HouseWarming Party

We have opened our home to close friends the night of Christmas 2013 and we were so glad that all those who have RSVP’d positively turned up for the event. We had no decorations other than what is already in the house for the holidays, our gold and crystal-themed Christmas tree and a matching garland on the balustrade to go with it.

We served a spread of Honey-Glazed Ham, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Fried Chicken Wings, Potato Gratin, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Cinnamon Rolls, Cookies (Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Chip), and Filipino Fruit Salad.

Here are some photos:

Ashrie with the Lorenzo Brothers

Diane, Jane and Yardley

Ashrie with Tito AR

Ashrie with Eunice

With the Santos-Uys

With the Lorenzos

With the Riverals

With the Ullah and Garry Rubio

With the Agustins

Me&MyGirls (and the baby bump)

Thank you so much for coming, and as I've said, “Nothing warms the home better than the company of good friends!”

River Safari

Me&MyGirls went to River Safari the other weekend. Jane was on her first trimester and she has not been going out that much with Ashrie because of that. It was a planned whole-day outdoor treat for us, especially for the two.

That's what we thought.

We found out later that it is not as big as the zoo or the bird park (as we have expected) to have something to do the whole day. We were there for about 5 hours not to mention that we were walking very slow not to exhaust the preggy wife.

River Safari is composed of two parcels of land divided by a river. It has the same vibe as Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo and Underwater World, It's a 3-in-1 but not as big as the first two.

   

Although, we haven't experience the complimentary* boat ride because Jane's pregnant and Ashrie's height falls a few millimeters short of the required height, seeing the pandas was worth the trip. And being face-to-face with the manatees was just breath-taking.

*During our visit the boat ride is still complimentary until further notice. Check the River Safari website for more info.

By the way, it's the last day of the year. What a great year this was! Thank God for our 2013 and Happy New Year to all!

Living Hall Reveal

As promised, here's the "Before", the sketch and the "After" photos of our Living hall.

First, we got rid of the trio of lights hanging in the corner and install a new TV point on the opposite side of the wall near the entrance. We did the same treatment with the dining room and painted the ceiling all-white. The walls carry Nippon's Latte shade all throughout the living hall to the dining room with the exemption of our accent wall which is in Nippon's Gray Mood.

The floors were untouched, it is still the same polished homogeneous tiles with decorative stone tile inserts. We installed wall-to-wall curtains on one side of the room to give the living hall a clear backdrop and for privacy purposes.

We hung a custom-made artwork at the center of one wall and this set-off the room's accent colors. All those reds, blues, and purple shades are, in one way or the other, available in that pixelated piece of art (which I will tell you about it in one of my future posts).

The sofa is from La Cafa Furniture, which has its furniture collection sold at Mode Studio in Marina Square and The Furniture Mall. The coffee table is also from La Cafa. Originally with white-painted wooden legs, we requested to have it changed to shiny stainless steel legs.

The blue sofa is Francfranc's LONE Sofa. It's now a limited edition piece because they will not be producing the one-seater type. I love this chair because it supports your back fully and the texture of the fabric is almost velvety to the touch. We just "threw a throw" on one side it's perfect, as a reading or even as a snoozing spot. The two dark brown ottomans are POLLY Stools, also from Francfranc.

And lastly, to tie it all together is IKEA's Tarnby jute rug. It gives a natural look and feel to the space. It is neutral in color and provides that needed contrast, texture and warmth against the shiny and cold living hall stone flooring.

Here's La Sala.

By the way, it will be Christmas in six days, so from Me&MyGirls, have a very Merry Christmas!

*Update: I had a good rummage of my old files and found this on the valuation report. It's the actual photo of our apartment before we moved in, still with the furniture of the previous owners and how they have lived in the space. 

Dining Room Update

Here's my first post house-moving post. And a first glimpse inside La Casa de Sto.Domingo. 

We moved farther north from Yishun to Woodlands last Halloween (obviously, we are not superstitious people) and since then, interior decorating became part of our hobbies as a couple and as a family. We believe that home decorating is a work in progress and an activity that is always evolving. We are open to changes and looking for ways to progressively improve our abode and ultimately, better the way we live.

Our dining room is used thrice or more daily, and having a young schoolgirl and another baby soon, it must be easy to maintain.

We haven't change much in the dining hall. Basically, we keep the floors bare for easy clean-ups. Baby food or red wine would be a disaster if we placed an area rug. The previous owner left the dining set and we just polished the wooden table and washed the chairs' slipcovers. We bought natural-looking woven placemats to match the chairs which are actually plastic, again for cleaning convenience.

For the walls, we initially wanted to remove those square accents but after the painting, we decided to keep it there. The walls carry Nippon's Latte and Gray Mood matte shades.

The framed picture in the living room, which was previously hung horizontally is now upright and gracing the dining room wall.

The ceiling which has a varnished cornice before was given a facelift and painted all white. And the pendant bowl chandelier was cleaned and polished.

