Kris Aquino's New Home Featured at YES! Magazine

I was so excited to browse on the photos of Kris Aquino's new residential condominium featured at Yes! Magazine September 2011 issue.  I was so thrilled to discover that Kris also adores bold and bright colors like I do!  I've mentioned on my previous posts in this blog that I love anything that's bright and colorful.  For me, it creates a warm, cool and happy environment.  In her new residential condominium, Kris had chosen bright colors of red, pink and purple for her color motif, all done in good taste, elegant and stylish.

I think credit can be given to her interior designer Cynthia Almario for successfully bringing out Kris Aquino's vibrant personality in her new home.

Here's a sneak peek of Kris Aquino's new home....

Some people are minimalists and love simple plain colors and it really depends on your personality.  Some may not appreciate the color combination applied in this new home of Kris as I've also seen a number of negative comments elsewhere about the design and color of her new residential condo.  For me, it's just a matter of respecting people's preference, what matters most is you are happy with the result of your hard work and perseverance.  After all, your home is your home!  A person should go for what pleases her most.

Anyway, There is no doubt that the furniture pieces used in this unit cost a million bucks. :)  But of course, price is not the important consideration but what looks appealing to you and what makes you happy because at the end of the day, you are the one who's going to stay in the house and not anybody else.

Anyway, 100 colorful photos were shown at the September issue of Yes! Magazine, just grab a copy to see more!

Vinegar Tips For Your Homes

 

Over the past years, I've been using different kinds of home cleaning products that I stumbled upon some grocery stores or supermarkets hoping to do our cleaning activities at home with much ease.  But I would admit, though I can boast of the effectiveness of some chemical based products that I've used, I find most of these products expensive and took most of my monthly budget for my grocery shopping. I use a variety of products for different cleaning purposes so I always end up buying few bottles each month.

Because of this, I've been in constant search for some alternatives to these cleaning agents.  One that is environment friendly and easy on the budget.  That's the time when I learned that vinegar has a number of uses and a reliable companion in cleaning most parts of our homes.  I gave it a try and was amazed on how this vinegar can do wonders in our homes.

Here are some of the ways to use vinegar for household care:

Mixing a 1 to 3 ratio of vinegar and water makes a great cleaning solution that can be used to wipe your window glasses and mirrors in your homes.  You can make use of old newspapers to wipe off your windows and mirrors with this vinegar solution.  This will make your windows and mirrors sparkling and clean.

Vinegar can also be used to clean tile grouts and toilet bowls in your toilet and bathroom.  A little vinegar plus a little of scrubbing will do wonders to your toilets.

Distilled vinegar also helps to clean those stainless steel frying pans with much ease.  Just drop around two table spoons of distilled vinegar in your frying pans, let it sit there for a while, then scrub it as usual with your dish washing liquid.  The result? Sparkling stainless steel pans.

Using a little amount of vinegar together with your final rinse after washing your colored clothes will help to preserve the color longer and makes the color appears more bright.

You can also do the same to your white clothes and fabrics.  Add a little amount of vinegar on the final rinse to make your clothes looking whiter.

Vinegar added with water can also be a cleaning solution to get rid of those molds and mild dew in your kitchen counter tops and sinks.

Using vinegar as an effective tool in cleaning your homes is a cheaper alternative.  It's not only environment friendly as you can get rid of chemical build up in the air but it is also a more affordable way to keep our homes clean and well kept.

Amazing Household Technology From Samsung

Browsing online, I was amazed with this new innovation in refrigerators.  This latest product is from Samsung.  It's a 28 cubic feet 4 doors refrigerator and 8" LCD display with Apps.  Amazing!  Can't figure out how fast our technology is moving.  Not only in the offices but also in household.

This new innovation in household technology is packed with features that will make your eyes grow big.  With special Apps and built in LCD screen, who will not fall in love with this new design of refrigerator from Samsung?  The wifi enabled 8" LCD screen comes with special Apps that will allow you to leave notes for your loved ones, stay up to date with your family's activities with Google calendar, access hundreds of recipes from Epicurious, plus get the latest weather and news updates from weather bug and associated press.

