Decorating for the Holiday Season

The weather has been dreary all week with rain and now cooler temperatures, so I feel like winter is well on it's way. It sort of feels like we skipped right over fall, but that's probably me just being dramatic. To go along with the chilly weather, I got the itch to do a little decorating around the blog.  

It's still a work in progress and I'm not in love with certain little parts (like the social media buttons), so don't get too use to this look.  Suddenly today, I got this burst of energy to create and redesign.  First, it was my living room. You know, completely normal redesigning… like trying to arrange the furniture to accommodate a nonexistent Christmas tree, in October. 

I love the holidays, but I am not one to rush through fall to get to Christmas. I normally cringe when I see Christmas commercials come on so early or hear 'Jingle Bells' anytime before December. However, this year feels different. I'm ready to skip fall and dive right into winter. 

As I'm typing this, I realize that my desire to skip fall this year might be my subconscious wanting to ignore my fall birthday (the big 3-0). Whatever the reason, I'm ready. Ready for the snow (even if it's only a dusting) + ready for boots + ready for scarfs and lots of layers + ready to celebrate lots of winter holidays with our family of 4.
Are you ready for winter already?

Weekly Wishes #4

It turns out I am kind of failing miserably at sprucing up my etsy shop because I didn't do anything with it again last week. This is good news though! I know what you're thinking. . . failure = good news? Yes. Through another week of failure, I have realized that I am seriously lacking inspiration right now. I didn't really realize how much this short season of baby-induced sleepless nights has zapped my creative brain until I tried to sit down and put together a few prints for my sister. My brain couldn't put together fonts or colors. I was even struggling with word arrangement. 
So, this week's wish will be to get creative!
I am determined to do something each day this week to get creative and hopefully get inspired by some of this creativity. Last week's wish (and the week before that) has now become my month of August wish. I'll accomplish it - little by little. 
Now, I just have to rest my brain enough to figure out what creative things I can get my hands dirty with this week. Linking up with the lovely Melyssa from The Nectar Collective again for Weekly Wishes. 

Snail Mail Collective | July 2013

For the past month I've been getting to know a new blogger from across the country - all as part of an amazing little thing called The Snail Mail Collective put together by two of my favorite bloggers, Melyssa + Chelsea. Basically, you are paired up with a blogger and get to know them over the month before sending off a little snail mail package. Oh, and there is a $5 limit of the gifts you choose to send to keep things in everyone's budget. Plus, I think the $ limit really pushes you to get creative with your purchases. There is also a theme each month to help you decide what to send. July's theme was 'Where you're from'. 

I was paired up with Rachel who blogs over at Tossing the Script. I don't know whether she would agree or not, but I've decided that we are just alike and totally different. Let me explain. We are the same age + have similar interest and somewhat similar personalities, but we are on totally different paths in life. Through this tough season of mommyhood, reading her blog has made me think of what life would be like if I had chosen a different path. Not in a bad I-hate-my-life way, just a little curiosity of what my thirties would look like if I weren't married with kids. I'd like to think that my life would look a lot like Rachel's - exploring my city and enjoying the little things with good friends. I guess I'm doing that now, but it's completely different when you have a husband and little ones to think about too. 
You should read all of Rachel's posts, but read this one if you only have time for one post. And can you believe that she has only been blogging for 3 months?! Go show her some love. I know I'll be back each week to catch up on her blogging shenanigans. 

Yummy Moonstruck Chocolate! I just maybe devoured my chocolate bar before snapping a picture, so this is from their website. . . along with some other deliciousness that I may have to order. 

Back to The Snail Mail Collective. Her package came at the perfect time, in the middle of a rough week in mommyhood. I already knew (through our emails) that chocolate was on it's way! The chocolate arrived melted - which didn't bother me in the least. I would have licked that paper clean in my moment of mommyhood weakness, but I had a nosey toddler eyeing my treat. I quickly tucked the chocolate bar away in the freezer and started counting down the minutes until it was time to get the kiddos ready for bed. 

Unfortunately, this meant that I reluctantly had to share my treat with the husband after Ellington was asleep. It was probably for the best. That incredibly delicious chocolate bar was well worth the calories!   Added bonus - Ellington loves the postcard that Rachel sent along with the chocolate. She walks around the house 'reading' it in her toddler talk - entertaining and adorable. 
Read all about Rachel's take on The Snail Mail Collective here. 
If you are a blogger (or just a blog reader - no need to have a blog), I highly encourage you to go sign up for The Snail Mail Collective in August! It's a great way to challenge your creativity + meet new blogging friends + receive some fun snail mail. Just do it! You're welcome. 

Meet the Blog

Oh, Hi there… Have we met before? Looks like there are plenty of new faces around this little ol' blog and I haven't even introduced myself yet. How rude of me!

