New Site Design

Hey dreamers, check out my website mimpimurni.com to keep up to date with my work. The site is still a work in progress but I'm quite happy with it… at the moment that is! Being someone who designs for a living, I change things around at the drop of a hat so don't be surprised if things look a little different by the time to log onto the site. I am, however, really loving the simple & clean look. Drop me a line & let me know what you think!

About Time...

Why, hello there! I decided it's time I shake off the cobwebs from this little ol' blog of mine. Trust me, dear neglected readers (are you still there?), you have never been far from my thoughts. After all, this blog launched my business & was what set me on this wonderful, colourful path that I am on. I have met so many of you readers in the years that I've been blogging & it never fails to thrill me that there are actually people who like what I like & who read what I have to say! In all honesty, I don't think I would be where I am today without you. So, for that, let me say a heartfelt…

Thank you for your support through all these years & through my many changes in so many different directions. Heck, I'm a fickle-minded Gemini through & through so expect quite a few more changes to come! But trust me, this blog will never be far from my thoughts :)

It hasn't been easy, these last couple of months. I've had to question what do I REALLY, REALLY want in life & hard as it is to pin it down (hello Gemini!) I'm comfortable with the answer. I'm going to take the next step in making my long-held dream a reality. I'm keeping it to myself for now, but I think making this incredibly vague declaration is going to help me kind of cast it out to the universe & hopefully, things fall into place. I am, after all, a huge believer that the universe gives you exactly what you need, when you need it. Don't get me wrong, you can't just sit around waiting for things to happen but you have to work on it with integrity & faith. 

Thank you, over & over again. Xoxo

Real Beauty

 

This commercial by Dove really hits a nerve for women everywhere. If you're a woman & haven't already seen this, please do & if you're a guy, please show this to the women in your life.

Dove's description of the commercial: "Women are their own beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."

Remember ladies, you are more beautiful than you think!

P/S: Once you've wiped away those tears welling up in your eyes, check out the men's version of the commercial. Hilarious!

 

Beth Emily

Ethereal art like Beth Emily's gets me every time. I sometimes wish I had my own little gallery so that I can feature & sell art prints like this.

 

Peter Som

Peter Som Makes A Bouquet from Anthropologie on Vimeo.

 

Here's a little insight of how a bouquet is put together by fashion designer Peter Som. In the video he talks about his design philosophy too which I found interesting.

 

Via Etymologie.

Surprise Message Box

 

Aren't these just darling? Custom & handmade by Pamela Loops based in Paris, I think they make the perfect gift for someone who loves all things cute & unusual.

Via Happiness Is.

 

I'm Still Around

What a loooong leave of absence! What can I say besides the usual "sorry, I've been super busy" or the rather ambiguous "sorry, I wish I had more hours in a day"? Truth is, I haven't felt like blogging.

I'm dealing with an issue, something that I'm going to keep to myself for now but what I can share is that life feels a little muted to me nowadays. You know, a little less bright & sharp; a little fuzzy around the edges. But I know one day once I've pulled myself up like I've had dozens of time before, I will share my experience with you. 

In other news, I have been really busy with event styling projects which has helped with the doldrums by getting my creative juices flowing. Something that started on a whim has grown into a whole other arm of Mimpi Murni & it keeps growing! I am truly blessed. Here are a few pictures of some of the projects I've worked on…







Bobby & I have also been doing a little travelling whenever we can most notably Awanmulan of Negeri Sembilan last weekend & it was just what I needed. It's the perfect place to get some peace & quiet up in the clouds. Check out the website & you'll be mesmerised, I promise.

Cooking has also been keeping me pretty busy. I cook mostly dishes that I grew up with but I'm also slowly building a repertoire of somewhat "fancier" dishes I can easily whip up like Salmon Fish Head Curry & Coq Au Vin (both not pictured here). 

I have a lot of plans in the works & a lot more things to share with you so I hope you dreamers can bear with me a little bit longer. I will eventually pull myself out of the doldrums & in the meantime, I'll soldier on. Hope everyone out there is doing good. 

x, Murni

Catch Up: Jan 2013

Gosh, 2013 is turning out to be a massively busy year for yours truly. Event styling, graphic designing, floral arranging, impromptu trips, a photo shoot… it's been crazy! I really miss blogging but I'm enjoying working & experiencing new things. How's your 2013 so far, dreamers?

Here are some pictures from my Instagram, have a look see!

Some glimpses from our trip to Mabul & Sipadan.

My new neighbour's 3 adorable kittens & Hassan who's busy inspecting my plants. The kittens come over every other day to play with Hassan & to check out our house.

My new fabric calendar from Lisa Rupp along with a free letterpress print! Love love love.

A fun, cowgirl themed birthday party I helped to decorate. 

Loved my makeup from a photoshoot I did for Her World magazine. I look so different!

Flowers for a baby shower I did being inspected for quality control by a curious kitty. 

Help, I Need A Laptop Stand

I have to admit, I'm not young anymore. At 31 (32 this year to be precise), my body seems to be giving up on me. Every other day now I'm plagued with mysterious aches & pains in my back, neck & shoulders. And this is without any strenuous activities! Yup, I'm no spring chicken. I think most of my bodily aches boil down to bad posture & although I'm usually quite conscious about my posture, thanks to years of drilling from my parents, I tend to slouch when I work on my laptop which I use every day. Bad Murni. So I think it's time to invest in a laptop stand & I've rounded up a few that fit my criteria: well designed, handmade, responsibly harvested wood & not bulky.

