HOW TO: Wall Decor Revamp

Have you ever had something you love, you bought, you hang around your house to look at all day; then one day you look at it and it just feels so WRONG/WORN/OLD. I decided to try and renew one of these inspirational quote that I have. For this one I changed the colour scheme to fit its surroundings. I feel like this is a fun little project for many old, once-loved things to have a second chance. Let's get started!!

----------------- You'll Need ----------------

- scissors
- cutter
- acrylic paint in desired colours (I have gold, silver and black)
- ruler for measures
- pen and paper to trace
- few sponges

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1. Use pen and paper, trace the original pattern. Or you may find and print a design of choice.

2. Tear the old surface down. I am lucky it was paint on fabric, and it's tearing down a bit before.

3. Paint the wood surface black. You can choose paint brush or I used sponge for a smooth surface.

4. Hollow out the traced mark with cutter. Carefull, it's SHARP!

5. Paint on the hollowed part with small paintbrush.

6. Remove the stencil and we're DONE! 

I did also printed a Shakespeare quote on the back, to sometimes flip around for new decor!

Favourite Summer Drink Ever!!

I love sparkling water as much as the others, it's a bit more exciting than plain still water but a bit less GUILTY than a good old soda. And this little recipe is my most often go-to summer drink to quench thirst and beat the heat.

It's minty, fresh and irresistibly addicting. ;)

You'll need :

Sparkling water

1 Lime 

Few lemon slices

Fresh mint 

To make this:

1. Tear 5-8 pieces of mint leaves in half, you may also use mint stems, put in your glass of choice. (I chose the Bonjour Mason Jar) 

2. Put in your sliced lemon, I found 2 slices taste best. You may have more if you won't use lime.

3. Cut your lime evenly into 6-8 pieces, we may get most lime juices this way. Squeeze all the lime slices but leave 1 slice for decoration. You may squeeze much less slices and directly put it in if you hate the sour taste.

4. Pour in your choice of sparkling water. Adjust the taste with poking juices out of lemon or lime.

Happy Drinking!

Keeping A Daily Journal

I've just started to keep a daily journal instead of my normal daily/weekly planner. I bought a daily journal from Urban Outfitter last month. After just one day of using it, I am completely converted to a one-page-a-day journal. I am a firm believer that WRITING THINGS DOWN is the best way to put them in my head. I tried to keep the cute, girly decorations to a minimum; and to maximise space for thoughts, words, plans and projects.

 DAILY JOURNAL by OHH DEER x URBAN OUTFITTER Marble £15

I Love this especially because of the thoughtful layout. You can write down the date yourself which means you may not have to journal every single day but only days you want to, thus the journal may be used for as long as you wish. There's a long list of to-dos for you to manage your productivity and priorities. It also came with some unique features like space for Today's OBJECTIVE and PROJECTS, there's even a blank space for DOODLE, how cute is that?!

Here's how my first day looks like, I also decorated some blank pages at the front with megazine cut-out letters.

Jo Malone Perfume Collection

Yes, I am guilty of purchasing way too many bottles of Jo Malone fragrance. I mean, they are the new addition to my stash of perfume, which I might not be able to finish all by myself even if you give me eighty more years to live. Though in my defence, the prices of these gorgeous beauties are so irresistible I feel I am SAVING MONEY.

And yes, I am aware of how I sounded just like a freakin' SHOPAHOLIC above. Jo Malone fragrance have been on my wish list FOR EVER, plus I went with two girlfriends who love them as much as I do, and when girls shop together, that's how my bank account balance went smoothly down. (Didn't even noticed it) Then I decided to write a blogpost about them. (to make myself feel less guilty somehow) 

Nectarine Blossom & Honey (£68)  I fell in love with Jo Malone Perfumes starting with this one. Which is why I have to have it in a larger size. It smells sweet yet nice and fresh, never sickly. It’s a very comfy scent to have around a cozy home, or on a really nice and easy-going person. I say this is the perfect blend of sweet yet floral and somehow citrusy scent.

Orange Blossom (£33.6) Buying this one is a funny story to tell. I am supposed to buy this one for a friend, then I sniffed the scent for like a half-second, next thing I know I have two of them in my basket. I have always been on the hunt for a pure, plant-based scent. The smell of ORANGE is my one favourite amongst all other citrus scents. This one is more of a floral side of orange, yet still fresh and zesty.

English Pear & Freesia (£33.6) I swear this one is on EVERYBODY’s radar, and you’ll know why when you smell it. It smells sweet like a sugary cocktail, with a fruity twist. Some say the dry-down scent is pretty much identical to Chloé , I feel like this is because they both share Freesia scent, but Chloé is much heavier and rosier than this fresh little one from Jo Malone.

