We are deep within the thick of wedding season and everything in our heads right now revolves around weddings. Though we often dream of Christmas, we can't deny the strong allure of anything and everything related to weddings. Many of our friends are either currently planning their wedding or have recently tied the knot. So it was pretty inevitable that we have caught the joyous wedding bug! We have been a part of several wedding planning and styling projects this year and it makes us so happy to sail in the sea of wedding dreams. Bridal bouquets are our focus this month on our Pinterest account. We have been searching high and low for that one bouquet that Min will eventually fall in love with. We have less than 50 days to her wedding! After browsing through many Pinterest pictures, we finally decided that we will customise a bouquet that will match her wedding theme. These bouquets that we found on Pinterest are drop dead gorgeous and are suitable for many different themed weddings! Oh how we wish for a wider array of flower selection in Singapore! Min's Favourite Pins Dusty Rustic Bouquet I love the pairing of dusty-coloured wild flowers and muted green leaves in this hand bouquet. In all honesty, I haven't once considered adding such a huge selection of wild flowers in my bouquet because I naturally gravitate towards a clean and classic look/colour palette for every single thing. However, I was sold the moment I saw this bouquet as everything seemed to work together so effortlessly despite not having an accent bloom. Hello, wildflowers and tiny blooms, I'm your new fan! Succulent Bouquet Succulent bouquets are quickly gaining popularity among Singaporean brides and it's easy to see why. Most bridal bouquets consists of the usual flower choices, thus replacing the focal flowers with succulents seem like a smart thing to do. Succulents add a unique twist to a conventional-looking hand bouquet without ever over-dramatising the entire vibe of the bouquet. I'm a huge fan of greens and this bouquet has all my votes! Single Flower Bouquet My idea of a classic bouquet is one that is slick and clean looking, preferably accentuated with a big bloom and surrounded by a single type of dark green leaves. It was love at first sight that rendered me speechless when I saw this Magnolia bouquet. In my opinion, this bouquet is the epitome of class and all sorts of gorgeousness. If I could source for affordable Magnolia blooms and leaves in Singapore, I would definitely feature a single flower bouquet at my wedding in a heartbeat. Jia's Favourite Pins: White Tulip Bouquet Bridal bouquets tend to be really big and cascading these days. While they look magnificent and beautiful, I find them to be a little bit overwhelming at times. I love a clean and chic bouquet of white tulips. It has been one of my dream bouquets for any occasion since I was a little girl. On the wedding front, a white tulip bouquet will most definitely match with any gown and oh, they just look so gorgeous! Red Bouquet A stunning and dramatic take on the statement bouquet trend. In a nutshell, I tend to steer towards a classic bouquet and would recommend brides to do so likewise. It’s always nice to look back at wedding photos that do not look dated! I absolutely adore this red bouquet that features proteas, birds of paradise, tulips, and peonies. It would look wonderful with a red lip as well! Red is a timeless colour for weddings and this bouquet is a scarlet stunner. Wildflower Bouquet
If solid colours ain’t your thing, I would totally recommend a wildflower bouquet! Simply perfect for a bohemian-themed wedding, a wildflower bouquet is all about the effortless love and appreciation for the pretty little things all around us. A wildflower bouquet is easy to DIY too! Just select a handful of your favourite blooms and experiment with shape, texture, height, and colour. Ah, this is such a dream bouquet; it is so fun and spontaneous! - Do you have a 'dream bouquet'? Tell us about it! With Love, Min+Jia. All images were taken from Pinterest and are linked directly to the source.)
