weekend, we

Hi, how was your weekend? Ours was chill with a few outings here and there. We treated ourselves to a mini-spa day (got my first facial - loved it!), shopped at a great florist (at last!), and had a quick bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. With every weekend that we stay put the more and more the city feels like home. And though I love being homebodies we really need to be careful to not get too comfortable and never leave the apartment. We moved here to explore so I'm sure that it's just a matter of time before lazy Sundays on the sofa are a distant memory. You may notice that I gave my camera a break and stuck with my iPhone this weekend. I've really been enjoying using the VSCO Cam app for more natural and vintage filters than instagram offers. Plus I like that they're the complete opposite of my usual sharp and bright DSLR images...it's good to mix things up once in a while.

friday pic & pin

Happy Friday, y'all. What are your plans for the weekend? I'd like to think that we'll be ambitious and do a day trip to a nearby attraction but I have a feeling that a serious Revenge marathon will be had instead. We bought the first season on iTunes (yay for Apple TV!) after watching the pilot figuring that it was entertaining enough to pass the time. BUT, now we're totally hooked and have watched several episodes per night this week. Was it big back in the States? I'm so clueless in this department these days. I'll also be giving our new plants some TLC (i.e. real air & sunshine) tomorrow. This collection inspired me to be a good plant mama and that means giving the little fellas a break from our necessary evil - the AC.

Have a great weekend!

Oh, and I didn't do much online browsing or blog reading this week (I know, bad blogger - slap on the hand) but I did catch this beautiful photography project Words to Shoot By via the Flickr blog. Consider it a link so rad that  it takes the entire week's spot :)

(image left: building facade, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Ana Maria Muñoz, right: Pin originally via Geninne)

{show & tell} three new things

One of the fun things about moving to a new city or country is discovering new products and stores to shop from. Here are three of my recent finds:

Albarcas (or Menorquinas) - a traditional Spanish leather sandal that I struggled to find while in Spain. At first I thought they were a little funky but then I fell in love with the minimalist styling and durability - you can tell that locals wear theirs out for years! I recently picked up a pair by Little Abarcas who sells in Malaysia and Singapore but you can shop online for USA and international here here and here. With TOMS and J.Crew making the espadrille slip-on style popular with the US market I can totally see these becoming the next summer must have. Handcrafted, classic, and comfortable - that's one fashion craze that I'm happy to support!

Rice plant art object - my heart (and eyes) did a happy dance when I walked into The Jekyll & Hyde Project shop. If design, fun, form and function lived in one happy little accessories heaven then this is it. I wanted to buy everything in there because it was all useful AND crazy cool. But, I kept my wallet in check and just bought the rice plant object that I thought would be a nice zen piece/paperweight for my desk. Check out this product page for an animation of how it moves...it's so nice, even if the "wind" is just my air conditioning.

Embroidered zip pouch - you know that "little Ikea" that I mentioned we found? Well right next to it was a table full of handmade goodies by women refugees from Myanmar. I picked up a leaflet to learn more about their work and after I get a few projects out of the way this month I'm going to learn what I can about it. This part of the world is full of amazing textile heritage and skill - I'm definitely intrigued.

words worth repeating / 18

Every other day or so I open my inbox to find a sweet video of my two little nieces...they make me smile and laugh so much. Little do they know that their silly antics make my day and in general add so much value to my life. After emails I see if my mom and dad are free for a video chat. We share our stories of living in different countries, the good and the bad. Even though they are from Colombia, re-settling there after being in LA for nearly thirty years doesn't come without the "it's so tragic it's funny" moments. Their stories make me laugh and my recent one of our first rickety bus ride here didn't disappoint either! Just imagine a bus that's been to hell and back - painted 100 times over with no avail, bumper is hanging on for dear life, no front door - and a lady standing on the opening's ledge screaming the destination as it putt putts by the bus stop. It was pretty amazing.

Today I'm thankful for the technology that helps make those smiles and belly laughs possible even though we're so far away. SO thankful.

