The master bedroom

Okay, as usual, over eager, and over excited Photographer "Me" didn't take "before" shots of our master bedroom. So here's the single photo from when the house was listed for sale:



See the cream? The whole darn place was cream. Cream walls, cream doors, cream toilet seat, cream bath tub, cream carpet, cream door knobs, cream tiles, cream countertop. (see note here).

If you've been reading my blog you'll know I am totally inspired by Carrie Bradshaw's new bedroom makeover on the yet-to-be-watched Sex and the City Movie (yeah yeah, I'm not ready to watch it yet - still catching up on previous eps).



So the cream in that bedroom was gone with a crazed fervour and in only three days. Although I had talked about a blue-gold scheme previously, I really needed something starkly different... living in cream rentals for over 20 years will do that to you...

Since we don't have Benjamin Moore here, I tried to match it with Haymes Paint. It turned out much bluer than the SATC diva's bedroom (our blue is "Boy's Room Blue" according to husband). The boldness unsettled us for a few days, but armed with Rachel Ashwell's inspired statement, I decided to live with it for a few days. I worked with it... and I am kinda happy with the result:











Still more to be done: (in following order or so...)

Short Term:
1. Complete behind bed project
2. Chandelier painted white gloss.
3. Replace teal bedside tables with something else
4. All doors and window trims painted bright white gloss.
5. Ceiling and architraves repainted white low sheen.

Long Term:
6. Ripping out tiles and putting down more carpet: for now, I think a rug.
7. Ripping out bathroom countertop and vanity and mirrors and adding those features (different styles of course!) into the ensuite. Space will be a small sitting area.
8. Ensuite is currently not used (we keep our luggage there!) because there are damp and leaks. Renovation!

You can never be too rich or too thin

Atkins. Weight Watchers. South Beach. I have tried them all, with varying levels of success.

With Atkins, I simply didn't have the willpower. I would be tremendously excited at breakfast while enjoying eggs and bacon guilt-free, but I never could quite eliminate the carbs from lunch and dinner. So really, I was just adding fat and cholesterol to my diet, which unsurprisingly proved ineffective in terms of weight loss.

I did the Weight Watchers points thing and had more luck, though again, I don't know that it fostered any long-term health habits. For instance, on the weekends I would just eat celery in order to save all my points for wine.

The South Beach Diet I never actually tried because there seemed to be too much cooking involved. And I hate Florida.

My own weight loss has always been accidental, for instance when I got tonsillitis in London and couldn't swallow for a week. That was awesome. My sophomore year of college, a thyroid problem forced me to give up yeast and sugar and the pounds flew off. But you can't always count on a health crisis to lose a dress size.

Whenever I try to count calories and "be good," I always seem to either gain a pound or two or just stay where I am. I'm waiting for the genius to invent the all-carbs-all-the-time diet (that would be Nobel Prize-worthy) but until that day comes, I think it's worth mentioning a few foolproof factors that seem to correspond with slimming down.

1. Be stressed out

When you're stressed out, you don't have time to eat! There has not yet been a study to link stress to weight loss, but usually I'm stressed because I'm running around and have over- committed myself. So maybe the running around has something to do with it. Maybe.

2. Live in abject poverty

I achieved this by going to graduate school. If you don't have money, you can't load up your kitchen with empty-calorie foods! Microwave popcorn may be a somewhat unhealthy snack (it's high in sodium and has basically no nutritional value), but if that's all you eat for dinner, you're saving calories. Also, if you can't afford to buy gas or take public transportation, you'll end up walking more. Good for the environment, good for your ass.

*Note: poverty can backfire in terms of weight-loss if you are a fan of fast food. Watch Super Size Me and read Fast Food Nation to try to break the habit.

3. Have a lot of sex

It's a great calorie-burner. To learn how much you burn in various acts/positions, click here. Apparently, you burn twice as many calories unhooking a bra with one hand as you do with two, so being smooth apparently has health perks.

4. Develop a phobia of elevators

Did you know that approximately 21 people die from elevator-related accidents every year?

