I dropped by a drugstore today with my sister because she was in need of a couple of things and it was conveniently near where we had a prior appointment and where we grabbed some lunch. I did a quick scan of the shelves and a whole row of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo bottles caught my eye. It immediately brought me back to memories of my childhood when my mom would wash our hair with No More Tears shampoo. Nostalgia made me grab a bottle and after an amazing run a couple of hours ago, I had one of the most awesome showers of my life. It was with one of the most amazing shampoos in the world and my childhood.

It’s funny how the little things make all the difference at times.

P.S. I love vintage shampoo ads a lot! ♥

P.P.S. Yup, I know I say “amazing” and “awesome” a lot. Let’s be friends still. Haha.

I guess I’m still riding out my “love/romantic theme” for today. For this post, I’m featuring a summary of Dr. Deborah Anapol’s book entitled, “The Seven Natural Laws of Love”.  She’s amazing for writing this.

It’s actually quite insightful and I’m sharing it to everyone in the hopes that we can all learn something from it. The concept of Valentine’s Day isn’t solely about romantic love. For me (in general), it’s the celebration of love and all it’s forms and types. Cheers!

Love is its own law. Let love be your guiding principle. When in doubt, listen to your heart. Don’t allow mental concepts, beliefs, or assumptions that are not based on love to dictate your behavior.

The law of source. You are the source of love. The love inside you is abundant and eternal. You don’t need to beg, control or compromise in order to be loved.

The law of attraction. The more you focus on love and gratitude, the more you will be surrounded by love. If you complain, blame, and dwell on fear, you’ll attract others who are also resentful, angry, and fearful.

The law of unity. Love knows no borders and no boundaries. Love includes everyone and everything. Love takes no position, rising above separation. Find unity within by resolving the conflicts inside yourself and you won’t have to act them out with another.

The law of truth. Let telling the truth about who you are and what you are feeling and thinking be your foundation. Vulnerable self-disclosures allow for empathy and understanding. The more truth is shared the more love grows.

The law of consciousness. Love is a state of consciousness available only when you’re willing to relinquish your defenses. Protection is a barrier to love. Love cannot be given or taken but it can be shared. The vibration of love in you is often stimulated when you come into contact with one who carries it.

The law of forgiveness. Its okay to make mistakes. Very few humans are able to love perfectly. Forgive yourself and others generously and you’ll always have a second chance. Focus more on giving than getting and you’ll have much less forgiving to do.

P.S. I wish to do a shout-out (sort of) to my original Valentine/VALENTINEs. Happy Valentine’s Day Mum and Dad! I love you forever.

P.P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day to Georgia’s dada and to my little one as well. I love you, Georgia! ♥

(Beautiful Prints by J.M. Barclay)

Yup, still bitten by the love bug. What could be more romantic than weddings (I’m a sucker for romantic stuff)? I like going over wedding photographs (I love the set-ups especially) especially those with amazing details and a personalized touch. My most recent favorite set was styled by Gloria Wong. She’s an amazing lady and she executed a design concept with most of my favorite stuff in it (awesommeee). Everything looks so pretty! ♥

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

I got inspired by these cute Valentine’s day card ideas (I picked the ones I liked) over at Martha Stewart. They are super pretty.

By the way, it’s already Valentine’s day in a couple of hours and I just got bitten by the bug. I’ll do a couple more love posts. Just brief ones because I found lots of pretty love things. Haha.

P.S. It’s never too late to make love cards for the people you love. They’ll appreciate it plus making these babies is a lot of fun! Get creative

I was looking for cake design inspirations two weeks ago and came across these illustrations. I’m glad I did because they are super cool and I love them ♥

The illustrations are from a cool children’s book by Laura Ljungkvist about an enthusiastic parrot who visited his neighborhood and ends up making a new song.

I want a copy! Haha.

P.S. I picked the ones above in particular because I love cake and cupcakes (and other tasty bakery treats!) and I love art. Typical Pau. Haha.

I really really love this ad from Mercedes-Benz (it’s really artsy!) and no, it’s not an ad with cars in it. It’s something entirely cool and different (both in concept and design), a really good ad in my opinion. I won’t say too much, just check it for yourself below.

So, which portion of your brain is the dominant one?

P.S. If you aren’t that acquainted with this, here is a quick brief. When a person develops a dominance towards one side of their brain, they tend to have certain areas of interest and even characteristics in common. The left side (left cerebral hemisphere) of the brain is often thought of as the logical, thinking side while right brain dominant people are thought of as the artists and dreamers of the world.  I just want to make it clear though that this doesn’t necessarily mean that if one is dominant in one field, he is quite poor in the other – he simply has strengths in different areas.

Personally, I can’t entirely make up my mind if I am left or right brained. Haha. Yup, I know that I am in the design/arts industry and I tend to gravitate towards it more but I did come from a Science High School (and proud of it!) a few years back . Boggling right? A Science Scholar who pursued  Fine Arts. Haha.  I also find that I manifest things that are done in the left brain (this includes the part wherein they mentioned that Left Brained People tend to be dog lovers as opposed to Right Brained People who are cat lovers. It even made me laugh. Love you Georgia! ).  Anyhow, I’m settling on being a mixture of both but gravitating more towards the right brain.

P.P.S. Want to find out which portion is more dominant for you? Try out this cool test (it’s more of a creativity test really but it does the job), click here. It said that I am more right brained than left-brained. I guess I’m right with my initial assumption above. Haha.

I will try to make this brief.

Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Suy) is a traditional Chinese technique which ensures that all things are in harmony with their surroundings. It is a complex blend of fine aesthetics, sound common sense and mystical philosophy. When literally translated, it means “Wind and Water” and these are regarded as akin to certain force, called ch’i (meaning breath, current or air). They say that having Feng Shui in the home, for instance, enhances happiness and prosperity.

My take on Feng Shui is geared towards simply being open-minded. As an interior designer and a user of spaces myself, I find it as a principle to be quite interesting and rich in context. I’m not entirely sure if I would observe it in my future space (I do love wind chimes and goldfish though! Haha.) but I do acknowledge that it works for some people and I am happy for them. Just focus on how certain aspects of it can help inspire you to grow/what works for you (and your spaces too!) but do not let it control your life and way of living entirely – I mean you can’t entirely go wrong with this  since it applies to a lot of other things actually. That being said, unto the forecast!

The year of the Dragon symbolizes Feng Shui’s water element while the Chinese zodiac year of the Dragon exudes power and force. They say that the use of the following colors will attract good fortune for this year – dark blue tones, blue green tones and black. The yellow/cream color from the previous Dragon year (which was 2000) will work especially well with this year’s color palette. It will balance out the depth of the dark colors (i.e. black) with it’s own lightness and softness. Gold as an accent color will add a touch of sophistication (may it be through your wallpaper, dinnerware or stripes in fabrics).

They say that the use of this dynamic color scheme for this year will bring about an increase flow of positive energy and attract good health and success. Also, ceramics and wood are considered as good interior materials along with natural fabrics and leather textures.  Avoid metals except those in golden colors.

Check out the simple design board I made below to give you ideas. I wish us all an awesome 2012!

I had a very challenging and hard last few days but I’m just grateful for everything. I don’t want to sound so serious (that it makes readers squirm ) thus I’ll leave it to just that first sentence and will show you an awesome design concept instead.

Below is another cool structure by Herbst Architects consisting of simple but well-made construction using timber and natural materials, it blends in with the existing environment. Made out of kwila (a popular hardwood appropriate as decking since it is quite durable, stable and has  a low splintering tendency) flooring and decking, macrocarpa (timber of choice  today because it is not treated with chemicals and is of high quality) interior lining and cedar board-and-batten clad for the exterior, the main function of the space isn’t mainly focused on providing too much convenience – the homeowners wanted things simple.

All in all, it is definitely a natural holiday home to retreat to from the busy city. I want one too!

For those who were wondering how birds look like dressed in military wear, here you go. Awesome illustrations by Sato, a Japanese artist. Absolutely brilliant!

I had a hard time choosing which one is my favorite among all of them though. They are just all so brilliant and dashing and “secret agent” cool. *sigh*

Haha. Indulge me with my post’s title. Well, it is an awesome gift guide.

We all love to shop for presents during Christmas for our families and friends. Though this gift guide is posted just a few days into Christmas day, I highly encourage doing Christmas shopping early (slowly buying gifts throughout the year and getting them ready for December is a good idea as well) to avoid the hustle and bustle, as well as the stress and long lines at the counter and having more options available.

These are just ideas for presents you can get for the people you love. I love personal gifts and those out of the ordinary. I also love presents with an artisan feel to them, they have a lot of character in my opinion.

Details:

1. Handmade Fleur de Sel Caramels (1/2 lbs. in a Mason Jar)

- I’ve been eyeing these for some time now and unfortunately they are sold out already (*sniff*). They would make an awesome gift, melt in your mouth caramels hand wrapped in natural unbleached parchment paper. I tend to associate Christmas with getting scrumptious baked goods in festive packaging (cupcakes and apple pies!).

2. Colorful Vintage Seltzer Glass Bottles

- Something perfect to add to your collection plus they are really pretty.  I love vintage bottles! These babies were found in a flea market in Paris, France. Check them out here.

3. Decorative Pear Pillow

- For something cutesy/plush and definitely whimsical. They are adorable gifts for both adults and kids. They are also handmade (Coolio!). You can find them here.

4. Mug by Hangyu Kim

-Jazz up the mug present option with this. It is incredibly clever and cool. Borosilicate glass and porcelain handles. The handles are detachable and thus drinking coffee wouldn’t be a boring event anymore. Awesome sauce!

5. Primitive Bunnies

- I always have this affinity for old school stuffed animals. They have more character and will be an awesome keepsake for your child. They can also be used as decor for a nursery or a child’s room. They are made from natural fabrics and you can find them here.

6. Botanicals

-This is a cool gift for friends or people who love plants (Trivia: I love terrariums! ♥). You can even make these on your own as well and they wouldn’t require a great deal of care at all.

7. Versailles Fluò by Selab

- I love these pieces, truly eclectic pieces that you can add to your China cabinet. They are made out of fine porcelain and they remind me indeed of Versailles. I love the pop of color!

8. Gourmet Chocolate Bars

- I love these! They come in chic designs and awesome flavors. A truly classy present, I’d love a couple of these babies. Premium Belgian couverture white chocolate infused with ceremony grade matcha green tea. An awesome balance of bitter and sweet.

Your options are quite endless actually, that’s what I wanted to point out with this post. I wanted to inspire you in some way to go and look for more original presents. The recipients will really appreciate the thought.

More importantly though, let us not forget though that presents are simply secondary to what Christmas is really about. A really awesome gift is to help out others by offering your time (join a feeding activity or spending time in an orphanage or a nursing home), that is simply priceless. )

Merry Christmas Everyone!

P.S. It would be awesome if we can help out the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. If you have extra time, money, food, clothing, do share them and drop them off at designated drop off areas all around the metro. Thank you!

P.P.S. I read this posted around the web, “Convert your fireworks and parties to food, clothing, etc. for the Typhoon Sendong victims in CDO and Iligan”. It is a good thought.

I love Christmas and I love everything about this amazing holiday. I haven’t been feeling the Christmas spirit yet and I sort of lost track that it’s December already (perhaps its also because we have been worrying about my mom being sick). But in spite of this, some of my future posts will be festive in honor of this time of the year. I decided to do a gift guide after all and I’ll also do the Christmas decór guide I mentioned before. Don’t worry, these two things are actually ready – it’s just a matter of posting really.

Georgia is fine, she is still adjusting to her new cousin (my sister’s new puppy) in the house. He got here safe, good flight. I’ve also been having a couple of busy days lately and I do have some email backlog so I’ll work on that as well.  Also, I hope I get to finish the design plans I am working on at the moment so that we can get things done. Sometimes I wonder if this design journal is a planner/to-do list tracker. It sort of is, thus the randomness and the abrupt sentences. Haha.

By the way, I am loving the design concept (for their set) that Ruche is featuring for their Holiday Lookbook. It’s awesome, check it out below!

P.S.Christmas is less than two weeks away. Wow!

Pantone’s color forecast declares Tangerine Tango as the color for 2012. It is a reddish orange shade and it exudes a certain vivaciousness feel. As quoted from Pantone’s article, “Sophisticated, dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibilty, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy”. To add, “This luscious reddish orange adds sensuality to fashion, flair to accessories, verve to cosmetics, and lively luxury to interior surfaces and appointments”.

Tangerine Tango hopes to provide the “energy boost we need to recharge and move forward”. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director, “Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it. Reminiscent of the shadings of sunset”.

Do not be intimidated by orange, Tangerine Tango is a good shade to try out if you wish to apply a certain design trend in your space.  Add some zest in your interiors by incorporating this color in some way, start off  with accessories such as  pillows, tabletop knick knacks or incoporate it by getting patterned textiles in this shade. Add some spice and interest by making a bolder move such as using this shade as a wall color, it will work as an accent wall in your kitchen to stimulate appetite. Good neutrals to pair with this shade include a graphite color, cream and even black. Check out the quick mood board I put together below as well as a couple of interiors I picked out from the internet for some ideas.

P.S. I guess this is my first post with a mention about the new year to come. Wow, I can’t believe this year is almost over. Time is beyond fast lately.

This is sort of the continuation of my post from last Sunday with regards to my Bacolod trip and bombarding you with my pictures (Haha. Sorry about that.).

The cool thing about going on a trip is that you not only get to know more about a certain place, you also get to know more about the people you are traveling with. What made up for an even more awesome adventure such as this is the good company. Here is to more trips in the future. Cheers.

Yup, no “brief narrative” for this post. Haha.

P.S. I might do a quick add if inspiration and more words suddenly hit me. I might but don’t hold me to it. Oh, I hope you all had an amazing weekend (Sundays are for laidback posts ). Though we don’t celebrate thanksgiving here, I am thankful for all of you and this design journal. ♥

P.P.S. Credits to the group pictures (basically the pictures with people in them) goes to Khe2x. Thanks Khe!

This is an excerpt from our Directory and Sourcebook, basically a Publication from PIID-Cebu (Philippine Institute of Interior Designers – Cebu Chapter). Do get your copy!

Who needs an interior designer, one might say, when you know what you want and think you have the eye for it. A sofa you’ve been eyeing comes on sale so you rush to purchase it only to find it is way too big for your room and is now blocking your doorway.

Or, seeing tiles that are on sale, you rush to purchase them and have them installed only to find you are missing a few more pieces but the tiles have been sold out and discontinued.