If you've been a long time reader, then you know a little bit about my story. However, if you're new to these parts, then you're probably wondering about a few things. Like "What's up with the name of this blog?" or "Who is this Quinn girl anyway?"

Well, let's get started with a little blog history:

I started this little blog to share pictures and stories of our adventures on our honeymoon to Korea with friends and family. When we got back to the US, I kept blogging on and off to share our everyday life with family back in NC (since we moved to Alabama after the wedding). 

Then, I had kids. 

There is just something about having kids that makes you want to share all of that chubby baby goodness with the world. 

Somewhere along the way, this blog has become more than a glamorized photo album / diary. Since having my little ones, it has become more of a space for me to talk to adults (yes, I understand that I'm actually just typing on a blank screen and not chatting with a friend). Still, this is where I find my me-time and I have discovered a world of support and friendship all over the blogging world. 

So, while this blog started off as a way to document the cultural clashes of two newly weds (Kimchi = his Korean background, Sweet Tea = my Southern background in the US), it has evolved into an email update to the world about everyday happenings and struggles of a momma raising 2 multicultural little ladies. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see a lot more of you soon!

Lovin' Bloglovin'

I am sure everyone that doesn't have to work today is enjoying nice weather and a day on a boat somewhere, but I thought I'd share a little info about blog following with those of you who are stuck at work and wasting time by blog reading. Er, I mean, reading work related blogs to increase their productivity.

Anywho, there's this thing called bloglovin' that many bloggers have quickly joined and encouraged others to join. I joined it in the beginning, but kept quiet because I wasn't too sure about it. I wasn't ever into Google Reader, so I wasn't the least bit concerned about it leaving the blog world (although some people were incredibly upset).

Well, now that I have been using bloglovin' for a while, I am hooked and I want everyone I know (including you) to join in on the fun. It's basically a site where you can add all of your daily reads and it will tell you when your listed blogs have new posts or articles. It's pretty much changed my life. Before I discovered this thing, I would visit my favorite sites a bazillion times a day to see if they had anything new up yet - exhausting AND a big time waster!

There are so many features that I have yet to explorer, but one that I love is that you can categorize the blogs that you read. Another feature I'm diggin' is the little preview of each blog that you see right in your bloglovin newsfeed. I'm not someone who loves reading about giveaways (am I the only one?), so  I simply click "mark as read" when I see something about a giveaway and wait for the next post to visit my favorite blogs. No more time wasting! Also, they have a smartphone app. Yeah, I can now read my favorite blogs whenever I get a free moment wherever I am - like when both kids fall asleep in the car and I don't want to wake them up to transfer them to their beds. I can just sit in the car and entertain myself with blogs. I'm in love!

Go check it out and don't forget to add Kimchi & Sweet Tea to your bloglovin' newsfeed. You're welcome!

Have a great weekend blog friends!

Hashtaggin' with the Cool Kids

I'm not new to the blogging (I started this little blog 4 years ago), just new to the world of blogging. I use to write to document my life and knew that only a handful of friends and family actually read my posts. Recently, I discovered that I am not the only lifestyle + mommy blogger in blogland. I know, shocking.

I have found some amazing ladies who I would like to say are sort of my blog friends. That already sounds weird. Let's just call them new friends, but we've never met. And while I love reading their blogs and communicating on twitter, I have discovered that I'm like the grandma on the internet. Not to say that I am older than everyone else, but a little less knowledgable about this whole technology thing.

Let me explain. I am very late to the twitter party. I swore I would never get an account, then I did and I love it! However, I have absolutely no clue what people are talking about half of the time. This whole hashtag thing has made me feel very uncool. I have had to look up what some hashtags mean #lame #IKnowImNotCool.

So, for those of you who want to hang out with all of the cool kids on twitter (and now Facebook), here is a little guide to what they're talking about #whatdidtheysay:

#bbloggers + #fbloggers

This is pretty self explanatory. They are just simple hashtags to help people searching for their favorite beauty and fashion bloggers.

#ootd

This one had me pretty stumped when I first ran across it. I spent a good bit of time trying to decipher the acronym until I realized I could just google it. It means 'outfit of the day' and is pretty straightforward. You use this when posting a photo or blog post about what you're wearing.

#FF

Follow friday is a sweet trend on twitter / instagram / and now Facebook where you offer up the names of some of your favorite people to follow in hopes that your friends will check them out and follow them as well. And you guest it, you use this one on Friday.

