Along for the Ride

I have not been here on here in a long time, so I thought I would give the blog a new look. It did take me about 5-6 hours to learn how to do a basic customization on blogger though LOL. And yay, I finally got done with my finals! =)

I'm seriously thinking about getting a bike for the summer. It would be very beneficial in getting me my exercise, saving money on gas, and decreasing CO2 into the atmosphere. When I tried with my friend's bike, I've never really liked riding on campus since I was always so slow and almost everyone passed me by. But I guess, I should get over that fact and just ride ;p.

On a note, bicycling should really be promoted more for its health and environmental benefits. A lot of the daily activities that we do, we can get around on a bicycle. Sure, it may take a while longer to get there and back, but we're also exercising so we don't have to take the time to go to the gym. People seem to exercise more when it's integrated into their lifestyles so I think bicycling will be a great way for people to be more active.

I was looking around and came upon these stylishly gorgeous bikes. I love the bright blue and crimson red bikes. They just give me a warm, vintage vibe.

Bikes are also being used somewhat more in magazines.

I just love the woven baskets on her bicycle - trendy and functional.

(images from Riding Pretty)

Fresh Friday

I just adore this lovely arrangement of peonies. I just love how the bright pink peonies pop against the aqua blue mason jar. And yes, Happy Friday! =)

(It's Pretty Good)

Reminiscence of Summer

My, oh my, how quickly the days are passing by these days! I can't believe August is almost here..........

Once in a while, I love to gaze at these amazing photos because for me, they capture the quintessence of summer. I love the fiery of the sun's glare, blasting its heat waves at you, just itching to caress you. I love gulping down tart and fresh-squeezed lemonade, so refreshing you can feel each drop tingling down your throat. But most of all, I love the scintillating sunset, woefully waving its goodbyes as the wind softly whispers its cool breath.

(1.DanielleT, 2 & 3.cannelle-vanille, 4.Deviant Art - AlexEdg, 5.Estellamestella, 6.lassekorsgaard, 7.forgot)

Delectable Delights

Don't these decadent delicacies just make your mouth water? I saw these images on Sarah Kaye and just absolutely had to save them because the desserts just look so yummy. ;p I hope you don't get too much of a craving for desserts by my post. =)

I love the decoration and display of the cupcakes, from the dainty details of the flower petals to the blue-pink-green icing is just beautiful.

Those raspberries look so yummy in this photo - so plump and juicy that I can imagine them squishing in my mouth.

This is simply a breathtaking arrangement. Not to mention, the tiny bite-sized cookies look adorable.

The teapot and cup cookies are so creative and lovely.

The first and last cupcakes remind me of the Chinese embroidered umbrellas.

Ohhhhh look at the cream.......

(All images from Sarah Kaye)

Calming Rooms

Wow, it's been awhile since I've been on here - almost two weeks! Anywho, it's going to be busy from here on out. I have a lot of family and friend social functions for the rest of this month and then next month I will be busy moving into my new apartment, and then school will start. I don't want to go back to school yet for I haven't even fully enjoyed my summer yet!

But for right now, I'm loving these lovely peaceful rooms. They're simple and calming - slowing down my hectic days.

I love the the plain white walls with minimal furnishings - sometimes less is really more. The room feels like it's a cloud floating in the sky.

I love the splash of floral in an otherwise all-white room. There is just such a tranquilizing peacefulness as sunlight softly streams in. I think I would definitely fall into a deep slumber sleeping in this lovely room ;p
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This room is so lovely. I especially adore the black chandelier hanging up because it adds a stark contrast with the soft muted colors in the room. The wood-beamed ceiling are also another lovely touch - adding a small architectural elegance to the room.

I adore these white and blue pieces adorning white rooms. They simply transform a plain one into one emanating regalness and elegance.

(1. forgot, 2. forgot, 3. Jason Lucas, 4. & 5. Judith Miller)

Black Lace

Right now, I am loving pieces of clothing with black lace. They just add such a romantic and seductive feel to the piece.

I just adore everything about this piece, from the neckline to the embroidered black sequins. It's just simply divine.