AND, I'm also thankful for Anne of City Sage for sharing this video via twitter. It's a good thing that I heard the song Call Me Maybe last week so that I knew what Mr. Cookie Monster was talking about! It is Hi-larious. And yes, I just heard that song last week for the first time - I had to find it on You Tube after I kept seeing it mentioned everywhere. What do you expect, I live in Malaysia and don't listen to Top 40 radio stations...I'm in my own little bubble but sometimes I burst it for the sake of pop culture ;)

more quotes on Howdy Day!, a daily dose of inspiration + motivation via your browser’s homepage, email or rss. 

(design by Ana Maria Muñoz)

morning pages

Before moving to London last year I was all sorts of crazy. Not crazy crazy but there was A LOT going on between leaving my job, packing, and saying goodbyes. I didn't know what I was going to do professionaly but I knew that I wanted to put my creativity to use outside of a nine to five job. Looking for some inspiration and direction I borrowed a copy of The Artist's Way from a friend and began my own little quest for living a more creative life. I didn't get to finish the book before moving but I did take one major thing from it: morning pages. Morning pages is the exercise of taking time every morning to put pen to paper for three entire pages. You can write more but you cannot write any less. It's your brain drain space to write whatever is on your mind be it dreams from the night before, the day's to-do lists, life goals, worries, troubles, anything! And if you're drawing a blank and have nothing to write, well then you literally write "I have nothing to write" and after a few sentences of that your mind will wander onto something else and voila - you'll have something to write.

I've been amazed at how natural and motivating the exercise can feel. Even when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed and feel like it's going to be one of those days, all I have to do is write exactly that and respond to myself "snap out of it Ana Maria! " and you know what, I totally do. Creatively I start to draft "aha" moments without even realizing it. It's the best type of brainstorming because you give yourself permission to just sit and write whatever you want without any other motive. Kind of like those shower moments - just you and your thoughts, sans the soap.

Writing my morning pages is what led to opening The Pond Market, deciding to pursue graphic design and photography as freelance careers, and they have genuinely helped me adjust to two new homes. It's healthy to get things out, get them sorted, and for me, writing is the easiest way of doing that. No one but me sees the contents inside and I look forward to my one-on-one time in the mornings. If I skip a morning or two I definitely miss them but I know that they're there for me when I'm ready. It's a grown up version of "Dear Diary" but whereas before I was gossiping about my 4th grade crush Francis (he had the coolest hair) I am now sharing my thoughts in order to live my best life every day, in every little way that I can. Living with intention and action - that's the goal and morning pages are my way of making it happen. I'm completely in love with my latest notebook titled  "Lucky Notes". I bought it at a local stationary shop and it's too too perfect for the purpose. Have any of you read The Artist's Way or practice something similar to get your thoughts sorted?

weekend, we

hover over images for captions

Hello, how was your weekend? If you're stuck in the heatwave in the States then I hope you stayed cool and hydrated! If you're in London, we saw the up and down weather via Wimbledon - I hope you get full summer days soon!

We enjoyed our first BBQ at home and finally made it out to Ikea for some essentials. It was so nice to have our own little fourth of July weekend experience. We even got to see a small fireworks show from our apartment courtesy of a corporate celebration nearby. As for Ikea, unfortunately none of the major items did it for us so the hunt for a rug, floor lamp, and desk chair continues. But, we're happy to wait until something we really like comes around...it's our space and we have to love it, albeit it being temporary. It was a perfect home weekend.

friday pic & pin

Madrileña, Serena Olivieri, painted her summer uniform in watercolor and I'm dying to see what she shows us next. I can totally relate to the heat that she's experiencing as we were in Madrid last summer and it was definitely MUY caliente. I won't mind a bit of heat this weekend though - we're planning on firing up the grill and enjoying the pool for our very own belated 4th of July BBQ. I'm silly excited :)

Have a great weekend!

This week's three rad links...