It also has a large storage capacity that will help you store more of your favorite foods and drinks, party left overs, fruits and snacks, etc.  Wonderful!

The built in drawer offers four separate temperature setting to meet your needs.  It also has compartment which will help you organize your foods in few easy steps.

What more?  It also has a an ice production and storage.  Ideal for parties and week end get together with your friends and families.  This will ensure that you will never run out of ice.

This also has LED lighting and twin cooling system making it more energy efficient and improves the quality of your stored foods.

Oh...what about the price?  That's the down side, with all these wonderful features...the price is a whooping $3,499.  That's more than P150,000 pesos. 

If you can afford, why not? :)

That's the price you have to pay for high technology!

Just sharing!

 

Bedroom Organizers

Photos By : PBteen

I should have seen these designs before! This was my first remark after I've seen these bedroom organizers.  My bedroom is just of an average size and I really need a smart organizer for my growing stuff.  These designs are awesome!  Lots of storage were made available just by using a limited space.  I love the idea that these bedroom organizers have a lot of spaces for books, for decorations and for almost every personal stuff that you could imagine.  All spaces were fully utilized from walls to under the bed spaces.  Really practical!

I also like the idea that over the bed reading lamps can be installed for your reading pleasure before bed time.  

Your choice! 

What Plants Can Do To Your Homes

I think I have already mentioned numerous times on my blog sites how I loved plants and gardens.  You see, plants bring natural beauty to our homes.  I always mention to my kids that no matter how simple or modest a house is, once you surround it with different kinds of plants, your modest house will immediately be transformed into a comfortable and lovely haven.  But do you know that plants can do more than beautifying your homes?  Plants have health benefits too.  They can help to clean the air we breathe.  Plants are said to absorb toxins from the air and emits oxygen.  So in a way, plants act as air purifier.  Not only that, plants help to reduce stress, ease tensions, help us focus and calm our hearts. 

By merely looking at plants, we are already in a way reducing our mental fatigue, regaining the energy that we have lost during a busy day.  Plants help us to relax and connect with our environment.  They also help to relax our tired eyes.  Looking at those colorful and beautiful flowers is enough to make us peaceful and calm.  In short, plants make us feel better.

There is no doubt that plants can bring positive energy into our homes.  Gardening is one good hobby that can bring us so many benefits and fulfillment that's beyond our imagination.

Wall Decals

I had a previous post about creating wall murals which we are planning to apply in our humble home.  I'm thinking to have a plain white tree wall mural as this will match our bright orange wall. Recently, I have seen these bright and colorful wall decals which is another way of giving life to your dull walls.  

But these wall decals are not only wall designs.  These come with storage solution for your favorite stuff.  See that colorful tree wall decal?  That comes with pin boards.  Those flowers attached to the branches are actually pin boards.

I think as compared to wall murals, wall decals are more appropriate to be installed on bedrooms because of it's added storage function.

This unique wall decal comes with handy cute baskets to complete the design of a beach cruiser decal.

Isn't it lovely?

Want more ideas? You may want to visit PBteen for their wide selection of wall decals or you can find one at local store near you.

Cute Photo and Card Holders

 Priced at $15.50

Priced at $49.50

Photos taken from : www.pbteen.com

These twisted wire photo and card holders with black finish looks very stunning when placed on walls of your bedrooms.  This is another way to showcase your collection of favorite photos, post cards and greeting cards.

It's a good thing to get organized.  This gives you a sense of satisfaction and and it's really a great relief to be able to find your favorite stuff in a glance.

You can get these online at  pbteen.


Disclosure:  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are mine.

Home Make Over

I love the new color motif of our living room and dining room.  It's bold and bright! It's an orange themed living and dining room. 

The color motif is actually a combination of white, orange and black.  That's why you would see that these are the dominant colors here.  Even the carpet is a combination of black and white.  The bean bags are reupholstered with white leather and our living room sofa was reupholstered with black leather, as well with matching orange and white throw pillows as accent.

The wall unit which functions as a divider between the living room and dining room was designed and fabricated as per our requirement.  This is actually a "back to back" wall unit.  The two posts were painted yellow orange and the middle part is actually a textured wood.  The design of the textured wood though cannot be seen clearly from the picture and only appears as a plain white wood. A special light (blue colored) was installed to illuminate the wall unit at night for a special effect.

