Christmas Decor Ideas For Small Spaces

Christmas has already begun! Hooray for my favorite time of the year!! :)

I really wanted to get a Christmas tree this year. Nothing says "Christmas" than a Christmas tree! But living in a condo with a wandering one year old could be one of the reasons why we postponed having one for the meantime.  Apart from the lack of a good spot for the tree, I am 100% sure that it will be a very enticing piece to destroy for my son. Toddlers.

I wasn't really sure how I wanted to decorate our space for Christmas.  Should I go and buy pieces in red and green? Should I buy Christmas-y throw pillow covers? There was just SO MANY OPTIONS.

After a long trip to the mall, I decided to just stick with a particular color palette. There's really something about the combination of gold, orange, white and green that appealed to me.  I knew that would be our home's theme for Christmas this year. :)

Here are some Christmas decor ideas you can also do at home (most especially if you have a small space and a TODDLER :p).

If you have mirrors or big frames at home you can just add accent pieces on top- ribbons, balls, flowers, etc. Be creative!

Use existing vases and decor to hold Christmas ornaments.  For example, the lantern used to be empty, but you can put stuff in there from candles to anything Christmas related.  The flowers by the way are fake.  Of course nothing beats fresh flowers, but I love how fake ones never wilt. As in like never. :p  That way I won't need to change them that often.

Another decor idea- accessorize your clocks! You can also do this around mirrors or frames.

This was last year's wreath.  Instead of buying a dolled-up, spruced-up wreath, I bought a bare one so I can change its look every year. :)

I guess the key to getting small spaces ready for Christmas is to simply look at your home with a different perspective.  Use existing items, be creative!

Got some Christmas decor ideas to share? Leave a comment below!  I would love to hear from you!


Until the next DIY adventure!

The Grand DIY Attempt

I've been meaning to blog about Alonzo's great DIY Mexican Fiesta party for a long time now. 5 months after his party, I finally DECIDE that I NEED to write about it.

I'm not gonna lie, I chose to go the DIY route because I really didn't want to spend a lot for something my son will only remember through photos.  At the same time, I just had to put my new found hobby to the ultimate test.

Majority of the decorations during Alonzo's party were made from scratch, but I also had to ask help from the experts too.  Basically the goal was to lower the cost where we can.

So here are some of the decors I decided to make myself.  I put on the link of the tutorials too so that you can go and try them yourselves.

1.  Paper Cactus

Photos by Veejay Jimenez/209Studios

I originally wanted to put a real potted cactus on each table as the centerpiece, but that would really cost me a fortune so I opted for the cheapest alternative- making my own!

Some of the cans I used for the cacti were used corned beef, Spam and sardines cans we had at home.  Yes I did clean them up real good, and yes my husband almost threw them out once because he thought they were trash.  I did have to buy some small pails from Divisoria (cost me P150 for 12 pcs) to house the other cacti.

Other centerpieces and accents used where provided by our awesome caterer Phoebe Cakes. :)

Here's how you can make your own cactus! It's a really cute option for your worktable at home or at the office. :)



2. Ribbon Chandeliers

Photos by Veejay Jimenez/209 Studios

The moment I saw these ribbon chandeliers on Pinterest, I knew it would be a great addition to Alonzo's Mexican Fiesta theme.  You can be really creative with the materials you want to use . As for me, I used a combination of cloth and crepe paper strips.  Here's a tutorial that can help you.

The biggest challenge for me was the cutting. Since the venue had a really high ceiling I had to cut loooong strips. So be careful not to knot the ends when you're cutting them.

Another challenge was the round thing I used keep the strips together.  After weeks of searching I finally found the perfect wooden rings in Divi. Divi, not SM, has got it all for you.

