Morning Quote in Letter Stamps

May 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

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The quote above is from James Russell Lowell, an American poet, critic and editor.  I chose this for my first letter stamp project because my week at the office was so stressful and unpredictable.  To be able to survive, I try to look at the positive side of things.  And this quote totally nailed it – my thoughts and sentiments exactly.

I used the thick typeletter stamps I got at 168 Mall for this project, and it was a fun thing to do!  I felt like a kid all over.

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I should do this more often  =)   I also found it to be a very therapeutic thing to do.  I didn’t use any guide margins for this, and I’m happy with the way it turned out  =)   As long as it’s readable, then it’s okey with me.

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Cleaning the stamp letters was very easy.  Just clean off the stamp ink with water and let it dry.  Mine took just a few minutes to dry.

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I am now a certified craft stamp  addict!

 

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Easter Eggs Chocolate Lollipops

March 31, 2013 by 5 Comments

Happy Easter!

I’m sure a lot of families will be trooping to the malls and hotels today after the traditional Easter Sunday Mass for the Easter Egg Hunt.   Here at home, we just had a mini-Easter activity for my nephew, Liam, which is Egg Painting.   He loves to paint and he totally enjoyed that one (never mind if the hard-boiled eggs cracked in the end, having fallen off the table a number of times).    I think his parents will take him later to Rockwell Tent for some serious egg hunting (Happy Egg Hunting, Liam!).

The other day I made these Easter Eggs Chocolate Lollipops using the Wilton-brand Hatching Chick Pretzel Mold I bought from Living Well at SM Mall of Asia.   It’s my first Easter project at home.

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I used the Lindt almond chocolate bar I got as gift last Christmas, stick biscuits from  Meiji’s Yan Yan pack and some white chocolate chips that Juvvy brought home from Cebu:

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I was too lazy to use a double boiler so I just popped the bowl of chopped chocolate bars combined with white chocolate chips into the microwave, using the tips I read from this article by Amy Davies.

I set the heat timer to 7 (10 being the highest) and the clock timer to 40 seconds.  Here’s what I got on the first try.

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Not bad, huh?   To check if the chocolate has totally melted, I used a dry silver spoon to stir it.  Yey, it has almost melted with a smooth finish!

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I popped it again into the microwave and heated it  for another 25 seconds, but this time over low heat (heat timer set to 25 also).   The result was a much creamier texture.

Next, I arranged the stick biscuits over the pretzel mold, like this:

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Then I poured the chocolate mixture into the mold.  Juvvy gave me a very helpful tip which is to use a dry spoon for this because any contact of the chocolate with water will seize it and will make it difficult to work with.   In fact, all equipment you should use in making chocolate lollipops should be dry.

I didn’t remove the walnuts from the melted chocolate anymore because I love walnuts, and I want something nutty to bite into the chocolate lollies.

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As this is the first time I worked with chocolates, I didn’t mind the mixture overfilling the mold.   It didn’t occur to me that I should wipe off the excess chocolate to achieve a “cleaner” look for the lollies.   Or maybe I’m to eager to eat it!

So, after only 30 minutes in the freezer, my choco lollies are ready to be served (and eaten):

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For my first try, this batch ain’t bad at all!   We all enjoyed these, especially the edible lollipop sticks!

I will make another batch of this later, this time using the chocolate blocks that Juvvy brought from Cebu.  It will be colorful this time, too, as I now know how to add colors into the lollipops after reading and watching countless instructions online.

Meantime, let me wish you all a blessed Easter!   Today marks not only the resurrection of Christ but the rebirth of life.    Rejoice in it and celebrate it!   Have only happy thoughts today!

I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  -  John 11:25-26 

 

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My Chic Chandelier Wall Decal + A Blog Give-Away!

March 23, 2013 by 5 Comments

I’ve long pinned images of these elegant chandelier wall decals in my mind, and mentally listed it as my next home project (after the wallflowers):

I searched Multiply.com and Sulit.ph for local sticker decal suppliers and found one at Multiply that sells the exact chandelier sticker decal I’m looking, for only P600.00!     The shop’s name is Refresh Fashion Clothing and Lifestyle and it’s like a mall already with the variety of products it sells – ranging from clothes to sticker decals.  I placed my order online and paid through PayPal.   The sticker was delivered to our house after 2 days.

