Welcoming 2013!

Photo Credit: http://www.desicomments.com/tag/ani/

I would personally like to thank all the readers and visitors of "Home Sweet Home" for the year 2012.  It was a great pleasure for me to share my passion and experiences in home decorating, gardening and home organization.

Stay tune for more home care tips, organization ideas, home decor trends and great finds for the year 2013.

To all of you, from Home Sweet Home.....Wishing you all the beautiful things this 2013!

Happy New Year To All of You!

My Next DIY Project - Underliner Plate

Photo source

I'm really into pebbles!  In fact, my pocket garden is covered with it and so are my plant boxes.  I don't know but it really brings me closer to nature and I find it a very versatile tool in home decorations.  Pebbles are my favorite subject for all my DIY's at home.  That's why the moment I saw this improvised under liner for hot plates, I felt ecstatic!  With it's simplicity and uniqueness, I will definitely make one for my kitchen.  I have another idea, too.  I will also make use of it as a center piece and will put some nice potted plant on it.

I think I'm going to ask my son to start collecting pebbles for me.  A sack will do for the meantime. :)  I will make a list of my favorite DIY's that I will be doing back home on my next vacation.  It will surely keep me occupied!

Moving To A New Home?

Owning a home is everybody's dream.  Nothing can beat the comfort and happiness that your own home could bring.  I had that feeling years ago when I moved on to my first house.  I could recall our excitement while we were packing our things.  We had the entire place renovated and we're just so excited to put up some decors and to arrange our furniture.

It was also the same excitement that my family felt when we decided to build our second home, bigger and better!  So from our first house, we moved on to our second home.  I could recall how difficult it was as we had already acquired a lot of furniture pieces and appliances in the house.  Not only that, I just have started collecting ceramics and figurines at that time and I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to bring everything in my new home safe and sound.  These are actually the first stuff that I packed as I want to make sure that we could avoid breakage during the transit.  However, we fall short of schedule at that time. Since we had already selected a tenant who would move in to our old house and the date of their transfer was already fixed, we were left with no choice but to move out on the date that was agreed only to realize that our new house was not completely done yet.  In times like this, the best option is to look for movers who can provide storage services like Storage Services in New York. 

The advantage of hiring moving companies which provides free storage for their clients is the assurance that your moving out and transfer to a new home will never be a hassle, as they would practically take care of everything from moving out, storage and transferring to your new homes. This is such a relief especially for those who are working and have a little time to attend to such a strenuous task. 

Moving to a new home should always be a worthwhile experience, an accomplishment like no other. 

Living Room Design For A Small Space

I've seen this living room design from one of the home depot stores that I've visited when I was vacationing in the Philippines.  I love it's black and white color combination.  The wall decors look stunning!  The two white lamp shades on both sides of the sofa makes the over all look even more sophisticated.  I guess, this set up is good for condos with a limited living room space.  It's chic and modern!

Items on the photo can be bought per piece.  You can add up or minus depending on your requirements. If I would use this design, perhaps I would just lessen on the wall decors a bit. I think the 2 rectangular wall frames on two sides plus the big wall clock in the middle will suffice.

Ideas For Outdoor Lighting

Do you love to hold small parties at home?  Are you the type of person who is fond of setting moods even on the simplest celebration that you have?  Are you the creative type who always take the lead in finding ways and means to make your parties stand out?

If your answer is yes to all those questions, chances are you are very particular about your outdoor lighting.  There are so many ways to make your garden glow.  Some people make use of solar lanterns, floating candles, exotic lights, chandelier, white lights and showstoppers. Whatever you choose, it is important that you are aware of  what your intentions are in setting up your outdoor lighting. Let's say for instance, you want to set up a romantic dinner with your partner or small group of friends, then probably, you would opt to choose float tea candles in a water filled bird bath. On the other hand, if you want something that's environmentally friendly, then you might go for solar lanterns.  Environmentally friendly lighting is so named because of the materials used and these can be complemented by some eco friendly home decor accessories. Eco friendly varaluz lighting could be a perfect choice!  You can choose from a wide variety of designs that could perfectly fit your outdoor space.

 Designers Fountain Lamp, Post lamp and Wall Lamp

Choice of good lighting can bring so many advantages in your outdoors.  It can be used to light up the drive ways and walk ways to avoid accidents, it can show off the beauty of your home during night time, accent other focal points in your house like garden, water features and patios and a good lighting can also set up a mood and create a drama while relaxing outdoors and spending sometime with your family and friends.

Tips In Effectively Removing Stains

I used to do my laundry with the aid of a fully automatic washing machine and it saves me a lot of time which I could devote to more worthwhile activities such as reading, blogging and net surfing.  But I often encounter problems in removing stains.  Sometimes, I have to hand wash few pieces of clothes as I'm worried that the satins couldn't be removed by just having these washed in the machine.  There are different types of stains that's really hard to get rid of like food based stains, oil, ink, make up, etc.

