Three years have flown by since the day I waltzed down the aisle and married my favorite guy. Surrounded by our closest friends and family on that mountaintop in the middle of the ocean, I could only describe that moment as perfection. I truly thought life couldn't get any sweeter. Little did I know, it was just the beginning. 

We have come such a long way and flourished together in this marriage. It just keeps getting better, and I am so excited about all the things we have to look forward to.

The memory of my father's speech that evening is one that I hold close to my heart. Every time I revisit these words, I feel deeply encouraged, blessed, and loved.

       "Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking a long trip to witness Jenn and Chris exchanging vows, and to share the joy of their families. This is a happy moment, a moment to celebrate, a moment to reflect, a moment to look forward to the future, and most importantly, a moment to thank our Lord, who has been loving and watching us all the way.

       With my eyes closed, I vividly remember the first time I saw you, Jenn, a newborn baby girl in the hospital. Your first cries were really a beautiful song in my ear. Mom had experienced physical problems while carrying you, and doctors and friends advised us to terminate mom’s pregnancy for her health. But we decided to keep you, with our trust in the Lord.  It was indeed a prayer answered to see you born as a healthy baby. This was a humbling experience to us. I always view you and Tim as precious gifts from God. So, Jenn, let’s continue to trust in Him in whatever circumstances.

       Jenn, you are a happy girl. You always have a way to entertain yourself. You also bring joy to us and many people. I believe that’s why you decided to be a cheerleader in high school. This cheerful character is a precious gift from God. So, keep being a cheerleader of life! 

       Jenn, you are also very adventurous. We had to always keep an eye on you when we took you to the beach when you were a child. You were so curious in exploring new things and easily wandered away. Being adventurous in new experiences can bring you richness in life, if you put yourself in God’s hands.  The Bible tells us to be constantly transformed by the renewing of our mind, to test and approve what God’s will is in our lives.

       Jenn, you are also very artistic, always having fun making things pretty and enjoyable. So, Jenn, continue to exercise your gift and make your life together with Chris a beautiful art piece in God’s eye.

       Chris, I believe God must have bestowed special grace upon you to make you such an upright young man. We have liked you since the moment you called us asking our permission to date Jenn. Your phone call showed you were honest, sincere, responsible, and respectful to us. Over the years, as we have come to know more and more about you, we've realized you are indeed a young man with great integrity, and a lot of fun. We love hanging out with you, talking about our faith, or watching a Lakers game together. Chris, our new son, although we don't have memories of your childhood, we do look forward to building precious memories together with you and Jenn in the future.

       Chris and Jenn, we like the idea of having your wedding ceremony in a garden, because the first wedding in the world was in a garden, too. Besides, you know I like gardens and gardening. This garden is really a beautiful place, isn’t it? Did this garden become so beautiful by itself? Of course not! Surely it takes planning, cultivating, fertilizing, weeding, and depesting to create and maintain a beautiful garden.

       Keeping a happy marriage is very much like maintaining a beautiful garden. God has started the garden for you, and now, both of you, Chris and Jenn, are the co-gardeners; it might take sweat and tears, but with a humble heart to learn the lessons of loving and forgiving, your garden can be more beautiful than this one.

       May God bless your new life together, and may your marriage be a blessing to many others.

       Ladies and Gentlemen, once again, thank you for your love and friendship with this new couple. Let’s toast!"

Digital media and Web resources such as Pinterest have revolutionized the way we collect, archive, and share our ideas. Call me old fashioned, but I still appreciate having a physical spot to gather snippets of my favorite things in life, as well as inspiration for personal projects.

I'd been admiring some gorgeous linen pinboards from Restoration Hardware, Horchow, and Pottery Barn for quite some time, but their outrageous price tags had kept me at bay. After stalking them for months without encountering any decent promotions, I decided to roll up my sleeves and make my own. Here's how it all went down!

Since l had a rather large pinboard in mind, I needed a lightweight foundation that could easily be mounted and secured to the wall over my desk. I scored a jumbo 36" x 48" gallery wrapped canvas at Michaels, which was a steal at 40% off (Hooray for couponing!), along with two cork rolls, tacky glue, and some D-ring hardware.

