Happy Chinese New Year!

Still recovering from Chinese New Year celebrations in New York over the weekend. For Chinese New Year, it's auspicious to tidy up your house, dress up, and go out and have a good time out! (OK, I just made up the last two) but Chinatown was so pretty and ready to rock the Year of the Tiger. Confetti poppers, FIVE different Lion Dance performance troupes, and loads of people just taking in the human spectacle. Good times, good food. Sharing my weekend snapshots via Toy Camera app, iPhone.

Valentine's Day Flowers are the Best

iPhone self-portrait via ToyCamera app


"Everyone needs beauty as well as bread" -  John Muir
This is a special post right in time for Valentine's Day.  I'm not the sappy type but I have to say I was really happy when my BF arranged a surprise delivery of my favorite flowers  – ranunculus flowers mixed with roses and tulips–  to me at school. Since I've been hard at work, away from him, it felt really, really, really good to know he was thinking of me from afar. 


 You see, I'm the chatty type and my tall, quiet, stoic BF has heard me ramble on and on  about how much I adore peonies and ranunculus flowers but he usually keeps mum (I can really count on one hand how many time he's given me flowers). This time, I was floored.  This bouquet of flowers brought some beauty into my life where, sometimes, living in New York on a tight budget away from family and friends, can feel quite lonely. Cheers to you, BF.  I <3 you.  So, dearly devoted readers, as inspiration, I say, pay it forward. Give a compliment to a stranger or flowers to family/friends, Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a crazy commercial holiday. You never know what a person feels like on the inside and how a small action can mean alot. This really brightened up my day. 
Ranunculous/Roses/Tulip Bouquet by Adore Floral, Noho, NYC.

Pick Me Up Mondays : Home Is Where the Heart Is

This heart-shaped welcome mat makes me feel bitter sweet since I'm in a long-distance relationship. Yes, going home would be nice for Valentine's Day. Spotted at Design Milk:

home is where the heart is doormat via Chiasso, $24

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Ox, yo! I'm looking forward to eating well, receiving red envelopes, and getting a banging start into 2009. Enjoy the Pucca wallpaper? 

Free wallpapers at Pucca's site here.

Cute Cake Toppers

First off, I want to top a toast to my Seattle friends who got engaged over New Years break. Caught in the wedding planning frenzy, the bride-to-be is bursting for inspiration. Colors, theme, dresses, etc. Design*Sponge , who's in the midst of that, shared this plaintively cute find: Goose Grease wedding cake toppers via Etsy (I love the emo-glass couple above). In just a few ink swashes, the artists, Michelle and Kelly, capture a customizable sketch of your bride and groom on these wooden figurines. I fell head over heels over them and hope I can get my own custom bride and groom toppers for my future nuptials. I'm eyeing the cheongsam-clad bride below. Ahem.

Holiday dilemmas

by Miss Lulu & The Teaspoon Shortage/Flickr

Oh, dilmma, dilemma, dilemma. I'm finding myself flying solo during the Christmas holidays.

What recommended activities do you suggest for someone spending the holidays alone? Books, video rentals, etc. I suppose I can sketch a giant crossword puzzle like Miss Lulu here...

Christmas Wish List

Christmas Wishlist by devlo


A girl can dream right?  Bags, fashion, gadgets, and house goods, I want it all (hint*cough*hint). 

Let it snow, let it snow

Liquid Paper/Flickr 

No doubt, you want to make your place look festive but you don't relish dishing out the bucks to buy the holiday wreaths, bows, and razzmatazz? Flashback to grade school! Who doesn't love the beautiful simplicity of white paper snowflakes? The paper snowflake posted here would do Martha Steweart proud.  Easy, affordable, and abundant, the snowflakes would look gorgeous spread around one's apartment. In fact, the New York Times got into the frugal spirit in their style section: the story, We're Going to Party Like It's 1929, deals with budget decorating for holiday parties...and guess what gets a gorgeous treatment?

Rob Bennett for The New York Times

Want to learn how to make one yourself? Check out this craft friendly video here,  3D Origami Snowflake Tutorial 

Update: Wow, Design*Sponge and I are on the same wavelength. Check out her paper Christmas ornaments here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A 3D origami turkey dinner to go. Yum. 

Print it out and set it up at home. 

[ Swiss Miss ]

What the hell Urban Outfitters?

Halloween hasn't arrived and Urban Outfitters has busted out with its in-store Christmas displays. I'll begrudging give them credit for very cute holiday ornament merchandise thanks to Hello Kitty.
Hello Kitty Keeping Warm Ornament, $8 at Urban Outfitters

Alamo Drafthouse Horror Series Posters

The Shining Maze Poster by Jeff Kleinsmith 

The folks over at the Alamo Drafthouse are celebrating Halloween early. Check out the debut of their Horror Series Posters, a tribute to the classics. For horror or design buffs, the posters are suitable for framing in your house (sans fanboy/fangirl geek factor). Hooray, graphic design! [Seen at OMG! Posters]

 

Evil Dead 2 RED poster by Todd Slater 

Domo-kun stars in Target's Halloween Campaign

Caught on iPhone camera: Domo-kun signage!

In Target's Halloween campaign, Japan's lovable, fuzzy brown export, Domo-kun, plays the starring role. In stores, Domo-kun displays are eye-capturing, smartly designed, and cheeky: Domo-kun as a ghost? Vampire? Disgruntled pumpkin carver? Check, check, check. I saw a three-foot Domo-kun replica hanging in the store front and asked the Target store manager if I could have it post-Halloween. Keeping my fingers crossed. Meantime, Target.com's Halloween section has dedicated an interactive section to Domo-kun. Watch a Domo-kun episode and the making of Domo-kun.  I've included a lil' slideshow of my favorite moments within it. Pretty smart of Target to tie Domo-kun's appeal to the Halloween spirit, this is the most memorable Halloween campaign I've seen Target run. Good stuff!

