mani.mondays.february2013.edition.
Posted: February 25, 2013 Filed under: MANICure.Mondays., Things. | Tags: glitter nails, manicure, nail art, nail polish, nail spa, pedicure, Spa 6 Comments »Happy Monday everyone!;)
Welcome to our February mani monday!
It’s my first time to use L.A. Colors nail polish. It has a pretty thick consistency. I only had to use one coat, which is always great. [it saves you polish and time]
Their brush is not that bad either. The polish applied really smoothly onto my nails.
For those who have weak nails that break easily, this one also has nail hardeners which is an added value to the product!;)
My only negative feedback about this polish is that their colours have no name. It makes it hard to find the same colour if you run out. This particular one only had a #11 on the bottom of the bottle.
To add a little bit of jazz to my nails, I topped my ring fingernail with my favorite “Rainbow in the S-kylie” from Nicole by OPI.
Have great Monday everyone! 
on.marriage.
Posted: February 19, 2013 Filed under: Things. | Tags: happiness, husband, love, marriage, marriage success, wife Leave a comment »Good day everyone!
Here’s something I chanced upon this morning that really got my attention.
Married or not, I think it’s worth your 5 minutes today! Some of us may already know about it, but we forget most of the time.
I sure needed this reminder.
[Click on the blue link to read article]
3 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE WE GOT MARRIED (By Tyler Ward)
The gist is, “Go home, love your wife/husband.” It will change everything in your life.
These are very powerful words amidst the “me-first” and “I-want” mentality that we all have. This guy who wrote this article actually tried this very simple sentence for a month. Intentionally stopped being self-centered and just went home to love his wife. He didn’t go into detail, but I’m pretty sure “love” included conversation, kindness, and put her first in his life, instead of himself. He saw great results in all aspects of his life after the 30-day trial period.
Now we all know this anyway; there wouldn’t be a quote/biblical passage called “Love Conquers All” for nothing right? It is a very simple truth, yet most of us who think we “love”, fail in our relationships. However, there was something about this article where the writer Tyler, mentions being INTENTIONAL in loving your wife/husband.
Come to think of it, we have to be intentional about it because as human beings, we generally are very selfish and self-centered.
So let’s be intentional in being selfless today!
If it works, maybe we should do it everyday!
Have a great week everyone!
banana.leaf.day.
Posted: February 13, 2013 Filed under: Food., Places., Shopping, Wednesday.WishList | Tags: antique, antique-looking furniture, furniture, moe's home, shilo living, vintage, vintage-effect furniture 4 Comments »Aji was going downtown to run some errands two weekends ago and I decided to tag along!
We didn’t really stick to the downtown area, instead, I introduced Aji to Banana Leaf.
The roti canai did not stand a chance between the two of us.
Their calamari was superb!
The beef curry was a little too spicy for our palate [yes even for Aji] but nothing a cup of rice on the side couldn’t make better.
The Singapore Laksa was unexpected but it turned out to be creamy and fantastic!
This wonderful “tag-along-unexpected-date” turned out even more-so to be full of surprises because we hit a few of my favorite places.
So I’ve decided to segue into
and incorporate some of the fun we had that day on this post and share it with you all.
After lunch, we decided to walk along Broadway on that beautiful Saturday afternoon.
We finally found the perfect furniture store tucked away in a quaint spot on Broadway [between Ontario & Manitoba, close to Main St.].
We originally thought they were a vintage shop and much to our surprise, they are furniture makers. They make furniture from real wood and then make
them look like they are vintage! [The three little photos in the middle, above, are from Shilo Living.]
The top and bottom photos are from Moe’s Home, which we also visited later on that day.
What an awesome spontaneous day for us!
Sometimes we need those kinds of days to get out of a funk.
Have a great week everyone!
mani.mondays.january2013.edition.
Posted: January 28, 2013 Filed under: MANICure.Mondays., Things. | Tags: cuticles, Glysomed, hand cream, hand moisturizer, hand spa, moisturizer, nail spa, nails, Victoria's Secret 8 Comments »Welcome to our last January catch-up installment of
If you are following the blog and have browsed at my Mani Monday photos, you probably already know that my hands/cuticles are very dry.
If not, let’s refresh our memories:
Yes, those are my hardworking hands. Whether it be at home or at work, I always find that my hands get really dry because I wash my hands a lot. I used to always apply lotion or hand cream, but it got old when I started using touchscreen phones. Hand creams and lotions are terrible on any touchscreen surface. They just make everything you touch greasy.