Oh and if you're wondering if I made those hanging lanterns, no I did not.  I wish I had the patience though, but I got them from Divi too. :)


3. Mexican Banderitas (Papel Picado), Crepe Paper Decor And Blackboard Sign

Photos by Iris Carpio Duque

Photo by Veejay Jimenez/209 Studios

The Mexican banderitas took me the longest to make.  I think I started making them 2 months prior to the event.  I had to make them by batches because the cutting part was really painful on the hands if you do it for a long time.  Originally, these kinds of banderitas makes use of crepe paper or tissue, but I found that stores only have limited color options.  With that I had to buy colored bond paper.  It was thicker and tougher to cut (I had to cut 5 pieces of paper all at one time to save me time) hence my weeks of hand pain.

Here's a tutorial for making the banderitas:

On the other hand, the crepe paper decor was one of the easiest to do.  The backdrop was made on the day itself, and it only took me 1 day to cover the paper mache letters in crepe paper strips.  All you have to do is to cut the crepe paper crosswise then cut thin vertical strips on the cut portions.  Unfold and behold, you now have a crepe paper fringe. Proceed to taping/pasting them wherever you wish.

Lastly for the blackboard sign, I first tested the overall look on Photoshop with the fonts I liked.  I traced them with a pencil on the illustration board, then finished it off with a chalk pen.  A CHALK PEN?? Yes, there's such a thing! And I'm glad I found one (National Bookstore in Podium has it)!

And if you're wondering where I got my wooden crates, I got them from Dapitan.  They sell them for P12 each. :) 


4. Paper Accordion Flowers

Photo by KC Bayani

Photo by Veejay Jimenez (Hi Phoebe!! :))

At first look this DIY wall decor looks intimidating, but can you believe that I finished making them all in one morning?  It's really easy to make once you get the hang of it.  The tricky part is attaching them.  We had to use a gun tacker and thumbtacks to secure them on the panel. Sometimes even the stickiest double sided tape doesn't work at all.

Need these in your life? Here's a quick tutorial to help you out!


5. Loot Bags

Brown paper bags and a printer. The end (The clothespin is optional). Oh yeah, don't forget to put some candies and interesting things inside the bag too (very important)!


6. Invitations and Save the Date

 

Thank you Lord I didn't take my college Photoshop elective for granted.  My skills are very basic and dusty, but hey, it's decent enough to make my son's (and future children's) invitations. :)

So there you have it! I hope this encourages other awesome mommas out there that DIY parties are doable.  They don't exist in pictures alone, they happen for realZz! Are you willing to give it a try? :)

Alonzo's Mexican Fiesta party won't be a success without the help of the following suppliers:

1. Party Troupers c/o Abbie Go
Thanks to Abbie and her awesome team, the party had a host/magician, yummy food carts and fun activities (face painting, DIY flip-flops).  Their staff also helped me set up some of the decors. Highly recommended!

2. Phoebe Cakes Catering
If you want great tasting food with a very reasonable price, Phoebe Cakes is your best bet!  Oh and did I mention that the brains behind the business- Phoebe Estrevillo- makes some of the best tasting cakes and pastries on Earth? :) Highly recommended (x1000)

3. Veejay Jimenez Photography/209 Studios
We were very shy to approach Veejay at first knowing that he specializes in wedding photography.  But when he agreed, Jerome and I got really excited.  We've seen the photos he took of friends' weddings and they're all stunning. Again, highly recommended. :)

Here are more photos from the party:

 

Until the next DIY adventure!

Bedroom talk

When we transferred to our current home last March, one of my goals was to really decorate the other room for our then unborn Alonzo.  I had a really bad case of what people on the internet call "nesting"  which is, as the term suggests, a behavior particular to mother birds who busy themselves preparing the nest for the cute little baby birds.  I just wanted Alonzo to have a nice playroom even though he wouldn't have any idea about it.  Basically, it was for me really.  :)

The baby room before my hormones suggested I needed to fix it up

I had tons of ideas really.  I grew a love and hate relationship with Pinterest back then because almost everything in there were just so pretty that I wanted to just put it all in the room.  So, I decided to go easy and make something to stick/hang on the walls first.  I was almost 8 months preggers then and I felt so heavy, so I thought the wall decor would be manageable.