I found some ways to remove stains from the article of Steve Boorstein, author of The Clothing Doctor's 99 Secerets to Cleaning and Clothing Care and I'll be sharing these with you here:

1.) For food stains like chocolate, ice cream, red wine, soda, beer, milk, coffee and ketchup, you can hit these stains by dabbing a little liquid diswashing detergent mixed with water on the stain but don't rub.  Follow by dubbing the stain with a water soaked white cloth.

2.) Makeup and ring around the collar, pretreat with a liquid detergent or stain remover and warm water, then wash.

3.) Food grease or oil and ink, these can be treated using the stain removers that cab be bought from the local grocery shop, but it's best to have it done on a dry cleaning shop.

4.) For bike grease, pretreat with your favorite stain remover, then use the pre-wash cycle and wash with warm or hot water.  Air dry anything with grease stains; dryer heat can set the stain.

Simple Center Piece Design

I am looking for a simple table center piece design that could be used for all occasions and I found this very simple, neat and elegant center piece design. If you have plain goblets in the kitchen and a decent wooden tray, then you are on your way to having a simple center piece for your dining tables this Christmas.  But I think that this design can have some variations like adding some colors by putting up some candies at the wooden tray together with the paper flowers which can be done out of plain tissue papers or crepe papers that can be bought at our local book stores and stationery shops. You can also choose to tie up some Christmas ribbons around the goblet for an added accent.  But if you want to go for a plain and simple one, I think that this is it!

  

Source: bhg.com via Krizza on Pinterest

Engravable Gifts

I was in search for unique personalized gifts for corporate friends and bosses and I found some engravable personalized gifts that are cute and unique, and guess what, affordable too!  They have these maple memo and pen holder in one, pen boxes and lazer mugs.  They also have personalized BBQ gift set and bamboo coaster set.  All nice!

I personally like the memo/pen holders and the lazer mugs.  I think that these will be perfect gifts for our corporate friends.  Going through their site, I've also found best trophies designs.  Price starts at $4.49. You can definitely find a gift or an item that would best suit your budget.  I'm glad that I have found a better option for gift giving.  I always like anything that has a personal touch compared to those mass produced items at our local department stores.

Solid Wood Furniture

I came across a shop at Bangkok which specializes on selling solid wood furniture.  I couldn't help but sigh after seeing the elegant designs of those solid wood furniture on display. The living room set was tastefully designed and I'm loving it's elegant finish.  It will surely be a stand out on any large living rooms.

Below is a photo of one of the living room set manufactured by Kongka.  I didn't ask for the price as I'm already expecting it to be very pricey considering the craftsmanship and the quality of the materials used for the furniture.

I wonder if Kongka furniture is available in the Philippines, but I've seen similar designs before at the malls.  Given the resources, I would love to have the same design as it really looks super elegant.  But this kind of furniture comes in large sizes so this can only fit in large sized living rooms and that would be my problem as my house is just of a standard size.

Outdoor Living

I've mentioned before in one of my posts here in this blog that I so love hosting BBQ parties at home.  I love to throw some dinner parties outdoors and have fun with family and friends.  I love the idea of putting some garden decorations and lighting up the entire garden with decorated candles while listening to the sound of the water flowing from our garden's mini water falls.  It really fascinates me!

But to be able to throw an explicit outdoor party or simply organize a simple outdoor dinner with your friends and family, you should have a mini island BBQ kitchen or a simple BBQ set that you can afford.  How about a simple outdoor furniture?  The setting you create outdoors is essential to completing your outdoor living area.  You could choose from a wide range of outdoor furniture at the local shops or you can also choose to order online for more varieties and designs.  But holding outdoor parties during an extremely cold season might also be a problem.  Good thing that there are already some heating devices that's available for both indoors and outdoors.  There are even natural gas heaters that can proved to be more economical and effective. The innovation in home technology combined with some aesthetics made the world of heating a truly easy task.  Powerful range of outdoor heaters available in the market now can give us more and better options for our outdoor heating requirements.

With all these innovations, there's no reason why we can't celebrate outdoors even in an extremely cold weather condition. So, redesign your outdoor space by getting those new outdoor furniture or revive an old one, use your creative skills in designing the area, bring out those potted plants and create a mini garden and put up a decent BBQ set and you're on your way to an impressive outdoor living.

Crafts Corner

Photo Credit : www.realsimple.com

I found this great crafts organizing idea and I think that if you really had an extra space in the house to transform into a crafts corner, why not?  This will hold all your craft materials in one place and can be    arranged neatly the way you wanted it.  I'm sure as a Mom, you might be having the same dilemma with me and that is putting all things together in one place.  My two kids used to keep a lot of stuff for their school projects and we just keep those extra stock in one small cabinet, but since it was not designed for that purpose, the tendency is, when they are looking for a particular thing inside the cabinet, let's say a glue gun or colored papers, they would simply pull out everything. The result?  One big mess! 

