the story of Easter:

Today marks a very special day, Good Friday. Nick and i were talking about how the story of Jesus sometimes can become so watered-down and basic - like those felt-board stories you were taught in Sunday school. sidenote: i loved putting the little felt characters (flannelgraphs, thanks Shannon!) on the board though - anyone know what i'm talking about? ;) Sometimes the story about how Jesus came, died, and rose from the dead starts sounding like a fairytale or some kind of tall tale. (someone rising from the dead? ok, if that happened today, i know that'd be crazy. i can see if you're skeptical) But when i remember this is true, this really happened, and there are so many accounts recorded that acknowledge Jesus did exist, it boggles my mind and i am overcome with emotions. To think Jesus was once on this earth - people saw Him, they were healed by Him, they were loved by Him and He died for you and me, i am humbled and brought to my knees in gratitude for the One who wants our hearts. and our hearts are the least we can give for our God who loved us enough to save us though we are so undeserving of it.

If you're open, curious, or just wondering what this day is all about for believers of Jesus and would like to read about what this Good Friday is all about, one account recorded can be found in Matthew, chapter 26 & 27.

Nick and i are in Toronto but have tried to be intentional on reflecting during this Holy week. Actually, a lot of businesses are closed here for Good Friday and there's something really cool about that - respecting this day.

Whether you believe this or not, thanks for reading. i do believe the audience i have through this blog is a blessing from the Lord and i can't not share the Good News with you! Though you may be turned off or not continue to read this blog after posts like this, i can't be ashamed! But my hope & prayer is that you wouldn't be upset, but that you may be encouraged. my intention is not to offend but i have seen, witnessed, and experienced such great love - i want all of you to know this love. agape. a love unlike any other. a love we can't fully comprehend. this very love is what sent Jesus to pay the ultimate price, His life. Today we reflect on what Jesus came to do years ago. it was a dark day in heaven and on earth the day Jesus died. but darkness is always overcome by the light. Happy Good Friday dear friends. Can't wait to celebrate with you on Sunday.

photo by Hillsong United. found via Ardent Overflow.

Toronto:

Today we're headed to Toronto for One of a Kind show going from Wednesday 3/27 to Sunday 3/31! We're staying a couple extra days afterward to explore so just wondering if you have any recommendations for places to eat/see :) I've been to Canada long ago when I visited some of my old roommates from when I went to school here.  It was really lovely, I'm excited to go back. If you live in the area, hope you can make it to the show!
PS: I have 8 free passes if anyone in Toronto wants a pass to the show and wants to come to the show. Just leave your email address in the comments and I'll email you! PSS: Our shop in Downtown Fullerton will still be open so stop by anytime :) Our hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-6:00. We'll be closed this Sunday for Easter!
Photos from: old city prints, urban dream photos , Rachael Nicole Photography, Mr City Printing, Charlene Precious

Book of Notes Giveaway:

I thought it'd be fun to do a little giveaway for a book of notes! In the 5 years I've had this blog, I have never done a giveaway for a book of notes, although I've thought about doing one for a while! So today you have a chance to win a book of  notes, made by me! This book of notes will be filled with lots of little surprises, don't want to give too much away.    There will be 2 lucky winners and we'll also give away a book of  notes kits as well to 2 more winners. You can choose if you'd like to receive your book of notes filled out or blank, so you can fill it out and send it on to someone else. (it'll still come with all the little gifts)   To enter, simply leave a comment with why you love notes .. either sending or receiving notes. Giveaway ends on April 1st. For an extra chance to win, post a photo on instagram and be sure to tag @ohhellofriend + include hashtag #ohfbookofnotes :)


I didn't want to give too much away but the book will be filled with lots of your favorite oh hello friend surprises :)

Happy Friday:

These are a few recent yellow items I've accumulated from my visits to the flea markets and antique/thrift shops. I just can't help it, I love this color! You guys know my crazy love for yellow. I was at a thrift store with my brother and I saw this yellow cup. My brother said to me, "Do you really like this item or do you like it just because it's yellow?" Hmm... Then the other day I found myself starting at a yellow dumpster thinking it was cool and then thought, wait, it's a trash can. I think I may be really attracted to anything with this color. Still, these recently found items are just extra cool because they are yellow! It just wouldn't be the same if they were... brown. Unless brown is your favorite color. Is brown anyone's favorite color? I don't think I've ever met anyone whose favorite color is brown ;) 

