Makeover Miracle- Closet turned office and spare room turned closet/ dressing room!

I have been reading and following fellow blogger, Mai and her gorgeous blog, A Cup Of Mai for a while now. Mai is a super talented girl with a keen sense of style. She is also a stylish fashionista who takes amazing pictures (totally magazine worthy), share delicious mouth-watering recipes and has a flair for interior decorating. So when she showed us her closet turned office and spare room turned closet/ dressing room makeover, I was absolutely wowed. Both spaces were done on a small budget, which is always inspirational especially to those of us with tiny budgets. Let's take a look at these rooms!

Closet Turned Office

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Very chic office space, isn't it? I would love to say I played a huge part in her office makeover, but no, she did it all by herself. The only thing I did was suggesting a piece of white artwork for her place to break up the dark wall and also to create some much needed contrast. (Earlier, she had three small rectangular mirrors hanging horizontally and it wasn't looking quite right so she asked me for my input.) For details on her resources/ budget breakdown for this office makeover, click here.

Spare Room Turned Closet/ Dressing Room

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Don't you just love the bright and cheery colors in this room? This is such a beautiful dressing room and it's filled with so much wonderful ideas. I really love the framed shopping bags idea. It's chic, inexpensive, totally unexpected and it's so fun to boot! I also adore how she uses coffee beans to hold her make-up brushes. For details on all her resources, click here.

I hope you enjoyed both fabulous makeovers by the lovely Mai. Don't forget to check out her gorgeous master bedroom as well!

Guest feature at Bird & Branch Redesign!

I am honored to be a guest feature at Jessamie's lovely blog, Bird & Branch Redesign. If you like stylish decor and fashion, you will find it all in her blog! She also has this wonderful series named "Friendly Spaces" where she will invite fellow bloggers to share their favorite room or space on her blog. I am happy to be a part of this fun series! Please hop over and check out her cute blog when you have a moment.

Here is a sneak peek of the feature: Friendly Spaces: Mix And Chic.

Yes, it's my living room again. LOL. Many of you have seen it a few times now but if you are new to my blog, go check out the feature. See you there! Thanks to Jessamie for having me over!

Topic of discussion: Blogger decorator or professional interior designer?

A few days ago, I came across a good post about personal branding written by Jennifer from the popular DIY/ design blog, Rambling Renovators. In her post, she mentioned about "finding your own niche and establishing yourself as an expert" and a few other tips. Honestly, I haven't really thought about establishing my blog as my personal brand. Interested, I clicked on the comments to read about the discussion further. Click here to read about the topic.

Anyway, as I was scrolling down to read the comments, I found one particularly interesting commenter sharing her thoughts. Here is what she said:

"I love this advice...but that first line of establishing yourself as an expert is something that irks me a little. I watched the CBC doc The Trouble with Experts. It's really interesting and looks into the issue of all of us becoming a generation of people that relies on experts. Getting off track. As someone who is actually putting in the time, money and hardwork at school to become an interior decorator, I find it troubling that a lot of design bloggers (who are not professionals) see themselves as experts. Experts at blogging yes. Experts at gaining an audience and admirers yes. Experts at renovations and DIY yes. Design expert no"


Jennifer's reply to her:

"I actually have a differing opinion on the blogger vs designer debate (not that I think there should be a debate at all -- I think there's enough pie for everyone!).

But I always think that talent will always rise to the top, no matter your education. You can put all the money you want into becoming a decorator, a designer, a lawyer, an accountant - it doesn't mean that you will be great at it. It doesn't mean you can call yourself an expert. Take Sarah Richardson for example - who has no formal interior design education! She has a B.A. in Visual Arts and worked her way up as a stylist. I don't believe she is a member of ARIDO and can't even legally call herself an Interior Designer. But can she call herself an expert? I most definitely think so. 

There are a few other design bloggers who I would put in Sarah's league, as someone whose expertise I would pay for and whose opinion I would value. Conversely, there are some professional decorators and designers who have the education, who know the tools and the lingo, who I wouldn't trust coming anywhere near my home. I guess I equate "expert" to "outstanding talent" and for me, professional education plays into that only a minor part.

Not to belittle your education - I completely agree there are way too many bloggers presenting themselves as experts - but money spent and education can't be the only determinant of expertise."

