This post was initially entitled "Behind The Scenes // What We Did In March" but we were so caught up with the launch of our website that we failed to pause and shoot the moments. Thus, Min and I decided that we will collate two months' worth of behind the scenes photographs to create a longer and hopefully, more interesting picture post! 

Our last (and only) BTS post was way back in October and since then, we have been getting requests from readers and customers to continue blogging about the insides of a design studio. So, here it is! We are trying our best to remember to document more of our lives and work in photographs to create a series of bi-monthly Behind The Scenes posts. For now, here is a little peek at what we did in the months of March and April (: 

The main bulk of our studio time is dedicated to client commissioned projects and developing new designs and products. However, we didn't manage to capture those moments in photos as most of our clients are private and it is obviously rather strange to take photographs during meetings! We will try to shoot more of our development process next time though! (: 

Packing and Readying New Stock and Products

About a quarter of our time is usually spent packing and preparing our new products for sale. If  you follow us on Instagram or read our Sunday Stickies, you will know that we love to produce stickers whenever we have a pop-up event. A ton of time - usually after our official working hours and with a TV show at the background - is spent cutting stickers in preparation for an event. 

A new batch of the Say It With Words Greeting Cards arrived at our studio in March! We had to quickly pack them as they were selling out quickly. 

When our art prints are ready at the printers, we usually inspect them closely and return back to the studio to personally trim the ones that were not up to our standards. This is when our eyes get all wonky from staring at the art prints for too long. Haha!

I took the photo on the right while we were packing our newest postcards with the help of a friend from Kisetsu, at The People Avenue's Pop-Up Store. A few weeks ago, we took over the store and moved our studio operations down so that we can get some work done! 

We cut, and we cut, and we cut. We have decided to stock our some of our sticker packs at The People's Avenue Pop-Up Store as well. Check them out, if you happen to be in Orchard Road!

Pop-Up Events and Consignment Plans

My mum is my best friend. She knows all of my secrets, insecurities and weaknesses. Over the years, we have travelled to many beautiful places together, just the two of us and a map. We love being together, though our neighbours might say that we argue a bit too much sometimes. Well, agree to disagree, right? She has a beautiful heart and I love her so much. Even when she tells me that I look absolutely terrible in certain outfits, and even more when she tells all her friends that I used to be part of the 'Fat Girls Club'. 

I don't know about your mum but my mum loves cards with heartfelt words. Gifts are not necessary, but the cards? Extremely important. She has kept every card she has received so that she can read them again when she is old and grey. If your mama is like my mama, don't forget the card! It means a lot to them!

With Mother's Day around the corner, many retailers and restaurants have already started dishing out promotions and packages for Mummy Dearest. There are many options out there and it is so easy to get overwhelmed. But, fret not! Here are some fun and interesting gift ideas for the first woman in your life!

1 // For the quirky and larger than life mum:
Kate Spade Caution to the Wind Polar Bear on Ice Clutch - Hands up, if you share bags, shoes and accessories with your mum. This clutch certainly adds a lot of fun to any outfit, regardless of age! I'm pretty sure your quirky mum will be excited to have this in her collection. 

2 // For the mum who loves a good scone and tea:
Le Creuset Butter Keeper - If your mum loves butter with her toast, but hates cold knobs of butter or hates waiting for butter to soften, this butter keeper is perfect for her. Soft, creamy butter every single time. 
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3 // For the mum with green fingers:
IKEA Plant Pot with Holder - A space efficient gift for a mum who loves simple gardening. She can grow up to 6 different types of herbs in this 2 tier plant pot. Because of its compact size, you can bring it indoors and outdoors!

4 // For the mum who likes to have fun: 
Homemade Gin Kit - This homemade gin kit is perfect for the experimental mum who likes to have fun! Imagine creating her own gin with just vodka and spices. She will be concocting her very own cocktails for the whole family in no time. 

5 // For the retired mum with a wanderlust heart:
Uniqlo Floppy Sun Hat - Some mums love to explore. Sun protection is very important for the explorer mum. This hat is a summer classic and its wide brim helps to shade your mum's face from the sun. Best part of this hat? It comes with UV Cut technology. Yay for good skin!

6 // For the mum who never stops learning:
Watercolour Workshop by Leach - Leach's watercolour workshops are amazing! If your mum loves to try new things, you may want to consider taking a class or two with your mum. Picking up a new skill is always fun. 

