Goodie Box

Who likes receiving a loot bag in a party? Raise your hand if you do!

If you've read my blog recently, I've been talking about my two daughters' birthday celebrations this year. The last bash we had was my eldest's slumber party with her three best friends and I made sure to prepare a special giveaway for them. 

Handmade Apple Invites

Here's the apple invitation I made for my eldest daughter's slumber party. 

Hello, May!

Time flies sooooo fast! Can you believe that we're half-way through summer already? The kids are very much enjoying their free time and summer activities and I love seeing them around the house and hang out with them. I just hope they'll soon miss school and be excited for the new school year. I remember I always was because I get to buy school supplies! Yipee! :) So let's make the most of what's left of our summer season with Fat Mum Slim's Photo A Day Challenge:

Celebration No. 3, 4 & 5

Here's a continuation of my daughters' birthday celebrations journal for this year. Click here and here for the first two parties if you haven't seen them yet. :)

Celebration #3 was on the day in between my two girls' real birthdays and the our families gathered at their favorite pizza place, Shakey's Katipunan. The kids love this particular branch because it has its own arcade. And I must admit, it is pretty awesome! I mean, we never had this kind of place when we were their age! So while waiting for our pizza, pasta, chicken and mojos (our faves) to be served, the kids and kids-at-heart enjoyed the games.

Go, Ate, go!

BDJ Elite Box

BDJ sent me a surprise package yesterday - their first ever limited edition Elite Box! Coolio!

Crafty Easter Sunday x Birthday Celebration

Here's a late installment to the series of birthday celebrations we recently had for my two girls. I have another post or two to complete this year's birthday festivities, then hopefully, I'll be able to post all the other stuff I've been itching to write about for months now.

My youngest's birthday fell on Easter Sunday this year and since we were all in the city for a staycation during the Holy Week, my sister-in-law invited us over to her place and we prepared activities for the kids to celebrate the two special occasions.

First thing the kids did was go swimming. It was a perfectly hot day for a dip in the pool - don't you just hate the scorching summer heat we've been having??? While the kids were busy in the water, Oma (grandma) went around the pool area and hid a bag full of plastic eggs.

Necklaces & Ladders (not snakes)

I had this sudden urge to clean and organize our room this morning when I woke up. Seriously, it was the only thing that was on my mind the moment I opened my eyes and I was really excited about it which is totally rare, I tell you.

I cleaned up my vanity table and threw out the products I don't really use. Then arranged my shoe shelf and removed the clutter around the space. And I finally gave my necklaces a chic new home.

Mommy, I'm Scared...

My eldest recently celebrated her birthday and she asked if we could watch The Croods so we did. It was hilarious! We loved it! My youngest, who just turned 4yo, refused to come with us though. Such a shame because I'm very sure she would have loved it. The movie had a lot of silly moments and that's her thing.

Wreck It Ralph Party

March went by like a blur. There was this one week where I had to rush and prepare my youngest's party at school, then made some tedious-to-create invites in just one day for my eldest's party and to top them all off, it was also exams week and my husband and I had to help our daughter review. Whew! That was stressful and I'm so glad everything's all done now. My two daughters' birthdays are just two days apart and we had a total of FIVE celebrations this year. FIVE. Versus last year's three-day celebration. I seriously have to reassess what we'll do next year. 

Anyway, I just want to share what I did for my little girl's party at school. Since her actual special day fell during summer vacation, we threw a small party two weeks early. I worked around her current favorite movie, Wreck It Ralph. She absolutely loves it. She watches it everyday. And she likes Vanellope Von Schweetz, the little girl from the Sugar Rush game who gets bullied and who's ultimate dream is to race. Unfortunately, there aren't any Wreck It Ralph party supplies available locally so I had to make some.

I didn't tell her about the party and her teachers and classmates gamely helped us to surprise her. 

Hello, April!

