It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas… Our Snowflake Chandelier

Hello Everyone!

Hew! Wasn't sure I'd make it to writing this post, it's been CRAZEE BUSY lately!

First off, my little Aidan was sick for a couple of days.. :-( .

 I missed one day of work and had to take care of my little man. 

Second, we attended a fun fund-raising for the Illinois Society of Autism. 

Fun because it was a masquerade and wouldn't you know it, I won again on the Door prize raffle!!!!! 

A bunch of kiddie books that I could use for the clinic and to give out to the little ones for Christmas! 

Third, I know you all have heard about the devastating Typhoon that ravaged my home country… 

Tacloban,Leyte Philippines

 A BIG 'Thank you' to all who emailed, texted or called me asking how my family was. 

Truly, this Holiday season is all the more meaningful because of all our loved ones' and friends' safety. However, as you probably know by now 6 million are still affected, and me, my friend Vivian and Blogger friend and Chef, Malou Perez-Nievera from "Skip to Malou", decided to hold a small fund-raising dinner here at my home!!!! 

And with that said, a lot of planning, invitations needed to be made etc.! 

Simple Invite I made for the upcoming dinner

To top it all off, I finished our Christmas Decorations too!

Nah! This was last year, just joking!

Anyhow, I'm sure you got tired too just by reading about this all right? 

But hey, I'm still the lucky one right? 

To get to do all these things and share once again to you… sheer bliss!

Let's get on with Christmas shall we.

I'll start subtle and slow since I don't want you 'inebriated' (a very popular word right now in Toronto with Mayor Ford, tsk tsk tsk..) with too many Christmas yet because if you think I'm HALLOWEEN CRAZEE then for CHRISTMAS, my crazeeeeness is 10x over! ;-)

Our Snowflake Chandelier

This is what the Chandy looks like originally

I dded these Crystal Garland I got from Crate & Barrel years ago - used 2
and hung this large beaded snowflake I got from TJ Maxx last year

I then added these small snowflake ornaments on the bulbs
(scored those from Khol's last year at 75% off)

Isn't' it pretty?

Last year I did this on my Stairway Chandelier…

It was very pretty too I think.

But truly in love withy this one - so sparkly, perfect for the holiday season!

There's more to see in the Dining room, but It's actually the one room that's not 'done' yet. I have a DIY that I want to make for this space. But let me end this with another eye candy… Both my large windows currently have this….

Lighted Capiz Star Lanterns I brought home from the Philippines 2 years ago and lighted garland I got 2 years ago too from Menards. 

This looks really lovely both from the inside and from the outside!

Lanterns are everywhere in most parts of the Philippines except for sadly the affected areas… wishing on the star right now for some relief, comfort and hope to the victims of the typhoon and their families, because right now, other than the little help we can give, that's all that I can do and pray for…

Have  A Great Week!!!!

*VEL *

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away…


Linking back to…

Under the Table and Dreaming, Dwellings, the heart of your home,The Dedicated House, Homecoming, A Stroll Thru Life, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Our Home away from Home, The Style Sisters, Savvy Southern Style, JAQS Studio, Gingersnap Crafts. The DIY dreamer, From My Front Porch To Yours, No minimalist Here, The Pin Junkie, Serenity now, Finding fabulous, Jennifer Rizzo, Exquisitely Unremarkable

14,000 things you didn't know about me

I know you all have read or played this game before.

Be it on Facebook or on the blogosphere, fun, interesting and quirky facts about someone can be a very engaging read ( not to mention sometimes a gossip here and there have sprung several times among my FB friends)! ;-)

Anyhow, in the name of FUN, Linda from Calling it Home, tagged me with these questions, and here goes my answers!

1. WHY DO YOU BLOG?

family

Started out as an outlet to share our life and home to friends and family back home in the Philippines. 

Friends

But this has blossomed as a sharing frenzy to people and friends all over the world!!!! 

It's addicting at this point since I now have new friends who share the common interests I have about decorating and design!

2. TOP 3 FAVORITE BOOKS

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Story of friendship and redemption and an eye-opening take on what Afghanistan was really like before all the chaos started.

Perfect gift for the reader kid for $58!