Hiring a professional interior designer may cost a bit, but it’s more costly to make one mistake after another. PIID-Cebu would like to share some reasons for hiring an Interior Designer:

1. An Interior Designer is client-oriented and designs spaces based on the client’s budget, needs and lifestyle.

2. An Interior Designer is a problem solver and he does it systematically.

3. An Interior Designer pays attention to the littlest details.

4. An Interior Designer can plan, schedule, manage and see formidable costly mistakes that may incur in the long run.

5. An Interior Designer can anticipate a long-term view of the situation, not merely a current snapshot.

6. An Interior Designer can present unique and custom furnishings that cannot be found everywhere else, he can also give you access to furniture showrooms that are not open to the general public.

7. An Interior Designer can pull together spaces that are aesthetically pleasing and functional – he can maximize space and make it more efficient.

8. An Interior Designer can translate your vision into paper, making it easy for contractors to execute the design.

9. An Interior Designer has a wide database of vendors, contractors, and other service providers; thus simplifying the client’s life, as designers can have samples brought to the client instead of having the client go out of his way to check out materials.

10. An Interior Designer is acquainted with a wide array of surfaces, materials, finishes and products, and can recommend the most appropriate one for the client’s needs.

(Image Credit – Paula Cañete, A Quick Perspective Sketch for a Café)

I was able to finish working on the pictures for this particular trip (Finally, Pau. Haha.). But before moving on to set below, I would just like to include a couple of details first. (A short personal narrative hopefully. Haha.)

Known as the “City of Smiles” here in the Philippines, Bacolod is also the capital city of Negros Occidental. It is said to be the cleanest and greenest urbanized city here. For the most part, I love Bacolod. I love that they are focusing on organic and healthier ventures (i.e. vegetables, produce, their well-known Muscovado sugar). The hotel we stayed at was amazing, they are  going green advocates. They even have an extensive vegetable and herb garden at the back where fresh produce used for some of our meals were harvested (Hello freshly-picked tarragon for my tea). On a related note, a cool structure there was their mud house and the bunch of interior designers that we are, we pretty much examined every nook and cranny. I for one was quite fascinated by the technicalities of the building aspect. It has been said that the mud house is quite a strong structure and will last for many, many years. It is also quite cool  (temperature-wise as well) once you are inside, if I may add.

We had a very long itinerary (Aside from immersing in the arts, food and sampling the cuisine was also a main priority for us. Shameless. Haha.) and that definitely included stopping by highly-recommended Pasalubong (Translation: the Filipino tradition of a homecoming gift) stores, they had a cool selection of jams which are grown and made  in Bacolod (I got some all natural passion fruit and sweet kamote jam for my mom. They also had some watermelon varieties!). I was able to get some organic black rice (which is really good actually) there as well. Since we are on the topic of food, they also have the most amazing and  the best-tasting cheesecakes (hands down) I’ve tried to date (Hello Calea!). I also love the Napoloeones at Pendy’s! ♥

For those who know me, I love heritage houses and antiques and awesome artifacts. We dropped by some of Bacolod’s awesome heritage houses and sites. It has been said that Bacolod is comprised of prominent families (from a tour guide’s brief at one of the sites, haciendas and hacienderos are common words there), thus the antique collections in most of the said houses are extensive. Though I got quite dusty and sweaty, I definitely had a ball during the tour!

I had fun taking pictures immensely. That also meant lugging my things about all throughout the trip. I was sore and worn out every night. (Haha.) But it was definitely worth it.

I can go on and on with this narrative (I told you we had a long itinerary) but I think I should just stop to here for now. I will definitely do a couple more posts about this trip (which includes my favorite site there, The Ruins) throughout this week hopefully. Do stay tuned for “City of Smiles (Part 2)” over the weekend!

P.S. I’ll try to look for a picture of us with the whole group. Yup, just a random thought after checking out the rest of the pictures.

An awesome structure confection you can find in San Francisco, California. You basically have a good mesh of two things, a Victorian neighborhood and a sleek modern house. Said structure is by brilliant Craig Steely and also features an office and a split-level living area.

Yup, I am (also) drawn to structures such as this (i.e. wood, glass panels, urban feel, angular/boxy look,  etc.).

Your dining room is a place where you and your family will be spending some time each day. This area is also going to be used when you entertain guests or invite family over for a holiday. So the kind of dining room furniture you buy is important.

Here are some tips to help you get started decorating your dining room-

What type of dining room table will you require? You have to decide whether it is a glass topped one, a regular wood table or whether wrought iron can make more sense. Decide on the shape and the size – round, square or rectangular?

Depending upon the dimensions of your dining area and the size of your family and other requirements, you will also have to decide whether you want a regular 6 seater, a smaller 4 seater or a larger table. Also consider extendable dining tables that can be increased in size when required to accommodate more people or guests.

Consider your chairs – Your chairs don’t have to match your dining room table slavishly. In fact you can create some interesting contrast and combinations using different materials and textures. For instance you may well have a modern looking glass topped table and then team it effectively with more traditional chairs.

Or you can decide whether you want a plain and simple dining table teamed with futuristic chairs of a minimalist aspect. Mixing and matching the dining room furniture in this way can be fun and will offer a highly individualistic and eclectic result.

Consider whether you want stark looking, contemporary designs or whether you want traditional types of chairs. You will also have to decide whether it is armchairs that you want, whether you need them upholstered or not and so on.

What other dining room furniture do you need?  Ideally you should pick out the other bits of furniture after you’ve decided on the table and chairs. Because this will inform you how much space you have left over in the dining area, and will also help you create a central theme for your dining room if you so wish.

Hutches are popular options when buying furniture for the dining room. Again here you need not match the hutch or the side board to the table and chairs, rather try and create interesting combinations. Here as well there are several practical aspects to consider – do you need pull out drawers or cabinets / doors and do the doors have to be wooden or glass paned?

Make sure that the sideboards or the hutches you consider are suitable in size and proportion for the area. Also consider whether you will be using it for laying out dishes, for displaying photos, china or artifacts or whether you want it principally for storage of crockery, cutlery, dining linen such as napkins, tablecloths and so on.

Also consider whether you will need dining table furniture accessories such as a table pad, which can help to protect the table surface from heat, dust, spillage and regular wear and tear.

Author bio:

Sarika Periwal represents Amish Furniture Home, a hardwood furniture store where you can buy authentic Amish furniture handcrafted by Amish craftsmen, both online and offline. It is one of the premier furniture stores in Michigan.

P.S. A big thank you to Sarika for providing all these important tips for all of us, they certainly come in handy when you are starting out or doing your own dining room project. On a related note, my family and I love to eat and we spend a great deal of time in our dining area. How about you?

P.P.S. I love putting together and designing dining rooms. Sarika was kind enough to let me pick out the pictures for this post. I definitely had a ball with that and ended up making a sort of collage. Haha.

I fell in love with all the amazing illustrations in this post. I have always had an affinity for Zebras (Yes, I seem to have an affinity for lots of things and when I meet nice and brilliant people, I always end up wanting to adopt them. Haha.). Not only do I enjoy Zebra prints on clothes and my loafers (as well as my Sanuks), but even my online design portfolio was inspired by Zebras.

I find them unique, edgy yet elegant, puzzling (Is it white with black stripes or black with white stripes?) and they go well with pops of loud and neon colors. They are quite beautiful too! Rest assured, when I do settle on what my dream place will be like, Zebras will never be overlooked in the mix. I might even get one if they have teacup ones. Haha.

Enjoy the brilliant illustrations from Jose Luis Romero, a Creative Designer and Illustrator below. Love!♥

P.S. For updates of a more personal nature, I am a busy bee at the moment and my to-do list is a bit long. I hope I can get everything accomplished right away. Since I cannot exactly expound on the serious work stuff on my list, I would love to babble a bit about the not so serious ones. So, I did some cleaning in preparation for Saturday and I am grateful that I had some help as well. For someone so tiny, I have a lot of stuff!

I hope to take some pictures as well for something and Georgia needs a bath as well. I do have to check if she is due for her other deworming medication and she smells like mangoes. She had been eating some during lunch, her whiskers are yellow! How random am I?

P.P.S It’s 11-11-11 soon and I just want to say that you are loved, all of you.

How was your Halloween?

We had a long weekend here and it passed by so fast. It’s already November! I was planning to watch a horror documentary (and munch on some chips) with my sister but we had to cancel that because she got scared (haha).  Enjoy the fierce and eerily fashionable pictures by Jeff Orgina above.

P.S. I find it cool that the model was holding a Philippine flag in one of the pictures

P.P.S. I was able to enjoy a couple of beautiful mornings by the beach and spend some time with special friends. Oh, it’s been raining here as well.

Super cool right?

Yes, it’s made of paper. These exquisite and highly detailed designs and paper sculptures (i.e. works of art) are by Calvin Nicholls. It is quite evident that he has a great deal of passion for his art and he says that he finds great satisfaction from exploring various techniques in paper sculpture.

More of his pieces, below. I for one enjoyed going over them immensely. Enjoy!

P.S. I (for the life of me) didn’t know these (referring to the paper sculptures) were even possible. I am simply in awe by his talent and if ever he welcomes apprentices, I will definitely fall in line. Haha.

P.P.S. My personal favorites are the zebras and the owl ones simply because I am partial to them. (Haha.) But in totality, I love all of them, amazing detailing! ♥

A Funky Tuesday to Everyone!

To continue on with the “funkiness” of this post, here are a couple of pieces which I am in love with at the moment (I want one of each please. Haha.)

Dubbed as the “Trip Collection” by Italian lifestyle brand Seletti (who came up with the designs as well), this furniture collection actually does a reinterpretation of classic pieces – adding an edgy/funky modern touch. Definitely eye-catching pieces made from MDF with silkscreen prints. The prints include trendy  pied-de-poules and polka dots.

This brings two words in mind – Baroque and Versailles.

“(R)evolution is the only solution”

P.S. These pieces made me think of Marie Antoinette (for some weird reason) as well. I am definitely doing a post on her too!

P.P.S. My new favorite drink at the moment is Aloe Vera juice. It’s light and refreshing. I love it ♥! By the way, Georgia is due for a haircut and I hope to be able to bring her to the groomers this week.

It’s up! I’m glad I was able to meet Aimee (in a sense) and she was really nice – plus, she gave me the freedom to go crazy and do a post for her blog. Haha.

The pictures (lé visuals) I prepared for my post at her blog – I am posting them below as well for those who wish to do a quick inspection. For the full post (I assure you, I made it short and sweet), do check it out (and Aimee’s blog as well) here.

This particular work of art will leave you in awe. (At least I hope it will. It left me in awe and scared me just a bit. Haha.)

Jacques Louis-David was a very influential French painter (i.e. considered to be the most distinguished painter of the era) and his paintings were of the Neoclassical style. His name is forever embedded in my brain not only because he was a revolutionary artist but also because of my Art History class – we had to identify all his paintings! But I am certainly not complaining (re: identifying all his paintings) because they are such magnificent paintings and I believe any knowledge gained is priceless (Yey for school!).

Back to the main agenda of this post, one of his iconic paintings, “The Death of Marat” was chosen as the inspiration for the staging of André Cheniér for Bregenz Festival 2011. A spectacular production which consisted of a famous floating stage on the shore of Lake Constance, the image of Jean Paul Marat (as he was stabbed in his bath tub) became the  stage set. It stood over twenty-four meters above Lake Constance.

The amazing people responsible for this monumental production are Keith Warner (Director) and David Fielding (Stage Designer). The amazing music for the opera was provided by Umberto Giordano. Their opera “André Cheniér” was set against the background of the French Revolution.

P.S. If you wish to see a clip on the construction of the stage set, you may do so here – Bregenz Festival 2011 – Andre Chenier . It’s awesome!

P.P.S. ♥ -  I love the Opera (I’d love to be part of one too!) and my favorite one is The Phantom of the Opera (I listen to the songs while I’m on the treadmill. Yup, I am an unusual girl. Haha.)

Hola!

It’s been a rainy week and we are experiencing a storm as well. I watched the news earlier today and travel ports (sea and air) have canceled trips for everyone’s safety which I think is the best thing to do at the moment.

I wanted to feature some color in this post to counteract the gloominess of the weather at present. The spread below reminded me a great deal of Frieda Kahlo, a well-known Mexican painter who featured  a good number of self-portraits for her paintings. I will definitely do a post on her and some of her paintings one of these days.

I love the vividness of Mexico, the passion in their colors. I also love the concept for the spread (for  Plaid Magazine, Spring/Summer 2011) below and the set decor (Trivia – Interior Designers can also design sets too! I’m one of those who get excited with regards to this. Haha.) More inspiration for everyone below and Viva la Mexico!

P.S. Rainy days are quite stressful for Georgia, they scare her. With regards to the storm – Be safe everyone!

P.P.S. On a more upbeat note, Happy Birthday Miggy! I definitely ate a lot of ice cream tonight (i.e. we have five gallons for the party), I hope I don’t get a tummy ache. Buenas noches!

Amazing photography and concepts by Jeff Orgina Photography. A partnership in collaboration between David Tortora and Jaime Travezan, a Peruvian and an Italian. I have been fascinated with fashion and though it precedes interior design and design for me, it still inspires me a great deal.

Jaime and David describe their outputs as “anti-minimal” and “realistic but categorically non-real”. I love their pictures because it pushes the envelope in the creative process and they know how to utilize image manipulation in a tasteful manner.

P.S. It doesn’t hurt either that there are cute doggies in some of them. (I’m such a girl. Haha.)

P.P.S. It was still a rainy day today but things are alright.  I miss drinking coffee, I miss drinking tea too!

Today's guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting (a fantastic online resource for gorgeous light fixtures and lamps for the home).


There is an interesting mix of contemporary and rustic styles in design these days. Have you seen it? Do you love it? Hate it? Rustic walls give contemporary spaces, especially minimalist spaces, added texture and pattern. Using reclaimed wood, barn doors and wood paneling in new ways, these rustic walls in contemporary spaces feel very chic. Here are some of our favorites:

This rustic wood wall feels contemporary in this minimalist bedroom. The simple colors and linear lines of the wall are in keeping with the contemporary style of the rest of the room.

This reclaimed wood wall is a DIY project. Love the simple lights as wall sconces that add illumination but keep the space feeling contemporary. The headboard project could be continued over the entire wall for an even more rustic feeling.

Barn style doors in this contemporary farmhouse kitchen add rustic style while hiding storage. Barn doors are great in contemporary design for their simple lines and functionality.

An all white contemporary space gets some color and texture with this barn door to the bathroom. It almost has an industrial feeling to it.

An old barn door makes for a rustic accent wall in this contemporary nursery space. Reclaimed wood is a great way to add rustic style to a contemporary space.

