Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Whimsical Wednesday!


It's the middle of the workweek once again. Check out J.Crew's latest answers to a woman's daily morning question of "What am I going to wear to work today?"




While I totally love these work outfits (particularly the telegraph pencil skirt and the tailored 1035 suit), I think we should dress differently today. Because it is the most whimsical Wednesday of all... it's the rare leap-year-Wednesday! So wear some J.Crew glitter to work today...




Have a whimsical leap-year-Wednesday!

Photos from J.Crew.

Click here for previous posts from the Whimsical Wednesday series. 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

pretend play

You know how people can't resist capturing (on cam) an illusion at certain tourist spots? Like pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Or pretending to catch the water spewing out of the Merlion in Singapore. Or even just pretending to hold the Madhatter's giant teacup in Disneyland by its handle. I myself have a photo where I am "nose-to-nose" with one of the giant statues of a Hindu god in a Siem Reap temple. I guess people just never outgrow pretend-play.   


Imagine how fun it is for the people in Le 104 in Paris with this installation by illusionist Leandro Elrich called Batiment - which is French for building. A gigantic tilted mirror reflects the huge building facade laid out on the floor where people can pretend they are hanging from ledges or make like Spiderman and crawl up the 4-storey house.  


How fun is this?

Photos from blackeiffel and here.

Click here for a previous post on my Siem Reap trip.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Noah says...


When I got home from work one day, I asked Noah if he took a nap that afternoon so I would estimate what time we were going to bed that night. He replied, "Yes, but I think it was too early." I corrected him, "You mean 'too short'?" He exclaimed, "I don't know! Because I'm not awake when I'm asleep!"

Photo from nyctaughtme.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah Says... series.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

my pretend closet: khaki coat


The khaki coat has been haunting me these past few weeks. My first sighting was on a chic little girl on the Hongkong MTR last weekend.

Then while shopping in Zara after hopping off the MTR, I spotted this khaki trench in the kids section...


Then Manila Fashion Observer's Christine Dychiao lured me into the khaki coat obsession with this half-sleeved coat with a stylish oversized collar. I love how effortlessly smart this look is.


I think the half-sleeves make it perfect for Manila. After all, it's not like we get cold Hongkong weather here.

It's from this New York brand called Hatch made for women who are expecting or not. So they're perfect for during and even before & after pregnancy. And since I'm at my fattest these days (see related posts here), its swing silhouette can hide my bulges. :)


Actually, am loving it in every color. Even in this olive green...


Ooohh, I wish these Hatch coats were in my non-pretend closet!


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

Saturday, February 18, 2012

dripping paint art


Who would have thought one could make art with just paint in paper coffee-cups and a tall wooden platform? No paintbrushes, mind you!


Holton Rower turns those ordinary cups of paint into extraordinary art by pouring the paint cup by cup...


Color by color...


Using gravity as a tool...


To create a spectacular kaleidoscope of colors that is truly wondrous art.


I imagine each "Tall Painting" takes hours and hours to make. This stop-motion video captures the astounding process in a little over 3 minutes. It is amazing to watch each color drip down the wooden structure and ooze out to form a flower-like rainbow of colors on the bottom platform. Watch how incredible it is here.

Isn't it remarkable how ordinary cups of paint dripping down a wooden stand can turn into such extraordinary art?

Discovered via Creative Mix. Photos are screenshots from the video here or from here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series. 

Friday, February 17, 2012

Today, I am loving...


I have been in love with the idea of wearing your children's initials around your neck since Katie Holmes kept sporting a Jennifer Meyer diamond-encrusted pendant of an "S" - for Suri - last year. She is rarely ever seen without it and even wore it on the cover of InStyle's August 2011 issue.

I could never afford the real thing at $1,500 a disc. So boy was I glad to find this hand-stamped initial set from Tea Party Jewelry on Etsy!


Then as I browsed through Tea Party Jewelry's shop, I fell in love with the idea of wearing my kids' names - rather than initials - on disc pendants.


So I asked Tea Party Jewelry to customize a set for me: 2 discs, hand-stamped with my kids' names, in this typewriter font that I was really smitten with. I asked them to put the silver spacer ball from the initial set to keep my discs apart. A tiny portion of the discs actually still overlap when I wear my necklace. Amusingly, whenever Isabella or Noah spy their sibling's disc on "top" of theirs on my collarbone, they switch the discs around so their name is more prominently seen. Oddly, they've never done it in front of the other so am not sure what drives them to do it every time. But I'm glad both of them do it because it affirms that I don't play favorites. Unlike them, I don't get to see their names when I have my necklace on. But I've picked up this habit of stroking the discs in the middle of my workday. And whenever I do that, I kind of feel warm all over and I can't help but smile to myself.

I still want an initial set though. And I just love Gwen Delicious Jewelry Designs' take on the initial pendant. I think the vintage typewriter keys give an initial charm a different character. Plus, it's perfect for a lover of pretty typography like me.


And instead of a spacer ball, I ordered a bronze ampersand to go in between my kids' initials (because, as you know, I love the ampersand).


Gwen Delicious has yet to finish casting my typewriter key pendants, but I can barely wait to stroke my kids' initials in the middle of my workday.


Today, I am loving... the sentimentality of wearing your children's names or initials around your neck. It is such a special and stylish way to always have a memento of the people you love so close by.

Photos from teapartyjewelry, gwendelicious and here. 

Some related links you might have missed:
And in case you're planning to purchase necklaces on Etsy or anywhere online, here's a great necklace-length reference from one of my favorite blogs, Playtime Break.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Stop! In the name of LOVE...