5. Travel to a country where it's allegedly not safe to drink the water, and then drink the water.

Ok, so this might put a damper on your vacation, but come swimsuit season, you'll be grateful. Montezuma's Revenge? More like your revenge on all those relatives who gave you the backhanded compliment of being a "good eater."

Obviously, I'm not a health expert and am not *seriously* endorsing the above methods. The refreshing observation that came from attending naked parties at Yale is that most people look pretty good (in clothes and out of them). Few are perfect, and likewise, few are without any redeeming features. So feel good about your body!

Organising: Jewellery

Some of us can pay thousands for a custom designed jewellery organiser/organisation system. But most of us... well. Can't. But I love seeing some of us have gotten creative with it.

Just some inspiration for organising those littlies:


Easy peasy done... take the backs from old gilt dressing table trays and thread wire through at intervals! Picture this sprayed a lovely bright yellow enamel!

Via The Flirty Guide

I must say, this one I do like. Inspired by George Nelson's drawers, Angie's hacked Ikea and come up with a really good compromise! One for the projects for me.

Via Ikea Hacker

Ala birdcages!

Via Flickr

For those of us who have room in our bedrooms for a dressmaker's mannequin, this makes a stunning feature.

Vintage egg trays are great for storing earrings and rings...

Via Flickr

And my own solutions:

Image via Martha Stewart's now defunkt Blueprint

Inspired by Decor Amor's jewellery organising post, I started a while ago collecting pretty small dishes and nipping from my dinnerware collection some quaint pieces. Have started to use them too. (Master bedroom reveal soon.)


These French-inspired wire frames for holding photos and letters and cards. I got one on impulse (clearance!) a year ago intending to display some cards and photos. I found it bent my precious photos, disappointed, it was abandoned. After I painted and organised Hannah's room soon after moving, I needed something for Hannah's growing motley collection of hair pretties, brooches, necklaces and bracelets. Walah!

Style test: mydeco

Mydeco has a fun style tester that I took tonight. Apparently I am a

YUMMY MUMMY
You're the intuitive home-maker, par excellence - in fact, you've probably dreamed of having a family home for as long as you can remember. The look is quintessentially feminine: cool, pretty colours; layered patterns and textures; and flawless attention to every little detail. You have a true 'home', full of love, laughter and warmth - and often the reassuring aroma of home-baked goodies.

Living Room
You love to indulge the senses, to pamper and prettify... expressed in myriad styles. Nonetheless, there are some constants: curvaceous sofas and generously comfortable upholstery, and an eye that misses nothing... The clean lines and pure proportions of classically inspired accessories -- from lamps to picture frames -- will lend the room a more sophisticated and urban look, without diluting its essential prettiness. Vibrant, jewel-like colours command attention while eclectic black and white make for a bold, yet chic statement. Curled up on the sofa with a good book, your living room's the perfect place for some "me-time".

Bedroom
Your bedroom has a mix'n'match feel. You have a magpie approach to interior design in the bedroom, using vibrant colours to make a bold statement.

Conclusion
You lavish time attention and -- most importantly -- love on both family and home.

Well. I did make Jamie Oliver's meringue chocolate and hazelnut dream... course, I didn't have the right ingredients for anything! So I'll have to give it a second go another day.

I also apparently have a magpie approach to interior design, which is accurate. (I call it eclectic.)

Take the test for yourself... and let me know what you come up as!

The worst rock band ever

This is a band called "Complete," performing their song, "Hoogie Boogie Land." The message of the song is complex, with some political overtones ("In Hoogie Boogie Land, there is no war") but it's the bold lack of melody that really makes this song unique.

Thanks to Noah, for introducing me to this band.

I somehow got the Grey Lady's attention

That's right: The New York Times is reading this blog. I have no idea how they found it. I was operating under the assumption that beyond a handful of friends and family, any other traffic to this site was accidental. I pictured young actresses trying to find that Eve Ensler monologue about what vaginas would wear if they got dressed and accidentally ending up here.

Gentle reader, do I now feel compelled to write about things of more substance and stop posting about Japanese toys and my failures in yoga?

