Delicious hoop earrings

We must confess we are not huge fans of loopy earrings but we are definitely game to try this out.

Instructions from Delighted Momma here

Chan Chwee Hong - Singapore has got talent!

We are unabashedly patriotic. Seeing is believing. We stumbled upon these incredible, or rather, incredulous spiral illustrations by Chan Chwee Hong, a Singapore-based designer. See the video  featured in Colossal.

now we know how the Japanese does kawaii, thanks to the first lime

we are suckers for cuteness, and when it is THIS cute, we are sold. Thanks to Monica from thefirstlime

On a hot day, we made this lemongrass drink...

We tried this at a local cafe, thanks to the good folks at PS Cafe Singapore and were hooked. Try this simple recipe for a delightfully refreshing drink on a sunny day.

(This recipe serves 4)

Ingredients: 6 large stalks of fresh lemongrass, 6 tablespoons of sugar or 3 cubes of rock sugar and 8 cups of water

Preparation:
Cut the lemongrass into halves, breadth-wise.
Cut off the black stem at the bottom of each stalk of lemongrass. Wash the lemongrass and peel off any brown parts.
Use a pestle or something hard to pound the stalk of lemongrass where its the juiciest. Usually this is near the base of each stalk. This releases the fragrance.
Put in the stalks of lemongrass into boiling water. Turn off the flame and let the water simmer for 1 1/2 hours. The water should acquire a greenish tinge.
Add sugar and stir till it dissolves completely.
Serve with ice cubes or drink it hot.

Varpunen

We want one of these. and we don't care if it just sits there idly like a blond bombshell. From Varpunen 22 Euros. We like...

if only we studied carpentry...

this can almost pass itself off as some Scandinavian designer lamp but it is amazingly handmade. We dig handmade. Try it, or perhaps ask the macho man at home to try it.

Source and instructions courtesy of Weekday Carnival

PRADA SS2012

beautiful soundtrack, fast cars, chevvies and check out the shoes, zoom zoom... imagery: tropical palms, James Bond, Jacky O. Yummy...

so pretty and reminds us that the holidays are round the corner

this is the time for cooler weather and pretty, cosy things round the house. maybe we should make these...

The how-to: click here

A Delicious Peter-Pan Collar. Make it yours

Our jaws dropped when we found this easy-to-make tutorial. To avoid fur-balls, use flannel.

Source and instructions: honestlywtf

making it... watch this space

we were so inspired by FRANK, a thai-based designer who works with contrasting materials that we did a man-hunt on Google to find amazing jewellery culled from hardware-store finds. here's what we culled and will be making, courtesy of honestlywtf.

Instructions here

We love MARNI! More please

Humptydump has always been amazed by the originality of MARNI. It is unpretentious, stoic and relentless in its pursuit to amaze fashionistas with its take on the 60s, pushing it into the futuristic. Its fabrics always smacks of a bygone era yet is so tastefully modern and thoroughly inspirational. XXX Love you to pieces, and we hope you stay true to your indie spirit.

Source: RusshMagazine

Source: RusshMagazine

Source: RusshMagazine

We can't help but be astounded by the sheer ingenuity of this. Makes us feel like slapping our faces and shout, 'Why didn't I think of this? whatfkljlgjrtoioakfdafklgff'. Enough said, ogle more of Mimi Pong's art masquerading as merchandise here.

humptydump digs FRANK

we chanced upon this series of chunky goodness from a good friend at Front Row over the weekend and can't wait to share it with the whole wide world (although we vowed to keep it a secret so it remains elusive and exclusive). we love how the hard metal and the soft buttery leather collides to make these lovelies so spunky yet so ironically elegant. And at the price range of S$100-S$145, you'd better grab them fast. Lovely work from a Bangkok designer we are still trying to track, who says Asian fashion is outdated?

by Alexander McQueen

by Pamela Love

by Delfina Delettrez

by Jack Vartanian

by AKONG

All Dressed Up - Make it your own

Question: Can we make this? Answer: Yes we can. Inspired by Sven Tan - alldressedup

www.alldressedup.com

Bottega Veneta Parfum - Understated Luxury - Michel Almairac

We caught a whiff of this fragrance during its launch in Paragon. Immediately, it brings to mind luxurious old manors with under-stated opulence. 'Composed by renowned master perfumer Michel Almairac, the Bottega Veneta fragrance Bottega Veneta fragrance is described as a leathery, floral chypre, representing the scented signature of the house - the "invisible, private luxury." 

