Valentine's Day Ideas

Things to bake, buy and make :)

Source: livinglocurto.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

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Source: raspberricupcakes.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: shopbando.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: karaspartyideas.com via Leanne on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Sweet on Pinterest

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Chinese New Year!

The photo is not really Chinese New Year-ey, but it will have to do. It was taken somewhere in Shanghai in 2009, on a family vacation :). 

This year is the Year of the Dragon, which is my Chinese zodiac. If you are curious and would like to know what is your own zodiac sign, check out Wikipedia. It is similar to the Western zodiac, but instead of determining the zodiacs by the month, the Chinese look at the years instead. Being a dragon baby is very sought after in the Chinese culture. It is believed that babies born in the year of the dragon are smarter, stronger and have the best luck. Looks like we can expect a baby boom in Chinese communities this year!

This year, I am celebrating the occasion alone. My family is still back at Kuala Lumpur, whilst I am in Auckland, finishing up my last paper for the summer. I spent the eve and new year's day with friends instead, which is almost as good as celebrating with family!

Hope you are having a lovely day and a great celebration :)

Pip Studio

My Pinterest home page was filled with some lovely things lately, in particular, things from Pip Studio. When I first saw it on Pinterest, I went crazy and started Googling images and products from Pip Studio.

Here are some pictures to share:

Source: hearthandmadeuk.blogspot.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: thelabelfinder.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

I am particularly interested with the porcelains (I have a particular weakness for ceramics and china). In my crazy Pip Studio frenzy, I found two New Zealand websites stocked up with porcelains. If you are local like I am, you might want to check out Maisy and Grace or Lennox Design Studio.

I love this bowl...

 ... this plate....

... and this cake stand...

Unfortunately, these are a little pricey for me :(. They are so pretty though!

Crochet

I will learn to crochet beautiful blankets... one day :).

Source: weheartit.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: debeecampos.blogspot.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Source: notyouraveragecrochet.wordpress.com via Su Lyn on Pinterest

Happy New Year!

Gosh, it has been so long since I have dropped by! Hope everyone is well :).

I spent part of my summer holiday at Kuala Lumpur. I spent most of my time sleeping, eating and looking after a little cute one year old baby. It was good to relax and do nothing! I arrived back in Auckland last week, and I am currently completing my last paper in summer school before heading out to work in February. In mid-February, I will (unofficially) be a graduate with degrees in Law and Commerce! After 5 years of studies, I am more than ready to start working!

My official graduation will be held somewhere in April / May, and I am really hoping I will receive this as a graduation gift!

Isn't it the cutest owl ever? I don't know where to get it, but fingers crossed, someone may actually buy that for me! ;)

As you may know, I am a soft toy addict. My sisters know this and hence, bought this as a Christmas gift for me:

It joins Busby, Tiramisu, Pi, Mochi, Chocolates and a whole lot of others.

I love all my soft toys, but as I'm moving out to another city in Feb for my new job, I've finally began listing some of them on Trade Me. I thought it would be nice to post some photos of the soft toys I'm farewelling to. The following are their Trade Me mugshots.

Bunny

Panda

That's all for now. I need to destash some of my fabric and kawaii items so that I can have a lighter and smoother move to my new apartment in February!

The Guide to Getting a Bunkbed

I share a bunk bed with my little sister. At the beginning, it was quite challenging to live with her in the same room, and share the same shaky bunk bed. Overtime, however, we somehow got used to it.

Despite that, I would love to trade in my bunk bed with a normal bed. My sister is a tosser, and she tends to shake the whole bed with her when she moves around. The bed also tends to shake uncontrollably when she climbs up and down the ladder. It is simply the reality of having bunk beds, I suppose. Ours is a steel, stable one. I assume you will need built-in bunk beds if you want the tremors to lessen significantly.

For the past two years, I've learned how my bunk bed life could be improved. But due to the costs and hassle, we will never trade in the bunk bed for something else unless we get a bigger place. However, I'm dying to share my bunk bed lessons with you. So here are some of them:

1. If possible, always place the bunk bed by windows. One of my favourite things to do is to read in bed. But because the lighting is so poor at the bottom bunk, I can no longer read or sew in my bed :(.

Source: leah-theinsidestory.blogspot.com via Sheila on Pinterest

2. If the room lacks BIG windows, consider installing a lamp at the bottom bunk instead. It would also be great if the top bunk has one too because lighting conditions near the ceiling is not that great either. With this, it is possible to read at night :).

Source: janecoslick.com via Teresa on Pinterest

3. Well, why not have both a window and a light installed? :D

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4. Personalise the bunks! Sadly, we live in a rented apartment, so there is no sticking or hammering allowed! But if you have the opportunity to hang a couple of frames, built some shelves for books or soft toys (my soft toys are taking over my bed). Go wild!

Source: gusandlula.com via Saidfraz on Pinterest

5. The lack of privacy in the room can be quite an issue sometimes (or most of the time, in my case). Curtains for the bunks can work - this gives some privacy if you would like a good cry after reading a good book, or just to write in that private journal of yours.

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Melody on Pinterest

6. There is ample of storage space under the bunk bed. If you are doing built-ins, do something like the picture above. Or just stash your things in boxes if you are lazy like me :D.

7. And the best bunk bed: One which is a reading nook as the bottom bunk and a sleeping bunk at the top <3.

Source: beaconhillstudios.us via Su Lyn on Pinterest

And that's my guide to getting a bunkbed :).