life lately, according to my iphone

what the camera didn't, the phone did.

xoxo, 

jane

a gem on 28th between lexington & 3rd

on saturday evening while we were in ny, our friends took us to momokawa. 

i *fell in love* right away. 

it's tiny, but oh so authentic and warm.

for appetizers we had the croquette, fish cake and ordered sake and kiran beer. 

and for the main dish, we had their beef sukiyaki with vegetable and udon (noodles).

a couple of our friends also ordered seafood ramen which was delicious as well.

after our sukiyaki was done, we ordered extra noodles because it was just so delicious.

website

yelp

i had planned out everything i wanted to say and then got a mild case of amnesia...

for the baby shower i had planned out what i wanted to say about the parents-to-be to all the guests. it was all in my head because i played it over and over on our way up from virginia to new york. i had a few people help me get the attention of the room by tapping glasses with their forks and then i saw a bunch of eyes staring back. and little by little, i started getting a mild case of amnesia. (not really a fan of speaking in front of people...) 

but i think the gist of what i wanted to say was... 

i love you friend. you deserve all the happiness in the world. you're an amazing woman for persevering through this tough pregnancy with such strength and grace, and your husband is the calm at the center of a storm. it's so good to see you laugh and smile.

for all the times you've been there for me, here's a little happiness i planned for you.

and dear baby, 

we can't wait to meet you.

made with love: a baby shower story

for weeks you've been hearing me talk about a baby shower. 

it was this past weekend and it was so incredibly warm and awesome. 

i'll share some pictures from the shower later. today it's all about the little side projects that added a touch of handmade love. i seriously had so much fun planning and making with my husband. he's got a crafty side to him i didn't know about.

plus it was so great to see the faces of the parents-to-be light up like christmas trees. it was so touching for them to notice all the little details. seriously, one of the best feelings in the world.

here it everyone. made with love: a baby shower story.

1. favors for guests: 

i originally thought to buy little potted plants and tie a piece of twine with a hand written thank you note. funny thing, i actually forgot that i thought of that idea and one day came up with another - framed messages. i liked how they turned out {ok - i actually love them so much and is one of my favorite projects for the baby shower!!} and i'm planning on making some for my home in the coming months!

the text and layout was done on indesign (i already had a collection of fonts i downloaded from font squirrel and fonts for peas) and got them printed at office depot. the 5x7 frames are from ikea.

i ordered muslin bags and stamped thank yous with hearts and left them to dry over night. the frames fit perfectly in them. {i was a little worried the bags might be too small!}

the gift bags for game prizes got a little stamping love as well {i was on a stamping craze}.  they are just brown paper bags from michael's and i added a little color with tissue paper. i don't think i'll ever buy fancy gift bags ever again. {why buy when you can stamp!}

2. wisdom baskets for the parents-to-be
these baskets were made from the wisdom of those who've been there; the friends of the parents-to-be who are already moms and dads. i asked them to share a piece of advice that they relied on to help them get through the first months of parenthood. i was so touched by the outpouring of responses - all so sweet, thoughtful and funny. it was also a blast to put on my thinking cap and pick out little items that matched the wisdom they shared. like this one - remember to keep calm. i couldn't help but think of the "keep calm and carry on" cups i once saw at paper source. i just had to pick one up and add it to the basket! 

3. thank you cards 
i made a simple thank you card and wrote them up and stuffed them in the muslin bags with the frames. i thought it was the fastest way to get the guests their thank you cards for attending and responding to my harassment requests to rsvp and share thoughts for the wisdom basket. these were also done on indesign and printed at office depot. i don't think i'll ever buy thank you cards again. i had way too much fun making my own. 

4. wishing tree

we collected branches (i worried about where to get them but we had a really windy day here in virginia and there were branches everywhere!) and yangkyu sprayed painted two coats in matte white. i loved how they turned out. i traced a tag on white card stock paper and used a bit of twine left over from christmas to make hanging notes for people to write on. the wishing tree was for the guests to write wishes for the parents-to-be and also for the baby. it also served as a guest book. 

5. paper bunting 
this was also easy to make. i just picked up scrapbook paper at michael's and printed out a bunting template off the internet. i then traced, cut and taped them on the same twine i used for the note tags. i love bunting - i made one for piri and think i'll make one to hang over our window when spring comes along. 

i love my friends. they deserve all the happiness in the world. i can't wait to meet the little guy.

he's going to be welcomed with a whole lotta love. i wouldn't be surprised if he's not already doing the happy dance in his mama's belly.

we heard the most beautiful rendition of estrellita on delancey street

after a flurry of activities, we found some "us" time on sunday morning. we took the opportunity to drive into queens to take the subway to the lower east side for some doughnuts at doughnut plant and vintage-ing  at hell's kitchen flea market.

i've missed this city. i wish we can move back.

but for now, these pictures and memories will just have to do.

can't wait till we visit again.

{i wish i tried the creme brulee doughnuts at doughnut plant, but the pistachio and 

peanut butter and banana cream were oh so delicious!}