To My Love, who knows me well

The hubby and I spent our first anniversary in the air, flying from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur. Because of the time change I'm not sure how many hours Sunday actually lasted for us and I mostly remember sleeping.

We've been so busy with business meetings and luncheons since we got here that the two of us have had very little time together so far, but I received the greatest surprise gift yesterday from the hubby!

He's been waiting months to give me this book. Yes, the book I have been waiting years to locate!

Thanks to the Good Shepherd Lutheran School Library :)

Weekends and Travel

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I will be leaving tomorrow for KL and will be back July 1st. I'll be sure to post photos from the trip when we return.

Story Time: Reading Memories

All night I was dreaming about this book. My grandma used to read me this book when I was very little and I would LOVE to get my hands on a copy. The illustrations are fabulous.

Pick o' the Day: Silhouette Coasters

I love these sillhoutted wood coasters from the Peppersprouts shop on Etsy.
The set of 4 is only $25.

Travel Inspiration: Slumdog Millionaire

Wow! So, I'm really on this video embedding kick right now. I apologize. :) But the other night we stayed up late to watch the movie Slumdog Millionaire and I was really inspired by the music and colors. I can't wait to see Malaysia now!

Food Inc.

I can't wait to see this movie and then become overly picky about where my food is coming from.

Free People: Changing Room

Free People have updated their "Changing Room" video. These videos are just so much fun!

Swimsuit Find: Coverage and cost

So I compared prices (including fast shipping) for the swimsuits I was looking at online and wasn't very pleased. Victoria's definitely has the best prices and I even found additional coupon codes online. However, I decided that as gorgeous as some of the swimsuits I previously chose were, I need a swimsuit that I can wear to everyday events (like BBQs) as well as exotic vacations (like our trip to Malaysia).

I also added into my choosing factors that I wanted a wide waistband (so not to accentuate my larger thighs) and a top that I would feel comfortable getting thrown around in the ocean and then popping up to the surface (i.e. no boobs plopping out for all to see).
I spent the bulk of Sunday afternoon visiting every shop I knew carried swimsuits. Finally, we drove far enough to reach the Target where I found two outstanding swimsuits that covered my list of qualities above.

1. Mossimo Black Mix-and-Match Bikini (the suit I purchased is actually a dark wine color but I couldn't find an image of it online)
2. MB Embroidered Bikini

Trip Details: Planning Adventures to the Central Market

Central Market

Dedicated to Malaysian folk arts, this former wet market-turned-arts centre is popular with

visitors not only for the many souvenirs shops but also for the frequent demonstrations of

traditional crafts, such as batik-painting and wood-carving.

I will definitely be adding this to my "to-do" list for our trip!

My Daily Day: Swimsuit Search

If you know me at all, you know that I am not a swimmer. In fact, I don't think the idea of swimming sounds fun. But after several years of not purchasing a new swimsuit I am in desperate need of a suit that is A) not faded and falling apart and B) fits my new body shape (cajun food has gotten the best of me). I would like to bring a fitting swimsuit with me for our trip to Malaysia so I spent the morning scouring the web for some affordable suits that I liked.

1. Plunge Monokini from VS
2. Ribbon Trim Bikini from VS
3. Floral Cut-Out One Piece from Alloy
4. Beaded Floral Bikini from VS
5. Ruffle Monokini from Target
6. Geometric Print String-Bikini from Old Navy
7. Pastel Dot Bikini from VS
8. Ruffled Triangle Bikini Set from VS
9. Purple Bra Padded Monokini from Amiclubwear
10. Large Rose Dot Bikini from VS
11. Color Block Bikini from Old Navy
12. Billabong Jessica Swimsuit from Tilly's

I discovered that Victoria's Secret has some amazing clearance sales on their swimsuits right now. I really was hoping to find some affordable monokinis but this was difficult to do.

This is my ranking of the swimsuits above:
2, 5, 11, 9, 8, 6, 3, 10, 7, 12, 4 and 1

Busy Bee: Traveling Arrangements

So, I might be absent from the blog off and on next week as we are finalizing our plans for our trip to KL, Malaysia. I need to set aside some time to compile a list of places to see and things to do while we are there (who knows if we will ever get a chance to go back). I hope you all get a chance to take a break from your busy schedules to do something fun for yourself this month!

I will be sure to post when I can and I will definitely be posting photos from the trip!

My Red Craving: Red November

Yes, my favorite color and the month of my birth. Just excellent! This print is from Katrin at Seasprayblue in Germany. Check out more of her prints here.

Pick o' the Day: Sailor Tote Bag

Isn't this sailor bag made by Bayanhippo just perfect for summer? And the bag is only $27!

My Red Craving: A hint of red in the corner

Ooo-wee! I LOVE this room! The space looks so open and airy because of the white floor and ceiling. And of course I love the red chair in the corner! :)

My Daily Day: Iced Chai Lattes and Passport Photos

This morning I met with a client and I was more than happy to meet at a local coffee shop so I could satisfy my craving for an iced chai latte. I like my ice crushed up so its like drinking up a chai milkshake....yum!

I also had to stop by the photo booth to get my passport photos taken today. I wish I would have put more thought into my look this morning. I am of course not happy with the way the photo turned out.

image via: ibeamee

This passport photo makes me smile.