Of course, here I am, a mother to a rescue and will start rearranging things again and again.  So, I think that creating a crafts corner at home will help us organize things more easily as everything of the same category will all be tucked into one neat space.  Items used in the photo can be ordered online or you can make use of your available resources at home.  I think, if you do have an empty closet in a room, you can convert it into a crafts cabinet by adding some shelves and hangers.  Cool, right?

Blind Corner Cabinet Storage Solution

I find this great idea for blind corner cabinets storage! When at home, I used to clear up my kitchen cup boards with all the unnecessary stuff, so looking for things I need would be relatively easy.  However, when it comes to those kitchen cabinets underneath the sink, sometimes, you even have to use a flash light just to be able to find those stuff hiding at the corners of the cabinet.  I don't know that there is a best variety of lazy susans which can address this problem.   Take a look at this 32 inch classic half moon lazy susan.  Easy to install and comes with a clear coat finish that could match any cabinet.  Cool!

Make Your Christmas Shine

Christmas is a lovely time of year for getting together with family and friends, and great lighting has always been part of it. The glow of a log fire or the fairy lights on the tree spring to mind, and of course we all love those. However, that's not quite what I was thinking of.  Geoffrey Harris of London has always been a step ahead when it comes to luxurious and glamorous lighting, and what better time than Christmas to highlight some of the fabulous ranges, showing how they can add to your festive decor, or even make thoughtful gifts for those special friends?

How about the Cuboluce for a little box of festive delight? Available in Christmas Red or snowy White as well as glossy Black, these fabulous boxes are a real talking point. Open the lid, the light comes on, close it and the light goes off. Just like opening a present, these gorgeous table lamps are the perfect gift. They also look great stacked together as a feature, how about a pyramid of Cuboluce as an alternative to the traditional tree and lights?

The dinner table is one of the most important aspects of Christmas Day. The right lighting and your guests will remember the great meal they enjoyed for years to come, not quite knowing why. Such a lot can be achieved with excellent lighting, and the right ambience is one of the most significant ways it can work. Place your table under a truly magnificent pendant light for example, such as the the Can-Can by Flos with its gorgeous swirly interior diffuser which creates a stunning effect over your dining area. How about the subtle effect of wall lights, placed strategically around the room? Northern Lighting makes one of the most eye catching wall lights you could choose, the Butterfly. From http://www.geoffreyharris.co.uk/ this beautiful white light creates a subtle glow, add some table lamps such as the Cuboluce or the Mini Glo-Ball T, which incidentally could also be placed on the floor, if you're careful in choosing where, and you can create a candlelight effect without the smoke and eye watering smell. Your guests will be able to relax in the luxurious and glamorous glow. After all, when good food and wine is abundant, nobody wants to be under the spotlight.

Glass Panel

When we were at Bangkok last month, I happened to see this restaurant at the hotel where we stayed and this reminds me of my upcoming project in the house.  I actually wanted to replace the concrete wall opposite our dining table with a tinted glass panel (similar to the photo above).  This would be a a sliding glass panel where we can have a view of a pocket garden leading to our garage.

I was just thinking that it would be a good idea to create a nice view while we are having our meals at the dining area and also to provide a better ventilation for the house.  Another purpose of which is to allow natural light to enter the house.  If open, the glass panel would also allow some air to come in, therefore this would be a huge savings to our electric bills. 

I would go for something's that beautiful and yet economical!

Printing Needs

I was able to grab some cute "free printables" from my pinterest board..  Apart from the cute designs, I find that these "printables" will be very useful for me at home.  I also love the fact that these can be personalized.  Some of these are gift tags, jar labels, birthday banners, cup cake toppers and "to do list".  I think that someday it could also be a great help when I want to establish my own business.  I also hope to find some logo designs, but I don't think it's possible as most of the logos being used for business are customized.  Perhaps, letterhead designs are also customized, so in case that I would put up a business and I would be needing all these stuff,  perhaps I could just scout for an affordable package online.  I wish that I would be able to order letterhead design from printingamerica.com.   If you want to start with something, then you have to start it right especially if it's something that would give you great profits in the future.

Choosing A Safe Home Footwear

When we were shopping at Bangkok, I was thinking of what would be the best gift that I could buy for my Mom.  She's in her old age and doesn't need a fancy thing.  She would never be interested in clothes anymore.  At her age, all what she wanted is to be comfortable while in the house.  I really had a hard time choosing the best souvenir gift for her.  We left her at home just with the company of our house helper during our Bangkok trip, and and I would like to please her by giving her something that she would definitely love.

Walking around the streets of China town, I happened to see a shop selling comfortable and cute house slippers.  To be honest, it was my first time to see such cute designs. I bought two pairs for my Mom and I have the feeling that she would really like it. 

