Bunnikins Walks Her Sausage Pup

Bunny Ears - homemade, Dress - Tigerlily, Shoes - Ras, Shroeder the Sausage Pup - adopted from Dangerfield

Schroeder the Sausage Pup has been refusing walkies lately because he was bored with his old vinyl leash.

He wanted a new one made from metal chain, "Like all the top dogs in the neighbourhood."

Bunnikins finally got him a shiny new leash but it proved too heavy for his tiny frame, his short little front legs crumbling under the weight.

But vain little Schroeder insisted on going out last evening with his new "necklace" or not at all so this was what Bunnikins had to do...

...to go meet Bunny-mommy Gigi to give her a new pair of ears...

Photo by Bunny Nat on Bunny-mommy Gigi's camera

...and Bunny Nat for some bunny treats...

Another photo on Bunny-mommy Gigi's camera

Image from here

...at The Pond, a new restaurant and bar in their 'hood.

Look at it! Isn't it just the perfect place for little critters to hang out?

The bunnies and Schroeder did not get to roam free in the backyard under the Jacaranda tree but they loved the sandstone dining room and the cellar bar in the refurbished cute heritage cottage. And the furniture handmade from forest-friendly wood, Italian Nonna Anna's hearty food and the very nice people who work there.

The Pond is one of those temporary pop-up places but a little birdy told them at the end of the evening that it might stay open for longer. Maybe if more critters and humans go play there? Help keep The Pond! Go have a dip!

The Pond Restaurant & Bar
32 Burton Street
Darlinghurst
Phone: 9358 1487
Open Wednesdays to Sundays, 12noon to 1am

PS. Schroeder insisted on having a photo taken before he left...

...in the ladies' powder room

Topshop-ping

Image from the Incu blog

So, I did visit Australia's first Topshop on its first day of business yesterday. With Ms Carpet. We figured if there was a long line to get in, we'd at least have each other for company.

~ No queue when we got there in the late afternoon. Maybe everyone else went earlier in the day?

~ I was wrong to assume that Incu was "presenting" Topshop to Sydney on the top floor of the shop and keeping Incu as it was on the ground level. Like a two-in-one shop. But it's taken over the original Incu shop space (see here).

~ I think they've done a great job with the interior. It looks and feels like it's still Incu, a cosy little boutique. Very un-chainstore-like. I like!

~ The goods - The term "well-edited" is slightly overused but that's what the range of merchandise on show is. Restricted by the lack of floor space, I suppose they have to.

Pieces from the Unique and Boutique lines...some by Kate Moss...mixed in with the "higher-end" stuff from the main Topshop range. A lot of black. Too much! And you know I don't wear that colour but I guess they know that the rest of Sydney love and live in it.

Not a lot of the basics like t-shirts and singlets. No scanty panties and accessories, both of which are sections in Topshop that I love and miss.

Oh, there's a rack of Topman for the boys. Just one.

But it's in its early days so things might change?

~ Pricing - Slightly higher than buying direct from the UK site and in Singapore (from what I can remember). But compared to local Aussie high street chainstores, the prices are pretty competitive. I would have happily bought something yesterday but nothing really rocked my world in that sea of black. Except a cute floral print button-down shirt but they ran out of them in my size.

I think the store is going to do well, judging by the number of people we saw toting Topshop paperbags along Oxford Street yesterday. And I'll hopefully be adding to that number, once I find things with a bit of colour to take home.

Paying Only $9.90 To Sleep With Orla Kiely - A Tale Of Exercising Self-Restraint

Not with the talented lady herself. I wish! For I've been a big big fan of her work for a long time now - it was a good day, the day I received my first happy red Stem bag in the mail years ago.

It's her bed linen plastered with her signature prints that I'm talking about.

I've wanted some since the Orla Kiely House line was launched but the strong Pound Sterling and shipping cost kept my hankering at bay.

A few months ago, Myers, one of the two local retail giants, decided to stock the range! I ran to the store on Day #1 but minus shipping cost, the duvet cover and a pair of pillowcases were still beyond the reach of unemployed me.

I've always been very bad at holding back when it comes to shopping but I thought then that I should wait for the Myer sale - everything but the range were on sale in the bed linen department. Bah.

I nearly bought them last week when I was out shopping, at full retail price, with the Myers gift certificates that we recently swapped our credit card points for but didn't because I was feeling poor after splurging on pressies for my mom and dad.

