So Cute It Hurts

pardon me

as i distract myself from getting things done.

This week has flown by. The mister and i were secretly taking about finding a little "cottage" where we could call home. I think we might have found that place we like. The location is sweet. This new place has tons of potential but it needs a little tender loving care. I will have my own studio space with sunlight pours in, and we even get to have an outdoor space, so all is good. The mister and i both agree that we are pleased as punch.

I have serious gardening in my blood. We always had a small garden growing up, my papa's favorite place to hang out during his free time. I grew up eating fresh okra, tomatoes and squash. It was so much fun helping dig potatoes and pick and snap big bowls of green beans. And wonderfully delicious. I think it's only natural that i definitely want to have a garden patch and want to grow some food of my own one day too.

Big weekend ahead. Once again, there is sewing and scheming involved. I bought load of beautiful greens. So, if you have any good recipes for just about any type of leafy green, please send them my way. Have yourself another lovely merry happy weekend! More soon ~ love to you and yours!

(images: The mister at home)

surprises are nice.

Hope you had a sweet weekend. Mine was very mellow, but no complaints. I started sewing on my fancy wearable cuteness because the last bit of cutting was done. The highlight of my weekend was definitely a collection of photos of a work in progress on a sweet gift from the Mister's papa to us. It is one of the best surprises i am ever going to receive.

Hammering, sawing and drilling until something cool materializes is not something i would love to do, but some people do love it. Lucky for me, woodworking is one of the Mister's hobbies. Even though the Mister is busy but he does have room for one or two more hobbies.

It was great to catch him and his papa as they worked away on a huge woodworking project ~ a wonderful cozy summer house {make by the Mister and his papa} as a wedding gift to us. In case you are wondering whether i forgot that i'm getting married i did not, i promise. We are taking our own pace and time preparing for it.

The mister might even throw in a small garden patch for me to dig in the dirt!

A summer house....it just doesn't get any better than that. Hope your week is off to a good start! Love to you and yours.

(images: The mister at home)

Timeless Beauty

...of a wedding dress.

One of the most magical moments a girl can have before her wedding is catching that first glimpse of herself in a wedding gown. After all, every bride wants to wear a beautiful dress on her wedding day. Some women fantasize of the day they walk down the aisle in trails of tulle. Others search through racks of beautiful dresses looking for that modern sheath.

Here i am, wanting my wedding dress to arm with words of "classic", "tradition" and "simple". With a few logistics confirmed, like the time and style of the reception, and a whole lot of discussion with Kim, we came out with the perfect wedding dress style for me ~ a simple plain QiPao dress. Such a plain dress pattern will allow me to personalize it with my own sewing of lace applique, beading or embroidery. After all, this is the most significant and sentimental clothing purchase i am likely to ever make.

The shopping experience was incredibly fun, maybe because Kim and i came up with a game plan before heading out to the bridal boutiques. We were both very impressed with "That Special Occasion". A boutique established in August 2000. Their gowns are created at sensible and affordable prices, catering to different levels of budgets without compromising on the quality of the workmanship. While browsing through their racks of beautiful ready made gowns, i can't help but notice that the designs are not too fussy and "overcrowded" with details.

We met up with designer Louisa, who was very attentive to our needs and budget. She walked us through the initial process of custom designing a wedding dress. Louisa came out with a few different designs inspired by my needs of something classic, traditional and simple ~ Qipao inspired. We picked the design we love most, picked the color ivory and added a few details for a touch of pastel pink binding in my extremely plain dream dress {for now}.

I am looking forward to our next appointment with her for fabrics selection and body measurements. Yippee and hooray! Can you tell how ridiculously excited i am?

Hope your weekend was full of relaxation and fun. 
Happy merry week. Sending you love and cheer to you and yours.

a snail's pace

I couldn't decide which photo to post today, so i picked the above. Kim and i are planning to see the long-awaited Mr. Burton's Alice. I've been carefully avoiding reviews and reserving judgment till i see it for myself.

In case you are wondering whether i forgot that I'm getting married, i did not, i promise. I realize the engagement was announced over the holidays and i've been as quiet as a mouse about it ever since. Well, we're thinking of either year end or beginning of next year for the wedding. Hoping that it will allow us to have a snail's pace with time to prepare, at least i hope it is. Since Kim will be leaving for Germany soon in a month or so, we have plans with hopes of getting a few things squared away soon.  

I'm also quietly working on several wedding projects with dear friend, Afi. And with a few logistics confirmed,i'm looking forward to window dressing with Kim over the weekend!

Whatever you have planned, i hope you enjoy yourself and have a fabulous weekend. Lots of love to you and yours!

Hearts and sweetness

Happy day after Valentine's day. Things are really good here. Kinda humid, but good. Kim and i are still visiting family ~ having a warm and snuggly holiday. We are eating continuously {yum}, sharing lots of stories and one of us {*cough Kim cough*} even played enough Counter Strike to work up a small addiction among my two brothers.

Remember i mentioned something about  "a very special announcement" in fryday's post?

I received the most amazing valentine's gift.You can probably guess what he did from the above photo ~ he re-popped the question and we renewed our engagement with my family. It was a lovely surprise and very romantic.  As for the plan, we're not sure what kind of celebration we want but defiantly something along the line of small and cozy with handmade goodies all around. I'm sure you'll be reading about the plan or quite possibly many plans as the days, weeks and months unfold.  

I have some photos of my pretty Chinese New Year edibles, Valentine's day heart-shape tea bag treats {they were a hit!} and things, but I'll get to those soon. In the meantime, hope you get some sweetness in your world this week too. Love to you and yours!