Tomas Maier, the creative director, describes the inspiration for this creation: “An old house in the beautiful countryside in the Veneto region of Italy with rolling green hills, where we’re from. I envisioned a room with old wood floors, library walls and leather-bound books with the windows open wide, the breeze coming in and cut grass, hay, moss, garden flowers, growing through the room and everything mixing up. That’s where we started.”

The face of the campaign is Nine d'Urso, the daughter of French fashion icon Inès de la Fressange and Italian art dealer Luigi d'Urso. The campaign was shot Bruce Weber in South Florida. The perfume bottle is made of Murano glass (limited edition). More from fragrantica.com 

The Campaign

another local gem

Always on the look-out for beautiful things, the folks at icing gifts have upped their game again but kept to their pocket-friendly prices. We really appreciate that such beautifully-made things are so accessible, and by the way, they are not just sweet lil things; some can be quite spunky too, which we like.

more here

Koonhor SS12

Our little red dot, as Singapore is so often called, has never been deigned a fashion capital, but look how far we have come. Local labels have emerged in recent years and they are no longer the poorer cousins of established international fashion labels. A prime example, Koonhor, or APERCU as they were previously known, has been making their rounds at Paris Fashion Week and guess what, they are home-grown and have made a name for themselves in the cut-throat and fickle world of fashion.  Like the designers Koon Lim and Catrine The said, the design philsophy is to 'create alluring womens' wear that is effortless in its appeal, timeless in its construction and consumately bold in its attitude.' We agree wholeheartedly. Ogle...

wish we can still draw like that

Humptydump chanced upon this simple but effective rendering on the sesame street site, which brings to mind Pablo Picasso's beautiful quote 'Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when he grows up'

Another gem from Kings of Convenience

In the sky the birds are pulling rain,

in your life a curse has got a name,

makes you lie awake all through the night

that's why.

She's intoxicated by herself,

everyday she's seen with someone else,

and every night she kisses someone new

never you.

You're waiting in the shadows for a chance,

'cause you believe at heart, that if you can,

show to her what love is all about,

she'll change.

She'll talk to you with no one else around,

but only if you're able to entertain her,

the moment conversation stops she's gone,

again.

support local talent - hansel

humptydump has always been a fan of local labels, more so when Hansel creates their own prints and collaborates with fellow designers. So whimsical, slightly off-beat and totally original. more here

The Little Barn Owl - iittala - Oiva Toikka 1973 - Birds by Toikka Collection 2007

Credit to Oiva Toikka for such beautiful masterpieces, mouth-blown glass done to perfection. Each so handsomely made, unique, timeless and a privilege to own.

Quote from iitala 'Oiva Toikka's boundless inspiration and imagination find expression in his glass birds. Toikka's birds are handmade in Nuutajarvi, a glass-making village in Finland that is over two hundred years old. The creation of the birds demands great technical and artistic insight from the glassblowers. Each and every one is unique, featuring its own distinctive color variations. The collection is renewed annually.'

Edgy Homeware, courtesy of Bouf.com

Everyone, go visit Bouf. it has everything and more. enough said.

http://nick.bouf.com/hires. clever

He is the guy who thinks the world of himself

Don't think he has ever flown anything let alone fly a paper aeroplane. But Howard's ego is huge like a hot air balloon, literally. He wears his pilot attire proudly, and goes around telling everyone tales of his travels, albeit from his fantasies.

Kings of Convenience - Misread

one of those soothing songs you can listen to for hours, just to sort out your thoughts. Listening to it feels like someone is talking calmly to you. And by the way, lovely acoustics help.

Here are the lyrics:
If you wanna be my friend
You want us to get along
Please do not expect me to
Wrap it up and keep it there
The observation I am doing could
Easily be understood
As cynical demeanour
But one of us misread...
And what do you know
It happened again

A friend is not a means
You utilize to get somewhere
Somehow I didn't notice
friendship is an end
What do you know
It happened again

How come no-one told me
All throughout history
The loneliest people
Were the ones who always spoke the truth
The ones who made a difference
By withstanding the indifference
I guess it's up to me now
Should I take that risk or just smile?

What do you know
It happened again
What do you know

And Dumpy makes it through again

Humptydump had a roller coaster week, what with granny's hospitalization and moving into a new place all at once. But there is always therapy in the form of our glove dolls. Introducing Dumpy. He slouches too much, is imperfect but he doesn't care a hoot. He lives life the way he wants it.