Cake Plates can prettify any dining space :)

Even when you don't have Tony Cuerva's Mango Torte to display and serve up at a dinner party, your pretty cake plates deserve some attention. Place a box of Russian tea cookies and huge ensaymadas--and you've got an instant centerpiece/dessert plate (with or without guests around). 

Desktop Makeover

The Martha Stewart in me got rid of this:

To turn my desktop into this:

How did YOU give your desktop a makeover??? :)

Martha Stewart Baby (and Mommy)

Late last year, Buding Aquino Dee (award-winning mom and advocate for breastfeeding) threw her daughter Arie the most gorgeous first birthday celebration EVER. :)

It was a French-American DIY Martha Stewart-esque celebration styled by the doting mommy herself. 

(EDIT: Buding says that her stylist friends and staff also had a hand in this beautifully styled set-up!)

I got butterflies in my stomach when I viewed the excellently executed decor. Cara says that Buding collected a whole lot of fabric just for the event! 

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, here are photos of Arie's birthday stolen straight from the photographer's blog:

Genius: Embellishing the center table with clothes and photos of Baby Arie in her first year. 

With Dad Dudu, and brothers
 Tommy and Colby

This come straight off a page from a Martha Stewart Living magazine!!! I loove it!

Bright idea: Put a message board (or tree, in this case) to give your baby when she is old enough to read encouraging words from friends and family

Macarons and pretty pastry that match the event make for a more exciting tea-time spread

(Left) A Croc en Bouche of Marshmallows (Right) Beaming Supermom, Buding 

These photos are so inspiring! Makes me want to be a mommy already :D

Over 80,000 home ideas in one website.

Photos above from Houzz.com

We all have lookbooks--folders in our laptops, desktops, ipads--that contain different categorized photos of looks that we like and hopelessly try to emulate, one futile attempt after the other.

My personal look books contain many bridal pegs,--in the hopes that my husband decides to marry me again, big fluffy dress and all--makeup looks, shoes, and of course, interior design looks. :)

So last night, Czar came over and started showing me a few photos from this website called Houzz. 

I remember stumbling upon it once before but never really got to explore. This morning, though, I kind of got stuck browsing because I realized it was a "look book" kind of site.

You browse through the different categories found on the left side, like you pick from bathroom, entry, living room...then choose a style. It makes it so easy to search! No more jumping from one site to another, if you need specific ideas. This is kind of like fast food in a website.

And then, you pick from the many posted photos uploaded by registered members. WHat's so cool about this is, you get to upload your own pictures, too! So it's sort of like a brag book/forum where all members share and take ideas from one another. 

Then if you like something, you add it to your Idea Book.

You can even categorize your idea books-- say, 'Alabang House', 'Condo', 'Future Spa Business', 'Kids' Rooms'...

Each Idea Book is like a webpage, with your chosen photos displayed. You can even comment which features you like about them.

This is such a great site to explore, especially for those who are looking to build / renovate!

Cara's Modern French-inspired Condo

Cara and I are so alike but are very distinct in many ways.

This is her:

Photo from Tory Burch

and this is me:

Photo from Kate Spade

This is her:

Photo from Tory Burch

and this is me:

Photo from Tory Burch

So last week we were talking about her and her husband's newly-purchased unit at Rockwell, and their plans of decorating it into something different from her usual, favorite clean and sometimes, Asian look. 

In Interior Design, this is her:

And this is me:

Photo from Houzz.com

But she's decided to take a break from the Asian look for this new condo that she and her husband, Leon, purchased late last year. She's leaving plain and boring behind for a girly-er, fluffier look. 

Their condo's style will be a kind of Moderny French..clean lines and a pop of European accent  (Damask prints here, nice French window detailing there, but really more Carla Bruni than Marie Antoinette).

So I asked her to show me photos that she will be giving her designer, and here are a few of the pegs:

Neutral colors off-set by the plum-colored tufted long-john and ceramic turquoise stools--these are so her, if you ask me. There's still that hint of Asianness in this design.

She likes the unexpected spattering of Zebra print here--this is not exactly French, but it makes a good finish to an otherwise uneventful backdrop.

Clean lines, again--but pay attention to the moulding detail on the ceiling, then thesoft sofas and fluffy, colorful flower arrangements that give balance to the clean and masculine shelves, fireplace and coffee table

Do you notice how this can be so French-Asian-Art Deco? 

 Subtle Chinese-inspired accents

I have always been an American-home kind of person; never appreciated the boringness of "Asian," and have never really considered going French--that's probably because it isn't a popular choice in Manila. Everyone here is going Spanish, Japanese or Filipino. I think, though, that more people should go for a good, snobby and updated French look. 

Will be sure to post photos of their place once the unit is done! :) 

Wedding Photos

Okay, before I begin blogging about other places and people, I will first take advantage and post a few of my wedding photos here in my little cyber space of anything home and happy. :D

Darwin and I have been married one month and eight days, and until today I talk about the wedding (much to our friends' annoyance heehee :p).

So anyway, I finally got hold of the raw photos from Mangored, our photographers. What started as 4,000 pictures, got narrowed down to two hundred and fifty for editing. I sat down for three days to sort through them! First I went down to 750, then the most agonizing part of trimming it to 250 came yesterday while I was getting my hair cut.

For those of you who've asked me about our wedding suppliers, here is ze list! :) I couldn't be happier with the people I chose--they all work swell!!!! :)


Photographs Mangored
Video Threelogy
Bridal Gown Patrice Ramos Diaz and Rajo Laurel
Groom's tux Paul Cabral
Maid of Honor, Bridesmaids and Flowergirls Martin Bautista
Page Boys JC Buendia

Makeup Robbie Pinera
Hair Raymond Santiago
Entourage Hair and Makeup Lourd Ramos
Principal Sponsor Hair and Makeup Patrick Alcober


Church Baguio Cathedral
Reception the Verandah and the Golf Club at Camp John Hay
Caterer Le Chef
Cake Penk Ching
Music Manila Philharmonic Orchestra
Event Styling Teddy Manuel
Event Cordinator Rita Neri