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Thursday, August 12, 2010

I want one of this please!

DOMINO...the decorating Bible


Dedon round lounge chair...i can read and sleep here all day long! 
This will be perfect for my lanai.



 RED Verner Panton chair...an icon of modern design. 
How tempting to get an imitation piece...but NO!  I will save for the real one!



Vintage cameo earrings... I love looking through my Lola's jewelry collection
when I was a kid and my favorite was her Cameo collection. 
I've always wanted a pair!

How about you?  What's on your wish list??

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My Little Artist

Sharing with you some of Raphael's digital doodles...

HOUSE


Clowny Face


The Rainbow Person

 
MOON

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Pretty Finds



This is my current favorite!
A wooden ring with an encased batik fabric.
Chunky, square, red, Philippine-made.
Very unique!
Unfortunately, it's not mine...
I got it for Bianca (from a quaint store in Cubao!)
And she's loving it!


Here's another pretty piece!
Twisted and twined copper with rose quartz
And other semi-precious stones.
Chunky, gold and hand made!
Adds character to a simple tshirt-jeans outfit!

Happy Tuesday!

Irene

Monday, August 9, 2010

A Bit of Styling: Bathrooms

Today, I thought I'll let you peek at a couple of rooms in my house, and share with you some simple touch ups to spice up those little corners in your own home, that are sometimes neglected. 


The guest bathroom -- as it is, the counter looks good already because of the hard-wearing block of wood.   Clean and simple.  But I still feel it lacks the warmth I want my guests to feel when they use it.  So I added some greens to make it look and feel warmer.    And it made a difference!


I didn't even have to spend on anything.  I found those greens about to be thrown away by my neighbor who just trimmed his plants.  At night time, candles are necessary to complete the warm,cozy feel of the powder room!

Next is our master's bathroom. We have a his and her sink, so there's really space to fill up on the counter.  If my husband will have his way, this is the perfect counter for him.  Clean, uncluttered, with just a potted plant at the corner.  But for me, it lacks personality.  It can be any one's bathroom.  So, scroll down and see how our counter really looks like.


A bamboo tray in the middle holds the aroma sticks, a bowl of hand towels and a starfish tealight holder made out of bone.  Now that feels homey!

 

This tray is pretty and functional at the same time.  It's something that I change from time to time, depending on my mood.  It can be a group of candles, rolled towels, my Chinese hanger of accessories, or maybe a jar of collected shells.  I'm sure you also have your own stash of little bits and pieces you can use to spice up your bathroom.  You only need a bit of imagination to make a personal space look appealing and inviting.  I hope I was able to inspire you to do a bit of your own styling.   Have fun!  :-)
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Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Story of the Birdies...or is it our Story???

 

I just love these birdies!!  They've been with the family ever since.  From our first country-themed home, they were in the garden, perched on a country birdhouse (that birdhouse didn't live as long as the birds though.).  Then they travelled with us to Jakarta  and became a fixture by the outdoor jacuzzi, together with the other Balinese garden decor. 


After 3 1/2 years, they tweeted their way back to Manila and again found their home on this stone grinder, which I turned to a water feature.  Birds love to bathe, right?   (Photo above with Bianca in her Indonesian outfit for UN day in school.)  Three years in Manila and they never left this fountain; until it was time to pack again. 

The family moved to Singapore and  they were nestled by the master's bedroom terrace.  There was even a time when they had a real birdie neighbor who found a home on the tree by the terrace.  We actually witnessed the building of nest, hatching of the eggs, up until the birds' first flight out of the nest!  It was an amazing experience for the family!  (Actual photo above... sorry it's not so clear, it was taken from a mobile phone cam.) After 4 years in Singapore, Ferdie was again called back to Manila.  Our ever loyal birdies were temporarily put into storage, while waiting for our new house to be built. 



Now here they are, their color is faded, legs are rusty, but they still hold on happily to each other.  And that other little guy there?.. He is just as content as the first time we got him!  Maybe this time they will be living in our garden for a longer time.  As for the family, we are just like these three birdies, always happy and contented, wherever we are.  But nobody really knows what awaits the family in the next years to come.  But one thing for sure, these three little birdies will fly with us wherever we go!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Irene



Saturday, August 7, 2010

Doors, doors, and more doors!

DOORS, doors, dOoRs...
some are big, some are small
some are red, some are green
come take a look at what kind of doors
i have made
 
'tis the door
that lets you in
welcome to the tour
i begin...


we leave our shoes
that's what we're used to
they go inside here
in their own special place...
  

i dare not leave this door behind
it's been with us since Jakarta time
come in if you need
to take a leak


friends and family
are all welcome
this door will lead you
to your room



the favorite handle
goes to the favorite person
of the family
take a peek at yaya bel's room!



these are the doors
that keep precious trinkets, secrets and treasure
of one of our angels...
can you guess who?



books, trains, planes and cars
that's what you'll see
when you go through this door
need i say more?



the biggest and grandest of all
that's what Bianca would call
to ferdie and me, it's simply doors
these doors keep all the plans, the dreams
and joy our family brings

No two doors are the same in our house.  Each one has a unique wooden handle, handpicked and designed by me!  We are blessed to have found all these beautiful wood, they don't come by easily these days, you know. 

hope you enjoyed looking at our doors
come over and knock anytime soon!

irene

Friday, August 6, 2010

My School Bag

In my third post, I said I missed Singapore.  There's another thing I miss about Singapore...the time I spent in school.  Two years ago, I went to a design school to pursue my love for interior design.  Unfortunately, we had to move back to Manila, and I was not able to complete the two year course.  Now that we're all settled, the house is finished,  I'm thinking if I should finish the course here in Manila.