Nah.

Muckraking

There is an important piece of investigative journalism in this week's issue of Time Out New York. Hot-button issues like the upcoming election and the Lehman Brothers collapse may be stealing the headlines, but I felt it was my duty to draw attention to something that affects all women, regardless of age, race, moose-hunting abilities or creed. I am speaking, of course, about haircuts.

Click here to read my gritty exposé on the NYC subculture...of salon promotions. I like to think of myself as a modern-day Upton Sinclair, with breasts. Sarah Palin may talk about reform, but would she sacrifice her up-do to get to the truth? I think not.

Outdoor organiser for my wee courtyard

(more on the wrought iron set later)

The small narrow courtyard we have outside the study/kitchen windows is a great place to have intimate outdoor summer gatherings, prepare/store my pots and plants and seedlings and outdoor linen/tableware. I want to fill this space with various comfortable wicker/cane furniture, pot plants and paint the fence an exterior pale green.

Pic from Stacey Brandford

I am now looking for a solution to store and organise these needs.



I've had this image in my mind since I've seen in Martha Stewart and I've been trying to think of ways to repurpose a linen press or a kitchen dresser with a small workbench space...



For some stupid inane reason, previous owners planted some very lethal, spiky, ugly palm trees, and left some Birds of Paradise and Kangaroo Paw to overgrow (now they look like monster weeds) in the far corner of the courtyard just outside my living room window.

About four weeks ago we took the long-knifed secatuers to the palms and some other long unruly grass growth. We broke the cheap $2.49 hand saw trying to cut down the 2 thick stumps. (It was only really meant for pruning rose bushes...)





Then last weekend, we broke a spade, a rake and a garden fork trying to dig out those ugly palms. A piece of advice to you out there: Never buy cheap! Buy the best you can afford... it will save you petrol to replace said cheap stuff.

We only got ONE palm stump out. I think the mother in law will need to help :P

"This Perpetual Fight" at the Grolier Club

New York readers and friends,

There is an extraordinary exhibition opening at the Grolier Club tomorrow: This Perpetual Fight: Love and Loss in Virginia Woolf's Intimate Circle. It was curated by a close friend of mine and if you are a fan of Bloomsbury or Woolf, it is a must-see collection of first editions, letters, photographs and other ephemera. To whet your appetite, below is a lovely little poem written by Clive Bell (who married Virginia's sister, Vanessa), which he presented to Virginia in December 1909 with the gift of a book. Whenever I give or receive a book, I think of this poem.

Books are the quiet monitor of mind,
They prompt its motions, shape its ways, they find
A road through mazes to the higher ground,
Whence to explore the sky-bound marches.
Round
about us lie the open downs. Our days
Still ask a guide and goad. Wherefore always
We meditate wise thoughts and passionate lays;
Wherefore I send a book.

Books are the mind's last symbol. They express
Its visions and its subtleties—a dress
Material for the immaterial things
That soar to immortality on wings
Of words, and live, by magic of the pen,
Where dead minds live, upon the lips of men
And deep in hearts that stir. Wherefore do I,
Drawing a little near, prophetically,
Send you a book.

Books are the heart's memorial. They shall measure,
In after days, our undiscovered treasure,—
Thrilling self-knowledge, half-divined untold
Yearnings, and tongueless agonies, shall unfold
Or half unfold to half-illumined eyes.
The cypress shadows creeping gnomonwise
Still stretch their purple fingers down the hill
That hangs above Fiesole; and still
Your English fireside glows. Do you most dear
—Sometimes just guessed at, sometimes very near—
Yet always dear and fairest friend, do you
Recall the sunlight and the firelight too?
Recall the pregnant hours, the gay delights,
The pain, the tears maybe, the ravished heights,
The golden moments my cold lines commend,
The days, in memory of which I send
A book?

