little something to make it nice...

Once a month or so... FB and I have some kind of occasions to be out in the evening. Roo's bedtime has been around 6:30-7pm... so we usually end up asking one of our friends to hang out at our house while she zzz..

When I was younger, I used to babysit a lot for different families so I know exactly what it's like to come to someone's house to hang out with little ones... It's fun but at the same time slightly strange and awkward to sit at what seems like an empty house for a few ours after kids go to sleep.

So now I play the opposite role in this babysitting relationship...., I try to make things nice for my lovely friends who have been so sweet and generous with their support.

I like preparing a little tray with a carafe filled with water, cute glasses and cups with a tea pot ready to be steeped. Oh and a bowl full of chocolates (of course.)

It's nothing fancy but little something which hopefully makes the 3 hours at our home comfortable.

:)

a slower... and better process

Hello Saturday!
I woke up early this morning and was all cheery because it was 6am, the whole world (including my little world) was still sleeping and I could finally pour some time into being in this space... then I looked for my external hard drive where I've been keeping all my photos for past few months since I started my photography class... and I couldn't find it.

sigh... I left it in my photography class on last Thursday because I was totally falling in sleep in the class and was probably still asleep when I left there at 10pm.

not that I have any embarrassing photos on the drive and I vaguely remember backing up all my photos on my hard drive last weekend...

so it's not entirely the end of the world but I prefer keeping my photos to myself and I really hope that I can find it either still sitting in the class room or at Lost and Find on campus. 

I do think it's a pure sign of myself being overboard withe everything.

Sometimes I have to gently remind myself that my time no longer evolves around just me only. It is a delicately shared resource amongst my family and my businesses. I still get everything done but it takes little longer and I love the idea of embracing slower process...

For this weekend...,  I am planning to take little time off to spend with my family, check out my TWELVEZEROSEVEN friends at Unique LA event, give a toast to the fruit of {very} hard work (aka: setting up the Moroccan wedding reception) by being one of their guests AND gearing up towards a big debut of baum-kuchen pop-up shop on next Saturday!!! 

Stay tuned:)

p.s. I just found my external hard drive at a campus security. thank goodness...

Summer dessert

I made these cupcake size peach cobblers yesterday as our picnic companion... and they were absolutely delicious! (this is a sign that I have been away from Japan for too long... I am never EVER supposed to rave my own cooking in public like this... as a true Japanese girl... but why not:) They were in the oven for little more than they needed to be and toppings got all caramelized and crunchy - a total happy accident!

Isn't baking amazing? I love it as a meditative activity which happily yields yummy goodies. Win-win situation for everyone involved.  Next time I am making a batch in this sweet pan from 4th-market!

Happy Sunday and I hope everyone has an awesome week coming up! Mine will be filled with more fabric cutting, invitation making, business card designing... and of course a week full of toddling little roo:)

cheers,
-w

picnic afternoon

I hope you are enjoying the nice summery weekend. I've been keeping myself quite busy for last two weeks. There are a lot going on in my life right now between teaching, styling, shop curating and parenting... but I am taking some time here and there to enjoy the summer shade with friends+roo:)

Today we were out picnicking at a nearby park. Picnic brings a whole new dimension when there is a little one in a mix who needs to be constantly moving! We love it as an alternative to eating out at a restaurant. Roo loved running around the picnic blanket, up and down the little hill and munching on the foods here and there... and I loved hanging out with my girlfriends and sharing some yummy foods:) I think we all felt like taking a big afternoon nap on the blanket afterward!

Happy Saturday:)

{thank you} in style!

After we had the big fiesta to celebrate little roo's 1st birthday, I put together mini packages to send out to our guests as thank you cards. I had so much fun making these tiny garlands by re-purposing the big garlands we used at the party(and you thought I sewed enough:). I also included clothe pins I customized using mt masking tapes.

I love sending/receiving packages filled with artifacts... so this idea fits my flavor.  Some of my friends sent me photos showing how they used the garlands in their home and it totally made my day. 

Happy birthday my little roo (again:)

Fresh from Paris!

FB just came back from his business trip and I am loving my little treats from Paris! Fresh via air:)
A box full of Macaron. 

Have you been to Joanna's blog recently? I am so inspired by her "my balance" series...  stories of other cool mama bloggers/designers and how they are balancing their life/motherhood/career.

I have been looking for "the balance" for a while. After reading through the series last night, I wrote down a note to myself... "imagine how I want my day to look and feel like..." It's not necessary to control my day since that is probably not going to work. But just imagine and dream...

