So I'm a Dr....

My husband got this for me. Wrong type of Dr but still cute. ^^

A couple of weeks ago I got my Doctorate. I am really happy, of course but I've more or less kept it quiet. Not because I wanted to, but as I was submitting my thesis for archival, I was down with the most awful cold. :P Imagine running around the uni to get signatures with dripping nose, sneezing and coughing. So I never got around to announcing it. But despite the cold, I still managed to come up with a thesis archival outfit. ^^

My dress is from Miss Patina London.

My shoes are from Gorman.

I finally told people that I got my letter and all after many people kept asking me how my PhD is going. I guess the reality that it was all done hit me when I packed up my desk at my uni and vacated it. It just felt pretty final. But I guess this is just the beginning, right? ;;^^

As I conclude my PhD journey, I would like to share this quote by Ursula K. Le Guin which summed up the whole PhD journey for me.

Love,

from me to u.

Styling for thesis submission?!

I bought this pair of shoes to match my dress.
Of course, to celebrate too! ^^

I am happy to announce that I've finally submitted my dissertation yesterday (17th Dec 2012)! I've had about 3 extension dates, and I guess third time is indeed lucky as I've made it finally. It may be silly but I chose my dress carefully on my submission date. I wanted to wear one of my favourite dresses. It is one way I cope and celebrate little events in my life. I wonder if anyone else does this too? If yes, I'd love to hear about your thesis submission styling. ^^

Love,
from me to u.

Little joys...

I finally got my bag from Jump from Paper!!! ^^ I've been wanting this bag since I first stumbled upon it online. I thought the idea behind the concept is just amazing. I finally got it from their Adelaide stockist, AboutIdea Pty Ltd. I can imagine this bag is going to be a hit! ^_-

As a friend of mine commented, I'm going to be a cartoon! LOL

Happy Friday! ^^

Love,

from me to u.

Cupcakes make everything better...

... don't you think? :)

What else am I loving this Monday? I've finally started working on reducing my wardrobe. But what I love most is the fuzzy feelings I get when I think they will go to good homes and for a good cause. :)

What are you loving?

Love,
from me to u.

This post is part of Anna's Much Love Monday.

Cardigans with hearts

Cardigans with hearts on them should be a wardrobe staple. At least in my wardrobe. :) This cardi is from Alannah Hill. I love that it can be worn during the cooler as well as warmer months because of the colours.

I also love my scarf which I knitted using the Zpagetti yarn. I picked this yarn up during the craft show that I went to a couple of months back. I finished knitting this scarf within a few hours. Of course putting it up on my blog took months.... *guilty look*

What are you loving?

Love,
from me to u.

This post is part of Anna's Much Love Monday

It's a hat...

... but it makes me happy. 

Do you have a piece of item in your wardrobe that makes you happy? :)

Love,

from me to u.

frock envy

frock envy by nyaan featuring cotton dresses

Collette Dinnigan cotton dress

Anna has featured her blogger friends' in their favourite frocks (here) for Frocktober. She kindly featured my polka dot blue dress, but I have frock envy looking at the other bloggers' frocks. These ladies in their favourite frocks are just so pretty! 

Source: Much Love Anna

What is Frocktober all about? 

'According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF), “one woman dies every ten hours from ovarian cancer in Australia.”
For many women with ovarian cancer, the disease is already well advanced when they are first diagnosed. Unfortunately, there is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer. Frocktober aims to help improve the outlook for women with ovarian cancer by supporting the quest for a suitable early detection test through fundraising for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.' - The Cause (from http://frocktober.org) 

How can you support this cause? You can get involved by supporting Anna in her Frocktober cause by donating at her page or even passing the info along. ^^

Love,
from me to u.  

It's Frocktastic!

It's Frocktober time, where girls can be girls and don their loveliest frocks for the whole month. At the same time, they are raising funds for ovarian cancer research.

'According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF), “one woman dies every ten hours from ovarian cancer in Australia.”
For many women with ovarian cancer, the disease is already well advanced when they are first diagnosed. Unfortunately, there is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer. Frocktober aims to help improve the outlook for women with ovarian cancer by supporting the quest for a suitable early detection test through fundraising for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.' - The Cause (from http://frocktober.org) 

So what is the Frocktober challenge all about? 

We engage in activities that involve the frocks! Like dressing in different frocks and blogging about it for the whole month. While I cannot participate fully in this endeavor (busy with papers and study to blog everyday), please support my friend, Anna who is already starting her Frocktober cause. You can read more about Anna's pledge here or support her here!

 

Frock on!

Love,

from me to u.

Taking steps...

Photography by Jave Lee. 

It's almost a year.... :)

Love,

from me to u.

Here's something I've prepared earlier....

About two weeks ago, I managed to complete a major deadline. To reward myself I did a bit of crafting. I made myself an apron from a piece of fabric that I bought two years ago and ribbons that I got a year ago. Since the study started, I've let the crafty side of things slide....

But I'm happy that I've been able to complete a project... never-mind that it was one year ago that I planned it. ;;^^

Do you have a craft check-list? I certainly do, and unfortunately it will be a while before I can tick things off.... >.<

Love,
from me to u.