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Look, I even got a free sticker decal (bird cage) aside from the chandelier I ordered.  How sweet!

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This is where the chandelier will be placed.  Don’t worry, the Van Gogh print will have another place at our apartment.

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AJ and I worked on the project last weekend (that’s why my Instagram was bombarded with pictures of the chandelier hehe).

First, we cleaned off the wall in which the sticker will be applied with clean cloth.

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Next, starting at one corner, I slowly peeled off the edge of the sticker (you can use a cutter for this but me, I just used my fingernail).  I started with the topmost part of the chandelier, but was  careful not to peel off the whole sticker from the surface.

Once the peeled off portion is sticked onto the wall, I immediately smoothened it to get out the bubbles inside.   I used our plastic grease scraper covered with hanky for this.   AJ and I took turns repeating these steps until the whole sticker decal is applied on the wall.

It takes patience to have this thing on the wall.   Work slowly and with steady hands to avoid the sticker from sticking elsewhere.    But when this does happen, peel off slowly (to avoid ripping the design) and stick back again.    I had the mistake of rushing my work mid-way and almost ripped off one chain of this chandelier.  Tsk tsk.

Here’s the finished project.   The black chandelier matched our black console table.

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Then I decided to play with our furniture and re-arranged them.   I thought the chandelier will not stand out in this set-up because the console table is already black.   So the console table exchanged places with our accent chairs.

The accent chairs are now facing the sofa (and the chandelier is at their back).  Our living room space now looks bigger with this arrangement.

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Nice, ba?

You too can update the look of your home with such minimum effort and cost!   Just get some wall decals and stick away!   They are  not only easy to apply but easy to remove too, so you can change them as often as you want   =)

And now, here’s a little surprise for your, dear readers!

Since I was given another sticker decal by Refresh Fashion (like their Facebook page here), I want it to go to one of my readers!   It’s a lovely birdcage decal sticker.    Can you already picture this at your home?

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To win this birdcage decal sticker, simply follow me on Facebook and answer this easy question at the comments section of this post:  Which part of your home needs updating and why?   

The winner will be drawn on April 7, 2013 so you have until April 6th to submit your entries.  Good luck!

(Note:  this give-away is open only to readers with Philippine address).  

 

Filed Under: At Home, Shopping Tagged With: , , , ,

Electrolux HUSH Happier at Home

March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hello, folks!  Don’t you just love Fridays?  I spent the whole of today at Sta. Cruz, Laguna for work.  Left our apartment at 5 a.m. (because we are to leave for Laguna at 5:30 a.m.) and then traveled back to Manila at 6:30 p.m.  I got home at 9:00 p.m.

On ordinary days this kind of travel would make me irritable because of the commuting and the traffic that I have to bear with.   Plus, getting home late on a weekday means less time spent with hubby (he works nights while I work normal daytime hours).

But because it’s Friday, I didn’t mind all that.  I was looking forward to spending a quiet and relaxing weekend at home so commuting even late at night is still a better option than spending it out of town.

As someone whose 8-to-5 job is not normal (in a sense that I don’t have routine tasks to finish in a day) and is toxic for most of the time (urgent reports to submit and irate clients to deal with), I consider my weekends sacred because weekends are when I can spend quality time with my hubby and catch up with my family and friends, too.

Weekends are also when I can give my mind and body a time to rest and recharge.   That’s why I value quiet mornings during weekends.  When my sleep is complete I am happy and peppy.   The opposite of that makes me cranky and unorganized.

And when I’m happy and peppy, I can focus more on the things to be accomplished during those 2 off-work days, like fixing and cleaning the house.    Since we live in the same compound as my parents, I just borrow my dad’s old Electrolux vacuum cleaner (which, by the way, dates back to the 80′s!) for cleaning.    But this vacuum cleaner, while no doubt powerful and sturdy, makes  so much noise I sometimes wake AJ up or I get migraine myself too.   Then I have to pause from cleaning so AJ can go back to sleep or for my migraine to subside.

So when I saw Electrolux’s Ultra Silencer Green I know that this is not a ‘want’ in our household but a ‘need’!  It’s the perfect replacement for our 20-year old Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner!

Ultra Silencer Advertorial

I love its revolutionary features!   Not only do I get the same reliable performance of Electrolux vacuum cleaners but this time, it’s quiet and has an air-cleaning quality.   Now vacuum cleaning will really be a breeze!  Ain’t that music to the ears?