I picked up a yard and a half of écru linen at Mood. I absolutely adore the clean look of raw, unbleached linen - it creates a classic and perfectly neutral backdrop for the assortment of elements that will eventually be pinned to this board.

With the canvas placed facedown on the floor, I started by gluing the cork to its backside. I chose tacky glue as my adhesive since it offers a gummy bond after it dries and will accomodate pushpins nicely. It's like wallpapering - make sure you get an even layer of glue, match up your lines, and press down. Tacky glue is pretty forgiving, so if you need to make any adjustments, all you have to do is gently peel the cork up, reposition, and press.

I used a bunch of heavy books (and a puppy) to keep the cork anchored flat as the glue dried for two hours.

After ironing all the wrinkles out of the linen (Thank you, Chris!!), I laid the canvas on top of the fabric and traced/cut a 3" margin around the perimeter. Next, using the fabric's straight edge to ensure that its weave lines were aligned at the borders, I carefully wrapped and stapled the linen around the wooden frame. I opted to reverse the usual "hospital bed" tucking at the joints to create streamlined, yet interesting corners.

Lastly, I attached hanging hardware to the wooden frame. I used three D-ring hangers in order to support the colossal size of my board. Smaller boards would probably only require two hangers.

Voilà! I now have a lovely & splendidly enormous pinboard! I can't wait to dress it up with beautiful mementos, swatches, and muses. This was an incredibly simple project, and I'd highly recommend it for anybody looking to add a some affordable and functional flair to their walls.

First off, let me preface this post by stating how much I loathe job searches. I hate writing cover letters, editing resumes, interview anxiety, waiting by the phone like a schoolgirl, and most of all... the way I tend to overanalyze and second-guess everything I say and do throughout the entire process. It is utterly exhausting! I'd been contemplating career moves for over a year, and kept procrastinating for these exact reasons. However, I knew that taking risks was necessary in order to further my professional and personal growth, and finally started making moves about a month ago.

It's been a challenging process, but over weeks of stress, deliberation, and sleepless nights, I've learned to identify and overcome many things that used to scare me and hold me back (which mainly revolve around my fear of change, mistakes, failure, and rejection). I learned to force myself to see the positive and not just the negative in each situation, and to allow myself to believe in possibilities instead of instantly shooting them down in order to shield myself from potential disappointment. I learned to take discouragement and turn it into motivation. Most importantly, I learned to be kinder to myself and to stay true to my gifts, talents, and dreams.

It was all worth it! I just accepted a job offer at an amazing company that I never even dreamt of working at prior to this journey. Praise the Lord! I am over the moon and super excited for this new opportunity. It feels pretty surreal, but I have a feeling it's going to be incredible.

Throughout this process, my family and friends have been overwhelmingly generous with their cheer and encouragement, and it has meant the world to me. I am especially thankful for my husband, who has been unfaltering in his faith, love, and support along the way. He's just so wonderful.

Anyway, I've really missed blogging! This site actually played a role in helping me land my interview, and I am really looking forward to sharing all the exciting things that are headed our way. More later!

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of madness at work. I'm so glad I finally have a chance to share this recipe with you! Crème brûlée has always been one of my favorite desserts. I just love cracking that sugary top with the back of my spoon to get to the creamy goodness inside. Yum!

I decided to make crème brûlée this year as my Valentine's treat for Chris. For a creative and romantic twist, I tried infusing lavender into the cream. It was a hit! The subtle floral flavor balanced well with the richness of the custard. Crème brûlée is surprisingly easy to make, and I can't wait to give rose, jasmine, chrysanthemum, and violet a whirl sometime.

Lavender Crème Brûlée

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure organic vanilla extract  
8 egg yolks
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a saucepan, combine and heat the cream, vanilla extract, salt, and lavender over moderate heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to simmer. 

