Home Improvements?

My house has been pending some improvements and renovations. It's already a 7-year old house and would really appreciate some repairs and improvement jobs. 

I actually have a long list of to-do's for the house. Some are major, some minor. For the major ones, I still need to plan on how to save up for those but for the small repairs and improvements, I'm targeting to have all of it done by quarter 1 of year 2013.

1. House repainting - I'm looking at nice color palettes that would match our red roof. The current color of our house are in shades of mocha and white. I would really love to have something in yellow or beige next time. We actually had looked around and window-shopped for paint. But lo and behold! Found out that the prices are not that cheap! Hahaha! And so, I think I'll have to put this under major improvement. :-) Maybe it can be done by summer of next year. 

2. Install a Cast Iron Shallow Well Jet Pump - Water has been quite a issue in the house especially when you have a second floor and attic. On some days, when all of the bathrooms are all occupied and in use, the water pressure becomes so low that water cannot go up to the bathroom in the second floor and attic. It's such a hassle. Also, I would need a new submersible pump for our mini-pond. The pump for the fountain also broke down and we hadn't had the luxury of hearing the soothing and lovely sound of falling water since then.

Good thing, there are nice jet pumps available in the market. I will check it out when my 13th month pay comes. :-)

3. Buy a new ceramic plate of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary for our gate. Our old one fell off and broke a few months ago and I never had a chance to replace it with a new one. If only I can make a trip to downtown Manila again and buy from there again. I will also take that chance to buy a statue of the new Philippine saint, St. Pedro Calungsod. Target date to buy: next week.

4. New curtains - Our curtains being used now are as old as the house. Hence, it's high time to buy new ones. A lovely set of satin blue-colored curtains will be great!

Well, I'll end my list for now. I know that there are still quite a lot to be done. I will just rely on St. Nicholas to finish off the rest of my "requests". :-)

Strawberry Sofa

Trust new upholstery to oomph your old sofa...

I decided to move our old rattan sofa (which we replaced with a brand new one from Mandaue Foam) from the sala to our family room in the attic. And since the family room had a new red color-theme, I had the sofa reupholstered using a strawberry-printed cloth.

All I can say is: it came out SWEET! :-)

From this old look:


...to this new look:

Before:

After:

Peso Power:

Strawberry-printed textile: Php 1,200

Labor: Php 600

It was a great project!

Yellow Painting - The One

My hubby and I have been "forever" looking for a yellow painting or artwork to put in our living room to replace the old oil painting that we've had for years.

After quite a long wait, we finally found something that fits perfectly in our wall and best of all, it's swack on the budget. We got it (of all places) from Dapitan and we've satisfied with how it looked.

See here:

Now our living room looks so much brighter and happy!

Great Finds at Dapitan

At long last, my hubby and I found time last week to go to the popular Dapitan Arcade. It's crazy how it took us so long to come and visit the place. It's a shopping haven for those who love bargain house items and it's perfect for those who want to be the next Martha Stewart. LOL.

First up, cutie ceramic containers, best for those on the side toyo-patis-suka during meals. Only 15 bucks each.

And then, this cake tray, which I thought was such a hard thing to find in the malls, was literally all over the place! It even came in different shapes and colors and only for around 150 pesos.

Our next great buy are these matching candle-holders and bowl which complements our brand new sala set. Love it!

Something now for the bathroom - a pink fish-shaped soap dish. I like the color a lot so we bought it. At 45 pesos, who can resist it?!

Last, but not the least, a stylish liquid soap dispenser (pang-hotel ang dating). I love the flowery detail at the center. It makes our bathroom look so "five star".

Actually, there is one more thing we bought there. It's not so cheap but it's definitely the best buy of them all. I'll post it here soon after we put it up.... :-)

Dapitan Arcade - we're definitely coming back for more!

New Sofa

My husband and I finally found the perfect sofa for our living room. We had it custom-made and it arrived just this week.

Lookie here:



It turned nicely and it really matched the color of our walls.

Now all I got to worry about now is keeping the big sister from enjoying the sofa too much...

Kitchen Renovation

My friends who recently migrated to Canada are starting anew with their growing family in this new country. They left their jobs in the Philippines to seek greener pastures as immigrants. For starters, they recently got a new house and are trying to do a renovation to suit their family’s needs. And since they are rather new and are not so familiar with the goings-on about general contractors, they are looking for ways to get the best deals. Good thing, the internet is helping them a lot in their search for a good, professional and reliable Calgary Contractor who can do the work for them.

First on their list is to tap a contract with kitchen renovation Calgary. They want a kitchen which has sturdier and space-saving cabinets and a place for their dishwasher and oven-top. Plus, they would want to be able to have ample working space for them to still cook up their favorite Filipino dishes even while in a far away country. Cool!

Loving the Kitchen

As a young lady, I experienced a time when I was totally addicted to cooking and baking. I would spend hours and hours back then making chocolate cakes, crinkles, different kinds of pasta, and many other delicious treats.

