summer uniform...

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Denim shorts, black top + lightweight blazer = perfect summer uniform. So effortless.  I also really really really love her heels!

sunday blooms...

to help overcome those sunday night blues :)  Fresh flowers always make me smile...

All via Phuong on Pinterest

birthday song...

Shout out to my good frend Janeo who celebrates her birthday today. 

We share the same taste in music and stuff generally and would always go to gigs together back home. She introduced me to this glorious little song today by Aussie musos Husky - Miss you Janeo. Have a wonderful birthday!! xx

Friday thoughts...

Source: bestrawberry.tumblr.com via Phuong on Pinterest

oh the places we will go....

We finally got around to arranging one of the last few gift items on our wedding registry (yes unfortunately it has taken us about 6 months!).  A print for home that lists out a couple of places we have lived + some wedding prints on canvas.    

Our friend Dylan and his lovely team at Brilliant Prints have been great and have put it all together for us.  They will be getting delivered shortly... can't wait to hang them and brighten up our empty white walls!

Source: via Phuong on Pinterest

where to next?

Source: via Phuong on Pinterest

The lovely Miss Jenny is visiting Singapore from Hong Kong this weekend and I am so excited to see her!  I have been busily thinking about all the places I can potentially take her....

I have booked dinner for us on Saturday night at Piedra Negra. Jen loves Mexican + a good friend recommended this place. As yummy Mexican is hard to come by in Singapore, I am very excited to try it out!  For those Mexican food loving Brisbane readers, check out my friend's food blog (Brisbane Food Adventures) for a good read on her Mexican adventure.

Piedra Negra is around the corner from Haji Lane, which is one of my favourite streets in Singapore.  It's located in the heart of the Arab Quarter and filled with lots of quirky boutiques and vintage stores.  To find out more, read about Susie Bubble's (fashion blogger) visit to Haji Lane here. 

Haji Lane is also home to A Thousand Tales/Bar Stories (awesome furniture store and cafe by day and cocktail bar by night) so I think we will definitely be stopping by for a post dinner cocktail.  Cocktails at Nektar may also be an option.

Coffee/brunch at Kith Cafe (where the Mr and I find ourselves at least once every weekend) is a must - along with visiting our awesome bike designing friends, Shaun and Jac of Vanguard (they made/designed Betsy for me and are next door to Kith).  Perhaps more coffee and yummy truffle fries at 40 Hands is also in order with a slight detour to Books Actually (my fave Singapore book store) which is across the road... 

We are running out of meals as I would also love to take her to Kilo (am hanging out to try the food there), Sabio (a great little tapas place we discovered the other day with Andrea & Tilden), L'Entrecote for steak frites or another all time favourite, Wild Rocket for some Singapore fusion cuisine.   Bedrock is off the list as we are taking my lovely sis and bro-in-law there when they are visiting in June!

Hmmm, this seems to be revolving an awful lot around food.... (I haven't even mentioned all the delicious local/hawker food!)...  perhaps I should probably start thinking of some other activities!

rose cupcake experiment....

The Mr and I didn't have too much planned this weekend so we spent alot of it pottering around the house, catching up on tv shows, reading etc.  It was lovely just to spend time at home and I also spent quite a bit of time baking and cooking.

I baked some banana bread, cooked my Mum's curry recipe for dinner tonight - although it didn't quite taste the same! - and I decided to bake cupcakes (after watching and being inspired by DC Cupcakes whilst eating dinner).

I picked up some rose essence the other day at the supermarket so I was keen to try it out in a recipe.   I adapted Nigella's cupcake recipe to make rose cupcakes... they turned out so yum + they smell so pretty!  Recipe below:

• 125g self-raising flour
• 125g sugar
• 125g soft unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tspn vanilla essence
• 1 tspn rose essence 
• 2 tbspn milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line the tin with the muffin cases (makes 12).
2. Put all the ingredients except for the milk and mix till smooth.
3. Slowly add the milk. 
4. Fill the cases.  Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
5. Once they're cool, ice your cupcakes.  I just made a simple glaze using icing sugar, milk, vanilla essence and more of the rose essence  (which didn't work out that great) so keen to try out some buttercream icing or something instead. 

I really should start taking food photos... here are some other pretty cupcake piccies instead...

Source: petitesorbet.blogspot.com via Phuong on Pinterest

Source: call-me-cupcake.blogspot.com via Phuong on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com viaoPinterest

colour inspiration....

Our little terrace at home has been bare ever since we moved in a year ago. We have obviously been a bit slack.... Last week a friend was giving away an outdoor sofa he no longer needed so we snapped it up and gave it a new home.   The terrace is now my new favourite little corner at home (and in fact I am blogging from here now) - but it is in dire need of some decorating.  I went cushion shopping today and found some great fuchsia + orange cushions which I think may become the theme for out here...

