Home Made Gifts

My friend's Boss will be celebrating his birthday next month and since I am running a home blog, my friend asked me for some home made gift ideas that are unique and truly remarkable.  She said there's a lot of options available on shops and malls but since his Boss almost had everything already, then she is thinking of giving something that cannot easily be bought elsewhere.  Well, I see her point, sometimes it's quite hard to find a gift for a person who has everything in life.  If he is just one ordinary man, maybe a box of discount macanudo cigars would do.  It would be such one great gift, too.

I suggested my friend to probably order a hand made name and position signage made of wood or anything of that sort.  If not, she can come up with bottled pickles stored in fancy containers, well decorated and personalized.  She can even bake some healthy oatmeal cookies and have these stored in a clear glass jars adorned with some ribbons and a personalized note.  There are so many ways to please someone who is not so keen about material things.  Just be creative and sincere with your greetings and that special person will truly appreciate anything that's coming from you. 

Magical Girl's Room

Featured design by Linda Applewhite via hgtv.com

I just can't help but share here this girl's room design by featured designer Linda Applewhite.  I'm sure every Mommy out there would love to have this design for their little girl.  I especially love the bed design which is so cute and whimsical.  Those little stools are adorable.  That storage bench adorned with some colorful throw pillows added color to this magical room. And how about that fancy bird house in the corner? Don't you find it a perfect way to showcase those colorful books?   Really love this design and the color combination is just awesome!

Travel Essential

As I've mentioned before, I spend nearly 50% of my time each day facing my computer.  I have a lot of catching up to do online, thus I can't afford to miss any new emails or any activities in the world wide web.  That's why every time I travel, I used to bring my Samsung notebook with me.  Sometimes, I find it rather difficult to bring my notebook since I normally travel for shopping and visiting places, thus it's not convenient for me to carry one in my backpack.  I am thinking if it would be good to look for the Best tablet, instead.  Why not? Tablet is more handy, compact and light weight plus it is easier to use when you are on board a bus or car.  I think it would be a good travel essential for those people on the go.  For now, I have to look at my priorities first as I have just undergone a major expenses due to my recent project of renovating the house.  I'll put this on my future plans, though.

Steel Trusses

 

In the making

When we decided to renovate the house after our former tenant left, I personally decided to go for steel trusses in favor of the traditional woods for our roofing materials.  The land where this house is located has been infested by termites and it caused me problems as we have to do some repairs every now and then.  I was told by a neighbor that this can be attributed to the presence of some large trees around the area.  

Actually, I loved the location of this house, the place is airy and not congested as compared to living in the major town area.  I also never had a problem looking for tenants in this house as many people usually get interested to rent after they have seen it.  Now, when we get this house repaired, we've changed all the woods into steel and cement and hopefully, this will solve the termite problem.  On the other hand, I guess using woods or steel trusses for the roof will just give you the same cost especially now that the cost of woods is getting higher and higher.  In this case, going for steel trusses is really a wise move, I guess.

Online Shopping For Your Home Needs

It's quite unbelievable for someone who is much into online thing like me not to experience online shopping.  Yes! I spend most hours of my day in front of the computer but I haven't gone into ordering some goods online.  I don't know but maybe, I just don't have the chance yet or I haven't seen something online that really fascinates me. Well, I think I would love to try it soon. Recently, I've found some really affordable shopping sites that offer one of a kind products that suit my home needs. I would love to experience the thrills of waiting for the goods to be delivered right on my door step.  I think I would try to get some free shipping codes for this online shopping. With these coupons, I can cut on shipping costs from some merchants and would enjoy huge savings from my online shopping.  Well, I can't wait to shop from the comfort of my home and feel the excitement of having the goods delivered to my front porch.  Will keep you posted!

Septic Treatment

I just got an update from my son that the problems on the clogged toilet brought about to our attention by our tenant was already solved. We hired the professional services of a septic tank servicing company.  They have done massive cleaning of the septic tank.  All the dirt and debris were removed and clogged pipes were cleaned.  I was told that everything seems to be running perfectly now and our tenant was very pleased that their problems had been solved.