If you are curious about what' so special with those house slippers, then I would tell you that these are not only comfortable but safe and stylish.  I want my Mom to be comfy at home and at the same time, I want to make sure that she'll be safe while moving around the house.  A good pair of comfortable house slippers is a must for older adults.  Non skid soles would provide less chance of falls.  Choose a fabric that could warmth your feet especially during the cold season.  Avoid those house slippers with thick treads as these may result to losing balance when walking.  Aside from safety, perhaps we also wouldn't want to stay away from our sense of style so these cute designs will surely be a hit.  Admittedly, I regret not buying even a pair for myself.  Not until I found this online shop selling the most stylish, comfortable and affordable house slippers.  There are variety of designs to choose from and all were hand crafted using the finest materials.  You can easily choose the color, the design and the size that you would like to order and what more, they are now offering free ground shipping.  You can choose from their wide array of lovely designs in three categories, "best seller", "classic" and "seasonal".  All of these at an affordable discounted price.

After browsing at their online catalog, I was able to pick 3 designs that I truly love.  All designs are made with a special fabric material that's so soft and comfy.  The sole has a soft cushion which is definitely a plus factor.  Realizing how important it is to be safe and comfortable even at home, I wouldn't let the chance pass of owning a pair or two for myself.  This might be my Christmas gift to myself and I would like to take advantage of using the code to avail of the free shipping.

Would you care to have one, too?

Table Aquariums?

My love for home decors had brought me to the home furnishing section of one mall that we've visited at Bangkok.  I was pleased to see these aquariums that come in different designs and colors.  I especially love the idea that the aquarium designs are multifunctional.  You see, these aquariums doubled as a center or side table and would be a very nice attraction in our living rooms.  This is definitely a space saver as this is an aquarium and a table in one.  I wonder if these designs are also available in the Philippines?

Gift Ideas For Moms!

I'm sure that most of the kids and young adults are thinking of what special gift they could give their Moms for Christmas.  As what many people say, Moms are the stars of the house, so it's just proper to recognize their very difficult task of running the house and raising the kids with something that they will surely remember.  Well, there are lots of gift ideas out there.  Just head to the mall and you will surely find something cute and nice for your Moms.  Being a Mom myself, here are my tips:

• Look for something that your Mom truly loves.  If she is plant lover, why don't you give here a nice plant in a cute and lovely pot nicely decorated and comes with a personalized card that describes the plant and instructions on how would she take care of it.  
• If your Mom's favorite part of the house is the kitchen and she loves cooking, you can buy for her a new recipe book, kitchen essentials or a set of herbs in cute jars.  If she loves to bake, perhaps you could find a nice baking set for her.
• If your Mom loves crafts, then you can buy her a set of cross stitch materials or a scrap book complete with all the materials that she can use to decorate her scrap book.
• If your Mom is fashionable and loves accessories, why don't you buy for her some pandora charms bracelet.I'm sure that she would love the designs.
• If your Mom loves to go to a salon or spa, then you could buy her a gift certificate at her favorite spa or salon.
• If your Mom loves to read, why don't you consider ordering for her a magazine subscription?

These are only some gift ideas that would surely please your Moms.  There's no other person who understands your Moms the way you do, so you could give her something that will best describe her. 

The choice is yours!

Concrete Polishing

One of the major projects that I have undergone this year was the major renovation of my house.  It's not really the house where our family stays.  This is the house that I'm renting out and since this is contributing to the family's income, it is just proper for us to look after its maintenance.

Now a days, especially with the unpredictable weather condition brought about by the global warming, it is more likely for a house to deteriorate in quality.  If not properly maintained, any house may lose it grandeur with constant raining and massive floods.  Now I realized that building a house these days is not a very easy task.  You ought to have an experience and expertise in construction projects and in choosing the right construction materials.

Since modern technology had enabled us to position ourselves ahead, we now had a great deal of choices when it comes to the design and the materials that we're going to use for our house construction and/or renovations.  I've heard that a lot of real estate developers and even private individuals have now resorted to using polished concrete. This is a high gloss finish and can be achieved by adding special floor polishers to the concrete mix to achieve a certain degree of brilliance.

The benefits that can be achieved using polished concrete cannot be discounted.  Aside from the fact that it requires less maintenance, it's environment friendly, easy to clean and provides a design that appears expensive and elegant..  Some may think that it s more costly compared to the ordinary concrete mix but in the long run, we'll be saving much on time, money and stressful situation undergoing major renovations.

Building and improving a house shouldn't be a painful experience.  It should be a worthwhile opportunity for us to learn the basics and the latest trends in house construction and development.  After all, our home sweet homes are our precious possessions and it should be treated with extreme care and attention.

Swimming Is Fun!

One of the things that we've enjoyed most during our one week stay in the hotel at Bangkok is the use of the hotel's pool.  I personally choose a hotel with a swimming pool because of my daughter Mika who really loves to swim.  The hotel's pool is just of a modest size but just adequate.  Not all hotel guests are using the pool as most are busy roaming around the streets of Bangkok so most of the time, we are the only guests using the pool.  I think most of the guests are using it in the morning and we love to be there at night time after shopping.  Pretty good, huh?

The hotel's pool as advertised should come with Jacuzzi but when we were there, these were not available. I actually prefer to swim in a heated pool. That would surely be relaxing!  The hotel should have made this possible through raypak pool heaters and I swear, hotel guests will surely be delighted.