We're planning to have a full-length mirrored wall installed here just to open up the small space. The cast iron balustrade will remain (for now). After all, it's has been one of the prominent features of the house that makes us fall for the house.

Now, here's the La Comedor's "after" photos. I'll show you what we did with the living room next time. See yah! 

Frozen

We were able to catch Disney's latest animated musical-fantasy (and comedy) film Frozen last weekend and it was epic! Actually, having rarely watched anything on the big screen would be good. But that’s not the case with this one, it is really good. Although some critics have dubbed it as Disney’s best animated musical since the renaissance, I would simply call it one of the best Disney musicals of all time. Just when I thought they have geared away from doing fairy tale adaptations, Frozen was an original story loosely based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

Nordic music (or what I want to call it) is really mesmerizing. Sometimes, what you don’t understand lift your spirits more than the ones you do. You just flow with the orchestrated harmony and all and don’t bother with the lyrics. I'm pretty sure that a musical theatre will be in the works soon as good reviews for both the film and the soundtrack is high and up.

I had a glimpse of the trailer before we watched the film and I am always seeing that big sticker-poster on the way to work every day and I really don’t like Olaf. “That odd-looking snowman with a silly grin and big front teeth shouldn't be in the picture”, I thought. But guess what, it ended to be that he has given us the most laughs. His antics gave Ashrie some literal LOL moments! I think we really mustn't judge a person (or in this case a creature) by its cover. Sorry Olaf! My favorite part however was Elsa's construction of her ice castle where all the world's ice hotels pale in comparison.

If you haven’t watched it, Disney fan, well you might not want to miss this. It’s still showing in theatres island-wide. It’s a good family movie and is one for the books!

Fatherhood 2.0

Jane's expecting and we're so happy! Right now, the baby is just seven weeks old and there is a big possibility that the baby and I would have the same birthday! But that would be confirmed on her next checkup. There are a few innovations after our first child with regards to prenatal diagnosis, and it's quite amazing! On her first checkup, she was able to hear our child's heartbeat even if he measures only 3mm last week! That was not so during her first pregnancy 4 years ago. We still need to wait a few more weeks to know our second child's gender. We are praying for a boy but ultimately would want a healthy baby above all. That's the big news for now.

We are still in the process of moving and settling ourselves to the new place. And these past few days has been crazy to say the least. More updates coming soon.

Home Soon!

We got the keys for the new flat last Monday and we got two weeks left to have some minor renovations done. I already made arrangements for the painting services, utilities installation and will contact the handyman soon to finish up the works. Everything’s running smoothly and we’ll be ready to move-in before the end of the month. We have waited for this since July and we’re on to the last stretch. We're so happy!

Life’s been very busy these days but all the more exciting! We’ll update you more, soon.

CB2

If Crate&Barrel is too contemporary, strict or even boring for you (although I beg to differ) well, her younger sister CB2 might be the store for you. CB2 is fresh and young but oozing with character and attitude.

It is housed on the 2nd floor of the historic Peranakan Place along Orchard and can be reached via the lift at street level. Entrance is a bit inconspicuous because the space is unmanned and it just seems to be a modern art installation of sorts. But once you take the lift it will open up to a space filled with funky furniture, colorful knick-knacks and delicious décor.

The store interiors definitely has a youthful vibe and is very artsy with striking colors here and there which is mellowed down by the stone walls of the old structure painted white and the bare concrete floors. The old arched windows let some light in and act as a beautiful backdrop to the furniture groupings. CB2 also infuses the oriental culture by incorporating just the right amount of local flavor in the accessories.

What we love: The mix of old and new. It’s inspiring how modern furniture and accessories can blend well with vintage finds and even junk, provided they are showcased with proper accent lighting and a big space to breathe.

We will definitely come back soon. Meanwhile check out their offerings here.

Crate&Barrel

Crate&Barrel opened their first store in Southeast Asia earlier this year to positive reviews from all over the city-state. I usually have a “What We Love” section at the end of my recent articles but not with this post since we love almost everything! And I love how their logo’s ampersand has no spaces like my blog title, Me&MyGirls.

We adore the store’s collection of home furnishings which has that modern contemporary feel. Most of their products are on the “upmarket range” especially for bigger furniture, but there is definitely no compromise when it comes down to design, workmanship and quality. Their products come from various sources- Mexico, Indonesia, and The Philippines just to name just a few. Some items are directly from the United States and some are from China.

The Singapore store welcomes customers first with their outdoor furniture range, followed by the kitchen and dining furnishings, and lastly, the living and bedroom pieces just like when you enter a real house. And as my new favorite place, I definitely would not mind having a home furnished with Crate&Barrel products.

Their products can be viewed online via their website. And they also have an international shipping service. In Singapore, their store is strategically located on the 4th Floor of ION Orchard. There is also a small annex on the 3rd floor.