i.m.home finds a new HOME!

On top of my family, there are three other things that make me busy (and this time, excited!), i.m.home, Petit Blanc and design work!  And for the last few months (yes, during my hiatus from blogging!), my partners and I have been busy setting up our new home for i.m.home (you'll be reading lots of "home" on this post!).  Nine more days and we will be opening our showroom!  Yay!  It's exciting for all of us because we finally have a place to showcase all our stuff.  It was not easy transferring our inventory from house to house, bazar to bazar. And once we open the place, people can come anytime by appointment to see our stuff.

20 Kamuning Road, Quezon City

July 22 *  1030am  - 500 pm  *  Sunday  

You can read previous posts on i.m.home here and here.


I would love to hear your thoughts!

Sunday Brunch

Yup.  Still here.  

I know...it has been the longest!

I don't even want to count the months.

It gets longer every time I take a break from blogging.  

Sunday brunch.

Love this shot of my kids, enjoying a magazine while waiting for the food.  A family photo in front of the restaurant and Bianca posing by the gallery entrance.  Can you see those two pieces of beauty beside her?  They're solid wood, with automotive paint on top.  How creative is that?

A restaurant.

14Four Cafe.  Food is good.  I had the Adobo flakes Si-log, Hubby and Bianca had breakfast burrito and Rapha had the meatloaf.  Rapha  (our little Chef) loved everything!  Mind you, he is hard to please when it comes to food!  But more than the food, I am smitten with all the details that were carefully thought of.  I love the drawings on the glass doors, the mismatched chairs, the unique light fixtures, the bent spoon on the coffee  cup and the very unique coaster made of fabric swatches.  This place is one big eye candy!  The beautiful interior sets the perfect venue for a Sunday brunch.  And the owner was sincerely warm and took time to chat with us.  :)

A gallery.

Eating at the restaurant won't be complete without the Gallery tour.  So, while waiting for the food to arrive, we went to STICKS.  This is one place that make you drool.  STICKS has this magical charm that you feel, as soon as you enter its doors.  Eclectic but charming, all pieces are tastefully put together.

Outdoors.

The alfresco dining is equally charming.  Beautiful garden.  Love the deck chairs in a row.  The copper chicken and chicks are soooo cute. I wanted to snatch them!  And lots of big chairs and pillows that make you want to lie down and read a book.

I've never blogged a restaurant nor a gallery.  But this one for me is worth sharing.  And a good come back post, if I may add.  :)  Go and  visit them!  Suggest you go on a Sunday so there's no traffic.  It may be quite a trip for some (but worth it!).  Luckily for us, we're in the East area so it took us only 20 mins on a Sunday!  Check out their FB page also for more photos, ours were all taken with a phone cam so they don't really do justice to the charming place. :)

I would love to hear your thoughts.

14Four Cafe and Sticks. 144 Magnolia Lane, Gregoria Heights Subdivision, Bgy San Isidro, Taytay, Rizal (Check here for the location map.)

Late Lunch and Valentine

This is my lunch today.  Took it quite late at 230 pm.  (Was too full to eat earlier because I had a hefty breakfast with my new found friend... Ingrid :)) I actually had leftovers...leftover pasta salad that my son Rapha prepared for dinner last night, i threw  in slices of lotus root (those round thingy with holes on top of salad) and a few slices of melon.  And I was happy to discover that I still have a couple of SPY wine cooler in the ref!  Have you tried it?  I usually buy that in the Thai stores in Singapore when I was still living there.   And I was just so happy to have found them at Rustans!  You should try it...comes in three flavors, rose (above), white and red wine.  It's light and goes well with pasta,   salad or anything spicy! :)

I know Valentine is over but I just love this song...and I'm sure you wouldn't mind listening to it..again and again...Everyday can be Valentine, right?  ;-)  Enjoy and happy weekend!

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Petit Blanc @ My Home!

Happy to share with you a couple of photos from My Home magazine.  My partners and I are thrilled to be part of the 2012 Collector's Edition (p.31)!  Get a copy when you get the chance.  There's a lot of good reads in this issue, plus you will get a glimpse of the pretty little things from Petit Blanc! ;-)

I would love to hear your thoughts!

happy new year, happy new me!

Nope, that's not me...but that's how I want to look like when I'm cooking healthier meals in 2012.  So fab, isn't she?  I've never seriously gone to a diet, and my very own family is starting to notice (or maybe they just never got the nerves to tell me before!) all the bulges brought by my love of sweets and chips (perfect combo, right?).  So hopefully, if I publicly announce my intention of losing weight and inches, I'll be more pressured and committed to do just that.  Wish me luck, I hope I can get myself a little black backless dress like this in the next few months!

