the day i found foundry

while strolling down Purvis street in search of food, I stumbled upon an amazing furniture shop, the foundry!  their furniture is a product of merging creative visions of global design talents with the skills of craftsmen from singapore and malaysia.

i love the concept of putting emphasis on production as much as the design.  also really enjoyed being at the shop… i could feel this synergy of designers and artisans transformed into design that's contemporary and timeless, yet still giving a feeling of warmth.  we need more shops like this in singapore!!

love sg!

finally, singapore souvenirs that are creative and actually cute.  love sg, designed locally by Kevin Choe is available online or at the esplanade shop.

to live a creative life...

woord.

find it here!

yum: riders cafe

did you know that the riders cafe is open from 8 am?!?! even on weekdays?!  just found out last week so i walked in on friday around 8:30 am. they still asked me if i had a reservation but we managed to get a seat without waiting. sure enough, the place was almost full by 9:30.  amazing.  i think its definitely better than coming on a weekend if you can stop by before work.

recipe: Pink Rainbow Cake!

this is number one on the list of things i want to bake. it's just so pretty. the recipe can be found on Call Me Cupcake, a blog dedicated to beautiful cakes, cupcakes and macarons.

fun wedding invites

i came across a bunch of unique, creative and funny wedding invitations while looking around for inspirations to design my own. i know most couples in singapore just use the invites that come with their hotel package... but i think original invitations are a great way to set the tone/theme for your wedding and to show guests the couples' personality.   here are some that i really liked.

sprouting bookmarker

super cute bookmarkers that blosoom when you open the book.  Designed by Connect Design of Korea.

a modern flower centerpiece

i'm thinking of something unique for my wedding reception centerpiece like the beautiful underwater arrangement with floating candles on top.  actually it will be nice for any event, or even just for your home.  its so easy anyone can create one, just follow this diy lesson.

Photo courtesy of: InStyleWeddings.com

yum: the Plain.

just had my sunday brunch at a cute australian joint on Craig road called the Plain.  they offer a simple all day brunch menu with lots of refreshing drinks.

create: ♡ egg

awesome.

from an amazing blog by the bento creater, anna the red.

crazy cute cupcakes

I just found the most unique and extreme food blog. The Bake It In a Cake by Megan Seling is all about planting whatever she feels like inside of a cupcake, both literally and figuratively.  Some of the cupcakes are just so cute.  She shares her recipes and how to bake all the creative sweetness.

photos from bakeitinacake.com

i'm not sure that the cupcake craze has caught on in Singapore as much as the states. i have been an addict of red velvet cupcakes for years now but i can't seem to find a cafe or bakery offering anything amazing in Singapore.  pleaaase let me know if anyone has recommendations.   

Bangkok: girl's trip

Just landed at the Changi airport with a suitcase full of new stuff from my favorite city, BangkokY  it was a girls' weekend full of shopping, eating and pampering at the spa.  i love bangkok for all those things plus its creative side. seems people are really open to fun, colorful ideas.  the city is full of great shop designs, graphic designs and fashion. Here's a quick recaps of the trip and all the creative/ beautiful things i found.

our first stop was Siam for some shopping.  i got to visit my all time favorite shop, himma. i love the geometrically inspired design of their clothes...

we strolled every soi and alley of siam square and came across mosstories, a shop selling original accessories.  the earrings are really cute. you can find them at siam square soi 2.  

typo!

i just found my new favorite shop at wisma atria.  Typo by cotton on.  i looooveee.  just spent like an hour at the tiny shop.  i guess i never noticed it before because it's in that always crowded basement area where people just past by to get from ion to taka.  but lucky me, its GSS and everything is 30% off.

if you can't afford a Leica...

Leica M3 Paper Pinhole Camera by London based designer/ photographer, Matthew Nicholson. It actually works! He’s planning to post templates you can download and print so we can all make one too. ほしいー。

template coming soon on his website.  other cool templates are also available.

wedding hues: june blue

It’s june, and in Japan, that means they're about to enter the raining season.  Hydrangea is the first thing that comes to mind when i think of the raining season. In Japan, it’s often portrayed in photos, films, poems etc. to represent this time of the year. 