It was such a delightful surprise to stop at a heart-shaped red light in The Fort today! Turns out, it's been done in Paris (as in the above photo), but I have to say I love that the stoplight at Bonifacio High Street today was a much fatter heart.


This was my first attempt - through my pretty dirty windshield.


And after a few (okay, several) unpretty attempts via the Auto mode on my camera (Seriously! Try taking a photo of a traffic light without a glow and streaks of light distorting the light's shape! It is difficult!), the hubby came to the rescue and taught me (over the phone!) how to set the right aperture, shutterspeed and ISO to capture this adorable, fat heart that I gladly stopped at today.

To the Bonifacio Global City folks who made the extraordinary effort to create heart-shaped stoplights today, thank you for a lovely Valentine's Day surprise!

The photo I didn't take with my Canon S-90 is from here.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Heart's Day


Just a few random everyday hearts in celebration of Valentine's Day.




Happy Heart's Day everyone!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Color Obsession: gray & yellow


I remember the days when my well-ingrained but ancient design & fashion sensibilities would dictate that cool colors don't mix with warm ones. Remember how I was pushing myself to break my dated self-imposed rules here by pairing gray with camel and silver with gold? Since I started this blog, I've pushed myself to be bolder, to step out of my comfort zone and I've discovered the many beautiful possibilities I never would have even allowed myself to consider in the past. I've certainly come a long way. Now, I not only face the life with a bold "Let's do this!" attitude, but I've also learned not to feel weird about mixing cool colors with warm ones. In fact, I've learned to revel in it. From gray & camel, I've leaped to this delightful combination of gray & yellow.


These pillows make me smile. It's just a simple floral pattern so I figure it's the colors that make it fun. I guess the yellow takes the drab out of gray and the gray tones down yellow's uber brightness and the result is a chic combination.


My kitchen is gray and white like this - more lived in (read: messy) - but with similarly colored dark gray and white cabinets. So now I'm thinking of getting a yellow accent chair for our breakfast nook.


I've always found this kid's bedroom interesting. It seems to be a bedroom that can grow up with the kid. Not overly kiddie that a teenager would hate. The gray and yellow provide a neutral background to the colorful mess of toys of a 6-year-old, but will work just as well when he brings in an electric guitar or drum set as a teen.


This one, just because it's a colored barnyard sliding door, I think I'd love in any color. But it works in gray & yellow too.


And look at the pretty paper possibilities available on Etsy here!



Coincidentally, a friend of mine has picked pewter & marigold as their wedding colors.


But aside from marigold and pale yellow, I've always thought neon yellow looks great with gray (see related post here).


So the past couple of weekends, I've been scouring the mall for a basic gray dress (ideally with a flared skirt). I've already scored a neon yellow belt from SM for just P129.75! But even gray shift dresses have eluded me. I'd also like the blazer of that neon-yellow-nailed woman. Would be nice it was lined in neon yellow so it would peek out when you fold the sleeves! And after seeing Julia Sarr-Jamois' effortless ensemble, I will now add a yellow A-line skirt on my shopping list! Meantime, my yellow belt works just as well with my gray trousers & tops.

Don't you agree that gray & yellow is a delightful, chic combination?

Photos from fromainsley, heritage101gramsofeyecandy, here, here, here, here and here. Check out the feature on my friend Ella's wedding logo & save the date invites on their logo-designers' blog here. And sharing a link to another blogger's gray & yellow obsession here.

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

the perfect Valentine's date

Valentine's Day is coming up and I realize I haven't been on a Valentine's date in years because I think the traffic and crowded restaurants have taken the romance out of Valentine's Day.


Now wouldn't this be the most perfect way to enjoy a movie at home?

Traffic-free, crowd-free, cozy, intimate and oh-so-romantic. Wouldn't this be the perfect idea for a Valentine's Day date?

Photo from read click speak.

Friday, February 10, 2012

some polka dots i spotted...


Sofia Coppola's Marni for H&M TV ad did it for me. I had been excited ever since they announced the Marni-H&M collaboration last November. Especially because I spotted these polka-dotted fabrics on the worktable of Consuelo Castiglioni, Marni's founder and creative director.


But I absolutely love how Imogen Poots' polka-dotted dress is not of a uniformed polka-dotted fabric. I love that there is a sprinkling of what looks like navy & purple dots alongside the uniform white & cream dotted pattern.


Though I have to admit that I'm still eyeing this uniform polka-dotted blue skirt.


The TV ad here also gives you a glimpse of the playfully chic mixing of prints that is quintessentially Marni. I have been trying to mix prints since this post here, but haven't been very successful. Sure, I've mixed stripes and florals! But I think stripes are a "neutral" print so it's not as bold as I had wanted. So the mix of tribal prints in this dress might just be my ticket!


I am so hoping it's a long dress since the polka-dotted one is short and it will be very hard to justify buying 2 short dresses. Then again, I'm sure that when the selected H&M stores that will carry this collection open on March 8, the line will be so long, buying 2 short dresses (and a skirt at that!) will just make the long wait in line worth it.  


Uh-oh... Will my shopping buddies and I churn out this much again from this H&M collaboration?


Have to argue that this was mostly my friend C's loot. All I really got from the Lanvin-H&M collection was their eco-friendly bags. But with the lovely signature Marni prints of this new collection, I might end up with the biggest Marni-H&M loot this time around.

Photos from instyle, nitrolicious, screen-captures from the TVC and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted series.