Travel Taiwan ~ Taipei City

Taiwan is known as the city of butterflies and orchids. It
has more than 300 species of butterflies and about 30 different types of
fruits. You do know that Taiwan is an island.. don’t you?? The island
supposedly looks like a sweet potato!! But in that little island, its got main
land, mountains, lakes and some stunning beaches… Saying that, today, we tour
Taipei City… 

The second day in Taiwan, we ventured off to the ‘Museum of
Contemporary Art’, which was walking distance from out hotel. popularly known
as MOCA, the museum was showcasing some fashion related art… which really is
not my expertise… 

On our way, we stumbled upon the ‘Taipei Metro Mall’… and
were simply speechless.. 

It’s a city underground… there is a Metro Mall connected to
another Metro Mall to another Metro mall… and it simply goes on!! More than
half the city is underground… the metros and stations run above the ground and
underneath… are these breathtaking shops… *sigh*

I couldn’t believe myself… I nearly walked half the city… or
more… from one mall to the other, from a shopping mall to a book mall.. You
surely need more than a day to check the shops and buy some souvenirs… The
shopping is incredibly cheap and they are still willing to bargain more…..
Yes!! Indeed… I got a lot of junk.. *smiles*. The metro malls are open all day
and close by 10pm.

From here, we ventured into the night market, that opens at
7pm and closes at 2am… There are a few night markets in Taipei. We visited the
Shilin Night Market at Jaintain Station. If you’ve been to a night market in
Bangkok, its quite the same.. I wasn’t super impressed..

Oh.. another thing to be careful of… is that not many people
speak English, hence its always worthwhile to carry a map or the address of
your hotel in Mandarin. *smiles*… No! No!! I didn’t get lost.. I’m very good
with roads and am always willing to head to the unknown.. *smiles*

Send Me A Picture: The DIY Project You’re Proudest Of

 

Today, I’m kicking off a new (semi-regular) series called “Send Me a Picture.”  It’s a take-off on the monthly feature in House Beautiful  called “Send Us a Picture” where they ask designers to send in a personal photograph based on the topic for that month.

 

 

 

In the same fashion, I asked several design bloggers to share their photographs based on this month’s topic . . .

 

SEND ME A PICTURE: 

The DIY Project You’re Proudest Of

 

 

 

The DIY project that I am proudest of to date is probably my wall of Intaglios in my dining room. Framed Intaglios are not cheap. Ahem, you can buy ONE framed Intaglio at Ballard Designs for $299. This wall of 18 Intaglios, which cost a total of $194 is now the center of my dining room. My favorite part is that people who see it in person ask me where I bought them. When I tell them that I made them they say "Oh, I think I can do that." and they can. It is very simple.

Krista Salmon, Kiki’s List

 

 

 

 

Upon moving into my house this past summer in Seattle with some roommates, I knew my whole room was in need of a serious makeover. First up was a place to store my clothes and so, my DIY chevron dresser was born! I measured out the chevron pattern, taped it off, painted the lines in with "Natural Gray" by BEHR, added some cute vintage knobs and called it a day! I love the modern pattern paired with a trendy color and shabby chic knobs."

Michaela, Michaela Noelle Designs

 

 

 

 

This Ikea Malm dresser got a little glammed up with some fretwork from O'Verlays and spray painted gold. I love the classic greek key motif and it makes a perfect credenza for my home office.

Amanda Eck, Amanda Carol at Home

 

 

 

 

You could say I'm pretty proud of my powder room redo -- or you could just ask my friends and neighbors, plus the sprinkler repair man and the UPS guy, because I've forcibly made them all come in and admire it.

Lindsey, Better After

 

 

 

One of my favorite DIY projects was a striped wall I did for my sister's apt. Since she is a renter we couldn't paint the walls, but we didn't let that stop our desire for stylish walls. I came up with a cheap solution and used black electrical tape to make my stripes. It was inexpensive and didn't damage the walls. A win, win for a renter. (You can find a link to the steps here.)

Camila, Effortless Style

 

 

 

 

 

 

They say first impressions are the most lasting, so I wanted to give my entry foyer a good dose of our family's personality.  This was an easy diy project that involved magnetic primer, chalkboard paint, and gold spray paint. I'm most proud of this project because I followed my heart, stopped listening to those voices in my head that are constantly making me second guess myself, and just went for the gold (literally and figuratively)!

 Carmel, Our Fifth House

 

 

 

 

We needed an inexpensive solution for flooring in a large room in our addition; so I painted this large checker-board pattern directly onto the subfloor. It is sealed with poly and has held up very well, even with two young boys.

Darlene Weir, Fieldstone Hill Design

 

 

 

 

These DIY striped drapes were a labor of love. Although they took a long time to make, I am thrilled with how they turned out and they are definitely the DIY project I am most proud of to date!

Courtney Fernan, A Thoughtful Place

 

 

 

 

This was my grandmother's hutch. After she passed I was the only one who wanted it. I removed the top portion to create a buffet. Then I painted it white and added new hardware. I am a big believer in making the furniture you have work for you! Now we have a beautiful piece that still holds sentimental value.

 Abby, A Delightful Design

 

 

Thanks to these bloggers for participating.  Hope you enjoyed the first installment of Send Me a Picture.