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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Lucky me!

Why am I lucky? You may ask. For someone who has not win anything based on pure luck for the past 30 odd years, to win not one, not two but three giveaways in a row feels pretty amazing. I find it hard to believe but I am definitely thrilled, happy and excited!

My first lucky win is a stylish American Apparel clutch, a giveaway hosted by the lovely and fashionable Linh from La-lalinh. (Thanks, Linh) The best part is I can pick my clutch in whatever color I want. I mean, how cool is that? Previously, there are not much color to choose from, so I was thinking between the white or the black. In the end, I picked the black for practicality reasons.

Below are two pictures of me taken recently at the Chicago Botanic Garden with my new clutch. The weather was supposed to be perfect that day but not long after we arrived, the weather started to get chilly. Shortly after, it began to rain. And with the little one getting fussy and noncooperative, I didn't have a chance to take more pictures, so these two were the best pictures we had that day. I wish I had a red pea coat instead so it would have a wonderful contrast with the black clutch, but oh well, my wardrobe is very limited.



What do you think of my whole look? Did I rock the clutch? I am clearly not a fashionista, so please bear with me, my lovelies. Anyway, my husband took all these pictures and I was playing the director of photography that day! :)

Up next is my second win, a giveaway hosted by the lovely Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling, courtesy of Radiance From Ruins. It was a pair of 20" dark pink and white geometric pillow covers. Again, I was given these three options to choose from.

Option #1

Option #2

Option #3


I instantly knew Option #3 would look great with the rest of my pillows. I was actually looking for a pair of geometric pillows for a while and these couldn't come at a better time! And the best part is, the shipping was fast. I was pleasantly surprised because these pillow covers arrived two days after the giveaway winner was announced. Talk about great customer service! Many thanks to Elizabeth and Katie from Radiance From Ruins for the wonderful prize! The pillow covers were of good quality and heavyweight fabric and they were very well-made. I am incredibly happy with how they look in my living room. 


Aren't they perfect with the rest of my pillows? By the way, please ignore the blank walls behind my sofa. My living room is far from completed and I am still on the look out for suitable artwork or mirrors for these walls. :) When the pillow covers came in, I did not have any inserts for them so I thought of shopping for inserts that very same weekend. I ended up visiting a few furniture stores and a consignment shop.

Luckily for me, I found two pretty zebra patterned pillows at $10 a pair at the consignment shop so I bought them instantly thinking I would use them if I ever want to change my decor. I have always wanted to have a zebra patterned rug in the future so I thought these pillows will come in handy. After I got home, I thought maybe I can take out my zebra pillow covers and replaced them with my two new pillow covers so I can save some money instead of finding two new inserts. Unfortunately, the inserts didn't come with a cover and they were just filled with polyfill stuffing. I thought it will be a hassle to take them all out and stuff them back inside the two new pillow covers. So I just took the new pillow covers and cover them over the zebra pillows. Fortunately, they are the same size and they fit perfectly! Yay! As always, everything worked out in the end.

Next up, my third win, a giveaway hosted by the talented designer, Caitlin Creer, courtesy of Plum Street Prints. Now, Plum Street Prints is a darling shop selling printable art and iPhone cases run by two sweet girls. Their designs are modern, affordable and chic. Best of all, everything in their shop is customizable from designs, colors, names and initials.

I love most prints in their shop but in the end, I decided to go with Boy's Monogrammed "Conversation" Children's Print because I need some modern and stylish artwork for my son, Isaac's future bedroom. I contacted the girls, Lori and Shannon at Plum Street Prints and tell them my favorite print, my preferred background and colors. These wonderful girls quickly worked their design magic and came up with these four choices below for me to choose from. I thought the design from the first row on the left was what I had imagined in my head, so I picked that one although the rest was quite adorable, too.

Which one would you pick if you were me?

The final design.

In case anyone is interested with any of Lori and Shannon's prints at Plum Street Prints, let me reassure you, these girls are a breeze to work with. They are very patient, accommodating and efficient! I have yet to print this artwork but I am sure it will be pretty fabulous! Many thanks to Caitlin Creer for hosting this great giveaway and my sincere thanks to Lori and Shannon, for this awesome print! I love this print very much!

So, there you have it, my three wins in these few weeks! Among these giveaways, which one is your favorite?

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award!


Thanks to the lovely Kate from Travelmoon for this wonderful award. I feel truly honored. Kate's blog is filled with a great mix of fabulous travels, amazing photographs, stylish fashions and chic decor. And each visit to her blog is always full of surprises and inspirations.

And with this award, I am required to share 7 random facts about myself and pass along this award to 15 other blogs.

Fun facts about me:

1. For some unknown reason, most strangers think I am a teenager or someone in her early 20s. For example, when strangers knocked on our door, the first thing they asked when they see me is, "Are your parents home?" When I tell them I am the homeowner, they look puzzled, maybe thinking I was playing a prank on them or something. Some said they thought I looked 16. The other day while I was at the Banana Republic outlet applying for a credit card, a supervisor (I assumed) asked me how old I am. I felt slightly uncomfortable, so I asked her why. She then asked me if I was over 18 because only those above 18 years old can apply for a credit card. I told her I am definitely over 18 and I am already a mom. Her reply was,"You looked very young." Hmm...sometimes, I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing. For anyone wondering, I just turned 31 this April.

2. I love watching comedies, thriller and horror movies. 

3. I can walk for a few hours (even while heavily pregnant) but I can't run for 15 minutes straight. 

4. I have never read a single romantic novel in my entire life. Perhaps I am too much of a tomboy to appreciate such stories.

5. I am obsessed with anything to do with birds. Bird nests, bird eggs, bird figurines and birds decor, etc.

6. I do not have a proper beauty routine but I do put on make-up when I go out. I don't use any cleansers, toner or whatnots. I don't even use any moisturizer until I met my husband years ago. He introduced it to me and I wear it mostly before applying makeup for easier application. Believe it or not, I have not had any facial treatments either.

7. I am afraid of the dark and I would start to imagine horrifying images when all lights were out. How ironic is it for someone who enjoys watching horror movies?

Hopefully, you enjoyed reading about the little quirky things about me. And now, I am passing the award to other fabulous blogs. And now, 'The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award' goes to: