she's a natural

One of my greatest passions in life is creating beautiful things (well beautiful to me, that is). Another passion are accessories. My little sis once told me, that I can never get out of the house without any form of fashion accessory on. Could be true. As I always feel bare without any.

I don't like piling on too much though. I somewhat know when it's too much or too little. I only like statement pieces. And as of late, I am into statement necklaces. 

I have a box of beads, trinkets, ribbons, stones, and stuff I use for jewelry making. I have no formal training whatsoever. I just go with the flow and do whatever fancies me. 

And every single time I bring out this box, one little person is happiest in the house.

I know you might think it's not safe as she might swallow the beads and stones, but fear not. This little budding artist of mine can tell the difference between food and what's not.

She's a natural. She just instantly slips those bangle looking bamboo rings right to her wrist.

What we have created that day. It's a special order from a good friend. I hope she likes it.

It's nice to turn my passion into a little enterprising act and involving my precious little one in the process. She is, after all, my greatest source of inspiration.

Happy weekend everyone!

of wangs and benitos

I was obsessing on this

and was on the brink of buying it until I met this

 

I was smitten by the Alexander Wang Rocco Duffel seasons ago. I wanted the black but when I saw the tan, I was confused. However, when I got a hold of it in Barneys 2 months ago, I was put off by its weight and apparently so was a lot of other admirers.

And then they put it on sale at almost half the price. Very tempting. I would check it online almost everyday until one day it was no longer there.

And then I was introduced to Jovan Benito (her work) by my art connoisseur friend Mia. I said to myself before that if I ever buy myself a painting, it would be a mother and child rendition.

I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it at Gallery Joaquin. Mia had little convincing to do with me, but I had a lot—with hubby.

Up to this day I still haven’t decided between a Wang and a Benito. (They share almost the same price tags, mind you.)

But I have gotten some progress with hubby. I sparked new interest in art on him and now he’s hooked on Benito too. Now were torn between this

and having one commissioned.

Though there are days I still dream of that mother and child rendition hanging on our bare walls... We'll see.

what i wore..

My little white dress was a hit at the White and Light Welcome Dinner Party hosted by the bride and groom last week.

The dress was actually a last minute purchase. I had this vision on my head of a perfect white dress and since I didn’t have time to have one made, I had to find one off the rack. I did my rounds on the usual high street suspects Mango, Zara, Topshop- found nothing.

And then of course, there's The Ramp, Crossings (almost like my second home) where I almost always get sensory overload for all the eye candies I see. If all things fail, I always come home to The Ramp and find something there. I just need to diligently sort through each and every shop-in-shop and find remedy for my fashion emergency. And so I did.

The multiway jersey ruched dress from Le Mimi. At first glance I thought it was too clingy on the body but I thought it had potential so I gave it a try. True enough, it had so much potential! So much so that you can use it 9 million ways. It comes with a little cheat sheet of the many ways you can wear it. Clever! I have seen a lot of multiway dresses before but this one really is so versatile it can even accommodate a growing bump (should I get there again). So this piece indeed, is one for keeps!

Le Mimi multiway dress, Cosmopolitan beaded cuff, Cole Vintage braided flat sandals

All of the above are from The Ramp, Crossings. And for everything under PHP3000 (SGD89), how can you go wrong?

Azucar

Still on a high from a pleasurable vacation topped off with a wonderful wedding, I look back and admire the beautiful dresses that went down the aisle last Saturday afternoon. As I mentioned here before, the bride is a designer and it was only fitting that she dressed the whole entourage, most of the guests, and herself of course. She had 3 wedding gowns at her disposal that day. All of which equally beautiful.

She wore 2. I wish I was able to take good photos of them but amidst the heat, the adrenaline of Le Misch's first flower girl walk, and her being fussy (towards the end), I wasn't able to.

But here are my top picks from that day.

the maid of honor

The fit of the dress was impeccable on her. I love the tiers, the color and most of all the handcrafted necklace, which by the way, was done by her.

the bridesmaid

A printed one-shoulder silk chiffon number with minimal bead work but what caught my fancy is the subtle show of skin and again impeccable fit.

the flower girl

Of course.

And as to what I wore, it was this exquisite creation of the Sipat sisters, the force behind Azucar. Arleen (the bride) designed the dress and Rov (the maid-of-honor) painstakingly hand beaded the back detail.

This wasn't a made-to-order piece, mind you. It was an off-the-rack purchase for another wedding months back. But I felt it deserved another go, this time around in a more fitting setting.


If you are smitten with Azucar as much as I am, read on this and head to

Azucar
Level 2
Greenbelt 5, Makati City
Philippines

snaps from 2 weekends

A family weekend in beach town Tali and a wedding in the island of Boracay. Not even a storm in between can dampen the moods of the Paduas.

TALI

the aftermath


the latest installations at casa y bautista


my all-time favorite piece at casa y bautista


printed wall at Pico de Loro



sheer delight

BORACAY


the beach


subtle coordination


apparent coordination


grapes = joy


floral overload


pink and green


love

Now back at the city from a restful and rejuvenating stay here, I have to finish packing for yet another adventure. Le Misch and I are off to my hometown this time around, to spend some time with my family and to give her a little taste of my childhood. Let's see how that will go.

packing for 3 for 3 destinations

As I mentioned here before we are set out to yet another adventure. Nothing exotic, just back to our homeland with 2 other destinations thereafter.