• summer lovin' with My Better Half posts via Amanda Jane Jones 

• my colombian heart danced with joy after reading this via The Guardian 

• launch of intiMINT - casual and sexy lingerie - with the bonus of being made in the USA. we like that via Ecouterre

(image left: Sicily pool lounge by Ana Maria Muñoz, right: Pin via Serena Olivieri)

{monthly mix tape} songs of summer

Grooving and chillaxing - that's what a summer music mix is all about and I am so not disappointed with how this month's tape came out!

I've been loving some of the new artists that KCRW has had on rotation, particularly Electric Guest whose album has me completely smitten. Pair their summer hit (if it's not already it should be) with a few new and old goodies and I am one happy girl.

Happy summering!

Click here, the image above, or the sidebar player to tune in.

1 -  Caught Me Thinking  Bahamas 2 -  All Of Me  Tanlines 3 - This Head I Hold  Electric Guest 4 - Friends Of Friends  Hospitality 5 - The Walk  Mayer Hawthorne 6 - Swing Tree  Discovery 7 - Battez Vous  Brigitte 8 - In The Water  Beat Connection 9 - Hollywood (Feat. Penguin Prison)  [Felix Da Housecat Remix]  10 - Houdini  Foster the People

 (image: poolside summer 2011, Los Angeles)

today

I may not be there to celebrate with delicious BBQ, booze, and fireworks but you can bet that I'm thinking of the good ol' U S of A today. Distance has truly made the heart grow fonder and now more than ever am I thankful for that beautiful piece of land. America - you are rad. Happy 4th of July to all of you in the States and to my fellow expats scattered all over the world!

growing a green thumb

If you're like me and have yet to master your green thumb, check out these potting steps and tips that I learned at this weekend's Handmade KL craft party:

1. Choose your container (white ceramic teapots were provided. i planted the rest into a bowl from our kitchen)

2. Line the bottom of your container with an inch of rocks followed by another inch of gravel. This will help in the drainage of water.  (Made so much sense because I always rot my plants that aren't in pots with drainage holes)

3. Add 3 tablespoons of crushed charcoal which will prevent the growth of bacteria. (Never heard of this but maybe it's a climate thing?)

4. Fill the container with soil up to half an inch from the top of the container.

5. Gently arrange your selection of succulents on top of the soil.

6.  Once you're happy with the arrangement, top up with soil then gently pack in with the succulents.

7. Brush off any first from the succulents then water them.

It's as simple as that! I can't believe that I was so intimidated by potting plants myself. Now, for the real test: maintaining these babies at home. Any tips?

"how to" instructions courtesy of craft party host, Mimpi Murni

weekend we

 

Hi how was your weekend? I learned how to properly plant succulents, caught up with some reading, and mostly lounged and took it easy. It was definitely one of those "let's not even bother making the bed" type of weekends.

Joe had my laptop in iPhoto intensive care the entire time so I was left to watch crap TV like my first episodes of Extreme Couponers. That show is insane, and kinda sad. I couldn't help but think that they might be hurting their families more than helping with all of the processed and unhealthy "free" things they score. I was literally screaming at the TV when a mom of two claimed victory with loads of candies, microwave dinners, and sugar waters - seriously, lady?!? I don't get it. I just don't get it.

Glad my laptop is back, TV can be so bad.

{happy friday} pic & pin

Goodbye June and hello July - my official summer month. The Fourth of July has always been my kick off to the season so we're practically there, even if I'm not in the States to celebrate. I'd love to welcome it with this orange number by Reformation. Don't you just love the structure? Wait until you see the back...!

This weekend I'm crossing my fingers for some sunshine (it's been awfully hazy), looking forward to a succulent planting craft party, and maybe getting a start on our new shopping list.

I hope you have a great one!

This week's three rad links...

