just the little things

the good life

On my drive home after dinner last night with an extraordinary bulging stomach, it dawned on me how thankful I am for this upcoming year of life. For the past 2 months, I dreaded my birthday and the thought of turning another year older. Along the way, I must have vocalized it enough or my friends and family are that much more keen on how I'm feeling because there was an outpour of love I felt yesterday! From texts to phone calls (my parents sang happy birthday to me from Korea!) to emails and messages, friends from near and very far reminded me that they were thinking of me on this unimportant day in most lives. 

For the past month, I've been drafting a bucket list of things I want to do in my new year of life. I figure, why wait until January 1 when I can just start it now. Maybe I'll have a better chance of following through on some of my resolutions if I start it now. There's no real rhyme or reason, but I thought I'd make some goals and see if I can accomplish them! So here goes!

1. RUN
      a 15k | cheating on this one bc I already signed up for an upcoming one in Nov. Exercise!

2. TRY
      new things, especially foods that I normally have an aversion towards.
      things on my own – eat a restaurant, visit a museum, maybe take a trip?
      a pin that's on my PINTEREST board on a weekly basis | share what works and what doesn't!

3. WRITE
      handwritten notes: birthday cards, thank you notes, just because, thinking of you notes. [I know snail
       mail is nearly dead, but I love getting a piece of handwritten mail!]

4. LEARN
      something new – like a language or how to change the oil on my car (I would probably never do this,
       but it might be nice to know?)

5. COOK
      delicious meals at least once a week

6. VOLUNTEER
      more because so many causes could use an extra hand. [more on this to come]

7. BE
      spontaneous...

8. SEW
      something... anything.

9. CRAFT
      & use up some of my gajillion craft supplies

10. READ
      one book a month.

And I've already started. The photo above is from dinner last night and I tried raw oysters! I think my face says it all, but at least I tried!

Here's to another amazing year of life! Like the One Republic song says:

Oh, this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

may day

I cannot believe that May is already here! As promised, I'm going to post daily. Granted, most of these posts will be simple and just things that I've bookmarked in the past, but hopefully so habits will form and I'll post some photos from my DC trip as well as wedding/party inspirations in the midst of research!

To kick us off, I bookmarked this image months ago. I just thought it was SO clever to use clothespins to showcase an invitation. *Note, it's probably best to use really heavy notecard and an invitation that isn't too tall so that your base is secure. And, if in doubt, I would definitely position a vase of some sort behind it in case it does need some extra support.

And really, how adorable is the rest of the shower? I'd love to be a guest!

canvas backdrops

Oh the possibilities…so many options for this canvas backdrop via Better Homes and Gardens! A nice wall decoration (especially if you live somewhere where you can’t actually paint the walls!).

How about for a makeshift photobooth as a backdrop at your next party?
 

Or a background table display like Amy Atlas?
 

Or you could pin your place cards to this and then ask guests to leave a wishful note in it’s place!

I used to think that Better Homes and Gardens were for old grandmas… boy, was I wrong!

1. BHG 2. Ruffled Blog 3. Amy Atlas 4. La Me Photography

groupon: Magnolia Photo Booth

If you're planning any sort of event in the next year and have some flexibility, you may want to snag this side Groupon today for the Magnolia Photo Booth. They have such a fun vintage appeal and have great pictures for you and your guests to take home! But hurray, groupon deals are only available on the same day they are offered!

 

penelope’s first birthday

Penny’s parents wanted a mix of tradition + contemporary and here’s what we came up with! Happy birthday, little lady!

 

 

Venue: Optima Party Room
Photographer: Resolved Photography
Food: Catered via Korean grocery stores
Dduk: 80million + NakWon
Decor: Just the Little Things

*Dohl towers are available to rent. Feel free to contact us for rates + details.

sweet packages

Packages tied up with ribbon and a label double up to make a cute party favor as well as decor for your next event!

 

Contact us if you are interested in our packaging services!

penelope’s first birthday!

sneak peek of the event from this past weekend…

mia

I’ve been a little busy with a few parties! Here’s a little teaser of what’s to come... {after I catch up on some sleep + major house cleaning!}

pom-poms

I fell in love with these pom poms and thought I would make some for a quaint birthday party at the end of January.

I used styrofoam balls and pinned in a looped ribbon to create a little hook. I must say, these take a lot longer than you would think… about 30-45 min each? From the time it takes to cut the circles, glue gun them into a quarter, and then glue them to the actual ball. There were some minor casualties, but in the end, voila! It took a few days, but I was in good company with NCIS.

happy first birthday auggie!

Back in early July, Auggie celebrated his first birthday [dohl] and I had the pleasure of some of the setup for his special event!

Just a bit of background information: Koreans believe that you can ‘predestine’ your future. Parents will line up a few objects and whatever object the child chooses, is his/her destiny. Here are some of the traditional items:

thread: a long life
jujube: many children
book, pencil, brush: scholar
ruler: talented with hands
money or rice: wealth

Nowadays, many parents add in modern items such as a golf club or a microphone.

I’ll have to find my pictures from my first birthday and post those up sometime!