whollyKao

a little fun in the big apple

May 22, 2013

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Two weeks ago, Jeff and I went to NYC with a couple others to visit our friends Amy and Italo. It was the first time we got to hang out in their neighborhood, and it was really neat to see their local haunts. They were gracious hosts and indulged our every culinary whim (yes, even the Halal cart at 3am).

I thought I’d share a few pics from our trip. They’re mainly ones I pulled from my Instagram feed, so if you follow me, these will look familiar!
Our first night in, we waited a good 2.5 hours for Totto Ramen, and then proceeded to scarf our food in 15 minutes. It was tasty. Or maybe we were just real hungry by then.

We spent a day in Brooklyn, checking out coffeeshops, a bier garten and the Flea.

Jeff and I made a special trip to La Durée, and loaded up on macarons. They have the most amazing salted caramel ones! Did you know they don’t make them in the NYC location? All their macarons are shipped from France!

We’re hoping to visit NYC again. I’m sure by then, we’ll have even more foodie places to check out!

A couple fun DIYs

By: whollykao

May 19, 2013

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I’m still in shock that it’s mid-May! During these past few weeks, I’ve been busy traveling (more on that later!) and making these fun DIYs for the Crafts Unleashed blog.

If you’re looking for a fun tea party idea, why not make this tea storage box?

Also check out my washi tape dispenser tutorial! It’s a fun way to store all those rolls of washi tape you’ve got.

What have you been crafting up this month? I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

a recap of The Swoon Event

By: whollykao

May 8, 2013

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Two Sundays ago, I participated in The Swoon Event, a bridal show geared towards the vintage & DIY bride. The venue was an industrial warehouse. The vendors were all so talented (there was even a gal that made her own wedding gowns!). There was even a DJ and food trucks. The only thing missing was the crowd. Yes, the turnout was a little disappointing, but I still had fun meeting the other vendors and doing a little networking.

For the event, I made a couple wedding-specific pieces. The first was this groomsmen kit. I made them for my friend Enoch’s wedding, and thought it’d be a fun offering for other gents out there. The personalized kit contains a set of monogrammed collar stays, a tie clip and a set of cuff links with the person’s initials stamped on it. And I made a little leather pouch to hold it all together.

The second was a set of Mr & Mrs ring pouches. They’re intended to be storage pouches for when you travel on your honeymoon or any other post-marital trip. It’s something that I wish I had got when I got married, so I thought maybe other people would be interested too!

I also brought a slew of jewelry, most of which went home with me (some of the other vendors were super nice and bought necklaces though!). If anyone wants to check out these new pieces, hop over to my etsy store. I’ve posted a couple pieces, and hope to have a lot more up by next week! And if you’re interested in getting a groomsmen gift or the Mr & Mrs pouches, I will also be posting those to etsy soon!

— whollyKao

a little fun in the big apple

A couple fun DIYs

a recap of The Swoon Event