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Asides from design, food and cute animals, Jia and I love travelling. Strangely, we have yet to go on a long trip together, especially since our travelling styles and sightseeing preferences don't differ much. We are considered laid-back travellers who prefer to travel without a tight schedule and crazy checklists. Think along the lines of gigantic mountains, gentle oceans and lakes, spring flowers, wild animals, park benches and we will be there with a flask of hot drink, snacks and a book. It is no surprise that a cool and cheery Spring day is our definition of good weather and absolute happiness. We would love to travel and explore more corners of the earth, if not for exorbitant airfares and the cost of accommodation. We may not have that kind of money to jet set around the world but dreams don't cost much, especially if it's a Pinterest dream! Travel photos on Pinterest makes me salivate at the computer screen and it tickles my wanderlust dreams. Therefore this month, we put together some travel destination pins that left us weak in the knees and dreaming of the next flight out. Grüner See (Green Lake), Austria Min: I was so disappointed to learn that scuba diving is now prohibited in the Green Lake. Because of that restriction, I can only imagine the beauty of pristine emerald waters and green meadows underwater. The disappointment is real for a scuba diver like me. But hey! At least the absolutely breathtaking view of the lake makes up for the diving since it is surrounded by the Hochschwab Mountains and forests! Nuuk, Greenland Min: It was that same fruitful moment as when I spotted Cape of Good Hope on the world map in my room, that I spotted Greenland. To me, Greenland is terribly underrated. All hype and eyes are currently on Iceland and while I don't deny that I am very much drawn to the beauty of Iceland as well, I would really like a trip to Greenland. The thought of being able to kayak near giant glaciers whilst being surrounded by serenity is seriously tempting and would be a dream come true. Yakushima Onsen, Kagoshima, Japan Min: For my birthday, my boyfriend surprised me with tickets to Kagoshima, Japan. It will be my first time in the Kyushu region and I can't wait to check out gorgeous mountains, lakes, hot springs and volcanos! Okay, I don't think I am that excited for hot springs because I am not quite ready to strip naked and soak with complete strangers. Meh. Jeju Island, South Korea Jia: I am finally heading to Jeju Island in November and after some hours of ogling at gorgeous photos while researching, I can safely say that I am totally ready to do some major sightseeing and trekking! As I will be visiting the island with my mom, I hope that I can find trails that would not be too tiring on her. More reading up is necessary and I got to finish it soon! Krakow, Poland Morskie Oko (The eye of the Sea), Tatra Mountains, Zakopane Jia: When I was living in Switzerland a couple of years ago, it was an unfulfilled plan of mine to visit Krakow, Poland and the nearby(ish) Tatra Mountains in Zakopane. Now that Min and I are firming up plans to go back to Switzerland, I have figuratively dusted off my plans and research for Poland. I definitely need to visit Poland soon to quell my wanderlust! Yangshuo, China
Jia: About five years ago, I discovered that most of the mountains I was painting during my childhood years of Chinese calligraphy and painting lessons belonged to a small village called Yangshuo in Guilin. Ever since then, it has been a travel mission of mine to visit Yangshuo but I just have not made it there despite my various trips abroad. It is time to buckle down and start realising this dream of mine! - Where do you hope to travel to next? x Min Jia and I have attended many wedding receptions in Singapore. While some receptions left us basking in the loved-up atmosphere, many just didn't cut it. I adore weddings and I am the guest who tears a lot during the entire ceremony. I am also the guest who cries when I spot the bride in an ill-fitting gown and her face plastered with bad makeup. It gets to me more when the venue is scarcely decorated with run-of-the-mill props - if there are even props - and fake flowers. No wedding couple should have to go through a memorable day like that! Just no. I asked a couple of friends and most of them don't care for a wedding theme. Many said that having a wedding theme is too costly to maintain while a colour theme is easier to achieve - matching dresses and colours for the bridal party. I seriously beg to differ. A wedding theme sets everything in place while a colour theme helps to keep everything in check. And to clear the air, not all wedding themes cost an arm and a leg! As a bride-to-be, I am very aware of my wedding budget and priority. As such, I turn to Pinterest with hopes of recreating that Pinterest-worthy dream wedding on a budget. It's no easy feat but for the sake of a beautiful wedding reception, it can be done! All it takes is some creativity, imagination and the best of friends. Rustic Charm Most wedding receptions are held in hotel ballrooms in Singapore and there aren't many local venues that can offer tall forests and backyard barns. However, it is not impossible to include rustic elements at a hotel ballroom. In fact, we just did a wedding styling