This contemporary foyer has natural stone walls that are more typical in a farmhouse style space. Natural elements, wood, stone, plaster, that are more typical of rustic décor look fantastic when paired with contemporary furnishings and light fixtures.

This contemporary bathroom has gorgeous wood paneling that is more chic than rustic. Wood walls, typical of rustic style, give warmth to sleek contemporary spaces.

This chic contemporary bedroom has a cool rustic wood wall that almost looks like pallets. The horizontal slats have a fantastic graphic look to them.

These contemporary spaces with a touch of the outdoors are clean, classic and cozy. If you’re looking for more inspiration, visit Arcadian Lighting’s website for design ideas and a brilliant array of lighting fixtures to choose from.

Images (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

P.S. This is The Sea Green Journal’s first ever guest post. Thank you very much to Susi for putting together such useful information. I do love rustic walls, they add texture and a certain character to any space.How about you?

P.P.S. It’s a rainy friday for me. Georgia and I saw a couple of birds and their nests in our front yard today. How cool! ♥

Have a great weekend ahead, everyone!

I have always loved anything Mediterranean – the cuisine (I even love watching cooking shows with amazing ingredients influenced by cultures near the Mediterranean Sea), the details in the design style (Sparkling sunny days, vibrant produce, vivid turquoise waters), it is basically relaxed design and nature is quite apparent in the architectural elements.

I will expound more on Mediterranean design in a separate post for those of you who wish to know more about it or wish to incorporate in your interiors.

A good example of an interior concept that I am especially in love with right now is the Blanc Restaurant and Lounge of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona. It exhibits a settle Mediterranean feel in a more contemporary setting (I love it! ♥).

Patricia Urquiola, the brilliant designer for the space, made use of creative spatial layouts and a dramatic openess through the ceiling decorations. The palette is mainly neutral and oh so refreshing (to the point of making me gush even. Haha.).

P.S. Yup, having lunch here someday is definitely in my bucket list. (Lunch is between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Noted. Haha.)

(Steak Salad Photo Credit – Thomas J. Story)

I am a bookworm and one of my favorite things to do is read. I could go on for hours (or for days) reading  especially when I have a good book in my hands. When I’m reading, it’s as if everything else around me seems to just fade away and then its just me and my lovely book in the room. I don’t mean to alarm anyone with this of course. I mean – 1.reading on the train, 2. or while waiting at the visitor’s lounge, 3. or hanging out at a coffee shop are just some of the exceptions (We still have to aware of things around us when hanging out in such public spaces, dude. safety first! *wink*).

Aside from good recommendations, or a favorite author or just really good content and plots or that “i-just-know-this-is-a-good-book” feeling, there are times when I get drawn to a book simply by its cover. Yup, I also love really good book cover designs and since I love you all very much (awwww), I’m sharing one of my favoritest book cover designers. I love Coralie Bickford-Smith. Her designs are simply gorgeous *singsong voice*. The designs really get me going, bursting with design inspiration. I hope they do the same thing for you.

A couple of her book cover designs below.

Lovely aren’t they? The beautiful cover designs make me want to buy all of them (no surprise there. haha.). Before I end this post, I’d like to include a little background about the amazing lady responsible for such awesomeness. Coralie works at Penguin Books where she has made a couple of series designs as a senior cover designer. She draws inspiration for other brilliant design ideas she researches on and  she does a lot of sketching and playing around with images to come up with her concepts.

Hurrah for clothbound books! ♥

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

- Dr. Suess

P.S. Yup, I am a Self-Confessed Bookworm and proud of it! How about you, what books are you reading?

P.P.S. On a side note, you can find a previous mention of Coralie Bickford-Smith by clicking here.

First off, what are Pohutukawa trees? They are basically evergreen trees native to New Zealand, a favorite, thus inspiring the name  “New Zealand Christmas Tree”. A Pohutukawa tree can spread to as much as 40 feet in width and it can grow up to 70 feet in height. 

How did said trees fit into the design problem? Well to start with, Architects and Interior Designers are constantly presented with challenging circumstances in terms of design and our example for this post is one of those said challenges – working with the existing environment. Herbst Architects was quite successful in dealing with such a factor and coming up with an amazing collaboration of – 1. The celebration of nature and working with what nature provided them with, 2. The good meshing of a sleek modern structure with firsthand connection with trees and the beach (the site can be found near the beach, not far from Auckland).

How did they do it? Well, they basically looked to the trees themselves to clue them in. The site which was covered with about 90 percent of mature Pohutukawa trees didn’t make it easy at all. They divided the house into areas which they can work around with the trees and they utilized materials that stick to the feel of nature – freshly cut wood, timber.

P.S. I wouldn’t mind living here. Not at all

P.P.S. Happy Birthday, Karl (a.k.a. Darth Vader)!

Nope, this is not a clothing/fashion wishlist (at the moment). I was browsing through Urban Outfitters and I fell in love with a couple of stuff (Ok, a lot. Haha). I then decided to sort of list them down for future reference of course (haha).

I basically love (love, love, love) color and certain prints thus anything that fall in said categories tend to catch my eye.

Such pretty, pretty colors! All this color is cheering me up Yup, I’d love to get all of them and make a house where I can place all of them in. Uhm, I’ll live there too. Haha.

Which ones do you like?

P.S. Back in college, I thoroughly enjoyed the design subjects that focus on color. Err, I loved all of my subjects then. I guess I’m a design nerd *insert nerd smiley here*

P.P.S. Leo the Owl Bank ♥ ♥

Do you by any chance have a “chair question” ?

I wanted to do something fun with this post and thus will present a couple of stuff to inspire you (design-wise) and give you some ideas. Any element can change an interior’s atmosphere – for this particular post, the element at hand would be furniture, more specifically chairs.

What sort of flashed in my head was the word “Stereotypes”. We basically define stereotypes as fixed and most of the time oversimplified images of a particular thing or even person. Chairs have their own stereotypes too (i.e. Classical Chairs are to be utilized for formal dining settings, Outdoor chairs are strictly for outdoors, etc). I can go on and on but basically people have this preconceived notion of furniture and their (very very limited) limitations in terms of usage. Most people would base it on the look (ex. They would think that minimal/streamlined furniture are solely for contemporary or modern concepts), or material (ex. They would think that metal furniture would work best solely for a dentist’s office or a factory) – you get the idea.

From my personal design preference and how I do spaces, I don’t like to limit myself nor do I like to limit the possibilities – I like to play around more with design, which is probably why I love art and making art as well.

I got thinking and decided to give you a couple of ideas for the question below.

The answer to said question is a very big YES and since I love you all and I love what I do, I decided to not only answer this question in writing but decided to do so as well by showing you. (Wow, clever. Haha.)

I randomly picked out five, very different (in material, shape, style) chairs – so they sort of represent random stereotypes and will show you how you can incorporate them in five corresponding spaces as well. I created a couple of design concepts that will hopefully inspire you and give you ideas and options for your own chairs and spaces. Enjoy!

1. Random Chair No. 1

First up is a Classic Dining Chair with Windsor Arched Seatback and Turned legs (in Whitewood finish). How can you possibly utilize this particular piece besides buying a couple and using them for your dining table you ask?

Well, as a possible option for you , I decided to utilize this chair for either a home office or even a design office. This piece would greatly add a dash of creativity in your work space and it’s not your conventional office chair either. Don’t worry, it has a good back support system and the wood seat would be just as comfy for those long hours (if not, a neutral seat cover can be added).

I usually go for interesting pieces, some good color (this will bring some zest in spite of the work load)  and some good storage of course. Check out how I designed the envisioned space below.

2. Random Chair No. 2

How about a vivid-colored chair in red? Would you love to get a couple of Verner Panton S Chairs? To answer the latter – If they are too expensive for you, a couple of not as expensive alternatives would be the Reno Chair Set by Target. To answer the former – don’t be afraid of strong colored chairs. You can definitely utilize them in any space, trust me.

Verner Panton is one of my favorite designers (I remember sketching his chairs for my furniture design class a couple of years back). His S chairs are classic pieces and are stackable and made out of plastic (a new material then). For the design concept below, I decided to use two of the pieces for a unique breakfast space.

Light and easily moveable, these pieces are not solely limited as accent pieces and are definitely not  just limited for more modern concepts. I decided to do a fun mix and I must say, I’d love to eat breakfast in the interior below.

Those are my first two looks/concepts and I hope I was able to inspire you in some way and was able to provide you with information you can utilize for your own design needs. Interested to see the rest of the spaces I designed utilizing the other three chairs?

If yes, then definitely stay tuned. I’ll post “Part Two” soon. Have a good weekend!

Nope, this post doesn’t pertain to grandparents or older people at all. (By the way, my grandfather turned eighty-two today! Cool beans ♥)

Work of art below – a really cool concept which I really really love. It’s by Grandpeople, a Norwegian design studio.

It’s actually a CD cover that they designed for a band called The New Wine and their debut album, Waves. They incorporated a wooden cube as an organic element and added PVC-Film into the mix which was then “peeled off” in the shape of waves. This is a great representation for the band and the evolution in their music.

It would be really cool to use a couple of these cubes for an exhibition display or accent pieces in a room. I’d love a couple in my own room. Haha

I just heard a talk from a brilliant individual (and designer) who I wish to adopt (Please don’t ask me why I wish to do that, I don’t know the answer either). By the way, his name is Thomas Heatherwick. His talk was about projects that he and his team have come up with, the design process and their final outputs. Let me just say that I am simply fascinated by people who come up with structures that go beyond one’s imagination, it’s simply amazing! *boggled look*

He has done amazing projects (which I will do posts on in this journal) that exhibit this  but one particular project which I am in awe with is his entry for the Shanghai 2010 Expo – The Seed Cathedral.

Sample pictures below (which I found from Time Magazine) so that you’ll get what I mean.

The Specifics

The Seed Cathedral is Heatherwick’s entry for the Shanghai World Expo. It is formed from 60, 000 transparent rods, each rod 7.5 metres in length. (With seeds embedded in them! In Heatherwick’s talk, he mentioned that they got their inspiration for this from the film, Jurassic Park . Remember the mosquito trapped inside a piece of amber and how beautiful it looked?)

The structure is 20 metres in height. The rods (each and every one of them) are simply fascinating for they were designed to draw daylight inwards during the day to provide illumination for the interior. At night time, the said rods serve as optic lighting which makes the whole structure “glow”.

This amazing work of art creates an utterly dynamic effect because when a gust of wind is present, the building itself and its “optic hairs” gently move with it.

Curious about the seeds? Heatherwick teamed up with Millenium Seedbank project (another amazing group whose mission is to collect the seeds of 25% of the world’s plant species by 2020).

Construction-wise (and as quoted),  “The holes in the 1 metre thick wood diaphram structure forming the visitor space inside the Seed Cathedral were drilled with great geometric accuracy to ensure precise placement of the aluminium sleeves through which the optic fibre filaments are inserted. This was achieved using 3D computer modelling data, fed into a computer controlled milling machine.”

Do you wish to adopt him yourself now? Haha

P.S. I’d love to visit this amazing structure myself someday!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Yup, I am indeed destined to do a post related to this 1961 romantic comedy film starring Audrey Hepburn. I enjoy watching the movie, I love her, I love Tiffany blue (the color) and I love her classy outfits in the film. This post is simply inevitable.

I am not doing a movie review actually but am talking about a particular space/interior inspired by the film. It is awesome and I’d love to stay there myself

This gem is at the fourteenth floor of the St. Regis Hotel in New York which  they aptly named as their “Tiffany Suite”.  It has just been revamped recently – the old suite in 1991 then described to be corporate and “imperial”. A couple of specifics include the sizes being 1, 700 square feet (for the one bedroom) and 2, 300 square feet (for the two bedroom), a dining area that sits ten, a view that faces Central Park. A sample floor plan below.

Design-wise, the interior lends a whimsical yet opulent feel to it (with it’s crystal decanters, silver, streaming pearls) and utilizes a timeless color palette of neutrals (such as charcoal, whites, creams, silver) with Tiffany and Co.’s signature Tiffany color as the accent color. A  couple of pictures of the beautiful suite below.

I definitely fell in love with this space and I love the lovely mounted wall ornaments (they look so delicate and feminine). I love the Barbara Barry Fretwork Lounge Chairs (with mirror finishes and lacquer)by Barbara Berry for Mcguire.

The person responsible for this is John Loring (Design Director Emeritus of Tiffany and Co.). He wanted to redesign the suite for a young and fashion conscious audience. As quoted, “The style of New York (in the late 80′s and early 90′s) was anything but young, and fresh, and hip. It was rather ponderous and the suite was aimed at a very different audience than today”.

Definitely taking the Tiffany experience to another level!

P.S. With regards to the movie, I definitely love this iconic dress, especially the back detail ♥

How was your Easter?

I am quite thankful that I had a good one – I was able to do some reflection about things and spend time with my family. Here are a couple of pictures that I find are quite cool (and adorable. haha.)  – in the spirit of Easter.

Aside from fluffy bunnies, other stuff that I love about Easter include – 1. Chocolate Eggs from Cadbury (Since I was a kid, I can finish a whole tray of this!), 2. Easter table settings and Easter themed parties, 3. Pastels (you can incorporate these darling colors in your interiors).

Speaking of Easter table settings, I find the setting and design by Wendy of Green Beansie Cards really aweeesssooommme =] A couple of pictures below. Enjoy!

I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with the amount of visuals in this post. They are such pretty pictures, I just couldn’t resist ♥

I’ll talk more about my Easter soon. Have a good week!

I got a call awhile back (while I was at the embassy – a different story for a different day) and got invited to head on down to Cebu Bionic to check out their new products. I am more familiar with their other store, Steel + Stone (and love their tiles) which is their high end retail store. They are still undergoing renovations at the moment but I was able to take some pictures and view some of their products (I love going to hardware stores).

Cebu Bionic is a builder supply/hardware store and though I am more acquainted with their architectural finishes (they have european tiles – they carry Bisazza; they also have asian tiles; bathroom fixtures – Toto and American Standard), apparently they also have door and window hardware and building tools.

Big thank you to Vina (she is in their marketing, she gave me a tour around and introduced me to everyone; Sir Bernard, their family owns said builder supply, was able to do a quick chat as well) and I will drop by again once everything gets settled. Quite random but I am ogling their shingle roofing options (haha).

P.S. Yup, I just couldn’t resist. (Haha).

A big kiss to everyone and I hope you are having a great weekend ♥

P.S. I attended a really cool design seminar yesterday on sustainable design. I’ll do a post on that soon.