Here are some of the creams I use:
I have to say that the odd time I would use hand cream, I’d prefer Glysomed if I’m sure I won’t be typing up anything, playing the bass, using my phone, basically making any surface greasy with my hands. It is very effective and it really makes a difference, but again, it leaves your hands a bit greasy for a good period of time.
If I know I’ll be using my greasy paws for work very soon after applying hand cream, I go with the Victoria’s Secret one, since it would only make your hands greasy for a few minutes, and then your hot paws are good to go on the touchscreen. However, it’s not as effective as the Glysomed. Your hands become dry again as soon as you wash your hands.
Is there anything out there that you think might be really good for moisturizing hands/cuticles, without making everything you touch greasy?
Hope you have a fantastic Monday everyone!
mani.mondays.january2013.catch-up.edition.
Posted: January 21, 2013 Filed under: DIY, MANICure.Mondays., Things. | Tags: mani and pedi, mani-pedi, manicure, manicure monday, nail spa, pedicure, Spa Leave a comment »Welcome!
Hope you all had a restful weekend! I had quite a busy one, but I had a bit of down time as well, which is always nice on the weekends.
Saturday was spent at a mini event at church for the ones involved in the music ministry, followed by a birthday lunch out for Luke with a few friends at Country Meadows.
Now let’s get back to business. As promised, here we are again for the 2nd installment of the three catch-up editions we’re doing this January.
Here is a little experiment on some nail art:
[Don't mind my really dry skin, I intend to talk about nail hardeners and cuticle moisturizers next Monday! ]
Above here is a mirror image of my right hand. I used my left hand to apply and you will notice the uneven application of the sparkly silver divider between the red and the blue polish.
I started off with just applying the red polish on the entire nail. When the polish is dry, apply the blue polish diagonally on the bottom third of the nail. [Notice how my index finger just has the red polish and the blue polish] After drying, I then apply the sparkly silver/titanium polish right between the red and the blue.
Below is a much better image with better application of the polish, because it’s my left hand, and I used my dominant right hand to apply.
Here are the different polishes I used:
1. ORLY, Royal Navy
2. Nicole by OPI, Follow me on Glitter
3. Tip Toe by Old Navy, Red Aloud
I’ve tried Orly and Nicole by OPI before, but Tip Toe was very new to me. It was surprisingly great! The brush was decent and the polish was neither too thick or too thin, allowing me to just do a single coat. It was just right and it dried up pretty fast too! Yay Old Navy!
Have a great Monday everyone!
mani.mondays.january2013.edition.
Posted: January 14, 2013 Filed under: MANICure.Mondays., Things. | Tags: manicure, nail spa, nail stickers, nails, Sinful Colors, the face shop Leave a comment »Ok so I’ve missed a quarter of the year with this one. I got pretty busy with my day job. Most of my Mondays are spent at work now instead of being at home and enjoying a manicure
How about we play catch-up and I give you the next 3 consecutive Mondays of January to make up for the last quarter of 2012?
Welcome to the 2013 Manicure Mondays!
Sinful Colors & The FaceShop
Sinful Colors: Silver Glitter
The FaceShop: BR801 (It’s really unfortunate that they do not take the time to make up names for their polishes! Numbers are very hard to remember.)
I got these nail stickers for free when I bought a nail kit from The Face Shop in Asia years ago.
I decided to only use the stickers on my thumb and ring finger just to give the blah color a bit of a punch!
Have a great Monday everyone!
welcome.2013.
Posted: January 11, 2013 Filed under: DIY, Fashion.Fridays., Food., MANICure.Mondays., Music., People., Places., Shopping, Things., Wednesday.WishList | Tags: 2012, 2013, happy new year, new year, reflections, year-at-a-glance 1 Comment »Welcome
If you don’t already know, this month marks my blog’s 1st anniversary! YAY! Today, I’d like to share how it all began.
It was a year ago when I decided to start a blog in the hopes of encouraging creativity in my life.
Before getting married, I’ve always either worked full-time, or was in school full-time, or both. The first few months of being a housewife were great! I got to learn how to cook, bake, and manage the home altogether. However, I’m a quick study, the downside being, I get bored easily.
It eventually came to a point when I started feeling bothered when people asked what I did at home. (Like it’s a crime for a woman not to have a job and stay at home now?) They all most likely meant well, but all the questioning just made me feel so little, and it started making me question my sense of purpose.
This miserable introspection was the beginning of a beautiful journey. The life that would have just passed me by, has now been carefully chronicled on this blog. This entire year of blogging, helped me realize that what I did at home indeed had purpose and it brought me joy.
It is my hope to share this sense of purpose and joy to everyone!