I find that an apartment business is profitable and a steady one but sometimes you have to be ready for unexpected expenses.  The septic tank services company charged us Php6,000 for the job. An amount which is almost equivalent to the monthly rental fees for that house.  We collect Php7,000/month for the house rental.  However, I have to make sure that the house is in good living condition as I don't want to be unfair to my tenant.  I want them to feel that I am a landlord who cares about my client.  Needless to say, my tenant was satisfied.  He reported the problem to us early last week and we advise him to give us a week to work out on the problems reported.  Now he is more than thankful than we were able to address the problem immediately.  Well, that's the way it should be and I was pleased with the results.

Seat Cushions

When we did a "make over" for our house  last year, hubby had also included giving our dining set a "new look".  Well, nothing could be done much on our wooden table but just to change the table cloth and place mats but hubby got our dining chairs reupholstered into black leather as well to match our reupholstered sofa in the living room.  This move is also to stick with our chosen color motif of black, white and orange.  I also suggested hubby and the kids to look for some affordable chair pads with trendy slip on covers.  This could also give a reviving look in our dining area on some important occasions.  I preferred the ones that can be removed every now and then and would allow us to experiment on chair covers, too.  I really love to mix and match.  I find it really interesting and it brings out the artistic side of me. 

Cambodian Style Apartment

Given the chance, I would like to have this design for an apartment in the Philippines.  This is typical of a Cambodian house.  They used to have this room on the mezzanine or second floor making the second floor appeared to be somewhat half only of the entire floor area of the building.  I can't find a valid explanation for this yet in my own analysis as I haven't got the chance to ask any local friend about this design of the typical Cambodian houses.  The only thing that I've noticed is that, on most Cambodian houses, they would place their altar on a small terrace situated inside the house.  It's quite strange for me the first time I saw a typical Cambodian house as in the Philippines, we would normally have the terrace outside the house.  But I love this design though, very simple and straight forward.  The high ceiling on the living room makes the house roomy and airy.  Looks very neat too!   

Business Plans

I was chatting with my teen aged son last night and we were discussing about my business plans in the near future.  He said it would be nice to start in a small scale business then depending on the performance of the business, we can venture out into something bigger.  I'm glad that he has an eye for a business.  Young as he is, he exudes that aura of maturity and self confidence.   I told him that I prefer to venture into a business which offers services rather those offering products or goods.  We had opposing opinions on this but we are both willing to make a study.  I told him that it would be good to equip the business with some business essentials like POS systems.  It might be costly, but will serve the business well in the long run.  My son told me that we have to get it when we are on the stage 2 or 3 of the business which I think is quite logical.  I admire his wits.  He had always been a topnotch student since day one.

I think it is about time to make a careful study on what business we would like to venture.  It would be nicer if it would be a family's effort.  With how my son shared his ideas to me last night, I guess I have the making of a successful business man son in the future.   

Plumbing Problems

My son emailed to me about the complaint of our tenant about the clogged toilet.  We already hired the services of a plumber but the latter was unable to solve the problem.  we spent more than $20 for his services but to no avail.  Now, we are thinking of looking for a professional plumber who could assess the whole situation and recommend timely solution.  One possible problem that was pointed out to us was the possibility of  hiring for septic tank services but another plumber suggested us to try working out the possible cause of the clog as hiring septic tank services now is very costly.  Now we are trying to look for a possible remedy to this problem as I don't want our tenant to get upset as they just moved in into the newly renovated house early this month.  I hope we could address the problem really soon. 

Camping Tents

I was not able to chat with my daughter for the last two weeks. Since the school formally opens second week of June, my daughter had been very busy with all her school activities.  She's much into extra curricular activities now and she's very fond of joining school competitions.  Well, I guess she just wanted to enjoy her life as a student to the fullest.  I am in full support of her. In fact, when she told me that she might be joining a camping activity three months from now, I was very eager to get her Big Agnes tents.  As a doting mom, I just want to make sure that my daughter is safe and comfortable at all times.  After all, I'm working hard for them.  Anyway, I was also thinking that we could also use the camping tent for some family activities in the beach or during picnics.  I think, I would be checking for some designs online and hopefully I could get one for her. 

Ceiling Materials

I was in deep thoughts on what materials would I use for the ceiling of our newly renovated apartment.  I had the whole roof replaced because the wooden components of the roof were severely attacked by termites.  This is the reason why I decided to replace the entire roof with steel trusses.  This way, I could avoid frequent repairs.  Now that the steel trusses were completely installed, I am thinking of getting rid of woods for the ceiling frames.  Finally, I resorted to having steel frames, as well and I have chosen to use Flex boards rather than the ordinary plywood. I think I have made the right decision.  The expenses incurred is almost the same but at least I can have the assurance that I won't be spending more on the repairs or maintenance.  