The weather isn't so terrible today, huh? Thank goodness. I'd say it's a pretty good start for new beginnings since we just celebrated Easter Sunday yesterday and it is the first day of April after all! And to start this month off with some daily creative inspiration, here's Fat Mum Slim's April Photo A Day Challenge List:

DIY: Gold Flecks Mani

Hello There, March!

With the intense heat we've been experiencing the past couple of weeks, it looks like summer has knocked on our doors a wee bit early as I would have wanted. But before summer vacation begins, we still have my fourth grader's final exams (I have to review too, you know) and a whole lot of planning on my part for my kids' birthday celebrations (their birthdays are just two days apart). Plus, I still have no idea what kind of activities/summer classes my girls would take to keep them occupied for two whole months.

Aside from my tasks on hand, I am very much looking forward to lots of fun times with my family starting this month. And on this note, here's Fat Mum Slim's Photo A Day Challenge List for March 2013:

Tarte Carried Away Collector's Set

I'm a lucky girl. I've been dreaming about this limited edition set from Tarte for months now (see my post, Makeup Palettes/Sets To Look Out For) and while I had plenty time to purchase one when I discovered it, I held back and it sold out. Bummer.

But thank goodness for a local reseller I randomly found on Facebook. I rarely check my Facebook account and this one time I did, I saw a photo of the Tarte set I've been coveting among other makeup products for sale in my timeline. I panicked a bit when the seller said they only have one set arriving in a few weeks. I must have it!!!

But it's my dear husband whom I should really be thanking. He asked what I wanted for Valentine's Day and told him that he could just get this for me and he gladly agreed! Thank you for your amazing (and forced upon) gift, Hon! ;-*

I've noticed that Tarte makes great packaging, not that it's more important than what's inside but I think it is important nonetheless. And I absolutely love the Moroccan-inspired packaging - very, very pretty! The whole thing is huge and it is not something you can carry around everyday. It is, however, a great portable kit to bring along when traveling. Not only does it have lots of space but the big mirror is just perfect!

Beauty News: Sigma's Spa Brush Cleaning Glove

Just when you thought things couldn't get any better, a makeup genius comes up with something totally spanking new! Have you seen Sigma's newest brush cleaning tool? 

Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED* Win a Shiseido BDJ Box!

CONGRATULATIONS JUNIE PEREZ!

You won the giveaway! :)

Thank you BDJ Box and to all who joined my giveaway! 

Here's hoping to more awesome giveaways in the future! :)

xx

BDJ Box just sent me another set of their Shiseido exclusive box and I'm sharing the love to one lucky reader!

Let's keep things simple... To enter, just leave a comment about anything below. That's it. :)

RULES AND GUIDELINES

• This giveaway is open to anyone with a registered mailing address in the Philippines.
• Make sure to use a valid email address when you enter the giveaway.
• Only one entry per person please.
• The winner will be randomly selected and notified within 48 hours after the deadline.
• Deadline to enter the giveaway is Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 11:59pm.

If you want to find out what's inside the box that could possibly be yours, please check out my previous post. :)

Good luck!!!

What's in the BDJ Box this Month?

In the middle of spring cleaning our room, this came in for me. Now who doesn't love receiving a package in the mail??? It totally called for a break from the dust-busting action I've been doing earlier.

SP Article: 5 Common Skin Problems

Sharing with you an article I wrote for smartparenting.com.ph about common skin problems that women encounter and the products that can help remedy them. Check out the splurge vs save options which are perfect for budget-savvy gals!

To view the full article, click here.

Handmade Valentine Swap

Craft time!!! :)

So, I joined a Valentine card swap hosted by The Stationery Place and honestly, I couldn't remember that I signed up for it. I was quite surprised to receive an email about it and the details of my swap partners. Good thing I didn't trash the email or worse - mark it as spam! (Oh no!)

Regardless, I was so up for it. I've never joined a swap before, but always wanted to. So this was pretty exciting to me! Plus, it gave me the perfect excuse to bust out my crafting stash again and use some of the stuff I've had for a year or so but have never used.