DIY: Bird Mobile

This bird mobile was the featured project today from Martha Stewart's Craft of the Day. These birds reminded me of the origami hummingbirds I was folding this weekend. I would love to put this mobile together with sheets of plastic so they could fly around outside on our covered patio. Watch Martha's DIY video here.

My Daily Day: Tutorial No. 3 and Origami Hummingbirds

I started this self portrait tutorial this weekend and finished it up this morning. I really enjoyed this tutorial and I can see myself creating all kinds of digital portraits now.

Tutorial No. 3

I also spent some time this weekend folding different styles of origami hummingbirds! I printed out the instruction sheet below and got stuck on the third row. Argh!

Anthropolification: Watercolors, Confetti and Stripes

Anthropologie dresses used for inspiration:

1) Buttoned Watercolor Dress ($148)
2) Confetti Whirl Dress ($168)
3) Striped Lantern Dress ($268)

Anthropolification finds:

4) Warehouse.co.uk: Falling Petal Dress (£65)
5) Newport-News: Sleeveless Floral Print Dress ($39)
6) Dillards: Gianni Bini Tonya Dress ($88)
7) Gap: Madras A-line Dress ($59.50)
8) Modcloth: Seychelle Island Swing Dress ($89.99)
9) Forever21: Colorful Chiffon Plaid Dress ($24.80)
10) Lulus: Little Impressionist Sundress ($79)
11) Lulus: Hot Lava Dress ($56)
12) AE: Print Braided Strapless Dress ($44.50)

Black and White and Fabulous all over

As much as I love color, I think black and white interiors are just fabulous! Having a blank palette like this allows you to infuse colors and changed them around whenever and however you want.

The Tonight Show and Late Night

I am so excited that Conan O'Brien has taken over the Tonight Show, but even better is that Jimmy Fallon has taken over Late Night for Conan! Don't get me wrong, Conan is funny but Jimmy Fallon has been GREAT on Late Night. He brings some great SNL qualities to the show.
Last night Jessica Biel was a guest on the show and I have decided that I could definitely be BFFs with Jessica.

images via: justjared

Watch last night's episode here.

My Daily Day: Making Planets

I worked on making my own planet in photoshop today.

Tutorial No. 3

Making a planet. I had a difficult time adding texture to my planet. Perhaps it is in need of a second try.

Pick o' the Day: Chalkboard 7-days a week

Oooh. I really like this coat rack from World Market that has a chalkboard already separated into seven sections for my seven-days-of-the-week scheduling :)

Home Inspiration: White Bedroom

As much as I LOVE bedrooms like this one, I am desperate to find some great bedroom inspirations that include black out curtains (we like the room to be pitch-black when sleeping).

My Daily Day: Cat Entertainment and Tutorial No. 2

This afternoon I have been entertaining my cat, Tito, and catching up on laundry. I have just two days until the hubby gets back home and I'm trying to get the house back in order (after three weeks of living alone the house now looks like I have all-girl slumber parties here every night :)

I also completed my second online tuturial by making a vector RSS icon in Illustrator. I am really enjoying these tutorials because they point out a few tricks I wasn't aware of.

Getting dressed: backflip jeans

To keep up with the last "getting dressed" video I posted:



Yes, a backflip into his jeans!

Inspiration: Paintings by Frank Gonzales

Frank Gonzales creates beautiful acrylic paintings of these birds!

Tutorial Exercise: Grunge style illustration

Here's the result from my first tutorial from Psdtuts+

My Daily Day: White Chocolate Peanut Butter and Photoshop Tutorials

I'm exercising my brain this afternoon with Photoshop tutorials from PSDtuts.

Afternoon Snack: apple slices and white chocolate peanut butter (see below)

This is my favorite peanut butter in the WHOLE-WIDE world! Yum!

The Tallest Man on Earth: The Gardener

swoon....

Plant Potting: Some of my favorites

1) Ventura Cachepot from Pottery Barn
2) Rectangular Fiberglass Planter from Target
3) Curved Pot from Crate and Barrel
4) Napa Faceted Cachepots from Simply Planters

5) Round Ceramic Planter from Target
6) Self Watering Pail Planters from Gardener's Supply
7) Cielo Planter from Simply Planters
8) Madison Resin Planter from Simply Planters

9) Square Ceramic Planters from Target
10) Woodgrain Planter from West Elm
11) Hanging Flower Pot from Target
12) Terra Cotta Flower Pot from Home Depot

13) Wet Pots from Gardener's Supply
14) Bloom from Outdora

I LOVE the Wet Pots, but unfortunately they are all sold out. I wonder how difficult it would be to create my own....

Book Bargains: Old House New Home by Ros Byam Shaw

I can't wait to flip through this book for inspiration-galore!

My Closet Wishlist: Summer Updates (3)

My summer wishlist for today includes some of Jcrew's fabulous clothes. I can't stop drooling over the items they have out right now!


1. Structured Straw Tote from GAP
2. Cotton-silk Strapless Top with Flower from Jcrew
3. Ankle Stretch Toothpick Jean from Jcrew
4. Parasol Dress from Lulus
5. Lyla Printed Peep Toes from Jcrew
6. Large Leather Gallery Hobo from Jcrew
7. Origami Flower Tank from Jcrew
8. Grace Kelly Dress from Lulus
9. Wallpaper Jacquard Short from Jcrew

Pick o' the Day: Working in the Light

I would love to get my hands on this little green light.