(1. Spicyforum, I don't remember the rest of the photos)

French Elegance

I'm really loving vintage clocks and trunks. They just add a simple touch of Frenchness into a room.

These vintage clocks would look fabulous displayed up on a mantel, whether by themselves or with a cluster of vintage clocks collection.

This lovely romantic clock below can be found at lauraashley.com

I love everything about this vintage clock, from the faded and old look, the chipped cream and gray paint, the soft pink roses gracing the center, the French words, and the Greek numbers. I just simply adore this vintage piece.

I adore suitcases and trunks because they are such a lovely display and can house as a storage spot as well. Isn't this flower painted suitcase just adorable?

(I forgot where I found this image.)

And big trunks like the ones below can be used creatively as a sturdy coffee table.

(Find these lovely trunks at Great Room Decor.)



(I think I found this at one of my reading bloglist. I can't quite remember.)

Ink-pen Drawings

These are my first attempts at ink-pen drawings; they aren't the best, but they turned out relatively okay. I got really inspired after seeing some fabulous ink drawings on Google so I tried my own. Ink pen drawings are a bit tricky though since I can't erase them. On these two drawings I just started right off with a pen so maybe that's why there were a lot of mistakes on them. I think they would have turned out better if I started a rough sketch with a pencil first - but then that ruins the spontaneity though.

This was the first one, and I messed it really bad on her eyes. They aren't symmetrical with each other in that perspective, with one being way bigger than the other and my alignment of them is off. I think I should start with the left eye just because it's easier for me to coordinate accordingly using the right on (from my eye perspective).

This one was a bit better although I did mess up on the mouth a bit. It was supposed to be from a self-portrait but I don't think I was highly successful LOL.

Empty Frames Decor

Empty frames are a lovely decor embellishment, don't you think? They are so simple yet also alluring with a hint of elegance. What I really love about empty frames though is that they aren't costly decor since you can find some lovely ones at your local goodwill for a small price. I adore chiseled amber wood frames the most because they are so versatile with any color and texture against a white wall.

Publish Post

Falling In Love With Flea-Market Style

Flea-market style decor is fabulous. I love how the decors are not perfectly matched but they implement each other through their color, style, and texture. What flea-market style says to me is that a room doesn't need to be adorned with expensive and perfectly matched items to have grace and style. You can decorate with anything as long as you are creative and you do it with love and zest and your room will simply show that. As Sam Keen eloquently said,

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."

I think that quote just fits flea-market style perfectly. Each piece is old and rusty, but so lush and rich with history that to see its grace and perfection requires a keen eye. Flea-market style is not for everyone, but I simply love it. I wish there were some flea markets near where I live because I would really love to go to one. I just adore looking at old, antique things even though I may not buy much, or if anything at all. Sometimes just looking is enough to satisfy me. =)

A Disappointing Birthday

It was my birthday this past weekend, and my boyfriend did literally nothing to make it special for me. I don't expect anything grand or big from him, but he could have done something small and special like a card and flowers. It's not like I get cards and flowers every week so surprising me with them would have made me really happy. But no, he didn't do anything at all! We went to St. Paul for the weekend since his baby sister's birthday was on the day after mine, so I guess he thought that celebrating our birthdays together was making it special enough for me. But it's not! It may be selfish, but I wanted something personal from him. Is that just so much to ask for??? I was already bummed out since it was raining the whole weekend so we didn't get to go to the flea markets up there, and he didn't even do anything to make me a bit happier.

I feel like whatever I want to make me happy, I have to tell him what it is specifically. That's fine, but sometimes I just want him to know and surprise me. Why can't he try some new things and see if I like it instead of me suggesting it to him all the time because doing so just takes the romance out of everything.

No one is perfect, and being romantic is one of his shortcomings. But why can't he at least try to be romantic on my birthday????

Gosh, I am so very disappointed in him.

Vintage Keys

I'm lovin' vintage keys right now. They would just look so lovely on silver chains as necklaces because they're simple, yet also elegant and lovely. I have two key necklaces, but I would love to collect vintage keys and display them in a collection.

(Pictures from flickr & google)