The cards I made were very simple. I was given four swap partners and I made four different cards so I could play around more. I really, really hope they'll like them! Here they are:

Handmade Valentine Swap

Gone Too Soon

Yesterday was a very sad day. My husband's dog, Knuckles - a French Bulldog, passed away. I heard the devastating news when I was at work. You see, he's been at the vet's clinic since Tuesday. He wasn't his usual perky self and wasn't eating. He was also coughing and vomiting. 

The doctor did lab tests and everything came back normal except for the wheezing sound of his breathing. It was probably due to the weather, just like what happens in humans. While he was at the vet's, Knuckles would eat but sometimes vomit. The doctor said he had a bacterial infection in his lungs so he was being treated with antibiotics. The doctor also said that he's been showing signs that he was getting better so he suggested to continue his recovery at home where he could be with us which actually helps sick dogs get better faster.

Multiply Shopping: Crafty Loot

One of my current obsessions are washi tapes. The different designs are so darn pretty that they make it VERY hard to get just a few. Hooray for Multiply's Php250.00 off discount (Multiply should start paying me, seriously), I was able to afford a bunch and some. 

Multiply Shopping: Beauty Finds (Part 1)

I've never enjoyed local online shopping this much until Multiply's recent P250 off deal! First order of business is, of course, beauty stuff from Digital Traincase!

Actually, I was only looking at purchasing the Lucas' Papaw Ointment and the Embryolisse but I ended up getting more than planned. These are just a third of the stuff I ordered (oh no!). The others are still in transit. And aside from Multiply's Php250.00 off coupon, Digital Traincase also has (still ongoing, loves!) a 20% off coupon. You are only allowed to use one coupon per transaction but you may use either one of them again and again in different transactions. So I grabbed a pen and paper, listed down the stuff I wanted to get, figured out which coupon will let me save more money and I ended up with 12 different transactions with savings of over P3,000.00! You gotta do what gotta do to, right? Sneaky! :)

Anyway, these are all new to me (except the Z Palette). I have never tried them before but have heard and read a lot of good reviews about them. So let me do a little research and share with you more info about these products.

Clockwise from top left:

1. Lucas' Papaw Ointment is an all-natural antibacterial product that remedies minor burns, sunburn, rashes, cuts and minor open wounds, insect bites and splinters. It can also give temporary relief to symptoms of dermatitis and eczema. Sounds like an ultimate skin saver. This will be perfect for the whole family. I shall fill up small containers and give each member of the fambam.

Multiply Sale

Have you seen this ad lately?

I hope you have because I scored big time. I'm just not sure until when the promo code is valid. I tell you, it is such an awesome deal!

More about my Multiply finds soon! I'm off to the gym now. Yes, I go to gym. Well, I try to. Especially when I can no longer come up with excuses not to. Like, today. Haha.

Happy weekend and shopping everyone!

Wasteland Heaven

I'm back. Thanks to this wonderful yet cheap find, it made me decide to blog again.

I love how something so simple is inspiring me to continue to write about stuff I like. I think my blog this year will just be really fun and light - just like these cute planners!

If I'm not mistaken, I believe these diaries are from Korea. I've seen it on several local online stores on Facebook and Multiply. And if you look at their sample photos, users normally decorate them with lots of cute little stickers (which they also sell)! So grade school, right? I love it!!!

The inside is great. It has a yearly planning page which is perfect for birthdays and other important recurring events; a monthly checkpoint with all 12 months in one spread where I could put in my monthly goals; then there's the usual weekly planning pages (but with different designs) which are sandwiched in between the monthly planners. There are also a few pages for notes or projects at the back part of the planner. I think it has everything I need to maintain and organize my blog. And I love that it's not the usual boring planner.

Best part is, it's just Php79.75! So much cheaper than the online stores. Where? Landmark. Love that place.

And in case you're wondering, I have two because the other one will be my personal diary. :) :) :) Goodness, I'm kinikilig. Hahaha! It's just so damn cute!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of planning to do. ;-) Toodles!

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing all of you a fabulous new year filled with sparkle and gorgeousness! :)