Jewelry Storage Solution

When I get back home for a vacation a couple of months from now, I am planning to declutter my room.  Of course, the first thing that I need to do is to organize!  I would admit that sometimes, because of my busy schedule, I never have the time to organize my personal stuff.  Although I tend to allot a schedule for doing this, things were often left unfinished.  I used to buy accessories and jewelries before.  I am not really much into fashion but somehow, I need to mix and match my outfits for work.  To get this done, I have to invest on some pieces of quality jewelries and accessories.

Browsing for some cool jewelry organizers, I fancied for this very simple design from PBteen.  I think it's handy and unique but I preferred a covered one to protect my accessories. After all, I'm planning to buy a set of pandora necklace and earrings.  But my problem is where to find pandora charms. I really love their design and I'm thinking of getting one for my daughter, too.

I think, I have to consider another design for my jewelry organizer since I want to protect my accessories collection.

I think, I would prefer this design as it is a space saver as it can be hang on the wall and has a glass cover to protect my accessories from dust.

Sometimes it's not really easy to choose what would be best for your home sweet home but once you can find something that can make you get organized and pleased with it's design, then the feeling is very rewarding.

Decorative Pin Boards

How would you like to prettify your room with decorative pin boards? This pin board only costs $20.50 from PBteen.  Pin Boards come in 3 sizes and can easily stick on flat surface walls.  The accompanying tree decal is included in the package.  It's self adhesive, can be repositioned and peel off without damaging the surface of the wall. I think it's a cool way to decorate your girls room and a colorful and fun way to show off those lovely photos.

Hosting A Home Party

Early this year, I hosted a birthday party for my daughter Mika.  She just wanted a simple party with only her close friends and classmates invited. Since, I'm working away from home on most months in a year, I wanted to make sure that I would be able to please my daughter on her special day.  I personally prepared and cooked all the foods that were set on the table but of course with the assistance of our lovely housekeeper and my eldest son.  We got a special cake for her and  we also served some sweets and candies on the table. I asked my daughter if she wanted a Candy Gift with a personalized thank you note to be given away as souvenir to each of her friends and classmates but she told me that a simple gathering with all her favorite foods on the table is more than enough.  I was pleased by how the foods turned out.  The presentation was great and everybody appreciated everything that we have prepared for her.  My son Edmar prepared a short video clip of her sister showing her collection of photos.  We've played the video clip on the LCD screen at the dining area. Hosting a home party is not very easy.  In fact,  it's really tiring but as long as it's well planned and organized, I don't see any reason for any Mom to fail.  More importantly, a sweet smile on the face of your loved one is enough consolation for all the hard work.

Storing Shoes The Easy Way

Photo courtesy of hgtv.com

Are you a person who adores shoes? Do you never go home from shopping without a pair or two? If your answer is yes, then probably, you have problems storing your growing number of shoes.  If you really love shoes and these make you happy, then you may consider looking for a better way to store your shoes.  The photo above shows one way of storing your shoes the fast and easy way.  You can store your shoes individually per partition on the shoe cabinet.  In this design, you could easily find that pair of shoes that you want to wear on every single day.  You can also group the shoes by color so could easily find what you want.  But since this shoe rack design is elaborate, you just have to spend more money having this fabricated rather than buying the ones readily available on furniture shops. But believe me, if you love to collect shoes, then go for it!

It will definitely save your day!

Maintaining Leather Furniture

In my quest to maintain a good look for my home sweet home, I'm always on a look out for new design ideas and storage solutions for our house. Decorating my house is a sort of stress reliever for me and I always find pleasure looking at a well maintained and managed house.  But I realized that maintaining the beauty of our homes does not only pertain to home decorations, more importantly, a great percentage of house maintenance depends largely on our efforts to take care of what we already have in the house and this involves cleaning and taking precautionary measures in keeping our furniture in top condition.