Remove pan from heat and let the mixture sit at room temperature for about an hour. This gives the lavender flavor extra time to steep into the cream. Isn't this so pretty? :)

Reheat the infused cream to a low simmer, then remove from heat once again.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together into a slightly thickened mixture. Add this to the hot cream while whisking to mix completely. Make sure you pour slowly and mix evenly, to avoid making egg drop soup!!

Strain the custard mix through a fine sieve into a spouted bowl. Skim off any floating bubbles.

Fill six ramekins with the custard mix. Place them in a shallow roasting/baking pan, and add hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Tent the pan with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes. 

Remove the ramekins and allow them to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered until thoroughly chilled.

Dust the top with a thin, even layer of granulated white or turbinado sugar.

Calling all pyromaniacs- here's the fun part! Using a kitchen blowtorch, heat the sugar until it liquefies, bubbles, and browns. You can see Chris going to town with the torch here.

Allow the top to cool to a crisp, glossy coating. Sprinkle some loose flowers on top of you'd like an extra hint of flavor. Enjoy!

Congratulations to my dear friend Judy, who just gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl! Hooray!!

Judy is one of those friends who offers a constant source of encouragement. As neighbors, we often bump into each other on the train, and she is always a sight for sore eyes at the end of a long day. Her smile and optimism are seriously contagious. And how amazing did she look at 9 months?! This lady is beautiful inside and out. I am so blessed to have her in my life, and I know she is going to be a spectacular mother!

I had the fortunate chance to spend a quiet afternoon with Judy at her apartment last Sunday. With baby girl arriving at any moment, we both knew that times like these would be rare and precious. Like true girly girls, we chatted while playing with bags, jewelry, and makeup. I brought my camera along and snapped a few moments. Here's a peek into our afternoon, and a few words from Judy~

"My vanity is from West Elm, and it was the first piece of furniture I had picked out when Simon and I got married over 4 years ago. I wanted it to be sleek and convertible. When I flip the mirror down, this vanity turns into a regular desk, which is convenient."



"I love having a vanity because I love getting all dolled-up for a special occasion, and the vanity is where I can make that happen. But on a daily basis, I spend less than 5 minutes in front of it getting ready for work, because I am always running late! My daily routine is all about time efficiency - Blow dry and style my hair, moisturize, and lay on a light touch of foundation... then I am out the door in less than 15 minutes!"

Judy's Top 5 Beauty Must-Haves:

 1. Yves Saint Laurent Radiant Touch "Touche Éclat" Highlighter Pen - "I get this one shade lighter than my skin color and use it as an under-eye concealer, which instantly hides dark circles. It also works great under the brow bone."

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet

As a sentimentalist, I jump at pretty much any opportunity to get mushy, and February 14th is no exception. Chris and I have an ongoing tradition of cooking together at home on Valentine's Day. We surprise each other with new recipes each year - he's in charge of dinner, and I always take care of dessert. We've encountered lobster attacks, burnt fingers, and lots of rock-hard cookies over the past 6 years. Surprisingly, it's those simple and genuine moments that I cherish the most. Love doesn't have to be perfect. You just need to share it.

Do you have any good V-day stories to share? How do you define/celebrate romance?

According to Chinese tradition (and Wikipedia), 2012 marks the year of the Dragon. Dragons are known to symbolize strength, boldness, determination, and prosperity. They are also the only mythical creatures in the Chinese zodiac family! Let's make this an extraordinary year, fueled with ambition, courage, perseverance, and boundless imagination. Happy Chinese New Year! :)

I don't currently see anything on the site that I'm ready to purchase, but with new art being added every week, it won't be long before I spot the perfect piece to add to our gallery! In the meantime, here are some goodies that caught my fancy~

Prettymaps - NYC & Paris by Aaron Straup Cope

12 Bicycle Drawings by Christine Berrie

The Ideal Bookshelf collection by Jane Mount. Fun & cute!

Day 1: Vintage Erasers by Lisa Congdon This would make an excellent apology gift...

I probably wouldn't hang these in our home, but they made me laugh out loud.
By Craig Damrauer & Mike Monteiro