I'm glad I didn't because two days ago, I received a mailer from Myers about their 5-Day Summer Private Sale (from today to Sunday 1 November) for store cardholders, with vouchers that I can use for discounts in the bedding department!

The maths:
~ Duvet cover & pillowcases = (+) $219.90
~ Discount with vouchers = (-) $60.00
~ Gift certificates = (-) $150.00
Amount I had to pay = $9.90!

I scored the Bargain of the Century because I wasn't my usual impatient and impulsive shopping-self! Wow.

I'm out of gift certificates but the discount vouchers can be re-used right up to the last day of the sale. Sorely tempted to get another set in the Multi Stem print (the colourful one on the boxes) - it's my all-time favourite Orla print but I picked the Car Park today because I thought the boyfriend might appreciate having some slightly more boy-like bed linen around. Or should I wait?

Good News Or What?!

Yep, pals and "personal shoppers" back home in Singapore, you read right. We're getting a Topshop in Sydney. Finally!

I don't know if this will mean that I'll stop demanding for my regular fixes to be sent over because it seems like a pretty small shop space, on the top level of Incu (purveyor of some of the hottest labels around and now, the bringer-of-Topshop-to-Sydney) in Paddington and according to this report, they will be getting new stock monthly - not as regular as the other stores around the world.

But having a Topshop here, even if it's not the size that I'm used to, beats having none, right?

I will report back if I'm in the mood to brave the expected (judging by the last Incu warehouse sale) mad queue of eager shoppers snaking down Oxford Street tomorrow, waiting to get in way before the doors open.

Incu Presents Topshop
256 Oxford Street
Paddington
Phone: 9698 1688
Website: incuclothing.com

Matching Mommy + Munchkin Bunny Ears

Alright. I know. These are going to draw polarising opinions.

I love them! Or I wouldn't have suggested them to my dear with-child pal, Gigi. And made them.

The Mommy Bunny pair are for her. A very very late birthday pressie.

She loves green. As much as I do. Pink, I don't love so much but I know she does. And we both do love a good old-school floral print.

I think the ears will look great on her flaming red hair.

Our Woodolf here is modelling the Munchkin Bunny pair. For the little girly thing that Gigi will be popping in a few months.

I had to ask Gigi for a baby's head measurement because I have no idea about these breeding things.

Thirteen to fourteen inches! The circumference of the head of a newborn! Ewww! Have fun pushing on the day, Gigi!

When I finished sewing the ears last night and put them on Woodolf (his was the only head that we have that's closest in size to a baby's), I couldn't stop laughing. Neither could the boyfriend. They are so hilariously cute on the dopey boy, don't you think?

Me and Woodolf. Playing Mommy and Munchkin.

Can't wait to see the ears on Gigi!

On her munchkin, I'll have to wait. And have to travel too! For they are moving back to Melbourne to drop the sprog.

"Children are trouble", Gigi said. I can't agree more. Taking one of my best friends in Sydney away from me. Bah. The little thing owes me a cute photo with her mom and the bunny ears.

Knitted Convenience

Remember this piece of knitted street art I wrote about in August?

The artist, Denise Litchfield, got in touch this morning via a lovely comment! *internal fangirl squeals of delight*

You can read all about the project here.

And also on Denise's other blog, Grrl + Dog, which is filled with loads of other colourful eye-candy! Go now.

Floral Bat, Mall Rats & A Clever Cat

Floral Batwing Top - Secondhand from Gorman House Markets, Canberra, Bag - Mimco Lucy Tote, Bits around neck - Becksöndergaard eelskin star and Minigranny Purse

Ms Carpet and I were going to do another big Bondi Bonanza yesterday but the crappy weather foiled our plan! It was too wet to go to the markets by the beach so we put Plan B into action and met further inland at Westfield Bondi Junction instead.

The old adage "It's not where you are but who you're with" rings true again. We had a ball-of-a-time especially in the bargain sections of the chainstores.

I'm usually a lone mall rat. More so when I have something specific to hunt down. I will go into every shop to see if they stock what I want (or close to it because most of the time, it's something I see in my head and may not exist on the racks or in designers' heads yet) and I hate the stress of dragging someone else, who might not be as enthusiastic, along on my hunt. I like to take my time and not have to worry about my pal waiting while I try an armful of things on in the fitting room.

However, when I'm shopping with no purpose ("Ooooh, let's see what goodies we'll find by accident today!") or for a quick fix (cheap instant gratification rubbish that I don't need), I love company that I can squeal in delight to.

