Recently, interior maven and blogger, Reichel of Copy Cat Chic, asked me to participate in Joy & Revelry‘s White Box Challenge. I was gifted with this lovely Westwood Lamp and asked to style it in my home. If you’re not familiar with Joy & Revelry, they’re a new home decor site that offers beautiful products curated by top designers & tastemakers.

Since I’ve been wanting to add more lighting to my space, I thought I’d take up this challenge. And… since I’ve been wanting to restyle my console, I thought this was a good opportunity. Remember when I took Justina‘s interior course, “style your space like a pro”, and I did a little restyling of my living room? Well, I thought it’s time I work on my console in the dining room (also aka as my home office! haha!) 

The design and the lines of the Westwood Lamp is really clean, so it was really easy to style. It works almost in any room and the style is so versatile that it can really be as glamourous as you want or as modern chic as you please. I went with the more modern and playful route. Since this is also my creative space where I spend a lot of my time working and blogging, I wanted to have lots of fun colors and objects around me. I dressed it up with a lot of my favorite knick knacks and added some greenary to bring life into the space.

How do you think I did with this challenge? Do you approve? Thank you so much to Reichel for having me to be part of this challenge. I hope I made her proud!

Ok, ok… so I was debating whether or not to show you my picture “before” I styled the space. This was a few months ago before I took Justina’s class. As you can tell, it’s a little embarrassing! I didn’t quite know what to do with this space so I just threw on a few objects. It was definitely thoughtless and needed some TLC. So glad I’ve taken Justina’s course and got her tips on styling this key area in my home!

All images via Shop Sweet Things.

Source: Lamp c/o Joy & Revelry | Gold Pig Bookends | White Porcelain Bowl | White Planter | Pink Planter | Indigo Bud Vase | Safe Bamboo Radio | Classical Tray | Bird Tray | Plants

If you share the same love as I do for tuna, then you gotta give this recipe a try. I love that it’s super simple yet super healthy and savory! All you need is to get the freshest ingredients and everything should fall into place. The only twist I might add is perhaps a dash of ponzu sauce! Enjoy!

Recipe & Photo by Island Menu

Have you seen the cards by Ashkahn in your gift shop lately? I discovered his work when I was out shopping at Rare Device last week. His stuff are so right up my alley! His style is sweet, edgy and a little naughty. Some are kind of funny, actually. I think these are fun and cool to send to your bestest of friends who can appreciate your sense of humor and style. They are absolutely frame-worthy too, which is exactly what I plan to do with mine!

Images by Shop Sweet Things

Alright, so I’m awfully bad at editing out photos. But for this one, I figure that picture speaks louder than words.

About two weekends ago, I decided to surprise George with a cooking class at SF Cooking School for his birthday. George is a tech geek by day and a chef at Chez Hu by night (aka our home!). He loves to cook but had never taken a class before, so I thought this would be a really nice gift for him. To top it off, I was able to enroll us for a class taught by Chef Anthony Strong from Locanda… and if you know anything about us, you know we’re HUGE fans! So really, this couldn’t have been better!

The class was 5 hours, and in that time, we made 8 mouth-watering dishes! From starters to main dishes to dessert, chef Strong got us covered! We used the freshest herbs, vegetables, meats and ingredients for our dishes. There were about 12 people in the class and we all got pretty hands-on. We prepped artichokes, made fresh pasta, cooked fresh fish, made vegetable stock, baked souffles, and well, drank wine in between. I’m more of a side dish gal, so I was most excited to learn how to make their signature Jewish artichokes and their chilled tribe with olive oil and mint. The ingredients were simple but everything turned out so flavorful. As for the souffles, I think I’m just better off eating them. :)

Anthony was a wonderful chef and teacher. He is a super nice and humble guy! I love that he keeps it real and has just the right dose of humor. I would highly recommend anyone to take a class from him. Or any classes at SFCS, for that matter. Their classes are diverse and fun for all levels! Even for an amateur like me who has trouble using a pairing knife – no joke! 