Another thing about Electrolux’s Ultra Silencer Green is its form.  Our old vacuum cleaner is huge and shaped like a log, so it’s heavy to lug around.  The new one  is sleek and petite – very modern!

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Perfect, isn’t it?  I can already picture myself using this and cleaning the apartment for a good 2 hours only while humming my favorite Beatles songs!

Another great thing about a quiet and relaxing weekend at home is that I own my time and I can do the things I cannot normally do on weekdays, like craft projects and cooking!  Yes, I rarely cook during weekdays so on weekends I whip out the best recipes I could find (you can check them out here in my blog, too!).

And when I cook, I don’t just do it alone.  AJ oftentimes help me and cooking becomes our catching up and bonding time, too.   It is these conversations (and banter)  that makes kitchen work an enjoyable time.

So isn’t it pure serendipity (again!) to find Electrolux introducing the Powermix Silent Blender which has a patented sound reduction system?    This means that AJ and I can  carry on with our banter while making soup, sauces, smoothies and spreads – without the grinding noise!

Power mix Ad Single 2-3ct

 

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If there is one kitchen essential you should have, it is the blender.  It’s so versatile!  You can mix, puree or emulsify food using this.  Although food processors have taken over some of its functions,  I still would recommend blenders as a basic kitchen appliance.   You can already do a lot with this one, while the food processor is more of an alternative to the ‘manual’ chopping and grinding of food.

Now, imagine mixing or grinding food without the usual noise you are accustomed to when using regular blenders.  Not only can you carry on an ‘uninterrupted’ conversation with your loved ones,  it can also make kitchen time more enjoyable with you listening to your favorite songs or watching your favorite movie while preparing the food.

Not only that,  Electrolux’s Powersilent Blender Vortex Force will also make sure that your work is done in a jiffy, hence you can have more free time!

Electrolux Powersilent Blender Vortex Force

Electrolux’s Ultra Silencer Green and Powermix Silent Blender are just PERFECT for my quiet and relaxing weekend at home!

Know more about these wonderful and innovative products at Electrolux Philippines Official Website.   Stay updated on their newest products too by following them on Twitter!

 

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Our Union Jack Storage Chest

February 5, 2013 by 8 Comments

Hello folks!   How are you liking my new blog design?   I’m so excited to tell you all about it – the design process (thanks to my angel, Patricia of Fancy Girl Designs), the joy (and stress!) of moving to a self-hosted blog (with tips to WordPress users) and my plans for The Bright Spot.

In the meantime, please indulge me while I show off our fabulous find at Greenhills 2 weeks ago – a storage chest with vintage Union Jack design!

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We found it at the 2nd floor of Shoppesville, Greenhills.  There is this little  store that sells authentic Ikea items and more of these storage boxes shaped as luggage bags.    They also sell these CD racks shaped as a telephone booth, Coca Cola vintage vending machine and gas pump.  Cool, aren’t they?

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I really had no plans of buying anything that day since the purpose of our trip there was to meet up with the coolest couple we know, Frances of Topaz Horizon / Topaz Mommy and Vince (of the Third World Nerd), who are good friends of AJ’s.   But one look at the chest in the bottom and I knew right then that we will not be going home without it haha!

And this being Greenhills, I haggled for a discount.   I have immediately set a mental budget for this and it’s a good thing  AJ and I stuck on that while haggling because the last price we got (which sealed the deal) was not too far from the budget we have set  =)

So happy to find our purchase generously covered with bubble wrap!    We picked it up after having coffee and donuts at Krispy Kreme.

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Our Union Jack storage chest replaced the makeshift side table that I made by stacking together 2 big storage boxes and covering them with table cloth (check out old picture below to have a better idea):

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We now have a more appropriate side table that’s space-saving and functional, and a Union Jack-themed design that will never go out-of-date.

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On top of this side table/storage box are the following:  acrylic table lamp (around P800.00) from the Landmark, books (including this vintage Life encyclopedia featuring Britain), coffee press and butter cookies (which I just put there because the tin can has pictures of the soldier guards at Buckingham Palace hehe).

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This furniture piece really rocks!

I am now finally done with decorating our living room,  and am ready to move on to our dining area.     If you will notice, I haven’t been featuring it a lot here but with this next simple home project that I chanced upon online – am sure that even you will take a second look at your dining area!   Watch out for it!

 

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