Most pleasing color combination: dusty blue, black, and walnut

I'm on a high with cute illustrative prints lately. Saw these at Walmart and had to document:

It's the garlic and parsley prints that got me! 

Also, the color scheme of the greyish blue, black and walnut brown is so beautiful! 

Perfect colors for home interior:

Bedding Styles to Upgrade

 I forget how much I love home/bedding styles from Anthropologie...

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A different color for each bedroom, yes! 

Favorite Home Accessories from Seattle Washington

One of these peaceful days, when the pandemic (and riots...so sad) are over, I would love to visit the city of Seattle, especially since I've been loving these online purchases from Seattle based companies for their innovative, super cute, and problem-solving quality goods for the home, especially when sprucing up my kitchen (since most of my days are in the kitchen now). Here are my favorites:

1. Tablecloths from Splash Fabric - I'm from a family who loves using tablecloths to preserve brand new dinner tables from scratches and marks (reason: in case we move, we can resale or give away furniture a lot easier when it is in excellent condition). Also, some of our tables are hand-me-downs or scored from thrift stores with unsightly dings and stains, so a pretty tablecloth covers all of that! I've been disappointed with disposable plastic tablecloths that rips so easily, washable polyester fabric styles that I become too lazy to wash and oil/sauce stains become permanent, vinyl ones with nasty chemical smells which I'm sure is causing everyone cancer, but this Splash Fabric tablecloth has been "magic" indeed! It's a bit pricey at around $100 for a big sheet, but totally worth it! Wipes clean easily (meaning, it never needs to go into the washer, yay for less work!), no chemical smells, and several cute prints to choose from! This is one of the splurge items that I feel good about with being more eco-friendly and efficient, while keeping it stylish for the home. 

(always in love with whimsical Victorian illustrations) 

2. Flour-sack towels from Potluck Press - I'm also from a family who loves washing our own dishes by hand and we use the dishwasher that came with the house more as a storage cabinet for our kitchenware. I find that the best towels to use to wipe dry our glassware and ceramics are lightweight flour sack towels. These Potluck Press ones comes in the quirkiest prints that makes washing dishes that much more fun! 

 

3. Refrigerator magnets from Three by Three - I recently got a new refrigerator that is too pretty to cover with random tacky souvenir magnets, but the husband has a habit of putting notes on the fridge, so I found these really sleek "Mighties" magnets that looks like minimalist jewels. But please be mindful if you have a house full of kids or pets who might swallow a tiny strong magnet before utilizing these. That is the only qualm I have with these in regards to safety. Otherwise, love them for the modern simple style! 

BTW, all of these makes great unique gifts! 

What are your favorite stores or purchases from Seattle, WA?

Merry Christmas 2020

Am I a minority in this, or does anyone else love being in lock-down at home for Christmas? 

Anyway, other things I'm loving right now...

Macramé Christmas Ornaments on Etsy:

Ruffle Bib Sweaters like this (similar at F21):

Minimalist Christmas Trees also on Etsy:

Wishing all my blog visitors a very cozy Christmas!

Etsy Infatuation: Amigurumi Desserts

Did I ever tell you how much I love Etsy (ie. totes, clutches, charms, jewelry)? 

Before the creation of Etsy, I was a sucker for arts and craft fairs, but now, I just go on Etsy to become enamored by the endless amount of creativity and one-of-a-kind items! 

I mean, how cute are these knitted things! From Kelley Road

Ah! Neapolitan ice cream sandwich!!!

Crochet and Macramé Trend for Fall

I am now on a kick with these ivory rope-yarn creations of knots, loose knits, and tassels....whether it be crochet or macramé....they all look so good! In fashion, I usually see these open-knit styles as summer beach coverups, but I think they make great segue pieces during the strange Fall days when it can be summery hot midday then brisk cold by night.

My inspiration in fashion this Fall: Dolce & Gabbana Read-to-Wear Fall 2020

My inspiration with home decor: AHappyMessDesign and TamarThings on Etsy

My inspiration from celebrities: Gigi Hadid confirmed the trend with her macramé mobile in her nursery for her new baby girl. But how cute is this cactus mobile from RayneBoho on Etsy... 

#macramemovement on IG for more ideas! 

A Pop of Teal on Neutrals

I'm obsessed with Arhaus catalog photographs lately for inspiration on color themes. I thought I was set with the trendy sage-grey-green for Fall, but no....my eyes are now wandering off towards teal green, especially when it stands out among neutral beige, grey, and tan. Next goal: how to translate this into clothing fashion?

Love how the purple flower in the corner also goes well with the teal.

Wow, teal pillows looks great with grey as well as beige! 

Clippings from Arhaus Catalog August-Fall 2020

Grey-Green, Cream, and a Hint of Purple

If tangerine, olive, and ivory were my favorite colors this summer, then the combination of grey-green (aka "sage"), cream, and a little bit of purple is going to be my palette for this coming fall-winter! It all started when I spotted this gorgeous home decor picture on instagram:

(from Arhus)

I think this may be my first time inspired by home decor color scheme to incorporate into my clothing style. Luckily, retailers are coming out with so many pretty sage green items right now. These are my style picks (all from H&M):

How cute is this scarf-scrunchie!

