flea market finds: "The Force" is strong with this one

a few weeks ago, i was browsing through my favorite thrift shop when i came across a Transformers and a C3PO mask (am assuming we all know what am talking about). my first instinct was "i have to get me one of those" (even if i am not a total geek or sci-fi fan). they were in good condition and was selling for £5 each. i mulled it over while i browsed some more around the store and finally decided that am not going to buy them that time because they're not a "need" but a "want". when i came home, i can't stop thinking about them! i had to have them! so the next day i went back but the masks were gone. turned out, a couple of kids bought them after they dragged their moms to the shop.anyway, to make a long story short, when i visited the shop the next time, i saw Darth Vader (in great condition and he comes with a tiny microphone inside attached to that black voice box) lurking in a corner and without even thinking about it this time, i bought him. he is now at home....lurking in a corner.

Spanish doughnuts

on a lighter note, the mister surprised me by bringing a ring of freshly-cooked churros (yep, the Spanish equivalent of doughnuts) bought from the neighborhood chureria on his way home from work today(he was on night shift). i love churros especially with choco-late :) or simply just sprinkled with sugar on top. mmmmmm!a similar kind are the "papitas" which are smaller and have ridges.

flea market finds: a pair of gloves that guarantees to make you laugh

don't you just love a garden? especially in the summer time, it serves as an instant de-humidifier. two months ago, i have started a wee garden in our balcony. i planted some tomatoes, green peppers, spring onions and some dill, parsley and chives. i also have one lovely lavender and of course, our beloved bonsai, Alejandro (the mister named him after Lady Gaga's song). now, i am happily anticipating our first fruits! the tomatoes have started flowering and yesterday, the mister found the first teeny tiny green tomato! my mother is a green thumb and i never thought i'd follow in her footsteps but i guess i now know what she tried to teach me when i was a little girl; that tending a garden teaches you how to take care of something. to give it lots of love and attention and you will be rewarded with 7 times what you have given it to. thanks ma!in all the excitement (and patience!) of tending a garden, i have been on the lookout for anything that i can use in our little plot of "land". I was so overjoyed then when i saw this beribboned pair of gloves from Gloveables in one of my favorite thrift shops. they have this rubbery smell that never fails to get me high when its time to tend my garden.at the back of the label, i love that it has this message: "Use of this product has been known to cause laughter. Guaranteed to class up your day." Just my kind of gloves :)

flea market finds: the secret word is "neck"

i have been enjoying summer and although i dont like to hang out at the beach here, i have been visiting it with the mister for walks and mindless beachcombing. and of course i've also been thrifting. recently, i have found stuff that centers around the "neck" (uncanny!). like these wooden-sculpted giraffes with their elegant necks that are just too cute to pass up. the lady manning the cash register said she would have gotten them herself had she known they were there cos she loves giraffes to death and almost everything in her house has the giraffe theme. they are about 5 to 6 inches tall and made of lightweight wood (am not sure what kind).when i got home, on closer inspection, i found out two of the giraffes have a missing ear each :( but its really not that noticeable :)(bought for .50p each!)another one that i found is a beautiful turquoise necklace and earrings set that is just absolutely hard to pass up! i bought them for £5 and when i looked them up online, they were a line from Debenhams which cost £25-£30! what a steal!this is a detail shot showing the bling ;)

food from scratch, scratch, scratch

i am a bumbling cook. i am by all means self-taught as i just follow the recipe even if i have cooked the dish before. usually it turns out so far from the truth... but edible still. evenso, the more i cook the dish the more i modify it to suit my taste. well, especially the mister's taste as he is fussy with his food. one of the dishes that i have recently tried is "bean bolognese", a saucy (but healthy) alternative to spaghetti bolognesesimply pound or crush or powerblend beans (i used chickpeas, but you can use others such as kidney beans, white beans, etc. as well) and cook as per normal when you're cooking spaghetti bolognese. the first time i cooked them they turned out dry so mental note next time to add more tomato juice.to accompany the bean bolognese, i made some simple jacket potatoes with brocolli and cheese. i am not a fan of jacket potatoes but the mister is.as homage to my beloved country, i recently made my own version of "tortang talong" or eggplant omelette. the mister liked it because it is a healthier version of his all-time favorite, the spanish "torta de patata".my all-time favorite, however, is stir-fry. i made this with vegetarian cutlets and left-over everything (baby corn, lettuce, pepper, carrots, etc.) with Mama Sita's chop-suey mix that i picked up from the Asian Food Store. the mister started the trend of putting the whole wok in the table! (i shudder!)

things that make u go.. WTF!!!!!

sometimes you see something on the streets that make you scratch your head and ask yourself a big, fat, "WHY???!!!" these are just two of the why's i asked myself recently. no reply.a lot of junk in the trunk... but enough to get the attention of a few señors!
yes, why indeed! (or why not?)

photographs and memories

LilySiao's photostream on Flickr.

i've recently visited an old photostream where i posted a lot of my amateur pictures eversince i got my hands on a digital camera and well, i thought maybe i should revive this again. each photo takes me back to a special time and place. i hope you find pleasure looking at them as much i do. thank you for giving me positive vibes!

flea market finds: a necklace

a beautiful piece of costume jewelry that i found in one of the thrift shops i usually frequent. thinking of saving it for a special little girl ;)

flea market finds: under the sea!

maybe because its summer that i have been finding stuff (or perhaps they found me!) with the sea theme. i am not complaining! i have long realized that i probably could never live far from the sea. it is mysterious and a bit intimidating to me but i love it no other way. so the first thing i found was a wooden seahorse (for 50p!) with a lovely blue color.instantly i thought the bathroom would be a perfect place for him (i also have the blue sailboat there) but then again why not the cloche? for some tabletop summer reminder :)true to the under the sea theme, the mister and i decided to go to the beach for some beachcombing (originally for some green glass bits i have been thinking of putting into a collage) but i got so caught up with the beautiful seashells that i ended up bringing them home and putting them in a tall glass vase! here they are perfect with the little seahorse.this scallop-shaped sugar cellar is soo cute that a little polish would instantly give it the oommpphh factor. ill post an "after" pic soon :)it even came with its own cute little tongs!i dont know why i bought this trio of necklaces but i was drawn to their unusual rich color (almost porcelain-like but i dont have a way of knowing) this one is a combination of black with squiggly orange.and this one is blue with a delicate white orchid design.this last one is royal blue with tongues-of-flame orange. i have no idea how to clean them or what i am going to do with them yet :) i do get a little bit silly sometimes!