[WRAP] PACKAGE 023

I made this mini balloon gift topper for J & j's 12 year old friend's birthday gift. I think almost everything mini is cute. I have a stash of water balloons in my studio and thought it would be fun to blow one up and stick it on a gift. Since water balloons are small, they make the perfect tiny balloon. 

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[STYLE] ELEVATOR SNAPSHOTS 04

The weather has been warming up and I've been able to get by with a trench or no jacket at all. I have quite a few winter jackets, but realize I don't have many light jackets. So now I am on the hunt for a versatile lightweight jacket. I love this linen slicker, but sadly it is sold out. I also love this nooy jacket in grey. Let me know if you see any cute jackets out there!

[BEAUTY] SHEET MASKS

Sheet masks are extremely popular here in Korea. You can find them everywhere and they have a wide variety of formulas as well as price points. I usually pick up sheet masks at Olive Young or Boons, but you can find them online. Although I did not include them in my skincare routine post, I use sheet masks 2-3 times a week. The sheet masks are soaked in essence with various formulas (for brightening, tightening, moisturizing) that absorbs into your skin. The sheet masks can be made of fine cotton fabric or gel (I prefer the gel masks). After cleansing my face, I apply the sheet mask (they either come in a full sheet mask or in two parts) by removing the sheet mask from the plastic backing and placing it on your face by pressing down around your eyes and nose area and smoothing out the mask towards the hairline. Sheet masks should be left on for 15-20 minutes. After taking the sheet mask off, I massage my face and pat the remaining essence on my skin and follow with eye creme and facial creme on my face and neck. After using a sheet mask I always wake up with smooth and supple skin. Although I have a variety of sheet masks in my stash, my favorite is the Dr. Jarts+ Brightening Gel Mask*. The Dr. Jarts+ Brightening Mask is a thin gel mask and does a great job moisturizing my skin. I also like the Dewy Tree Deep Detox Black Mask which is a thin black fabric mask (see photo below) and although I'm not sure if it is really detoxing my skin, my skin feels moisturized after applying the mask. If you haven't ventured in to the exciting world of sheet masks, you should give them a try! And if you are a sheet mask fan like me, please let me know your favorites! 

* I could not locate the Dr. Jarts Brightening Gel Mask online, but  this mask looks very similar.

I LOVE BLOGGING

A belated THANK YOU to everyone who filled out my first blog survey. I had so much fun going through the results of the survey and especially reading comments about what you like and want to see more of on my blog. Looks like many of you want to see more diy projects, packaging ideas, travel/food recommendations, party ideas, printables, boys' style inspiration, and surprisingly lots of folks requested I start a style series of my own. Sometimes if I look around at other blogs it is easy to feel lost in the sea of other creative and lifestyle blogs, but when I focus on my blog as a creative outlet, it is interesting how all those insecurities seem to decrease. Ultimately I want to stay true to myself and blog about content I feel passionate about, but I've always been curious about why people tune in and keep reading my blog. I feel like I have gotten to know you, my friends and readers, a lot better. Thank you!! 

It is hard to believe I've been blogging for almost EIGHT years now, and although I've had my lulls and quiet moments, I am always drawn back to my little space on the internet. I have realized how important it is for me to document bits and pieces of my life and creative work. I have plans to experiment a bit on the blog as well as add new original content, all of which makes me excited. For the next few months I will be immersed in a big project I am working on, but this summer expect some fun new changes and additions here. Thanks for tuning in and making blogging an enjoyable endeavor!

[MAKE] ART KIT

I hope you all had a lovely Easter. As I mentioned last week, I put together little art kits for the boys in lieu of a traditional Easter basket. I love giving them gifts that they can put to good use and since they both love arts and crafts, art supplies are perfect gifts for them. I bought a drawing notebook, neon labels and stickers, nifty shredding scissors (similar pair here), a compass, pens, and a cute robot eraser/white-out.

I put all the art supplies in a clear plastic carrying tote which I found at our local market.

And then I added one of the Easter gift tags I designed and personalized for the boys. This would also be a fun birthday gift for any art loving kids!

HAPPY EASTER!