flea market finds: i don't mind a little soft-soap

it all started with a very grumpy mister who just got out of the shower grumbling that we ran out of his hardy soap and was left with no choice but to reluctantly use my shower gel(!).  he prefers any soap rather than the liquid shower gel as long as it comes in a bar.  the rougher, the better.

i've read somewhere that the soap bars in Portugal were very good.  So good that, in fact, Oprah is a big fan.  Particularly the Claus Porto brand.  It was listed as one of her Favorite Things back in 2007.  

Claus Porto is made by Ach. Brito, the company that has been making most of the soaps in Portugal since 1887!  They make all kinds of soaps, not just the high end ones.

so, i asked a Portuguese friend of mine who regularly goes home to Portugal if she could buy me some regular soap as a tester (Portugal is about 5-6 hours drive from Gibraltar).  She brought me 2 and when we used it, it was the creamiest, most fragrant soap we've ever used!  even the mister is now a big fan!  and they were not even the expensive ones that Oprah uses! from then on, i was hooked and began looking out for soaps (any kind really as long it is in a bar) in my haunts.

love the wrapping in the Ach Brito soaps!  very Pop or Art Deco.  the one on the left is made from goat's milk (soo creamy!)

found a beribboned pack of L'Occitane soaps with milk or honey in a carboot sale for next to nothing!  L'Occitane is a French company that follows and preserves the tradition of Provence, France.

speaking of France, i found two bars of the popular Savon de Marseille in a table top sale...again, for next to nothing.  

here in Gibraltar, there is a new shop in Main Street where you can't help but go in and have a browse.  the smell is just heavenly.  the Gibraltar Soap Shop is not only budget-friendly but they also sell a lot of vegan-friendly products for men and women.

love the tissue paper pom-poms in their window

have tried some of their products and they smell amazing

now, please excuse moi while i take my nth shower for the day ;)

flea market finds: shoot em up

there was a carboot sale the other day and of course i was there early.  been anticipatin' this carboot for two weeks now and so i came prepared with my sturdy shopping bag and a pocket full of change ;)

here are my lovely finds:

(1) a tiny Delft stein buried under a mound of souvenir mugs from all over the world 

(2) a Canadian pewter whale "piggy" bank - isn't he just sooo cute?

(3) a functional 1960's Fujica 35 ee camera (my favorite find!  perfect for my collection plus i really, really like lomography)

(4) a vintage photo album with a brown leather cover - i bought this because of nostalgia really. when i was little i remember all our photographs were 

neatly arranged by my mom in a similar album

(5) a square monkey pod salad bowl and guess where they were made?  the Philippines!

*linking to The Penny Worthy Project @ hey what's for dinner Mom? :)

who do you want to share a Coke with?

recently, Coke UK launched a "Share a Coke with..." campaign where they personalize bottles with our names on it...for free!

its a brilliant marketing tool of course because there's nothing as sweet as sharing a tiny bottle of Coke with only 105 calories as seeing our names on anything :)

I am not much of a soda fan but its our names that did it for me.  

so who do want to share happiness with?

i miss my family and i got them one each so i would "see" them all the time

my BFFs 

flea market finds: lights, camera, action!

here in Gib we have facebook groups that sell second-hand stuff (pretty much like Craigslist and eBay) that is very small scale and only to a select online demographics.  sometimes i find good bargains in these groups and this is how i found my new Polaroid P.

grey Polaroid P with built-in flash in really good condition





in my favorite shop, i also found this beautiful tiny tin tray with the Daher mark, made in the England.

 

19x15cms with an intricate design of flowers and butterflies

we've been having brilliant days lately apart from the ocassional freak storm but i went to a carboot sale the other week and i will be posting my finds pretty soon.

 

*linking to ThriftShare Monday @ Apron Thrift Girl and The Pennyworthy Project @ hey what's for dinner mom?