To have a much-needed beer-and-hot-chips break with. And I realised over the course of the day that Ms Carpet has the same go-into-every-shop shopping pattern as me. Takes one to know one?

Our loot of what my pal Poochie and I call "unnecessary thing-things" (U.T.T.):

A huge floral-print bowl (25% off!) from Target for me and a wristlet purse from Dangerfield for Ms Carpet. An unintentional floral-themed day? We would have bought the cute floral scanty panties (three for $25) at Cotton On Body if they fit properly (too much excess fabric at the butt).

The best quick fixes are junky accessories, we agreed. I wanted a short strand of tiny pearls and found some at Diva but price was not low enough for fakes so I put them back.

Glad I did for I found these silver ones at Portmans after! On the 50%-off rack.

I love how the perfect-sized beads are strung on a silver chain and free to move around. And it fits snugly around my neck like how I wanted the pearls to. A new pal for my neck things!

Ms Carpet, being the good kitty-mommy that she is, bought a hilarious new placemat for her cat's feeding bowls at Hart & Heim (click on photo to enlarge).

Photo by Ms Carpet

And here's Heidi at Ms Carpet's home later in the evening reading the "mews".

Thank you for yet another great day-out, Ms Carpet. Looking forward to Bondi Bonanza Part III!

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

Happy eggs resting in my oven mitt before they got cooked and eaten! Wahahahahaha!

They came with the smiley faces. I didn't draw them on.

I had my own smiley face too after I ate them. Fried, with the yolks very well-done.

They were two very good eggs.

Seri Muka For Me, Cannoli For Mommy

My mom made a final batch of her famous (with family and friends) Seri Muka - a traditional Nyonya kueh of steamed glutinous rice and kaya layers - before she left for home this afternoon.

She made quite a few batches during her one-month stay but this is one that I'll slowly savour because it'll be a while before I'll get to eat my favourite kueh made by my mom.

I made some cannoli yesterday to take to lunch at my aunt's today before we dropped mom off at the airport (I mish her already).

Two dozens of them...

...filled with a vanilla-flavoured ricotta, chopped candied blood orange (I made a big batch a few months ago during blood orange season - a great way to preserve seasonal fruits to use post-season) and chopped cedro (I love its colour and citrusy flavour).

Thought I should show mom that I'm putting her old pasta maker to good use - rolling the cannoli dough into thin sheets. Haha.

We didn't get to cook together as much as I would have loved to, with her staying at my aunt's, but we did fatten her up quite a bit (she couldn't button her trousers by the second week!) with all the meals that we've taken her out to. She's looking forward to losing all the holiday-weight when she gets home and back to eating her regular Singapore portions (small compared to here) of food. And I'm looking forward to seeing her soon.

Hoppity-Hopping To The Hairdresser

Thought he might be tickled by my new hair accessory so I wore it to see him this morning.

The sun was hitting the pavement at the right angle on my walk there for what I thought was quite an Alice-peering-down-the-rabbit-hole shot, from the point-of-view of the bunnies. Tee hee hee.

Four Generations

"Stripey Thing" - Remo General Store, Denim Skirt - Sportsgirl, Stripey Sash - part of a pair of shorts, Boots - secondhand Frye, Bag - very old Orla Kiely, Neck-thing - Acme Thunderer Whistle (from Remo again. Chain not included)

Lunch yesterday with four generations of females in my family - my grandma, my mom, my aunt, her daughter (my cousin) and my cousin's two little girls - was like one of those Chinese clan association meetings that my grandpa used to attend. Even though they were all-men affairs. Like an old boys' club.

No, "clan" is not a euphemism for "gang", as in "gangsters". The associations were set up by Chinese migrants in countries that they have settled in so they could hang out with other folks from their province and, you know, help each other out in a strange land.

Eating dim sum and drinking tea for lunch at Kam Fook added more Chinese "flavour". Haha. The food wasn't great, though. Has never been for me but my cousin picked the place because it's close to her home and kid-friendly. Marigold wins hands down.

My grandma and aunt, the craftsters that they are, spotted the rosette on my sash right away. Grandma, quite blind at 80-something, thought it was store-bought. My aunt told her to have a better look, that that was how I fastened the sash, with a "flower" knot. Haha.

My mom asked if I've run out of clothes or if the Stripey Thing is flavour-of-the-month because she's seen me wear it so often. It's the latter.

Ms Carpet was right when she told me that I'll not want to wear anything else for a while after buying a Stripey Thing. She didn't after she got hers. I feel sorry for the other stripey numbers in my wardrobe.