The first one on top by Vool is my favourite but at 299 Euros (with free worldwide shipping) I'll have to pass. The free shipping rocks but RM1196 is waaaaay to much for my blood. Luckily there are heaps of other affordable options, just have a look below!





Second from top to bottom: Greentunadesign puzzle shaped laptop stand in sustainable bamboo (RM255 + RM83 shipping to Malaysia), ergoRizer made with plywood (RM109 + RM46 shipping to Malaysia), Standup made with FSC certified Gabon Marine grade plywood (NZ$70 + shipping cost to Malaysia unspecified), Objectify made from sustainably produced Southern New Zealand Pine plywood (RM46 + RM18 shipping to Malaysia) & although this is too low for me, I think this is nice too; Stems available in 3 woodgrains such as cherry, walnut & ash (RM140 + RM36 shipping to Malaysia).

I'm leaning towards the Objectify one because it's the simplest, gives me the height I want, folds flat & a huge plus point, it's the cheapest! I like the Greentunadesign one too but the versatility of the ergoRizer is pretty awesome. Decisions, decisions.

UPDATE: I went ahead & bought the Objectify one. Will let you know if I like it when I get it. Fingers crossed!

Merry Christmas!

It's that time of the year again to make jolly with loved ones, give thanks for the wonderful year we had & to make resolutions for the year ahead. Cheers to you lot, hope you're having a blast wherever you may be!

Sabah Holiday

Bobby & I will be away for a good long week, exploring beautiful Sabah. We'll be spending a couple of days at Kota Kinabalu followed by limitless scuba diving at Mabul's Sipadan Water Village. I'm sure to be back with heaps of pictures to bore you but in the meantime, check out this video of Sipadan Water Village & diving at Sipadan. We're so excited!

Pictures via Visit Malaysia & Haanism.

 

 

Festival Of Lights

Happy Deepavali, dreamers. A festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil is just awesome in my books. Found a great post here with some info about Deepavali, plus it's where I got this fabulous picture of traditional oil lamps. If you're celebrating, eat an extra muruku for me k?

The Best Is Yet To Come

I've always believed every difficulty is followed by happiness. So if something has got you down in the dumps, don't worry… Something good is just around the corner, waiting for you. 

Photograph by Alicia Bock, via Design Is Mine. 

Amy Osaba

So inspiring. I love every little thing this team comes up with.
 

Moleskine & Lamy Love

Along with my Macbook & iPhone, my day to day life just wouldn't be complete without my Moleskine & Lamy pen. I've been using a Moleskine since 2007 & my Lamy rollerball pen is new to me as it was a recent gift from my husband. I've always loved notebooks & pens and I have a nice little collection of both from years of trawling the stationery stores & handmade markets, but my Moleskine & Lamy trumps them all. Honestly, the minute I cashed my first big pay check, I ran to the nearest store that carried Moleskines & now that the mister has introduced me to the world of high quality pens, I will never look back.

But honestly, they're not all that different from your average notebook & pen. Especially the Moleskine; black hard cover, lined paper, a black elastic to keep your notebook securely closed or as a page holder, a back pocket to keep bits & pieces and that's pretty much it! So what is it about a Moleskine? Besides the construction, which is good & almost indestructible, I can't really say but whenever I'm reminded that I'm writing into something that Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso & Ernest Hemingway once used, I get a little thrill. Yeah, I guess you can say I bought into the hype but I use up all of my Moleskines which is a heck of a lot more than any other notebook in my collection…. Some of which have only a few pages of scribble, then abandoned to languish at the bottom of my catchall drawer in the craft room or are too pretty to use so are left unused & eventually forgotten. Not my Moleskine though. Since I use every single page, I like to keep it as organised as possible so from time to time, I refer to this Monster Collection Of Moleskine Tips, Tricks & Hacks. In the earlier years I referred to this post on How To Keep A Moleskine PDA but I still think it's a great introductory read if you want to start keeping a Moleskine for organisational purposes. This of course applies to any notebook.

As for my Lamy pen, although it's something I just acquired, I am hooked, line & sinker. For the longest time I scoffed at the thought at spending more than a few Ringgit for a pen. I mean, if it's really pretty like some of Typo's I might make an exception, but for something that looks simple & utilitarian for more than RM10? No way! That is until my husband made me try the Lamy 'Tipo'. It's an entry level pen for Lamy but the heft & the smoothness of the ink won me over. It's a great everyday pen & I love whipping it out during meetings with clients… It makes me feel very grown up! I am now eyeing the 'Swift' thanks to reading this review at Notemaker. Hehehe.

Here's my current Moleskine which is a limited edition Le Petit Prince & my red Lamy 'Tipo' pen (my husband has a matching silver one). Have a great day folks!

Super Storm Sandy

Currently following updates on Sandy via #instacane & Sky News TV in HD. A few friends of my husband's are stuck in Manhattan right now & we're praying for their safety. Even though Sandy has been downgraded from a hurricane to a super storm not long ago, reports are saying that it's no less vicious. At times like these, I really start to think being a Doomsday Prepper is not such a loony idea after all...

Checking In

It's been a crazy couple of weeks over at Mimpi Murni land. A couple of event styling jobs, some succulent teapot orders, an impromptu dive trip to Tioman, I finally learned how to knit (thank you Hello Deer!) & a trip to Johor Bahru for the recent Raya Haji. Hope you are all well... I miss this blog!