The Queen of Love Armchair by Linvin. I want one. Actually, I want a couple. (Haha)

If I have somehow piqued your curiosity about it, this cool armchair which I love is made out of recyclable linear polyethylene – it is thus suitable for both indoors and outdoors (!). I love it for three reasons – 1. The Louis XV style of the design (“An ironic revisiting” as quoted), 2. For a million more reasons which will comprise a paragraph or this entire post itself (haha), 3. For the simple reason that I can’t seem to explain why I love it point-blank. Yes, I am confusing.

I like the whimsical aspect it projects and at the same time I like the fact that it can be a really good statement piece for any décor – simply put, it is surprisingly versatile. Surprising in the sense that it does possess intricate detailing and exaggerated contouring. To add more to it’s amazingness, it is seamless, it resists color fading, it is scratch, shock and weather resistant. It’s composition makes it eco-friendly too.

Gah, there’s more?! (Haha)

Yup, it comes in all these fun colors ♥

I know, I know – all those words for just an armchair. I mean it’s not just any armchair – it’s an awweesssomme chair. (Haha.)

As quoted from the designer, “Linvin’s The Love Collection was born from a simple idea, aiming to become a symbol of positive and free way of being. These beautiful designs project you into the future while remembering the past; a prism in which the light goes through and turns into a rainbow of colors, becoming itself the energy that it’s a symbol of LOVE.”

A couple of these babies it is (and Georgia can have one too if they have a baby version – how cute!). I rest my case

Now, back to my essay. Eep.

As quoted from the CFIF (Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, Inc.), “Responsible for over 60% of the Philippine exports, Cebu is recognized as the furniture capital of the Philippines.  To date, the Philippine furniture export industry, with Cebu as its biggest contributor, ranks among the top ten import source countries of the USA. A big 70%  of the total furniture products of the country are exported to the US, and the remaining 30% distributed to the European, Middle Eastern and Asian markets.”

I have always taken great pride in the amazing designers we have here in Cebu – I get inspired by how they have gravitated towards pushing the envelope in design limitations and the innovations they constantly come up with. Being in the interior design field, I had always been exposed to this even when I was still a student in university and my fascination hasn’t wavered even up to now.

Cebu designers and manufacturers make use of indigenous materials such as arorog and butay (coconut twig), rattan, bamboo, sea grass, abaca (manila hemp), tree bark and even termite mounds – I’m telling you, it’s amazing!

A good example of a furniture company – I was able to drop by for a visit to Murillo’s showroom (they have a really cool one) not too long ago. I have always found a liking to their pieces and I love (the opportunity of ) being able to drop by different Cebuano furniture showrooms – I could spend the entire day just ogling their pieces. (True story. Haha.)

Looks cool doesn’t it?

Quick Details about Murillo’s Export International -

1. They define their brand as – “Innovative ways of interpreting tradition”. This company is engaged in design and manufacture of high quality furniture and accessories.

2. Murillo furniture, accessories and art works are hand made inside their factory in Cebu, Philippines.

3. They utilize rattan, wicker, leather, iron, aluminum, wood, abaca, sea grass and other natural materials mixed with man-made ones. They like to play around with subtle contrasts on colors and textures and they lean on clean fluid lines and excellent details.

They were nice enough (and super cool!) to lend us some of their pieces and they have really good service. (Big thanks to Sir Allan Murillo and Lorelyn!)

I will definitely post more about other furniture designers here in Cebu in the future and a big kudos to the Cebu and Philippine Furniture Industry! Let us all show our support

Just two things for this post:

1. Here are a couple more pictures (above) from the shoot I did.  I hope you like them. Georgia looks so cute ♥  (Quick add – Wow, it’s April already!)

2. I am contemplating on a lot of things as of late and I can relate greatly to the following -

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places — and there are so many — where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

- Howard Zinn

“I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!”

- Alice in Wonderland

Georgia and Mummy time ♥

Bohemian (Definition)

1. a native or inhabitant of Bohemia
- Nope, this doesn’t apply to me.

2. a person who has informal or unconventional social habits, esp. an artist or writer.
– Nope, this doesn’t apply to me or perhaps it does a little. So I guess I fit in this definition in a certain sense.

I have always been fascinated by gypsies and the bohemian culture. I mean I will never ever lose that fascination – I remember wearing loose curls in college (on certain days), being into woven flipflops with intricate beading, being into flowy skirts and big printed totes and donning a great deal of woven bangles. People might view me (and know me) as starchy/prim in manner . I am for the most part, I follow rules and I take tasks seriously (Yup, totally not a free spirit there. Haha.)

I love the character in all things bohemian and the carefree-ness it represents and though I might not dress the way I used to (I haven’t worn flipflops or curls or skirts) but I still have the penchant for it and there are still days when I go for it. I may dress up seriously now as a professional but I still inject bits of this fondness – will never get tired of loosy tunics, printed/flower polos, beanies, maxis and gypsy dresses.

It kind of reminds me of interior design as well. It is a discipline that focuses on the arts so it can also lean on the unconventional, the artsy-fartsy and being just out there but at the same time it is also starchy in the sense that it is also a science, you have the accuracy to observe when making technical drawings, in doing measurements, etc.

Paula = Interior Design (Haha.)

On a different (but still cheery) note, yesterday was a very good day. It was a day for amazing blessings in our family (I got an amazing blessing and so did Ate Tatie). I will talk about it once things are already more concrete and definite but for now (All your prayers will be much appreciated), I am over the moon and am very grateful to God.

The picture above is one of the outtakes for a self-portrait shoot I did a day (or two) ago. I love it very much because it was fun and Georgia is in it. My little sweetheart was giving me a big kiss. Haha. So incredibly adorable! ♥

I hope you like it and I will be posting the rest over the weekend (Time goes by so fast lately. It’s almost the weekend and its already April tomorrow too! Shocker. Haha.)

Note: Wow, how did this post get so lengthy? Am I that chatty? *blush* (Haha.)

P.S. My good friend, Vane, had her birthday a few days ago and she said that it was happy/crappy. A big shout out to her (and I hope this makes her smile) I won’t post her childhood picture here because she might (hurt)me. Haha. Advanced Happy Birthday to Nikki as well

P.P.S. If you are new to this design journal, some shameless plugging here, here and here. (Haha.)

I love going over the results of interior design awards. The winning designs/interiors and the designers themselves are very inspiring. I enjoy going over the creative outputs that they come up with and I learn a great deal from them too!

Big congratulations to this year’s IIDA Interior Design Competition winners. (IIDA stands for International Interior Design Association and this year’s competition is their 38th.)

To quote Sara Robertson (in her More Than Meets the Eye article), “Interior design competitions are far more than mere beauty pageants – they involve a complex system of entry and judgement and lead to much more than an award in name for all those involved.”

I agree with her statement that there’s no refuting that interior design is a visual profession BUT that it is not just limited to that. Aesthetics are considered (surely) but what they focus more is the idea being presented and the quality of it’s execution. It is a learning opportunity for everyone involved.

Here are a couple of pictures of some of the winning entries. Enjoy!

Project Title: One Shelley Street
Project Location: Sydney, Australia
Firm: Clive Wilkinson Architects, West Hollywood, CA

Project Title: Nokia
Project Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Firm: Gensler, San Francisco, CA

Project Title: Bar Agricole
Project Location: San Francisco, CA
Firm: Aidlin Darling Design, San Francisco, CA

Those are just three of the six award winners. The Best of Competition winner will be announced in June. Mehrdad Yazdani, the Principal Interior Designer of  Los Angeles-based Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design and a winner of the IIDA’s 36th Annual Competition, says that  one has to be “simple,  powerful and concise for a judge who only has a few minutes to grasp your project.” Submissions have to be as effective as possible and it should be conveyed a strong manner.

To inspire you, I end this post by quoting D.B. Kim (an independent designer in New York and has judged several competitions) – “It’s not just about mimicries of the trends. The competition is all about the details – I’m looking at the future.”

P.S. I am also including a picture of a dish I have great affection for particularly (I mean I love food a great deal ♥ Haha.). I am most certainly a risotto girl and the one below is a really good one – it was creamy and had just the right consistency (the mushrooms were juicy and flavorful as well). A very good meal for a busy day

Sprinkle a bit of pepper and introduce to your tastebuds. Yum ♥

P.P.S. Before March officially comes to an end, I just wanted to say that The Sea Green Journal is already seven months old. Yey! To the upcoming months and more posts – cheers!

There is no typical day for an interior designer (you learn something new or get exposed to something different every single day). Yes, you will deal with the “usual” –  floor plans, technical drawings, furniture, sourcing and they might seem to be the same thing over and over again for some people but they don’t for me (for the most part). I am still venturing out and I believe I still have a lot to learn and discover out there – but I find it very exciting and its something I look forward to constantly. (Yes, I am weird.)

This day is something I would like to share because it’s a sample of how my day, as an interior designer, is like (to a certain extent). It’s fun and I love it (In spite of extreme heat exposure at times, the dust – Ok, I’ll stop. Haha.)

We decided to get something to eat first (and continue our discussion on the things we needed to get done), we initially thought this would be a more laid back day. I didn’t want something that resembled breakfast during this particular breakfast (I have those days). I had the adobo flakes/adobo rice (Adobo is a popular dish in the Philippine cuisine. You basically marinate and cook meat in a sauce of vinegar, garlic and soy sauce and then simmer it said sauce after. Yup, this is typically yummy.) The one I had was alright after some doctoring, I added pepper (I put pepper in everything these days. Haha.) and some sauce. I also had a glass of their frozen lemonade.

We stopped by to inspect and check on the paneling and bookcase – to check on how they are turning out and discuss painting stuff. They turned out quite nicely. I fell in love with the furniture and the shop – their wood was beautiful period and were also beautifully made. They had really cool pieces that I wanted to get for myself (Haha) – the chairs above are good examples. I love furniture shops (and not just showrooms but the actual shop where pieces are made and you see saw dust and hear tools whizzing).

We went to two different plant/landscaping centers to check out the plants they have and decide on which ones we will need. It was quite hot and a bit muddy but amazing nevertheless. There were some really pretty ones and it’s amazing to see so much green in just one setting. We dropped by a home building center before this to look for some paint and check on some lighting fixtures.

We decided to take a short break at some point and went to this cool cafe for lunch. I will never get tired of this particular dish at all. I love food breaks – I always look forward to it (haha). Energized and well regrouped (we made calls to coordinate with deliveries and specifications), we continued on to our day and tasks.

This picture was taken for my friend, Pongee (haha). By this time, we had already dropped by three fabric stores and another hardware store to look for the ever elusive paint color we wanted (they didn’t have it) and thus we had to drive to two more different hardware stores after this.

By the end of the day – I was tired, looked like a wilted flower and in pain. (Ok, that was an exaggeration. Haha. Or not.) For fortunate days such as this, I am very grateful. Keep them coming.

P.S. Georgia news – her right eyelid is slightly swollen and I am freaking out (or was freaking out). Most likely an insect bite, worrying that she might be uncomfortable and dealing with the unknown made me quite teary. I gave her a bath right way (a couple of hours before this post was up) and used some of her skin treatment shampoo on the affected area in the hopes that it will relieve the spot. Georgia doesn’t look uncomfortable thankfully and has slept right after her bath which has calmed me a bit already. Off to the vet as soon as possible and here are a couple of pictures of her after said unplanned bath time.

I love you, little Georgia ♥

P.P.S. If you have time on your hands and would like to read something design-related/design project – Click here, here and here (in said order please). Haha. Thanks!

Have a good week ahead, everyone!

I love tea ♥

This is the last part of my “Launch and Gallery” post/series (Reader – Thank God!, Pau – *sad face* Haha). This post will feature more pictures design-wise and just show bits and pieces of the exhibit. We officially ended today in terms of egress and it was a good one(both the egress and the exhibit). Feel free to go over the pictures below. Enjoy!

Have a good week, everybody!

P.S. Yup, that about sums it up (haha) – they left me alone with my camera. If you wish to check out part 1 of the Launch and Gallery, you may do so here. Curious about how this came together and would like to view some behind the scenes snippets, do a clicky here.

P.P.S. I had to get a souvenir shot. (Come on, dude. Haha.)

A new twist – we have heard about this before or have seen in a movie or perhaps have experienced it or are experiencing it at the moment. I basically associate “new twists” as something fresh to bring to the table, something different to fuel up your creativity or something that makes things simply interesting.

It could be something as simple as a new ingredient in your usual ice cream order (Chocolate chili ice cream?) for example or even a little umbrella or some watermelon flavored ice cubes in your lemonade (What am I saying exactly? Haha). As always, this is not just limited to drinks or movie plots but it does materialize (a lot of times) in the design world – may it be the use of new material for a lighting fixture or a different interpretation of design styles.

Here are a couple of kids (to preteens) rooms (and kids furniture) that I love at the moment and are good examples.

Look A

Look B

A play on kids rooms and furniture has happening for some time now (awhile now actually) and I have taken a liking for the ones above because of their baroque feel – I love all things baroque! (Haha)

This particular line was a collaboration of Di Liddo & Perego with Naj-Oleari for the latter’s 2009 Spring-Summer Collection. They wanted something young, fresh and extremely colorful. I love the romanticism feel that the line exudes and wouldn’t mind having a few of these pieces in my own room (they are quite pretty!).

P.S. I have been experiencing “new twists” of my own at present and it can be scary when you have no control over the outcome/s but it’s alright. I try to take things in stride and do what is best for the situation. Wish me luck!

P.P.S. Georgia’s new twist at the moment – sipping/licking fresh fruit juice (we put fresh fruit in the juicer) from her green bowl and I have to say she likes it and she looks really cute! (Haha).

I’ve been up for a few hours now (Good Morning!) and let me tell you that it’s still quite early (and I’m not even a grandparent yet! I kid. Haha.)

The little one (Georgia) is awake now as well – I just hand fed her, gave her some vitamins and some water.  She just needs to do her morning poop and weewee before we are good to go (I apologize for even discussing this. I guess it’s still too early for my brain to work. Haha). Basically she’s settled and good which is great since I have an appointment in a few hours and this will be a crazy (good crazy and busy) day for me so I want her to be comfortable while I’m gone for the day.

Back to business/ serious mode on

This post will include snippets about how the design concept for the gallery exhibit took shape. Let’s get into everything. I sort of did an outline so that it’ll be more comprehensive. Enjoy!

Design Concept Options

Here are a couple of options that we initially came up with. You will get a clear picture of how the design played out and evolved.

We provided two color options for our own consideration – You can see the effect of color and how it projects a certain feel/atmosphere (For this particular example, it’s settle but it’s there.)

These are more recent revisions made by taking certain aspects into consideration (ex. availability of resources, budget, art center management requirements, what would really work for the space and it’s intended use, etc.)