#tbt

Most people probably know what this one means since it has been making the rounds on all social media spaces for a while now. In case you are still clueless, it stands for 'throwback Thursday'. Simply post a picture of you or really anybody back in the day and attach this hashtag. It's fun to look into the past each Thursday, especially since none of these social media giants even existed way back then. :)

#widn

I have to admit, I had to look this one up a few times before the meaning stuck in my head. It stands for 'what I'm doing now' and you use it like it state. Take a video or photo of what you are doing right now and post it to your social media accounts with this hashtag attached. This is one of those new-to-me hashtag trends that I don't really get, but it's still fun.

Happy #hashtagging ! Let me know if there are any other hashtags that you are having trouble deciphering or just don't understand. Better yet, follow me on twitter / instagram and start hashtagging!

What I learned: Everyday Blogging Challenge

Something that I never really expected happened during my self-imposed everyday blogging challenge,  I discovers some incredible blogs and started a few over-the-internet friendships (hopefully the feeling is mutual or I just outed myself as a blogger stalker).

When I started this month long adventure, I was really just trying to spark some creativity in my own writing and mix things up a bit. I'm not sure how it happened, but I began to venture out of my own blogging neighborhood and met some amazing-hilarious-supportive ladies.

I learned that there is no 'I' in blogging (okay, well there is an 'i'). What I mean to say is that blogging doesn't need to be just about YOUR blog and YOUR content. It so much more fun to venture out a little. Go see what your internet neighbor is writing about and spread the word about their blog. Maybe reading another blog post will give you an idea of what to write about or maybe you just might make a few over-the-internet friends (or you just might become a blogger stalker).

To get you started, here are a few new-to-me blogs that I cannot wait to read everyday! There's something listed for everyone :)

We've been FEATURED!

I am super excited that Ellington's sweet (but crazy) 1st birthday party was featured on Apartment Therapy - Family yesterday!!  It brings back so many memories to look back at this post. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by - now we have another little one with an equally crazy 1st birthday to plan. I better get started on the planing right away. After all, I only have a little over 10 months to plan another elaborate Korean Dol Party!!

While I start preparing for Winsley's celebration, go check out the cliff notes of Ellington's 1st birthday celebration on Apartment Therapy - Family!

Ekubo Ministries Prints

After reading yesterday's post, I hope you ran over to Christie's blog and got started reading through her posts. What a fantastic love story she has!  

Well, the creative bug bit me after I read through her blog and I got busy making these two print for my Etsy shop. If you are interested in purchasing either one, please know that all profits will be going straight to Ekubo Ministries to help these great people. :)  Happy Thursday y'all!

Bless Your Momma this Mother's Day

Mother's day is right around the corner (Sunday the 12th to be exact), so what better way to show mom how much you love her than buying her a sweet gift. Okay, so maybe a better way would be to spend the day with her, but those of you who don't have the luxury of living close by can send an awesome gift to their incredible momma!  These prints were just added to the etsy shop and would make perfect Mother's Day gifts:

If prints or scripture don't do it for your momma, may I suggest a few products that I'm lovin' on etsy right now (take note hubby):

For the chef mom, this incredible custom cutting board from Wood Ink. Since I'm not quite the chef mom, I would probably hang it on the wall. The perfect art piece for a barely used kitchen. :)

Get this funny card from Cheeky Kumquat to make your momma giggle. You should also check out the other cards from this seller - like this one and this one and since I'm currently potty training my 2 year old, this one!  Hilarious!

If your momma prefers jewelry, this nest necklace from Uqfashion is perfect! There are many shops making these cute nest necklaces & rings, but I'm in love with this particular one because you can add the initials of each child (or egg). Love it!

What did you get your sweet momma for Mother's Day?  or did I just remind you that it was next week and you're now on etsy searching for the perfect gift? :)

The Times They Are a-Changin'

If you have been reading Kimchi & Sweet Tea for a while, you probably know that I have not been as consistent as I should be when it comes to blogging. In other words, I have been a horrible blogger when it comes to actually posting stuff on time. It's not procrastination, although I am quite the expert, it's a scheduling and content issue. Let me explain.

In the past, I have posted stories and such as they came to me in real time. This, however, created a bit of a mess with blog post consistency. I would post every day one week and not at all for the next two weeks. I was still new to the blogging world and trying to find my voice, so I concluded that I needed to post no more than twice a week to 'save' post ideas for when I wasn't feeling very creative. Makes sense, right?

Well, this process became more of a hinderance than a help. I had more ideas and content than I had post days scheduled on the calendar. Instead of writing in the moment I would jot down the idea on a future date to save a little time. Unfortunately, I would either forget to publish something or become tired of the post idea once that scheduled date finally came around. It just wasn't working for me (or this blog).

