew, Rosalyn, Jin and I packed ourselves in our cars and drove to Hamilton for some homemade brunch goodness at Jen & Kyle's. It was pure deliciousness! Karyn snapped some shots from our fantastic brunch here, and you can see snippets of their super charming home too!

Jin & I got a little tour of Hamilton and I was really impressed with James St. and all the beautiful old buildings that have retained so much of their character.

We spent a lot of time in the newly renovated farmer's market and library because it was so beautiful inside! We were already really full from the amazing brunch, but we had to get some cookies from the cookie stall that had every cookie ever invented.

We met Hollie from White Elephant Vintage while at the market, but we didn't make it to their store that day. I was a little sad, but I know we will be back when it gets a little warmer.

Thanks for an amazing day Jen & Kyle!

showered with hearts

2011-02-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

These heart sightings made me giddy today!

Hope you had a lovely Valentines Day.

1.heart blossoms in Trinity Bellwoods Park 2.heart shower in Rosalyn's home

trunk show goods

2011-02-13T19:37:00.002-05:00

The Love and Rummage 3 Trunk Show happened last Sunday at The Workroom and these are the wonderful things I brought home.

Mini Meow tote with art by Sonja Ahlers from Fieldguided
Birdy heart pin by Bookhou
Vintage stamps from Send More Mail
Hello postcards from DEADWEIGHT

I also got some flowers from Coriander Girl that I gave to Jin's mom after the show! They were beautiful!

I took some photos at the Trunk Show for Toronto Craft Alert. Go see them here!

Jamie Lawson

2011-02-09T18:26:00.000-05:00

It has been an exciting past couple of days! The response to the launch of the site has just been incredible! Thank you so much for your visits, tweets and repostings of the site! The support and love from you is making my heart pitter patter.

Thank you for all the wonderful compliments on my new logo, I really love it too! Good typography is something I admire, but designing a logo I would be happy with is beyond my limits. I knew I had to leave that portion to a professional. Jen Hsieh introduced me to Jamie Lawson, who is an extremely talented artist, and does wonders with logos! He was amazing to work with, check out the different versions he made for my logo, here.

When I first showed my new logo to some friends a couple of months ago, the first thing they said was “It is very Celine”, and I loved the sound of that. I am not quite sure what “very Celine” means, but I can only conclude that Jamie managed to capture me in typography, perfectly.

I was really excited get my new logo on business cards. I will keep a few in my wallet at all times and I will have to practice saying “here, take my card!”.

Sam at Paper Ideas helped me get my cards printed on linen paper and raised ink. I love it!

Celine does weddings!

2011-02-07T11:11:00.002-05:00

I have been working towards a website for a couple of months, and the day has finally come that I can finally show it to you! With the help and hard work of a lot of incredibly talented people, I am proud to announce the launch of my wedding photography website!

www.celinekim.com

I couldn't have done this without my talented web designer and good friend, Elaine Stam! It was so nice to work with someone who understood what I wanted and was able to execute it! When it comes to building a website, I have almost no understanding of the mechanics behind it. Thank you so much Elaine! You taught me a lot, and you are a dream to work with!

I am really pleased with the results, I hope you are too!

There may be a few small glitches here and there as we are still troubleshooting it. I know for sure that it works well on Firefox and Chrome browsers! Thank you!

special delivery

2011-02-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

Some goodies arrived in my mailbox.

A really sweet typewritten letter from Jaime that she typed on delicate pink tissue paper. It looks like a ghost letter in my hands.

I am excited to see Jaime's trunk, and the other amazing vendors at the workroom's Love & Rummage Show this Sunday!

We received Chris & Melinda's beautiful wedding invitation in the mail! They pressed it in Tanya's letterpress studio and they are full of sweet details! Melinda hand lettered everybody's address on the envelope and lined it with floral paper that compliment the invitations perfectly! I will be photographing their wedding this spring and I am so happy that Jinny will be part of their wedding too!