7 // For the mum who loves heartfelt gifts:
Joy Blooms Art Print - This art print is available in 3 sizes, A5, A4 and A3 and you can easily frame them up for mummy. You can also express your heartfelt words to her at the back of the art print and it will make her smile every time she sees it. The message will be like a little secret between you and mummy. 

8 // For the elegant and radiant mum:
Kenneth Jay Lane Earrings - These earrings are a lovely showcase of a pair of sparkling cubic zirconias in gold-tone bezels that will keep her looking beautiful at any time of the day. 

And... here is what we have personally planned for our mummy dearest for Mother's Day.

9 // Steak and Frites + Girly time at L'Entrecôte 
Min: Steak is, hands down, my mum's greatest food indulgence. I know she regularly sneaks out for steak lunches all by herself. The both of us love a good steak and I really can't wait for some girly time over steak and frites (did someone say unlimited fries?!), wine and profiteroles. We love beef! <3

10// Family time in Jeju Island, South Korea
Jia: Jeju Island in South Korea has been on the top of my mom's travel list for ages. It is going to be a belated gift but my siblings and I are already stocking up on her necessities for the trip  and whisking her to Jeju! We can't wait for a grand old time of family bonding with gorgeous scenery to boot (:
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Did you find anything suitable for mum? Otherwise, the best gift for mum is your love and your undivided time with her. 

x Min

(All images taken from the product sources. Links provided in the description.)

Sunday Stickies is a column where we reflect on the past week and pen those thoughts down on sticky pads. Expect notes to ourselves and others, advice, reminders for the week ahead, quotes, and anything random actually.

Yeahhhh... so, we finally did it. We messed up our schedule and didn't have time to do Sunday Stickies yesterday. We had grand plans! We were going to bring our sticky notes to our booth at the Public Garden Consumer Trade Show and do the stickies there and then. But nope, we forgot. We have proven to be totally imperfect human beings after all. Aw, shucks. Haha! Anyway, we decided against rushing out ugly and slipshod stickies on Sunday night just to meet the deadline, so therefore, here we are - Monday Stickies! 

It was a rough week in the studio as Min was on leave from Monday to Friday and thus, Jia had to zip through a whole lot of work along with preparations for the weekend event the entire time. Phew, we are so glad to be done with the trade show and are planning to take a relatively slow week in the studio. But you know, that is what we always say before the busy brick hits us on our heads again! 

To all university students out there: study hard and all the best for your exams! Thank you for coming down to our booth despite the exam crunch! Hugs to all (: 

Min: Cough cough sniff sniff cough sniff sniff cough sneeze sneeze sneeze. How do you like my rhythm of the week? Boo, I would have really liked to talk about my week in Japan, but my mind is not functioning as well as it should. In fact, these stickies took me a whooping 3 hours to complete. So ya... I am heading to the doctor's and then to bed early. Till next week, guys. 

P.S. Stay healthy!

Jia: I am going to sound like an old broken record, as it was only last week where I spoke about tiredness. However, omgggggg, am I tired. The whole week was spent working from 8am to around 2am daily, with Netflix being my audio companion. When I am tired, I really need the background noise to keep me from falling asleep at my desk. Now that the week is over, I am feeling super exhausted and am dying to start repaying my sleep debt.

Sigh, age is catching up and I can no longer pull consecutive all-nighters without feeling the effects! Likewise with Min, who fell ill in Japan and had to work the trade show in a sick daze. Drink tons of water, sleep a lot and get well soon, Min! 

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How was your week? We hope it went much better than ours! Let us all have a fantastic last week of April, yes? (:

With Love, Min+Jia.

I have been hit by the pink monster.

For a while now, we have been consistently busy with various wedding preparations for Min and our other close friends. It seems like everyone is getting married this year! Over in our studio, we have also been knee-deep with custom wedding suite designs and wedding styling for clients.

In the past few months, I have used blush and other shades of pink way too much for a ton of design work, and I feel like I may get pink fatigue pretty soon. But, alas! Before I swear off pretty shades of pink for life, I am still hopelessly captivated by the subtlety and sheer femininity of the colour.

So, what do we do when we are hooked to a particular shade? We write a Hot Hue post about it. Haha! I have curated eight gorgeous blush-toned items that I am madly in love with. Who knows, it may just bring you over to the light side!

1 // Needle & Thread Voluminous Tulle Embellished Maxi Dress
Kickstarting the first two blush picks with Min in mind! We have been searching for dresses for her pre-wedding photoshoot and I think this would look stunning on her! The bead-embellishment bodice oomphs up the casual vibe, while the floaty tulle skirt will go perfectly with her theme! 