After lunch, we went back to my aunt's to drop the pressies I got for my mom and dad (thus the big red Santa sack). It got warm too so I got aunt to stop by mine so I could change from boots to sandals before we headed out west to...

..."Little India" in Flemington, where we were two weekends ago, to see her Indian lady for my first session of threading. My grandma, mom and aunt got their face done too.

This is grandma getting her face "scraped" by the lovely Nenu and a piece of thread on her nifty fingers.

What she does is sort of roll the thread very close to the skin and whatever "hairlicles" (what I call fine tiny hair) and dead skin that get trapped between the rolling thread gets removed.

I thought it would hurt but it was pretty relaxing, really. Like getting your face massaged at a facial. Bits of my face felt a little tender after the session but it went away pretty soon after.

Exfoliation and epilation in one go! With no chemicals involved. I was sold. Will be going back with my aunt the next time she does.

And if I ever organise a girly party, like a hen's night, I'm going to get Nenu to come thread the girls' faces.

Herbal Hair & Beauty
3/22 Henley Road
Homebush West
Phone: 8746 0400

Bus Conductor

Shirt - the boyfriend's (from Country Road), Cut-offs - from secondhand jeans, Belt - very old Marithe Francois Girbaud, Clogs - Hasbeens, Bag - modified tool pouch

What I wore yesterday reminded me of bus conductors.

Those of you old enough, don't you miss the days when buses were staffed by two people, a driver and a conductor? I loved collecting the tickets.

For those too young to know what a bus conductor is, well, he was in charge of selling tickets before those machines took over.

You board the bus, find a seat and he will come up to you for your fare, in exchange for a cute little piece of coloured paper with loads of numbers printed on it. The numbers marked the number of stops along the bus' route and he will punch a hole in the stop number at which you boarded. No fare-dodging then because he will know how far the money you've paid can take you!

To hold their stacks of tickets, hole puncher and all the coins, every bus conductor (those back in Singapore anyway) always had a standard-issue multi-pocket bag similar to my modified tool pouch.

And they wore a blue uniform - a light blue shirt over navy blue pants.

The boyfriend has quite a few "bus conductor" shirts (some with button-down epaulets, some without) that I like but this is my favourite - it's not too big and baggy on me and I love the details on it.

The red buttonhole for the last button with red stitching...the white and the red trim on the insides of the cuffs...the white "underlay" at the sides of the shirt-tails...all of which are hidden when I wear it but like discrete tattoos, they are meant for the personal enjoyment of the wearer.

I didn't think I could fit very much into my "bus conductor" bag but it surprised me!

✓my fat and furry kangaroo fur purse
✓my mobile phone in its Marimekko frame purse
✓Moleskin notebook
✓Mimco zip-up Lucy tote (for carrying pressies for mom and dad that I was going out to buy)
✓Pen
✓Cancer sticks
✓Keys
✓Camera in its Paul Frank Elaine Deer case
✓ M.A.C. Lip Conditioner

A small list compared to what I usually truck around in my bigger bags. Maybe I really don't need the rest of the stuff.

I'm A Sucker For Cute Packaging

And it's rubbed off on the boyfriend. Haha.

He volunteered to go do our weekly grocery shopping alone on Sunday seeing how much sewing I had to do.

When he got to the Japanese junk food aisle, he called, pretty excited, to say that there's a new Vanilla Milkshake flavour of my favourite Caramel Corn! In a really cute bag and asked if I wanted some. Of course I did!

When he got home, he couldn't wait to show it to me. He loved the silly pink sunglasses and how the usual face-on-the-packet is drinking a vanilla milkshake. I loved the baby blue. It was indeed cute!

And delicious too! I think it's my new favourite flavour and I'm going to stock up this weekend because, if I still remember how to read Japanese Kanji right, it's a limited edition (the yellow text on the four blue circles on the bottom left).

Caramel Corn is available at all good Asian grocers. Try some today!

We're Nearly There!

Very excited! Joined the front and back panels of the "vestlet" just before I made dinner.

The ching-chong Chinese New Year decoration-esque front...

...and the Deepavali Indian-vibe back (worn on the front because I can't press the camera's shutter release button with my back to it. Haha!).

All that I have to do now is attach the wing, the clouds and add a few more beads. And the fasteners. Whoopeedoo!

Sadly, We Didn't Make It

The Beading & Embellishment class homework story continues...