This morning I felt like a brand new self. (I know... I am pretty simple that way...) I spent 1/2 hour in a lap pool swimming away, spent a lovely time with little roo at our secret garden, had focused work hours, ate Macaron with a cup of tea and even had some time to clean the bathroom.

Everyday is different so I'm not sure how it's going to be tomorrow... but I will keep imagining how I want my day to look like... just in case the day might turn out just the way I dream:)

Traveler's Notebook / Passport Size

If you have visited our little shop recently, you might have noticed that we are now carrying Traveler's Notebook in Passport Size! They are the mini brother/sister of regular size Traveler's Notebook and are absolutely perfect for keeping a sketchbook/passport/travel itinerary together and organized while on the road.

Purchase Information:
Traveler's Notebook Passport Size
Price: $52 (refill notebooks/accessories $5-$12)
Availability: baum-kuchen shop

Here is a quick overview of brown and black leather cover and a few Passport Size accessories/refills.


The leather cover is packaged inside of a linen clothe which can be used as a protective case once they are unwrapped.  

Take a look at a brown Traveler's Notebook that is brand new in Passport Size (left) and worn in (about 2 years old) Regular Size next to each other.

 

Black (top) and brown (bottom) comparison in details.

Passport Size zipper case is a very useful accessory to keep everything small organized. I love how it perfectly fits a Polaroid picture.  It features one large zipper pocket in the front and a large sleeve and two business card size sleeves in the back (see the third photo).

 

 

Here are Limited Edition Traveler's Passport in navy and red inspired by a real travel passport. There are enough blank pages for sketching/idea capturing... but also a special page for your personal travel information, a map of Japan & the world and a sheet of rub-on letters.

 

  

Using these rub-on letters, you can create your personal information page that looks just like your real passport accompanied with a photo of yours. Once all the lettering and the photo is placed on the correct location, you can seal them by using a self-adhesive protective sheet that comes with the refill.


Happy traveling everyone:) 

life will never be the same (and it doesn't have to).

In this photo FB is putting a little hair pin on roo's hair. I love the photo because it captures the amount of trust she has to her papa (especially because she never sits still for anything) and how sweet FB is to her little girl.

When we were about to have our little roo a year ago, we heard this phrase over and over... "oh... enjoy your life right now because it will never EVER be the same again once she is here". We appreciated everyone sharing their insights on a baby matter but we really weren't crazy about this one.

Now we look back... we still don't think we would ever tell this to any of our friends who are having their first little one...  It's true that our life is nothing like how it used to be... but why do we want it to be the same when moment like this can make life so much sweeter?

Hello {BRASS collection}

The BRASS Number Clip from Midori has been getting an amazing feedback at the shop so I decided to expand the BRASS collection!

So far I have added two lovely items - BRASS Ballpoint Pen and BRASS Ruler and they are both so beautiful to look at on a desk... and I am truly delighted when I have a moment to use them.  I am a huge believer that good tools can make us be and feel productive (and more importantly happy) when we're working! So I think they qualify for that.

I hope you like them as much as I do!

Purchase Information:
BRASS collection
Price: $17 - $68
Availability: baum-kuchen shop


BRASS Ballpoint Pen
This is a really clever product. Each pen comes as two parts - a top part (brass) as a handle and the bottom part (wood) as a refillable ink holder. Check out the the 3rd photo to see how they look like when they are disassembled. When you are not using the pen, you can insert the bottom part inside of the top part to save some space in your purse! I've used it for a week or so and everyone who sees this pen is gravitated to pick it up. I suppose that it is a good sign:)

p.s. the pen has a refillable black ink which flows like a fine point pen. 


BRASS Ruler
This is such a simple yet sophisticated product... I sigh with admiration whenever I see it on my desk. I love that it has a really nice weight to it since it's made out of solid brass. Metric measurement is engraved onto brass surface. I also really appreciate the little detail like a raised edge on one side to prevent the ink from smearing. 

babyshower gift (my way)

My friend is having her very second baby boy soon! Having one little guy is an amazing work for a mama (or that's what I think) so becoming a mama of two is beyond amazing... and I am so inspired by her. She is very graceful for being one month away from the big day. It was such a treat for me to see her and be a part of the shower.

So I know guests usually bring baby gifts to a baby shower... but I decided to spoil my friend mama with a care package... because I know when mama is happy, everyone in the family is happy:)

Don't you agree? 

beach day

Today we woke up extra early to venture out to our first beach day in California! Our house is not far from the beach but it is definitely an all day outing.

Now that our roo is walking, we are so much more mobile. I love it!

Sand, surfers, overcast morning, afternoon sun...

We all came home one shade darker!