So, things will be changing around here. For the next month, I will be posting something new every weekday. No fluff posts either. If I don't feel great about the content of a particular post, nothing will go up that day. Fortunately, my mind has been flooded with ideas lately and this is just the place to get everything out. :)

I am also eager to start crossing things off of my Blogolutions list - here's to #1!  Hang in there with me. I promise this month will make for a fun read and hopefully daily blogging will become a new norm for Kimchi & Sweet Tea. Expect a home update, lots of mommyhood stories, maybe a guest post or two, and even a free printable just for you in the near future.

New Prints in the Etsy Shop :)

While we are still waiting for Baby Yi, I whipped up two new prints for my little etsy shop.  Go check it out!

Valentine's Day & A Free Printable

Holidays like this one have always been a favorite of mine.  No, it's not because girls are usually the receivers of all of the gifts (although that doesn't hurt).  It's because you can get so creative with activities and food.  I love a good DIY project!  Our plans for tomorrow are in the works and I couldn't be more excited to start new Valentine's Day traditions with my little one.

If all goes as planned, our morning will start with heart-shaped pancakes (dyed pink) and strawberries along with pink milk.  Lunch will be a date with Daddy at a local cafe and dinner isn't quite planned out yet.  We also plan on making these awesome fruit snacks (strawberry, of course).  A little tip for the fruit snacks... Target has just-the-right-size trays for this project in their dollar section right now, so go pick up a few and make this yummy snack!  Any other food suggestions?  I promise this day isn't totally planned around food.  I am one very pregnant lady (11 days to go!), so food is often the first thing on my mind.

Later today, we are headed to our local dollar store to pick up a few crafts.  On the craft agenda for tomorrow include a heart garland (like this one), a homemade card for Daddy (here are some super cute ideas), some heart shaped hats (like this one), and lots of pink and red and purple - everywhere!

A Free Printable for You!  Just Copy & Paste or Print :)

In honor of this fun day, I've made up a little printable that you can copy and do with what you like... maybe turn it into a card or a little Valentine's Day decoration.  Happy Valentine's Day!

What are your plans?

UPDATE:  A no-napping two year old meant we didn't get a lot of things on our to-do list checked off, but we did have fun with the food portion of the day and we even attempted a little photoshoot with our new heart garland... with mixed results.  Hope your Valentine's Day was a success!

New Year's Blogolutions

I am not making any New Year's Resolutions this year, instead I am focusing more on this little blog and my etsy shop.  So I've made a few goals or New Year's Blogolutions to help me stay on track and, hopefully, lead to a more organized online life.

#1  Blog More Consistently.  I always have a list of stories or situations that I want to blog about in real time.  Unfortunately, my list making skills are far better than my blogging in real time skills.  This year, I am putting myself up to a new challenge... blogging more consistently.  I am aiming for 2-3 posts per week.  This is one blogolution that I really want to accomplish and stick to when I review my this post next year.

#2  Try Something New.  Since I started this little blog all the way back in 2009, I have had dreams of joining that intangible club of bloggers on the internet who always seem to be doing more than just writing about their everyday life.  You know the ones... they have contests for cool prizes, guest bloggers, link-up parties, and they attend all of the local blogging events.  I definitely want to try at least one of these things this year.

#3  Use Social Media.  So, I have a twitter account and Facebook, but I haven't quite figured out how to use social media on a daily basis to communicate as a blogger.  This might take some time, but I really want to learn to post more than 'Look what I just wrote on the blog'.  I guess my goal here would be less formality and more genuine conversation through social media... is that a contradiction?

#4  Make More Prints.  I created a little etsy shop a while back and I have sold a few pieces, but I haven't really focused on getting more prints in the shop or promoting the prints that are already listed.  Right now, I am setting my goal pretty low.  I am committing to making 2 new prints per month and I'll see where things go from there.

#5  Share More About Side Projects.  Over the past 2 years, I have been dabbling in blog design.  Designing a few backgrounds and headers for blogs of a few friends and designing and redesigning my cousin's cooking blog (she generously has let me try new things whenever I get the itch to get creative).  I am really proud of these little side projects and I would love to share more of all of this hard work on my own blog.

So there it is.  Written down for all to see.  Now, I just have to follow through... not my strongest asset.

Just a Quick Note...

A print from my Etsy shop was mentioned on the blog Two Birds Boutique today!   I am beyond thrilled that they found my little shop interesting enough to feature on their blog.  The two lovely ladies who write the blog also featured a few other amazing Etsy sellers who are offering up a portion of their profits to benefit the families affected by the Sandy Hook tragedy.  Go check them out here.

AND if you love fashion, a look through the Two Birds Boutique is not a bad idea.  These two fashonistas are lovers of nice things and great deals - the best of both worlds!  I took a quick look around their blog and I am already in love with their style.  I find it hard to mix vintage & new or even just wear multiple prints, but these ladies are magicians when it comes to pulling an outfit together.  I could definitely learn a thing or two... or ten from reading this blog!