George and I had a wonderful time! We’ve been wanting to spend some quality time together as a couple since Hadley came along, and this was really fun and different for us. It’s nice to reconnect again after many sleepless nights and caring for our two little girls. I’m just really glad that George loved his birthday present, and I was able to keep the surprise for more than a month! :)

This post is kindly sponsored by SF Cooking School. Thank you so much to SFCS for the wonderful experience and allowing me to share this with my readers! SF Cooking School 690 Van Ness, San Francisco, Civic Center. All photos by Shop Sweet Things via iPhone5 and DSLR.

Castle has done it again with their fun, vibrant, and whimsy art & illustrations! (and of course, their awesome bedding collection as well.)  I think it’s pretty nice to look at these on a Monday morning for some inspirations or even a little pick me up – Monday blues always seems to get the worst of me! Anyway, I’m gonna make this “my mantra” this week… maybe it’s time I go buy a disco ball! (I’m curious, do you have one at home? I know I’m not that crazy, right? :))

Happy Monday, friends!

Not sure how I missed this one, but apparently, today is National Donut Day! Did you know? Although, I think everyone needs to stop posting their yummy donuts on their Instagram unless they’re going to bring me a dozen! Yes, I’m looking at you! :) Here’s a little brief history of one of the most amazing and sweetest day of the year! Kinda cool to find out how donuts came about.

On a separate note, thanks everyone for the kind notes about my mom last week. She is a lot better now, and I certainly had a better week. I’m ready to enjoy the weekend. Hope you have a splendid one too!

Image via Tumblr. Original source unknown but if you happen to know, please send me a note. 

Have you thought of what to get for that cool dad in your life? Well, I thought I’d round up a couple of my favorites for you! Remember, Father’s Day is just a little over 10 days away!

1. Short-sleeve Popover 2. Classic Brogue Style Lace-up in Navy Suede 3. Andrew Marc Suede Brush & Cleaning Stone 4. Handsome Coffee (discovered via IG from this stylish soon-to-be-mama) 5. Terrain II Watch 6. Tan Canvas Dopp Kit 7. DODONotes/iPhone Case 8. Williamsburg Classic Shaving Oil

P.S. – All of these have gotten the stamp of approval by George, my cool husband & sugar daddy in my life. :)

When I started blogging 2 years ago, I didn’t know which path it was going to take me. The original intention of this blog was about shopping and product discovery, but as I got further along, I realize I was also very interested about the people behind the products — the owners, the designers, the makers, and the artisans. And today, I would have never thought I’d be surrounded by so many creatives and talented people in my life.

When BRIKA launched last year I was thrilled to have them as my sponsor on the blog. Not only was I discovering unique handcrafted products, but I was also discovering inspiring individuals who are doing exactly what they are passionate about. So I’ve asked BRIKA to connect me with one of their SF makers to get an even more in depth behind-the-scenes look. They connected me with Viola Sutanto of Chewing The Cud, who makes lovely eco-friendly and beautifully designed paper and textile products (some of her signature items are sold on BRIKA). I, along with the amazing photog Kim Thomas, went to visit Viola’s studio in the Dogpatch for a Q&A interview. We were even able to move our little interview to Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous for some reeeaaal good ice-cream, which is conveniently located right downstairs of her building! Talk about a fun Q&A date, right?! Let’s start picking Viola’s creative brain, shall we?

When did you start Chewing The Cud and what was the biggest challenge to get it started? Chewing the cud was first conceived in 2008 as a design services studio where we were focused on branding and identity projects for small business owners. Since then, the studio has evolved into a creative space and our services encompass event concepts, and product development in addition to graphic design. I think the biggest hurdle was the courage to take the leap.

Where do you get your inspirations from?  I know this sounds so cliché, but inspiration comes from everywhere: from reading literature, a fleeting scene from a film, overhearing a conversation on the train, venturing to unexplored places, re-visiting old favourite haunts, running, (I do this a lot when I hit a roadblock), life in general… the possibilities are endless. I think the key is to keep an open mind and PLAY. Don’t discount random or seemingly mundane thoughts, but also learn to edit during the design process.