Anyway, the hotel comes with an affordable price package and the presence of this pool is really a great plus factor.

Well, this is just one of the highlights of our vacation and I'm sure to be sharing more of the stories soon.

Plant Art From Bangkok

I wouldn't deny the fact that I really love plants and I'm much into gardening.  However, due to my absence in the house, I didn't have enough time to tender my own garden.  I only got the time to attend to it every time I take my vacation in the Philippines.  I have so much things to do to improve my garden and I wish it could be done, soon.

During my recent visit to Bangkok Thailand, I had so much fun looking at the nice views of their lovely theme parks, temples and those lovely gardens!  I really love to see those amazing plant arts.  I really had a great time taking pictures of those. How I wish I could have some of those plant designs in my house too.  

Do you love gardening, too?

Outdoor Kitchen

Two days ago, we just hosted a BBQ party at home as per request of my son for his simple birthday party.  He wanted to get away with the traditional snack parties where we usually cook spaghetti, fried chicken, shanghai rolls, fried rice, salads and sandwiches.  This time, we tried to host a BBQ party where the guests would have the opportunity to cook their own foods.  We set up our outdoor space in the garage area for the small party.  We put up some tables and chairs plus a BBQ pit and we brought out our electric cooker for the "beef nilaga" wherein the beef cubes were already precooked minus the veggies.  We cut and prepare the veggies in a nice large tray so that the guests will help themselves to add up the veggies one at a time in the boiling broth.  We also prepared the rice wrapped in banana leaves ala "binalot" and the guests were thrilled to eat with their bare hands.  I was convinced that this kind of party will bring more fun so I gave in with the idea and we didn't regret it at all.  I was just thinking that should we have the chance, I would like to put up a more organized outdoor kitchen permanently in an outdoor space at home.

Three designs courtesy of hgtv had caught my attention and I found these designs so lovely:

But I prefer the simplicity of the first one. :)  The second one is cool and elegant but requires a larger space and would definitely be more costly.

But if you have the budget and a large space in your yard, why not try this one?

This one is beautiful but quite lavish.  If you can afford it, then go for it!  If not, then consider using your creative hands trying to design a simple yet functional outdoor kitchen.  Remember, it doesn't have to be costly.  You may be surprised that simple things can very well be converted into a wonderful work of art just by being creative. :) 

Personalized Shirts

It's nearly Christmas time and every employee gets excited thinking on what would be their company's annual Christmas Give Away.  I'm sure  a lot of companies had been very busy now preparing for their annual corporate give aways. The most common stuff that I used to see and receive as well are calendars, mugs, umbrellas, wall clocks and of course, customized t-shirts bearing the company logo.  Our company used to hire a graphic designer before to design the lay out and the logo for the t-shirts.  Of course, they wanted to have the best for their annual corporate give away.

Browsing online, I was surprised to see some custom t shirts here.  Now, having a customized t-shirt is just as easy as 1,2,3.  A plain and simple t-shirt can now be transformed into a wonderful work of art using an online t-shirt designer.  Even if you are not a professional t-shirt designer, designing your custom made shirts is now very easy and affordable, too.  This online designer is user friendly and very easy to navigate.  If you want to try designing some shirts for whatever event that you have at home or at school, you can log on to their website and try the online t-shirt designer.  You may also want to visit Shirtmagic on Facebook for more information.

Try designing your own personalized shirts now.  It's fun!

Done With Christmas Decors

We're officially done with our Christmas decors at home!  My kids and I decided to have these put up early since we are going for a week vacation in Bangkok.  By the time they come back home, it's the reopening of classes again so they wouldn't have the time to attend to this anymore.  Besides, it's more fun if we could do it together while I am still here at the house.  Next month, I would be going back to work and I don't want to miss the opportunity of doing it with my kids as this is one of the bonding activities that we used to do even before.

Anyway, we used to have simple decorations only.  We normally decorate our terrace only as this is the front of the house.  A simple Christmas tree plus some Christmas lights around the house completes the decorations.  This year, I would admit we had done this as simple as possible as I won't be home for Christmas.  So sad but it's a fact that I have to face.  But I would make sure that I would be home for Christmas next year.  Anyway, even if I won't be home comes December, at least I have felt the Christmas spirit by doing the simple Christmas decorations at home.  That would be enough for now. :(

Corporate Parties

Since Christmas season is fast approaching, the next thing that will make every one busy is holding Christmas Parties.  When I was still working in the Philippines before, this is the most awaited event of the year.  Our CEO would ask the top management to come up with ideas for the traditional Christmas Party.  Of course, aside from the usual raffle draws for the employees and the lavish food preparations, the most awaited event of the year is the inter department competitions in dance, song and production numbers.  As early as October, some department were already busy in conceptualizing what would be their contest entry for the upcoming celebration.  Our Human Resources Department had always been busy preparing the venue and the program for the event.  We used to rent a complete sound system but I think it would had been a lot better if we had a live band.  