that was oozing with rustic charm. If you are doing the decorations on a budget, we recommend gathering some burlap, wooden pallets, crates, bales of hay and tons of small dainty flowers. Pair this look with candles, fairy lights and lace for a touch of softness and romance. This theme is cost effective but you may have to gather your bridal party to hunt for recycled wooden pallets and wooden crates with you. For this theme to work, always remember that recycled items work best! (images above from clockwise 1, 2, 3, 4) Flower Power Another hot favourite among wedding couples is a flower themed wedding. Flowers play a huge part in any wedding but a flower-powered theme literally fills the venue with a lot of flowers. A huge cluster of hanging flowers can create a dreamy look. Fairy tale, bohemian and garden themes are highly dependent on flowers in order to achieve the ideal look, so don't ever go easy on the flowers! The more the better. If budget is a concern, simply head to floral wholesalers or nurseries and approach them for bulk pricing. It is definitely going to save you a whole lot of money! Jia and I love going to the wholesalers and nurseries to source for flowers whenever we are styling any event. Bring your bridal party along and we are sure that you will have a blast looking at all the different types of floral available! (images above from clockwise 1, 2, 3, 4) Watercolour Romance
This is one of my favourite wedding themes and it is definitely trending in the wedding theme department. Our studio has been swamped with wedding projects involving watercolours! Watercolour invitations paired with dainty calligraphy/brush lettering is gaining popularity fast among couples and it is easy to see why. Depending on the artist's style, watercolours can add a delicate and whimsical touch or a bold and imaginative look to your wedding stationery. I adore the idea of having a watercolour background as a feature wall and I will adore it even more if it is a photo booth background! Don't you agree that a DIY dip-dye lace table runner is such a great idea? (images above from clockwise 1, 2, 3, 4) - Don't you just love weddings? What is your dream wedding theme? :) x Min If you have been following us on Instagram, you may have noticed our salad lunches. To combat the harmful effects of snacking, late nights and slowing metabolism, we have decided to adopt healthier eating habits that will eventually become a lifestyle habit for us. Eating a lighter and healthier lunch also means increased work productivity because food coma exists. It is so real. We shall not belittle the impact of food coma and the effectiveness of our digestive systems! This month, we have been actively searching for healthy, tasty, easy and quick to put together lunches. Many recipes on Pinterest left us salivating in front of the computer, even after we had a big lunch. It wasn't easy for us to pick out six drool-worthy and hunger-inducing recipes that is good for lunch or dinner. We want to feature everything! Instead of the usual Monthly Pinspiration, we thought of putting together a list of pins that we wished could instantly materialise into real food for us to devour. Here are our top picks this month. Let's stop drooling and start cooking! Min: Spicy shrimp with cauliflower mash and garlic kale is my kind of happiness on a plate. I am so attracted to the colours of the shrimps and the creaminess of the cauliflower mash. Pure goodness on a plate. And I love how this is a perfect recipe for a low carb diet! Score. Min: I love mushrooms and broccolini to death. Anything with mushrooms or broccoli or broccolini often taste superb to me. When I saw this pin, my heart rate picked up and I really wanted to eat it. Pronto. But I will tweak the recipe a wee bit, because I am not crazy about teriyaki sauce. Perhaps I can exclude honey and replace it with sesame oil instead. Min: Though I am not a big fan of ice cream, I simply can't take my eyes off this tub of blueish goodness. It could be the colours that drew me to it or the fact that this tub contains wild blueberries and coconut milk. I can only imagine how amazing it will taste. I would really love a scoop or two right now. Jia: Swoon. Have you seen a meal as perfect as this? Grilled salmon, avocado and a lentil salad. Those are very tasty ingredients lying next to each other. I have been trying to up my lentils game since last year and I really need to try this out! Jia: Now, doesn't this look like the ultimate refreshing salad? I can almost taste the lightness and fresh sweetness of the cucumber and mint. Whenever the weather is unbearably hot outside - which, let's face it, is almost every day - I always crave for something cold, light, and crunchy. This looks like an amazing salad for a hot hot day. Jia: I have been trying to get onto the oatmeal bandwagon for the last couple of years. I was totally on board for a while but grew tired of it pretty quickly. This bowl of runny egg + miso butter + oaty goodness is making me want to buy a bag of oatmeals right now! Savoury oatmeals are just heavenly. I am adding this to my to-cook list for next week! The above salad is what we made and ate for lunch last week. We are currently so obsessed with fresh baby bok choy as our main salad base. We love how sweet, light and crunchy it is. We just can't get enough of it!