Prior to Ingress

While securing everything and making sure all the necessary  parts comes together (amazingly of course – we had our fingers crossed). This involved lots of long hours, meetings, sun/the elements/heat exposure, meal deprivation, coordination, etc. We also had to work with the management and the hours the mall keeps – this translates to paint works being done after mall hours (think 9 pm to beyond 2 am and a few more hours for drying) and installations done before mall hours (think 6 am to before 10 am).

When working on things like these (or being in this profession in general), you (have to) expect that a lot of things will definitely go wrong (it might even be frustrating to a certain extent) before it’ll be alright.  Things will definitely go wrong – only cream benches are available at the last minute instead of the black ones you requested and one of those is at a  really far away branch, wines weren’t coordinated properly with catering, lighting fixtures aren’t available,  no delivery truck for the freestanding lamp, lettering in the wrong color, you have to pick up platforms and be back in time to see to another delivery (this time for the console table, the plants, etc.) – I can go on (haha) but we’ll end there for now. You just have to take things in stride, squeeze in a meal  at some point and focus on what can be done – on how problems can be solved.

Exhibit Floor Plan

Painting customized wall panel installations in the shop with brushes on hand (Original Artwork by Paula and Bernie – haha.) This was definitely messy – paint in your hair, everywhere (but a fun stress reliever). I am very proud of how the wall paneling turned out, they are definitely awwesssooommee *surfer dude accent* (Haha)

After sixteen hours – you can definitely do some smiling already because things are starting to come together quite nicely. Haha.

Above all, this is an entirely amazing profession and the exhibit was great. I felt a sense of fulfillment watching the gallery (and your design concepts in general)  take shape and seeing the potential of the space being brought out and executed – interior design and all it entails amazes me still and I think it always will. It is possibly the nearest thing to giving birth we suppose (for Bernie and myself that is. Haha). I am also very grateful to everyone who helped out one way or another. Thank you!

If you wish to see pictures of the launching and exhibit (part one), you can find it here. If you have time, do drop by for a visit. The exhibit runs until today. Cheers!

Looking at pretty prints cheers me up and I love them a great deal. I love incorporating them in interiors and even in my wardrobe. When I work on interior spaces or concepts, it doesn’t feel complete at all (in my opinion) when I don’t incorporate prints and I can’t seem to resist including prints in the dynamics of things (haha). I also love incorporating prints in my wardrobe – I can’t resist prints on my bags or in dresses or tops.

A couple of prints I am loving at the moment (or perhaps for some time now) are by print designer and illustrator, Brie Harrison. I find her prints to be quite pretty and I have a couple of them below.

Oui, j’aime les fraises (Yes, I like strawberries)! Its a new phrase I learned in french. Cool!

On a side note, I will definitely be posting all sorts of prints in this journal in future entries – I love them immensely.

P.S. Last night’s meeting was great and quite productive. I am very excited for the projects we have for this year. Yey for interior design!

P.P.S. Part 2 of Launch and Gallery will be posted tomorrow (hopefully). For those who weren’t able to check out part 1, you can do so here. You can also simply scroll down to the previous entry. Haha. (Its just that I love putting links and such. Humor me.)

I love doing gallery/exhibit design.

In my previous post, I mentioned an exhibit that we are having at the moment (it’s still ongoing) and I’m providing details (and pictures) in this post and the upcoming posts as well. Bernie (another interior designer and a good friend) and I are the gallery design and launching coordinators. We were basically swamped (we did the interior design for the gallery, sourcing, customized paneling which we painted ourselves, etc. – basically everything down to the execution) and this does take a good amount of preparation, people. It was a lot of fun though. (haha. it’s true!)

Cocktails Night

To formally launch the gallery, we had cocktails night which included the ribbon cutting ceremony and blessing and a formal program. Have fun viewing the pictures below.

If you have time, do drop by for a visit. The exhibit/gallery is at SM Cebu’s Art Center from the 6th of March until the 19th (don’t forget to sign the guestbook).

Please stay tuned for part two! I’ll discuss design details and feature some behind the scenes insight. Rock mode (translation: stay put please).

P.S. A couple of pictures with me in them (i.e. work mode and cocktail night pretty mode. haha.). Balancing – there is a certain art to it.

Note: Bernie and I have been working on ingress for 16 hours already when this picture was taken. We don’t look too shabby if I may say so myself. (haha)

P.P.S. Our launch advertisement in the local paper.

Yup, its March. Wow. It’ll be summer soon and more hot weather it will be (sigh).

Today is “no meat” day since it’s ash wednesday and we are preparing for lent. This used to be a struggle for me when I was younger since I am a meat girl. But at present, it’s not much of a big deal anymore in the sense that it isn’t as trying for me anymore to go on a full day without meat. That’s a yey healthwise.

Earlier on today, I was able to drop by and view a couple of units (thanks Franie!) and pick up tips here and there. I took a couple of pictures too. (Note: I didn’t do the interior design for these units but I am posting them so that you can pick up some ideas or whatnot.)

There you go and I am not ending this post without food pictures – take note, no meat. Hearty soup is definitely a favorite and the rice pilaf was really good. Yum.

The past few weeks have been quite crazy (translation: busy and surreal) but good and fun. I have been working on a lot of stuff and we do have a gallery on exhibit at the moment. I will do a post on this soon. For now, au revoir and have a good weekend ahead.

I (have been and) am loving Tortie Hoare’s furniture pieces. I love the fact that her pieces are handmade and that she takes a lot of effort to research ways on how to create her pieces (and their structures) in an environmentally conscious manner.

Dubbed as Designer of the Year 2010 by New Designers, her motivation in coming up with her furniture pieces is something she considers as simple. It’s all about being ergonomic, durable and being aesthetically pleasing.

I love natural furniture that focuses on the materials and acknowledging that form of beauty. Here are a couple of her pieces (below) that I am in love with in particular.

Butterfly Chair

Dimensions – 0.76 x 0.78 x 0.50 meters

The said chair is made out of aero ply (a quick definition – made from three thin layers of birch and is only one mm thick when bonded together; was designed to be used on aeroplane wings as it can be curved so effectively), hessian (a quick definition – a strong, coarse fabric made from jute) and resin (a quick definition – a solid or liquid polymer used as a basis of plastics, adhesives and other related products).

The main traits that the designer wanted to express through the design was “fun, environmentally conscious and intelligent design which is educational”.

Seat

Dimensions – 0.61 x 0.38 x 0.43 meters

This furniture piece wasn’t named as specifically as the piece above (I can’t be sure what its name is but its simply cool). It is made out of oak and boiled leather – I love the “natural” feel it exudes. It is said to be extremely comfortable and is quite light and versatile. It comes in a limited edition of 30.

Can I have both pieces please? I love the uniqueness of the first piece and the print. I love the leather craftsmanship of the second one.

P.S. I am reading a good book. I’m thinking about drinking some tea at the moment. I have yet to confirm if we have the lounge chairs (in mustard – color) that we want for the gallery. I am quite random and I am a bit under the weather (i.e. snot and feeling a bit feverish). But it’s alright.

P.P.S. Does the sneezing count as exercise? Haha. I kid.

Yup, I always take pictures of pretty flowers. I love them.

Belated Happy Valentines day! Yup, quite a late greeting (Haha). Pictures from the other week (below). Bernie and I went sourcing for the gallery launching which will be in a few more weeks. We have been attending to a lot of things for the said event (coordinating with installations, choosing and looking for pieces, taking measurements, brainstorming, etc.).

But I love it – I love my profession and the complexities it entails. I hope I get to do more and explore (said profession) further in the years to come. Cheers.

P.S. We also look forward to lunch time (sounds like school. Haha) and enjoy eating good food. Yey! With regards to the food below (in case you are curious), the shrimp was amazing. I loved my peppered steak (Yup, I love chips a great deal) and Bernie said her cream dory was good too.

P.P.S. Even though it’s that time of the month, try to persist and don’t let said predicament hinder you. Quick Tip: Brush your hair and wear a pretty dress (and some color) and you’ll be set. At least that’s how I did it. Haha.

I hope we all have a good and productive week!

Oh my cupcake. It’s already February.

Yes, I keep on saying that time flies by so fast. But it does. At this rate, I could just simply blink and it’d be March already (Such a little joker, Pau. Haha.) But it’s not entirely impossible though. I mean this week (for me) went by really fast – sleep deprived at some parts and feeling giddy every time I cross something off in my to-do list.

I remember watching the Circus when I was really small and though most of it is fuzzy now, one thing that will remain (permanently) is my love for it. I was able to watch it again just recently (albeit a different group and act this time of course) and this time as a young adult (I still refuse to consider myself as a full-fledged adult. The magic of being a kid is something I wouldn’t discard completely). I brought my camera along and had the time of my life enjoying the circus, having fun with my family and clicking away at the same time. Here are a couple of pictures (I love the way they turned out actually. Such pretty colors!)

On a different note, I made another mood board for today. I want to call it a design board for now. Decided to make one because I wanted to start the week on a fun note and one way (at least on my end) to be able to do that is to play around with color. You can have fun with color and incorporate it in your spaces through fun pieces (it doesn’t necessarily have to be of a more drastic incorporation – it could just be in the form of a bold red armchair or perhaps a couple of throw pillows in plum). Refer to the design board below for some ideas/inspiration (incorporate pieces that have character).

Finally, let me just say that I wouldn’t end this entry without mentioning my title post or at least cupcakes (haha). For those who have been reading this journal since the beginning, you would know by now that I love cupcakes (sometimes I even crave for particular kinds!). The most recent cupcakes I tried and am loving immensely are chocolate ones with cream frosting and chocolate powder. They are simply heavenly – quite moist and the frosting is just perfect (for someone who isn’t into icing and such as much, that’s saying a lot). I even decided to post with one of the revered cupcakes below (and with a big smile to go with it, if I may add). I had three of these lovelies the very next day and the day after that. Haha.  Yummmm!

All of the above got me wondering, have you been to the Circus too? Do you love it? How about certain scrumptious cupcakes you love? Do let me know. I’d love to hear about your own musings regarding the said stuff. Have a good week ahead everybody!

P.S. The Sea Green Journal is already six months old! Yey! Thank you so much for visiting, commenting and dropping by. It’s been fun and I look forward to the upcoming months.

Before I begin talking more about certain things for this post, I want to share something really important. My dad hasn’t been feeling well (he doesn’t show it) and this greatly concerns me (it makes me teary actually ) – I hope that it’s nothing serious. I would really appreciate it if you can include him in your prayers. Thank you very much! *Hug*

Faith is indeed an amazing thing – it makes us go beyond what is mundane, it makes us go on believing. I have faith that my dad will be alright. I am juggling things at the moment and I am working on something for my future (it’s something big actually), I have no control over how it will turn out but I do have faith that it will be alright.

This thing called faith presents itself to anyone and everyone (whatever age, size, race), at any given time (tomorrow or even today) and in different forms (may it be while your on your way to lunch or while you are munching on your cereal). It is (also) indeed overwhelming (in a very good way) when I see it in other people or when I experience it with other people.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Sinulog here in Cebu. For those who aren’t familiar with this event, it is a yearly mardi gras (usually the second sunday of January) in Cebu (it is one of the grandest festivals in the Philippines) greatly celebrated to honor Señor Sto. Niño, the child Jesus. People from all over the Philippines and a great deal of tourists make it a point to come here for this celebration (flights and accommodations are fully booked by december more or less). The streets are usually packed and people forego using their cars and basically just walk on the streets – dancing to the beat, watching the floats and various participants in brightly colored costumes dancing in the parade or simply enjoying some munchies being sold by vendors lined up on the street. I’ll stop explaining for now and show you some pictures instead.

If you think this is amazing (because it really is!), I just want you to know that this isn’t even the main Sinulog event yet. People go to mass as early as 4;30 in the morning for nine days leading up to the Sinulog proper.

Face Painting

We at PIID Cebu (the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers – Cebu) are starting to make it a yearly thing to hold a face painting booth during Sinulog as a fundraiser. I am still getting used to painting stuff on people (especially on their faces! haha) but it is indeed fun and it doesn’t hurt to get a hug from cute little kiddies who get their faces painted with pandas.

Here I am! (By the way, the butterfly Polaris’ painted above was super pretty.)

Sinulog Participants

More than 20 contingents (and their participants) from all over the Philippines (Lanao del Sur, Cagayan de Oro, etc.)  join in this yearly celebration of devotion – rain or shine (it was raining a great deal this year and everyone got soaked), they continue on dancing and we continue on cheering for them and joining in. (Little trivia – I’ve been going to this since I was a kid.)

With regards to the third and fourth picture in this set, the Cebu Contingent (being the host) was paying tribute to how the Chinese have greatly influenced our culture (when they came to live here many years ago, prior to the colonization of countries such as Spain and the United States). The fireworks was amazing this year!

In general, I took a gazillion (gazillion pictures) during the Sinulog but limited the pictures to be displayed in this post. I look forward to many more Sinulog celebrations to come (this celebration never fails to overwhelm me)! Pit Señor!

Have faith everyone – may it be in the smallest things and more importantly in yourself (and all your endeavours – I have faith in mine, more specifically the academic one at present. Please pray for me on this as well. Thanks!).

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” – Gail Devers

P.S. On a side note (since I was craving the night before and it was really late already), I made some mashed potatoes earlier today – I mashed away because I usually like this done smooth and a bit creamy. I added a couple of herbs, a hint of garlic and some beef broth in mine. Yummmm! I love black pepper too! I sprinkle in on most of the stuff I eat. Haha.

P.P.S. Here are a couple of links. If I have, by some way, made you more curious about Sinulog, you may get more information about it here. If you wish to experience Sinulog with us, do drop by! The website above contains details on how to go about it. If you wish to check out my very first post for this year, click here. If you wish to know about the color of the year for 2011, click here.

I had planned on doing a trends post for this year (in terms of interior design), I have yet to finalize that. Speaking of trends, Pantone had released their Color of the Year (for 2011) late last year (December) and I think most of you know what it is. For those who don’t know yet, it’s Honeysuckle.

Pantone describes it as a courageous, confident and vital color – “a brave new color, for a brave new world.” Last year’s   color, Turquoise (Pantone 15-5519) represented a comforting escape and serenity. This year’s color inspires us to face everyday head on.