What do you think of both comments? Do you agree with either of them? The reader's comment stuck in my head because I have never been to any design school yet I followed my passion and started my own design business (end of last year). I would never called myself an expert but went ahead and start this business because it would bring me joy to decorate for others. Now, my question is what are your thoughts about blogger designers/ decorators who haven't had any formal education in design? Do you think they have less credibility than professional interior designers/ decorators? Would you hire someone like me to decorate your home or do you prefer a professional interior designer/ decorators to design your home? I would love to hear your thoughts.

And the winner of the giveaway is ..........

I am happy to announce the winner of the recent giveaway brought to you by the kind people at Unique Vanities. 

I used random.org to draw the winner and here it is. The lucky winner of the $30 Amazon gift card is 

the lovely Sarah Lee Weaver from A Beautiful Life.

Congratulations, Sarah. I will send you an email shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered. There will be more fantastic giveaways in the future. So, stay tuned and drop by regularly. Have a lovely day, everyone!

Tagged, you are next!

Last week, I was tagged by the lovely and talented Linda from My Crafty Home-Life to answer eleven questions. You really need to check out her blog for some awesome home project tutorials. She can do any complicated upholstery job, sew anything, use power tools to install plank paneling, well you get the drift. And just yesterday, she revealed her dining room makeover after working on it for just 6 weeks during the One Room Challenge! Is there anything this lady can't do?

Alright, back to the tagging. Here are the rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger posted for you and then create 11 new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.

3. Tag 11 people and link them in your post.

4. Let them know you have tagged them.

Here are Linda's 11 questions:

1. What makes you laugh?

It's easy to make me laugh. Watching comedies, listening to funny things my son says or sometimes, reading funny quotes/ remarks/ comments from the internet made me laugh. I remembered reading somewhere from this blogger who confessed that she is quite technically challenged. When she wrote about how she always needed her husband, the computer whisperer to fix her computer problems, I laughed. I found the term "computer whisperer" to be totally hilarious!

2. What is your favorite quote?

If it's worth doing, it's worth it doing right.

3. Are you a morning person?

I never considered myself a morning person. I always stay up late. My regular bedtime is always past 2am but I get up early everyday at 7:20 am to prepare breakfast, pack lunches and snacks for my family. My ideal time to get up is 11am everyday but it is not going to happen anytime soon. LOL. (Update: I forgot to add: I took my naps after my son and my husband left the house for at least 2 hours or more everyday because I can't really function well with only 5 hours of sleep.)

4. What do you do better than most people you know?

I am very detail-oriented and seldom overlook anything.

5. If you could re-live one day from your childhood, what would it be?

It would be the time I spent with my paternal grandma during the school holidays. She always spoiled me with my favorite food. We definitely have a special bonding and I miss her when I am living here in the States. I can't wait to meet her again.

6. What was your best blog post?

This is a tough one. I always put a lot of time and effort in all my blog posts. There are a lot of editing and a lot of researching to do (mostly to find the most inspiring picture for a blog post). I have two blog posts I liked so I can't decided which one is better. One of the blog post is about Kelly Wearstler and ways to incorporate her style for your own home and of course my all time favorite post, my living room reveal.

Kelly Wearstler's Design

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My living room

7. When you look back at this year (2012), what do you think will be your greatest accomplishment?

Another tough question. While I do not know what the future will bring, I hope my greatest accomplishment this year will be doing what I love most, which is decorating for others. It is something I wanted to do my whole life. It will bring me huge satisfaction if it becomes a reality.

8. Who is your celebrity crush?

I have a great crush on Takeshi Kaneshiro and John Cusack. Both have great charisma about them.

John Cusack

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Takeshi Kaneshiro

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9. What is your favorite movie?

I have a lot of favorites. Among them are Slumdog Millionaire, Pulp Fiction, Alone and Shutter (Thai horror movies).

Slumdog Millionaire

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Pulp Fiction

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Shutter

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Alone

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10. What chore do you hate?

Washing the dishes. The mesh of different sauces from the various different dishes and the dish washing liquid combined together emits a yucky odor. The unpleasant smell makes me want to throw up everytime. That's why I cook and my husband do the dishes. LOL.

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11. What would be your perfect meal?

A perfect meal would be a bowl of piping hot Japanese udon with sushi and takoyaki as sides. Yummy!

Japanese udon

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Sushi

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Takoyaki

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Hope you enjoyed getting to know me better. Here are the 11 bloggers I am tagging. 

1. Amanda at Amanda Carol At Home

2. Brooke at Inside-Out Design

3. Staci at A Saltbox Interior Design

4. Olga at Stardust-Decor & Style

5. Laurie at Traditional & Modern Design

6. Anya at Anya Adores

7. Meera at First Sense

8. Sundeep at Designwali

9. Mary Ann at Classic Casual Home

10. Julie Taylor and Danni Greenwalt at TG Interiors

11. Carla at Design In The Woods

Don't forget to check out these fabulous blogs 'cause they rocked!