Inspiration: Australian House & Garden Sep 08

I could (and did) stare at this luscious photo in the Sep 8 issue of Australian House & Garden magazine for hours. I dig every aspect of it.. the bold pink and red striped wallpaper (Osborne & LIttle Folia Stripe in Colour 08), the modern take on the French Louis VI chair, the white faux-bamboo drawers, the gorgeous green Chinese-inspired lamp, the footstool, the bed, the white screen...

Image scanned from Australian House & Garden, Sep 08

*drool*

And the best thing is: husband's doesn't think it's too much (given the furnishings in the photo, of course).

One for the future, for sure!

Happy Weekend!

Just had dinner with some close friends who brought me some lovely spring freesias. I plucked a sprig from my daphne tree this morning and I love the scent of it on my desk as I write this...

Wanted to share this lovely bouquet with you :)

Have a great weekend!

Kim's Kitchen Remodel and Greentea Design

The ever fun Kim from Desire to Inspire has just let me in on her HOT NEW PROJECT!

She has managed to SCORE a deal with the fantastic Asian-inspired Kitchen Cabinets Designer, Greentea Design in Toronto to provide her with a Japanese-and-Chinese inspired kitchen in exchange to have an ad space on the wildly successfully internationally acclaimed Desire to Inspire blog!!!!!

A Miyuza kitchen by Greentea Design:



You guys HAVE to follow the journey as Kim designs, installs and puts her magical touches in her new kitchen. You also have to watch as my sponsor, Greentea Design creates this totally unique, bespoked kitchen.

It's going to be an astounding project!

When Kim first moved in:


After her magic touches, working with existing cabinetry:


After collaboration with Greentea Design:

Read about it.

Shouting Vase holds your anger

I love Japanese consumer culture. One of my favorite souvenirs from my 2003 trip to Japan is this bizarre plush toy that is known by those close to me as "Cat Bread." It looks like a bread box with a face, and his box-head opens up to reveal a small, loaf-shaped creature with ears:


Cat Bread was made by BanPresto, a Japanese toy manufacturer. I have been Googling "Banpresto cat bread" for years, hoping to find a way to order more online, but Cat Bread seems to be one of a kind. However, I did find some other unusual Japanese items on the web that are almost as cool. Play your cards right, and some of you lucky people might just be unwrapping something from this list this holiday season.

First, there is the Shouting Vase:

"Turn your loudest, most urgent frustrations into mere whispers with the Shouting Vase. The plastic jug is designed to fit over the contours of your mouth and absorb your screams and shouts, “storing” them in the vase and emitting a softer version of your angry cries through the tiny hole at the base."

Confused? Let's take a closer look at the science involved:

Understand?

Ok, maybe something a little more practical would be in better. Some people like to give/receive things they know they will use. So how about some stylish black tissues?

Apparently, normal tissues can look "cheap," but black tissues look chic! I can't decide whether these are awesome or creepy, but since you can only buy increments of 10 boxes for $149, I'm going to hold off for now. 1 box? Funny. 10 boxes? Not so much.

How about a little something for someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen? Let me recommend the charming heart-shaped cucumber mold set. This will add some zing to your salads and favorite recipes.

The best part is, the device actually molds the cucumber while it's growing (in your vegetable garden...you've got one of those, right?) You aren't just cutting cucumbers into heart-shapes; that would be tacky and bourgeois.

I'll wrap up this post with a little video that I'm a little obsessed with. Enjoy! (warning: this will get stuck in your head)

Luxury in the toilet

In our new home, there are two toilets. The one in the ensuite leaks so we don't use it but to store luggage until such a time we can afford to redo the ensuite. We're happy using the other one for now (only one toilet to clean!).

This other one is a four walled space, no windows, nothing.

And again, the whole space looks like someone's poured 50 gallons of cream paint on EVERYTHING.

So it badly needs some loving and attention.

What I'd like is to be able to wallpaper the entire space in a bold and beautiful print. (see my previous post about wallpapering small spaces) But there are other more important, more desperate needs (like a fence outside) that trumps wallpaper.

I decided to collect pretty wrapped bars of soaps for a jewel-like pop of colour on my recently installedIkea RÖNNSKÄR wall shelving above the toilet seat. They aren't cheap here, so for a treat, I can only justify getting one at a time...