I have been getting a lot of wonderful emails from you in my mailbox lately too! Thank you for stopping by to say hello on the blog, and through email! I have been working on a couple of things over the last couple of months and I am excited to be able to finally show you next week!

But this week, I started a page on facebook! Thank you for everyone who has already 'liked' it. Your support means everything to me.

I am going to be celebrating the Lunar New Year with my family this weekend. Happy weekend, and year of the Rabbit to everyone!

sunday art

2011-01-31T23:55:00.002-05:00

It was pretty cold this weekend, but we managed to get out a little bit to see some art.
We went to Come Up To My Room with Gabe and May, and these are some of the amazing things we saw.

We bumped into a lot of familiar faces (Charlyn was one of them!), it is nice to know that the cold doesn't stop people from enjoying the city!

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Holly did a little interview on me recently. Thanks for having me Holly!

through the glass

2011-01-29T21:32:00.002-05:00

I walk by store windows everyday and I always peer inside to see if there is anything new. Something pretty and shiny always catches my eye, making it hard to resist the temptation to buy it.

Looking through the glass, I always catch my reflection in the window. Sarah Rhoads wrote a post on self portraits last year that has made me think of pictures of myself in a different light. She pointed out that artists of all mediums have always created self portraits, not out of vanity, but to find a better grasp on their identities.

This might be something I will consciously try this year, maybe I will find something about myself that I never knew before.

today

2011-01-25T21:39:00.001-05:00

Nikole left something at my house the other day and today was a perfect day for her to get it. Why not get it over some lunch I said?

We met at swan, they always have great food. It was so nice to see her on a whim that I thought, maybe she should leave more things at my house so that we can make excuses to have little lunches like this more often.

That would be nice.

surprisingly colourful

2011-01-21T15:00:00.001-05:00

When the sun isn't shining, it allows for other things to shine.

I love neon lights, they look amazing at night.

I still look forward to longer days ahead, but in the meantime, my eyes look to the bright and colourful at night.

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I joined twitter! Ha! finally!

And thank you for all the celebratory congratulations on my little blog turning 2! Time really does fly when you are having fun! Thank you for sharing that fun with me!

In the night

2011-01-18T23:46:00.000-05:00

It is still cold and dark out there, so we have been staying inside with friends (where it is cozy).

Things have been a little busy here, I just realized that this blog turns 2 today! Wow!

To all the friends I have made here, thank you so much for an amazing 2 years.

Keep warm!

the weekend

2011-01-14T19:17:00.000-05:00

Eggs in ham cups. This might just be a new weekend favourite.

TGIF.

Happy weekend, friends!

social letter writing

2011-01-12T23:56:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, I do manage to get out of the house on cold days. Cold nights even.

Monday night was very cold, but it didn't stop Jaime and I from going to a letter-writing social activity club (PAL-SAC)! I used to write a lot of letters to my friends, but it has been hard to find the time to do it these days. When Jaime mentioned this event, I knew I wanted to go!

It was held at the adorable Naco Gallery Cafe, and they still had their Christmas decorations up (which I loved, because I am a little sad the the holidays are over). I managed to write one letter to my good friend in Norway, and then Jaime and I just chatted the night away.

The next one is on January 24th, and you can pay-what-you-can for really adorable stationary. Writing on good stationary is half the fun of writing letters!

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Some of you asked how to make Chai tea from scratch, and Melinda posted a good recipe here!

It is so good!

a cozy drink

2011-01-08T20:09:00.002-05:00

We woke up to a winter wonderland. Snow finally came to Toronto and it was beautiful outside. I had every intention on going out to enjoy it, but laziness came over me.

Instead, we stayed in our pyjamas, I made us a huge pot of chai, and kept warm inside.
Maybe I will venture outside tomorrow.

(lovely wooden spoons are from herriott grace)

that was yesterday, this is today

2011-01-06T23:00:00.003-05:00

I am really excited for this year for a lot of reasons, but particularly for photography. The year has just started and I feel extremely fortunate (and so excited!) to have some really interesting projects on the horizon!