• a few songs of summer via State of Unique (expect one or two of these on next month's mix tape)

• get crafty on demand with Creativebug video workshops via sfgirlbybay

• ladies, let's take these from the fellas via Design Crush

(image left: Barcelona beach by Ana Maria Muñoz, right: Pin via Reformation)

like a pro

After nearly two months at sea, the three pieces of furniture that we shipped from London have arrived: our duck egg blue sofa, antique wood table, and bed frame + mattress (not pictured). They are home and we are now living more comfortably (yahooo!)

As soon as the movers left we began arranging, and then re-arranging, all of the pieces to see what worked best for our needs. If it weren't for the items that came with the apartment (dining table, chairs, white storage units, TV, table lamp, and lounge chair) then we'd be seriously furniture-poor in this space. And while the provided pieces wouldn't have been our first picks, they're at least simple and modern enough that they blend in nicely with our personal touches.

All that's left to buy are a few furnishings and accessories to make the living room really come together. I've been watching old episodes of the interior design show Candice Tells All on syndication and I love how she goes around with her drawing tablet, whipping up solutions to everyday design problems. Well, I have a drawing tablet, too, so I put that baby to work! We had written a list of what we'd like to buy but drawing everything onto the space was a really fun way to bring it all to life - I highly recommend it!

On our list:

• large area rug

• round coffee table to soften the straight edges of other items in the room

• tall plant next to the TV so that it's not the first thing we see when we walk through the

door

• canopy floor lamp for the corner reading/lounging nook with a round shade, again, to soften the hard edges already existing in the room

• cotton throw pillow covers. the ones from London are wool and don't work here for obvious reasons

• dining placemats - can't say that i love the sound of metal and ceramic hitting glass

• large canvas art - this might be the hardest part

• floor plant for the desk area

• fun graphic print above the desk

and last but not least, a comfortable desk chair so that I can work and blog all the better :)

Now, if only Craigslist were popular here. That was the thing to do in LA...buried treasures I'll tell ya...

Either way, I can't wait to start shopping around!

Do you have any methods you use for organizing your home-decor plan of action? Or do you just go for it as you come across pieces?

words worth repeating / 17

Thank you to all who left comments on yesterday's post (and to those who took the time to read it, too, 'twas lengthy). Just writing it all out made me feel better and got me back to focusing on what is good about life right now. Thankfully, there's lots. Here's to enjoying the ride.

Do you have any quotes that help you get going in the morning? You’re invited to submit them on Howdy Day! – I’d love to share them! Howdy Day!, a daily dose of inspiration + motivation via your browser’s homepage, email or rss. 

(design by Ana Maria Muñoz)

a PURSonal attempt

When we first got here there were three constant things that people would tell me:

1)  eat street hawker food - check 2)  go to the malls - quadruple check 3)  beware of purse snatchers - unfortunately, check

As of last week I can check off being a victim of a purse snatching attempt. I was walking home from the metro station, on the same two minute route that I always take, and on a very public and busy street, when two men on a speeding motorbike approached me. That's how they do it here, one guy drives while the other sits in the back and sees what he can get away with. It's a major problem here and whereas before it was common at night, it is now far too common to occur during broad daylight.

I've seen bikes on sidewalks before so I simply I thought that they were making a u-turn from the adjacent one-way street and I took steps to the side to get out of the way. But, within seconds, I felt and saw the guy sitting on the back pull my hand-purse, let go, and then speed away. I didn't realize what had happened until they were gone. I was in shock. Never in my life have I experienced a violation like that. Thankfully there were two women behind me who witnessed it and had it not been for their post-attempt company I don't think that I would have kept my calm the way I did. What was most troubling was how casual the encounter had been: the guy went for it but when he realized that I wasn't holding my bag loosely enough to snatch it easily, they continued on ... perhaps to the next victim. No big deal, just another afternoon and another drive-by.

Once at home I quickly locked the door behind me and started to process what had just happened. My mind started racing with questions like "how will I ever feel safe walking to the grocery store/metro/anything again?", "what if they had taken my bag, all of my things are in there!" or "why are we even living in a place where this sort of thing happens???"...