Update: I am crushed. I followed up with my local Target to ask the manager about their signage policies (I had wanted to be first on the list to snatch the domo-kun doll hanging in their Hallowee displays). According to her, Target isn't allowed to give their signage art away to consumers. Boooooooooo!!!! So, readers, ask your fellow Target managers and see if you guys got the same response! 

Halloween Inspiration

Nobody does Halloween like Martha Stewart. The Queen of Crafts delivers a huge Halloween sendup in her October issue: party decor, holiday crafting, and treats all presented in spooky glee. To me, its the biggest issue of the year that always tops out its previous year's coverage. The photography, set design, ideas...I always look forward to it. If you can't wait -- get a fix at her website's Halloween workshop. They've archived previous craft/decor projects so it's a blast to see how creative they all are.
Here's my pick from her site:

The Haunted House Party - Severed Finger Party Invitation

Wicked Witch cupcakes

Flying Place Cards

Halloween Already?

First, let me get this out : Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. It's like Christmas x Birthdays x New Year's Eve all rolled into one date:  Oct. 31st. So, I enjoy the efforts that retail stores put into the spooky holiday displays. But even I was impressed when I saw that the candle store, Illuminations, already had their Halloween displays up and running with tons of aromatic goodies in late AUGUST. That's gotta be a record in early festivity. So, what caught my eye at the store?
Try this elegantly festivive Edgar Allen Poe tribute: the raven wax candle, $12.95 at Illuminations
With the gothic trend, this decorative item is worth having on your bookcase or window sill year round.

Double, double toil and trouble...

What's being cooked over at Williams & Sonoma? Smells like anarchy to me. I did a double-take within their aisles when I spotted their seasonal holiday lineup at the mall the other day. Check out these unusual (for Williams & Sonoma) pair of gothic punk aprons for adults and kids. You can even get them personalized with your names. Awwwww. Now this is something the little misfits can sport with their rocker mums and dads in the kitchen.

Skeleton aprons, $18-24, at Williams & Sonoma

Chill with Skull & Cross Bones

These Bone Chillers are perfect for getting your inner Pirate or Ghoul on. Why should they have all the fun? Yes, I know, it's not Halloween but isn't it slightly villainish? If you're going to be bad, might as well do it with style---even into your kitchen decor. If I was bloodthirsty Viking, I'd enjoy munching these icy remains as if they were the bones of my enemies.
Bone Chillers from Urban Outfitters, $8.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A message brought to you by Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids.
An excellent wii game, Rayman's Raving Rabbids, features these funny little guys (in both, the original and the sequel), so go pick it up. Your sweetheart will thank you later.



Honestly, can you turn this guy down?

Nintendo Wii Chocolate Avatars for You and Miis

Love playing against your significant other in Wii Sports? Then, enjoy showing your confectionary love to them by immortalizing yourselves in milk/dark chocolate, in Mii avatar form, for Valentine's Day. As my geeky brother would say, sweeeeeeet. How cute would these be for Valentine's Day? Even as an anniversary/wedding gift? Seen over at Pop Gadget.
Nintendo Wii Chocolate Avatars, $14.95, by Paul Papa Designs

New Year Resolutions: Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster

1. Wake up earlier.
I'm a self-admitted insomniac who needs a painful morning intervention.
I'm hoping Clocky, this mobile ninja alarm clock will get me outta bed. This alarm clock's chockful of robotics that causes it to do ceaseless beep-and-run's if you don't get up.

2. Be greener
Every little bit counts and I can't stand the clutter of plastic shopping bags. Instead, I think I'll invest in sturdy large tote bags to haul the groceries.
Check out the selection at BlueQ.
I particularly like Miso Pretty's Shopper bag pictured here.

3. Be better organized

I've been working on this in 2007 and gunning to improve in 2008 --- I removed alot of physical clutter in my home - old furniture, old paper scraps, and archiving magazines, books into their proper places. My desk is still a mess, to the point where I do half my work in my bed with my laptop. Am thinking of scrapping it for a new one. Sometimes, a new environ is what you need. Measure visible progress (or procrastination) with this huge 2008 Stendig Calendar at See Jane Work.

Working in a stressful work environment takes a toll. My immune system has taken a big hit because of it and I'm taking aims to improve in 2008. Eat more vitamin-infused foods, exercise, drink more water, take care of my body and mind, all that jazz. In order to feel good, you gotta look good, especially in the city where I live.

Maintaining a good skin regimen is crucial in my sunny state. Since I'm so lazy, I've been a bit slipshod and it's showed (eek! sunspots!). That's why I'm so excited about Freeze 24/7 Ice Shield Facial Cleanser with SPF 15, it's the first FDA approved facial wash embued with sunblock that allows you to wash and go. Already given the ALLURE magazine stamp of approval, this product allows me to add an extra layer of protection effortlessly. Perfect for someone like me, I'm definitely into protecting what looks I got left without having to resort to botox, thankyouverymuch.

Bite me! S&M Gingerbread Men

Perfect for cookie lovers with a sense of humor (evil streak optional).
ABC Gingerbread Cookie Cutters, $11.99, at Perpetual Kid. Perfect for a holiday party, these 3" ABC cookie cutters
stand for Already Been Chewed.