Simple Look for a Roaring 1920's Party

The theme for our 2013 Year-End Party was The Great Gatsby (Roaring 20's). Since I didn't want to spend a lot for a new costume, I just worked with the stuff I have in my closet and borrowed some items and bought a P20 headband to get the look.

With a plain black dress, I just used a lot of accessories to be a 'flapper girl'.

1. A fascinator (borrowed)

2. Chandelier earrings

3. Beaded Headband (bought at P20)

4. Gloves

5. Feather Boa (borrowed)

6. Long Pearl Necklace

7. Strappy Sandals

 

Too bad the curling iron didn't work on me. A red/ dark lipstick could also make you look more dramatic.

I know it looks really simple but I still fit in the 1920's right?

What's your Christmas party theme for this year? Let me know your plans for your costume =) 

Shrek, Rattle and Roll

Our theme for this year's Halloween party is Shrek. Congrats to our team who won the 3rd place of our annual Halloween event =)

Our work area was turned to the 'Swamp' where Shrek lives.

Inside the workstations, you'll feel like you're inside the forest. You can even smell the dried leaves that were included in the props.

As you go along, you'll walk through the 'village' with a big fair where kids can enjoy some games and could win awesome treats: more candies and Shrek cupcakes =)

For the costumes, we opted to use masks so kids could easily recognize us (and to avoid the mess of face paints). Another good thing about wearing masks is you won't get tired of smiling during photo ops. However, the downside is you won't get to have a pic taken with your real face. =P 

This is me aka Princess Fiona (part ogre and part human) and my teammate Irving as Shrek.
For Shrek, we had to use a winter jacket and a pillow to make him bigger. Imagine how hot it was for him (sorry Irving). 

Then we were joined by the other cast: Ruru as Prince Charming, Jeremie as Puss in Boots, PD as Donkey & Iz as our princess guest.

Then it was time for the most important part of the party: TRICK OR TREAT!! (including photo ops with kids and kids at heart)

By the end of the tour, you'll reach the kingdom of Far Far Away.

Since I wasn't able to go around due to my 'mascot' duties, I just grabbed these pics from my teammates: Iells, Lloyd (our official photographer) and from Jenny (via FB). Overall, I have to say Shrek was a hard theme but we did our best to pull it off and most importantly, we had a lot of fun =)

MT Casa at Heima Brixton

After a super awesome lunch at Project Pie with some friends, we had an instant side trip to Heima Brixton.

I have always loved Heima eversince I have spotted their fun and lovely furniture from Real Living magazines, and from Kamiseta shops and Vanilla Bakery.

Good thing we still caught the MT Spaces Exhibit for the launch of MT Casa products that are now available at Heima. This was participated by Real Living Magazine, Everywhere we Shoot, Carina Santos and The Googly Gooeys.

Here's a closer look of the colorful pieces in the exhibit. Everyone did a great job with the decorating using MT Casa's famous washi tapes but my favorite one would be from Googly Gooeys. For me, it's more vibrant, it is filled with lots of interesting items and I loved it's 'homey' vibe.

At Heima, you can also find good books about art, interiors and decorating.

 Love artsy stuff? They have a wide collection of wall art, postcards, wrappers and colorful washi tapes from MT Casa.

You will also find quirky and vintage items that collectors would surely appreciate.

My dream home would definitely be filled with Heima items. Their classic style with the right pop of color would surely turn any dull area to WOW!

 Visit Heima Brixton at Unit 103, Three Brixton Bldg. #3 Brixton St. Brgy Kapitolyo Pasig City

They are open Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 7pm. You can also call them at 5017588 for inquiries.

Check out their website http://www.heimastore.com/ for their other branches.

Crepes and Crafts Afternoon

Bonjour! Welcome to Paris -- not! We just went to La Creperie at Little Baguio, San Juan after a filling lunch at Everything at Steak with my good friend Kai.

Kai and I ordered Mango Hazelnut au Chocolat which was a bit huge for our sweet cravings so we decided to share it.

I have never tried chocolate crepe before and I was happy to see that it looked really good.

Just when we thought we were too full to finish it....

... it's gone! (we just can't get enough hehe)

Its a small cozy place near Jose Abad Santos St, a perfect place to chill, have dessert or coffee and read your favorite book. It's not crowded, relaxing French music fills the air and the smell will just make you hungry =P

Right after, we headed to 10A Alabama's Arts and Crafts Fair. We got lost around E. Rod at first but the gate was a sure sign that we found the place =) 

Inside the house, you would see pieces from Resurrection Furniture. I loved the yellow retro speakers (left) and the colored vanity table. 

Everything was just too cute!!!!

I have a new favorite artist - Jamie Bauza!! I wanted to purchase all her typographic pieces like "Almost Famous" (upper left) but I still have to finish fixing my room. I got her number just in case =)

Quirky items will surprise you like the chess set with keyboard pieces, the lamp made of Red Horse bottles, the umbrella lamp, the disc bag and the wall art made of color pencils.