Now a days, it's easy to have one in big parties as there are already drum samples which we can purchase online.  This can make our parties even more memorable.  It's being used on high end studios but can be used on home studios, too.  I'm getting amazed with the advancement in technology.  Everything is now made possible in just simple steps.

Asian Inspired Divider

When I was about to take my flight back to the Philippines last Oct 7 from Siem Riep Cambodia, I chanced upon this nicely decorated restaurant inside the airport. Having an eye for good interior designs and a great love for Asian inspired decors, I suddenly fell in love with this wonderful work of art! An improvised divider adorned with some pieces of bamboo sticks against a clear glass panel.  The nicely designed peach colored ceiling lamps complement the Asian inspired divider. Cool!

Whenever I choose a design especially if it's for my own house, I have a number of requirements:

 

• It should be unique.
• Can be modified.
• Made of readily available materials.
• With an Asian touch.
• Cool and appealing to the eyes.
• Affordable. 

How about you guys? What do like for your house decors? :) 

Why Do We Have To Buy A Property?

When I was chatting with my staff and colleagues at work a month ago, one of the topics we've discussed is about buying properties.  Some of my colleagues (non Filipinos) commented that there is no way for them to buy a house until that they get married unless that they would be able to marry a very rich man.  My eyes had grown wide in big astonishment? Why???

According to one of them, buying a home in their country is very hard to do if you are only an ordinary employee.  The price of the lot is really really high and nobody could afford to buy one at this time. They told me that in case they marry, they just have to stay with the parents of the guy. I was very surprised! I feel lucky that in the Philippines, buying a home could still be a reality.  In fact, even the ordinary employees could afford to buy one through in house financing such as PAG IBIG and SSS.  Some real estate developers are also offering reasonable payment terms.  

In buying a house, we have to choose the right location and the right price that could suit our budget.  It is also very important to consider the broker so that we could be assured that we are in good hands.  In other countries, it's not very hard to choose a reliable one.  Consider buying from reputable companies and you could be assured of a quality property and the best deal in town.

In the end buying a property is still a good investment to consider.  It is something that everybody should look forward to.  It is something that appreciates in value over the years.  I'm glad that I've made a good decision in the past. :)

Putting Up Christmas Decors

Have you already started with your Christmas decorations at home? Sad to say, we haven't yet!  I think we still need to do a lot of cleaning in the house before we can start to decorate.  According to my kids, our house is already clean, well...according to their standard (lol).  But my son commented that I have a higher standard when it comes to orderliness and cleanliness at home. :)  But what can I do? I love my home so much that I always wanted to keep it clean, pleasant and tidy.  Who wouldn't like to stay in a house which is so "homey" and a comfortable place to live in?  After all it's our permanent dwelling, isn't it?

Well.. blame it to "Habagat".  There's a lot of molds in the house especially in the ceiling so we really have to do a clean up first before we can start decorating.  Hopefully, we can start to put up some decorations before we left for our Bangkok vacation. :) 

Reviving Your Home Patio Furniture

I was very happy to see my home sweet home again after 6 months of staying abroad. However, I was a bit disappointed to what constant raining had done to our outdoor space. The used to be white ceiling in our patio has gone a little bit black because of the molds brought about by typhoon and heavy rains. Even our patio furniture looks awful now.  It disappoint me a bit knowing that Christmas is coming very soon.  I wanted to bring our patio back to life and I am thinking of doing some cleaning and repainting of our ceiling and patio furniture.

Actually, I didn't expect that our patio furniture will look like this.  I knew that it wouldn't be a s good as how it used to be when I left home last March but I also didn't expect that it would be worn out this much.  Well, knowing myself, I couldn't afford to neglect things in the house.  I always make sure that my humble home is always well kept and maintained.  I want to keep it looking good and tidy not only for the family visitors but for our own eyes, as well.  I used to say this and I wouldn't mind saying again, it's really relaxing when you stay in a clean, well organized and pleasant home.   It keeps me away from stress somehow and I feel more energized to work and write.  Well, I am thinking of just hiring the services of some experts on patio furniture repair.

My husband is not around at the moment and I don't want to mess up with the job.  Hiring a professional to do this kind of delicate job is far better as this can give us a great amount of satisfaction.  What do we get from hiring the experts?  

Well, we could be assured that our furniture will look like new, we can update our furniture design,  we can save 70% of the expenses in buying new set of furniture, it's convenient as the furniture will be picked up and delivered right in your door steps and lastly, it is good for the environment.  Another important consideration is that the workmanship comes with a warranty.  This can make us relaxed as we are assured that our furniture will be handled by highly qualified and trained staff and that our furniture will be handled with much care and consideration.

Well, I'm certain that after I had done the much needed repair and repainting of our patio furniture, my little outdoor space will be back to life again.  Couldn't wait to see it back to "good shape".  

After all, it has been my favorite spot in the house! 

