My family portraits...

Hee, after getting the soft copies of all the photos from our lovely photographer, we decided to invest in a family album. Melissa was really lovely and patient and after 4 drafts, the family album was sent to print. And in just a few days, it has arrived!!

Here's a few pages from the awesome album.

We decided to dedicate a special page just for Sam and to make it more a kid's page, we chose a cute pokka dots background.

To make better use of the $$ we spent, we chose 4 of our favorite photos and with the help of our trusty old friend, Canvas on Demand, we created a wall gallery. It's kinda ironic that none of our wedding photos were actually hung in our house (none were printed into canvas either). We did think about it, but procrastinated (for too long) and with the move to the states, we didn't get around to doing it. I guess the main thing was, we didn't have a habit of hanging things up then (I'm obsessed with that now though), plus, it was felt kinda weird to hang pictures of just us in the house for us to see. Like, who cares~

But with Sam, our family just feels completed (will be a little more completed when we get our Number 2, in maybe 7-8 years, no thanks to HDB's rules). Hence, I'm ready to hang these awesome photos up in our Senja flat. Even if I'm sick of staring at myself or the mister, there's always the cute little monster for me to admire. 

Here's a sense of the sizes of the canvas. The quality didn't disappoint as usual, and of course, the dog approves and I can't wait to hang it up. But for now, they sit well protected in my little store room (aka the guest room).

Thanks...

 for serving me for such a long time. 

Yap, it's a time for a change.

What happened next...

Time for the big reveal.. Our change of plans brought us to.... ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORES EVER - Vintage Junky!

What exactly happened was this.. while planning for the trip, I already requested that I would to like to add the store as one of our pit stops. However, after doing the math, we decided that the detour was a little too big and thus I disappointedly gave up the thought. (Mr Lim made it a little better by promising that we would do that road trip another time.) 

SO... when the longest yard sale turned out to be such a disappointment and Mr Lim was feeling all bad and stuff, I suggested making the pit stop again. Of course he said yes! Though that meant an additional 6 hours drive each way (and making new hotel reservations), I was super duper excited. (Hee, I even called to make sure the store was gonna be opened!) I've been following the blog for the longest time (often drooling over the delicious furniture she has) and it's just such an amazing feeling to know that I would finally get to shop there!!!

Sam's getting a little restless after asking "Are we there yet?" for a consecutive 5 hours.. 

And when we finally arrived, someone was as happy as I was!

I was seriously grinning ear to ear when I saw the sign.

And yes, it was OPEN!!

The actual store!

The little trailer outside the store was really cute. The retro vibe aside, the decor was yellow!!

Yeah, I could totally live here...

I didn't take many shots in the store (too engrossed shopping~), but check out the blog and you would see all the amazing furniture she sells. (I would buy the whole store if I could...) The owner, Michelle, was really sweet and friendly.  Her little guy's really cute and funny too. I was such a groupie when I finally met Michelle in person. I sure hoped that I didn't scare her with my over enthusiasm. I just felt so at home and totally glad we made the drive in the end. It was so worth every single minute!! (even the backache I got from the whole road trip.)

Of course that was absolutely no way I would go back empty handed. Here are my steals~

A vintage display unit

A repurposed vintage window

(I'm thinking of using it to put Sam's many polaroids!!)

My favorite buy of the day - an Odette Dresser with Mirror!

(source: Vintage Junky)

The drawers are actually laid with vintage music scores. LOVE LOVE LOVE the little touches that make the dresser even better. 

Plus, I also love that even the receipt is vintage!

To make it easier to transport the dresser back, the mirror was detached. We decided to keep it this way for now so that it would be easier for us to ship it back home. Hee, I actually caught the silly little dog checking himself out.

For now, the dresser sits proudly in our living room! Hee, I cannot wait to bring it back to Singapore!! And of course, the dog approves~

All in all, I was really happy with how the road trip turned out. I'm equally thankful for a supportive and sporting Mr Lim for being so gung-ho (and Sam for not complaining. =P). While the longest yard sale sucked, everything else was perfect and I'm loving all the items we got on the trip, hence no regrets. 

It sure was a crazy wild road trip.

Will I do it again? Absolutely yes~

West elm!!

Hee... my gift cards (Thank You Amex!!) from West Elm are here! Time for to begin my shopping spree - baskets for my walk in wardrobe!

Hee, the damage? USD700! Who knew baskets would cost this much! Thank god for Amex points!!

I love august...

Just because...

My latest buy...

I read an entry on Pretty Fluffy featuring a pop up store at Banana Republic sometime in March this year. I really liked the items they sold and set my eyes on the tote below. 

(source: pretty fluffy)

I went by a Banana Republic store in NYC the very next day, naively thinking that the pop-up store might be in all branches. I was pretty disappointed to learn that the pop-up store is only in Banana Republic's flagship store at Grant Avenue, San Francisco. Nevermind.. there's always online shopping. After visiting Blueblood's website, I was further disappointed that while the tote bag cost USD19, the handling and shipping would cost me an additional USD15. I do like the bag (a lot), but paying that extra amount just didn't make any sense. Hence, the idea of owning it was shelved and the purchase was not made. 

