I came, I saw, I concurred.

Oh Hello Marriage!

Although I don't know her in person, I am a huge fan of Danni of oh hello friend. Her blog is beautiful, she has a great her eye for details and sells the prettiest handmade things in her etsy shop. I've been reading her blog since last year and it's a personal favorite of mine.

Of course, I was completely thrilled and excited when she shared her proposal story on her blog. It seems strange for me to be so touched by a stranger's story, but this one is too adorable for words. You must go read the story in her own words on her site.

Here are some photos by Laurel McConnel, the photographer her fiancee hired to capture the proposal.

Congratulations, Danni and Nicholas!

The Small Object

So, so cute things found on The Small Object . Especially love the clothespeg men - see my post below on clothespegs.

Collections: clothes Pegs

via design boom

"One would have expected the pegs to disappear,with the appearance of the drying machines, but theyhave survived the technological change. On the contrary, the number of different clothes pegs seemsonly to be growing

A daily, mundane, banal object, which we all seemto posses, though we rarely look at. the ‘silent servants" - an object so basic yet so useful,that has the quality of serving many functions in addition to it's original one. "

coffee + hopscotch

This morning I woke up with two thoughts in my head: coffee, and hopscotch. For some reason it made me reflect on the disparity between an adult's priorities and a child's wants.

First, coffee. I should preface this by mentioning that my body reacts to coffee differently than most people. It makes my heart beat fast like i've just run a thousand miles. Upon swallowing the first mouthful, my brain immediately shifts into focus like a camera lens zooming into an object, everything seems a hundred times clearer. I could swear my pupils actually dilate at the the smell of strong coffee. A mere half cup taken in the morning can keep me up late into the night, no amount of sheep-counting or warm milk can lead me back to slumber. In short - coffee works like a drug on me - like a direct shot of adrenaline.

Yet I drink coffee in the morning to wake myself up.

Whereas, in the distant past, hopscotch was what would get the adrenaline pumping and cause that dizzying 'high'. Isn't that the story of life? As a child, you did what you want because you could. As an adult, you do what you don't want, because you have to.

skylines by stephen wiltshire

via A Cup of Jo

Skyline prints are fascinating and i've been wanting to get one to add to my collection of wall art. Of course, I was astounded to come across this little story:

Following a twenty-minute helicopter ride over Manhattan, autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire sketched the entire skyline from memory. These incredible photos document the process - he appears to have executed the entire process effortlessly. I wonder how long it took him? Every building was correct and drawn to scale! I am amazed at the precision and details in his drawings.

The artist has also previously drawn panoramic memory sketchings of London, Rome, Jerusalem, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Can I invite him to Kuala Lumpur to draw the iconic Petronas Twin Towers?

Collections : Hotel Tags

To travel around the world is a dream I have not enough money to achieve. Yet. Perhaps someday I will be able to travel to my heart's content and collect photographs, memories and souvenirs to tell the story long after I return. What would you collect as a souvenir from your travels?

Michael Leibowitz's grandfather who been in the foreign service, collected and filled a whole wall of his study with a lifetime's worth of hotel door hangers from all his travels throughout the world. When he passed on, Michael lovingly photo-catalogued the entire collection. I took special note of the tag from Hotel Merlin, Kuala Lumpur - it still stands today in my downtown.

Inspired by... sunbursts

An everyday masterpiece created by God for our viewing pleasure, the sun bursts its beautiful rays across the sky. Sadly this inspiring display often goes unnoticed. Either we're stuck indoors, too busy to look outside, or the weather does not permit.

Bring some sunshine indoors with a sunburst mirror. If only to remind us of the inimitable beauty in nature which we so vainly try to reflect.

Thick ornate frames or heavy gilded metal look more stately and grandiose. Thinner spikes seem to be favored by more modern designs.

If you can't afford to buy a sunburst, don't fret. Have a look at this tutorial by Michelle of Three Men and a Lady whom i've blogged about before here .

matchstick men

matchstick men!

meat

Reading what Sweet Paul posted about meat made me hungry for some stew! Although you'll hardly find me eating meat (I love my veggies), I can't imagine doing away with meat completely. Meat makes everything taste richer. There's something comforting about a nice pot of stew on a rainy day.

Do you eat meat? What's your favorite meat dish?