West Elm Philippines

West Elm open it's doors in Manila and it is actually their first store in Southeast Asia. So while in Manila on the first day of my vacation, we visited their store at Estancia Mall before heading to my hometown in Bulacan.

West Elm supports local artisans from the Philippines by showcasing Filipino products like native baskets and wood products, capiz and even pottery even before the Manila store opened. And I could not be happier to see their products coming back to its roots. And for the Filipino people and its neighboring Asian countries to have their hands on this world-class brand.

Here are more photos for your browsing pleasure.

Natural Fiber Rugs in various geometric and traditional patterns

Brass Cage Terrariums at the bottom shelf. They are made in India.

Meet the Linework Vases - Honeycomb.

These are handcrafted in the Philippines and below is the video for it.

Stay tuned for our visit to Pottery Barn and H&M Home!

Simple DIYs for the Kid's Room

MyGirls is on a month-long vacation to the Philippines and I am left alone here in Singapore for three weeks.

My strategy to beat the homesickness is to keep myself busy, by productively engaging myself in housework organization and a lot of spring cleaning. And after this, if I still have time, finally enjoy ME-time before my week-long vacation to the Philippines which coincides with Father's Day and my birthday as well.

I have already fix some house issues, organized all the closets and cupboard, gave the main door a fresh coat of paint, did a little gardening, redecorated the bookshelves and all. But their absence really gave me plenty of time to re-imagine the kids' room. I think the room lacks elements that inspire creativity. So although, I know that this room will soon be transformed to a two-bedded room for both of them, I also think they deserve a space that is different from the rest of the house where they can be both happier, more creative kids.

I did a series of five simple and easy-to-do DIYs for their room. And here they are:

1. CHALKBOARD CABINET DOORS. Their room was originally painted striped black and white when we moved in and these cabinets are original to the house. I just grabbed some colored chalks, doodled their names on one and "Friends Forever" on the other. Because as a father, I can only hope that they will be -  not just sisters by blood but actually sisters by heart, and be really good friends.

2. WALL DISPLAY BOXES AND SHELVES. I got both the Mini House Shadow Boxes and the Legendary House Wall Shelves from Cotton On Kids. I simply hang them on a 0.50 kg-capacity stick-on hooks (because I don't want to drill on the walls) and decorated it with books and plush toys. 

3. PAINTED HEADBOARD WALL. To give more emphasis and for the white bed frame to pop against the light gray wall, I used Nippon Drama Red in gloss finish for the backdrop. I just taped the area to be painted with the shape of the Legendary House Wall Shelf as inspiration and painted away. I did three coats to fully cover the area and the result was indeed dramatic. Be sure to use the water-based option for a fast-drying, odour-free paint job, and for easy cleanups.

4. WASHI TAPE CLOSET DOORS. Among the DIYs, this would probably be the easiest. I just purchased a few washi tapes in various design and stick the tape down the doors, and it's done. It created vertical lines that lead your eyes up the ceiling making the room look more spacious than it actually is. It also jazzed up the old, boring, green-accented doors.

5. KID'S ART DISPLAY LINE. Ashrie loves to read and when she's not reading, she's drawing. Her artworks are either piling up in her drawers, on the fridge wall, and even her room's door. This project eliminates the clutter and at the same time provides a space for her to exhibit her works, which she can also change and update anytime. So it's both functional and decorative.

I hope the kids will be surprised and delighted when they finally see their new room once they return to Singapore. Until then!

Ashrie at the Trick Eye Museum

I guess Ashrie behaved well the last time the Titas brought her out because just a few weeks ago (actually on her birthday), she had a day-out again with the Titas and at the same night was our surprise birthday party for her.

They went to Sentosa this time. And although they went to see a lot of attractions there, I will be sharing her photos as she experience the 3D Korean Wave that is the Trick Eye Museum here in Singapore.

Thank you Titas!

DIY Gift Wrapper

It has been a family culture that we give presents to whoever is left and whoever's coming home. This week, after MyGirls headed home to the Philippines, I received a colorful box as my early birthday and Father's Day present. It is wrapped in this abstract artwork paper that makes it more personal and even more special.

Jane then informed me that it was actually Lia's hand prints all over the wrapper. She even sent me the how-to and it's quite interesting. So here's how to make a one-of-a-kind wrapping paper when you give presents for that special someone in your life via a photo demonstration from Little Lia.

That's how you do it. (Just make sure to use non-toxic poster color paints if you will let your child do this.) Enjoy!

Lia's First Birthday Party

Two days after Lia’s exact birth date, we celebrated her first birthday with a simple thanksgiving party. It was held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of Yishun Sapphire Condominium.

We started the day early preparing the place for the event. It was quite a task to decorate a party venue on a limited time. It is very different from prepping the house for an event. Here, we have an unfamiliar place (although I did make an ocular inspection once), limited resources, and limited time. We need to make the decor stable for it to stay up until the party ends, but it also must be removed with ease because we need to tidy the place up and bring it back to the state it was in before we came.

With little tweaks on the original design that I have envisioned, I’m satisfied with what we have accomplished. The 92 paper flowers, the frequent trips to ArtFriend and Spotlight, and the two-month preparation were all worth it.

For the second time around, we had Grandma’s Restaurant for the catering. And as expected, Grandma’s Curry chicken was the crowd favorite. They served Chicken Rice, Fried Bee Hoon, Chap Chye, Homemade Braised Beancurd with Mushrooms, Sweet and Sour Fish, and Curry Chicken. For the refreshments we ordered Orange Juice and Cendol. 

Her birthday cake was a 3D Bumble Bee Cake from Secret Recipe, because a floral-themed party needs a bumble bee, right? I’m just surprised and somewhat disappointed that they used a red logo-printed cake board. To me, it doesn’t elevate the design but made it more busy and confusing to look at. I would prefer the simple silver or gold metallic foil or even matte cake boards so that the cake will stand-out. Taste-wise, the guests loved the moist chocolate cake inside.

The Birthday Girl arrived in a long turquoise gown with a laced bodice and accented with huge faux gems. The little princess even had with a tiara on her sweet head. Good thing she was well-behaved during the entire party. She played with the balloons, slept on her scheduled naptime and swam in the kiddie pool right behind the backdrop. We also made sure we chose an early starting time for the party and that it would not end too late, for her sake. We were finished tidying up at around 8pm.

As you might have noticed, there are © LarawaNia watermarks on her birthday photos. It's because we invited my cousin who is a photographer and fortunately on a short vacation to Singapore recently. She took some snaps and did her magic. And I couldn't thank her enough for bringing her camera and doing what she loves and does best. Thanks Nia!

I love how dreamy the pictures are, and how the important moments are immortalized in a frame. Sweet moments were captured amidst the chaos of it all. So here are more unforgettable moments from her party. 

 

Thanks to all our guests who came. And to everyone who helped us, from the venue, to the decorations and even for the cleaning up. 

Lia, Happy Birthday! May you grow beautifully inside and out. We love you dearly.