Here are my 2012 favorites:
2012 Year-At-A-Glance
We brew joy here @joybrewed ;)
love.one.another.
Posted: December 15, 2012 Filed under: People., Things. | Tags: apples, christmas, connecticut tragedy, decorating, hurricane sandy, love, ornaments 3 Comments »Christmas is fun for most people!
We get to decorate our homes with festive ornaments and buy new things.
Each corner screaming: “It’s Christmas! Let’s celebrate!”.
What is there to celebrate?
For some people who have recently lost loved ones, or don’t have homes to decorate because of a storm/hurricane, or poverty, Christmas doesn’t really mean much.
As we pray for and think about those who have been affected by the tragedy in Connecticut, let’s share some love all around the work place, our schools, our church, our communities.
It’s what Christmas is all about after all. The greatest love of all, when the Father sent his only beloved son to be born human, die on the cross, so that we may experience life everlasting. There I’ve said it.
Have a great weekend and spread the love everyone!
birthday.getaway.weekend.
Posted: December 1, 2012 Filed under: Food., People., Shopping, Things. | Tags: birthday getaway, birthday weekend, Cheesecake Factory, Five Guys, Forever 21, holidays, Jollibee, Ross, shopping 5 Comments »My Birthday is the day before Memorial day/Veteran’s Day, so I always get a long weekend or a holiday the day after!
Here’s what went down on the birthday getaway in Washington:
We did a pitstop in Burlington on the way to Everett and did quite a bit of shopping at Ross! We wanted something quick and good for dinner. It was a toss between McDonald’s and Five Guys. Five Guys won. Love their free roasted peanuts while-you-wait on the queue gimmick.
It wasn’t until we got to the hotel in Everett that Kyla and I realized how “unfortunate” our Ross shopping bags looked, framed in the beautiful luggage trolley. To top it all off, Jason and Aji took the trolley with the nice bags on and left Kyla and I with “Ross trolley”. We were laughing out loud for a long time that the concierge had to ask what it was all about. Of course we divulged the reason for all the laughter.
Our first night at the hotel was restful. Dexter marathon with J and K before bed. I woke up to balloons and presents on my birthday courtesy of Kyla! The little bugger woke up early to blow up all the balloons in the bathroom, just in case I woke up before she was done. THANK YOU! All of it made my day!
My birthday was spent driving to Renton to have lunch at Jollibee {it’s a Filipino fast food restaurant we’ve been wanting to visit for some time now} and then it was shopping day again at South Center Mall. Ky and I found those ridiculously long and curly scarves at Forever 21 and decided it was photo time! We didn’t buy them, we’ve got nothing against them, I’m sure they look really pretty on really tall women with long necks!
Dinner was at the Cheesecake Factory. My parents and a good friend Beegee, met up with us at Bellevue to dine. It was a 2-hour wait unfortunately, for a party of 7 that night. Boo. The food is always worth the wait there though, so we all sucked it up and I had a happy birthday!
One last thing, our free breakfast at the Holiday Inn Everett Washington was the bomb! Bacon, hash browns, eggs, toast and all-you-can-drink Starbucks coffee!
Have a great weekend!
autumn.wreath.
Posted: November 6, 2012 Filed under: DIY, Things. | Tags: autumn wreath, book page wreath, cheap DIY wreath, Christmas wreath, DIY, DIY wreath, easy DIY wreath, paint chips 1 Comment »{This post is for those who’ve e-mailed me about the last post regarding our DIY autumn wreath, and also for those who didn’t get to e-mail and ask me but were interested to know how it was made.}
I made this wreath almost a year ago for Christmas, I think.
It’s made of:
pages from an old book + some egg cartons + a glue gun + a red ribbon.
{Click here to see the first time I posted about it on this blog.}
This year, I decided to re-purpose it for Autumn and here it is:
It’s the easiest and cheapest re-purpose I’ve ever done. The only thing I did was change-up the red ribbon and add these Behr paint chips.
I got these free from Home Depot while we were looking for a paint colour for our accent wall in the living room.
The fun leaf shape gave me an idea for a future project, so I may have swiped more than “usual”…ooops. I didn’t know, at the time, it was going to be useful for my wreath, but I’m glad they worked out well.
The best part, aside from the fact that they were free, is that I didn’t have to glue them to the book pages {less work, and I can use the wreath again for another occasion}. I just stuck them into the holes and loose spots and they held up pretty nicely since I’ve put up the wreath a month ago.
You can totally change things up and use paint chips in different shapes, or make the wreath totally different by rolling up the book pages a different way!
Click here, here and here for other wreath ideas!
Hope you enjoyed this DIY post! Have a great day!
