back to school

2 August 2013

Since I’m doing summer school this year, I’ve been in the school routine for a couple of weeks already. But for everyone else, there’s only a couple more weeks left of summer until school starts! This week, I’m rounding up some of my back to school essentials + favorites. So even if you’re not excited about starting school, at least they’re favorites to enjoy using!

01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08

These items are all so lovely + I would love any of these for school! They just might be the perfect motivation to study hard on those days when you feel like doing anything but study.

But hopefully you won’t have to do any studying this weekend, and get to spend your time shopping for fun back-to school supplies instead (:

Happy Friday!

P.S. While I don’t usually post on weekends, I’ve got something exciting (!!!) planned for tomorrow so be sure to check back!

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Life is often full and busy. But I like to take time to enjoy some of my favorite things. So Friday Favorite is a weekly series where I share my favorite(s) for the week. Check out my other Friday Favorites here.

Hello, August

1 August 2013

image source via At Home in Love

Where did time go?

I thought it was just not too long ago that I wrote a Hello, July post. And now, we’re already into August. Which is pretty crazy when you think about it. But I suppose, time flies when you’re having fun (;

But it’s August, and I’m unabashedly happy to say goodbye to statistics and probability and welcome a new semester instead.

So hello, one more month of twenty-one. Hello, to more DIY projects and doing whatever I can of the 21 list. Hello, running motivation and getting fit + healthy. Hello, fall + school. Hello, to laughing + friends, and celebrating Singapore + freedom. Hello, to new friends, and ‘see you later’ to old ones.

Hello, August. Let’s make you incredible.

Wednesday Words // no. 011

31 July 2013

Do work

You might’ve have heard me mention this before, but now I will emphatically say that Math is so not my thing. And for that, I will always be grateful to the friend(s) who cared about me enough to tell me that I shouldn’t be a Business major.

But just because Math isn’t my thing, it doesn’t mean I get to run away or ignore it. It only means that I need to work harder to get better at it. So while summer school this year has been a little bit of a struggle with this Statistics and Probability class I’m taking, I’m just working harder and putting in more effort to get good at this.

Only three more weeks left of this class, and I’m ready to tackle this giant for good.
Let’s do this.

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Every Wednesday, I share a quote + some thoughts that have been especially relevant in my life during the week. Read more Wednesday Words here.

Adelia Makes no. 10 // creamy lemon squares

30 July 2013

Creamy Lemon Squares by Martha Stewart

These were certainly tart and lemon-y but OH SO YUMMY. Definitely a refreshing break for this chocolate-loving family. The Baker (aka Adelia) says these were simple to make so I think these are going on my list of “Recipes to try someday”, which indubitably seems like it’s getting longer each week. But that probably isn’t a bad thing.

Anyhow, if you aren’t big on too much lemon, just taste the filling while adding to the lemon so the sourness is just right and to your liking!

Hmm, just thinking about these makes me hungry for some lemon squares now. Happy Tuesday!

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 recipes // banana nut pancakes

29 July 2013

Banana Nut Pancakes from A Beautiful Mess

image source

My version of these didn’t look photo-worthy at all. The batter was thin and my pancakes were overly brown (read: burned) and out of shape. Definitely not what you want pancakes to look like. And we were hungry, so we gobbled them up despite their look, and I didn’t get any photos in time.

But despite the lack of photos, here’s the verdict: the bananas added lots of sweetness to the pancakes and the walnuts gave a good crunch. And maybe it was my cooking, but they weren’t as thick and fluffy as I would’ve liked them to be. But the tricky part is trying to give enough time for your batter to cook while not letting the bananas get burned.

I know, I’m still trying to master this whole pancake breakfast thing. But hey, practice makes perfect. So I think I’m one step closer to this (;

19 down, 2 to go.

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

Friday Favorite no. 010 // CHA summer

26 July 2013

As you probably already know by now, I pretty much don’t scrapbook at all nowadays. And I’m really working on changing that. But in the meantime, I still love being inspired by all the amazing patterns and products out there. And because the CHA Create-n-Connect show just ended yesterday, I’m picking a few of my favorite new releases (in no particular order) to share with you guys! (:

1. Amy Tangerine and Dear Lizzy with American Crafts

As always, Amy Tangerine and Dear Lizzy have some great new collections. It’s even cooler that they have Project Life mini kits now. Pretty sweet.

2. Flea Market by Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper

I’m pretty big into gold right now. So I love that Maggie Holmes’ Flea Market collection has some generous doses of it!

3. Project Life Sunshine Edition by Elsie and Emma from A Beautiful Mess

I fell off the Project Life bandwagon more than a year ago. But all the truly sunshine + happy colors in this Sunshine Edition might just be enough to make me hop back on again.

But in addition to the usual favorites, I love discovering “newer” brands that I don’t look at a lot.

4. Cut & Paste Adorbs by My Mind’s Eye

I love the color scheme of this collection. Such a good mix of pinks and greens and aquas, mmm.

