Happy Easter!

inspiration from the lovely Rook no. 17 :) do check out her site!

loafin' around: a DIY moment

loafers are making a comeback.  and the most popular ones are either spiked or studded! 

they are so 80's but then again that's my favorite decade :)

i am a little bit (just a wee bit, really) obsessing over skulls at the moment and saw this gorgeous Alexander McQueen skull velvet loafers one day... and just like that, loafers were added to my hit list as well.

i saw this lovely pair at the "miercoles loco" or Wednesday market in Spain. i know it's quite on the opposite spectrum of Mr. McQueen's creation not only in color and material but also of price but that's just exactly right up my alley.

as you can see it has the most outrageous brand name ever written in big shouting colors.  i would have wished it were smaller and more discreet.  but then again, it's just a shoe.  and i love the rich brown color and the navy tassels.

but how do i take it one level higher??? 

i was hit by inspiration today after one of my hair-ties broke. so i got the super glue and started working...

look how they turned out!

flea market finds: spring to life

spring is here!  

time for spring cleaning and putting away all the heavy, itchy, dark-colored clothing that i have been reluctantly wearing for the past 4 months.  away with the one-digit temperatures and unpredictable rains and harsh winds. 

and HE-LLOOOO to bright, happy rainbows, beautiful flowers and intense greenery, less clothes equal more fun!  i think the seasons that we like and look forward to also gives us a hint of who we are inside.  winter is nice and all, initially, but as its gloomy days go by, my usual light fades away and so too my moods and outlook.  one thing nice that i can really give it credit for is that it will always pass and make me appreciate more my favorite seasons of the year :)

anyway, i have serious plans of re-decorating our house this spring and turning it into a colorful display of happy and pastel-licious shop-window that's very personalized and handmade :)  just the way i like it!

so, say HOLA to my new crop of decorating books i found in the thrift shops! 

the title alone is scrumptious!

who else is re-decorating this spring? lemme see some hands and shout PASTELS!

flea market finds: pop and pablo p.

true story.  

i got this 34.5 x 26.5cm print of Picasso's Head of a Woman (1924) from my favorite shop for only a splish and a splash (it was, after all, raining heavily).  

i have been finding a lot more artwork (both original and prints) lately and i am totally loving it.  i am always on the lookout for them because i get giddy with excitement every time i picture them on my living room wall.   

a girl can dream... someday...

i love this pear print below.  it was given to me as a present from a very dear friend of mine (who knows me inside out).  although it is only 5 x 7 inches,  it commands attention when you enter the room because of its simple design and eye-popping color.

i can totally see this against a backdrop of a wall-papered wall... or maybe a dark one?  or maybe a plain white one? what do you think?  the possibilities are endless!

geometry is cool!

i didnt think so when i was in high school :P 

but now i am fascinated by angles and sides and symmetry and balance… in everything i do.  in my photography, in my writing, at home and even at work.

i think geometric shapes are great decorations!  especially if you are geeky like me :) here are a few that i’ve made using the tutorials from mini-eco. do check out her page, it's absolutely full of cute tutorials!

a stellated dodecahedron, on top of my multi-colored 'banig'* placemat, a present from one of my best friends

from the top: a pink icosahedron, an orange cube, a yellow polyhedron , a purple dodecahedron and a blue octahedron

*banig - is a handwoven mat traditionally made in the Philippines and are used for sleeping and sitting. made from either palm or grass leaves, they are dyed to create colorful and unique designs.... often geometric!

flea market finds: designer essentials

i’ve now been very picky in my forages into my favorite shops.  i sometimes go back and forth with my purchases.  whether i need them or not.  i am now simplifying things around the house and only buying the essentials.  hence, the following:

a summer essential, a straw fedora with a black band for .50p!  i am thinking of replacing the black band with a  bright-colored ribbon as a nod to spring

a Lulu Guinness sunglasses in classic black and white for £1

a black fleece scarf from Prada for .50p