 

Source: via Phuong on Pinterest

eames love...

perhaps one day when i grow up i will have my very own eames, in the meantime i will happily settle for looking at pretty pictures and the replicas we have at home... :)

all via Phuong on Pinterest

friday thoughts...

Source: notyouraverageordinary.com via Phuong on Pinterest

loveliness...

Source: enchanted-kingdom.tumblr.com via Phuong on Pinterest

impatient...

Long time blog readers will know that one of my favourite brands is Kate Spade. I love their brand identity and their products which capture everything playful, quirky and colourful in the world filled with lots of brights and bows.

However like all designer items for me, they are usually lusted after rather than purchased due to my frugal spending habits (of generally not wanting to spend more than $100 on any one item of clothing/bag/shoes).  I am however really lucky to currently own 2 Kate Spade items.  A large oversized clutch that was ridiculously reduced at a sale in Hong Kong and a little clutch given to me as a birthday present a few years back from two very dear friends.  I have always had my eye on a Kate Spade bag though...

So I when I spied on twitter the other night that they are having an online sample sale (up to 75% off!), I quickly trotted on over to have a look... After some umming and aaahing (and some gentle prodding from the Mr) I ordered this delightful blue bag (I heart the lining) at a bit of a bargain.  It's been shipped and currently on its way courtesy of the lovely folk at Singapore VPost (allows you to get stuff delivered from sites where their shipping is restricted to certain countries).

She should be arriving shortly... and I feel very grown up - hmmm I think I might need to give her a name!

calgary...

In freaking love with the first track released from the new Bon Iver album.  Cannot. Wait. For. The. Rest. June 21.

pinning love

I have over the years teared out pages of magazines, catalogues etc of things that I love and spent hours happily gluing them into empty sketch books.  I love these books and they have travelled with me from place to place. 

Now to my delight, there is a digital version for my scrapbooking.  I have read about pinterest recently on a few different blogs but little did I know how addicted I would become :) It's all about pinning and sharing interesting images. Below are some samples of my pinboards.

Join and see why and then follow me here: http://pinterest.com/phuongtrinh/

brownies!

image from stone soup

I baked some brownies yesterday to take to Fox and AM's place, it was great to get back into some baking action.  

Another winner recipe from Stone Soup - sooo easy and amazing!    Just mix it all in the saucepan and pour into the tin.  

150g (5oz) unsalted butter
1 1/4C (255g or 9oz) sugar
3/4C (80g or 2 7/8 oz) cocoa powder
1 tbspn vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2C (75g or 2 1/2oz) plain flour
1C chopped nuts, such as hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts or pecans 

Preheat oven to 160C (325F). Line a loaf tin 24cm x 12cm (approx 9 1/2in x 5in) with baking paper or foil so that it overlaps the sides.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan. When just melted, remove from the heat and stir through sugar. Add cocoa powder and stir until well combined and any lumps are gone.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Gently fold through flour until only just combined – don’t over mix. Stir through nuts if using then pour into the loaf tin. Bake for 50 minutes to and hour. Or until the top feels just set and a skewer inserted into the middle emerges slightly moist. Cool in the tin then either cut or refrigerate overnight and cut the next day.

friday happiness...

It's past midnight and I am still working... sigh... I know some of my friends have it a lot worse than me but it is still rough!  But it is officially Friday, hooray!

rainbows...

Baking has taken a bit of a sideline for me lately so I need to get back into it. I still stand by it being very good therapy. 

I spied this cake today and have been inspired!  I have promised to bring dessert to a friend's place on Saturday night so will be making something for that.  My efforts will probably not be this epic though!

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just so pretty...

...hmm I wonder if i can pull off the socks and heels look?

Fall 2011 Club Monaco collection...

winter dreaming....

We just came back from a super duper fast weekend at home to celebrate a close family friend's wedding.  It was a beautiful weekend filled with log fires, jackets, scarves, tracky pants and wool socks.  Now I am back in Singapore and it is steaming... Kinda wish I was back in the cooler and crisper weather because I really do love coats and cardis!

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i heart my mums...

I know I am a day late but Happy Mother's Day to my mum and my mum-in-law. 

Mums are the bestest and put up with a lot from us kids especially as we often take them for granted!   My two mums especially are two of the strongest and bravest women I know.  Such an inspiration.

My mum had a bit of a health scare last week but fortunately all is ok - so relieved.  So it was good timing that we were home with both our mums for Mother's Day this year... very lucky indeed.  Miss you and love you both xoxo

back to basics...

As mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes you just have to step back, take some time out and get back to basics and the simple stuff...

Acne SS/2011