Attached the last row of the blue satin "feathers" on the Peacock panel and sewed on the four rows of tiny beads just above them an hour before class yesterday. Didn't have time to put the red satin "scales" on the Fish side.

Winged my way through the presentation of my inspiration boards and half-completed product and got my certificate! I mean, it's an evening class for "mature" students. They are not going to fail us.

Nosey pals who are wondering what happened to the Miss Know-it-all in my class....I found out that she's a designer! Shock! Horror! For some "Designed in Australia. Mass-produced in China" disposable fashion wholesaler. And of course she had to irritate me one last time last night.

She asked where I bought the strips of beads that I've used around the borders of the panels. Strips of beads?! (Cue "Bitchy Likkle Girl") STRIPS OF BEADS?! I handstitched each and every one of them, big ones, littles ones, onto the fabric myself, I said to her! It's no wonder she's working where she's working. If she's a chef (well, more likely a cook), she'll be what we call a "cowboy" one, one who doesn't give a shit about the quality of the food she produces and uses all the putrid instant and convenient products available. People who don't take pride in their work get to me.

And why pay good money to attend the course and not make the most of it by applying everything that we've learnt to the final piece? She was the first to finish her project weeks ago. Easy, because she made a cape out of a strip of feathers and chiffon, and added a few shiny beads here and there.

Well, you might be able to be the judge of that some time in November - our teacher liked our pieces enough to ask the principal of the fashion college to put up our work at the full-time students' graduating show. She's not said "yes" but I'd better go finish mine just in case she does.

We're Not Going To Make It...

It's 12.30pm on a Monday afternoon, about six more hours to go before my last Beading & Embellishment class.

The teacher said last week that we don't have to kill ourselves trying to complete the project but I want to - I know that, without the pressure of a looming deadline, this piece might end up in the same box as numerous other half-done projects.

It's like being back in high school again, leaving all the important assignments to the last minute, staying up late all weekend frantically sewing away. I thought I've learnt my lesson then but I guess I've not. Tee hee hee.

I don't think I'm going to be able to put everything together before class this evening but I am determined to finish it because I want to wear it. Soon.

New Manbag

Fell in love with this tan leather and suede tool pouch on one of my recent visits to the hardware store. I went in for craft materials but I love going in periodically, even when I have nothing specific to buy, just to look at all the butch man-things, dreaming of the day when the boyfriend and I have a proper toolshed to fill.

Until then (or ever!), I don't really have a need for a tool pouch, really. But I bought it anyway (it was too good-looking to let go of), with the intention of turning it into a handbag. And off I went to see my sweet old bag-repair man. A must-have in my little floral-print address book in every city that I plan on living in, after a good hairdresser, a good shoe-repair man and a good clothes-alteration man.

My bag-repair man might be old but he's pretty hip-and-with-it and has never frowned upon my hairbrain ideas when I go see him with one, when some other old dude would most probably go, "What? You want me to do this? And this? And this? Why?!". My man, he's like the ever-supportive father that every kid wished they had.

I told him that I needed two holes with grommets...

...so I can put in rings to attach a chain handle to (to add to the manly hardware store feel).

To which he answered, "No problem, darling".

And a strap in matching tan leather, for days when I don't feel like using the chain.

One that is adjustable in length.

And could he also please cover up the ugly logo on the front.

I picked my new bag up a week later, on Wednesday, and my old dude has done it again! Perfection!

Can't wait to use it!

I've Got Blingsome Wings!

Wing, actually.

The two sides combine to make a Monowing - silver on one side and gold on the other.

I finished sequin-ing the outlines on Tuesday night.

Thought I should "colour" them in with more glittery shiny things so out I went yesterday to get more sequins in a different tone of gold and silver, and two sizes up for contrast.

Lousy idea. I wanted the wings to be cheesy over-the-top blingsome but filling in the blanks was waaaaaay too much. To me anyway (might look great to others?). Idea scraped after a lot of unpicking.

Maybe clean lines-loving me is just not cut out to make elaborate-looking things. I always have "Less is more!" going around in my head. Melly, a bloggy pal of mine, said recently, "It’s as important to be creative as it is to have an editing eye." Couldn't agree more! But sometimes, I do wish that my "editing eye" is not that vicious. Like with these wings. Maybe they did need the extra few beads and sequins.....nah!

Anyway, it's too late now.

I've joined the two panels together and put the stuffed frame in - a bit like stuffing chicken wings except I put "bones" in instead for taking them out. To make the wing stay upright (pleeeeease stay up, wing, when the time comes!)