- What are your favourite food pins? Do you have any interesting salad combinations to share? Let us know! :) With Love, Min+Jia. It has been a while since our last Pinspiration post. We are slowly getting back into the swing of things on our blog and reviving our regular columns after missing out on a couple of months' worth of posts. Monthly Pinspiration is one of our favourite columns as we tend to live on Pinterest! Pinterest is such a great space to explore and share ideas. Mmm, inspirations everywhere! In the last couple of months, we have been very interested in searching for wedding ideas (no surprise), interior design ideas, colour combination schemes, and pictures of food, glorious food. Don't you agree that food pictures on Pinterest always look soooooo good? The food porn worthy pins could most definitely be credited to good camera angles, good lighting, or digitally enhanced images. Whatever the deal is, we see them and we want to eat them ALL. Here is a selection of our favourite pins that caught and held our attention this month. Min: My obsession with ceramics is real. I am constantly on the lookout for handmade ceramics and honesty, there's only so much space left in my kitchen cabinet. I contemplated taking ceramics courses but things at work got busy and I kinda forgot about it. On hindsight, I really should have just gone for it and I'll probably be in ceramics heaven now! Min: I didn't use to like figs. But when I tasted my first ever fresh fig, my life changed. Where have you been all my life, figs? These fig bars look so decadent, I want to reach into my screen and grab them. Don't you just love the colours? My kind of tasty treat with a beautiful colour palette. Min: When I was 18, I created a list of things that made me happy. On the list were important stuff like spending time with my dog and eating crispy folded potato chips. The first item on my happy list is to have access to an endless supply of avocado maki. I love rice and I love my carbs. No doubt about it. This picture stirred up quite a bit of commotion in my stomach after I saw it. I just gotta pin it, then eat it. Yums. Jia: I think I just found my dream house, or at least, the ideal whimsical setting for one. Yes, I am talking about the magnificent blooming Magnolia tree. The photographer found this lovely scene in Notting Hill, London and I think I would have swooned on the spot if I were to stumble upon this gorgeousness. Jia: I have been working on a pastel collection for the past month and the struggle is real. I don't naturally lean towards a pastel palette so I have been hitting up Pinterest for some pastel colour combination inspiration. The above biscuit styling shot is one of my favourites by far, as I simply love the combination of shades. So mod and stylish! Jia: Another colour combination that I am loving this month! I also love the real-life application of the colours in the bathroom. The shades of aquamarine, white, and tan are so lovely together and I love the contemporary poppy vibe. It's a little 60s and a whole lot of yay!
- Are you a Pinterest devotee? Share with us your favourite pins this month! With Love, Min+Jia. (All images were taken from Pinterest and are linked directly to the source.) |
Min+JiaThe humans behind honey&gazelle Design Studio. When we are not frantically working, we share our mishmash of thoughts on design, life, and love here. Grab a cuppa and stay for a bit! Categories
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