Adventures of Yoo

May 24 2016

Temporary Tattoos That Smell Like Flowers

I finally did it! I bought this beautiful set of floral tattoos. Tatty, the temporary tattoo company started by swissmiss, recently came out with a series of tattoos that actually smell! Not only are the designs pretty, the fact that they smell makes me want them even more. For those unfamiliar with swissmiss, she’s otherwise known as Tina Roth Eisenberg, who runs the popular design blog swissmiss. (If you’re into design, you may want to bookmark her site.)

Tattly is a temporary tattoo store for kids and adults alike. After seeing so many horrendous examples of tattoos on her daughter, swissmiss decided to stop complaining and take matters into her own hands. Tattly was born! I love how she turned something so ordinary into something unique and beautiful. She’s been an inspiration to me for years now. I bumped into Tina at an LA Creative Mornings, an event she puts on, and went up to her to say hello. I was surprised to find out that she knew the blog I had been working on, My Modern Met. It made my day!

This particular series of tattoos, called the Perennial Set, was created by Vincent Jeannerot who specializes in watercolor. The unique fragrance was created in collaboration with Agilex Fragrances, and includes notes of Dewy Fuchsia Petals, Pink Poppies, Ylang Ylang, and Poplar Wood. The scent complements the colors and textures of Jeannerot’s original watercolor artwork. The Perennial Set includes Blue Hydrangea, Pink Peony, Purple Peony, and Rose La France. Though the pink rose is classic, I love the vibrancy of the pink peony. Bought!

tattly_perennials_set_web_product_01_grande

You can buy these at Tattly’s website or at The Colossal Shop.

Life

May 19 2016

Sam’s Community Fair is This Saturday

I’ll be out tomorrow because I’ll be helping to prepare for an annual community fair. Now in its 16th year, the Temescal Valley Community Faire brings over a thousand people together to enjoy lots of free entertainment and cheap food. These are some pictures from last year’s event.

There are lots of FREE things to enjoy like games and prizes, jumpers for the kids, arts and crafts, live local entertainment, and all-you-can-eat watermelon. The food is really cheap at 50-cents for hot dogs, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, and sodas. They keep the costs of food low on purpose. You can enjoy a whole family’s meal for under $5!

Sam’s been head of the committee who puts it on, The Temescal Valley Heritage Foundation, for over 10 years now. We’ve seen this community fair grow from just a few hundred people to now over a thousand. If you’re in the area, drop by the Deleo Regional Sports Park on Saturday, May 21, 2016 from 11 am to 4 pm. It’s a really low-key event that’s perfect for the family.

A helicopter flies in and out of the park. The kids get a real kick out of it.

This picture cracks me up. The boys each had a balloon but Logan accidentally let go of his. That’s my nanny, Cindy, in the background with the genuinely surprised expression.

There’s a small train that the kids get to ride on for free. Parker went on it three or four times. Here he is with his grandma. The train is perfect for the little ones.

More info on the fair can be found on their Facebook page.

I’ll also be taking Monday off, so I’ll be back to the blog on Tuesday. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Art & Design

May 19 2016

New Striking Mixed Media Paintings by HUSH

An advanced online preview of HUSH’s new show has just been released. HUSH has an immediately recognizable style, he paints the female form using a combination of acrylic paint, screen printing and spray paint, so that there’s a beautiful yet purposeful messiness to each piece. With bright red lips and impossibly white faces, the women in his paintings bear the striking resemblance to geisha girls.

I enjoyed this description of HUSH’s work, from Metro Gallery:

The artist’s mark-making bears the distinct aesthetic of tagging, bringing the rough texture of street art into each piece. Swift gestural marks underlie splashes of paint, looping through lines and over bright combinations of colour. With an in-depth technique that includes painting, screen printing and spray-painting, Hush creates work that instantly draws the eye in and holds the viewer’s focus. Patterns ranging from geometric repetition to florals that conjure up images of royal tapestries and delicately decorated vases are not solely confined to the background but often take shape, forming graceful fabrics. In some works these shapes appear solidly, while in others the central figures are only lightly delineated from the waves of pattern, body and background blending, as if they are sinking into the colourful composition itself.

The UK-born artist will debut his show, title Allure, from May 28 to July 2 at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles. This would be a fantastic show to see in person.

Photography

May 18 2016

Mother Documents Children’s Love of Nature and Uninhibited Play

What does childhood look like for children without traditional schooling or modern electronic devices, like iPads or phones? How would these kids play? This was the thought behind Niki Boon’s series of photos that show her children’s “unconventional” lives in rural New Zealand. Living on a 10-acre property she documents their days together in an “environment full of nature and uninhibited play.” I love the moody black and white photos, the strong stares and the carefree nature of the kids.

For these photos, Boon was one of the winners in the Personal category of PDN’s Photo Annual 2016.