Sakura tabi socks

When I was in Japan, one of the things that I kept buying as I go through each city were socks. So apt for the winter season... nothing beats huddling at home wearing a pair of tabi socks, with tiny sakuras.

Love,
from me to u.

Part of Anna's Much Love Monday

Starting anew....

I've started a new knitting project.

The pattern for this is 13 stitches on 4mm needles, using Filatura di Crosa Zara yarns (8 ply), knitted in moss stitch. Though it is an experimentation, I thought it is a good idea to document on my blog so I can find the pattern later. ^^

Have you started any new knitting project recently? How do you document your knitting experimentation?

Love,
from me to u.

Splash of colour - Green Obsession

Yes, I still have that green obsession. I'm adding splashes of colours in my winter wardrobe by wearing my summer clothes and layering them.

How do you add a splash of colour to the winter season?

Love,
from me to u.

Winter Styling

winter blues by nyaan featuring suede peep toe pumps

Who said that winter styling should be boring? Colours can add a touch of joy (yes, joy) to an otherwise depressing season. Don't get me wrong, I do love winter because it is time for lovely coats and wonderful boots. With less daylight, it is easy though to get depressed... so I love wearing colours in winter. And dresses too. With layering, your summer look can turn into a winter look.

And another reason to love winter? Knitting!!! ^^

Love,

From me to u.

Wedding submission published at Polka Dot Bride! ^^

My wedding submission has been published at Polka Dot Bride! Yay~!

Thank you to all the lovely vendors that I've worked with for the most fantastic days of my (and hubby's) life! ^^

Read all about it here.

Photography above is my absolute favourite wedding photo taken by the talented Jave Lee from Jave Photography.

A wedding journey : 1. Colours (and the best laid plan)

Inspired by wonderful items from Etsy. Apologies I'm not able to give individual credits to the sellers as I did not save the name of the sellers...apologies! ;;^^ But if you contact me, happy to credit and add the details. :)

Beautiful dress custom-designed and made by Wilson. Photography by: Jave Lee (http://www.apixel.com.au)

Colour scheme and shoe clips for the bridesmaids, sourced from Etsy.com, Chloe & Maddie.

More details of the gown. Photography by: Jave Lee (http://www.apixel.com.au)

When I was planning my wedding, I realised that the sky is the limit. Perhaps budget would be the limiting factor, but when it comes to colours, styling, details etc... literally, there is no limit. It is the one day where you can have things that you like, to represent you and your fiance, anyway you like. And of course, my wedding would be one creative outlet that I relish...:)

Everyone said your wedding should have a theme, a theme that ties everything together. Being the person that I am, I had no idea what theme I would like simply because I love colours...ideas etc. All I know was that I wanted a wedding that represented both of us. So I thought, let's start with a colour scheme. Being a trained and practising textile designer (albeit briefly), I set out to do a mood board. And the place where I got much of my inspiration was of course, Etsy! ^^

I looked for dresses, flowers, accessories idea and I came up with a colour scheme of pinks and greens. Thinking it would be a spring wedding anyway, it would be quite apt.

Having a year to plan the wedding did not help...with the colour scheme. ;;^^ As much as I loved my initial scheme, I felt it wasn't right. I changed my mind so many times until, I got my custom-designed and made luncheon dress by Wilson Tjuatja Widjaja. The idea of the dress was a bridal dress that is not in white. I already had a white gown when I approached Wilson, but I needed a second gown that I could wear on Wedding Day 2 (when the reception was held). He came up with this fantastic idea of marrying salmon pink with mushroom grey. My Matron of Honor, E. picked a darker watermelon pink for the bridesmaids' dresses.
And we finally have our colour scheme. ^^

Salmon pink, watermelon pink, mushroom grey. The french lace that Wilson used on the bodice introduced the idea of the lace throughout the wedding. The pearls added accents of vintage. More details next time on how the colours and ideas from the dress were used throughout the wedding stationery etc...:)

Wedding tip #1: As much as you plan for colours, schemes etc. sometimes be prepared to shift ideas. It is amazing how things fall into place. 

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! (and more foot photography)

Perhaps I've over-stated the number of shoes involved in this post, but still whenever I look at shoes, I just think to myself, "What is it with us, ladies with shoes?" For certain when I look at a pair of lovely shoes, I get a happy tingle in my heart that says, "LOVE!!!"

Needless to say, I'm really quite weak at resisting such temptation. I bought this handmade pair of shoes from Gorman. I just loved the texture and the uniqueness of this shoes. Made from fabric, deliciously comfortable on my feet, and hopefully it will last and last. I've got a feeling I'll get heaps of wear out of this shoes.

Until of course...I find another pair. ^_-

Foot Photography

At one point during the knitting session, Anna said something about her parents' reaction to some of her photos on her blog. In particular, her penchant for photographing her socks and shoes. When I got these bed socks from Peter Alexander, I thought I have to blog about them because they are so cute. But who would have thought foot photography would be so challenging?