Who doesn't love this series yet? Heck, I'm still doing the audio books right now!

I love how simple yet so detailed this fictional place is. Just hate all the characters dying! Cried my heart out with book 6!

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First Shakespeare I've read and will always be a favorite. I'm trying to get my whole family into reading this glorious macabre!

3. WHAT IS YOUR DAILY UNIFORM?

Pjs & Shirt when I 'm home all day!

Shorts & Nice tee or blouse for the summer...

Riding boots, sweater and jeans for the fall

4. COOK FROM SCRATCH OR READY-MADE?

A fave in our household

Another fave

Wish I could do from-scratch everyday, but the reality is  some ready- made frozen stuff are just so good and so much easier!

FYI too, there are no frozen foods like this in the Philippines so these types of food, though not always healthy is a HUGE deal for me! ;-)

5. FAVORITE PURCHASE FOR 2013

JURA ENA 4

Hands down, the best I bought this year - changed our mornings and hence our life! 

Ok, I'm exaggerating, but now, gourmet coffee is just a press away!

6. DREAM CAREER?

Pediatrician

I'm definitely lucky doing what I truly love. 

When I chose my career I only asked myself one question - "what job would I want to do for the rest of my life?" This is it!!!

And oh, be an actress and sing in a musical of course!

My favorite of them all - know every song ;-)

7. RED OR WHITE?

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I only have 3 red items in my closet - a dress, a pair of shoes & a cardigan. :-)

Thanks again Linda! How about you, curious what's your answers are for all these questions too!!!!!

Have a Great Weekend!

*VEL* 

GUEST POST: What to consider when engaging in a home building company

Today, I have a guest post from IVY DELFIN a Copywriter/Digital Market from TODAYS HOMES in Australia.

She told me about writing a post on what to consider in choosing a home building company when she came across the beginnings of my Kitchen Renovation!

Todays Home

The wrong or the right home building company is one of those decisions that can potentially define you life. We know what a huge impact intelligent architecture can have on our lives; architecture can define the way we live. The politicians in Nazi Germany wanted the buildings that they built to outlast civilisation, as a testament to their power and their capabilities; almost everything we know from ancient times we are told by the magnificent relics left over form their cities and towns. Architect Christopher Alexander recently developed  a theory of ‘human-made order.’ It is based on our natural order, so there is neither contradiction nor confusion between the two types.

His theory can be defined thus:

“(1) Natural and artificial order rely upon the same mechanisms for their working.

(2) Natural order is self-organizing and self-correcting. What we observe is there because it works.

(3) Artificial order is not necessarily self-correcting, or maybe it is on a generational timescale so individuals are not going to notice it. As a result, human beings can do things to the natural environment and build buildings and structures that damage the world. It is not easy to diagnose what is good and distinguish it from what is bad.

(4) It is possible to use science to create diagnostic tools for what is good and bad in human creations — in how they affect the natural environment, including us humans.

(5) We can use the human body as a sensing instrument for what is good and bad in architecture. Basic assumption: human feeling is universal, and people share 90% of their responses, even if individuals come from different cultures or backgrounds.”

Source: Architecture daily.

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With this in mind, you should not take the choice of a home building company lightly. 

Choose it as you would a lifestyle, something that defines you, that you can inhabit but that also inhabits with you. 

So make sure to have lots of conversations with potential home building companies (like Today’s Homes), and then make a decision based on instinct, not price. 

Yes price is important, but this isn’t the place to scrimp and save, in fact, you should scrimp and save in other areas of your life in order that you can afford the right kind of home for yourself. 

You will find that once you have your dream home, other areas of your life will fall into place. 

The pleasure doesn’t stop there: you can then decorate and fancify your home once it’s built. If you have a particular vision for your home interior, you should discuss it initially with your architect, they might be able to help you realize it! 

Your home is the centre of your life, your happy place. Don’t let it become something that you don’t recognize, and don’t let it be shaped by external forces. It’s your home. It’s you.

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I pretty much agree with Ivy on the last two paragraphs especially. 

DISCLAIMER: I did not receive any product, service or monetary compensation with regards to this post and from anyone from Todays Homes Australia. All opinions are my own and are not coerced by anyone. 

Have a Nice day!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...