Gong Xi Gong Xi

As I am half-Chinese, I celebrate the Chinese New Year which means I get to enjoy a large feast filled with auspicious dishes with all my relatives on the eve of the new year & the whole of the next day is spent playing one card game after another (to hopefully double one’s “fortune”), trading jokes, gossip & life stories while eating lots & lots of cookies & mandarin oranges. My hubby & I will also be giving out ang paos for the first time to my unwed cousins & as newlyweds, we have to give out DOUBLE than usual! Uh oh… :P

Anyways, I’d like to wish all my Chinese readers a very hearty Gong Xi Fa Chai (click on the link to read a pretty nifty article on the origins of the term)! May all your mandarin oranges be sweet & the year of the dragon brings you much luck & prosperity. Gong xi, gong xi!

Sky Series

Something about Eric Cahan’s Sky Series takes me away to dreamland & I don’t want to come back. I’m going to start paying more attention to the sky now & hope to someday capture these dreamy hues that Cahan has mastered.

Fireflies

Mother Nature never fails to impress the pants off of me! These photos are actually long exposures of fireflies in Japan & I think it’d be awesome if someone could do the same at the Firefly Park at Kuala Selangor. Any takers out there?

Via Fellow Fellow.

DIY: Picture Frame

I have a bunch of art prints & posters I’ve collected over the years that’s just sitting hidden away in a corner, waiting to be framed up because well, getting things framed can be pretty expensive. So if you’re like me, this DIY tutorial from Oh Happy Days is going to get you real excited. I think the only problem is getting your hands on a mat board cutter & plexiglass, but I’m going to forgo the mat board, substitute plexiglass with ordinary clear plastic sheets (the kind you use to make power point slides) & instead of using paper tape, I’m going to use up my washi tapes. Wheee, can’t wait to get started!

Inspiration Boards

Lately I’ve been on spring cleaning mode, organising my craft room & purging all sorts of things I’ve been hoarding (who needs a gazillion yoghurt containers & a mountain of unusable fabric scraps??). The one thing I have yet to sort is my inspiration wall. I quite like it as it is but I think I need to make it a little less cluttered, plus I could use some fresh muses. Here are a few lovely inspiration boards that I hope will inspire me to come up with something new, exciting & most importantly, creative.

Via Coletterie, with images from Design Sponge, Oh Happy Day, House Beautiful & Design Inspirations.

Dance Dance Dance

Things have been crazy busy around here lately so I find that I need music that can help me keep my energy up with a little head bopping & butt wiggling. This little carefree ditty by Lyke Li of Sweden who teamed up with Bon Iver in this live version recorded at L.A. does just that (the part when she plays the kazoo never fails to make me laugh). Have a listen & happy Friday dreamers!

Christopher Boffoli

Go ahead, play with your food. Look what Christopher Boffoli came up with in his photography series titled Disparity. He paired ordinary groceries, food & drinks with miniature human figurines doing all sorts of activities, making everything seem surreal.



 

Teeny, Tiny Letters

Saw this, The World’s Smallest Post Service, a couple of years back but for some reason I never got around to blogging about it so since I’m on a letter writing kick, I thought I’d share this with you lovely folks. Pay USD9 for a letter & you get your message to a loved one inscribed onto a tiny piece of paper, folded into a tiny envelope, sealed with a tiny blob of wax, stamped with a tiny stamp then sent off to the intended person with a magnifying glass (all of this will be packed into a larger padded envelope in accordance to regular postal regulations). You can also DIY with the Tiny Mail Stationery Kit by Chronicle Books. Check it out! You’ll be charmed, I promise.

Via Black*Eiffel.

Chalk It Up!

This Mini Goals Chalkboard is an excellent way to keep you on track, don’t you think? Imagine the satisfaction of crossing off the things you’ve done with the specially made “write it, do it, erase it” eraser on the hand painted chalkboard. I’d be grinning from ear to ear.

Hand painted Mini Goals Chalkboard by Mary Kate McDevitt

Retro Aprons

As a new wife who works from home, I find myself in charge of cleaning the house. But as someone who hates to clean, the house can get, well, let’s just say a little unorganised. So I think I need some motivation & getting one of these retro inspired aprons might just be the ticket. You think not? Yeah, I think so too but they’re cute so I might just get one anyway. Which one do you like? Links to the Etsy sellers’ listings below.





Turquoise/Brown Houndstooth & Creamy Florals Apron by Creative Chics
Spring Can be Early Sweetheart Apron by Creative Chics
Retro Ice Cream Sundae & Popsicle Apron by Boojiboo
Alice In Wonderland Apron by loverdoversclothing
Retro Housewives Apron by ImaginAprons (I wouldn’t actually get this but it’s so funny that I couldn’t resist adding this here! Hehehe)

Freebie: Desktop Calendar

Here you go, courtesy of Oh, Hello Friend.

Handwritten

  
Inspired by a conversation I had with @IAmAnida awhile back about kad Raya (thanks babe!), one of my resolutions for this year is to start handwriting to friends & family members instead of dropping them the ubiquitous email or Facebook message. I personally love receiving handwritten notes & letters (that’s how my hubby wooed me by the way, no kidding!) so even if it’s just a simple note, a little effort to put pen to paper will be sure to delight.

Here’s a very nice post on The Anatomy Of A Thank You Note because if you’re like me & you’re a little rusty on writing personal letters, a thank you note is the easiest place to start because IMHO we all have something or someone to be grateful for that has been left unspoken or unexpressed.

Admittedly, one of the things I like about writing letters is the stationery & as a crafter, I love collecting small works of printed art that is the humble greeting card. All you crafty types out there are nodding your heads in agreement now, I bet! Here are my Etsy picks of cards (links below). Hope they will inspire you to pick up a pen too ;)





 
Write More Handwritten Letters print by Mary Kate McDevitt
Letterpress Merci Card by Presse Dufour
Embroidered Hello Card by Blue Eye Brown Eye
Braille Letterpress Notecards by Fourth Year Studio
Par Avion Post Cards by Humunuku Shoppe
Simple Scallop Letterpress Notes by Ruby Press

Hello 2012!

Wow. It’s 2012 already huh? I thought I’d have some time to breathe after Christmas but before I knew what hit me, we were ringing in the new year. I haven’t really had time to reflect on the past year nor time to come up with a list of resolutions for the new, but I can safely tell you that I had a wonderful time in 2011 filled with amazing memories & expect more of the same (if not better) in 2012. Cheers to that!

Now, I’m usually the type who breaks resolutions as soon as I make them (hands up if you relate), but I think with a little help of this DIY New Year Manifesto by Creating Clever hanging somewhere conspicuous, I might actually fulfill a resolution or two. Have a go & hey, have a happy new year while you’re at it!