Blackberry & Bay (£33.6) Surprised even myself, this one turned out to be my absolute favourite. I now wish I have it in 100ml as well. The scent is very fruity, subtle yet it last so so well, it even comes with a fresh dry-down note. I love the scent so much I actually bought another blackberry scented roller-ball from Oliver Bonas.

New In Stationery!!

New Year means new things: new planners, new semester, new notebooks, new clothes, new list of resolutions, new people to hopefully meet, new places to go and see... The list can go on and on Forever.

Bearing this thought in my head, I felt like it's only right to go to a new shop and buy myself new stationery to get excited about my new (and sadly last) semester in university. Two days ago, bearing "buy new stuff" thought, two friends and a not-so-wealthy bank account, I went into COTTON ON and truly had a shopping spree in their stationery/gift section. I bought 4 notebooks (on sale) and a pretty new Hello 2016 Planner. (heart eyes emoji) They're all from the brand TYPO.

A4 Unicorn Ate My Homework Spiral Notebook 

A4 Rose Gold (or maybe copper) and Pink Pineapple Spiral Notebook (w/ elastic strap)

A4 The Anatomy of the Unicorn Spiral Notebook 

A5 A Guide to Pugs Spiral Notebook (w/ elastic strap)

ON SALE 4 for AUD$20: 

Not much to say with a notebook. Funny and cute cover, a paper pocket to fit in other loose papers, receipts or course outline.

A5 "Hello 2016 "Daily Buffalo Planner  AUD$19.99:

LOVE the Cover! It feels soft and well-made with leather-like material. Elastic strap to contain flying out pages (if any). There is only daily layout from 7 to 6. I would separate a page into two to have AM/PM uses. The lack of weekly or bigger monthly view is pretty annoying, but I thought a simple daily layout with time marked would be soooo useful for someone who like to sit around thinking about what to do next. (me)

I also bought TONS of charming, cute stickers online. Maybe a sticker haul next?

Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish Review

Nail Polish is never my beauty addiction. I would have proudly announced that before I realize how many nail polish I HAVE and DO NOT USE. I had a period where I am OBSESSED with nail art. When I was started to binge watch youtube and enjoyed A LOT of nail tutorials. Upon viewing my collection I am proud to say I buy nail polish for the color. I am not one of those manicure junkies who own one same color from various brands, who also try to defend themselves saying things like the formula and opacity is different...

Judging from all that vocabulary, you may already found out I know my way around the manicure world. Enough rambling, I have been decluttering and I am going to throw out 5 out of 7 Revlon Colorstay Nail polishes. Let me tell you why...

The color range of this collection is definitely not disappointing. Some of the colors make this list of cult favorites. Such as vintage rose, french toast and rain forest (sparkly green one above). 

In terms of opacity, a lot of the colors are pretty disappointing. I have to do three or more coats to achieve the color in the bottle. I, for one, sadly do not have the PATIENCE or time to wait for them to all dry without doing anything. As the result, my nail design always gets chipped before I even put on a top coat. 

Int terms of stay-on power, this is my whole point of the blog post. THE COLORSTAY POLISH DO NOT STAY very well. As you can see from the collage photo I did. Those pics were taken 2-3 days after I put on coats of polish. I found them chipped soooo badly especially after I wash my hair or take a bath as if they are washable. The stay-on power rating is at bottom line - DO NOT STAY.

I am sitting typing this post on the last day of 2015. For a fresh start, it's very very nice to throw out something old. Some nail polish, few books, some clothes and other bits and bobs. I am also donating those still in good condition. What are you doing on this last day of the year??

Buying a Blog Template!!

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As you may have noticed. I bought a blog template from DESIGNER BLOGS and I am VERY EXCITED. This template is called Tamsin. It's background and header reminds me a LOT of tangerines slices so it's a clear winner. Their blog template is $15 dollar for one which is very affordable and cute. I have been on the hunt for pretty blog templates forever and I was beyond delighted when I saw those. The above picture of "Cecilia Nicole" template is the "runner-up" of choice. Check it out if you want to :)

I decided to buy it to get people (mainly myself, to be honest) excited about the blog. Plus I always wanted a simple, nice design for my blog with not much to customize or "html edit". Whatever that means. I am totally not computer savvy. I love the layout and sidebars especially. 

I would try much harder to get this blog going for 2016. A lovely new blog template seems like a very good start. I have a few ideas about what to write for the future and I am constantly looking for ideas in other people's blogs. Leave me your blog perhaps and we can share post ideas and get inspired. 

What should I write next??