Well it's been a great week, how about you? Shop life is lots of fun. It surprisingly goes by really fast, I guess since we're working in between customers. If you haven't visited our shop yet, hope you can stop by sometime! We're actually headed to Canada next week for one of a kind show, crazy! The shop will still be open and left in good hands.  ps: large wall decals are available at our online shop!

collection / moon:

Okay. I've been on a space/celestial kick lately.... I did a couple constellation posts a while back. and I thought I had to do a post dedicated solely to the moon because the moon is pretty amazing. Well, both the sun and the moon. and the whole earth/planet/rotation thing ;) Hope you enjoy today's round up.

the moon art print via Heather Landis


Astronomical Antique Print Reproduction via missquitecontrary, $30


Moon Calendar via rendij


by artist fredrik akumvia anthology


via manolescent


tin moon globe via bellalulu


moon ring via gemagenta


la lune. moon prints via TheCuratorsPrints and mercimerci


moon dominos via mattermatters.com


via Mark Deibert


moon bed crib apartment therapy


When The Moon Hits Your Eye via ell lovely


moon tote via bright beige


moon photograph necklace via Charm Topia


vintage moon photographs via antiqueprintstore


moon print via fieldguided


necklace via meghann sommer


moon cutting board …?! my favorite find, would love this! via fine little day shop

four favorites:

fabulous: bamboo lynna cutout oxfords from zooshoo, $25
font: Hand Gothic from myfonts.com, $28
free: leftover labels from oh happy day
fun: little printer from berg cloud, $199

Home Tour:

In case you missed it, our home (where we're currently living) was featured on a beautiful mess the other week! So fun, I love Elsie & Emma's blog! I realized I've never really shared any part of my home that I've lived in for the past few years! It was a mess only a couple years ago. Nick & I were tired of living in junk and clutter so we sold everything, tore up the carpet, got hardwood floors and got a bunch of new (well, technically old) furniture and really made the place our own. So hope you enjoy our first real home tour! All photos were taken by Jennifer Young / i art u!

 

Vintage pull down map is from Lunch Lady Vintage. Blanket on the couch is from good knits. Pillows from ebay. Large rug from anthropologie. Small rug is from Novica. Shoes from Sol'N'Fraise. Most everything else is thrifted from local flea markets ;)

 

One of my all time favorite finds is this yellow scooter from the antique market. I asked the price, pretty much sure I wouldn't be able to afford it, and the lady said $90 bucks! I couldn't believe it. Nick was like, "what are we going to do with it?" but I was like, for $90, you can't really not buy something like this! She just wanted to get rid of it. He ended up thinking it was pretty cool ;)

 

Yea so I pretty much have a C&P Pilot Press that is just sitting and looking pretty.. It prints a little janky so I'm going to have a friend look at it to see if we can get it going for a possible letterpress class at the shop!

These last items are very special to me and I didn't realize I had things from both my Grandfather's. On the left is a photo of my grandfather and his siblings from my dad's side. It's pretty cool, he's in the middle on the bike, looking like the big leader. Such a long time ago! On the right are some bowls from my Grandfather's house on my mom's side. We took a family trip to China 2008 and were able to see where both my grandma & grandpa grew up, it was amazing. I don't know if my Grandfather actually used these (they may have been from a different family after he lived there) but it's still really special to have.
Hope you enjoyed our home tour! :) Well, it's more like our townhome tour. Our real house, the one we bought last year, yea, we're not living there yet. It's taken such a long time and there have been delays and everything. But we hope to be in soon.  The other day, Nick and I were listing things we're excited about. He said, "I'm excited to take a swim in our pool" and "I can't wait to sit next to the fireplace relaxing in our new living room". I said, "I'm excited to cook in our new kitchen" ;) Well, when we move in it will have all been worth the wait, we just know it. <3