As described, it  (Pantone 18-2120) is a dynamic reddish pink hue which is both encouraging and uplifting. Leatrice Eiseman (the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute) explains that Honeysuckle allures and engages. It “may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

If you wish to incorporate this hue in your homes (or in other interiors) this year, don’t fret. The dynamic aspect of Honeysuckle (it is such a pretty color!) doesn’t make it a difficult color to work with. It can be incorporated gradually by starting off with certain pieces. It can be integrated in your  dining room and even in your kitchen (Little Trivia – Honeysuckle is an appetite and conversation stimulant, perfect for your dining area). You can carry out the hue through certain key pieces – examples include linens, candles and even glassware. By the way, you can refer to the mood board I made below (featuring honeysuckle-hued pieces to give you some ideas). I love making mood boards!

For those who aren’t afraid to utilize this hue on a much bigger scale, you may do so by using this on your walls (as an accent color wall or even for your entry way) or by incorporating it on bigger pieces of furniture (such as armchairs or even couches). It can also be incorporated in areas which need an upbeat touch (this can be used in a small powder room or a little girl’s room). For visual examples, check out a couple of interiors below.

You may go all out with this hue (please refer to first picture) or if you wish to go with a more gradual approach, you may use it as an accent color for that certain punch of color in your spaces (please refer to the second and third picture, beautifully executed by Betty Murdock Interiors).

I encourage all of you to play around with this color and consider incorporating it in your spaces this year. I hope it will “instill confidence, courage and spirit (within you) to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life”.

P.S. You can incorporate it in your wardrobe too!

P.P.S. Do check out my very first post for this year. Click here. Thanks!

I am now a proper Godmother (english accent). Yup, its officially (for a few days now actually). You might all wonder why it’s such a big deal for me. I mean, why wouldn’t it be?

Before delving more into that, I want to wish everyone a happy new year (let’s pretend that it’s still the first week of january with regards to the prior statement). What better way to do that than to post a couple of pictures from new year’s eve, I say. (We have fireworks every year and it’s amazing. I advocate safety when dealing with fireworks and being responsible.)

I just took a couple of shots since I was busy watching the fireworks, making sure that Georgia was ok and basically just having fun. I love how these shots turned out.

Back to being a Godmother – I just thought that my first ever post for this year should commemorate something meaningful and I believe that welcoming and celebrating new life is the perfect way to go about it. I unfortunately do not have pictures during the baptism ceremony since I wanted to focus more on godmother duties and just take pictures during the after part (they had a photographer on hand which is a plus – I’ll get pictures from him).

I had to take pictures of little Andi’s cakes – they were really pretty!

With the little one (Yup, this is her. Meet the little darling.)

Can I keep her? Please? (Welcome to the world, little Andi! You are Mommy Pau’s little darling. Aside from Georgia of course. Teehee.) Congrats Mommy Shaki and Daddy Nico!

“A child is the greatest gift that our lives can bestow, it brings the most exquisite joy that we will ever know.”

P.S. On an interior design-related note, here are a couple of pictures from the Hafele Presentation and the Green Architecture forum with Archt. Miguel Guerrero as one of the speakers.

Häfele Presentation

This featured the debut of their state-of-the-art kitchen systems as well as a background on the company. For those who aren’t familiar with Häfele, it was established in Germany and evolved from a local hardware business into a global company. Häfele Philippines was formally founded in 1995 and Cebu got its own sales office with a smaller warehouse in Mandaue City.

Not only do they provide architectural hardware and furniture fittings but they also have home appliances (with constant innovations).  I developed an affinity for their sophisticated coffee center – it produces creamy milk foam and can make coffee, espresso, latte and even cappuccino! (Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take a picture of the coffee center but I do have a couple of shots of the fittings – below.)

Green Architecture Forum

The forum started out with a talk from Dr. Glen Martin Green (he has a degree in petroleum engineering and a Ph. D. in Earth and Planetary Science from the United States). I especially found his talk to be one of the most comprehensive ones I have been to (to date) and it was certainly insightful. One aspect of his talk was about the Peak Oil Crisis which is still widely unknown to most of us. He basically defined it as “the point in time when a region’s oil production is at it’s maximum, when production reaches its all time high and then begins a relentless and irreversible decline as depletion progresses”.

Archt. Miguel C. Guerrero III, fuap, APEC architect, assocAIA, Green AP was also one of the guest speakers for the said forum. He is a member of  Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines, Inc. – they promote the practice of green architecture in the built environment. He discussed his ten steps to sustainability. A quick rundown – 1. Keep the sun out, 2. Let light in, 3. Catch some breeze, 4. Insulate roofing, 5. Harvest rain, 6. Recycle wastewater, 7. Efficient lighting, 8. Thermal comfort, 9. Renewable materials, 10. Alternative energy.

P.P.S. Upcoming Post Teaser

Here is to a promising 2011, Everyone! Cheers!

How did Halloween start exactly? This once a year festivity which involves dressing up (as ghouls, witches, etc.), eating toffee apples, going trick-or-treating is definitely interesting and a bit scary if I may say so (haha).

In the Philippines, Halloween is not widely celebrated. The main focus there is to go to cemeteries and pay our departed loved ones a visit. In the recent years however, halloween costume parties there are growing in numbers.

In whatever way we celebrate it, we do have one thing in common – the scary aspect (horror documentaries and all things bloody). This year’s Halloween for me is different but fun as well

History (A quick Background Overview; an excerpt from Ken C. Erickson and Patricia Sunderland’s Article)

Halloween is a very popular annual celebration infused with it’s own set of recognizable symbols, stories and rituals. In 731 A.D., November 1 was declared All Saints’ Day (All Hallows Day). October 31 thus became All Hallows Eve, in time shortened to “Halloween.” Even with the encouragement of activities such as masquerading pageants of saints and the further, complicating step of adding Nov. 2 as All Souls Day to the church calendar after the year 1000, some “non-Christian” elements survive in Halloween.

The quintessential symbols of Halloween fall into three major categories. Symbols of death include graveyards, ghosts, skeletons, haunted houses. Symbols of evil and misfortune are witches, goblins, black cats. Symbols of harvest are pumpkins, scarecrows, corn shocks and candy corn.

The first two categories tap deep, irresolvable, pan-human dilemmas. Ways of dealing with and symbolizing death and evil are represented in some of the earliest archaeological remains of human ritual activity. One traditional means of facing the reality of death is to view it as a transition and to continue a relationship with the dead.

Scary Pictures (Please be warned that these set of pictures are bloody and might make you squeamish, they make my insides flinch too! They were pretty scary! These were taken during a recent event to gather zombies and the like for Michael Jackson’s Thriller commemoration.)

Yup, I look like a retard but it’s all good. (Haha )

Trick or treating and Cupcakes (I didn’t participate in the trick or treat part per se. Ate Tatie and I were part of the “control group” for the kiddies. Yup, we are a couple of muscular girls. Haha. The cupcake contest was super fun as well – I love cupcakes. Ate Tatie and my cupcake won as well! It was sheer genius – the cupcake! )

This is Imee’s cupcake.

The entries.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Have fun and be safe

P.S. Here I am! By the way, I didn’t eat some of the loot (candies) since I had a sore throat. But that is definitely not a reason to not put a smile on one’s face.

P.P.S. Good luck, Mr. Wonderful! You’ll do great

(Photo Credits – Paula Cañete)

A snog, you say.

As what they mentioned, “Snog isn’t a miracle, it’s just delicious pure frozen yoghurt”. Yup, this post is about yoghurt (just a bit) and interiors – sounds great, things that I love all in one post! Yey! (haha)

Snog emphasizes their dedication in providing the healthiest  frozen yoghurt. Their blend is a mixture  of organic skimmed milk, and fresh non-fat organic yoghurt (with probiotics).

Nom, nom, nom! I love frozen yoghurt – definitely a healthier alternative to frozen treats but has to be moderated just the same. In case you are wondering about the yoghurt above and their names – Chocolate Snog, Green Tea Snog and and Natural Snog respectively.

Snog shops feature really cute interiors – definitely whimsical and they have the playful/fantasy aspect. Check out the pictures below.

Hello Everyone!

I am very happy to be able to write a post once again – and this time from another location too! Yey! I have some catching up to do (blog-wise). I got here (new location) last sunday and things have been moving in a fast pace. I had some settling in to do as well (catching up on sleep because jet lag wore me out in a sense). More importantly, I miss Georgia a great, great deal

Although I have things to attend to here (serious stuff), I am also here to have fun so I have to come up with a way to concoct a good balance which will allow me to be able to see the sights and at the same time get some work done as well.

One of the things I love (I have a lot!) is going places and being able to travel. I hope that I’ll be able to travel the world (it’s a big big world out there) in the future. I love learning new things and learning about different cultures and different ways of life. Traveling allows you to see and experience more of what life has to offer. Being able to soak in a particular place’s design and art is something I hope to be able to do throughout my entire existence. I love going to museums, visiting art galleries, stuffing myself with all sorts of cuisine (except the really really exotic ones though), visiting furniture stores – I can go on and on

I’ll post more pictures (I have a lot and I’ll be taking more) really soon. In the mean time, have fun looking over the ones I posted below.

Can anyone guess where I am? On a side note, the cupcakes above look absolutely scrumptious! I am also happy (in a sense) because I am able to write posts once again. Till next time.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Danii!

I am currently working on something. By the way, this post  is about something really cool that I wanted to share (on the side).

Innovation (dasparkhotel)

Dubbed as the Pipe Hotel, standard sewer pipes/concrete cylinders (2 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters long) fitted with the basic essentials (fitted with a bed, storage space and electricity) serve as the “suites” of the said hotel. It is situated in Ottensheim, Austria.

The tubes have “almost perfect pre-settings” actually. Being 20 cm thick, they provide a lot of safety to occupants against the elements, they are surprisingly bright and have good thermal properties.

Utilities-wise, the units do not feature toilets but they are situated in a precise location which makes showers, toilets, restaurants and even a swimming pool within reach. A really cool thing about the hotel (aside from the concept and all that goodness), is their system of operation – 1. Guests book their stay exclusively over the internet and they are then emailed a code number (for the number-code locks) which helps them access their “suite” upon their arrival, 2. Their “pay as you wish” system (which I hope no one will abuse) mainly covers any repairs and the servicing.

This provides an easy option for travelers and adventurers with smaller budgets – without having to sacrifice a lot (safety, comfort, etc.) or style. They are also said to be available from spring to summer.  By the way, the man behind the mobile and self-sufficient concept is Andreas Strauss. This is definitely something I want to see for myself.  :)

It’s funny how time flies by so fast and October will be at my doorstep in just a couple more hours. I will be “traveling” in a few more weeks and I have things to attend to before then. By the way, here are two of my well-liked furniture pieces for today – they have the international contemporary feel going.

Pleats (Stephen Burks)

This furniture piece by (acclaimed industrial designer) Stephen Burks has a three-dimensional quality about it (due to the pleated fabric upholstery). It utilizes traditional steam plating techniques and has a powder coated steel base plate. It comes in two sizes as a sofa and fabric choices are down to plain, untextured wools. (More images of Pleats below.)

Drop Stool (Monica Förster)

This furniture piece by Monica Förster (creator of some of the well-known objects in contemporary Swedish design today) is about clean lines and smooth contours. Organic (in shape), it is made from polyurethane foam with a technical woven stretch cover.

Examples of the Technical Knit Cover Swatches

P.S. Yep, I am drawn to color and furniture with color (I love color! ). I am also drawn to good design too! (Haha.)

Done with Monday, the rest of the week to go (haha). I actually don’t want this week (and the week after) to end since I need time to work on this very very important “project” I have been fussing over lately.

I slept really late yesterday but it was worth it (big smile) and today went by really fast as well. I went to the doctor (I’m not sick or anything) and had a couple of errands which will carry on further tomorrow. I need to give Georgia a bath for this week and take her to the vet as well this week.

This post sounds like a to-do list (haha) – that wasn’t my intention at all. Here are the rest of the photographs from the self-portrait set I mentioned in yesterday’s post. This was taken over a year ago – please excuse the haggard mode. I was swamped at that time (when the photographs were taken) and I was longing for ample sleep but I take tasks seriously and find pleasure in doing old school hard work.

Hello Everyone!

Another new week ahead and things have been sort of complex. I am also working on something very very important and I do hope it goes well (please pray for me).

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

- Harriet Tubman

On a lighter note, here are some beautiful interiors I am in love with today.

Sundays are about lazing about and being easy breezy (haha).

May the quote (above) inspire all of you as well and have a great week ahead!

P.S. I was sifting over my files (and photographs) and I found a particular self-portrait set I did over a year ago. Do check out one of the photographs below. I’ll be posting the rest tomorrow.

This was taken during a very stressful week (sleep deprived and overworked body parts) and it shows (haha). Please excuse the haggard mode.

P.P.S. To those who have just stumbled upon this blog – Welcome to The Sea Green Journal!  Do check out my post about Philconstruct Visayas 2010 here and stay awhile too (haha). Thanks!

Hello Wednesday (and Everybody)!

I ate an ice cream cone today – chocolate hazelnut (yey, yey, yey!). By the way, here a couple of pictures of interiors I really love – light, airy and incorporates character (as well as a feminine aspect and a sense of softness).

This chair reminds me of Hans Wegner’s Wishbone Chair (they are similar in a sense). I love this particular finish (the chair’s).

The flowers add punches of refreshing colors to this interior and neutral overall palette.

Pattern (incorporated on the bench cushion) and texture (from the area rug for example) add interest.

I have always loved the concept of hanging something to dry It doesn’t hurt that the print is lovely either.

(Photo Credits – Anna Kern)

My family and I went to mass really early this morning. I was fascinated by the “men at arms” garb (i.e. I wanted to take pictures of said garb) and a kind gentleman was quite a good sport about it (Thank you, Sir).

I would say I had a very good weekend (and I am very grateful) – it consisted of laughter, long conversations, loved ones and lots of food.

Have a great sunday everyone!

P.S. Happy Birthday Nonah! We love you

(A quick shout out and hug to Unknownmami as well – I just read about her week. Do visit her blog, drop a line and let’s help give her strength.)

P.P.S. For those of you who might like to check out the post about Philconstruct Visayas 2010 (and the gazillion pictures), please go here. Thanks!

I would show my jobs to my mother, and she would always say the same thing –  “That’s nice dear.” And then she would say, “Did you write it?” or “Did you do the drawing?” or “Did you take the pictures?” I’d always answer “no,” then I realized the problem. My answer was then, “I made this happen. It’s called design.”

— Brian Webb

I think I was able to mention before that I love books. I absolutely love books and I absolutely love reading (haha). I also love book cover designs and dust jackets.

Definition (Once again, I’m not trying to be cheeky.)

The dust jacket is a detachable outer cover (not all books have these) of books. They have illustrations and text and they have folded flaps that you tuck on both the front and back book covers. They protect the book covers to a certain extent (however, they are relatively fragile themselves).

