Air Filtering Plants

Recently I tried to talk Bobby the hubby into getting a home air filtration system as he's a smoker. But those dang air filtration systems are ugly. And big. And did I mention they're ugly? Yuck. So the next best thing is to get plants & these 10 plants are rated the best in filtering the nasties out of the air we breathe by removing 90% of formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene within 24 hours. 24 hours! More info via Going Home To Roost.

 

Green Exhibition

Hey eco warriors, check out the Green Exhibiton at MidValley's Exhibition Centre this weekend. Targeted to consumers, it's a showcase of eco friendly products that are available in the market. Expect organic skin care & food for adults & babies, green furniture & household products, energy saving electrical appliances, all sorts of bikes, hybrid cars, electric vehicles & other eco friendly living ideas!

Venue : MID VALLEY EXHIBITION CENTRE (Hall 1, 2 & 3)
Date : 21st - 23rd of December 2012 (Fri, Sat & Sun)
Time : 11am - 9pm
FREE ADMISSION

You also stand a chance to win a ticket to Tokyo & all you have to do is register at their counter out front. See you there!

Pilen

The mister & I love outdoor activities so recently we had a look around a bicycle shop to check out the options & prices. I immediately fell in love with the more classic looking bikes & told the mister that I want mine to look like it belongs in the 1950's with a wicker basket in front. Hence begins my hunt for a hardy, versatile bike that can take some abuse yet look very classic & that's how I came across Pilen bikes from Sweden (here's a very thorough review by Lovely Bike). It was love at first sight but too bad, the price tag is pretty hefty (starts at USD1500) so my search continues. The Pilen Special in cream with a wicker basket pictured below will forever be my ideal.

Succulents For Sale!

I was making a few samples of potted succulent gardens for this Saturday's Craft Party when it occurred to me that I'll have a heck of a lot of succulents left over at the end of the shindig! So I thought I'd better put these babies up for sale here on the blog & buyers can come pick up at the end of the Craft Party. A stroke of brilliance, if I do say so myself! :P

And so, if you want to place an order, email me at hello (at) mimpimurni (dot) com. Just let me know which piece(s) you're interested in & I'll email you back with availability & total plus my account details for you to proceed with the payment. Yup, full payment upfront is required upon placing an order & the pick up point is at Hello Deer next to Wondermilk Uptown at 4pm. Please be on time as I do not do deliveries & if you miss the 4pm deadline, you'll have to come pick it up in Ampang. Okiedokie? Here are my new babies...

UPDATE: All pieces have been sold! 

Teapot 1 RM40

Coffeepot RM45

Teapot 2 RM40

Teacup 1 RM28

Teacup 2 RM28

Teacup 3 RM20

Teacup 4 RM28

Grains Of Sand

Who would’ve thought grains of sand could look this pretty? Yeah, me neither. The picture above is an ultra magnification that reveals worn a nautilus spiral, a pink shell fragment, foram, a microscopic shell, volcanic melt & bits of coral. Now, I’m longing to go diving again.

Via Etymologie.

Succulents Sahaja

A recent recce trip for an event to Cameron Highlands reawakened my love for succulents, especially the type that look like blooming flowers like the ones pictured above. These might make an appearance at the Markets this Saturday by the way, so stay tuned for an update!

Picture by Mimpi Murni.

DIY: Chalkboard Storage Jars

I started cooking regularly (like 3 - 4 times a week) & have lots of little plastic packets of various spices lying around. This simple yet handy DIY chalkboard storage jars would be perfect for my purposes & I thought I’d share with you lovely folks as you can use them not only for spices & tea as pictured above but candy, cookies & even non-edible items like hairclips. Just label with chalk & if you want to change the contents, just wipe the old written label away! Handy.

Via Wit & Whistle.

DIY: Scrap Fabric Bowl

I love a good scrap fabric craft & this bowl is something that I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you good folks before, but I collect all sorts of unique containers (bowls, boxes, etc.) so this would be an awesome addition to my ever-growing collection. Here’s the full tutorial from Prudent Baby if you want to give this a go along with me.

Trees Can Draw Too

I will never look at a tree the same way again! Taken off Happiness Is blog: “Tim Knowles attaches pens to the tips of branches and lets the wind record the movement on paper, creating one-of-a-kind drawings. Each piece of art reveals different characteristics of the tree.This just confirms my suspicion that trees are more human than we think.” I couldn’t agree more!

