Happy 53rd Merdeka!

Image taken from KLue. Thanks KLue!

Happy Independence Day fellow Malaysians! This year’s Merdeka theme is 1Malaysia Menjana Transformasi & how cool that we will have another national holiday this 16 September to celebrate the formation of Malaysia when Malaya joined forces with Sabah & Sarawak (Singapore too, but that’s a different story)! Now, I’ll leave the political discourse to other people (here & here) because as you know, here at Mimpi Murni we’re all about warm, fuzzy feelings so Selamat Merdeka lovelies. Fly the Jalur Gemilang high & proud.

DIY Printable Labels

It's been awhile since I posted a DIY so here's one that's a no-brainer. Just print out these shabby chic Cath Kidson labels & well, label away! Click here for the download & how-to.

Via Sweet Tidings.


 

Johnny Miller

Just had to share this amazing shot by Johnny Miller with you guys. I just love the light filtering through the glass… It makes me want to start collecting vases!

Via Oh Joy.

Home Is Where The Heart Is: All The Luck In The World

Jane of All The Luck In The World took some pictures of her lovely home & you know me darlings… the combination of white walls with mostly white furniture + whimsical, thrift shop decor always makes me weak in the knees so I just had to share it with you. Enjoy the pictures.

What Happened In 1981

My aunt just sent me this link for What Happened In My Birth Year & I must admit I was a little skeptical at first but I'm glad I clicked on over (thanks Tai Yi!). Don't let the simple, minimalistic layout fool you though. I found it very enlightening & rather thought-provoking plus it was lovely revisiting old,dusty childhood memories. It takes awhile to read the content so if you have 5 - 10 minutes to spare do check it out.

Cake Bunting

I think a bunting added to any decor is just lovely for a touch of whimsy but a cake bunting is pure genius I tell ya! Seriously, what’s not to love? These these sweet handmade cake bunting designs from dawn at kiki la ru have just been added to my wishlist.

Via Design Sponge.
 

A Love Letter For You

(Taken off the website) “Love Letter is literally a love letter painted on the walls facing the Market elevated train [of Philadelphia]. 40 local and international artists will paint the walls in august and the letter will be on view for one and all starting as early as Labor Day.

The project will encompass 50 painted walls between 63rd and 45th street on Market Street, a documentary film with scripted elements, a sign school and shop that will provide training for area youth and free signage for businesses on the market street corridor, and 2 books documenting the project. One of the books will be a small paperback that will be distributed to area businesses free of charge, for them to sell to visitors. The other book will be a larger hardcover book that will document not only the artwork, but the neighborhood and the inspirations of the Love Letter Project.

Love Letter is an unprecedented public art project by Steve Powers and The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. It is funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative.”

How inspirational! This reminds me of KL’s very own murals along the Putra LRT line starting from the Pasar Seni stop. Will try to find a link for that but in the meantime, please click here to see the rest of the Love Letter murals.

Via Design Is Mine.

How To Be Alone

It's time to move on so I thought I'd share a little something quirky. Being someone who spends most of my time working alone in my home office, I can relate to this How To Be Alone video by film-maker, Andrea Dorfman & poet/singer/songwriter, Tanya Davis. My favorite line from this quirky little gem has got to be, “lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it.”


Via CRAFT.

Her Approval

If you’ve been following my tweets & earlier blog post, you would’ve heard of my Popo’s passing. She was a fantastic individual & will be sorely missed by everyone whose life she has touched so I thought I’d share a little bit about her…

My maternal grandmother is of Hakka descent & was born in Beijing, China in the year 1932. She was sent to Malaysia in her teens & was soon married to my grandfather or Kong Kong as I call him (he passed away when I was about 12 & although I never really got to know him, I remember a quiet man who always did what was right in his own quiet way), was also Hakka originally from China. They had a total of 8 children, 6 girls & 2 boys. Life was not easy as they worked hard day & night to make ends meet while raising so many children.

It is these children & their spouses plus offspring, a total of 34 individuals (give or take) including many other relatives & friends, who came together over the course of 3 days for my grandmother’s memorial service. As is with most Chinese people, my Popo actually put aside some money for her funeral & all I can say is that she would’ve definitely approved the outcome.

It was during this time that I came to fully realise what a strong woman my Popo was. Even towards the end, she still pushed herself to remain mobile despite painful arthritis & fibrosis in her lungs which left her breathless. Despite this, she could still crack a joke & dispense good, sound advice so that we would take care of ourselves & of each other. She knew her time was coming soon but my Popo remained jovial, loving & strong & it is these qualities that I hope with all my heart that I’ve inherited.

As I look back on the night we all spent sleeping over at the memorial centre to accompany our Popo’s last night on earth, I remember the jokes we made over sleeping positions, the hugs & words of solace we gave each other in comfort. It is this memory that assures me pieces of Popo lives on in each of us… She would’ve definitely approved.

Shi Ngeok Lian

I’ve never mentioned this before but one of the people behind Mimpi Murni is my Popo (grandmother), Shi Ngeok Lian. This kind & generous soul who has always been a big part of my life passed away peacefully this morning. Already, everyone in the family misses her so much but we know she’s in a better place.

I’m going to halt the scheduled blogposts & orders for awhile till I get my bearings. I didn’t have time to stop this morning’s post amidst rushing to see my grandmother. Anyways, I hope you lovely folks can bear with me for a bit… I promise I won’t be long.

