On any given day, I come across at least one or two new things that I fall in love with – an intriguing blog, a friendly cafe, a spectacular brand of frozen pizza. And rather than just gush incessantly to anyone else within a 5 mile radius, I thought I’d share some of my finds on here in between the weddings, portrait sessions, and random tidbits of my life. So here goes the first installment of such a series – stay tuned for more to come!

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When we first moved into our new place last summer, I found myself becoming massively obsessed with anything design-related – an affliction that now, 6 months later, I can safely say is here to stay. Although I do my best to stay away from the black hole known as Target (seriously, how is it that you walk in to pick up some toothpaste and end up spending $100 EVERY.SINGLE.TIME??), there is one design-haven that I just can’t shy away from.

And that, my friends, is Etsy. For those of you who are avid Etsy-goers you know what a horrid addiction it can be. And moving into a new place definitely did nothing to help this. Because we needed pillows. And fruit bowls. And things to hang on the wall. And things to frame those things. That handblown glass silver-encrusted frog-shaped paperweight? NEED THAT TOO. When you start to dive in to Etsy you realize Etsy has EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER NEED, short of groceries, an oil change for your car, and maybe your first born child. And the thing is it’s all so beautiful and it’s all handmade, which means you’re supporting someone and the art that they do. It’s a win-win situation for all, except for my wallet, which is definitely a loser with a capital L in the whole ordeal.

So today I’ve decided to feature a few of my favorite Etsy finds because I just can’t keep this good stuff to myself any longer! (All images are from the Etsy seller’s page.)

This gorgeous letterpress print from Hijirik Studio is my most recent purchase. Since I’m working diligently at living out my dream, I bought it as an encouraging reminder we can look at every day :)

Love the fresh greens of these mats from Kalla. They add a splash of color in all different areas of our living room!

I fell in love with this vase by Jill Rosenwald the first moment I saw it. I spent some time trying to convince myself I didn’t need it but could NOT stop thinking about it, so bought it in the end. It sits on my coffee table and I have not regretted it one bit!

This is an amazing 12×18 print from Paper Moth Illustration. He creates the most beautiful whimsical designs.

This cherry almond soap from SpaTherapy has the most nostalgic & yummy scent. The Etsy shop is just full of amazing bath goodies!

And since this IS after all a blog about weddings, be sure to look for wedding items on Etsy as well! From invitations to jewelry to fantastic hair pieces, Etsy is chock-full of beautiful items that you can incorporate into your wedding day.

For any other fanatics, what are your favorite Etsy shops?

I know it’s not for everyone – many claim it’s too boring, or too kiddish, too crowded, too expensive, too colorful, too happy. But I’ve always been of the flowers/puppies/rainbows-loving variety, and Disneyland has always been fascinating to me. I don’t know if it’s indeed the Happiest Place on Earth, but it definitely ranks up there. Contending only against our comfy living room couch, the nook of Scott’s arm, and the backyard of my childhood home where my sister and I used to do cartwheels until our brains hurt.

And it’s not just because of the overabundant churro vendors and the pastel teacups (which somehow seem to get more and more nauseating every year) and the singing pirates, but more because of the 26 years of memories that all these things have created. I realized how immensely vital these memories were to me when Scott and I entered the park and I immediately demanded that we go to Tomorrowland first because “that’s where we always start!!!” Obviously. I believe the order goes Tomorrowland, followed by Fantasyland, followed by New Orleans Square and Adventureland, and ending at Splash Mountain, because there’s clearly no better time to get soaked than when it’s dark and cold out and you have a wet car ride home to look forward to.

The shots below were modified with the awesome Poladroid application (first introduced to me by Serena). You can watch the photos “develop” before your very eyes! You can even shake it, shake, shake it like a Polaroid picture! You have to try it!!

Edited to add:

Since we both hadn’t been to Disneyland in years, it was our first time going on the Buzz Lightyear ride. And here’s the shot they snapped midway through. Now I know it looks like I’m hiding. But let me assure you, those targets were DEFINITELY hiding from me and the wrath of my blaster gun. Hiding so well in fact that it um, sort of affected my score. It all makes sense now!!

You wouldn’t have believed it if you hadn’t seen it yourself. It had been dark and gloomy all morning – rainy in fact, with light drizzles pattering our windshield as Scott and I drove to Elizabeth & Minho’s wedding. The cloudy weather continued as Elizabeth’s bridesmaids rushed around her in her home, helping fasten her dress and adorn her with jewels, it continued as we drove over to the church, even as we walked over to the nearby park for their first look.

And that’s when it happened – right as Elizabeth walked up to Minho, right as he turned to see her, right as both their faces lit up as they caught their first glimpse of each other on their wedding day – the clouds parted and the sun peeked through, as if in realization of the weight of the moment. And as we finished up portraits of the two of them together, Elizabeth proclaimed with a huge smile: “I had been praying for this weather!!” It was incredibly fortunate that the weather worked in our favor, but to be totally honest, their joy alone would have been enough to light up the day :)

Elizabeth & Minho – thank you for allowing us to witness your beautiful wedding and share in your happiest moments! Wishing you all the best for years to come!

As the girls finished up at the house, Scott grabbed this shot of Minho at the church:

On the way to the park:

The girls:

Elizabeth was going to tap Minho on the shoulder, but instead pulled the old “back of the knee” trick. Love it!

And here comes the sun:

The bridesmaids’ flowy pink dresses were an absolute dream! I’ve calmed down over the years in terms of being a ginormous pink fanatic, but when I saw these dresses I immediately reverted to the kindergartener who used the “red-violet” crayon religiously down to a stub while the rest of the Crayolas went untouched (especially white, who ever used white?)

This awesome shot was all Minho’s idea! They’re “looking for Elizabeth”. haha.

As the bridal party headed back to the church to help prep for the ceremony, we grabbed a few more shots of just the two of them..

Elizabeth was absolutely radiant:

And Minho was looking quite handsome himself:

Married!