Photography

May 18 2016

Fascinating Photo of Goats Who Climbed a Tree

Sometimes it takes just one photo that makes you stop whatever you’re doing and stare. “Could this scene be real?,” you ask yourself. I first spotted this image on National Geographic Creative Instagram account and then traced it to the PDN Photo Annual 2016 contest. The funny yet fascinating photograph of goats standing in a tree was taken by photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice. The caption is: “Goats climb an Argan Tree near Marrakesh, Morocco, to eat the Argan nut, from which the popular hair and skin product, Argan oil, is made.” I love how the goats are all spread around, like ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Fitzmaurice was one of the winners in the Personal category of the PDN Photo Annual. The contest is a great jumping-point for student and emerging photographers who are looking into breaking into the field of photography. What an excellent capture!

Art & Design

May 17 2016

The Largest Ever Exhibition of Banksy’s Artwork is Coming

The largest exhibition of Banksy’s work ever! With the help of private collectors from all around the world, a new exhibition will show a vast collection of original works by the famed street artist Banksy. Starting May 24 through September 4, 2016, the public will be able to visit Rome’s prestigious Palazzo Cipolla museum to see over 120 pieces including paintings, prints, sculptures, and rare objects. All of the works are from private collectors, therefore, none have been removed from the street.

The exhibition, titled War, Capitalism & Liberty will examine how social and political events are viewed through the irreverent wit and artistic skill that encapsulates the career of the artist known as Banksy – from his black and white stenciled sandwich board-wearing monkeys declaring ‘Laugh now but one day we’ll be in charge’ to the unsettling image of ‘Kids on Guns’.

Commenting on War, Capitalism & Liberty, Prof. Avv. Emmanuele FM Emanuele, President of Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo, said: “The exhibition is a far-reaching initiative, a unique platform to showcase the themes that it deals with – war, capitalism and freedom – which seem to be both the primary sources of inspiration for the artist known as Banksy, characterised by a strong component of social protest, and the most current and urgent themes defining our present times. This exhibition is the perfect and natural culmination of a path I wanted to pave through the Fondazione terzo Pilastro in order to give voice to a form of street art expression that takes art out of the museums and shifts it into everyone’s world, making it something that belongs to our daily lives.”

How I wish I could see this show! Anyone up for a summer visit to Rome? Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll find there.

Life

May 16 2016

Celebrating May Birthdays and Mother’s Day

With all the children now, we find it’s much easier to celebrate special occasions like Mother’s Day or birthdays at home rather than at a restaurant. Not only do we avoid all that chaos that comes with squirmy children, we get to spend a lot more quality time together. This past weekend, Sam’s brother (Danny) and his family (his wife, Arlene, and their children, Quincy and Koda) came down from LA and we all met up at my in-law’s house.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. The photo above was taken at a nearby playground. I love how my niece, Quincy, is holding hands with both her dad and granddad.

Remember the picture pillows we bought for my mother-in-law? Here’s how she displayed them.

The grandparents bought Parker a brand new remote control car. I was surprised by how well he could drive it.

Sammy watching Parker playing with his remote control car.

I’m glad I was able to take this picture of Sammy’s mom and grandmother together. His grandmother is an incredible 94-years-old!

Koda is the youngest kid in the clan. He’s so adorable, isn’t he?

Quincy let me take this picture of her smiling.

We bring bikes and toy cars to my in-law’s house because their house has large areas to play around.

Parker rode his toy tractor around the backyard.

Logan is obsessed with riding in the golf cart.

I don’t have many shots of Logan alone, so I was happy that I was able to take this one.

Quincy enjoyed sweeping the driveway.

Quincy and her grandpa let me take this picture of the two of them.

At the nearby playground, Parker wanted to push his cousin Quincy.

Logan will forever be my baby. He looks so small here, I love it.

Style

May 16 2016

In Search of the Perfect White T-Shirt

When it comes to style, I like perusing the occasional fashion blog or glossy magazine but it’s more like entertainment to me. I’m a basic jeans or black leggings type of girl, I prefer to dress in black and white and I like items that are timeless. I feel as though the book, The Cool Factor, was written for women who are just like me. I’m always on the search for the perfect white t-shirt so when I saw this new article pop up on my radar, by Fast Company, I was intrigued.

You may have heard about the company American Giant before, they caused a ruckus on the internet back in 2012 after Slate called their hoodie “the greatest hoodie ever made.” (I never bought one myself but just saw that they have a lightweight version so I scooped one up for Sam.) Bayard Winthrop, the company’s founder and CEO, made it his mission to create the best hoodie in the world. As Fast Company states, “He scrutinized every single element of a hoodie—the fabric, the design, the hardware, the sewing—and tried to create his own version that he hoped would excel in every way.”

As for the white t-shirt, I like that a company would put their heart and soul into designing something so basic. Could their premium t-shirt be their next big hit?