Until... I flew to San Jose over the past weekend to attend my cousin's wedding. As we had a couple of free days, we decided to make a day trip to... SAN FRANCISCO!!

And of course, while we were there, I insisted on a stop - the Banana Republic store at Grant Avenue!

It has been a while since I first read about it, and since most pop-up stores ain't permanent, I wasn't confident that the store will still be there. (My heart was beating pretty fast when I first stepped in..) Then I saw...

SFMADE POP-UP STORE!

It's actually pretty cool as they showcase items that are made in SF. Their mission is to build and support a community of growing small companies making local products. There are soap bars, candles, tea leaves, greeting cards and a whole selection of really nice gift ideas. 

But, I only have my heart set at one item...

And yes, my very own Blueblood's exclusive tote!!!

Love love LOVE!

Before I got the mister to foot the bill, he was forced to pose with my new bag. 

The feeling of finally purchasing something that you have been eyeing on - priceless~

I'm a happy girl today~~

Crazy ass road trip...

Mr Lim and I (and of course the little monster) will be taking our wildest/craziest road trip in August. We are going for the... *Drums roll* WORLD'S LONGEST YARD SALE!

I first learnt about it when I watched a special episode on HGTV about flea market bargain hunters and immediately turned to Mr Lim to express my EXTREME interest in going for the yard sale. Amazingly, Mr Lim didn't seemed to mind and here we are, kinda on our way there! We have rented a big ass SUV from NYC and we are going to drive a whooping 12hours to the yard sale! We will be spending two-three nights in different hotels along the route, and I just can't wait!!

Hee, I'm so sure that I would be spending big bucks that I actually told Mr Lim to rent a Uhaul to haul my potential prized purchases back! But after some debate, we decided to be practical and just rent a HUGE suv. On my to-buy list are a vintage table and a mail sorter! I'm also hoping to find little cool vintage stuff to just satisfy my vintage craze. 

Wish me luck!!!

Yet another handmade project!

This project is EXTREMELY jinxed. I started it about two months ago but stopped midway after I messed up the zipper. (I actually completed it and then realised that I had mis-sewn the zipper. Ahhhh~) After undoing the seams, I called it a day and planned to resume the next day. Then the flooding occurred. *Faints* So after another two weeks, I was ready again. That was when I realised that my zipper has gone missing! ahhhhh~ I'm sure it's still in the house somewhere, but probably misplaced when the workers moved our furniture around. After yet a few more weeks, I finally freed up a day to pop by the store to buy a replacement zipper. And of course, after yet more procrastination (probably a month or so), I finally embarked on the project.

Here are the materials for this project. I really liked the fabric I used for my tokyo bag. However, I was unable to find the exact same purple fabric (well, let's say that looking for fabric in Moods in a challenge) and thus had to settle for the green equivalent.

And the dog approves. 

I was basically pulling my hair out doing this project. I can only blamed it on myself for wanting to do an invisible zip. I was totally asking for it. -_-  FML. I should have payed more attention in sewing class. After 4 attempts and X hours later, I finally did it correctly. Here's the end product - A pillow case!

(notice that the lighting had changed? It was still daylight when I started the project and by the time I was done, it was almost midnight! Felt like slapping myself. T_T)

Anyway, here's the original pillow from Ikea that served as the stuffing.

The final product! I had to wake Sam up again to pose for me, hence explaining his sleepy blur face. 

I decided to take some more photos in daylight. I'm actually really happy that Sam seemed to like it!

The silly boy was actually falling asleep when sitting up. Too cute~

Well, he eventually figured that resting his head was easier. 

Despite the blood and sweat hardwork, I'm really pleased with the end product. While it looked like an effortless project, it sure was frustrating. Guess it goes to show that I'm no where near competent with my sewing projects. Time to put in more effort!

Meanwhile, let me procrastinate a little more just to recover from this project. Hee, what can I say, I AM A SLACKER.

My random buys...

1. A collage of a dog made up of Stamps. 

I found this amazing 'picture' at the Brooklyn flea again (gosh, I LOVE the flea!). I really like the creativity of project and I'm obsessed with the vintage frame. I paid USD35 for it. A little on the high side but since it was handmade and pretty unique, I'm sold! Plus, Mr Lim approves~ 

I'm still thinking of a better place to hang it but for now, it sits at the bar. (I need more walls!!)

2. Jack Russell Luggage Tags from FouFou X 3

I wanted to get luggage tags to personalize Sam's luggage and carrier (Yes, he has a luggage that we use on road trips) and what else is more fun than actual JRT tags. Hee, found this online and thought that they are really cute!! 

I instantly hooked one onto Sam's new travel carrier. Puuuurfect~

Hee, I think my hoarding tendencies are showing and there are more and more dog related items popping up around the house. (Ooops) But I have to admit that it's really fun spotting dog stuff that ain't tacky but actually kinda nice. It's almost like a game and I sure am addicted to it!

Sigh, shopping is such a happy thing!