Living in Singapore where its constantly hot, sometimes numbs my sense of time.  Like when I look back to something that happened a while back, it can be hard to recall exactly when the certain event took place because in our memories, we’re always dressed for summer and always in hot weather.  So to snap out of this constant state of heat, I was inspired to create another cooling color palette for a wedding theme with Hydrangeas.

the future design scene

i just went to Lasalle College of the Arts to see their show exhibiting works of the students. it's a look into the future of the Singapore design scene. and i like being in their courtyard. if anyone wants inspiration from young hopeful designers, head down to Lasalle because the show is ending... tomorrow...

there were many projects addressing ecological issues like Re-Designing the Immaterial by Vanessa Teo Pei Lian

i thought this one deserves the cutest design award.  its "packaging that delivers" by Ailice Samadi

sweet chocolaty charity

eat a buffet of chocolate for a good cause!!! is that the sweetest deal ever!?! Along with the Singapore Association for the Deaf, Aii is holding an event called the “Seasons of Love” on 25 June.  It aims to create awareness about the abilities of the deaf and to minimize misconceptions about this disability while satisfying your chocolaty cravings at the same time!!  Aii believes in equal opportunities and offers jobs to the less fortunate.

They conceptualizes gifts, food and dessert tables, etc etc for various events such as weddings.  I got to meet them and sample their sweets at the zouk flea & easy. I just thought they were a group of nice enthusiastic people but after seeing their website, I know they're super talented too. I have to say, the photos of the desserts and wedding tables they create is one of the cutest I have seen in Singapore. I love it love it love it!!  they will display 4 wedding themes at the event.  Brides-to-be in Singapore, and those planning events, I think you should take a look. For details and how to participate in the event, visit their website.

new favorite craftshop

i've been searching high and low for a craftshop in singapore to buy some cute materials for projects. i finally found a shop i like that offers a pretty wide selection. it's the Sin Hin Chuan Kee on north bridge road.  You can look for the huge YKK sign outside.  i just found out they have a nice website too. if anyone knows a craft shops in singapore offering a good selection and prices, please let me know!

your original wedding favors

adding to my last post, here are some fun customizable wedding favors.

1. keep your guest cool at your summer wedding

2. melts in your mouth.

3. Singaporeans can all use a bottle of Hot Sauce

4. The mint to be

beautiful wedding cakes

sweet and saucy

During our 2 months search for a wedding venue, i learned that Singapore gives very little opportunities for a unique wedding. majority of the people take a wedding package from a hotel pre-set with the food, flowers, gifts etc etc. and I have to say I am now one of them. At the end of the day, it makes most sense. and the recent unbearable hot weather and the occasional rain storms really turned me off from my dream outdoor wedding under a white tent. But I have to practice what I preach. so I plan to do everything I can to customize and incorporate my creativity. 

I look at many places for inspiration and I thought I should share some of them with the other girls in their planning stage to encourage creative, unique and beautifully designed weddings. today im gonna start with some amazing wedding cakes i came across. Maybe we can slowly change the wedding scene in Singapore from being so cookie cutter ;)

martha stwart wedding

Maggie Austin Cake

the modern dollhouse

Kids today are exposed to all kinds of amazing design and technology.  The modern dollhouse by minimii exposes kids to modern design through play.  It’s a 1:16 scale model of the famous Danish designer, Arne Jacobsens’ villa.  Minimii also offers miniature furniture for the dollhouse like the egg and swan chair.  i’m so jealous of the kids who can grow up with this.

photos from minimii.com

daily dose of Design*Sponge

There's a blog I’ve been following loyally for about 2 years now. It's the Design*Sponge. This is the most delightful and inspiring blog all about creative design and the creative people behind it. It’s not about the mainstream or the most cutting edge design but something more close to home. The everyday stuff.

For me, I love to start off my work day by checking the latest posts which are always filled with beautiful ideas and colors. I've tried my hand at many of the diy projects introduced every Wednesday. Some projects are a bit hard to carry out in Singapore where there are no Home depot type stores but the smaller projects are really fun. One of my favorite and something travel lovin Singaporeans can find useful is the city guide section. It offers a very hip and unique guide to cities all around the world.

Sushi on your desk

nico/sushi memo block from Scope of Japan will sure be a fun addition to your office desk. it's too cute, i dont think i will be able to use it. お茶目!

unfortunately, their website is only in Japanese and they don't ship to Singapore...

wedding hues: spring pink

I'm selecting colors for my own wedding and thought i should share some ideas along the way with fellow brides-to-be in Singapore and around the world.  here's a very fresh/pale palette for an elegant wedding.

Tree Hotel

If you thought the hotels built over the ocean at Bora Bora is amazing, you haven't seen the Tree Hotel in Harads, Sweden.  The hotel's philosophy of creating "a comfortable, well designed hotel which allows visitors to live in harmony with nature amongst the trees," was fabricated into unique guest rooms by a couple of well known architects.  They each offer a their modern innovative tree house with different ways of merging with nature. i'm not entirely sure the trees appreciate this.  the rooms are around 700 SGD per night.