After a while I pulled myself together, thanking my lucky stars that it hadn't been worse. I've heard awful stories of women being dragged on the ground or getting their arm slit with a knife. I was unharmed and still had my possessions. I was one of the lucky ones.

I didn't leave the apartment until the weekend with Joe's company but now I'm feeling better and all the more wiser. Unless I'm taking a taxi door-to-door I shouldn't carry any unnecessary things, always use a cross body bag, keep phone and cards in my pockets, and don't wear anything so bright that makes me a quick target from afar. All very simple things but I absolutely hate that I even have to think about them. I hate that I have to be on guard walking down the street, clinching my bag. And I hate that I have to be mentally and physically prepared to react should anything happen (again).

It's a shitty way to feel when you walk outside and unfortunately I can't see any obvious actions from the local government to prevent it. They post up signs to "be careful" but how about having some security on the streets so that it doesn't happen in the first place? I have yet to see ONE police officer since we've moved here. Coming from a place like London where even though it had its own problems with crime, there was at least the backup of CCTV everywhere and there was always a cop nearby. In LA, well...I never really worried about anything, even when I lived near Skid Row. There may have been a lot of crazy drug addicts but they were harmless to people outside of their circles. Here you have multiple problems with street crime focused on women: motorbike purse snatchings, parking lot assaults, and street junction thefts where men on motorbikes break car windows and steal purses from the passenger seats during a red light. I mean, really??? What's even more sad is that it's all so common that some people have an "it is what it is" reaction to it. Take this story for instance. A girl gets attacked (and cut up) at a mall parking lot and the management says it happens everywhere and that it's not serious. Excuse me??? It totally is serious! {Sigh} I should stop before I get really carried away as I think I've made my point.

The thing is, Malaysia is a beautiful country with beautiful people and things to offer but if it wants to be the tourist and industrial draw that it's trying to be then those in charge need to get these problems under control. Women need to feel safe. And personally, I need to hone a different set of street smarts and be brave. There's too much good here to let a few a-holes get to me.

weekend, we

Hi, how was your weekend? I bet it was more active than ours. We spent most of it lounging, cooking, and enjoying our new Apple TV - it's the best! Do any of you use it? We did run some errands and made exciting discoveries along the way that made this city feel more like home. The best find had to be an indie grocery store that carries everything we love and need. We were going bananas filling our cart with items we haven't been able to find or physically carry back with us (we hired a taxi). Then there was the dry cleaner that does free pick-up and delivery, a mini-IKEA type shop with homewares galore, and a flower shop that sells *gasp* real flowers since eight out of ten here push plastic petals. It's amazing the things that excite and count as great discoveries these days...

Did you make any fun or useful discoveries this weekend?

Oh, and if you're like me and love you some natural suds, check out Kinder Soaps in Malaysia (first bar and I'm hooked) and my tried and true favorite, The Soap Kitchen in America - HEAVENLY!

{happy friday} pic & pin

What a week. Just as I was feeling more comfortable in our new city I had a bit of a set back. I'll share more about it next week but today I want to look ahead and be excited for what is to come. We got word that our ocean freight shipment has entered customs so it's just a matter of days before we get to lounge on our perfectly cozy duck egg blue sofa (yay!).  I've been on total nesting mode and all I can think about is making our new apartment the best it can be until we can really go crazy designing and decorating a more permanent space one day. When I saw this concrete counter I immediatly pinned it to my home board. It's so.....us! It reminds me of our Downtown LA dwelling days with beautiful polished concrete floors but it also makes me long for the ritual of unpacking a gorgeous spread of fresh goodies from a farmers market. I mean, this kitchen is just begging to be covered with beautiful fruits and veggies.

There are markets here, of course, and while they're great, they are still a very different kind of experience. But, we do have a spankin' new modern kitchen so for now we're still living the dream. Pinterest sure has a way of making you dream all sorts of dreams, doesn't it? It can be a good thing though. How else do we create the lives we want if we don't have dreams and goals to work towards, even if it is one drool-worthy visual at a time?