I am not sure if it is like this all over Canada, but I feel like the weather in Ontario is ever changing. I could walk outside in the morning and it is bright, calm and warm, and come back in the evening cold and drenched from horizontal rain (my least favourite kind of rain). I am going to be depending on the weather more and more, and this is what I use to anticipate it a bit better. The Farmer’s Almanac! It predicts the weather by chunks of 4 to 5 days through the entire year based on where you are located.

I don’t use it too often because I am aware that it is not 100% accurate, but this is what we used to determine the date for our wedding (because I really wanted an outdoor wedding) and for some other important events, and it hasn’t failed me yet! I will be sure to check the almanac with the outdoor weddings I have this year, just for my own interest.

I know it can be risky to plan an outdoor wedding in Ontario, I suggest any future brides to give this a try (or anyone planning anything outdoors!).

Thank you everyone for your sweet words and kind e-mails for New Years. 2011 is starting off really sweet because of you!

What I Learned

2010-12-31T10:22:00.000-05:00

Some things I realized this year:

1. I realized not to over think things, and to just do it. Do what you love or what you think you love, and show it to everyone. Only good things will come of it. I promise you.

2. I like to plan for things because that is how goals are made. But now, I also look forward to the possibility that something better could change my plan along the way.

3. If holding a camera specifically taught me anything this year, Henri Cartier-Bresson said it best.

“You just have to live and life will give you pictures.”

4. I learned this year that I really love sparkles and confetti. (and even better, sparkly confetti!)

I have been at this blog for almost 2 years, and I cannot thank you enough for welcoming me into this beautiful, warm and inspiring community of friends. Your support and constant encouraging words have been invaluable to me. Thank you for letting me share a little bit of my world with you.

2010 was full of surprises for me, and I cannot wait for what is in store in 2011!

(The pictures of me are taken by Jinny!)

Happy! New! Year! Friends!

a holiday picnic

2010-12-28T15:12:00.006-05:00

One of my favourite things about the holidays is gathering with friends and family that come home from far far away. Yesterday, we had friends over for a potluck dinner, and not having a dining table big enough to fit all of us, we set up a picnic in our spare room with lots of candles.

There was plenty of delicious food and plenty to drink. At the end of dinner, we just stretched out on the floor with our very happy tummies. It was perfect.

As part of Jin's Christmas present, I also got him Japanese whisky to try. He is always looking to try new whisky and he normally gets the ones from Scotland. I was happy that he likes this one from Japan, and so did all of my whisky drinking friends. Some of you asked what whisky stones are for. They keep your whisky cold without diluting your drink. You keep them stored in your freezer. A true scotch on the rocks!

scenes from a Christmas morning

2010-12-25T13:48:00.004-05:00

We woke up to our first Christmas in this home. We spoiled Mea and Mojo with treats again, and tried to get Mojo to do some ninja moves. This is something we need more practice on. He can usually jump quite high, but he might be camera shy today.

We opened the gifts under the tree, and the cats came to play with the string. Some presents I gave Jin were juggling balls, a remote controlled helicopter, and whisky stones to enjoy with his scotch.

We are off to see family for the rest of the day, I just wanted to drop in and say that I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

xoxo

new ornaments & new friends

2010-12-21T01:28:00.000-05:00

As promised, I wanted to show you the ornaments I got at Bookhou. I allow myself to buy one ornament a year so that we will have a slow growing, and well thought out collection of Christmas ornaments over the years. This year, I bought two, to make up for not buying one last year! It was hard to pick from all the lovely handmade ornaments, but I finally chose the adorable ball-cat from Tai Kim, and the intricately embroidered ornament from Emily Hamill.

Last Wednesday was Mjolk's first birthday (hooray!)! To celebrate, they were giving out these amazing Moomin cookies made by Lindsey Bakes. I managed to get my hands on these two little guys, but you can see all of them here! I wish I had all of them!