Phase 1

 I made the wall decals in Photoshop (thank God I paid attention in college) and had in printed on sticker.  Then I reused old frames I had and also bought a few cheap ones. I really didn't have photos to put since Alonzo was still inside my tummy then.  I was wary to put our photos IN HIS ROOM too. I mean, who likes their parents' photos- being sweet and all- inside their room?  So I went ahead and downloaded free photos from the internet.  I also used his ultrasound photos and paintings given to us by friends. I will write about the wall decors in a separate entry. :)

When I gave birth, the room overhaul was put to a pause.  I let it be for a few months, but I had a plan to continue with the improvements when Alonzo was bigger.

Alonzo was about 5 months when I decided I needed to continue the work so he can play in it (and also so Jerome and I can have a little bit of time together without Alonzo inside the room).  The first thing I did was to paint the room. I badly wanted to paint the whole room, but that would be too tiring. Plus, I had already put on the wall decals.  It would take me more time and effort to paint around it or remove them.  So, I just decided to paint a part of the room. I then gave his cabinet a new look by also painting it.  I went for more gender neutral colors like gray, yellow and white.  I really want to have a big family, 4 kids to be exact (that used to be 6, but I had a C-Section so that dream had to leave. :p). The future babies will have to share this room with Kuya Alonzo. :)

Now sharing some photos of the baby's room. It's not anything grand, but I love this room so much because it made me realize that I can do pretty things out of love.  :) <3 Awww, shucks.:p

Tada!!

A very very bad photo of the cabinet before the new paint

The newly painted cabinet. I will share in a separate entry how I painted the chevron patterns. :)

This chair was owned by Jerome's grandparents.  We had the cushions reupholstered. :)

Bongga ka 'Day

I love Friday nights.  Close friends would know that Friday nights are sacred to Jer and I.  Ever since God blessed us with Alonzo, it is inevitable to not pay attention to him.  That's why we made a commitment to go out and have good dinner on Friday nights.  It's our alone time, and it's also our chance to discuss "things" as we are quite limited from doing that at home since we have to keep the "peace" (we often end up in passionate arguments.  Married folks, you know what I mean).

As much as possible we try not to talk about his work, because we get to talk about it the rest of the week at dinners at home. We try to talk about important stuff: our family's future, our walk with God, mmmm well other people (not often), and basically anything we can think of. As for me,  I love trivial stuff.  I love talking to Jerome about seemingly nonsense stuff.  But, I love to surprise him when the topic actually takes a turn for the interesting in the end.

Just like how I ended this night with a simple question:

"Don't you find the term Inday or 'Day derogatory?"

First of all, I don't mean to offend anyone with my question.  It was really just a matter of exchanging opinions about a harmless question.

Of course, I asked because I admittedly feel bad when I hear someone call a kasambahay Inday. I'm sure people have their own reasons why they do this, and I am not here to say their reasons are wrong.  I understand that it is something of preference, and maybe, I'm just not that used to it.

Growing up, I had Nana who was my loving yaya since age 0.  I called her Ate as a sign of respect since she was older (but not too old).  We had other kasambahays too, but we called them by their name. We sometimes use Ate for all of them, but I don't remember my Mom calling anyone of them Inday or 'Day.

I am not discounting the fact too that Inday or Manang can mean Ate in Ilonggo.  My Mom's from Capiz and she would often refer to her older sisters and cousins as Inday or Manang.  For some, I know they use it as a term of endearment.

But what I don't understand is-why is Inday WIDELY and IMMENSELY used to refer to kasambahays?  TV and movie characters use them.  We use them in kasambahay jokes.  But really, if you mean Inday to be a term of endearment or another term to mean Ate, then why not call the cashier Inday?  Why not call the waitress Inday?  Really why not?