However, when I started to go to college, my affair with cooking took a back seat since I had to work my ass off making linear graphs, downward-sloping curves and all that economics stuff. More so as the years passed by, I saw myself spending less and less time in the kitchen and more and more time literally out of the house.

Anyway, with the advent of cable tv (which we didn't have back then) and HGTV (LOL!), those memories of my time working in the kitchen slowly grow back. Besides wanting to cook up dinners and desserts, I come drooling at the lovely kitchens that they show on tv. I'm not exactly complaining on the look and beauty of my own kitchen. However, if only I had a chance, I'll get myself some kitchen remodeling contractors to make my kitchen look a little bit more like the kitchen of Ina Garten or Martha Stewart. A newly-refurbished kitchen like that would be so awesome and will surely make me stay longer in the kitchen!

Planning a Home Office

I am currently on the lookout for nice computer desks for the home office that I want to put up at our house’s attic area. You see, I’ve been forever prodding my husband to give me a nook where I can do my home management tasks and a place where I can do my on-the-side writing jobs. And knowing how passionate I am in my doing my daily work as a home manager (making menu and grocery lists, filing different house bills and insurance papers, doing my family’s financial accounting, etc.) and also in my work as a blogger, he agreed to buy me some home office furniture to be put at our attic. I actually already have a design in mind. I’m planning on painting the walls first into a dark red color and then going for a desk style that is sleek, minimalist and in the color white. I also have to measure the correct dimensions of the desk and cabinets so that it will fit perfectly in our attic space.

Speaking of building things, as a result, I think we also need to find a new place for the kids to play because in order to give way to my new office furniture, the kids’ stuff would have to be moved and placed elsewhere. Besides, it’s inevitable to transfer the kids’ toys and books to a different place since these are just too many! Plus, the kids often find it hard to play in the attic during the afternoons since the afternoon sunlight causes the room to be extra hot and it’s not comfortable to be playing there at all. At least, if that will be my future office, I wouldn’t normal work in the afternoons since I have a full-time job. Most likely, I would be using that work space on weekend mornings or in the evenings when I come home from work.

Praying for Rain

With the event of the El Niño phenomenon that is adversely affecting our country, the local archbishop has asked us to implore the help of our Creator to send us ample rain and ease the drought that we are facing.

Rain is a very important occurrence in the cycle of life. It restores our land and provides the resources needed in giving enough water and power supply to our country. Rain water is also very beneficial to aid of domestic needs for water. A basin of fresh rain water is helpful enough to use for gardening, washing, and for other cleaning activities.

Speaking of rain, rain chains often present a decorative as well as functional piece in collecting rain runoff. Having chains rain adds a bit of beauty versus the usual downspout. A rain chain exhibits a fountain-like motion to the dropping water which when looked at gives a feeling of relaxation and peace.

All About Mailboxes

Have you heard the thing about mailboxes being federal property? Well, whether these are federal property or not, a mailbox is definitely more than just a piece of property needed so that your daily mail does not get rained on or lost. It can also very well be a decoration that can beautify the outside of your home.

If you are planning on buying one, make sure that you know what works for you. Know what type to get, what design and colors among the many mail boxes there are you would like to buy and lastly, where you want to buy.

These days, you can actually buy residential and commercial mailboxes online. There you can also see whether you like the free-standing type or a wall mount mailbox.

Whatever you like, I am sure there is a mailbox that is just right for you.

Is It Summer Already?

We just finished celebrating Valentines over the weekend and now we’re already at the start of the Lenten season with the coming of Ash Wednesday.

I don’t know about you but for me, I’ve noticed that the weather is getting to be hotter than usual these days. Maybe summer is arriving a little earlier than before, I’m not so sure. Anyway, whenever I travel these days, I have made it a point to bring my summer necessities: a bottle of water, my foldable fan and umbrella. You know that I don’t want to be looking harassed and smelling like sweat when I get to the office.

Actually, if I were to choose between summer days and rainy days, I’d pick rainy days. Except for the huge typhoons that come with the rainy season (God forbid that another Ondoy storm happens again), I love waking up to cold misty mornings. And I think it doesn’t hurt to be walking in the rain, especially when you’re snuggled tightly to your husband and you only have one umbrella to share. ♥

I also love the practically of having available rain water. With rain barrels you can carefully save up some rain water for household use. Apart from that rain harvesting is a good practice that can save you money on your monthly water bill. And what many do not realize is that rain water barrels have a decorative effect to your house or garden. It brings a bit of glamour to your mediocre landscape or your boring backyard. Hey, I know where there are rain barrels for sale so just shoot me a comment or a private email so I can tell you more about it. ☻

Buying Cabinets

Building a house could be one of the family’s ultimate dream. However, for those who do not have the right contractor or the right supplier, it could be a nightmare.

In our case, we found our previous contractor quite disappointing when it came to our bath cabinets and bathroom vanity cabinets among other things. It’s because the quality of the cabinets were not at all at par with the price that we paid for it. In a matter of a couple of months, our cabinets were falling apart and the handles had already been glued back a million times. What a waste of money it was! If only I have followed my gut instinct to buy kitchen cabinets from a reputable store from the very start instead of having it made by the contractor (for obviously, this was not their expertise). Then I wouldn’t have to pay again for repair or buy a replacement for our cabinet accessories.