Since we've decided to go leather in our living room on our recent "home make over".  Our next concern is how to take good care of our leather furniture.  Just like the fabric covered sofa, leather sofa needs a careful attention, too. I've learned over the years that sofa need not be washed by harsh detergents as it will affect it's color and shine.  Good thing that there is a  leather furniture conditioner that could help us in keeping those leathers in tip top shape.  Routine leather cleaning is recommended to maintain a longer life span for our leather furniture.  Fading color is one of the most common problems encountered in leather furniture and since leather furniture are expensive, we must take extra effort to maintain it.  We must always do a pre-test before applying any cleaning solution to the leather and using a white, clean lint free cloth is always recommended.  It's a good thing that there are products available that can be used in transforming our leather furniture back to life and knowing the basics of how to clean our home furniture is a must for every home maker.   

Must Gadgets For Your Homes

I think every Mom out there would agree that one of the "must gadgets for your home" is a digital camera. All Moms certainly love to capture photos of their kids, more so of their homes. I do! I love capturing every little things at home ranging from my home decors, DIY projects, newly discovered recipes, garden and home accessories.  As a blogger, I always like to bring along my digicam with me whenever I go on trips.  Who knows, I might be able to capture some interesting subjects for my blogs.  

I discovered though that long hours of traveling requires you to have extra batteries for your digital cameras.  Since, I'm using a Canon digital camera, I tried to source for canon camera batteries online. It would be good to have a spare for my future trips as we are a family who loves to travel and taking photos normally takes up a lot of our time during travels. I guess, it won't hurt to get a spare to ensure that we will not miss any important event or view during our planned trips.    

Weight Loss Concerns For Moms

My friend who is now living in Canada told me that she had gained a lot of weight for the past couple of years and her body size now is double her size when she was still staying in the Philippines.  Knowing her to be a woman who is much concern about her looks, I'm pretty sure that she would resort to looking for easy alternatives to address her weight problems.  True enough, she told me about this site,  http://www.shoppharmacycounter.com/t-Adipex-Medicine.aspx,  an online pharmacy selling weight loss pills. According to her, this was recommended to her by her other friends having the same problems, too.  She sounds very determined, though so I said she could probably give it a try.

I finally concluded that Moms always want to look their best not only for their better half but also for the sake of feeling good about themselves.  When we look our best, we gain more self confidence and this pushes us to be more inspired fulfilling our very important role of being a Mom, much so of being a wife.  I understand my friend's predicament and I hope that she'll get back to her desired shape very soon.

Headset Accessories

The first time I visited Vietnam specifically Hoh Chi Min City, I was quite shock after I saw their busy roads.  I'm not exaggerating but for a first time visitor, it normally takes me 30 minutes to successfully cross the main road.  Why is that so? It's because motorbike is their primary means of transportation.  I guess more than half of it's population owns a motorbike which they normally use to travel to and from schools and offices. The whole road is full of motorbikes and they won't give way for pedestrians to cross the road.  They will let you take your own time.

Around the central district, you can find a lot of shops selling helmets.  These come in fancy colors and designs.  I wanted to buy one before to bring home in the Philippines but after having a thorough check, I found out that it's not really durable and safe to use.  Traveling by motorbikes is more dangerous than riding a four wheel car so I think that they should focus more on it's safety features.  If I have to choose, I would prefer getting a Nolan N90 if I am after the quality and durability.  No wonder road accidents are very evident on the busy streets of Saigon (Hoh Chi Min).  I think their government should have to focus more on safety driving and proper traffic enforcements so it would be easier for tourists to go around the area.  Nonetheless, me and my kids still enjoy visiting the famous tourist spots in Saigon and our visit there was truly memorable.

Japanese Style Pavillion

Design by : James Durie

I couldn't contain my excitement after seeing this Japanese inspired pavilion! What interests me most is the stepped display of the bonsai trees.  Isn't it a unique way of bringing life to your dull space?

I particularly like the use of woods.  It looks so elegant!  Did I already mention here before that I'm dying to have a bonsai collection?  Yes, I am!  I'm looking forward to going home one day seeing a lots of bonsais around my front yard.  It will surely makes me happy. :)

One thing that I like most in this design is that it's very simple and inexpensive.  You can do away with just few pieces of woods, paints and plants.  It's very cozy and attractive!  I like the way the dining table was set up.  It's really perfect for small dinners particularly "shabu shabu".  How about inviting your friends for some dim sums one fine afternoon?  I'm sure you'll be able to give them some perfect ambiance that they will surely appreciate!

I hope I could have something like this in my house someday. :)