There were also other useful items like leather bags and wallets, and adorable accessories.

Meet the krafty pirate who can create live watercolor portraits. You can also buy from him handmade wallets made from comic book pages which can be cute gifts for comic book fanatics =)

Talk about sisterhood of the travelling shorts (upper right photo) .You will definitely standout wearing these embroidered shorts. Unfortunately they are too short for my patas =P

Personalize your room with these wall decors. Engrave your name or your initials in these framed cement. (upper left photo)

 I loved the wine cork board (bottom left) and the antique accessories. There were also cute magnets to pimp your ref/ board with. =)

Kai bought her designed corkboard from Sitting Pretty. A perfect and useful piece to add color to your bare walls. We also bought washi tapes from HeyKessy. I wanted to buy a lot of washi tapes because the prints were just so cool but need magtipid so we only bought a few. =P Stamp Right Now also had cute stamps which you could use for your journals, planners and letters. 

More cute butingtings" and handmade stuff from Artefact. The cards made me miss those good old days when e-cards and email were not a thing yet.

Yehey!! A fun-filled Sunday! Till our next crafternoon Kai! =)

Chinese New Year 2013 at Binondo, Manila

It all started last year when a few friends decided to go to Binondo to celebrate Chinese New Year. Then I think it became a tradition. =) We came not just for the festivities but also to indulge in good food. 

1.) First stop is to buy my favorite hopia from Ho-land Bakery. You can also buy there other Chinese delicacies.

Address: 551 Yuchengco St. cor. Carvajal Binondo Manila

2.) We planned to eat lunch at Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant but unfortunately they were open for take-out only so we brought it home instead. Sincerity is known for their fried chicken and it was indeed full of flavor that you no longer need sauce.

Address: 497 Yuchengco St. Binondo Manila

While walking we saw lots of finger food, tikoy and lucky charms.

3.) Another place you shouldn't miss is Po-heng's Lumpia House. For P50.00 you can have a big healthy snack. It's quite hard to locate this place probably because it's hidden. They make the best lumpia with fresh ingredients. They also serve Maki Soup (P55) which is perfect for merienda. I'll try this in my next visit.

Address: Uy Su Bin Bldg.531 Quintin Paredes St., BinondoManila

4.) We had lunch at Awi's Cafe and Restaurant which was featured in one of the episodes of Cityscape (a travel and lifestyle show). We ordered their famous Lomi which was perfect (P130) and coffee spareribs (230) - both good for sharing. Their lechong kawali and chicken with lemon sauce were also great.

Address:  520 E.T. Yuchengco Street, Binondo, City of Manila 

5.) Cafe Mezzanine would be the most famous restaurant in Binondo because it is never empty and because all of the revenues are donated to Binondo Paco Fire Search and Rescue Brigade. It's a good business with a good cause. We had some light snacks -- french fries (P55) and siomai (P60) because we were still full with all the food that we ate from Awi's. We also watched the dragon dance from the second floor window. 

Address: 650 Ongpin corner E.T. Yuchengco Sts., Binondo Manila

6.) I kind of missed some of the goodies from my HK trip last year good thing Binondo has the Mandarin Supermarket where I could buy my favorite juice, canned coffee, biscuits and other favorite Chinese goods. Could you spot the giant lollipop? I'm sure you wouldn't miss it. 

Address: G/F Mandarin Square Bldg. 777 Ongpin St. Binondo Manila

7. My brother who used to work at Binondo told me about Crepe de Chine. He asked me to buy Taco Mexicano (P170) which was so huge and filling. My friends ordered desserts and I tried their Pizza Crepe (P140) which was so cheesy that's why I loved it. Their fresh mango shake was a great fix to end my merienda. The place was quite far from the busy streets of Binondo. It was a perfect place to hang-out and chill and enjoy their cozy swings.

Address: World Trade Exchange Bldg. 215 Juan Luna cor Dasmarinas St. Binondo Manila

I'm not superstitious but there's no harm in buying charms that could bring you luck right? Just in case it would work, I bought a charm bracelet for the year of the Ox for P80. =)

8. Aling Carina, our Chinese friend, used to bring us this famous Shanghai Fried Siopao. Everytime I go to Binondo I always buy this for baon and pasalubong. 

Address: corner of Ongpin St. and Bahama St.

The highlight of the festivities -- Dragondance.

We even saw Ivan Dy with his tour group. 

9-10. This pic was taken last year. I just wanted to share this since we're talking about the great food finds in Binondo. I loved the Kuchay dumplings from Tasty Dumplings and Waiying's hakaw.

Address: Tasty Dumplings - 620 Ongpin St. Binondo Manila

Address: Waiying - 810 Benavidez St. Binondo Manila 

It was again a fun experience with my friends. Every meal was delicious! Can't wait for 2014, probably by that time I would have tried every restaurant in Binondo (I wish!) 

I hope everyone would have a prosperous year ahead! =)