The family loves to watch TV wherever they are in the house so they decided that the "back to back" wall unit will also house a two LCD TV screen.  One for the living room and one for the dining room.  Kids never really want to miss  their favorite TV program even while dining.  Thus, this is the outcome!

The wall unit was especially fabricated with a secret compartment to hide all the cable boxes, wiring and outlets.  I'm sick and tired of seeing scattered electrical wiring all over the area.  It's really sickening to the eyes, thus I promise myself that if I have to reinvent the house, I would definitely find a way to hide all those unsightly wiring and electrical outlets.  With this design, after you close this secret compartment, you cannot see any piece of electrical wire scattered on the flooring or hanging somewhere.  Whooo....what a 
relief!

So, that's it! I just gave you a glimpse of our humble place after it has undergone a transformation from the traditional to a bit of modern design.

But knowing myself, I would still definitely add a bit of design and finishing touches when I get back home for my next vacation. 

Would You Love To Sit On This Chair?

I was looking for a nice chair that could complement the study table of my son in his bedroom but instead of finding a chair for him, I found a chair for me (lol).  I love this chair with a brushed steel base.  Looks so stylish with 100% acrylic fur.  Very elegant! Oh well....the problem is the price tag! It costs $259.  Can't afford it this time.

But in case any of you would love to have it, it is available at pbteen.  

Who knows, you might be interested. :)




Disclaimer:  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are mine.

Do You Follow A House Cleaning Schedule?

Just wonder if anyone of you out there is following a house cleaning schedule like I do.  It's not that I'm being too harsh or strict with our house helper's daily routine but I just want everything to be systematic.  If we do not have a cleaning schedule, chances are some areas are over done and some areas are over looked.  If we make a proper schedule and planning, then everything will fall into place.  

Since I am away from our house most of the time because of work, I make it a point to have a house cleaning schedule that will serve as a guide to our house helper.  Let's face it, we cannot expect our house helpers to show the same concern to upkeep our house the way we owners do, thus, it is more likely that they will neglect some areas in your house that requires special attention.  More often, my experience with house helpers is that they tend to concentrate on the areas visible to the eyes and neglect those hiding areas that accumulates dirt and dust just the same.  So, I make it a point to remind them that though they are not obliged to go through with everything in detail on a daily basis, they just have to follow a schedule to balance the job that needs to be done and don't make them feel exhausted with too much work.

Normally, I set it this way:

House cleaning including the dining/kitchen, 3 bedrooms, living room and porch should be on a daily basis.  That includes sweeping and mopping the floor.  Our floor tiles is light in color so I want to make sure that it's free from any stains or sticky substance everyday.

Clearing of dust like on all displays, furnitures, etc can be once a week or as needed.  Depends on the climate.        

Cleaning of toilet/bathroom can be once a week since only few people stay in the house and the kids are in school most of the day.

Cleaning of windows can be on a monthly basis.  This includes the window screens, the glass and the window grills.

Sweeping and cleaning of the yard is done as the need arises. 

Laundry is done 3 times a week, ironing is once or twice a week.

You may think that this is a tough job but nope!  Our house is just an average size and kids are very disciplined.  I trained them to be organized with their things, thus more often you can find things in the house like they were never touched.  Most of the time, they are in school and only eat breakfast and dinner at home.

Some chores especially the monthly tasks are normally being shared by everybody and it's everyone's responsibility to tidy the house and their respective bedrooms with clutter.

As for the garden, My Mom and kids love to do it!  My son is the one maintaining the small fish pond infront of the house and cleans it regularly.  He loves plants and takes care of his collection of fishes, so there is no problem with this. My daughter, on the other hand loves to take care of her pet dog so bathing her regularly is her responsibility.

Bed sheets, blankets and those heavy linens are being sent to laundry shop on a regular basis so everything is being managed perfectly.

How about you? Do you also follow a house cleaning plan?