Or maybe I'll DIY some, wrap some thick bars of soap with some pretty paper.

Something like a bathroom in DVO's O At Home apartment tour:

Image taken as screenshot from the Designer Visions Online O-At Home apartment walkthrough videocast

For some sweet soap:

Australia

I love Sohum's line of products. I use their Cotton Flower Body Moisture Creme and it's a treasured item of luxury in my home. But they also have luxurious soaps in pretty powder-puff-like boxes!



Mor Australia has some gorgeously present soaps and lotions in all colours and scents.



Rest of the World
Pretty scented candle from Mirror Mirror on the Web



The Thymes Red Cherie Spa Collection from Wrapables.com.



Saipua has some really pretty ones too!



Fantasia Tulip from Flutter is wrapped in pretty paper too.



Oooh I love these pretties from Fresh.com

What I made on the weekend

Was my own version of Jamie Oliver's "Tray-baked meringue with pears, cream, toasted hazelnuts and chocolate sauce" as seen on TV a few weeks ago. We recorded it and now I'm on a mission to make this perfect. It's close. Almost there.

(We don't like poached fruit... so chose firm, succulent strawberries. Might try this with some persimmon slices next.)



(Forgot the slightly whipped cream.)

Was gone in about 30 mins. By just three people. :) (The little one was safely asleep!)

What did you do last weekend?

Lay off, haters

As a Time Out New York freelancer and subscriber, I am incredibly annoyed by the recent Gawker coverage on TONY's alleged imminent demise. I have always found Gawker to be too mean-spirited and catty for my taste; I envision their writers to be the kind of vapid, elitist, pat-themselves-on-the-back-for-being-so-clever folks that I did my best to avoid in college. Also, the "audition to comment" requirement on the blog is baffling. Really, Gawker? You need to give me the stamp of snark approval before I can respond to your posts? The whole thing just kind of pisses me off.

Gawker compares TONY to New York Magazine and comes to the conclusion that TONY is content-poor ("New York magazine could be considered a higher-end competitor, but its content is a million times better"). Well, maybe that's because the two magazines actually serve two very different functions and shouldn't be compared. TONY is and always has been primarily about their listings. And yes, the free event listings on sites like Yelp and Citysearch have decreased readership somewhat, but most publications are in a similar boat.

Yes, I'm biased -- I interned at Time Out and loved working there. They gave me the opportunity to write and not just fetch coffee and run errands. And I still write for them on occasion. Gawker is right about the freelancer problem -- it does take too long to get paid and the pay isn't great. But a byline in Time Out is valuable, which is why I keep writing for them. If you need a steady paycheck, don't be a freelancer. Duh.

New York Magazine has never been my cup of tea. Maybe it's because I don't care that much about the Best Doctors in Manhattan (because I can't afford them), the activities of NYC socialites or how much the highest paid call girl makes.


I would describe New York Mag as an interesting hybrid of classist and trashy. For interesting articles on politics and culture, I read the New Yorker. For event information, I read Time Out.

I briefly wrote for New York Mag's website, contributing mini-restaurant reviews. It should have been a dream job but I quit after a few months because my editor was a complete harpy. She was a writing-by-the-numbers editor-- all my reviews had to follow a rigid formula (1st sentence must be about the decor, 2nd sentence must be about the clientele) or else they were unacceptable. No creativity, no finesse allowed. And she would alter my work and post it on the site with my name on it without running the changes by me. There are things on that website that I would take my name off of if I could. For instance, this sentence was added to one of my reviews: "You can expect high-quality meat and sauces that don't overpower the meat."

I WOULD NEVER WRITE THAT.

That crazy editor did eventually leave -- to work for, as she wrote me in an e-mail, "an upstart literary zine." I assume she meant "start-up" but I never inquired further.

I would like to see Time Out chill out a little with their editorial and layout changes of late (bring back Around Town! Fire Julia Allison!) but overall, I think it's a good magazine and a valuable resource for NYC tourists and lifers alike.

So, haters? Lay off.