When running a design business, it’s easy to get distracted by other people’s work. What are your tips on staying focus? From a design perspective, don’t limit yourself to a “style”, but also know that you cannot be everything to every client/ customer. I think it’s about playing to your strengths, and recognizing that trends are just that. They come and go.

Did you ever feel discourage during any point of running Chewing The Cud? How did you handle that? Sure, it happens a lot, especially in the initial stages of a start-up. I’m fortunately to have a very supportive family and community. I just try to take things in stride, and remind myself that I can’t solve everything immediately, and that’s ok

What three things a savvy business owner should know?
Trust your gut.
Know that it’s ok to say no sometimes.
Take calculated risks.

How do you get the word out about your products? Has partnering with vendors like BRIKA helped reach a wider audience? Through multiple channels, most of them you could say considered guerilla marketing. Word-of-mouth marketing and social media (blogs, facebook, twitter) has proven to be effective for me. The press has been very kind to me, which I’m grateful for. It’s also about getting your work out there through the different avenues, not just through direct retail/wholesale sales. Think licensing, royalties, co-branding, collaborations… etc. BRIKA is one such example. Besides, it’s fun to work together with nice folks like them! At the end of the day, despite the rampant use of electronic media, it’s really the long-term human relationships that count.

What’s your most proud design or product in your shop right now? This is a hard one. I change my mind all the time. Currently I’d say it’s my fabric buckets.

I know you’re a busy mom to a beautiful 3 year-old. What positive traits would you want her to learn from you? To keep learning and smiling.

Where do you see Chewing The Cud in 5 years? Chewing the cud will continue to evolve and expand in terms of the services and products it will bring to market, but at the heart of every project, I hope it will remain true to being a sustainable and creative think tank.

How do you define/ live A Well-Crafted Life? One that’s full of love and laughter.

This post is kindly sponsored by BRIKA - be sure to sign up to receive amazing deals and discover modern crafts through talented makers, artisans and designers around the U.S. of A.! And many thanks to Kim Thomas for the beautiful photography and the very insightful answers from Viola! I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. Have a great day, everyone!

Hey friends! Happy Friday! I feel like I haven’t had the time to really connect with you here personally. The fact is having two kids is really hard. Not in a bad way, but it certainly puts a lot of things you want to do on the back burner.

Anyways, I hope you had a nice short week. Mine was a little tough, actually. My mom came down with pneumonia and high fever earlier this week and so she has been staying in the hospital. She is fine now and I believe she is going home today. Of course, as a daughter, my heart aches when something like this happens. I’m just glad it didn’t get worse than it was. So this week, I had the two girls all to myself. Not the easiest thing to manage, and I’m thankful that my husband was able to work from home for a little bit to help out – but really, you can’t “work” when the two kids are constantly needing your help and attention. And there’s always that guilt of putting your kids in front of the TV or iPad.  So again, sorry if I’m a little out of it this week on the blog, it’s been hard to get on the computer.

I snapped these pictures of Hayden a few days ago. Her laugh is so contagious these days and she definitely melts my worries away! I’m hoping next week will be a better week.

Have a great weekend, everyone! xo Jeanne

Ferme à Papier is a new stationary collection by Cat Seto, a local artist as well as the proud owner of her studio|boutique on Russina Hill, and the author of Mom, Inc. - the essential guide to running a successful business from home. I had the pleasure of meeting Cat last year and she has such a sweet and upbeat personality – like nothing can get in her way! I suppose that’s a trait for becoming successful, don’t you think?!

Anyways, I’m smitten with her new French inspired stationary collection. I do have a thing for illustrations so when I saw this, it instantly caught my eyes. Cat’s collection consists of illustrated cards, notecard sets, prints and canvas prints. I love the ones I picked out, and I’m especially eyeing on the “His Shoes Set” for Father’s Day. It comes in a set of 8, so it’s perfect for your husband, your father, your father-in-law… and you still have a few leftovers for other occasions (as a thank-you, as a graduation, as a birthday, as a hello)… and after that, you would still have one left to frame! :)