Chi Designs

I Love Travel: Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:46:00 +0000

Last stop: Barcelona.
Here are my other Europe photos from: Paris and San Sebastian. (Take me back there please!)

I Love Travel - San Sebastian

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:42:00 +0000

Stop two of our Europe trip was beautiful San Sebastian. It was all about the food.

I Love Travel - Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:24:00 +0000

A few photos from our five days in Paris.

I Love Travel: Next Week!

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:27:00 +0000

See you soon Paris!

I Love Travel: Palm Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:20:00 +0000

Photos from a great long weekend getaway to celebrate my new age of 30.

I Love Travel: Lord Howe Island

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:29:00 +0000

An amazing two days in Lord Howe Island.

Precinkt

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:24:00 +0000

Nat from great website Precinkt has invited me to share some of my photos from Launceston - click here and check them out!

Here's what Precinkt is all about:
If you are after main-stream, cookie-cutter, white bread, built for the masses destinations then PRECINKT is not for you. Our mission is to avoid those places and instead challenge you to uncover local gems and make them your own.

PRECINKT lets images speak for themselves. Browse the growing number of PRECINKTS to imagine yourself fossicking, buying, learning, relaxing, consuming, giving, growing and being inspired.

I Love Food - Perth #2

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 08:57:00 +0000

We made another quick dash back to Perth to catch up with family and friends. As usual, most catching up was over food. More recommendations below:

Greenhouse
100 St Georges Terrace, Perth
We dropped in here for coffee during the week again. I love the fitout and relaxed cool of the restaurant.

Blackbird Restaurant
4/10 Eastbrook Terrace (Lakeside), East Perth
Meal of the trip - by the water, lovely quaint atmosphere and amazing food. Our table enjoyed the pork belly special, steak sandwiches and an amazing pan fried gnocchi dish. Make sure you have the house made herb bread!

Sandrinos
95 Market Street, Fremantle
1kg of chilli mussels!

West End Deli
95 Carr Street, West Perth
West End Deli was recommended to me and I would be happy to recommend to anyone else. We dropped in for breakfast and enjoyed every bit of it. Do not miss the mushroom terrine with blue cheese butter and their famous baguettes.

My finds from my last Perth trip are here.

Brisbane

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:20:00 +0000

I'm not a fan of the Ekka, but I love the feeling it brings to Brisbane every year. Plus, it means Spring is just around the corner!

For months now, we have been house hunting. We sold our little Queenslander late last year and have been renting whilst keeping an eye out for our (current) dream house. I love househunting, however, after months of it, it's getting a little draining. Fingers crossed that our verbal offer we put in yesterday is accepted. Then I can get on to decorating!

(Can someone buy me everything from Matt Blatt?)

A Rare Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Unfortunately, my little laptop is getting old and slow and is now sadly neglected. With that, my regular blogging has fallen by the wayside (why isn't iPhone blogging easier?). So, here is a quick list of things that I'm loving at the moment:

Food:
* E'cco Bistro
* Dish
* Lefkas Taverna
* Flamingo Cafe
* Cooking

Design:
* Cave Restaurant (via Inside Out)
* Heima Store (via Daydream Lily)
* Nook (via thedesignfiles)

Art & Photography:
* Surrealism at GOMA
* Diptic for iPhone

Travel:
* USA (Las Vegas, NYC, Nashville) - via EVERYONE who seems to be going there
* Paris - plans for October!

Shop Update - Accessory Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:07:00 +0000

My poor little shop has been neglected these last few months, but I'm working on updating it, starting with a little SALE! Please pop over and have a little look at what's available.

And if you've been following me on Instagram, you'll know I've been teaching myself how to knit. And check out my scarf - it's almost long enough to twist around my neck!

I Love Photos - Instagram

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 28 May 2011 07:24:00 +0000

Sadly, my camera hasn't been out and about with me much recently as I've fallen in love with Instagram. My username is chibui - add me, I love finding other people who love photos as much as I do!

I Love Food - Tasmania

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sun, 08 May 2011 06:00:00 +0000

When I mentioned to people that I was visiting Tasmania, EVERYONE said I'd enjoy the food. They weren't wrong. My picks are:

Doctor Coffee
33 Salamanca Place, Hobart
Great coffee and simple but delicious food. We were only in Hobart for three days but visited three times. Keep an eye out for their special blends that seem to change daily.

Tricycle Cafe & Bar
Salamanca Art Gallery, 77 Salamanca Place, Hobart
Our coffee here wasn't great but the food was generous and the surrounds were very Melbourne kitschy and cute. Get in early on Saturdays - the market crowds flock here.

Smolt
2 Salamanca Square, Hobart
One thing I noticed in Hobart is that there are only a few great restaurants and they book out early! We spied Smolt early in the week and secured our table for our last night in Hobart. The meal was definitely our best of the trip. Great fresh oysters, lovely pasta meals and very professional and knowledgeable service. Highly recommended.

Stillwater
Ritchie's Mill, Launceston
Stillwater is located in front of Cataract Gorge on the river in Launceston and was one of my favourite breakfasts ever. We had amazing truffled scrambled eggs with smoked trout and eggs en cocotte - two eggs with smoked ham hock, green pea
purée, du puy lentils, crispy ham & ciabatta soldiers. I need to eat this again. Delicious!

Black Cow
Cnr George & Paterson Street, Launceston
We'd heard much about the great steaks in Tasmania (and saw lots of cows on our drives!) so after walking past Black Cow booked our table for our night in Launceston. Whilst expensive, the service was impeccable and the meals rich and enjoyable. I recommend the cauliflower side dish.