My black, big and heavy schoolbag which contains all my sketch pads, rulers, pens, etc.  And the small "manicurista" kit that houses my paint and brushes.

The first residential plan i made, the stick figure at the right was my inspiration-model.  That's why the lay out of the house has very sharp, unpredictable and irregular shapes.   

More rulers!

I love these water-based paint!  So easy to use for amateurs like me!  The drawing where the bottle sits on was my first colored 3D drawing!  Now I'm not sure if I can still draw and paint like that! 
Yesterday, I was just looking at my wonderful supplies.  It was nice to look back and remember all the fond memories it brings.  More than the school, the paint, sketches and plans, I miss my classmates.  It was such a small, dynamic and multi-cultural class.  Three of the eight (including myself) didnt' get to finish for personal reasons while the five, I recently heard graduated last June!  Congratulations!  Hope you get to read this!


In one of our class party..
(L-R  Brendon, our very young teacher, James, Adrianne, ME, Anne Marie, Maude, May, Ashraf and Ahmed)

My two girlfriends, Maude and Anne Marie.
We were fondly regarded as the "aunties"  (how Singaporeans call the older ladies) of the group!  Hahaha!!

Monday, August 2, 2010

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

I am lucky to have friends who know exactly what to give me as presents...things that are not just decorative but serve other purpose as well.  These pieces have become a favorite collection of mine!  They can't seem to have a permanent place around the house.  They just keep moving around.  Last Friday, we hosted a dinner for Ferdie's colleague who is transferring to another assignment.  Guess what?  My Asian-Oriental collection found another use...they became a centerpiece!  Take a look at the tablescape...

 

Candleholder at the front was a gift from my badminton group in Singapore. 
Love the gold and blue handpaint design!  The green (jade stone) one is a personal purchase from a furniture shop in Singapore.  


Lacquered Burmese lunchbox from my best friend Jing, who used to live in Myanmar.  She said monks in Myanmar parade in the streets every morning, carrying these lunchboxes to store their solicited food.


Bowls given by my Catechism students in Singapore as a farewell gift.  It is a 6-pc set, consisting of 3 green bowls and 3 yellow bowls.  These Peranakan (referring to the first Chinese settlers in Malaysia) bowls are very charming with the handpainted, embossed little flowers on it.  It even came in a nice vintage Peranakan red box (maybe I'll post a photo of it next time.)!  Even prettier with the little "Quiapo" flowerettes in it; which I start growing in the garden.


This opium pot is not a gift but a personal purchase from Hanoi, Vietnam in one of my trips with Ferdie.  With such a stylish opium pot, you would feel like smoking.  Won't you?


Chinese button knot napkin holders.  You can't go wrong with this simple and elegant table accessory!  I bought it from one of the quaint home store in Singapore.  I only got 6 pieces, I should have gotten a dozen!


So there goes my Asian-Oriental inspired dinner!  I wonder what I could whip up for the next dinner?  Maybe I should start looking around the house for inspiration!

Have a good week!

Irene

Sunday, August 1, 2010

My Thankful Heart


Don't you just love fortune cookies? I am always thrilled with the surprise inside and I will keep getting one until I pick the fortune that feels right for me.  But last night, I only had to pick once (see fortune above) and I knew it's the perfect one. 

It does not take long to think of the
top three things I'm thankful for...

FERDIE -- My funny and ever soo lovable husband. 
My kids asked me before what I love about their Papa...
I simply said He makes me laugh all the time.
"LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH AND LAUGH OFTEN!"
-- Author Unknown

BIANCA & RAPHAEL -- My two angels
What is it with children these days??  They grow up so fast and I can hardly keep up.  One day you scold them for not finishing their food...before you know it, they're scolding you for eating too much!  I am forever amazed how smart (read as outstanding reasoning skills!) they get each day.  I'm just glad they still welcome my hugs and kisses (surprisingly, they still ask for it!)
"THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A MAMA-HUG"
-- Terri Guillemets

10 JULIANA -- Our home, the best place in the world!
My very first design project in Manila! It was a breeze building the house.  Thanks to our very reliable contractor.  And even more fun designing and doing the interior.  Five months only since we moved to our new house, we have hosted 10 parties already!  Each get together builds fond memories of our HOME. Loving it!
"IT TAKES HANDS TO BUILD A HOUSE,
BUT ONLY HEARTS CAN BUILD A HOME."
-- Author Unknown


That's my top three!  What's yours?  Happy weekend! 

Irene





 

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