 

Clockwise: Midi Skirt, Chunky Sweater, Wide-leg pants, Lace Skirt

Butter Dishes

This week's obsession are butter dishes! I don't even eat butter with toast, but when I was browsing for "copper things", I came across this beautiful butter dish dome thing, and I fell down the rabbit hole, window-shopping for all cute and classy butter dishes on the web! These are my favorites on the internet right now:

Williams Sonoma hammered copper butter keeper ($39.95) - Still trying to figure out how to incorporate antiviral copper elements to my home, this could come in useful!

Chic & Basta Round Ceramic Butter Dish ($36.85) - This is so sleek! Would look great in modern, kinfolk style decor. 

Anthropologie Bistro Tile Hello Butter Dish ($20) - Even if there is no butter in there, just lifting up the lid on this would make me happy! 

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Searching for Xylophone and Kalimba Review

I've been searching for a pretty xylophone or glockenspiel to decorate a corner of my family-turned-music room. Many people suggested that I get a piano, but I have too many cringing memories of my childhood being forced to practice the piano every weekend and never improving my skills (this is what happens when music does not come easy, having non-inspirational piano teachers, and the only sheet music available were classic pieces that no one listens to in this day and age.) So I figured a more fun alternative, is the xylophone or glockenspiel to grace a spot in my home instead.

So the search actually began a year ago before the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was bummed that none of my local music stores carries any professional xylophones. While looking through YouTube product reviews for online purchases, I came across this mesmerizing girl who plays the marimba (which is like a giant xylophone), who is now my new girl-crush: Yuni Marima

So cool, right? Very appealing, but I still cannot find a xylophone that fits my budget, space, and style. A marimba is definitely too big for my music room. 

As YouTube marketing magic has the ability to lead me astray, I then came across an instrument that is totally new to me, the "kalimba" or thumb piano, performed by another YouTube girl-crush sensation: April Yang 

It has a twinkling sound much like the glockenspiel but so much better! I love that it is compact and cute, and tons of YouTube videos for tutorials and product reviews. The best part is, the kalimba is marketed as a toy so they are quite affordable. Most ranges from $30-$60 on Amazon, so I did not hesitate to order a couple to try it out, I decided on getting one solid board style and one hollow box style.

1. Zaidenberg Kalimba ($44.99): has a muted twinkling, music-box sound quality, arrived in-tune. 

Best Part: I chose this for the detachable magnetic wooden stand, perfect for displaying on a desk (in my music room, yeah!)  The mahogany wood piece feels substantial and of high quality.

The Bad: I think this kalimba might have been someone else's returned item, since it came with one bent key (or "tine") and the items inside the packaging (ie. thumb covers, stickers, etc.) was strewn all over.

2. HONHAND Kalimba ($33.99): the hollow box style does provide a deeper, resonating sound, arrived in-tune. 

Best Part: I chose this for the low price point and simple design without logos plastered on it. However, it does have the stamp "Designed in California" behind the hole opening, which is probably a marketing technique to lure "Made in USA" fans, when in actuality it is made in China. I actually felt this boxy style is more comfortable to play than the small curvy style of the Zaidenberg. Also love the louder tone. 

The Bad: it smells of gasoline-like chemicals that I often find in cheap China-made goods sold on Amazon. I can't imagine how horrible the fumes must be in the factories that make these products...bless the people who have to work in those conditions :(

Verdict: I kept both since they were both affordable for my budget and provide good-enough aesthetics for my music room as well as delightful sound quality for a beginner. If I decide to purchase again, I would definitely go for the hollow box style, and hopefully find a company that has better quality control. I would definitely be willing to pay more for that! Please, no more toxic fumes for the makers and customers. 

Any good xylophone or kalimba recommendations out there?

Quarantine Life Favorite Things To Do

New decor project: reusing glass bottles for home decoration and trying to propagate herbs indoors. I am especially in love with the 8 oz maple syrup bottles and these little Fever-Tree Ginger Beer bottles, where the product label easily comes off when soaking the bottles in hot water (my absolute pet peeve is when food label glue are hard to come off such pretty glass bottles.)

New drink obsession: Ginger Beer. When I read this article about copper's anti-viral effects, I was inspired to search online for copper things, in which I came across so many Moscow Mule copper mugs. This piqued my interest in learning about what this refreshing drink is all about, which lead me to discover the non-alcoholic ginger beer. I cannot believe I have never tried or heard of this. I guess I have been self-quarantined from life long before the pandemic, ha! I have not yet committed to ordering a copper mug, but I was able to find quite a few brands of ginger beer at my local grocery store and now I am a fan of the most highly rated Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. I suppose if I did come down with any nauseating virus, this drink might help since it really does taste like ginger (unlike ginger ale, which often disappoints me when I'm feeling nauseous on a plane).

Favorite indoor pastime: blogging/journaling. Right now I am very grateful for the availability of the internet. The amount of creative outlet is endless on here when one is stuck at home. Despite shelter-in-place with non-essential traveling on hold, it sure feels good to have time to be back to blogging!