With that in mind, here's to a weekend of making dreams come true - however big or small they may be. Enjoy!

this week's three rad links...

• pattern by duct tape - a brilliant DIY with endless possibilities via Justina Blakeney 

• long but interesting read on creatives and the economy via Salon (tweet source Rena Tom)

• my buddy Kai Brown has released a new album, LALA Vol I! watch his chuckle inducing pledge video and help fund Volume II via Pledge Music 

Minted Design Challenge Update: one of my holiday card designs made it to the second (and final) round - thank you so much if you voted! There are two more days to pick your final favorites so get clicking!

(image left:  mushrooms at Marylebone Farmers Market, London by Ana Maria Muñoz, right: Pin via H2Design, origin annaleenashem)

{diy} luxurious fabric box

Little by little our apartment is coming together and earlier this week I shared my latest home decor DIY on Poppytalk. Click now to see how you can easily transform an ordinary box into something more luxurious...we like that ;)

words worth repeating / 16

Though I had a really short notice to enter Minted's holiday design challenge, I took a chance and put a few designs together while we were in Bangkok. I have yet to formally launch my graphic design services but after doing this invite and working on a few other recent projects I figured that it was time to get out of my comfort zone, aka this blog.

In case you're not familiar with Minted, it's an online destination for fresh, modern stationery and photo cards. They hold monthly design challenges and voters rate the best designs in a highly competitive process. The winning designs are produced and sold, and the designers earn cash prizes, a place in the Minted collection, and commissions on all sales. Cool, right?!?

For my submissions I let the photos be the stars and kept the text simple. Click here or the photobox in the sidebar for my designs and here for the general challenge page - lots of great stuff!

I think today is the last day for first round voting so if you can spare a few minutes to vote all you need to do is submit your email and create a password (i know, annoying but they have to monitor suspicious voting behaviors).

I had so much fun doing this that it might become a monthly design addiction! Many thanks in advance for checking it out!

Do you have any quotes that help you get going in the morning? You’re invited to submit them on Howdy Day! – I’d love to share them! Howdy Day!, a daily dose of inspiration + motivation via your browser’s homepage, email or rss. 

(design by Ana Maria Muñoz)

bangkok by boat

So remember when I busted my toes just days before a scheduled trip to Bangkok? Well, those banged up toes were a blessing because if I couldn't walk to do the exploring I had planned, I could certainly sit in a boat.

I let my hotel doormen suggest a spot and a twenty minute cab drive later I find myself at Suan Phlu Pier, a tiny little end of the road operation for longboat hires next to the Shangri-La Hotel. It was exactly what I was hoping for and even better, the boats are hired out individually so I had the entire thing to myself! There are public water taxis that are significantly cheaper but what the heck - it was worth the forty bucks to have uninterrupted views for my one day out.

The ride was about an hour and a half and I happily snapped photos of the canal, or khlong, homes and temples as we sped by. I love taking flyby shots because it all happens so fast and you only have a second to capture what you want. To my surprise, however, there was one stop at Wat Khun Chan temple. I freaked out when I saw the giant figure towering over the canal. The captain then laughed at my excitement when he told me we'd be stopping there to [motions with fingers] walk around.

I'm not even going to try to put that place into words because as you can tell from the photos, it's incredibly awesome. I throw the word awesome around like pancakes during Sunday brunch but truly, I was in awe. The detail, the sparkling tiles, the stories of each figure (which I don't know yet but assume are amazing) and the man in the corner dunking his foot into hot water to massage a lady laying on the floor - there was so much to take in. Unfortunately I couldn't stay long and once I was back inside the boat I realized that during my fifteen minutes there I didn't think once about my busted toes, I don't even know if I limped. Something that I had been so aware of for days and cautious to not overdo apparently didn't faze me while in such a special place. Back at the hotel, well...that's a whole other sore story but the cause was totally worth it.