beach time!

After working many days non-stop... we finally enjoyed a much needed day off at Crystal Cove State Park! This long stretch of beach is a hidden treature in Orange County. I used to do a long run here when I was on a college cross country team (ah... like 12 years ago...??) so I knew this place will be just perfect for a family beach+picnic!

I love introducing new environment to our little roo. Though this wasn't her first visit to the beach, it definitely was the first time she was REALLY REALLY excited about playing at the beach. Once she figured out that little waves are fun to dip her feet in, she was running towards the water giggling!!

Now we're wrapping up with some of the big projects for this summer, I am looking forward to slower days... possibly filled with many more beach days to come while summer lasts in Los Angeles!

more {BRASS} love by Midori

I am so thankful that Midori BRASS Number Clip has been receiving a great deal of love from everyone online.  So I decided to carry more items from the Midori BRASS Collection at our shop.

Here is a quick overview of all the new items!

BRASS Pen Case:
If you need a perfect spot to neatly organize your BRASS items, here is a perfect solution! I love how substantial this pen case feels on the desk or when I pick it up.  I also really appreciate the "un-package" experience Midori designer created. It feels so special to open the box... Definitely worth the anticipation:) The top and the bottom parts snap together in the middle to make sure all the goodies inside stays contained!

Price: $68
Availability: baum-kuchen shop

BRASS Index Clip:
This is another very clever organization solution just like Brass Number Clip! These clips can be used in one of two ways. You can insert a clip half-way and use it as a "flag" on a page (1st and 2nd image) OR you can insert the clip all the way and use it as a label frame on a page (3rd and 4th image).  Also part of the packaging can be used as a blank index that will fit perfectly in the clip.  I love clever design like this.

Price: $20 (set of 6)
Availability: baum-kuchen shop

 

BRASS Label Plate:
I love organizing my collection of old sketchbooks, albums and other keepsake goodies neatly. Little detail like a well-designed label makes it so much more special when I pick up these items from a bookshelf to reflect and look back... so I knew this will be a perfect match!

Price: $20 (set of 6)
Availability: baum-kuchen shop

 
BRASS Pencil:
I grew up using pencil holders with old/used-up/left over tiny pencils. So this BRASS Pencil brings so many childhood memories to me...

Just like the BRASS Ballpoint Pen, the bottom part (pencil) can be disassembled from the top part (pencil holder) to be a compact, ready-to-be-carried unit (so that you don't accidentally make a piece of art while carrying a pencil in your pocket/purse). It comes with one pencil but no worries! You can always order more refill pencils at our shop!

Price: $20
Availability: white or brass at baum-kuchen shop

Celebrating in Fiesta style!

Tomorrow will be a big day! I am helping my best friend and her husband to celebrate their 5 year wedding anniversary in downtown Los Angeles.

FUN!!

I am totally branding their party with logos I made infused with colorful Mexican flavors. Here is a pre-party sneak peek to goodies I've made... from food tags, memo cards (for guests to write love letters to the couple), personalized candles... to stamps (to add personal touches to paper napkins). 

... and my friend Alejandra and her partner Tracy (also from Master Chef) will be cooking some yummy Mexican dishes. Seriously I can't wait!!

I have all day tomorrow to set up the place and make the magic happen! Stay tuned and be ready to see some colorful photos:)

Traveler's Notebook 5th Anniversary Limited Edition / Camel

I was beyond ecstatic when I picked up a box full of Traveler's Notebook in Camel (a.k.a. 5th Anniversary Limited Edition).  The look and feel of the Camel leather is quite different from their brown or black siblings. Camel color is little more raw when it is brand new but its matte texture feels very smooth and refined in touch. You can check out the the comparison between the Brown (passport size) and the Camel in the 2nd photo.

Also a small discrete detail like engraved mark that says "5th TRAVELER'S notebook" on the back corner of the notebook (see the last photo) makes it extra special:)

Adventure and beyond! 