Oh, and thanks to everyone who emailed & twitted me earlier with your condolences. It truly means a lot.

Me & my Popo at my Engagement Ceremony last May before she got really sick.
I will never get to serve her tea as she has always wanted but I hope she’s happy to know
that I’m getting married soon.

Coralie Bickford-Smith

Although I’d love a good book despite a tatty, worn out cover, I am very much guilty of the old adage of “judging a book by its cover.” If I saw these art-deco cool covers here in Malaysia, I’d pick them up in a heartbeat! (Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith for a special edition print of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s books)

Via Benign Objects.

Play Outside Party

I think most kids these days don't get to play outside as much as we did... Don't you agree? I remember when I was a kid, I used to roam my neighborhood & playground with a gang of 8 other kids around my age, playing all sorts of silly games that we could think of so it's nice to see this wholesome outdoor themed party by very talented Meredith of Lily Jane. Heck, I might even want to throw a party like this for myself some day! Click here for more info.

Via Happiness Is.

Dreams

I have a tendency to go off track every now & then so here's a little quote by Thoreau, that famous go-getter, to serve as a reminder to LIVE my dream instead of just dreaming my life away. Hope it helps you too :)

Windows Live Writer

Thought I’d give Windows Live Writer a whirl. Seems quite simple to use & the extra features are pretty neat. In fact, I think this might be love. Will keep you posted ;)

Jar Chandelier

Doesn't this chandelier made out of jars look so homey yet whimsical? I'd love to have this hanging in my kitchen.

If you're handy with electrical wiring get the how-to here OR if you're like me & don't want to mess with anything electrical, its also available for purchase here.

Via ReadyMade.

Igor & Drake

I just realised that I haven't shared a stop-motion video in awhile so here's one that I find particularly soothing to watch. Notice how each line drawn matches up to the music? It was intentional folks. That takes crazy planning I bet! And here's a really cool point: the video was made to raise awareness of the cruelty practiced by barbaric factory farms & merciless puppy mills. More info over at igorandandre.blogspot.com.

Via The Drifter & The Gypsy.

Home Is Where The Heart Is: So Binique

I would LOVE to live in all white space that has all sorts of whimsical, girly touches such as this pure & dreamy this living room of Sophie, SoBinique blog. I could just live on her sofa & dream my life away. Click here to see more pictures of this space.

Via Decor8.

Mornings at Mimpi Murni

Hello dear hearts. Sorry for the late post today. Had a health scare over the weekend & I had an early doctor's appointment this morning so my mind was elsewhere. Here I am though, better late than never & all is well in Murni-land! :)

Today I thought I'd share with you how my day usually goes most mornings (when I don't have a scary doctor's appointment that is):

I wake up at 10am most days (I'm SO not a morning person)
Check my Twitter & GodFinger while still in bed
Floss, brush teeth, wash face, yadayada
Let Hassan the cat out of his room (he's put into our enclosed balcony at night when we go to bed. We now call it "Hassan's Room")
Feed Hassan then tickle his chin & tummy
Make myself some hot honey lemon or tea (organic Peppermint)
Go into my little office which is the spare bedroom & switch on the laptop
"Try" to tidy up my crafting table (I say try because I always get distracted) while laptop loads
Check my Gmail, Google Reader & Tweetdeck
Sometime around 12pm I remember to eat "breakfast"

Well, that's a little glimpse. How do your mornings go?

Shabby Apple

As you all know, I have a thing for all things retro, vintage, sweet & dreamy. So what did I do when I first saw the dresses on Shabby Apple? Well, let's just say I went a little nuts & almost bought one of each design! They ship internationally too... Oh dear, someone stop me before I go bankrupt.

Via Le Blahg.

DIY Colorful Ice Cream Sandwiches

To continue the "why didn't I think of that" theme, I present to you this fabulous idea: the colourful ice cream sandwich! Not only plain ol' vanilla & cookie combo, but pastel hued perfection with a drop or two of food coloring & some sprinkles! Now, if I were a kid again I'd go nuts over these ice cream sandwiches.... Oh, who am I kidding?!? I'd go nuts over them even when I'm old & moldy! Here's how you whip up some for yourself & your kids (optional only).

Via Such Pretty Things.

DIY Twist Ties

I felt like slapping my forehead when I read how to make your own twist ties. It's so ridiculously simple that I wonder how on earth I never thought about it! Click here for the instructions.

Via CRAFT.

Make Love

What did you think I was going to blog about? Naughty naughty. Anyhoots, here's an origami inspired Make Love poster by Field Trip. Being an origami enthusiast, I really like the origami crane Peace poster too.

Via Design Is Mine.

Silver Mustard Turquoise

I've been looking for a nice, roomy tote for myself for awhile now to no avail, so today I decided to check out Etsy by entering some of my favourite colors + bag (eg. silver bag) in the search bar. Check out what I found... I love them all. How do I choose??

Leather Hobo in Silver by Patkas

Mia in Mustard by Christy Studio (made in Malaysia yo!)

Market Bag in Organic Turquoise by Moop

Nixon

I'min lust with these Nixon watches. From left to right, (top row) Alice in vintage silver, Tessa in gold,  Scarlet Leather in navy, (bottom row) Sisi in black/tortoise, Iris in blue & Capulet in gunmetal/gold. I read that Billabong bought over Nixon so that should mean these watches are available locally at their stores but let me check & get back to you on that ;)