2 // Lili Headband
This is so pretty and would look great with the maxi dress above! A slightly tousled hairstyle will add ease to this headband and I think the whole outfit will look SO good in the photos. And on Min, of course! Now, we just need to get her up on the plane and away from sweaty Singapore for her shoot! 

3 // ASOS Hit The Jackpot Platform Heeled Sandals
I have been searching for nude or blush heels to replace my dying Melissa nude pumps. Whenever I wear heels, I go AHSP (as high as possible) because my boyfriend is a walking lamppost. This is 6" high and I am loving the chunky heel!

4 // Rebecca Minkoff Raw Crystal Pave Stud
Everyone needs grown-up earrings in their collection and this Rebecca Minkoff stud earrings had my heart at first sight. I love rose quartz and this is some spectacular prismatic magic going on! 

5 // Gentle Monster Chi Chi Sunglasses
I adore sunnies and always carry a pair in my bag wherever I go. Sun damage is real, darlings. The floral print on this pair of sunglasses is so amazing and I just love the mod vibe! I really need to get this!

6 // Nordstrom Modal Silk Blend Scarf in Pink Bride Combo
This silk blend scarf looks perfect for the humidity in Singapore. Just fold this gorgeous scarf nicely into a small pouch and toss it into your bag for moments when you get too cold in air-conditioning. Ah, I can almost feel how soft and lightweight it would be!

7 // Rosella Mural by Anewall 
Gosh, have you seen a prettier wallpaper? This mural will add a vintage feminine statement to any room. Even though it is not to my personal interior taste, I still very much appreciate how Anthropologie styled this shot with the intricate chandelier and plush daybed. So dainty!

8 // Ban.do Work It Out Exercise Mat After This We're Getting Pizza
Okay, this is definitely not blush-coloured but it is so cute that I had to put it in this post! Ban.do has the cheekiest items and this exercise mat certainly speaks to me. This would be great but at the same time, terrible reminder throughout pilates and yoga! 

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Do you like the shade, blush? 

<3 Jia

(All images taken from the product sources. Links provided in the description.)

Sunday Stickies is a column where we reflect on the past week and pen those thoughts down on sticky pads. Expect notes to ourselves and others, advice, reminders for the week ahead, quotes, and anything random actually.

Pffffffft. Here is a #truestory to kickstart the post. If you noticed something different about our header, well done! We went away for the weekend as we were in a dire need for some spiritual rest. We brought along our stickies and stayed up till midnight on Saturday to finish them. On Sunday morning, as the terrible lighting in the room just didn't cut it, we decided to bring the side table to the balcony to shoot the stickies in natural light. And... CRRRRASHHHH! It turned out that the glass panel portion of the table was not sealed to the wooden structure!  We had to pay some $$$ for the damages but thankfully, we were not seriously injured even though Jia's feet took the impact of the glass. So yea, this week's stickies were shot against a wooden background instead of our usual white! 

Away with the negative and in with the positive! Our 2 days stint at Orchard Gateway ended on Friday, and though we were dog tired, our hearts are still full from all the encouragement and love! THANK YOU all for taking time to swing by and for putting a huge Cheshire cat smile on our faces. We are so grateful for the conversations and for the friendships that w are slowly growing. Also, thank you for your patience when Min took an eternity to ring up your items. Though being a cashier was a childhood dream job, we finally understood the pain of the NTUC aunty when we buy a cart full of junk food... 

Oh yes! We'll be at Public Garden Consumer Trade Show, Suntec Convention Hall 403 this coming weekend (23/24 April 2016), and we hope to see you there. Students, study well and eat Gingko Biloba for excellent memory! 

Min: What a week! I know I say this every week but really, what a week! If I had to sum up my entire week in a few words, it'll be "TOTALLY ON FIRE". Bit and pieces of my Life Plan were revealed this week and I can safely say that I am more assured now. Feel so good to be drawing strength from my Abba Father! 

Anyhoo, you guys know how much I adore my chips but strangely, I was craving for cold crunchy cucumbers ALL WEEKEND! *horror* How is that even possible? Is it something to do with age? A conversation on Friday left me speechless because now I know how much potassium a pack of chips contain. And that too much potassium leads to potential heart failure! *horror* Maybe that was why I was craving for cucumbers. It's the fear of heart failure. So dear friend (the one I was conversing with), please please please eat less bananas, if you want to eat chips. Wishing you good health, ok? :)

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How was your week? Share some juicy and exciting bits with us! :)

With Love, Min+Jia