Oh well, next time I know.

Flower Project

Isn't this so lovely?

I chanced upon this flower arrangement and I hope I'll be able to recreate this arrangement in time for our Valentine's lunch at home with our relatives. Valentine's Day is already next week so I really need to practice my flower arrangement skills soon!!!

Now if only flowers come in cheap these days...

Flowers on My Mind

The hopeless romantic in me is getting pretty excited about this upcoming Valentine’s Day. I have been browsing through dozens of pictures of flower arrangements and chocolates for the past few minutes of already. (Well, not that I expect to receive any of those from my husband on V-day. A warm kiss and hug are all I need from him!). Anyway, I particularly drool over those flowers I saw at the Martha Stewart’s shop. She really seems to come up with the loveliest styles, if I may say. Sometimes, I wish I have the same talent as hers. But of course, I don’t.

Speaking of flowers, my thoughts bring me to old memories when I was young and my grandma maintained several window boxes at the front porch in our ancestral house. On one side she had a window box which contained beautiful sunflowers. At the other end, there were blooming white roses. Such lovely flowers! During the summer, we would sometimes help out in watering the flowers. It was a nice and quite an enjoyable chore to do. Plus, what's so great is that we didn’t need to buy flowers outside anymore because we already have it right in your own window box!

Well, you can check out these window boxes planters online and see how these can beautify your home.

Here are some samples:

Small Things to Brighten Up the Home

Last week, I decided to add a few small touches on our living room to spruce it up a bit.

I rediscovered the extra candle plate which we bought for our godparents as a gift during our wedding four years ago.

I also re-arranged the ducks that my family has had for decades. One of the baby ducks already has a broken beak but I do not have the heart to throw it away.

Lastly, I resurrected this antique-looking photo frame which was a gift from my billionaire boss and inserted on it an old black and white picture of my parents. This picture was taken maybe around the late 60s when they were still boyfriend/girlfriend. Personally, I think the picture just exudes love, happiness and purity. *-*

Now, our home is brighter than ever!

New Living Room Set Covers

As far as I'm concerned, we've had these sofa covers (below - picture taken circa 2004) for ages and through the years, they've become tattered, soiled and dirty.

Hence, with the coming of our balikbayan relatives this month, we decided to have these covers replaced by a new one once and for all.

This is the cloth I found from Fabric Warehouse at Glorietta 5 (at P145 per meter):

And using this cloth, we commissioned a lady to sew the new covers for us (P900 labor) and it turned out like this:

How do you like it?

Yellow Paintings

We're getting our new yellow sofa covers tomorrow from the shop and I'm thinking that what could complete the look is a brand new painting for our living room.

I was browsing the net and found these as inspirations (I think all are nice):

Which do you like best?

Wonderful Window Treatments

As you may have read in my old posts, I have been forever looking for a chance to have our living room set re-upholstered. So last week, I finally found the cloth I wanted and was able to contract a woman who could sew the new sofa set cover. And since the living room will now be in yellow and white, I now need to also have a new set of curtains to match it.

Later did I realize that I just can’t buy ready-made drapes in the department store because our windows are larger and higher and the size of the curtains that are usually being sold in the department stores are a tad bit shorter for our windows. Therefore, I looked and looked and found this online shop the other day which sells compatible (and ready-made!) curtains which are perfect for our living room and dining room windows! And boy did I found myself just drooling over their lovely and classy styles! It was curtain heaven, if you ask me.

How I wish I can have these wonderful window treatments right in my very own house soon!

Design Ideas

Having some days of rest over the holiday season is such a joy! It helps clear your mind from the pressures in the office and aids you to focus on family and home matters more.

Personally, I've taken advantage of the short vacation to watch a bit of HGTV and do some internet surfing in order to pick up some good design ideas for our home, particularly our living room. One idea that got my attention is putting area rugs in the room to add a splash of color. Area rugs are great for putting a better perspective in a room as well as in giving it a design touch. I am actually planning on buying some area rugs next month in time for the arrival of our house guests (my uncle and aunt) who will come Chicago and I'm willing to buy it online, if I can.

Make-over Plans for the Sofa

One of the things that I so look forward to when I finally go on maternity leave (apart from caring for my new baby and being with Zoe) is the fact that I can have time to do domestic stuff. With 78 days of vacation, I believe I can do so much!!!

The last time I went on maternity leave, I was able to arrange thousands of our family pictures into neat leather photo albums. I was also able to file all important documents (birth certificates, copies of land titles, medical records) in their respective folders. I was also able to organize the bathrooms to give it a fresher look.

This time, I have been eyeing on doing a sofa set make-over. I plan to replace the covers of our sofa (and maybe add matching curtains) which now look like this...

...with something like this...


...or this!

Do you like it? I just thought that having solid colors in the sofa will give it a classier look. Besides, the truth is, those covers really need to be thrown out and replaced soon whether I like it or not. The holes which Zoe has made on it is simply icky!!! Hahaha!