Roofing and Exterior Repairs

Until this time, I really cannot figure out whether I have to push through with our planned roofing and exterior repairs on our house that is being rented out.  Philippines is having a very unpredictable weather condition now.  Sometimes the sun is up and in a matter of few hours, heavy rains will begin to fall.  It's really hard to schedule major repairs during the rainy season.  I'm worried that the current condition of the house roof cannot withstand continuous heavy rains.  I'm not sure if it still can stand until summer.

Luckily that all the repair works on our other house where the family currently stays is already 95% completed. 

I guess we ought to have a serious talk with the contractor whom we had arranged to change the roofing for the said house.  The way I look at it, one week may not be enough to complete the project and I could not predict a good weather condition for such a span of time. Tsskk...

With these thoughts in mind, I guess, I've learned my lessons and hope to be smarter next time.  Home repairs must be planned ahead of time.  All repairs must be possibly done during the months of December until May, where the weather in the Philippines is most likely to be sunny.  Saving for the cost of the planned repairs should be within the months of June to November.  Having a list of the much needed repairs, cost of materials and labors and total estimate for each repair project ahead of time would help a lot.  Another thing to consider is that this house is currently occupied by a tenant.  So there are really a lot of things to consider.

Well....for now, I'm still contemplating about this project.  Still checking whether the weather condition will have any improvement. 

Lovely Stepping Stones For Your Garden!

When we first installed our pocket garden in the house December of last year, we had these garden stepping stones starting from our gate entrance all the way to back yard area.  All the while, I was thinking it's cool and nice.  Not until I found these lovely and creative stepping stones online.

priced at $14.95

priced at $ 14.95

Priced at $ 9.95

Don't you find them bright and colorful?  A unique way to add life to your garden. 

How about a glow in the dark design like this :

Priced at $ 17.95

This stepping stone is lovely by day and magical by night!  That is how it was described at homeofficedecors.com.  This site has some unique pieces which will surely add style and life to your gardens. 

You can check out their site for more designs or you might want to settle on your own version of stepping stones.  I think that would be a better idea, right?  Aside from the fact that you could save up on cost, you may also have the opportunity to use your own design that's simple and economical. 

Liebster Blog Award

Just a quick post to say thank you to a blogger friend Rovie of My Journey for handing over to me this Liebster Award.  Liebster is a German word which means "fave".  

Rovie has been a constant visitor of this site and I feel happy for that wonderful support she's been giving me.

This award is certainly a good way to start my week and will keep me inspired blogging.  More to come!  :)

Thank you again Rovie!

 

Are You Ready To Buy Your First House?

Photo Credit : www.vectorarts.net

Are you ready to buy your first house?

Most people would normally ask this question to themselves especially those who are gainfully employed and just about to start or just have started to have a family.  But when would you say that you are ready to buy one?

Here are the hints:

If you have already made a thorough research in the market place and the current market price, have identified the location suitable for you and your family, then you are on your way there.  Of course, if you already have an idea about the current market price, you will be in a better position to assess yourself if you are already capable to purchase one.

If you have enough savings to cover the cash price, the better your position would be.  If you opted to purchase through any home financing institution, then you must make sure that you have at least some extra fund reserved to cover for at least 3 to 4 months of the monthly amortization.  This is to secure you in case you get a sudden problem which will disrupt your monthly payments.  Some financing institutions like SSS and PAG IBIG would normally foreclose your property if you failed to pay the monthly amortization for 3 consecutive months.   

You should also have some extra funds to utilize for house maintenance especially if you have chosen a longer payment scheme.

You must have a stable employment history or a stable business so you would be free from any worries of not being able to remit your monthly payments.

Evaluate your credit standing.  You must have at least 60% take home pay from your net income to sustain the family's monthly expenses.

If you have future plans of relocating to another country as a permanent resident there, then you may want to evaluate the necessity of buying a house at your current situation.  Owning a house requires personal attention and care, so it wouldn't be practical to buy now unless you intend to leave your property in the hands of a person that you really trust.

Owning your dream house is a good thing to consider and will give you a sense of freedom and stability.  It is basically everyone's dream to own one.  However, it's just a matter of getting yourself prepared for that BIG DECISION.