I am so happy you all love our tiny little Christmas tree! You have convinced me to put it up again next year!

oh christmas tree

2010-12-15T00:23:00.001-05:00

We haven't put up our Christmas tree in 2 years because we moved into this house two days after Christmas last year. It just made sense to keep the tree in the box.

I forgot how small it was!

I would like to try to get a real tree next year. A small one. But I still love how this one sparkles!

christmas ornaments

2010-12-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

I had the most lovely day on Saturday with Yukiko. We didn't get a chance to see each other all summer so we have been making up for lost time this winter.

We dropped in at the Ornament Group Show at Bookhou. It was so good to see Arounna, John and Lliam and Piper again! We arrived before the show started, which meant that we were able to have Lliam's ginger bread angels while they were still warm. Delicious!

I will show you the beautiful ornaments I got for our tree at the show, soon.

I hope your weekend was nice. The Christmas season is in full swing, and I am really enjoying it this year.

dinner guest

2010-12-08T23:58:00.000-05:00

Gabe and May invited me over for some pasta, but I didn't know we had to make it from scratch!

Gabe just got a pasta maker, and he was excited to try it out.

We made ravioli stuffed with ricotta, mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes. It was so delicious that I forgot to take a photo of it after it was cooked! Thanks guys, it was fun!

Gabe and May made Lobster Ravioli too!

cake & treats for breakfast

2010-12-05T16:28:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Juli and John came over for dinner and now we have chocolate cake leftovers, which I ate guiltily for breakfast this morning.

Mea & Mojo had treats for breakfast. They ate that guilt free I am sure.

Happy Sunday!

(The chocolate cake is from Saucier Foods, it was really delicious!)

The last one of the year

2010-12-02T12:48:00.000-05:00

Remember this beautiful couple?

I asked Claudia if I could come along to Daniela & Sal’s wedding to help and observe. I sort of asked last minute, but everyone made me feel so warm and welcome! I met and hung out with Gee, who is such a talented photographer and was second shooting for the day.Watching Claudia and Gee work together was such a treat! And I was delighted to have the chance to see Daniela & Sal again, and to be part of their wedding. Thank you everyone for an amazing day!

These are some of my shots from their wedding. Don’t Daniela & Sal look like they came straight out of a wedding magazine? So beautiful! Go see Claudia’s post to see more photos from their wedding.

This was my first wedding with Claudia, and my last wedding of the year. 2010 was amazing, and I anxiously wait to see what 2011 will bring!

But there is still one more month left of 2010, I cannot believe it is December already!

Kate + Matt are getting married

2010-11-24T12:58:00.004-05:00

When they make each other smile, I can see why they are perfect together. Like how peanut butter is perfect with jelly.

They met, they fell in love, and I get to capture their day of love next summer.

I am so excited to finally show you some shots of this engagement session I did a few weeks ago! Hanging out with Kate + Matt early on a beautiful fall morning was just the thing I needed to get me outside.

I love any photo with confetti, but I didn’t account for wind that day, and when Kate and Matt threw the confetti up in the air, the wind swept it up to the sky! It was funny, and I love the laughter in that photo.

Thank you Kate and Matt, for frolicking with me in the park and for being so enthusiastic about wearing a thin dress on a chilly morning! I love that you are so into the photo process!

Iron

2010-11-21T17:52:00.001-05:00

I was hanging out with Jen and Rosalyn a little while ago, and for some reason, we were talking about how we all needed more Iron in our diet. When I stumbled on a recipe for beet muffins, it reminded me of that conversation. Among many of the good things beets contain, one of them is Iron!

I don't know why I love beets so much. I love its colour, and I love it's sweet flavour in salads, or just roasted on its own. But I never had it in baking before!

These are chocolate beet muffins, and to be honest, I don't really taste any beet flavour. To me, it just added a beautiful deep tinge of red to the muffin, and hopefully I am getting some iron in me too!