I am talking about dust covers (you might wonder) because I simply adore (adore, adore, adore…) these dust covers. They are ingenious and brilliant (insert british accent here).

Aren’t these dust jackets adorable? I love the bunny ears and “The Little Prince” is a must-read book – it is one of my favorites

These dust covers are by Igor Udushlivy (I love the name Igor, by the way!). He is a graphic designer and illustrator. He came up with this concept – using dust jackets and bookmarks together to create “a unique image of a paper book”.

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” and “Moby Dick” ones are adorable as well (I seem to be using the word adorable a lot in this post).

These ones are amazing as well. I love the “Paris” and “Africa” ones. I also love the “The Sword in the Stone” one. (I love all of them! haha.)

P.S. Are you wondering how it (the jacket and bookmark concept) works? Do take a look (below).

Coolio! (I love the submarine.)

P.P.S. Quick Trivia – Certain dust jackets are considered as collectible items. Interestingly, some of them are worth far more than the books they cover. A very good and famous example – one copy with a jacket in near mint condition was listed for sale for half a million dollars last year.

On a side note, if you haven’t read the Philconstruct Visayas 2010 post, please go here. Thanks!

All together now!

Hi Everyone!

It has been a good few days since my last post (I think this post makes up for it since it’s quite a long one). Things that happened since then – 1. Our Exhibit for Philconstruct, 2. Whirlwind Egress, 3. Weekend Remnants and Shawarma Craving, 4. I got sick (I’m not sure but I’ve narrowed the culprits/suspects to the following: honey stars, dumplings and my aunt’s beef soup. Thus I’ve been avoiding those and I hope I do feel better soon).

On to what this post is all about – the Philconstruct Visayas 2010. I did say that I will write about (and provide pictures) in this post. Were some of you able to go? If there are a couple of yeses, thanks a lot! (and I hope you had fun ). I certainly did since I love doing exhibits (more specifically interior mock-ups) and I love construction shows.

For those who weren’t able to go, this post can help you out.

Beautiful Flower Arrangement (We had this at our dining set-up)

Overview

“PHILCONSTRUCT Visayas 2010″ is a construction show which features the latest in building and construction in terms of both technology and design. It brings together engineers, construction companies, contractors, builders, developers, interior designers and architects – as well as general spectators who are interested in such fields or those who wish to view the exhibits.

It is the first of its kind to be held in Cebu since it was held only in Manila for the last 20 years (By the way, a separate show was also feature in Mindanao last July). There were 300 booths during the event and product varieties were aplenty.

Philconstruct Visayas 2010 was organized by the Philippine Contractors Association, Inc. (PCA) and the Cebu Contractors Association, Inc. (CCA). It was held on September 9-11, 2010 at the Pacific Ballroom  of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Philconstruct Visayas 2010 Poster  (Here you go.)

As always, I took a gazillion pictures and you can peruse over them below. By the way, if you wish to view more pictures of our interior mock-ups (and I mean all of them) – they are in this post.  Have fun!

Launch Day (September 9, 2010)

Quick Perfomance during the Opening and Blessing of Philconstruct Visayas 2010

Organizers and other Contractors with Mayor Rama (Cebu City Mayor)

The Contractors used jackhammers during the “Ribbon Cutting Ceremony” (Coolio!)

Kitchen and Dining (Modern Classic)

(We got to choose which booths we wanted to design and conceptualize – I joined this and it was amazing. )

I had to get the ornamental metal flowers – they contrasted nicely with the red wooden plate.

I had to get these jars (they were a pair) as well. I love patterns.

This was simply beautiful – it added a touch of elegance to our dining area. One would think that it is an origami creation.

Our Beautiful Modern Classic Kitchen and Dining Exhibit

Condo Living (Contemporary)

I love their graceful swan ornament. The red candle holder adds a punch of color.

I like this printed metal bowl (We were supposed to have one in the Kitchen and Dining area as well).

Hotel Suite (Post Modern)

These prints are simply classy.

Toilet and Bath (Indoor | Outdoor)

I love the rawness of the untreated wood panels.

Other Exhibits and Exhibitors

These models were displayed at the UAP Exhibit Booths (All of their chapters had a booth). I love models and had been fascinated by them since I was small.

Cupcake Time!

Can I have a whole tray to myself please?

For all those who have been reading The Sea Green Journal, you would know by now that I absolutely love cupcakes. The Häfele booth was definitely coolio. They featured a real modern kitchen and they had  Chef Kim baking all sort of treats there throughout the duration of the construction show. They invited us over and I was over the moon (haha). The cupcakes and cookies were delicious!

By the way, in case you wanted more information about Häfele (sans baked treats) – Häfele Philippines Inc. is a subsidiary of the German based Hafele Group. They are a supplier of Furniture Fittings, Architectural Hardware and Electronic Locking Systems.

P.S. Here are a couple of pictures with me in them.

With Pol and Ann a few hours before Egress.

P.P.S. I ate a lot during the duration of the exhibit.

Yum! I love you too.

(Photo Credits – Paula Cañete)

This is just a quick post and will just feature more pictures of the Interior Mock-ups we did during the Philconstruct Visayas 2010. The pictures I posted in the main post are more of my “artsy shots” and I thought these pictures (below) will be supplemental and will greatly help out those who wanted to see the exhibit but weren’t able to.

By the way, for the main and proper post on the Philconstruct Visayas 2010 – you can find it in this post.

Interior Design Mock-ups

(Photo Credits – PIID Cebu Chapter)

Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Day

Today is declared as a non-working holiday in Cebu City since it commemorates the 132nd birthday anniversary of the late president Sergio Osmeña Sr.

A few tidbits as we remember him today -

1. Don Sergio Osmeña’s Sr. forty-two years in public service began in 1904. He also served as the youngest governor of Cebu at the mentioned year at the age of twenty-five.

2. He was the fourth president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (1944-1946). He assumed presidency when President Manuel Quezon died.

P.S. The Sea Green Journal is already one month old! I can hardly believe it – it is Lé Cucumber and tres magnifique! (Haha). I am having a lot of fun and I hope you are too. Cheers! I can hardly wait until we turn another month old.

Yey! The Sea Green Journal is already one month old

Curtains (also known as drapes) are treatments used for wall openings (such as windows or french doors even). They are pieces of fabric or cloth that come in different configurations and are used further to maintain privacy and they provide us a certain amount of protection from the elements (i.e. they obscure light and even drafts).

Rolls of Fabric (Patterned, 100% Cotton)

They are available in various ways – colors, the sizes, materials, shapes and even patterns. They can further be (available) equipped with the following – noise absorption and dust retention among others. In case of a DIY situation (and especially with first timers), take note of window sizes (there are times when their measurements vary), their intended function (so that the type of curtain that you will need  and even its weight can be determined) and the climate in your area or country (wooden window shutters are utilized in warmer countries to keep the house cool inside). In terms of aesthetics, one may visit a fabric store to get an idea of the pattern, color and even the texture that you want – you’ll be able to decide which fabrics work and look well together.

These tie-top curtains are ideal for letting a certain amount of light in while maintaining the privacy inside. (Stripe Voiles, 100% Linen)

These cotton lined roman blinds work perfectly in a kitchen setting. They also add color and warmth to the space – with the statement stripes. (100% Cotton)

These fabrics (for example) are suited for curtains and blinds and even for upholstery at times. (100% Cotton, Red Fabric Selection)

Triple pleat lined and interlined silk curtains along with its rich coloring add a luxurious and elegant touch to the space. (100% Silk)

For a light and airy look, semi-sheer pencil pleat curtains (and matching blind) in classic white does the trick. It produces a very refreshing look. (100% Linen)

(Photo Credits – The National Curtain Company)

It’s already the middle of the week and things have been amazing so far. The days passed by in a blur (sort of) – scurrying to get this and that, supervising construction parts, errands, everyday obstacles, securing furniture, dealing with “we have a situation” scenarios, meeting deadlines, a bit of drama (But it’s all good. We just have to take them in stride and if we can’t, we try still), etc. Being an Interior Designer is the best thing in the world in my opinion (as weird as it may sound, correlating the above).

I mentioned the exhibit we are having for Philconstruct in my last post and everyone has been buzzing with activity and dealing with preparations since the beginning of the week. I got home late tonight feeling sleepy and a bit fuzzy as the adrenaline bits have started to wear off but I am happy and excited – I love doing exhibits! (haha).

Here are a few pictures of the construction part, sort of the behind the scenes portion. By the way, the exhibit will formally open tomorrow and things are already shaping up. Enjoy!

That was basically it – for now. I need to go to bed now since I have to wake up early to check on the “retoucher person” for our accent wall, he’ll be there by 7:30 in the morning (eep) and I am sort of pooped as well. But indeed it is a lot of fun. (Righhhhht Pau. Haha.)

Wish us luck during the formal opening. Thanks!

P.S. I gave the little one a bath a few days ago. By the way, Georgia doesn’t really enjoy baths – she gets scared of the water. It stresses us both in a sense (her stress factors – being bathed, her fear of water; my stress factors – her being stressed and agitated during bath time. It breaks my heart to see her so distressed). I love you, Georgia!

Sad face, Georgy Porgy? It breaks mummy’s heart

Let’s give you a big cuddle and some treats for being such a good sport during bath time.

P.P.S. Thank you very much, Mr. Wonderful! You are the bestest.

The weekend is almost over and we have a new week ahead of us. The last few days were great and I was quite busy so I was not able to post this sooner. Here is part two of The Island Travelogue.

Snippets on some of the pictures. Enjoy!

The weather was incredibly hot but the water was simply gorgeous.

This trip made me crave for mango pancakes. I even had some for dinner a few hours ago. (Haha)

I couldn’t resist putting more museum pictures in this post. I love museums!

This was a long walk (but super fun) and the sun was definitely shining away – we had cold mango shakes at a cafe nearby after this.

A beautiful holy water font.

I love old church floor tiles and their designs.

I remembered attending mass at this church during my first trip to Bantayan (I was still ten). We fell asleep during mass because we were worn out from swimming the whole day (haha). Great memories and a beautiful church, I had to take a picture. By the way, this is the San Pedro y San Pablo Church – it considered to be the oldest church in Bantayan.

I love lighting candles (We bought a handful from each vendor at the church).

Definitely Gorgeous (Dreamy Sigh)

Yup, a couple of shots featuring the author – the sea breeze was amazing.

This rounds up The Island Travelogue (I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with the gazillion pictures in this post and the one before this). I also hope that you had fun looking over this post and going over the trip with me. Bantayan is definitely gorgeous and I highly encourage you to check it out.

On a side note, my Mum’s birthday was great – she is a year older (I don’t like it when my parents get older every year – I love you Mum and Dad!)

Have a great week ahead everyone!

P.S. Pau Updates – 1. Our Exhibit for Philconstruct is next week (I’m very excited)! I love exhibits and doing mock-ups. I’ll post details about it soon (do drop by the exhibit if you can). To those who can’t (sad face) – don’t worry, I’ll write about it next week.

2. I woke up feeling sick this morning and it wasn’t pleasant. I hope I’ll better soon because it’s another busy week ahead.

P.P.S. Georgia Updates – 1. I was supposed to bring Georgia to the vet place yesterday for her monthly shot/s but I had to go a meeting and I didn’t want to wear her out by making the trip longer. I’ll do the vet visit in a few days and get her checked as well.

2. During Mum’s birthday, I placed Georgia near Shaki’s tummy so that she can get acquainted with the little one inside – Georgia placed her paw on Shaki’s tummy (as though touching/stroking it) and she gave it a lick/kiss (as though she was saying hello/showing affection to the little one inside). Awwww! Georgia, you are one sweet little girl and Mummy loves you very much.

It’s already Thursday. How was your day?

Like what I mentioned yesterday, I will show some of my pictures from the long weekend trip in today’s post (I decided to divide them into two parts since I have a lot of pictures to share – taking note that I even narrowed them down already).

Off to Bantayan I went. (Abrupt sentence construction, Pau.)

A few specifics in case someone needs the information (and for those who aren’t from the Philippines). Bantayan is one of the municipalities in the province of Cebu, Philippines. Located in the Northern Tip of Cebu, it is well-known for its crystal clear waters and its fine white sandy beaches.

There are several methods of getting there (People mostly go by land and take a ferry or a roro once they reach Hagnaya). Transportation options include buses, rented vans and your very own private vehicle. We basically rode our own car and hopped on the ferry going to the island (you can bring your car with you on the ferry, with additional fees of course).

Planning things such as accommodations and other arrangements way ahead of time (may it be your food options, itinerary, etc) – highly recommended especially during the busy months and events (i.e. April and May, Holy Week). A mixture of cuisines are available on the island – there are quaint restaurants (both in the resort you are staying at and a couple scattered around) and the market (small stores, the essentials, small bakeries, etc). Seafood lovers are in for a treat (the seafood on the plate before you, in most cases, were caught just minutes before you ordered – definitely fresh).

Simply Gorgeous!

The weather is definitely hot there (I am quite sensitive to hot weather). Lots of sunscreen and water – these are your best friends. In spite of the scorching heat, Bantayan is absolutely divine. It is one of my favorite places in the Cebu Province.

Gazillion pictures starts here (haha). I will post snippets on some of them as well. Have fun!

A gazillion sea urchins – freshly caught (A delicacy – I have no plans of trying it though. They did say it tastes great.)

Mango Pancakes with Honey for Breakfast

Tapasilog (We had breakfast brought to our room.)

Yup, I wear sweaterish tops to the beach – I’m cool like that. (Haha)

The Old Kota Fort – I was fascinated with this and its composition (Trivia – I love museums and historic sites). It was constructed in the 1790′s in order to protect young women and children from being abducted by the Moro Pirates and sold for slavery. In terms of architecture, the structure was made from coral stone, red sugar, egg white (common for old structures), lime and sand. It is almost a perfect square.

Little eerie tidbit – There were thirty-four Japanese soldiers executed inside the old structure. It was also used as a cemetery from the 1890′s to the 1950′s.

Huge Bags containing chips for sale at the market (definitely brings back childhood memories).

I always take pictures of cupcakes (it’s basically a given for me).

I will post the rest of the pictures tomorrow hopefully. Please stay tuned to part two of The Island Travelogue.

P.S. It’s Mum’s birthday tomorrow. Yey!

P.P.S. Please follow The Sea Green Journal by clicking on the button below. Thanks!

(Photo Credits – Paula Cañete)

Hello Everyone! (I don’t know. I just wanted to say that. Haha.)

Like what I mentioned in my previous post, I am doing a post about “Flower Chairs” (i.e. this post). Yep, “Flower Chairs” – that’s how I refer to them in a sense, it’s how I like to call them.