Now, my 11 questions............

1. What is your favorite room to decorate and why?

2. What is your favorite decorating trend?

3. Which decorating trend you think is way overrated?

4. What is your biggest decorating pet peeve?

5. Averagely, how much time do you put into a blog post?

6. What have you learned/ gained from blogging?

7. Who do you most admire in the blogging world and why?

8. What is the coolest opportunity that has come your way because of your blog?

9. Who is your favorite decorator and why?

10. What is a little-known fact about you that your readers would be surprised to learn?

11. What do you hope your blog will achieve in the long run? Please elaborate.

I hope you ladies will play along because I would love to learn more about you. 

Giveaway- Amazon gift card by Unique Vanities!

I am excited to announce a fabulous giveaway brought to you by Unique Vanities.

Unique Vanities offers a wide variety of unique bathroom products which includes vessel sinks, sink vanities, faucets and mirrors. All the products are hand selected by the owner, Julia Ritzenthaler to ensure that they meet the highest possible quality standards in craftsmanship while also offering unique characteristics and style.

Honestly, I haven't seen so many unique bathroom vanities on a website and I am very impressed with their stylish selections. 

Below are some of my favorite vessel sinks I found from their website:

This whimsical leaf shaped glass vessel sink is perfect for a child's bathroom with a forest or a garden theme.

This clear round vessel sink would look great and make a major design statement in a modern bathroom.

A square version vessel sink similar to the above design looks equally stylish and gorgeous as well.

This sculptural canoe-like sink would look amazing in a minimalist, modern or zen bathroom.

The vessel sink truly exudes beauty and luxury, who wouldn't want this for their master bathroom?

This round marble stone vessel sink is so simple yet so beautiful, it's a wonderful addition for any contemporary bathroom.

I can envisioned this hammered copper vessel sink in a warm and elegant bathroom.

Now, the best of the the best among all vessel sinks. This carrara white marble infinity pool vessel sink definitely tops the rest in terms of the looks and luxury, in my opinion .

Which one is your favorite?

Moving on to my favorite sink vanities:

Now, my lovely readers, Unique Vanities kindly offers one lucky Mix And Chic reader an opportunity to win a $30 gift card from Amazon. In case you are wondering what a $30 Amazon gift card will get you, these are some of my favorite picks from books to iPad cover:

This stylish book by Jonathan Adler. 

This colorful book by Jonathan Adler.

The decorating must-have book by Deborah Needleman.

This glamorous coffee book by Kelly Wearstler.

This gorgeous coffee table book by Celerie Kemble.

These set of stylish nautical coasters by Thomas Paul.

This whale melamine tray by Thomas Paul.

This beautiful green tray perfect for serving.

This pretty tray (also available in other bright colors).

This stylish yellow chevron designer pillow cover (also available in other colors).

This versatile black chevron designer pillow cover (also available in other colors).

This beautiful designer trellis fret work pillow cover.

This trendy Mongolian faux fur pillow.

This convenient and chic cell phone wallet flip cover case. 

This fun iPad cover by Jonathan Adler.

Of course they have more fabulous stuff at Amazon but you get the drill!

To enter:

You must be a resident of the United States.

1. Be a follower of Mix And Chic's blog via Google Friend Connect, visit Unique Vanities and let me know the name of your favorite vessel sink. (basic required entry)

For additional entries (an extra entry for each of the following):

2. 'Like' Mix And Chic on Facebook and leave a separate comment. (If you are already following, please leave a separate comment to let me know as well.)

3. 'Like' Unique Vanities on Facebook and leave a separate comment.

4. 'Follow' Mix And Chic on Twitter and leave a separate comment. (If you are already following, please leave a separate comment to let me know as well.)

5 'Follow' Unique Vanities on Twitter and leave a separate comment.

6. 'Follow' Unique Vanities on Pinterest and leave a separate comment.

7. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status (include a link back to this post) and leave a separate comment.

8. Tweet about this giveaway (include a link back to this post) and leave a separate comment.

9. Blog about this giveaway (include a link back to this post) and leave a separate comment.

There is a total of 9 chances to win for everyone! So hurry, don't miss this opportunity!

The deadline for entries is February 29, 2012. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Thursday, March 1, 2012. Good luck, my lovelies!