Scallop Pies
Everywhere!
We did a lot of driving on our trip and every bakery we saw promoted it's Tassie scallop pie. I finally got to try one on my last day at Doo-Lishus and was not disappointed. Scallops and curry are a great combo!

Check out my picks from Perth and Melbourne too! And my non-food Tassie picks are here too.

I Love Travel - Tasmania

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sun, 08 May 2011 05:18:00 +0000

Tasmania is a great holiday destination. Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery and amazing food (more on that on a later post!). We spent a too short six days in the state, sticking mostly to the east coast of the island.

Hobart
Hobart is a picturesque city accessibly easily by foot. Make sure you visit:
* MONA - the AMAZING new Museum of Old and New Art is a must-visit. The amazing gallery is full of mind-blowing artworks housed in a building that is literally built into the earth. The on-site Morilla Winery, Moo Brew brewery and the very techy use of your own iPod Touch to direct you around the artworks just add to the experience. More details details can be found on The Design Files. And do take Lucy's advice and take the return ferry trip to the museum - it's worth the $15 for the beautiful views alone.
* Salamanca Place - a beautiful area full of lots of restaurants, cafes and right in the thick of the Salamanca Markets
* Battery Point - gorgeous cottages and amazing views
* Mt Wellington Summit - take the very windy trip up the mountain for the great view over the city (but remember to bring your beanie! It's really cold up there!)
* The Henry Jones Art Hotel is an amazing hotel. Do splurge and stay!

Launceston:
Launceston is a cute little town flanked by a beautiful river just a few hours north of Hobart (you can fly directly into Launceston too). We only spent a quick day there, but I loved:
* The Cataract Gorge - a great little hike around and over a gorge which overlooks the city. We didn't try the chair-lift but would love to give it a go next time.
* City Park - a surprise discovery we found on our cold and foggy jog. Gorgeous and autumn-y and home to a group of Japanese snow monkeys! (really!)

Swansea and the Coles Bay area
I'd heard that Coles Bay and the Freycinet National Park was a natural wonder, but it wasn't until we drove in that I actually believed it. The photos don't do it justice.
* Piermont Retreat is an amazing resort full of small cottages on the beach. A very relaxing way to enjoy Tasmania's views at it's best.

I Love Food - Cute Cafes #2

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 01:01:00 +0000

How gorgeous is Vanilla Cafe in Bangkok? (via Cookie Cutter)

And a little closer to home, I can't wait to visit Cockadoodle and Hamptons Home - two MORE new cafes just opened walking distance from me!

I Love Blogs - BKFST

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:22:00 +0000

This tumblr makes my mouth water.

(All images via from the original sources (including my favourite blog), sourced via the BKFST blog).

I Love Peppermint Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:41:00 +0000

Chi Designs was lucky enough to have a full page piccie featuring in this month's Peppermint Magazine. The photo was taken by my brother Kim - check out more of his snaps here!

I Love Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Thinking of Japan at this sad time.

Please donate.

(pictured: the moving and beautiful Luminare festival held to commemorate the Kobe earthquake)

I Love Design - Cute & Functional

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Dunk Mug, Sushi Memo Block & Motz speakers

Brisbane is..

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 06:04:00 +0000

(I'm thinking about taking up knitting to get myself back into my crafting groove. Seems a funny thing to decide in this 34 degree weather!)

Suitcase Rummage!

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:24:00 +0000

I'm doing a market this weekend!

The super cute Suitcase Rummage will be held between 12 and 5pm, this Sunday the 5th of February in Reddacliff Place (in between Brisbane Library and the Casino). It will be full of vintage, handmade and other fun stuff that can be sold out of suitcases.

I'll have lots of great discounts on my regular wears and will have a few cute new products to show off! Hope to see you there. :)

I Love Food - Tetsuya's

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:32:00 +0000

Last week we took a whirlwind trip to Sydney mostly for a quick trip away but mainly because surprisingly, I was able to secure a table at Tetsuya's. We enjoyed an amazing 3+ hour degustation lunch at the beautiful restaurant on Kent Street and my only complaint was that I there was too much food.

My favourite dishes were the kingfish, the signature confit of ocean trout and scampi. The menu changes regularly, but we were lucky enough to have the following:

Chilled Cumcumber Soup with Sheep Yoghurt Ice Cream
Sashimi of Kingfish with Blackbean & Orange
Marinated NZ Scampi with Avocado Soup & Avruga
Confit Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu, Celery & Apple
Fillet of Mulloway with Asparagus & Pil Pil
Braised Ox Tail with Sea Cucumber & Yuzu
Pancetta Wrapped Quail Breast with Fresh Sprouts & Onion
De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Heirloom Carrots
Riesling Sorbet with Pomello & Summer Pudding
White Peach with Peach Granita
Chocolate Pave with Cream Cheese Ice Cream & Cinnamon Twigs
Chai Mochi

It was a very expensive lunch but well worth the splurge!

(Click on photo for source)

January

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 08:45:00 +0000

* Devastating floods - please donate here
* A whirlwind trip away
* A renewed obsession

I Love Photos - Detroit

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:32:00 +0000

Amazing photos of Detroit, a city in ruins.

I Love Blogs - Shibuya246

noreply@blogger.com (Chi Designs) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 23:11:00 +0000

Amazing photo blog - Shibuya246.

And while we're talking Japan (again), this post by Lee Tran Lam makes me so hungry!