Nowadays I don't just pack for myself. I pack for the whole family. Not that I'm complaining. I do like packing- the vacation kind, not the moving-houses kind.

And packing for me entails styling too. I put much thought into the process but I don't go to as far as listing down what to wear on what day though. I just don't have time for that.

What I like is to make sure that we have everything we need wherever we are and whatever the weather may be. I don't like compromising style due to packing inefficiency, but I hate over packing too.

For this trip, I will share with you what I have packed for Le Misch. Categorized under 3 destinations we're headed to.

city



hometown



beach

You're looking at the works of a frustrated stylist. And now that I have 2 subjects to style, I am grateful. Though I'm not so sure if they are...

Happy Friday everyone! We have touched down in Manila and I can see a great weekend lurking in the background!

Papa Palheta

I'm no coffee connoisseur.

However, I do love to have a good cup of coffee a day. More than the caffeine, I value the conversation over it or the peace and quiet I get whenever I am in a serene cafe.

Such is the case in Papa Palheta. A hole-in-the-wall specialty coffee place that prefers to be called a roaster/ tasting bar over a cafe.

The entrance is like a back door entrance of a shop or a flat.


A welcoming note.


My coffee-mate.


No fancy menu lists here. You just have to tell the barista what kind of beans you prefer and how you want it served either in a latte, cappuccino or espresso. They can even do drip the Vietnamese way.




Music was actually playing from this.


One corner of the tasting bar.


Another corner. Yes, it does look more of a house than a retail space. I was tempted to open the cabinets and browse through the piles of fabrics!


Le Misch was enjoying as much as I was.



These lovely upholstered ladies are yours for $280 each.


My Columbian roast latte.


Since there's no menu, neither is there a price list. They appreciate $3.50 a cup but you are welcome to tip more should you feel like it.

So if you ever find yourselves in the island of Singapore and sick of the overly-priced, highly-commercialized Starbucks, then Papa Palheta is the place to go for that ultimate cup of joe.

Papa Palheta
140 Bukit Timah Road Singapore, Bukit Timah
Singapore, Singapore
+65.9799.0420

print on print

Wearing print on print is no longer taboo. It can be quite tricky to pull off though.

Here's a print on print take from my fantasy closet.

My fantasy closet, although is plain fantasy, will be partial (but not limited to) mummy-friendly pieces, as my ultimate goal is for mums to take cues and apply in real life.

So no short short skirts, overly embellished pieces, and sky-high heels here as much as possible. But with pieces nonetheless chic and stylish.

Going back to my print on print ensemble, you can try pairing 2 pieces in the same color family like this almost moorish print Armand Basi jersey tank with the Erdem (love!) box pleat watercolor print skirt.

Keep everything else understated like the Moonson round leather ballet flats to catch up with your toddler with ease and the Proenza Schouler PS1 leather satchel to stylishly lug your kaboodles.

The Leatherock jeweled belt is a bit of an exception. We'd love some bling once in awhile too, right?

Have a stylish Wednesday mummies!

Dear Mummies, Organize Chaos in Style

I have a little confession to make. I am a notebook/ journal addict. Beautiful notebooks bring me happy thoughts and inspirations.

I am slightly obsessed. I buy a lot of notebooks thinking I will benefit from them since they bring me such joy and a lift of spirit. Problem is, I hardly finish their pages. Midway through the notebook, I crave for something else, something new. I know, I better stop this absurd obsession.

I only need one notebook at a time.

It is however difficult to find the right notebook/ organizer for the mischmashed mum that I am now. That is why I was elated when I found this.

Yes, it has all the pages we need

like this


and this


and it even has these clever stickies!



Here's mine.

I've had this for over a month now and it has been very handy. I love that I no longer need separate notebooks for work, family, baby, errands, personal musings. There are just some redundancies with the to-do lists and juggling act pages but I don't mind. I need all the nicely laid out pages I can get.

Mommytracked.com is the genius behind this but unfortunately this one's sold out!

But fret not mummies, if you live in Singapore, head on to charming wouldwood (another personal favorite) at Mandarin Gallery or The Cathay both in Orchard for this mummy essential.

one night while waiting

While waiting for hubby to come home from a long day at work one night, Le Misch and I were inspired to decorate one wall in her room to surprise him.

Here is the outcome. Frames and lamps all from Ikea (where else?) and wall stickers from Baby & Co. Nothing fancy but its little things like this that count.

snaps from the weekend

Saturday brunch, Sunday birthday party and an extended weekend Monday morning at Botanical Gardens. The weekend that was.

Queuing at Jones the Grocer


Le Misch's take on the current boyfriend jeans and cropped top trend.



Potato Wedges.



Having a father and daughter cab moment.



Spikey ball.


Odd ball.



To climb or not to climb.



Swing and bubbles. Possibly the best combination.



Greeted by a turtle.


And welcomed by a swan on a hot Monday morning at Botanical.



Le Misch feeling the heat.


They say the grass is greener in Singapore.



Aboard a big trunk. Impossible to get everyone to look at the camera all at the same time.


Enjoying Tito Favs' (wrong)doing.

Have a great week ahead everyone!