Am I wrong to feel bad about it?  Am I actually the one who's negative here by creating a new issue altogether with something not that big of a deal?

Oh and don't get me started with "teh" and "kuya."  I've undeniably called millions teh and kuya, I'm not going to act all self-righteous here. But I can't help but wonder, when is it really appropriate?  Why would I cringe if I hear someone call a bank teller teh, but would consider it as the norm when I'm in the market?  I've tried to stay away from calling strangers teh or kuya, and went with the safer "miss" or "sir."  Or if all else fails, I just say "excuse me" out loud to get their attention.

Maybe it's the way people have abused these terms in several situations?  I really don't know exactly what turns me off.

Or maybe, secretly, I'm judgmental too.

Yeah maybe that's it.  

I guess my point is, we all have names.  Our parents have spent a considerable amount of time thinking of the perfect name for us.  That's me speaking from experience.  It took us months and a book to decide what to name our first son.  Alonzo Mathias doesn't mean much to a lot of people, but to him it does (or it will).  To us it does.

There is a reason why restaurant servers have name plates. Surprise! It's for you to know their names so you can call them with it.  Kasambahays have names too!  Elna, Apple, Marissa, Victoria, Mercy, Sophie.. whatever. They have a name like you and me.  So why not call them with their names?

Again, I can't fail to emphasize that I'm also trying to understand why I feel so negative about it. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated too.  Do you think Inday, Day, or teh is derogatory?  Would you feel bad if someone called you other than your name?

Tell me about it!

    

Motherhood S01E08

Finally the baby's sleeping.

Now, if only I can manage to keep up with this "silent typing"  then I can keep him asleep for a few more hours (or minutes) so I can FINALLY get this blog started.

Where do I begin? Hmm.

I'm now a mom to an awesome boy named Alonzo. I'm relatively new in this whole parenting thing so I am still learning the ropes on most days. I've only been a mother for 8 months, but I can truly say that it is the most most most mostEST beautiful thing in this world!  I absolutely love being a mom!  

Since I gave birth, my husband Jerome and I decided that I should give the corporate jungle a rest for a bit. Not because it was too stressful, but we both felt that God was leading us to a totally different season. We both took the plunge, and we haven't regretted it.  Seeing Alonzo grow everyday is incomparable.   

So now,  if I don't have my hands full with mommy duties, I find myself googling for stuff to do at home.  I've been keeping myself busy with DIY stuff, which on most days annoys my husband. HA, the JOYS of family life. I really wanted to keep myself busy so I won't be bored (and annoyed) with the routines of being a stay at home mom.  

And then it hit me. Why not make a blog out of it?  I was not too sure at first because I might not be able to update it regularly because I have to keep an eye on the little one.  And yes also, I might be too LAZY.  But nah. I must always fight the urge to just sit on the couch, sleep when the baby's asleep, eat, and eat some more.  Believe me, these things are not so easy to avoid when you're just at home.

I created this blog not to brag about stuff that I've come up with. Really no.  I'm using precious cyberspace to inspire other SAHMs (Stay At Home Moms) out there that THERE IS LIFE ASIDE FROM THE BABIES. Yes there is! And I'm also here to encourage you that it doesn't hurt to redecorate your home. Surprise the spouse (good surprises only please) by letting him come home to an organized and beautiful home.  And when I say organized and beautiful, I don't mean expensive.  You can always give new life to old stuff--that's exactly what I like about DIY.  Plus, it won't hurt the husband's pockets too! :)

I am also not an expert at this. I didn't have a degree in Interior Design or Architecture, heck, or even Art.  I just love to look at nice things and somehow bring them to our home.  I also love functional stuff.  So when I find some stuff expensive in stores, I make them.  I'm not a success 100% of the time though.  Most of the projects I've done are disappointments too!  So don't be afraid to try!

Let's get started!