Silk Blouses, Often

Tiny Huck

I’m a practical gal; though I like small comforting luxuries on the daily.  This is why silk blouses are my year round staple – because sleeveless, short, or long sleeved, I love being draped in soft luxurious silk. This signature long sleeve from Equipment is one of my best old time friends.

equipment fr silk

I also adore this detailed delight that my friend Christine picked up for me in Hong Kong:

Being in New York now, I’m trying to challenge myself to experiment away from my most-often-choices – e.g. everyday silks, only uni soba, and the same jams on repeat [I’ve been spending the last few days on the  Sam Smith bandwagon (thanks, Jack) because honestly: voice of an angel] And I’m definitely open to recommendations to see if I can’t find myself some new oftens.

xx, Huckleberry Kim

Steamed Tiny Buns + Short Sleeve Sweatshirts

Tiny Huck

I like spending Sunday mornings in Chinatown eating xiao long bao (shanghai soup dumplings).  Today, Shanghai Cafe was the jump off.  First of all, I love that the menu translates them so literally as “steamed tiny buns” – both the pork and pork + crab varieties are delicious.  Also, the fried version, “fried tiny buns” were just delightful and a nice variation of flavour and texture.  I’ll definitely be back.

On these xiao long bao Sunday excursions, I like to plan ahead for the dumplings that will fill my belly – no body con dresses here, y’all.  I’m all about the short sleeve sweatshirt and loose-fitting shorts. (Similar: by James Perse | by Vince on sale! | by Rachel Roy on sale!)

The short sleeve sweatshirt from Everlane (XS in black pictured here) is just oversized enough for me to eat 2 bamboo trays worth of xiao long baos without showing any tummy-dumpling-bulge. [Sidenote: NYC, if you haven’t yet, go check out the Everlane Open House, in SoHo @ 199 Lafayette, this week.  Pick up some white tees and try on the Summer Shirt Collection!  I’m already planning which denims I need, duh.]

Porkpie Hat old (similar: Free People | Goorin Bros. | Goorin Bros. )

huckleberrykim_porkpie_01

What’s an excursion to Chinatown without a Milk Tea Boba for dessert, right? (Sidenote: Dear Purple Kow SF D4, I miss you.)

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What’s your favorite Sunday indulgence outfit?

xx,
Huckleberry Kim

Coconut Matcha Chia Seed Pudding

Tiny Huck

CONFESSION: With warmer weather approaching, I’ve been indulging in too much ice cream lately.  So I’ve been looking for some healthier, cool, sweet, and refreshing options and hath concocted the following coconut match chia seed pudding.  It’s so easy, lightly sweetened with a smidgen of honey and perfectly topped with fresh organic blueberries!  Check out the easy recipe below:

  1. Take a quarter cup of chia seeds and whisk well with half a cup of coconut milk
  2. Mix in about a teaspoon of match powder until evenly dispersed
  3. Mix in about a teaspoon of your favorite honey (or to taste) until evenly dissolved
  4. Let it sit in the ‘fridge for a few hours (or over night)
  5. Top with fresh blueberries or your favorite fruits and enjoy!

coconut matcha chia seed pudding 2

coconut matcha chia seed pudding 3

xx,

Huckleberry Kim

Crown Braid + Ruffle Socks

Tiny Huck

Just revisiting being 9 years old.

As a child, I surely did not appreciate my mother’s trailblazing style & kindling foresight enough.  Mother used to crown-braid my hair almost every day when I was a child – especially for soccer practice.  She insisted, as I’d always been a hide-behind-your-hair-shy wee girl; “I want to see your pretty face,” she would say to my awkward missing-toothed childhood grin.  Oh boy, how things have changed…

Since fighting awkward-bang stage and trying to grow out my super fly fringe from last fall, I have fully embraced the crown braid; so much, that I’ve had to master the folds in under 5 minutes myself.

Like my 9 year old self, I still do love pairing up the ‘do with some kid-cuddly ruffle socks and baddie boots.  Thanks for showing me the light, mama.

ruffle socks 4

crown braid 2

ruffle socks 2

Burberry Brit Parka (similar: one, two, three), American Apparel dress

 xx,

Huckleberry Kim

DIY Aloe Kokedama

Tiny Huck

Who doesn’t love a quick, easy, pretty DIY house plant project? #amiright?

I had a hankering to get my hands DIY dirty today – both literally and figuratively, so I dropped by a little plant store in the NYC Flower District and picked up a little plant to sate my DIY craving.

I chose a little aloe plant, as I thought it’d be nice to have some soothing aloe hanging around this summer! har har har.

Check out the easy steps below and share pics of your favorite kokedamas! So far, I only have experience making these with succulents and ferns; though I’m very excited about the thought of DIY flowering plant and mini herb kokedama gardens next!

EASY STEPS TO MAKE A LITTLE ALOE PLANT KOKEDAMA:

Kokedama DIY Final Step

Step One: Get your gear & materials together

  1. Moss! (I got mine at a local store in Brooklyn, but you can order online too here a few options: one, two, three.
  2. A plant! For this kokedama, I decided I wanted to use a little aloe plant; since summer’s coming up and it’s always nice to have some soothing aloe around just in case!
  3. Some string/twine/thread & scissors! I just used some sturdy wax thread I had around.

DIY Kokedama Materials

Step Two: Lay out your moss

  1. Make sure the roots are up and green side down.

Kokedama DIY Step 1

Step 3: Add your (aloe) plant

  1. Gently remove your (aloe) plant from its container and place it in the center of your moss sheet.
  2. The soil surrounding your plant may still take form of the container (if it was well watered, unlike my aloe plant) – feel free to break up the soil into a ball or looser shape, depending on what form you’d like your kokedama to take.

Kokedama DIY Step 2

Step 4: Form the moss around the plant and soil

  1. Take care to make sure there aren’t any gaps in your moss for the soil to leak out when you’re watering your kokedamas!
  2. It’s always best to have some spare moss around to patch little holes that might appear.
  3. Remember, you’re just squeezing moss, soil and plant roots together, so be firm – you can’t hurt them too badly – plus you want your kokedama to be solid 🙂

Kokedama Step 4

Step 5: Start tying your thread/twine/string around the moss

  1. Wrap your string around 2-3 times and tie a knot.
  2. Leave some loose string (between 35 – 75 cm) like a purse strap, that will be used to hang the kokedama.
  3. Start wrapping the string around the moss in different directions very taught to make sure your moss, soil, and plant stay in place!
  4. If you decided to use a visible thread or twine, you might want to be a bit more systematic to create a pretty string pattern around your kokedama (*For my first one, I used fishing line, which was relatively inconspicuous so I could make sure my plants were taught without worrying too much about the look).

Kokedama DIY Step 4

Step 6: Hang up your kokedama and enjoy! 

Doesn’t this little guy resemble a wee pineapple?!

Kokedama DIY garden

xx,

Huckleberry Kim