Lydia & Pugs

The second brand we will be sharing with you on our "Brand Focus" series is another paper goods brand called Lydia & Pugs. 

But first, a background story about how I (Eileen) was first introduced to this particular brand...

Maybe its the bulging eyes, maybe its the tightly curled tail, or maybe it's the squished-in nose that makes pugs the most adorable breed of dogs in my opinion. Whatever it is, anything pug instantly finds its way into my shopping cart (sadly, I don't have one...).  By the way, is it just me who thinks just the name "pug" is super cute?!

Can you really resist this face?!

Anyways, for my birthday a few days ago, an amazing group of friends threw a surprise birthday party for me and one of the things they bought me was a pug notepad from Lydia & Co. Ever since, I've kept an eye out for products from this company-- and here's a few of my favorites!

Pug Notes Notepad

Holiday Dogs Greeting Card

Tandem Pugs Thank You Postcards

Christmas Bao

On Christmas day, my grandma has made it a tradition to make these bread things called "bao" in Chinese. As the oldest of her grandkids, I was always forced to help. This year I took a break from kitchen work and became the photographer for the day. Please enjoy this picture of grandma scolding the second oldest as he kneads the dough. Merry Christmas friends! 

Love, 
Vanessa

DIY : Penguin Felt Ornaments

 I've made these penguins before and they are my go-to christmas gifts because who doesn't like penguins? These penguins were adapted from a bird tutorial i came across years ago. Check out the original blog here! Petite Purls. 

You will need : 

- bird template 

- felt 

- embroidery floss

- fabric scissors

- pins

- a needle

- glue

- twine

- a jingle bell

- stuffing

* the size and color of your penguin is up to you!

1. prep your templates onto felt and pin together

2. cut! you should have a body, a face, two wings, a beak, and a bow tie, but that's optional

3. sew on eyes and glue on a beak

4. this next step was meant to be sewn on, but because the sun was going down i had to glue on the pieces. the wings should go on the bottom two section of the body.

5. sew the body together 

6. stuff your penguin and finish sewing to close

7. add a bell to twine, sew through the top, and knot the top

Now you have a penguin to add to your christmas tree or give to your friends and family! I recently made a set of four as a christmas gift to a super cute family. Thanks for reading! 

Tis the Season

Happy holidays from Coffeestrokes! We hope that wherever you may be, you are enjoying a season full of laughs, love, and great memories. 

Every Christmas, my mom brings out this centerpiece in front of our sparkling tree. It's just another small reminder of the countless memories my sister and I have of loud holiday parties, a house constantly filled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies, and the excitement of running down in the morning to open gifts on Christmas day. 

Whatever your Christmas traditions may be, tis the season to pause to enjoy the precious moments that make Christmas, Christmas.

Love,

Eileen

DIY : Whale Felt Ornaments

Wondering what to give to your friends and family this holiday season? This cute  DIY Whale felt ornament is both easy to make and will be a cute addition to any Christmas tree! 

 Supplies needed : 
- a whale template
- some felt
- embroidery floss
- twine
- stuffing
- a jingle bell (optional)
- a chopstick
- pins
- a needle
- fabric scissors 

*the size and color of your whale is all up to you! 

Instructions

1. stack your whale template on top of two layers of felt and pin together

2. cut around your whale template with fabric scissors

3. sew on eyes using black embroidery floss

4. pin together and start sewing together using whatever sewing method you prefer

5. sew around the whale and leave space for you to fill with stuffing

6. now it's time to stuff! the chopstick will help you get the stuffing in hard to reach parts of your whale such as the tail

7. sew the whale close

8. add a jingle bell to twine, sew through the top of your whale and knot the top!

And now you have finished your felt whale ornament! Super cute right? Hope you enjoyed reading and learning how to whale. 

Where the Boats Go

There's only one place on the planet where I've witnessed a winter sunset whose most gorgeous purples and yellows twinkle off of the tranquil water ripples; where the sun blissfully melts into an Elsewhere Jonas probably dreamed about; where the boats go home. 

Here's to you, Sydney, Australia. Even though Finding Nemo is my all time favorite movie, it did absolutely no justice to your natural beauty. 

Umami Burger

The hamburger-- perhaps the most classic of American fare-- is prepared with a very modern twist at Umami Burger, a trendy, Coffeestrokes-approved burger joint. Each of their uniquely made (and uniquely named) burgers are char-stamped with a "U" for Umami, a definite A+ on presentation. From the "Manly Burger" to the famous "Cali Burger," each has its own eclectic combination of flavors and textures to create the true umami experience-- arguably the 5th sensation of taste, savory (thank you AP Psychology). 

Here's what we ordered!

1. Cali Burger

2. The Original

3. Truffle Burger 

As always, thanks for reading!

Monograms

A Southern staple, monograms are the new obsession for my group of friends.  A personalized, preppy touch, these initials spice up anything from clothing to phone cases to even car decals. Try adding a few of them to your own items. Just remember, first name, then last name, then middle name. If you don't have a middle name, you can always have a two letter monogram, or you can pick a cute letter and have a fake middle name. Enjoy!

Love, 
Vanessa

Camera Corner: Picture Prints

Hey guys, Rishita again. I'm here with another camera corner post, but this time it's more of what to do with all the edited pictures instead of actually editing them! 

A while ago, I realized even though I took thousands of pictures every single year, I never really saw them beyond the computer screen--something my grandpa would call a sin. So I took a jump for it and just got 500 prints of the most random things: shoes, an in-n-out burger, the perfect moment of my sister picking a booger. 

Basically, they weren't really museum moments, but that's the whole point! The things you get printed aren't for its quality or its composition, it's to remember that point in time infinitely and BEYOND the digital veil. 

So that's what I'm urging YOU to do--making sure that you remember your moments! And if you're going to give me the excuse that you only take pictures of your life on your phone, let me tell you, iPhone quality pictures come out GREAT on photo paper. So let's get started. 

There are multiple ways to get pictures printed, through Snapfish or Shutterfly, but my personal favorite is through the all mighty warehouse, Costco (I've heard Sam's Club is equally as easy). 

Depending on how many pictures I want to get printed, I usually either upload them online the night before a Costco trip through my Costco photo center account, or I just take them on a USB drive the day of and do the process on one of their photo printing centers. LUSTRE FINISH IS GREAT BTW ALWAYS MATTE NEVER GLOSS DON'T DO IT

Since pictures usually take an hour or so to develop, my family goes to Costco an hour before I set them to be printed online and we do our necessary shopping! By the end, the pictures are usually developed and no time is wasted waiting for them. 

After you get them, stick 'em on your wall and admire your hard work and lovely memories! Here's Coffeestrokes' Vanessa's wall of pictures:

Super easy AND super cute, right? BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

You can get your instagram pictures printed too! This tutorial gives a great option of getting your instagram pictures printed at a local photo center instead of ordering pictures from online. And if that method doesn't float your boat, the comments have some pretty spiffy alternatives too! (Apparently Costco CAN print square pictures, but this thread was the first time I've heard of it. I'll investigate it a little bit and update you guys.) 

In short, I hope I've inspired you guys to get your memories printed! Good luck on any future endeavors.