5. Cut & Paste Flair by My Mind’s Eye

This collection has the cutest nerd glasses, which is my favorite part of this preppy collection. I might get some of this just for those glasses, I tell you.

6. Dapper & Dan by Glitz Design

This collection is such a nice mix of greens, blues, and neutrals for the BOYS. Plus, I’m really digging those geometric shapes and the mustaches (!!!).

7. Finnley by Glitz Design

Also by Glitz Design, Finnley is a fun, fresh take on trendy colors with woodland animals thrown in the mix. So excited to see some of these brands that I don’t usually go for.

Well, that’s all for me for today! Now excuse me while I go and earn some dough so I can splurge on these collections later! (;

I hope your Friday is bursting with creativity and sunshine!

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Right now // Thursday

25 July 2013

image source

Remembering to just breathe and not let my to-do list get the better of me.

Trying not to stress out.

Feeling like there’s always so much to do, but so little time.

Working on having a better routine so I can accomplish more.

Pressing on because I’m halfway through summer school!

But itching to travel the world (or just anywhere, really) and see new sights.

And needing a little vacation, maybe.

Having tons of ideas and attempting to make them happen despite being busy.

Learning to embrace each day + week because it feels like time is flying by.

Panicking a little after the realization that I barely have a month to train for my next run.

Dreaming of big plans + endeavors.

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Enjoy Thursday, you guys!
Go out and make BIG things happen.

xx.

Wednesday Words // no . 010

24 July 2013

{Words to live by}

image source

This week, I saw beauty through an act of kindness shown to me.

On Monday, I was privileged to receive a short + sweet note attached to a yummy slice of lemon meringue pie. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering or life-changing. In fact, the giver probably didn’t even think much of it or that it was even a big deal at all.

But it was the thought behind it that really touched me – the unexpected love and encouragement at the end of a long day; it certainly made my day and week.

And it made me realize how it is the little moments in life that add up to the big ones. It is the small acts that make a difference. It reminded me of how blessed I am, how grateful I can be for the people who choose to make a difference to my life with small acts of kindness.

There is so much beauty to behold in this life, if only we would open our eyes to see it.
Happy Wednesday!

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Every Wednesday, I share a quote + some thoughts that have been especially relevant in my life during the week. Read more Wednesday Words here.

Adelia Makes no. 009 // handsewn pouches

23 July 2013

Since we took sewing lessons last year, Adelia has been wayyy better at using her skills at the machine than I have. One of the things she’s been making quite a bit are these cute zipped pouches. With the help of some simple online tutorials, she made these pouches that have served as great gifts for friends and family. These aren’t the only ones she’s made so far. But the combinations with these are pretty much endless and the cuteness level is just off-the-charts. Too much fun.

Unlike me, I think she’s pretty much a natural.

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 projects // DIY personalized phone cover

22 July 2013

We’re taking a break from the food posts this week and doing a DIY! (:

To be honest, I’ve had this planned out for awhile now. In my head, that is.

Soon after I got my spankin’ new smartphone, I purchased an inexpensive transparent plastic phone cover from one of the shops along the street with grand plans to turn it into a DIY.

So several months later, I finally got round to doing it. I mean, you need to save these kinda things for summer break, right? (But now that summer break is over and summer school is underway, I’m actually getting around to blogging about it. It’s one of those things, you know.)

But my procrastination aside, my guesstimate tells me that including the printing and cutting, this DIY took less than hour from start to finish. Super simple. Which I totally love.

Supplies:

Plastic transparent phone cover
Patterned paper
Cutting mat
Pen knife
Scissors
This template
Pencil + eraser
Inks + embellishments

I started by printing this template from Google images. I opened the image in Powerpoint, resized and test-printed it a couple of times before getting a size that fit the cover. (I’m sure there’s a less trial-and-error method to get this done, but this method worked for the non-techy girl.) The size that I eventually settled on was 14.4cm by 9.08cm. Then I cut out the template and measured it against the cover to ensure that everything was fitting right. Just a note: I printed the template on regular printing paper, but I would recommend printing on thicker paper like cardstock so it is easier to trace later on.

I have plenty of 6×6 paper pads so I picked my favorite patterns and simply traced and cut them out. I used Dear Lizzy’s older Neapolitan and 5th and Frolic collections. The turquoise paper from 5th and Frolic is a little thicker than the Neapolitan ice-cream cones patterned paper, so it was a little harder getting that into the case. Learning from this, I would definitely pick paper that isn’t too stiff, which would affect the fit of the paper in the case.

For the ice-cream cones, I stamped a sentiment from Amy Tangerine’s Sketchbook clear stamps with Hero Arts neon pink ink, and inked the edges with Versacolor’s mint. For the other turquoise one, I simply included a sticker from Dear Lizzy’s Neapolitan accent and phrase sticker book.

As a girl who loves variety, I love that I can exchange the patterns whenever I feel like it and have endless options to choose from. This is definitely one way to enjoy all the patterned papers I love on a daily basis.

4 down, 17 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.