style me {pretty}

Hello blog peeps! I have been gone way too long. Yes, I can go on and on about the many reasons I have been remissed with my blog posts, but why bother, huh? The important is I am here to share with you my stories and creations.

My share today is about the wedding of my good friend Lily last August to her long time beau, Randy. Early on she asked me to be one of her secondary sponsors to which I said yes to. However, what excited me the most was when she sought my help to wrap and pretty up her wedding tokens for the sponsors, entourage & guests. As you will see in the photo below, I did my best to dress up the plain white boxes that housed the solar flashlights she gave away. Later on, she informed me that many of her guests didn't want to unwrap the gifts because they felt they were too pretty to ruin.

I also made "Thank You" cards for their wedding sponsors.

In keeping with her color motif, I used an eggplant colored cardstock as the background for the sentiment. I kept it very simple by adding a crystal heart on top of the "O".

That's it for now. I'll be back real soon. PROMISE!

Dreams Come True

Zooooom!

Three more days and it's October. Where did the time go? To be honest, I don't have any paper craft projects to post because I haven't been making any. Why? Just not in the mood for it lately. However, I can't not let this month pass without having at least one entry for September.

Two things I enjoy doing: crafting & writing. And last July, I was given an opportunity to do both in an article I wrote for Northern Living Magazine, August issue.

Seeing my work printed in a glossy publication was exhilarating and surreal. It's a dream come true.

P.S. Notice anything new here? =)

An Easy Sunday

Today is lazy Sunday in our home. 
Everyone is happily contented,
Savoring each moment of togetherness,
Recharging for the week ahead.

Happy Independence Day!

{Belated} Mother's Day

I know it's is done and over with, but I can't pass up not sharing with you presents I gave to my mom, mother-in-law and all the other moms in my life who've chosen this very fulfilling vocation called motherhood on Mother's Day.

Besides my usual paper creations, this year I included special treats from my kitchen to give to these amazing women.

Since I've been trying to improve my baking skills lately I decided to make these delectable Mini Citrus Rum Cakes with Cream Cheese Glaze. The recipe is very straightforward which made it very easy to follow. Most importantly I had all the ingredients on hand.

I then placed each one inside a golden laminated box which I tied with abacca twine along with my very own handmade tag.

They are like little treasure chests, precious like the recipients.

S.O.S. | What Went Down

Hi everyone! Take a look at what went down during Alexis' SleepOver Spa Party.

First, the girls were treated to a home cooked meal for dinner in our formal dining room. My cousin Jek helped me dress up the table. She has a knack for table setting.

The birthday girl.

The balloon towers were from the party of my friend's daughter the night before.

The Menu: My Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta & Salpicao, Manang Marlyn's Chicken Ala King with my buttered bread cups and Monsee's breadsticks.

For dessert, the girls had French macarons from Bizu and the cupcakes I baked. In lieu of a cake, I used the cupcake tier my sister Teena sent all the way from New Jersey to make a cupcake tower. In keeping with the spa theme, I added a nail polish bottle in between each cupcake to liven it up.

Afterwards the girls headed on to....

where they were greeted with this scene.

More goodies for the girls to bring home.

Hair & Facial Masks Station

Now, here's the best part of the night...

Each girl was treated to a "Pampered Hands and Feet Treatment" by Spaworks Mobilespa owned and operated by another good friend.

The girls were all smiles and felt simply divine the whole evening, but most importantly my sweet Alexis was very very happy.

S.O.S | In The Bag

In keeping with Alexis' spa themed party her guests beauty got to bring home some beauty essentials that were tucked inside these tumbler bags I made.

Check out the pampering goodies they got...
 

nail polish in bright bold colors

travel-size nail files

mini hand sanitizers & holders

and grooming kits

Seeing the girls' pretty smiles made putting these favors together truly worthwhile.

Edit: Thank you so much to my sister, Teena, 

for providing the Bath and Body products

and all the other goodies. Love ya!

 

{Happy} Sweet Sixteen

Guys, look at the invites I made for my daughter's sleepover spa party.

Alexis, a Pisces, was born on February 22, 1995. Her birthstone is Amethyst. It is associated with spirituality, wisdom, sobriety, and security. It is purple in color which happens to be my sweetie's favorite.

I decided to use Stampin' Up's Elegant Eggplant and Green Galore cardstocks as the base for these crisscross invitations. And the hearts from the coordinating designer papers add just the right amount of cuteness for both the invites and favor bags befitting a young lady's sweet sixteen party.

Drop by again later this week to see more of Alexis' S.O.S. party.

HVD

HAPPY HEARTS DAY!

Here's something that will surely keep the hearts of  bibliophiles aflutter.

As you can see, this small packet packs quite a punch.

A Tote For You {And Me}

 Strike a pose

Strike a pose

Bags! Bags! Bags!

Look around everywhere you turn is a bag,

Handbags, shoulder bags, evening bags, messenger bags.

From Coach to Louis Vuitton,

Females, young and old, just can't get enough.

So, what is a crafting girl to do?

Be inspired and create.

'Tis The Season

A very good morning to everyone! Woke up at 4 am today to attend the final Misa de Gallo in our village. Feels really good to have completed the 9 consecutive dawn masses, a Novena to Mama Mary, the mother of our Savior. Now, I am most definitely ready for Christmas.

So, before it gets crazy busy in our home I would like to wish all of you, my blog friends, a very Merry Christmas. Thank you also for your comments and suggestions. I enjoy reading them. Knowing that my creations are appreciated by many all over the world really makes me happy. You guys are just awesome!


Here's my last Christmas offering for the year 2010. I made them especially for my friends. I sprayed some shimmer mist in the cardstock to make them more elegant and Christmassy. Too bad the photo didn't capture their twinkle and glimmer. Sigh!


My inspiration for this piece was the gift I received from a friend. She gave me some moist and chewy Food for the Gods that were bundled up in red Japanese paper and gold mesh then tied up with raffia, paper & organza riboons. It was so pretty that I was tempted not to open it. Hahahaha!!!


Well, that's all for now. Enjoy your time with your families and friends. Life is good!

Merry Bundles

Hey blog peeps! A couple more sleeps and Christmas will be here. That means it's crunch time for all you folks who are not yet done with your Christmas shopping. And I say "Good luck!" because it's a jungle out there nowadays.

Yup! Yup! Traffic is at its worse. Finding good parking is a bummer. Check out counters are a constant neverending lines. Sorry for sounding like a sourpuss. Am just keeping it real.

My point is that in the midst of all this holiday madness try not to lose your cool. It's so easy to snap at the saleslady who is totally ignorant of the products she's selling or curse the hell out at the imbecile guy who took your parking space. I've done both and believe me it doesn't help and is soooo not worth it It'll just ruin your day. So, just take a deep breath, smile and walk away.

Now, here's something merry to smile about.


It's Dasher on centerstage.


I got the idea for this project from Melissa Phillips. Visit her blog and be inspired as well.


Look at all the pretty Christmas bundles I made. All the Christmas paper scraps from previous projects were put to good use. Gotta love that!