These interesting and very pretty chairs are from Floral Art. Their designs are inspired by fashion, architecture and interior design – the designer’s signature is “fresh, innovative aesthetic”. On a side note, I have big plans for these chairs (haha). I can picture a million ways on how to incorporate them in the interiors I’m doing. There are certain pieces that just make me itch (figuratively speaking) and quite excited to design an interior  around them or incorporating them – these chairs are very good examples.

Fuchsia Peony Floret

This chair’s back and legs are of Clear Lucite, the chair frame is of a white wood finish (high gloss) and it has white faux leather upholstery. It features a peony design for the backrest.

Succulent Floret (Armless)

This chair is made out of Clear Lucite, it has a white wood finish (high gloss) and white faux leather upholstery. It features a succulent (sempervivum) design on the backrest.

Orchid Floret

This chair has Clear Lucite back and and legs, a white wood finish frame (high gloss) and white faux upholstery. It features an orchid design for the backrest.

P.S. Lucite is a solid transparent plastic material. It is made out of polymethyl methacrylate (Basically the same material as plexiglass or perspex. Trivia – Perspex can be used for the bodies of electric bass guitars).

It’s already the middle of the week and I think flowers (I am doing a post about  “flower chairs ” as well) and cute little kiddies in tutus would just be the peachy for today ( I love that word – peachy. I love peaches too! Quite random).

Tutus

First off, these beautiful tutus (below) from Kayana Couture and the little princesses wearing them are very adorable. The owner is inspired by her own beautiful little girl and she loves making these items which she believes “every little girl deserves to wear and have fun in”.

All of the tutus are made of tulle with comfort in mind. They come in all sizes and a wide range of color combos. The couture bows and the tutus are handmade and can be customized (tulle color, ribbon color, flower accent, headband knit or crochet material). Just perfect for little girls who love to play dress up or have fun in during a sunny day and even ballet class (I’d love to get one for Georgia and myself. Teehee).

It’s a Monday, time to begin another week. Back to work, people! (I always wanted to say that. haha.) I thought it would be best to start the week with a more austere (but not too much) approach thus a more somber post  today (in terms of pictures).

I plan to reserve my usual cheery persona (in terms of design preferences) towards the later days of the week (haha) – at least for this week hopefully. I’m not saying that the “somberness” be viewed as something dreary for the week starter but rather a more “back to business” feel (Ok, quite a long explanation as it is) – and oh, I decided to be more detailed in this post and provide my own descriptions about certain pieces and I hope they can be helpful.

This beautiful wooden side table is a good piece – stained, simple table legs (I would say similar to Country Sheraton types), one drawer, crystal knob.

On to business (nothing too serious, don’t worry), these beautiful interiors are by Erika Powell. Her style is defined as both modern and classic – it is stated that she has impeccable attention to details (I can relate to this because I am the same way, the attention to details aspect).

Here are some of her beautiful interiors (I chose those mostly depicting a working environment to help jump start everyone’s week. Don’t worry, I added a touch of “sunshine”. That has always been my preference with the interiors that I do).

This refreshing home office features customized built-in book shelves. There is a good amount of natural light during the day because of the windows. Furniture and certain pieces utilize a silver metallic finish. A pretty neutral space but with a pop of color provided by the apple green Eames Aluminum Group Management Chairs by Herman Miller (I have always loved this chair).

A beautiful contrast between the off white dining chair slip covers and the wooden furniture pieces. The furniture’s features (ex. wood grain, etc.) are well emphasized by said slipcovers which I believe are specifically tailored for this set out of catcha cloth with side buttons that add details. The colors in the wall installations round it off quite nicely.

Rich coffee colored walls, white base moulding and dark stained furniture pieces. Pattern is incorporated in the upholstery for the ottoman and a vivid red acts as an accent color.

A play on neutrals (off white, creams and browns) and a light shade of blue as accent – quite an appropriate color scheme for a bedroom (unobtrusive and not loud at all).

An elegant set-up of warm browns, mocha and creams, white base moulding, a graceful freestanding lamp and an interesting accent table.

Have a good week ahead, everyone!

The countdown has come to an end. Yup, tomorrow is the best day ever (big smile).

Hello Best Day Ever

These beautiful pictures (specially chosen) are for – 1. All of you, 2. My Birthday Acclamation.  I wanted this post to be filled with festive and beautiful pictures – lots of colors and elements that reflect my personality. I would love a “Princess Party” for all my birthday parties (slash) forever. (Forgive me, I am a girly girl.)

I envisioned something like the pictures in this post but different in a sense because I’ll be conceptualizing the design and doing pieces to make it my very own.

This day is very important to me and the promise this one (the next one and the one after that) holds is amazing. They are definitely right when they say that when you turn another year older, you start reflecting on things and reflecting about life. I am doing that by certain bits, I am thinking in the sense of the present (just preliminaries, full-on mode hopefully during the day itself) and the future (being a year older).

I am a bit tired and I don’t feel as eloquent right about now but I am contemplating in a sense. I love making lists but I don’t like the limit aspect part of certain kinds. Let me expound a bit – I love making lists and writing stuff I have to do or work on but I can’t make lists that have limits. “Limits” in the context of numbers, i.e. “Your Top 5 Favorite Dishes,”  “_ Things You Should Do On Your _ Birthday”, etc.

When it comes to that, I become sort of indecisive (but it is selective, don’t worry). For example – if someone asks me what my Top 5 Favorite Dishes are, I’ll certainly say “pass” because I love food, there are a lot of food dishes I love and I don’t want to hurt a certain dish’s feelings if it doesn’t get included in the list (haha). Thus, I can’t make a list of things I would do for this birthday (I do know I am simply rambling on – please let the birthday girl be).

A few things are for certain however (even though “limited lists” aren’t), I always get a birthday cake and I get to blow the candles before the night ends.

I also get presents. I love, love, love presents (falsetto voice).

Quick Trivia – 1. That is why I make it a point that Georgia gets a birthday cake during her birthday as well, (Our Mum  always made sure we had cakes and presents during our birthdays, my siblings and I, while growing up. Thus, being Georgia’s Mummy – I wanted to do that for her as well.), 2. I had different cakes throughout the years, good examples include a Little Mermaid Cake and a Mulan Cake (I love them! haha), we get to choose the design we want (except when we were really young of course – really cheeky, Pau).

P.S. Making a pasta dish experiment at 11 P.M. on a whim is the best way to start out one’s birthday (in my opinion). Knocking on your sister’s door (since you made her some as well) is definitely the best, best way as well. I am proud to say that the experiment turned out good.

Hello Yummy Pasta (Unbiased)

P.P.S. Goodnight Thursday. I have to wake up really early later (eep). It is gonna be the best day ever! Yey!

What I’ll be doing in a couple of hours – with vengeance (haha).

(Photo Credits – Beautiful Party Pictures by Cary Pennington)

Hello Wednesday.

Beautiful pictures from Paul Raeside (I like his compositions) – some of them have an almost surreal aspect and I love the pop of color in others.

He specializes in photographing people in their environments – as well as interiors and lifestyle sets.

P.S. Here are a few pictures from tonight (Yep, just a few). Goodnight Wednesday. I’m pooped (but very happy).

P.P.S. I think I messed up the birthday countdown (blush). I could have sworn it was correct – I even used a day generator thingy. Oh well, I’ll just be more specific. This friday is the best day ever (hahaha) and one more day to go (thursday) before then (much better?) Yey!

By the way, Happy Birthday Shaki! We love you.

I am having one of my cravings today – something from the cake family (Yup, cupcakes). I can imagine these cute cupcakes, perfectly baked, fluffy and moist (not dry or hard). Something with custard or warm gooey chocolate filling is greatly appreciated as well. Yum.

Don’t mind if I do.

On a design-related note (and since I am thinking about cakes right now), these beautiful cakes are my favorites for today (below).

As they say, wedding cakes nowadays come in all forms, shapes and even flavors. The trio of wedding cakes by Lori Hutchinson are very good examples. Instead of the usual tiered cakes, she came up with these – each one carved into the shape of antique style birdcages and the background of the cages are hand painted.

These Banana Split Cakes (Banana Butter Cake complemented with Chocolate Ganache and Strawberry Buttercream Icing) are definitely  exquisite.

“Each one I design is meant to be as unique as it’s extravagant affair is to be showcased at.”

These cakes are too beautiful that I wouldn’t want to eat them. I hope (especially since I am in my cupcake situation right now)  - 1. They make a replica of these cakes, 2. I can eat one batch and the replicas will be for posterity’s sake and  for admiration purposes. Yey! (haha)

P.S. To be more specific, I am craving for Rainbow Cupcakes. They would go in my mouth, I would chew them lovingly and acknowledge their goodness. They would fit perfectly in my tummy. (Dreamy Sigh)

Hello my lovelies. You belong in my tummy.

P.P.S. This is me (being extremely happy and sort of somber) with a cupcake. By the way, 3 more days to go before the big day! Yey!

Happy days

(Rainbow Cupcake with Frosting/Credits: www.heavenisacupcake.net)

Hello Everyone!

I’m still fuzzy but very very excited for this week. I wanted to start the week right (hopefully yours as well) and what better way to do that than by writing a post with cute and beautiful little kiddies in it? (aside from Georgia of course)

Dragon Nappy Pants

These beautiful  summer clothes with Scandinavian influences are by Isak. It is part of their Children’s line (and this being the last of their clothing range since they will now focus more on their other products).

Their emphasis for the clothes focuses more on showing the “innocence and beauty of our children”. I salute you.

They are 100% cotton and are for children ages 1 to 5.

I love children and little kiddies – these clothes are simply adorable and very appropriate for children (fun and playful with splashes of color). If they’ll sell scarves for doggies, I’ll definitely get one for Georgia.

P.S. It is a very very exciting week because its almost my birthday! (haha) Since I was little, the only day I look forward to (aside from Christmas and New Year) is my birthday. I find it special and I consider it my day. I love getting a birthday cake and getting presents (big smile). Therefore, the countdown starts now. Yey!

P.P.S. Four days until the best day ever! (big smile)

I definitely want to channel subtleness right about now, slowing things down and making way for the weekend (one more day to go). Channeling subtleness to me consists of two words (and I love these words!) at the moment – 1. Pretty, 2. Romantic.

You might wonder, is there such a thing as romantic interiors? I mean, pretty? yes. But romantic?

I love pretty things!

Of course, there most definitely is (Lo and behold, one of the “many wonders of Interior Design” – from both a biased and unbiased perspective). Idealistic and in the “head-in-the-clouds” fashion – such interiors (the ones in particular that I am referring to are the ones featured in this post) remind me of ballerinas, elegant china, the beauty of worn furniture, lace, the “aged” appeal, pieces with stories, delicate roses, mismatched and well-loved furniture.

Have fun looking over these pretty pictures and pretty interiors.

P.S. An ideal lazy sunday afternoon (my personal preference; don’t forget naps).

With some lemonade – how lovely. Sigh.

P.P.S. A big hello to Rachell Ashwell – from the girl who is in love with you (for more than a decade now) and what you bring to design.

Penguins, as defined, are flightless aquatic birds and they live exclusively (almost) in Antarctica. All penguin species (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae – Yeah, smarty pants) are native to the southern hemisphere – although interestingly enough, one species (the Galapagos Penguin) can be found living near the equator.

Penguins make me giddy too!

A couple of interesting facts about penguins (for those who are fascinated with them like I am) that you might like (you can even share them with your kiddies too!) -

Awww, what a cute baby penguin!

Penguin Facts

1. Unlike other animals (especially other birds), daddy penguins are quite involved in the process of hatching their eggs and taking care of the baby penguins.

2. Baby penguins have really dedicated parents who take turns in warming their egg and looking for food.

3. Penguins are dressed in “classic black and white”.

4. Penguins greet each other by a variety of ways. A good example is “billing” –  wherein pairs approach each other and tap their bills against each other. Other penguins may just grunt or do nothing at all.

5. There has been at least one study of Adelie penguins in which the male offers pebbles (as part of the nest) to the female. It has been theorized that this “gift” is actually a demonstration to the female that the male is capable of building a nest and would — by some property — be a good mate and “father”. This act is uncommon to other animals however.

Fluffy Penguins! (Pau, you are such a girl.)

These adorable creatures are popular all around the world and they are said to have “no special fear of humans”. We see them (even just the name itself) in film, in animation and yes, in the design world.

Penguin Inspired

Kokô Lights by Gio Colonna Romano

These lamps were launched in Europe a few years back and were designed by Gio Colonna Romano for Slide Design, an Italian light manufacturer. It was said that a percentage of the proceeds from purchasing the lamps went to the penguin foundation to help little penguins (please support this if it is still ongoing at present). They also have a “baby version” of the Kokô Lights aptly named as Baby Kokô.

This amazing wallpaper from Isak features an adorable penguin design. It is quite vibrant and perfect for a kid’s room. (I wouldn’t even mind having it in my mine. I wouldn’t mind at all.) Each roll is  10 meters long and 52 centimeters wide. It is available in the following colors – white and wasabi green, white and silver combo, white and plum.

Named after the Penguin

Penguin’s Poems for Love – Front and Back Covers (Penguin Classics)

Penguin’s Poems for Love – Inside Pages

This particular book (I love books!) features poems selected by Laura Barber. The beautiful cover is by Coralie Bickford-Smith who is a senior cover designer at Penguin Books. (I’ll write more about her  and her beautiful designs on a separate post.)

The Penguin House by Japanese Architect Yasuhiro Yamashita (of Atelier Tekuto) is located on a corner lot (322 sq. ft.) in Tokyo. With only 899 sq. ft. floor space, it is quite small (this is one of their solutions for Japan’s smaller areas). It doesn’t feel claustrophobic in the inside however and the illusion of  openness in the space makes it amazing. Architect Yamashita was able to achieve this by – 1. Ceiling height manipulation (higher ceiling in interiors make them appear larger than they actually are), 2. Streamlined natural light (the corners of this modern Japanese home were cut off, giving way to natural light coming in from all four corners), 3. An efficient use of the space (innovative kitchen placement and stairway design). It is composed of three floors – the first floor features a music room, you can find a bedroom and bathroom at the second floor and living.working area on the third floor. (National Geographic was able to feature this and they offered a more detailed view of the construction.)

P.S. This makes me laugh because it is so cute (I’ve been saying cute a lot in this post).

“Are you sure my name is not on the list, Mister?”

P.P.S. This is me making friends with penguins in Sydney. The penguins were quite friendly and  they had recently enjoyed snacking on a couple of fishes.

Hello Penguins! It’s nice to meet you.