 

Lovely Garden Set

This is another cool design of garden set..  I took this photo during my recent visit to Chantaburi, Thailand. This garden set is situated on one part of the pool area of the hotel.  This is made of concrete cement carved to resemble huge rocks and tree branches.  Since this is made of concrete cement, it can withstand any kind of weather, so it's ideal for outdoors.

The Importance Of Using Rig mats

What is a rig mat? A rig mat is a kind of wooden platform used to support equipment in construction.  It is also sometimes used as temporary roadway passage, especially when the road is disturbed, having several obstructions making it an unstable ground.

There are various kinds of mats used for specific purposes such as crane mat, oilfield mat, pipeline mat and the not so commonly used rig mats. Though most businesses such as big companies have a tendency to shun away using rig mats due to added costs, many failed to realize it's importance. A good example of which is an increase in productivity. Some places have long wet season and it prevents or rather shortened the drilling period which may eventually led to a decrease in production and prolonged time table for projects to be completed.  The one that's usually left unnoticed is that using rig mats also helps in the preservation of the environment.  Why is that so?  Because use of rig mats is only temporary.  It can be displaced anytime, thus causing less harm to the grounds and the environment in general.  Using these kinds of mats can also prevent possible incidents involving lives of individuals. 

The effectiveness of using rig mats in businesses has yet to be proven by some, but weighing it's advantages over it's disadvantages is pretty much obvious.  It is however advised that companies must choose their mats manufacturers to ensure that these mats can last for a longer period of time.  This way they only not able to save money but they also can take an active part in the preservation of the environment.   

   

Designing A Plant Box For Your Garden

I got to see this beautifully designed plant box during my recent trip to Chantaburi Thailand.  I captured a photo of the design so I could make a similar one in my own garden.  I love the fact that it  is very simple but tastefully done.  The neatly arranged white pebbles on the ground surrounding the plants made the plant box appeared to be more lively and elegant.

Well, I think I can do it.  It looks easy and simple. What do you think? :)

Light Bulbs And Fixtures

Being a home maker, I always wanted to have a basic knowledge on simple maintenance jobs in the house.  I've always been a working Mom since day one and I barely have time to know more about plumbing basics, painting, using electric drills and even simple things like light bulbs and fixtures.  My husband has long been working overseas and even before I was working in our own country, I also attend to a lot of personal stuff in the house apart from my regular job, thus I always shun away doing those "man's job" in the house.  I always tell myself that I could hire a professional help, anyway.

However, over the years, I've seen the necessity of going through the basics.  I don't even understand much about light bulbs and fixtures considering that it is the most common thing in the house.  I just know that there are various types of light bulbs designed for a specific use and I just tried to familiarize myself on what type of light bulbs would I use to save on energy consumption, thereby cutting some amount in my monthly electric bills.  I know that there are different types of fixtures for under cabinet lighting, accent lighting and even decorative lighting.  There are even wall light fixtures that can add drama in your bedrooms.  But it's only recently that I came to know much about airport lighting. I used to travel a lot since I've started to work abroad and I could see those airport lighting fixtures.  One company that specializes in aviation lights and various airport lighting products is Genesis Lamp Corporation.  They offer various products like LED runway lights, LED airport lights and solar runway lights.  

Though it's a little bit complicated, knowing various kinds of light bulbs and fixtures can enhance our basic knowledge of what products are designed for specific needs and knowing these requirements may help us to choose the products that we have to purchase the next time we require one.  

Choosing The Perfect Blinds For Your Homes

Are you looking for quality window coverings for your homes?  Then, installing blinds is a perfect option.  Blinds with all those various colors and sizes can very well be an attractive home decor item in your house.  Blinds has always been a favorite choice in offices, but it is also widely used now by  lots of home makers.  Installing blinds is perfect if you have large size windows.  It doesn't only looks stylish but it also has a lot of advantages and benefits.  Blocking the light from entering a room can help us save on energy costs.  It reduces our electric bills by saving much energy used in our home air conditioning.  It also helps to provide a perfect ambiance in doing our daily activities in the house like reading, watching TV, studying and even using our computers.

However, with the emergence of various companies offering the product, the challenge now lies in choosing stylish and competitively priced products, not to mention its durability.  There are lots of available options within your areas and even online, but if I have to choose the right product for my house, I would definitely go for the ones that already has a name.  Commercial blinds Victoria has always been a top choice. Not only it is a trusted name but it can vouch for it's beauty and durability.  I remembered that I once fancied for a glass house before, and installing some cute and colorful blinds will really make that living space awesome.  I just dropped that idea long ago because of various inconveniences that I could foresee living in a glass house. I still love the idea of having large sized windows though, and installing perfect blinds has always been an option.  I think I would love to have blinds Victoria for my home, too.   

If one day I decided so, then I would choose among traditional, modern and contemporary designs.  I could imagine how stylish my house would be. 

How about you? Will you go for blinds too?