Purchase Information:
Traveler's Notebook 5th Anniversary Limited Edition / Camel
Price: $58
Availability: baum-kuchen shop

 

travel... everyday

i love the idea of travel... seeing something i have never seen, heightening my curiosity,  being immersed in unfamiliar places...

it has been a while since we stepped out of our LA comfort zone... so naturally... i am starting to feel little restless here. dreaming about our next adventure.

when i was floating Rosebowl Flea Market few weekend ago hunting for new (old) props for our pop-up shop, I came across a guy who was selling all kinds of knack knocks including a box full of used postcards.  i loved how some of these postcards were written more than 100 years ago (!!) by special someone to other special someone... i think it's just so magical to find artifacts like these that have seen so many years of the world evolving and changing.

i didn't know what to do with them but i grabbed a few anyways.

they've been sitting on my desk for a while and i honestly didn't know what to do with them. but i found a perfect match when i was looking for cards to write for my friends who were celebrating their big milestone (aka: graduation from design school). i wanted to keep all the original content so i put a touch of glue to my small note so that my note would become a part of the original postcard.

i think it goes really well with the way i like to wrap goodies and it did feel like sending a postcard from my travel destination:)

i think i will have to look for more postcards at next flea market!

New look!

You might or might not have noticed... but baum-kuchen got a sweet new look these days!
It's a very subtle difference but I love our new logotype and an updated tag line. I think it's a simple design with an awesome attitude. Based on our new design, I made all the shop goodies like little stamps for baum-kuchen shipment. I am in love with them:)

Thank you Dale & Jane for all your amazing design support! 

mama+roo

Today was a magical day for mama+roo. Since FB and I usually split our roo-care on most of our week days, it's rare for me to spend the entire day with her. I LOVE it!! Somehow it worked so much better than any of those 1/2 day. Isn't it strange?

There were very little "nyo" - aka "no" throughout the day and we just really enjoyed each other's company.

Speaking of which... Yes. Her new favorite word is "nyo".
It sounds seriously cute when she says it (especially when it's accompanied by her head shake) but I try so hard not to smile because we mean business when we ask her to do certain things. I suppose we're getting to the negotiation phase as two individuals with different minds. It's interesting because I grew up in a pretty strict Asian family which meant very one directional authority... and I am trying to do things little differently here with my little roo.

So I really loved the stories I heard from other moms who went through the same process... Here is a quick snapshot of what I have learned from them...
"well... the best thing I can do is to be her friend, right? to be there for her when she needs the friend and we'll see what happens."
"I was happy when he started to push the boundary because that meant he was trying to establish himself and his voice."

I know it's a balance between teaching little roo what's appropriate vs. letting her freely explore the world. I would love to grown to be the kind of parents who can help my little roo understand why certain things are off-limit so that she can choose what to do or not to do...

I know we're very very very far from the hardest part of the parenting... but it has been good to reflect on how I am responding to my growing roo. I know the process of "growing up" starts early and it's good to practice on consistency.

garden to the kitchen... to the table with 4th-market Risotto Pan

We have a gigantic backyard that needs a lot of work...

With our limited amount of time, we can only do little bit of gardening at a time... but we got tomatoes under our control this year! Look at these beautiful tomatoes we harvested:)

We are making everything out of these tomatoes in the kitchen. Ricotta tomato pizza, tomato sauce and roasted tomatoes.  I've been dying to try our 4th-market risotto pan in our kitchen so this brought a perfect opportunity to combine my two loves.

So here is the very simple recipe for roasted tomato!

Chop tomatoes, drizzle olive oil and little bit of vinegar (we use summer peach white vinegar, thank you Angie:). Bake them in the oven for 7-10 minutes and that's it! I loved how the pan looked on the table too.

Just perfect for our casual dinner style;)

Purchase Information:
Price: $55 (4th-market Risotto Pan)
Availability: white / black

14 months...

Our little roo marked 14 months birthday today. She is a very confident young lady with a lot of passion for drawing, eating Japanese food (especially loves the ones cooked by her grandma Mimi), flipping books and chasing doggies!

She has grown out of an infant car seat so when we go out, she wears her shoes and walk out the door by herself holding our hands instead of being carried into the car. It seems like such a minor change but she is REALLY excited to go out now.

She now plays on slides all by herself. Up and down... up and down; though, she still likes us to say "go" when she is ready to slide down.

Her new word is "up!" and "boo boo" (pig sound in Japanese).

We have good moments and not so... moments but at the end of the day..., I love our day.

moments like this...

No matter how busy I get with projects and shop upkeep, 1/2 of my week is always staked out for roo. Especially when I get so busy, I have to thank this time to keep me in check with life... I get to spend a day with my family, go to parks to lay in the sun, hang out at a kid's museum and see my friends as a name of playdate!

Sometimes it doesn't really feel like off-time... because you know... my little girl is a busy bee and it takes quite bit of energy to keep up with her... but I love discovering life with her this way and I think it's really really good for me.