tea cups and pretty plates

High Tea

Esther Coombs is one talented lady from London. I absolutely adore her lovely creations: from the illustrations to her unique way of assembling cake stands out of separate pieces of crockery. Imagine yourself throwing a tea party and all the oohs and aahs your choice of serving ware will attract. Bourgeoisie decadence: yummy. 

Above: Gracey

(And my current fave- Apartment A)

to hoard and behold

Stockton & Co is one Etsy shop that is stocked with really cute stuff, and I particularly adore the note cards (above) with smiley acorns block-printed on them. There is also a range of small lunch bags available like the Creamsicle mini pocket snack bag below.

dog and bone

Le Petit Garage is an online boutique featuring an eclectic mix of scoured items ranging from accessories to paper products to home wares. They also have a sizable range of interesting dog- related products which will be a delight to any dog-lover looking to spoil his or her pet pooch. 

Clockwise from top left: (1) Cocker Spaniel Luggage Tag; (2) Very Vintage Pug Brooch; (3) Royal Tea Cup Bed; (4) Chewnel No. 5 Bed.

making my way around the world

I'll be headed on a 2 week vacation to Cambodia/Thailand/Vietnam from the coming sunday, but Absolutely Delish will continue to have regular updates as per normal (the inner geek in me rejoices at the ability to schedule future posts on blogger). And being in the mood for travel, here are some interesting passport covers to make you more than just another tourist in the crowd.

Clockwise from top left:
(1) Passport cover from 11:11 Enterprises; (2) Bon Voyage Red from Revontulitikku; (3) In crowd by Edu Brasil; (4) Black, white and bling from Handi Gift

Last Minute Mother's Day Gifts

Previously we posted about gifts that you could personalise, but as Mother's Day draws near (it's this Sunday!), it's now necessary to seek out gift ideas that would not require much personal effort, but would make lovely presents all the same. 

Clockwise from left: (1) 9 little teacups cushion cover by Cara Jane; (2) Cotton handbag with floral print by Mehran; (3) Ivory Cherry blossoms jewelry box from Design Hut USA and (4) Red and Green Heart Applique Coaster from Circle Circle Dot Dot.

art in various forms

At My Favorite Mirror, original illustrations by various artists are converted from prints and incorporated onto practical objects like pocket mirrors, mouse pads and coaster sets. They have a huge selection spanning many different styles, and it just gives a print lover more reasons, and more ways, to get one's favourite illustrations. They also have products made from vintage cut-outs, and can also do custom orders for your very own designs!

Clockwise from top left: (1) Seamripper Coaster Set; (2) Feathers and Fur Pocket Mirror; (3) Underneath the Sockberry Tree Mouse Pad; (4) Sneaky, Sneaky Pocket Mirror.

reinventing the plastic bag

(Image by Moriza)

There is something haunting about this picture, even though it may seem like just an artistic snapshot of a busy sidewalk on a regular weekday. Maybe it is because the colours of the plastic bags stand out in such sharp contrast, which only serves to emphasise the daily chore the environment is made to undergo by our needs for convenience. 

Hence it was to my delight that I found the following products that have creatively upcycled plastic bags that would otherwise be trashed.

Clockwise from top left: (1) Who would have guessed that the interesting texture to these bangles are the product of winding up used plastic bags? Available at BTC Elements; (2) Plastic bags cleverly folded into daisies for hair pins! From Strewth; (3) Using plastic bags in lieu of yarn makes this clutch by Cara Taylor interesting and waterproof (4) Weaving together plastic bags of various colours gives an unpredictable touch to this belt by Bill and Silvia.

geography nerds

I am no big fan of geography as a subject, but I sure like the idea of incorporating maps in home decor. Especially if you are an avid traveller, you can put to good use the volume of maps acquired from past trips, and let them serve as testament to memories past. One way is simply to frame up one such map as a centrepiece as Jawcey (top left) has done, to the more challenging use of national geographic maps as an eco-friendly and cheap alternative to wallpaper (Joyce/Pedal Power, top right). I also really liked how Chez Larrson used maps as part of an overarching theme, using it to personalise a lamp shade (bottom left), and having map-print pillows to complement the wall art (bottom right). 

And here are some great goods that have infused new life into old maps:

Clockwise from top left: (1) Kent map decoupage coffee table from Bombus; (2) Recycled Map Stationery from Dote; (3)  Metro Map Bowl // San Francisco from Pica Pica Designs; (4) Air Routes Map Journal from Bower Box.

here we go a-baking

(Image from Bakerella)

Apologies for the week long hiatus! Exams are finally over and I'm suddenly hit with spare time that I am not used to having. Surfing around for stuff and I stumbled upon a great idea for a post-exam project - cupcake baking and decorating! I'm such a newbie to this, but i think my job will be much easier with cupcake toppers like the ones below to prettify my cupcakes without having to go through the messy tasking of making icing decorations myself.

Clockwise from top left: (1) Cupcake Toppers from Cathy of California: (2) Cute Cake Toppers from Kitty Robot; (3) Matryoshka Cupcake Toppers from the Peach; (4) Handpunched Paper Flowers from Paper Spoon

Mother's Day Gift Guide

It's bordering on a little late, but better now than never! Mother's day is beckoning, come the second sunday of May i.e. the 11th. I'm not sure if you have already bought your mother's days gifts, but if you are in need of ideas, read on! 

Clockwise from top left:
(1) Perfect to store some precious photographs of you and your mum and small meaningful keepsakes in is this Accordion Album Altered Tin from Orange Theory.

(2) Now which mother doesn't love flowers, especially those that can last forever? These lovely fabric roses come in various colours and bouquet sizes vary: Vintage Bouquet by The Russian.

(3) If you just have too many photos and little messages you want to include, this thick Matroyshka Russian Doll Bookcloth Photo Album is great for the entire family to participate in. From Life Stories Books.

(4) Let your mum take a break from the kitchen by whipping up some pastries or cupcakes in secret, then displaying them proudly on this delectable pair of cake stands by Whitney Smith. Even after the food's gone, the cake stands will always be a fixture in the kitchen.

paper and string

I've always loved playing with felt and items made from felt, and so imagine my delight when I chanced upon this seller! Paper-and-string has a wide range of items all made from felt, from craft supplies to ornaments to book covers. Plus they are in such eye-popping colours and are all shades of cute!

Clockwise from top left:
(1) Owl felt embellishment 
(2) Cute cupcake felt covered notebook
(3) Robot cupcake maker
(4) Polka dot mushroom brooch

stressed.

Is a feeling I am experiencing now and I do not like it much! So here's some stuff to cheer myself up, and you too if you are having some sort of crisis yourself.

Clockwise from top left: 
(1) Simple Sachets in Paris Afternoon - Set of 3 Organic Lavender Sachets from Purple Flower Designs
(2) Pincushion Dollie by Black Lilys 
(3) Worried carrot magnet from My Zoe Trope 
(4) Stressed Equals Desserts Print by Alis Burda