Happy Hearts Day!

What do you have up your sleeve this Valentine's Day?

Will you be heading to a romantic destination?

Or will you just be staying in?

Whatever you're doing today, I hope your day is filled with the things you love and spent around the people you love the most.

Happy Hearts Day!

Photos from acupofjo & annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts on Valentine's Day.

more than just flowers

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I found the prettiest bouquets at Bungalow 300! They're pretty not just because of the flowers, but, I have to admit, more because of the pretty packaging. After all, it isn't Bungalow 300 without pretty prints! How lovely are these fabric wraps? They're available in orange, white or blue. You can also choose your type of roses (1 dozen local long-stemmed for PhP2,750, 2 dozens local long-stemmed for PhP3,500, and 1 dozen Ecuadorian for PhP4,750). Then your rose color - red or fuschia.

But the pretty doesn't end with bouquet wraps. Bungalow 300 also offers these cute bouquets in fabric-wrapped take-out boxes!

Aren't they adorable?

These bouquets-to-go cost PhP1,500 each.

Hmmm... now, the question is how to get your Valentine to order these prettily-packaged flowers for you.

Check out Bungalow 300's FB page. To order, email bungalow300@gmail.com or call 0947-6108616. Free delivery within Alabang or Makati; small delivery fee for other areas.

Photos from Bungalow 300.

unlikely black pairings

It isn't intuitive to me to pair pastels with black - like seafoam green is effortlessly paired with black in Mango's January 2013 Lookbook. Even though Michelle Williams inspired me here, I still haven't been able to actually do it.

Moreso, spring floral prints. I've paired them with stripes (inspired by this), but not with black. Not yet.

Maybe I need these pieces the Prabal Gurung for Target Collection as my training wheels.

He incorporated black within the floral pieces - via the collar, neckline, arm & waist bands...

... so I don't need to struggle with breaking old design sensibilities by pairing a floral with a separate black piece.

Love this colorful print called Nolita with the black details! Gave the print an attractive edge.

Also love these shorts! 

It's funny that the very reason I struggle with pairing pastels or florals with black is precisely what makes the pairing so striking. While in my head, feminine, delicate colors & prints don't go with masculine, tough black, my heart says yes to the edginess that black gives the otherwise old and somewhat Stepford Wife feel of pastels & florals.

Okay, I resolve to try harder to break my ancient style sensibilities and mix my pastels and florals with black this week. Maybe I can start with pairing my florals with a small black piece - like a black belt?

Will you mix things up again with me?

Prabal Gurung for Target Collection will be out from February 10 to March 23, 2013. Hoping I can score these pieces via Target.com. View more of the collection with prices via nitrolicious.

Photos from nitrolicious.

Click on the following links for previous posts on breaking ancient fashion rules:

... mixing gold & silver and gray & brown

... mixing prints

... mixing glitter & knits or basics

... mixing gray & yellow

... mixing brown & black

... mixing florals & animal print

... mixing army green & feminine prints

... mixing stripes & florals

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am loving... my early Christmas gift from my buddies K & C! It's not exactly from Tiffany's, but it's in a lovely Tiffany blue color - my purrretty Matroyshka necklace!

I was already smitten because as you know from here & here, I have a thing for Matroyshka dolls. To my wonderful surprise, it didn't just look like a cutely fat Matroyshka, but it was an actual nesting doll!!!

I was in love!

So I wore it everyday after that.

To a friend's birthday dinner...

To the Sting concert...

On errands the following day...

Today, I am totally loving... my adorable Matroyshka necklace present! Super thanks K & C!

Photos are my own and from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I am loving... series. 

style inspiration: stripes + florals

Since I went on sabbatical, I've kinda lost my shopping mojo. I was used to a constant stream of trends that were appropriate for my pretty laidback office (It wasn't a business-attire type of office). I'm not sure if I just haven't gotten in the groove of casual clothes trends yet; since my shopping mojo has been wired for office clothes for years. But I haven't come across many new trends in my current daily uniform of shorts & shirts.

So these style pegs of mixing stripes & a floral print has been really inspiring. Will definitely try this out this week. I, and probably every single one of you, have a similar striped tee from H&M (yes, the one that comes in pairs, with a plain white tee). So all I need to do is pair it with floral shorts, scarf or shoes!

Ooohh, excited, style-wise, for the week ahead!

Photos from annnniegirl.

scrap-cycling

I moved from paper to digital scrapbooking 4 years ago but I still have a whole stash of pretty scrapbook paper. They're so pretty (and expensive) so I could never bare to just throw them out. They're too small (cardstock is too thick too) to be used as wrapping paper. So they're rotting away, albeit prettily, in one of my closets.

But maybe I can put those scraps to good use... As wall art...

As a clever shelf-turned-dollhouse, if Isabella were still a young child...

Or as pretty tiled wallpaper for my workspace.

It's perfect! We have the exact nook in between the closets in our room. It is currently used as a dresser. But my mom has been bugging me to cover up the mirror: "it's bad feng shui", she says. I never sit down and use the dresser as it is meant to be with my 10-second morning regimen anyway. So that nook might be of better use as a workstation. And prettified with my old scrapbook papers! Ooooh, I smell a new project brewing...

Photos from here, here, acupofjo and amischmashedlife (photo cropped to call attention to the wall instead of the labeled trash bins. Check out her post on this & other pretty workspaces here).

Color Obsession: army green

 

Lately, I've been charmed by army green.

 

 

Whether it be in solids like this Emerson Fry Fall coat... 

 

 

... Or in these oh-so-military camo print.

 

 

The only army-greens I have in my non-pretend closet is a set of tapered cargo pants and a button-down shirt. Inspired by A Mischmashed Life's Mikka's fantasy closet, I am excited to add more charm to my army greens with feminine pairings.

 

 

I just loooove how Mikka dolled up the manly vest with sequin shorts, a floral skirt, a printed maxi and bling. I adoooore that stripes+floral pairing and love how the army green vest pulls off the mix of prints just beautifully! (Check out more of Mikka's expert styling here. Am so smitten with her work-looks, am feeling a tinsy-bit sad that I'm on sabbatical.) 

 

What about you? Are you just as charmed with army green?

 

Photos from acupofjo, heritage and amischmashedlife.

 

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.

some polka dots i spotted...

I've always loved pretty prints. On notebooks and on wrapping paper. On clothes too, but I have to admit that not all pretty prints look good when worn lest you want to look like upholstery. On pillows like the Bungalow 300 ones that Trisha of Playtime Break posted about here and on bed linens (baby or otherwise)  like Trisha's Dwell Studio picks here. But after watching this video, I found another item in my house I'd like to have pretty prints on: tea towels!

I never knew what tea towels were until I saw the video of 12 ways to use a tea towel. I'm not even sure what their original use is, but I love all these uses. First up is a place to drip-dry cups & glasses.

Use #2: a cushion for food preparation.

Use #3: a towel to wipe newly-washed dishes & glasses dry.

Use #4: as a pot (-er, kettle) holder.

Use #5: as a vegetable crisper. Except this use is lost on me since I am so undomesticated.

Use #6: not sure if this is technically a usage option. Though I have to say, I find this bunch of printed tea towels so pretty, I might store some like this just to prettify my kitchen!

Use #7: as a placemat.

Use #8: as a pretty way to serve bread.

Use #9: as an apron.

Use #10: as a gift wrapper.

Use #11: as a gift.

Use #12: as an environmental way to dry your hands.

Polka dots or not, I looove these studiopatro tea towels in pretty prints! If only Bungalow 300 and Dwell Studio made tea towels...

Photos are from screencaps of the video.

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