And another resolution is to print more family photos.  My daughter is always complaining that we don't have enough printed photos around the house.   So my console table should be filled up with our photos soon, just like below.


Or how about investing on a polaroid??


So whether its' going to happen or not, however cliche resolutions are, it's still nice to have one and look into the new year hoping to make ourselves a better person.  So don't hesitate, make a resolution and tell me about it!  Good luck to us!  All the best in 2012!


I would love to hear your thoughts!


Photos via here

Mama Moment: Heartbreaker?

First step, first tooth, first word...there's a lot of "firsts" that we wait for and celebrate with our family.  Aren't' we always happy to witness them?  But little did I know that there are also "firsts" that I am not looking forward too.  If you have a teenage child, you might know what I mean.  I didn't know it will come by this early...yes, my little girl broke someone's heart!  She's just 15, I thought she did the right thing.  

I know times are different now when it comes to getting into a relationship.  There's just too much pressure from friends; and kids nowadays are always rushing, most of the time, failing to make wise decisions.  I am just glad and proud that my little girl knows what's best for her.  But I feel for the boy too, I know he only has the purest intentions.  Oh well...we cannot stop these things from happening.  I don't know how I'd cope  if it's my kids' who will be heart broken. Oh dear God...please prepare me for that time.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

My Treasured Letters...

Bundle of letters from Papa Ben...

Dear Lord,

As you welcome and receive Papa Ben, please tell him that we already miss him.  I never got the chance to write him back.  Tell him I treasure his letters so dearly, especially the one he wrote me before Ferdie and I got married.  Tell him I am so touched and felt so loved every time I received a letter from him; more so, for the letters he sent Bianca and Raphael and even my parents.  Please hug Papa Ben for me, dear Lord.  And I thank you for you not making him experience pain; he was so peaceful when he left.  Thank you, dear Lord, for keeping him under your wings, giving him your comfort and love.  We are saddened with our loss, but we are also happy to know that he is at peace now...with You. Thank you, dear Lord.

Irene

My father-in-law, Papa Ben passed away last Wednesday.  Rest in peace, Papa Ben...

My in-laws visited us while we were posted in Singapore.

With Bianca in a resto in Singapore...(Bianca cried the most!)

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I've posted about Xmas balls here and as I look around my house today, I noticed aside from the balls, I've got quite a number of trees as well...here...take a glimpse of what I've collected all these years. 

The two standing trees in the living and dining room.

Some are old pieces that has become the family's favorite while others were gifts from  friends and family.  They may be of different color and material, but each one finds a perfect nook around the house.  I have favorites but I love them all!  How about you?  Do you like decorating with trees also?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Xmas Tree decors as centerpiece

Last Saturday, I hosted 10 Juliana's (our home address) first Xmas dinner for 2011.  It was for my girlfriends whom I worked with in the same company before.  Until 4 pm of Saturday, I was looking for an inspiration for the table setting.  I was starting to panic, the guests will be arriving in about two hours and table is not yet made and I still need to prepare pasta and salad!  I wanted it to be glamorous, festive and dramatic but I didn't want to spend for new decors.  

So I went looking around the house and found the black hanging screens  that we sell at i.m.home.  Thought it will be a great anchor for the table setting.  But still, nothing ON the table.  As I was putting out the plates, chargers, etc, I found purple napkins...BANG!  That created the black, gold and purple theme!  And where else can I get purple stuff?  I got lots from my jewel-toned tree!    I got my majestic bird, balls, baubles, beads and mini tree.  I think it turned out nice!  It was glamorous, festive and dramatic! I was happy and I finished just in time :-)

So next time you are setting the table, look around your house first before buying new ones.  Don't be limited with candles and flowers.  Now good luck to me for the balance Xmas dinners!  I hope I don't run out of inspirations!

I would love to hear your thoughts!

More Xmas Balls...

More balls... but this time it's my yummy cheese ball!  I thought I won't be doing it this year but it's hard to refuse friends who have made my cheese ball part of their Xmas dinner spread; while some graciously give them as presents to special friends and family.  And of course there are new friends who just discovered my cheese ball.  So how can I say  no, right?  So together with the help, we are again busy chopping, mixing, moulding and wrapping!  Just like last year!   So there you have it, it's not a decor scene for this post, but I still consider this a Xmas vignette in Casa Insigne!  (This is the third, so 17 more to come!)

I would love to hear your thoughts!