 

Kitchen Tips

 

English Country Kitchen Design By Lori Dennis

Featured at http://www.hgtv.com/

Next to garden, another part of the house which I loved the most is the kitchen.  Kitchen is said to be "the heart" of any home.  It is the place where our foods are being cooked and prepared.  It is the part of the house which nourishes and sustains life.  Kitchen is also a symbol of wealth and prosperity.  Having said these, it is just inevitable to give a great deal of attention to our kitchen.

So what are the characteristics of a good kitchen then?  

A good kitchen should be spacious, airy, well ventilated, bright and welcoming!

As for the color, yellow, orange and white are the recommended ones.  They say yellow aids in digestion, orange stimulates appetite and white symbolizes cleanliness and purity.

Make your kitchen clean and clutter free.  This is applicable to every part of the house actually, not only in the kitchen.  Clutters bring negative energy and blocks positive energies from coming inside the house.  A clean, bright and orderly kitchen is always pleasant to the eyes and gives us a feeling of comfort and uplift our moods and spirit.  Admittedly, no one will be happy to work in a smelly, messy and disorganized kitchen.  

When it comes to decorating, I always prefer a ceramic or glass vase with fresh flowers or a small pot of live plant at the counter top near to the sink.  I also love to put a tray or a small basket of fresh fruits at the center of the dining table.  This symbolizes abundance.  For wall decors, anything would do but most Feng shui experts say that a picture frame of fruits and vegetables would be most ideal.  If you have an open shelf in your kitchen, you may also want to display some nice dinner wares and your collection of cook books.

Our health is deeply connected to our kitchen.  Always stock foods that are healthy and nutritious.  Have a complete stock of dried or fresh herbs of your choice.  Herbs do not only add a distinct taste to our foods, but also aid in the treatment of some ailments.

Whatever your kitchen is, big or small, simple or lavish, the most important thing is that it is neat and well organized, free from clutters, airy, well ventilated and bright.  The rest is all up to your preference for as long as you feel happy and comfortable working in your kitchen.  This will be enough to give your family a happy dining experience.

Why Real Estate Is A Good Investment?

Photo Credit : http://www.vectorarts.net

When friends and colleagues asked me of where they should invest their money, I would immediately answer, real estate!   Of course, they would always ask for my justifications for saying so.

Well...real estate, for me, is a good investment because it's value can go up overtime and it can generate an ongoing source of income when rented out.  It is the only investment that never depreciates in value.  it's a kind of business and investment that doesn't require much physical work and requires less supervision.  The only thing that you have to look into is paying your taxes regularly and spare some amount from the monthly rentals to cover the house maintenance.  If you're earning enough from it, then you may also consider getting a home insurance.

A basic know-how in real estate will also guide you in protecting your investment.  If you are planning to purchase a land and sell it on a later date for a higher price, then you may first consider visiting government agencies who are handling records of the properties on sale.  You may want to visit Bureau of Lands, Register of Deeds, Assesor's and City Planning offices in your city or home town to check on the authenticity of the documents provided for by the sellers.  Documents such as Certificate of Titles and Tax Declarations must be thoroughly checked and verified to check if these properties are free from any encumbrances and that real estate taxes are being paid on a regular basis.  You will also get to know if these properties were already mortgaged to private individuals and/or institutions while the City Planning office can give you an idea whether the location of the property is included in the future government projects such as road widening. This is an important step before you enter into any sales contract.  

If you opted to buy a house and lot, the same procedures shall be followed with just the addition of conducting an ocular inspection of the house to check it's actual condition.  Ask yourself the following questions:

""Does this house needs a minor or a major repair?"

"Can it be rented out and derive income immediately or do I need to wait for few more months until everything in the house is fixed before looking for possible tenants."

"Is the location of this property a secured area?  Is it a flood prone area or does water supply not available in this location?"

Well....the above questions are self explanatory.

Lastly, ask yourself, "Am I going to buy in cash or credit?"

It is normally wise to buy the property in cash, if you can afford to do so.  This will lessen your worries of paying up for the monthly amortization and interest in case the property is vacant for quite sometime.  If you have an extra fund for this, then it wouldn't be a problem, otherwise, you will end up getting a "burden" rather than an "investment".

These are the most important considerations in investing for a real estate. When followed properly, I don't see any reason for you to fail in this investment.