 

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

i moustache you a question...

how do i personalize my photos?  i see a lot of photos with the owner's name on it... and i want to do that with mine too :)  any advise is greatly appreciated!

and on to regular programming....this is what the Rock looks like more frequently these days with the levante clouds looming large over it.  very imposing structure! i took this photo while we were in the border queue going to Gib.  it looks a bit frightful really but nothing to worry about... this wind is fast and passes by as quickly as it formed.

so what to do really when there is a big mass of angry clouds hovering over you? why, have a moustache partie of course!

there's been a lot of these popping up in design these days.  in shirts, pillows, bags, etc.  there's even a number of blogs dedicated to this groomed facial hair like the Stachist, which is hilarious!

this is a tribute to Ms. Amy Farrah Fowler of The Big Bang Theory (we love her so!) and one of the fojol brothers, which is a delightful food truck in DC or as they say in their website, "a travelling culinary carnival" ;) a friend of mine said my ginger tache is The Lorax one ;)  

here's a clip from The Big Bang Theory that we took as inspiration for our Moustache Partie ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEUzn1dC1_Y&feature=related

"it's not about the money, money, money..."

it's not over yet but i can say this September has been the busiest so far this year. almost everyday i have something to attend to or go to which eats up all of my energy and therefore, when i come home, i would slump myself on the sofa too exhausted to do anything other than flick on the remote!  on top of that, (horror of horrors!) i haven't been able to go to my favorite shop which opened the first week this month!!!!!!!!!!

we shall remedy that soon enough :D but first, as promised, here are pics i took that beautiful day when the part-therapist, part-singer Jessie J sang for the Rock :D

the Rock is a great backdrop for a concert because sound actually bounces off of it making for great acoustics!

there were stilt-walkers and street artists (which either delighted the little ones or scared them, i can't tell)

right next to the concession stands, life goes on in the runway (Gibraltar is on the top 10 of the world's most dangerous airports, being small and right in the middle of the highway!)

there were other booths next to the stadium that were such a hit with the tag-alongs like Man Vs Food, etc.

front acts were amazing local bands!  and then came Ali Campbell of the famous UB40.... ohhh the groovin' we did to "Red, Red Wine"... and little did i know this would cause major aches and pains in muscles i never knew i have!

and then, she came....  she was awesome!  a great entertainer with a heart for her fans :)  we love her songs.. especially the ones with empowering messages :)

 and here are two exhausted but very happy fans :)

once more, with feelings...

chemicool

i interrupt my mindless Mallorca blabbering with breaking news!  i just received a package from my superdupertrooper of a sister filled with psychedelic NEON goodness! as you know, anything neon is the "IT" color for summer and the beauty of this bright color trend is the color itself! flourescent colors are happy and optimistic colors (imho) and just the right dose adds oommpphh to an outfit :)

a striking neon purple and pink feather necklace from Forever21 :)  i will be wearing this either with neutrals or with a paler version within its tonal family. not too much neon though because it can be a bit overwhelming :) definitely NOT gonna be wearing this with black because it would look like i am still stuck in the '60's.

hot pink hoops again from Forever21.  accessories are the easiest way for me to try neon colors. adding something bright to an earthy ensemble adds immediate edge for me without looking like am trying too hard.

and the last one is a flourescent orange choker for those date nights ;)  i saw this from an independent seller in Singapore and found them striking (my sister bought them for me)

"She is D, desirable, She is I, irresistible, She is S, super sexy, She is C, such a cutie,  She is O, oh, oh, oh... that's my lil sis ;)

what i did NOT buy in Mallorca from shops with unique names

what the filthy rich use to wipe their bums and noses with ;)

 was a bit startled to see this in the tourist shops ;)

these are adorable owls but i wouldn't know where to put them ;)

 nope, its not too late yet ladies ;)

 nice things; nice prices ;)

 luxury for.... ME!!!

 this is the shop where we bought the nice popsickle puzzle :)

a hidden gem!  i bought pretty much all of my culinary treasures in this shop that's filled to the rafters with all things Mallorquin :)

 "guess who's back" ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

treasured possessions: infamous earrings

we all know her as the controversial and self-delusional "steel butterfly" of a conjugal dictatorship that spanned 20 years in the Philippines, a.k.a "the world's top shoe-a-holic" who went down in the annals of Merriam-Webster when she coined the word "imeldific" herself to mean "ostentatious and extravagance".  

a beauty queen at 18, a lonely singer, a patroness of arts and culture, a flea-market enthusiast, a fashion-forward first lady who was constantly looked down upon and hated by the Manila elite because of her beauty and influence, this is the Imelda Marcos that we didn't know.

my sister bought me this pair of Philippine pop-culture as a birthday gift right after uni and a few years after Imelda became a "pauper" after the trials.

i was 16 when the Marcoses fell from grace.  after which marked the era of real freedom for my tired and pillaged country.  

despite what the world says about her, 26 years later, i still love her grace and ingenuity.  she is an icon.  to me, this is a piece of her.  this is a piece of my history.  

today also marks the 114th Philippine Independence Day, commemorating our independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.  Mabuhay Pilipinas!