American Giant has made shirts for several years, but a year ago, it embarked on an effort to create a premium T-shirt. Much like a sweatshirt, a T-shirt seems like a fairly basic item of clothing. But Winthrop says that when you look at the details and nuances, things begin to get complicated. “At first glance, there’s not a whole lot going on or a lot of hardware to think about,” he says. “But doing something that is genuinely unique and special is both a design and manufacturing challenge.”

Finding the right fabric was a huge task. Winthrop and his designers scoured the world to find cloth that felt substantial, but was still light. They settled on a high-end slub material, but they had to spend time ensuring it wasn’t transparent. Then there was the issue of fit. A T-shirt can sometimes have a strange drape or torque if it isn’t sewn correctly. The team developed an extra seam at the back of the shirt, which adds an interesting design, but also ensures that the fabric doesn’t bunch up or fall in an ugly way. This entire process involved creating many different prototypes that were tested on dozens of people. “We wanted the shirt to look good on different body types,” he says.

I just bought the premium crew T and the premium v-neck T, both in white. I like the discreet stitching in the back, it subtly identifies it as an American Giant shirt. At $34.50 they’re not cheap t-shirts but for form and function they may just be worth it. Fingers crossed that they live up to the hype!

Art & Design

May 13 2016

Fun Links of the Week

Hey! What are you up to this coming weekend? We’re celebrating a bunch of family birthdays and we’re combining that with a late Mother’s Day celebration. We bought Snapbox’s pillows for Sam’s parents, four of them, one for each grandchild. They turned out great. I’ll share a picture of them next week.

Now, on to this week’s fun links of the week.

I have to start off with this. Could it have been any more beautiful? I’m listening to it on repeat. JT acoustic album, please.

Bye bye minimalism. Hello color!

Bottega Louise has birthday cake macarons?

I want to visit this quaint village.

Reading hammock, please.

Is this the new “Happy”? I hope so. I love songs that make you move your booty. (This daddy/daughter dancing to it is so cute.)

This tattoo trend is cool. (Makes me want one, but I’d probably go to this guy. Not one line, but equally cool.)

Pretty lingerie for those into design or geometry. (via NotCot)

Forget the kids! I want to collect these toys. (Too bad they’re only concepts.)

I bought this book and read it cover to cover. Appreciated the tips. (via Cup of Jo)

I have these hot air balloons at home but never thought to arrange them like this.

Lately, I’ve been into animal planters. Too bad this one is sold out.

This surgeon’s story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. See here and here.

This link is a little bit old but, regardless, wouldn’t it be amazing to design your pool like this?

I can’t wait for Season 2 of the most intense show on television. For now, I will check out their viral marketing campaign. (Can’t wait for July 13th!)

A new way to travel from LA to SF. It travels overnight!

Photo above from Hold Your Breath, These Freediving Photos Are Insane
Photo by One ocean One breath

Life

May 13 2016

Life Unfolding: Top 10 Moments of the Week

It’s been a fun week. No sick kids…yay! We actually headed out to the beach for a sunset dinner (with kids in tow of course), we enjoyed a nice breakfast at one of our favorite French cafes (not bougie), and the boys played a lot outside. The weather has been great in So Cal. Here are my family’s top 10 moments of the week.

Above: The kids let me capture this picture of them lying next to each other. When they’re calm, they’re so cute. (Mothers, you know what I mean.)

On one random day this week, Sam and I enjoyed a nice, quiet breakfast without the boys. We hit up a French cafe, called Vallee d’Brume, that primarily serves desserts. Through Yelp we found out that they also have some killer breakfasts. Sam went a little rogue and ordered this meat and cheese plate. It was just as good as it looks.

These are some few outtakes from our beach trip. Sam doesn’t let me capture many pictures of him. I like the colors and background in this shot.

Sammy watching Logan throw rocks at the beach. I like how relaxed we felt there. The kids did their own thing and we just hung out and watched them.

This is a rare picture of Logan. The guy never sits still. I like how he’s not smiling. Man, he loves playing amongst the rocks.

What would a beach photo series be without the classic “feet in the sand” picture?

That’s Parker screeching down the driveway in his tricycle. He’s outgrown it but still likes to ride it fast.

Logan and Sam sharing a sweet moment. It’s amazing how much Logan loves his daddy. He runs up to him every day we get home from work and it’s all “Appa, Appa, Appa”! (Which means daddy in Korean.)

I like this picture because it looks like Logan is meditating. Of course, it’s on the driveway but, hey, I can’t seem to sit still for more than five minutes anywhere.

Finally, here’s Logan and Parker in their pjs. They’re getting ready for bed. I tried to get a shot of them for grandma, who bought them their pjs, but ended up getting this. It’s so perfectly captures their personalities.

Next week, I think I’m going to try and capture more photos of what inspires me. I’ll still be taking pictures of Parker and Logan, but I’m going to change it up a bit to keep things fresh.

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