Mindy Tsonas Choi

the holidays are always a whirlwind, and somehow it happens every year that this seems to sneak up on me. i love the initial burst of festivities, putting on my favorite holiday music , starting to plan and make gifts, decorating the house and making christmas plans. i always feel so excited and prepared... in the beginning at least. then as time winds on, it seems to start to unravel. somewhere along the way, holiday cheer seems to turn into holiday stress. how does that happen? while i love most everything about this time of year, it is so easy to lose perspective on what is truly important and real. as a mom, trying to balance the notion of togetherness and family and giving with the craziness of wanting and getting and having is not always an easy task. still, i often feel myself that i have not given enough... things, time, thought, and this is where i think the stress comes from, simply trying to do and be too much. even though my holiday cards never made it out, i never finis

the gift fairy arrived in a flourish yesterday! this long awaited treasure was finally delivered to my door, and i was giddy with excitement just to open it. i had to hold myself back from just tearing into the package, to slowly savor and photograph the moment :) this necklace represents a lot of things for me... it is the work of two of my wishstudio companions (both who i absolutely admire and adore for many different reasons) and represents to me the amazing collaboration and creativty that has grown out of that space this year. i love the sentiments on this piece, and recently told christine how i am going to eat, sleep and breathe those words through my many creative days ahead as i plunge full-on into this creative life that is unfolding right before my eyes! thank you stacy for designing such a gorgeous piece. i'd wear it in the shower if i could :) also in my mailbox (my email box) was a beautifully thoughtful gift from some far away family. it came as a surpris

wintery rainbow out my window last week the days have been flying by. i can not believe it's only 2 weeks til christmas! where does time go? i've been off chasing one creative rainbow after another, and meeting up with some really inspiring people which has been overflowing my well of goodness this season. i spent a wonderful evening (gosh, way back in early november already!) with two fabulous creative bloggers noshing on nan and sharing bits about life, creating, weddings, mamahood and blogging. it was so lovely to finally meet up with both these women and to see their sparkle up close. stop by and visit nina and say congrats on her on her pending nuptuals, and go on over to say hi to michelle and wish her luck with baby # two on the way! both have so much to share with the world, so keep an eye on their inspiring worlds. i also spent a beautiful afternoon in heidi's glittery creative world making holiday cones and slippers. there was attention to every l