Lego Style Apartment

This clever little 258 square foot apartment designed by Barbara Appolloni is just that; clever. Everything has its own place & is tucked away so clutter is practically non-existent. Have a look at the video above & marvel at the ingenuity of it all.

My favorite part of the whole apartment is the balcony & that rooftop (to die for!). Although the the whole thing is a little too masculine for my taste, I think this layout would work well for a small holiday retreat. Now, if I only I could convince my husband…

Growing Is Forever

The serenity of this video is captivating. Go ahead, click play & I dare you to say otherwise ;)

Via Black*Eiffel.

DIY: Scrap Paper Notebooks

Here’s a great way to resuse scrap paper by turning them into notebooks with a little glue. A simple project you can whip up & in no time at all, you’ll be stocked up with enough notebooks to last you a loooong time. Tutorial here.

Via Design*Sponge.

DIY Milled Soap

Ever since I switched to using as much natural body products as I can get away with, I’ve amounted quite a large collection of handmade soaps made with natural ingredients, no preservatives & no animal testing or animal by-products. So I was very intrigued when I came across this tutorial of how to make your own milled soap. I might just give it a go one day.

Via CRAFT.

DIY Tote Bag Makeover

I’m sure most of you, like myself, have loads of fabric tote bags from grocery stores, boutiques & other retailers with sometimes unsightly logos & sayings. Well, here’s an ingenious way to cover up them up while sassing up your totes: just add a fabric pocket that’s both functional & stylish! Here’s how you do it.

The Story Of Cosmetics

 

About a year or so ago I switched to using cosmetics, body care & home cleaning products that are, by order of importance according to my personal beliefs, 1) not animal tested, 2) paraben free & 3) carcinogenic & toxin free.

I found it very hard (not to mention expensive) to find alternatives to my daily beauty regimen & home cleaning products, and I have to admit that I'm still on the lookout for certain things (like mascaras & concealers) plus a lot of the products I use might be animal cruelty free and/or paraben free but contains mysterious chemicals that may be carcinogenic! I can tell you straight off that the experience was & sometimes continues to be very exasperating but in the end with a little perseverance, some research & A LOT of legwork I'm happy to report that I'm managing quite well. Whether or not this switch has improved my life/health is hard to say but my conscience is happy. Ok ok, enough ranting already!

Perhaps someday I'll share with you the list of stuff that I use but today I hope you'll have a look at the video above which “examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. Produced with Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the seven-minute film by The Story of Stuff Project reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.”

You can click on over here for more info.

P/S: The video was brought to my attentions thanks to Karen who tweeted about the video yesterday!

DIY Cake Stand

I know a few of my readers are avid bakers so here's a little something I thought might interest you: how to make your very own cake stand! All you need are some old dishes & candlesticks or vases, a little epoxy glue & you're good to go. Full tutorial here on Design*Sponge.

And here's some pretty inspirations by Pleasing Pantry thanks to Style Me Pretty.

New Dress A Day

I've been on a sewing spree of late & this post I spotted on CRAFT has got me all fired up. "If you are in need of fashion inspiration, head on over to New Dress A Day. For the entire year, Marisa is using her creative sewing skills to come up with a refashioned outfit from a thrift store find. And get this, her budget is $1 a day!" Don't you just love the before & after shots? Sewing machine, here I come!

P/S: This project reminds me of the Uniform Project I blogged about last year.

DIY Granola

I have a soft spot for granola. Especially when eaten with yogurt. Mmmmmm, I'm making myself hungry all over again!

However, store bought granola sometimes contains waaaaay too much sugar & perservatives so I've been doing a bit of research (got a little carried away hence the late post today) of great recipes so that I can whip up some for myself. That is, after this whole Bertunang madness is over!

Here's a really simple recipe I found over at Bake It Pretty thanks to Sweet Tidings. It has the awesome combination of apricots & almonds (which I LOVE!) & there's even a sweet little printable for you to stick on jars to give out your finished granola as presents! That's just perfect in my books.

Bug Under Glass

Like many women, I'm drawn to the imagery of butterflies. There's something just magical about them, don't you think? As a teen & my early twenties, almost everything I owned had some sort of butterfly on it. However, it's been my dearest wish to own a real butterfly display like the ones made by Kevin Clarke of Bug Under Glass. The beautiful insects in his shop are not killed for displays but raised on insect farms that give locals in rainforest areas an income and incentive to protect the rainforest. Clarke’s displays are the only ones of their kind that are sealed and use archival materials. Now, if only I can persuade Clarke to ship to Malaysia....