No More Thinking of What Others Think of Me!

My ultimate goal for this year is to live free!

That is to be free of everything. Free to be myself, free to do what I want and free to say what I want. I want to be free from thinking what other people think of me and will think of me! I guess, I am so tired of that!

Crossing my fingers though that I can do it!

The Year That Was!

Happy new year! Here's wishing everybody a prosperous and blessed year ahead!

I've been itching to write something as the year 2016 was coming to an end. So, why did'nt I? It's not that I was busy or I don't have anything to write about. I guess, I just did'nt get into opening my blog. And when I did, I was kinda surprised that I haven't even written a single thing the whole year!

So, I am thinking, my first blog for the year would be a recap of my 2016.

Here it goes or shall I say here it went...

- Started to like and collect cactus and succulents again.

- Missed Maricris' wedding at Ilo-ilo. Felt guilty for she has invited me more than a couple of times long before the wedding date!

- Met up with Net-net, Ghela and Mamang in Manila for the summer.

- Brought Mamang to our little house in the valley - June/July 2016. Enjoyed having her at home. We didn't fight at all! Wished she could have stayed longer though. Brought her back to Bacolod and stayed for only 2 weeks.

- We celebrated my mother-in-law's 80th birthday at Island Cove. They spent so much money on the accommodations or the package, as they refer to it, but I think it was'nt worth it. The food was plated and it looks so pathetic and embarassing in the pictures and it was posted in facebook! The room accommodations was okay but my "I don't know what's with her" sister-in-law lowered the ac temp that I was'nt able to enjoy the very nice comforter! We just wasted money buy not having the opportunity to stay & sleep in an ac room the whole night! So much for staying in a 5 star resort-hotel!

- Started destashing and selling my craft supplies and they were sold like hotcakes! So, I'm thinking of selling craft supplies.

- Applied for business permit for my beads and clothes online biz.

- Typhoon Lawin devastated the province. It was very scary! You'd think a tornado was just above the roof and that it will carry the house away! I even thought of lying flat on the floor! It felt like the two big trees in front will be uprooted and will fall on the house. It was also the longest typhoon I have experienced! It felt like the morning will never come! I even asked if the sun will still shine! But it did and it was magnificent! It really does look like hope! I was thankful that no major damage happen to me and our little house. Power was cut off for almost a month and a half. After a week of having no power and no water, I decided to go to Manila.

- Two weeks before Christmas, power was back. I really wanted to go home then but decided not to since I was expected to be back in Manila to spend Christmas until New Year there.

So, there goes my 2016!

Thrift Store Shopping For My Birthday!

I am enjoying the thrift store haunt and finds at the moment, so this year, the birthday gift I gave myself was a thrift store shopping spree! I am happy I found beautiful pieces.
I am loving the plate! It was by Narumi's 2000 year plate featuring Chihiro Iwasaki's illustration of the Tulip Girl Statue from 1973 collection, my birth year!

The flatwares. I love the vintage sugar cube tong!

A beautiful stemware! I love the detailed Rose carvings on the stem.

Cute mini ceramic reamer. This is the second reamer I bought from the thrift store. Hmmm... another one and it will be another collection?

A 70s Eagle sand art frame, souvenir iron trivet and tin tray!

I got a great deal on these two! Wood bowl and wood server tray.

For future DIY projects!

A happy birthday to me indeed!

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Surplus Shop Sneak

Going to surplus shops has become my obsession lately. It was decided at first that those trips will just be done once a month. But oh, waiting for another trip is just too long a wait! So, on my trip to town last Friday, I sneaked into one of the shops and these are what I got!

Condiment server. My new and recent "will buy" items are serving dishes and I am just so happy with this find.

White ceramic dessert plate. Honestly, I wasn't too happy with this one. But well, there's nothing I can do but use and enjoy it.

Wooden Wise Monkeys. This one is a great find and more of a dream come true as I really wanted to have something to remind me of the "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" thing.

Happy thrifting indeed!
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Shopping, Vintage & Thrift Stores!

Vintage things always interest me. There is something in their beauty and craftsmanship that is just admirable. A trip to a surplus shop, a thrift shop, flea market and garage sale is always such a treat. When there is enough extra money to spend for extra things, I go to those places. Either I am searching for items that I collect or to look for some nice vintage stuff. Sometimes, I buy things like bag, belt, hats or dress for myself but most of the times, it is for the house, for the kitchen in particular.

My recent obsessions were teacups, plates and saucers (which to be used as dessert plates). I love mismatched ones! Here are some of my recent finds.

Recent finds. I just love the little ceramic rabbit and chicken.

So excited for my Escargot dish plate. I got it so cheap too!

With a help from a spoon collector, I learned that spoons I found were called berry spoon. I particularly love the Daisies on the handle of the butter knife. They are just so cute!

Wooden trays. This Okayama wooden tray is one of my great finds and great buy!

They were sake bottles/containers. The sake cup is one of the four cups in a set. It depicts an erotic scene but in an artistic way.

Vintage glass reamer and glass bowls.

Other finds.

For fabrics, I usually buy table linens, placemats, table runners and dish towels. I particularly look for those with seasonal designs. Oh my, I just realized when I took a picture that I have amassed such a collection already. They are not all vintage, by the way.

It was just a piece of lace when I saw it in a rummage sale. It must have been a part of a vintage dress or something. Looking it over, I thought that maybe I can use it to embellish future project. I asked the seller if I could just have it for free and she said sure. At home, I first tried putting it on a lampshade but it doesn't look okay. Then I saw one of our throw pillow with a plain pink case. It sure needs a little update and the lace perfectly fit!
When I bought this crochet doily, I did not know at first what to do with it. I just like that it's vintage and was on a cheap price. When I was looking for something to cover the top of our water dispenser, I decided to put the doily on it and see how it looks. It perfectly fits and it looked nice so I decided that the doily will be the cover during summertime.
Some fabric stuffs that I found were used for framing projects. There was this very nice tapestry which I got for a really cheap price. I just bought a simple frame for it and framed it myself. When I showed it to my hubby, my sister, a cousin and some friends, they were amazed because of the price and for how it turned out so well. Happy me!

Another fabric that I framed. Perfect for my Easter vignette. This was also the first time that I put up a vignette (as a result of so much blog hopping!). :) The beanie babies plush toys were also bought from a rummage sale. The bunny couple was from a surplus store. They too were great buys (price and cuteness).

Another fabric find with Peacock embroidery. I don't know what it's called, but I am guessing it must be worn on the neck by women. It looks like a bib. Anyway, I love the Peacock design and I am still hunting for the perfect frame. Isn't it beautiful?

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