my pretend closet

I am loving the androgyny in DSquared Pre-Fall 2012 Collection. Who would have thought a prep schoolboy's argyle sweater could look chic with cropped pants and heels? The tough and edgy styling of the preppy elements epitomizes the good girl gone bad theme of the collection.

And while these menswear-tuxedo-jackets are tailored for a woman, the cropped pants and pointy heels make them even sexier. 

In my pretend closet are all 4 of these cropped pants. I would even have the brown and cuffed-gray ones in many other colors! I'd also have the gray tuxedo jacket but I'd lose the bowtie and maybe throw in a neon yellow belt. I'd also love to have a hot pink version of the smoking jackets in my pretend closet.

Photos from everythingfab.

Click here for previous posts from the ever-changing My Pretend Closet series.    

my kind of gal

I am captivated by this girl. She has embraced the philosophy I’ve been writing about in the past 200 or so posts. She is positive and life-affirming. She may not be so domesticated because she believes that “a perfectly kept house is the sign of a misspent life” (Mary Randolph Carter), but she does try. She knows that “It is better to be absolutely ridiculous, than absolutely boring” (Marilyn Monroe). She indulges, without shame, in things – big or small – that make her happy. She knows that style is personal and enduring, not dictated by what the fashion industry offers you every season. She loves to curl up with a good book on a lazy, rainy day. She dreams big and is bold enough to follow her dreams and live the life she imagined. She is an effortlessly elegant & unpretentiously cultured woman, yet still a girl with a hint of childish mischief, charming spunk and whimsical zeal.

I imagine this perfect gal to have these perfectly fine imperfections.

Wouldn't you want her as a friend too?

Especially if she had this mantra, right?

Photos from sparklesandpretending and annnniegirl. Matchbook is an online lifestyle magazine that inspires women to design a life they adore. Enjoy a field guide to a charmed life here.

happy mushu year!

We celebrated Noah's 7th birthday last week in Hongkong Disneyland. And throughout the park, Mushu from Mulan made several appearances.

From the Chinese lanterns on Main Street...

To the trimmings on one of the pagodas in Fantasy Garden where Noah got a photo with Pluto...

To a character appearance back on Main Street later that day!

It's Mushu's year this year! Happy Mushu year!

Photos are my own.

Click here for another post about our recent adventure in Hongkong Disneyland - including a preview of the newly-opened Toy Story Land!

some polka dots i spotted...

Patricia of patricialoves is right! Washi tape is happiness. I was so thrilled when a friend of mine gave me a polka-dotted roll a few months ago. But I haven't used it because I'm afraid to use up my one and only roll.

Though I've been wanting to "waste" them on this adorable DIY racetrack.

It would be perfect for family vacations (like the one I was just on, hence the absence of posts the past week) so I don't need to pack Noah's whole toychest! Just a couple of toycars & these Japanese tapes and I can transform our hotel room into a playplace for hours of fun! 

Patricia was just partially right. One washi tape is not enough. Loads of them would be utter happiness! Thanks to Patricia, I discovered Hey Kessy, a site that puts these happiness tapes within reach in Manila! Now I can stop wishing I knew someone from Japan. I can hardly wait to get my rolls of the chalkboard numbers, the gingham ones and of course, the dotted ones! 

Soon, I can use them for anything. To adorn wooden clothespins or boxes or jars. To make pretty flags with a toothpick to decorate cupcakes or dress up twist ties to package baked goodies like eyecandy suggests. Click on the many photo sources of this previous post on washi tapes for photos of these washi tape uses. 

Or make pretty invitations - and without the need for glue at that!

And if I'm too busy (or lazy) for all the crafty possibilities, I can use different tapes to quickly personalize water goblets or wine glasses during dinner parties at home. Even easier to do than attach those tiny wineglass rings. Or I can use them to color/pattern-code my kids things. Blue washi tapes for Noah's pens & crayons and pink for Isabella's. No need to write or type their names anymore since as long as they know their color, they won't end up using their sibling's things. Or simply just use them to tack things prettily on the wall!

I am soooo excited to get my hands on bundles of these happy tapes!

Photos from patricialoves, acupofjo and here. My source of this last photo should be found on my first washi tape post here.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted series. Click here for previous posts on washi tapes and here for previous posts on chalkboard things.

God's art

By now, I'm sure you've heard about DOT's latest campaign itsmorefuninthephilippines.

Every time I do touristy things on out-of-the-country trips, I find myself thinking of the beautiful sights in the Philippines. Most foreign tourist attractions are man-made while the Philippines is blessed with the most majestic natural resources that it is a shame very few know about it.

They say that the DOT campaign has limited budget but will primarily be spent on billboards in foreign countries. I certainly hope more of the world will see the beauty that God created in the Philippines.

Don't you agree that these Philippine sights are truly God's works of art?

Photos from here. Am not sure if these are official itsmorefuninthephilippines ads from BBDO. But they are beautiful nevertheless. Click here for the campaign's main site.

Click here for the downinthedots side of this campaign. Click here for previous posts from the Art series. Click here for a previous post on how God made stripes.

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am loving... the idea of enlarging a photobooth photo-strip to decorate a door or hallway.

Since photobooths are no longer so common these days (see related post here), using your favorite black & white family photos should work just as well. Just print them with a white or black background and link four photos one on top of the other so they look like photobooth photos.

You could also use them as a wall mural!

I would if I were Pete who successfully accomplished a photobooth wedding proposal here. 

Today, I am loving... how photobooth photos can decorate a home in a very personal yet still beautiful way.

Photos from nyctaughtme, here and acupofjo.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I am loving... series. Click here for a previous post on decorating our home with personal pieces.

Color Obsession: gold

I was always a silver rather than gold kind of gal. I had always thought gold was tacky. But I realize that lately, I've been drawn to gold. I still prefer rose gold, bronze & antique gold over yellow gold, but I've certainly been wearing gold jewelry more these days (especially my 90-year-old Lola's vintage jewelry which are all sorts of gold).

There is definitely an air of opulence to gold. Particularly on the dinnertable. Don't these gold chargers make this table quite elegant? Especially with the crisp, black napkins!

I'm totally charmed by this gold silverware (Ironic, right?).

I love the contemporary style of this silverware. Imagine if these gold utensils had those ornate curly-cue carvings? They wouldn't be fit for home-use - unless the Queen of England came to visit! This sleek deco design makes them appropriate for dinner parties at home.

On the other hand, this ornate front facade wouldn't be the same without the elaborate gold curly-cues. Now isn't this the most regal-looking city hall?

I also love the gold and navy combination. Isn't this gold tray set off perfectly by the striped navy bedlinens? Is there anything more chic?

Even when worn, navy tones down gold and gives this sparkly skirt a stylish but effortless look. 

Yes, gold... paired with black or navy... is worth obsessing about. After all, everyday should be filled with effortless elegance.

Photos from annnniegirl, everythingfab, frommetoyou and Zara.

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series. 

Noah says...

Noah declared that he needed a haircut. I was so suprised because overgrown hair seems to be the least of any kid's concerns. So I asked him why he thought he needed a haircut. Noah answered, "When I make gigil*, my eyes become big and my hair tickle(s) my eyebrows!"

*Sorry, non-Filipino-speaking readers. There is no direct translation for this word. It's that feeling you get when you see something so cute - say, a super cute baby with big fat cheeks - and you want to smush it - like pinch the baby's cheeks - but you stop yourself. So your hand pinches the air and your eyes grow wide and you raise your eyebrows and maybe even purse your lips and maybe grit your teeth!

Photo from nyctaughtme.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah Says series.