Carpet Cleaning And Maintenance

I used to be fascinated in floor carpets.  Why not? It adds beauty, comfort and elegance to our homes.  I also love the idea of choosing the right color of carpets to match the color motif of my house.  As I always been saying in my previous posts, I am a person who loves to mix and match.  I used to have a carpeted living room. That was when we are still staying on our first house.  We have two living rooms then.  The first living room was designed solely for the purpose of accepting visitors, while our second living room was designed to be a family area, an entertainment room.  We never had chairs or sofa in our second living room.  The entire floor is carpeted and we just had a bunch of square throw pillows dressed up in cute, trendy and colorful pillow cases scattered all over the floor.  We had a wall unit in one corner where we put up some ceramics for display, as well as our TV, DVD player, component and karaoke. It has been the favorite spot in our house where the family gathers together every night.

Everything seems to be perfect but one problem that always confronts me is how to maintain the cleanliness, the color and the elegance of our carpet.  We can't totally avoid those stains brought about by spilled coffee, milk and juices. We used to clean our carpet using a vacuum cleaner but I guess, it's not enough.  Carpets should be treated more seriously.

Here are some tips to keep those lovely carpets in good shape:

1. Never attempt to remove the stains on carpet by rubbing it hard using a brush after applying detergents.  I've done it once, and I just cause the stain to spread on other areas of the carpet.  It also weakens the fibers of the carpet.
2. Never let liquid spills stay long on the carpet.  Immediately brush the surface gently with an old tooth brush and try using lemon juice and salt solution to remove the stain especially on colored carpets.  I never use bleach or harsh chemicals as much as possible.
3. Sometimes, the stain goes through the surface of the rugs and I used to find a thick cloth or foam to absorb the stain first before trying to remove it.
4. I am always on the look out for best carpet shampoos in the market and I choose the ones without strong chemicals.  
5. Regularly maintain the cleanliness of your carpet by having it vacuumed at least thrice a week to get rid of those accumulated dust and dirt.
6. From experience, I find that steam carpet cleaning is still the best. It thoroughly cleans the outer and inner surface of the carpet and it leaves the carpet looking fresh and really clean.  We can make use of steam cleaners available in the market, but if your entire house is carpeted including all the rooms, I think it would be best to seek the services of professional carpet cleaners.  Not only they can assure you of best quality result but they can also save you a great deal of time and effort.

The best challenge that home makers used to face is ensuring that our homes are well kept and managed. For me, cleanliness and orderliness in the house is even more important than just keeping it beautiful and pleasant. This affects the health and total well being of every member of the family and it something that we always have to prioritize.

PSID Mounts ‘Gabay: Dibuhong Umaakay’

I would like to give way to the following press release from the Philippine School of Interior Design on their forthcoming graduation exhibit.  Let us all support "Dibuhong Umaakay" and the graduating class of 2012 in their goal of providing not only a well designed living space, but a place that can be considered a well defined shelter for those people having disabilities.  They too, deserved a beautifully designed space and a comfortable place to live in. 

 The Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) proudly marks its 45th year with “Gabay: Dibuhong Umaakay,” the graduation exhibit of the PSID Advanced Class of 2012, from Sept. 29 to Oct 31, at the former Super Sale Club, SM City North EDSA, North Ave. cor EDSA, Quezon City.

In cooperation with SM City North EDSA Interior Zone and the National Council for Disability Affairs, “Gabay” showcases 20 different spaces designed in creatively planned solutions.

“SM City North EDSA is always in the quest to support the creative arts and educate our shoppers, especially the young minds,” states SM Malls regional operations manager Renielda Bacani. “The exhibit creates an awareness in two areas the SM strongly supports: liveable space solutions for persons with disabilities, and educating customers about the creative alchemy of interior design.”

For decades, PSID has been known to produce groundbreaking exhibits that become the benchmark of interior design exhibits in the academe. This year’s exhibit delves into a topic rarely discussed in interior design:  livable yet stylish spaces for the visually-impaired, hearing-impaired, physically handicapped, and the elderly.

In line with this, PSID has partnered with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA). The NCDA was established in 1978 by virtue of presidential decree of 1508 issued in June 1978 by Ferdinand Marcos. They promote the rights of persons with disabilities under the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“We decided to partner with PSID on their exhibit because through this, they can empower persons with disabilities with their designs,” says NCDA Chief Information Officer Rizalio R. Sanchez. “Plus, it could even inspire those with disabilities who have artistic talent to consider a career in design.”

The 24 spaces will be divided into four main areas: Tanaw (for the visually impaired), Dinig (for the hearing impaired), Galaw (for the geriatric), and Tindig (for the orthopedically-challenged). The goal is to create environments for the disabled that will help in their healing process as well as assist the physically impaired and geriatric in their homes and assure their safety while providing comfort and style. Research into ergonomics and limitations of such spaces will be undertaken to provide assisted living spaces with an atmosphere that soothes and heals.

Sponsored by Boysen, Ivan Acuña, APO Flooring, and Mity Mike, “Gabay” also aims to raise the exhibit audience’s awareness on the daily challenges of people with disabilities and encourage them to think of solutions for a more barrier-free society.