Gifts of 2011

Gifts of 2011

Last year, I posted about the Christmas gifts I received from my husband, so I figured I’d do the same this year, but I’ll share what the whole family recieved! We kinda had (another?) anthropologie filled Christmas, especially considering this year we got to enjoy their employee appreciation, thanks to my brother going back to school and working and UO again! Thanks brother!

First, we love books in our family, so there was books abound, although Laelia got most of them. Some of them are “for Laelia” but they are kind of for me first…

Laelia got these three Phaidon children’s books:

Phaidon Children’s books by Hervé Tulle; For Laelia

There are no words in these books, but instead they are full of intriguing artworks and puzzle games. I especially like the mix-up art book; you can play with different patterns and admire their effects against each other, as seen below:I also grabbed three penguin classics (the Secret Garden’s cover fits perfectly into Laelia’s room!):

… and the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, filled with incredible illustrations!:
AND, we got her the little prince unabridged pop up book. I specifically remember  my mother handing me this book when I was a child, and I remember pouring over the celestial illustrations and loving them…
The penguin books and the fairy tales book are shelved at the moment, because Laelia is not allowed free access to books with paper pages for a while… But the Phaidon books are cardboard, so those are free range!

Mom & Dad also got books:

Modern Vintage Style for me, and the Steve Jobs biography for Tyler

I gave Tyler a list of books I wanted and he chose Modern Vintage Style by Emily Chambers.  I have to admit that I poke fun at the term “modern vintage”, both for being an oxymoron, and for being a misused and overused buzz-word, especially on craigslist and on etsy. But the term is overused and misused for good reason, and I’m really enjoying it so far; it fits into my interior design library nicely! I bought the Steve Jobs book for Tyler last minute, because I was worried he wouldn’t get it from someone else and I think we should have it. I look forward to reading it myself. I have to say, both Tyler and I were a shocked and very saddened by his death, in a way that neither of us have ever felt for someone we never knew on a personal basis…

I got some beautiful things to wear:

chubu caftan, chiapas earrings, ridgecrest boots

I found this caftan for a STEAL! And my first pair of real Frye boots. I’m in shock that they are MINE! (MOAR CAPS LOCK, MOARRR!!! >.>). I’ve always wanted Fryes (hasn’t everyone?). I’ve had the same pair of “cheap” ($99 from nordstrom rack) boots for 2 seasons, although the definitely didn’t last even one season without having full blown holes in the toes and the sides, I made an executive decision; to double my boot budget and  buy a pair of nice, high quality boots I am in love with, that will instead last many seasons. In fact, this is a philosophy I’m trying to implement in all aspects of my life, because I believe it is better all around; buy fewer, buy better. It’s more investment up front, but I think we’ll save money over time, and we will be consuming less and enjoying more. :) Laelia also got some adorable clothes which I’m sure will make their way into some of Laelia’s outfits.

We stuffed this cute owl feeding set by SkipHop into Laelia’s stocking. She pulled them out and said “owlie? owlie?”. She says it every time she uses them to eat!

“owlie?”

The cherry on top of our Christmas was definitely the new Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. I have probably gotten a video game for every Christmas of my life since NES (last year we got Epic Mickey–sadly, a disappointment). I don’t talk about gaming very much here, but if you know me or you’ve read my bio you know I love video games (and that Tyler and I met while working as video game testers… I keep thinking it would be fun to write “our story”–maybe before I post our wedding?). Anyway, Zelda is my life long video game love (Tyler’s certainly is Mega Man). I remember being so intrigued by the original game, it seemed like it was so open to wonder and possibilities, and there was always something new to discover. Unfortunately, I don’t think I had the best hand eye coordination at 4 years old, but I would watch my dad play for hours and I would instruct him on which bushes to burn and which rocks to bomb. Skyward Sword specifically celebrates 25 years of LoZ, and 25 years later, I still can recall exactly which bushes to burn and rocks to bomb! I’ve pulled all nighters to beat that game in one sitting! Ocarina of Time came out in ’97, and I got the game for Christmas. I spent more endless nights playing that game! When I first saw glimpses of the “new Zelda” (which became Twilight Princess) from E3 2004 I literally teared up. I couldn’t  ride the bike at the gym with out playing a Zelda game on my tiffany blue Nintendo DS I bought in Hong Kong. But when Tyler and I first saw glimpses of this game, we weren’t terribly impressed. I can’t explain it–it just didn’t excite us. I have to tell you that we are eating our words; I think this might end up as my favorite. Zelda. Evar. The storyline has so much depth! I haven’t felt so excited about a game in a long while… I thought maybe I was just getting older and the magic was fading, but I was wrong; I just haven’t played a game that sucks you in like this in a long time! I’m so happy that I can see past the labels  of something being “nerdy” or “kids stuff” or even “guys stuff”, and that I can just enjoy it for what it is!

Skyward Sword by Boba 2009 via Deviant Art

We are still enjoying our holiday, and looking forward to another 3 day weekend!  Wishing you all a Happy New Year! :)

Links:
Phaidon Books / Penguin Books / Fairytale book / The Little Prince Pop up Book / Modern Vintage Style / Steve Jobs / Chubu Caftan / Chiapas Earrings / Ridgecrest Boots / Skip Hop Zoo feeding ware / Skip Hop tuck away bib / The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

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Welcome

Welcome to Visual Vocabularie! My name is Jesyka, and I am a designer, artist, mom to Laelia and Luca, wife to software engineer and UX designer Tyler, coffee lover, and all around enthused person. This is my blog; here I share my personal projects, whether it's a furniture makeover, a new painting, a birthday party, an invitation I designed, or a favorite outfit for my little. You’ll also catch a glimpse into our family life in Los Angeles.

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