Simple joys as of 6/26

Tahooooooooo!

Keeping the table chaos at bay. Took me until almost 1 am to finish the day. 

Braided retasos. Trying to reimagine it as a blouse. But nah I'm going to make throw pillow covers instead. 😉

                             I made it!

Nailed it! Attempt to make my own weaving frame. Hirap pala magpukpok. 🥴

Childhood cake cravings, mocha roll!

Pande coco't kape. Best pande cocos always come from local panaderias/bakeries. Nothing fancy. Yummmmy.

Ruffles

Simple Joys as of 6/19

Simple joy of decorating

It's no secret that I love decorating our home. Putting meaningful pieces and pieces that only capture my heart and attention is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I splurge when I have extra money. I must have gotten it from childhood frustration. Frustration that I never had a dollhouse. I may have also gotten it from my uncle who was a self-taught interior decorator. 

Also, I remember very well that the beginning of this simple joy of decorating started at a friend's home back in Dubai when I was in 6th grade. It was one of those moments when I realized, the outside doesn't matter really, it's what's inside! It was the prettiest home I had ever seen. It was cozy, pretty because of the choice of colors, and soulful because it was clean, themed, well-lived, and it was just inspiring. I learned that with a little creativity, resourcefulness, and taste, any space can be beautiful. 

A cozy and personalized home is a must for me. It doesn't need to be a mansion or a premium space (bonus if you happen to live in one), honestly, the trick is to be yourself in your selection. Only add pieces that add joy and spark to your space. It takes time and a lot of research. Beauty, as always is, subjective and doesn't follow trends, that's the key.  

I grew up watching my mother and father buying our furniture and home decors at a bazaar, global village, provinces, anywhere but rarely from malls. I think they enjoy the thrill of finding good and great finds, and I got it from them. It's an acquired skill. And I am glad I learned it.

I have a soft spot for handmade pieces, if they are not handmade, I want them to be as unique in prints as possible. I love textures, wood, steel, colors, patterns, and ornamental and intricate details. 

My room was bare for a while when I got myself a new bed and bed box. Of course, the sheets need to be smooth and plain. Ayoko ng magaspang. Recently, I decided to add my reupholstered narra stool as a side table, vintage rug, personal commissioned paintings from CJ de Silva, Ima Raquedan, Joe Hilario, Sam Tadeos, and my VNC artwork. Then, I added the new vintage rug I got from My Ottoman Home. For something as beautiful and special as that, it deserves to be hanged on my wall. Next project, have my room repainted! :)

WFH essentials. I got the blue magnet as a freebie from My Ottoman Home. I like the color so much and it 

worked as a paperweight.

Beautiful. So special. I got a little resourceful here. I used my door hanger and my hanger with clips to hang this. It worked!

I think I have the most beautiful mousepad (carpet) right now. Another one from My Ottoman Home.

It took years before I found the perfect side table for our living room. So when I saw this on My Ottoman Home, I knew it was the perfect special table to put there.

My view everyday. I work outside so I made sure the space is airy and open enough. I find myself staying here a lot. :)

A book for Introverts... like me

It was 2016 when I discovered that I was an INFJ through the Meyers Briggs Assessment. 

I thought, ahhhh kaya pala! Kaya pala ko ganito. 

It's not a cliche but I often get remarks like:

Bakit antahimik mo?

Andito ka pala. 

Remarks that I find annoying because I often get it from noisy and attention-seeking individuals, lol. Well, that's rude of me to say that. 

Throughout the years, I am learning not to make comparisons between introverts and extroverts. It's hard because I honestly feel that most extroverts are overstimulating. 

The corporate world is built that way... engagement and events are crucial. Sometimes, I no longer feel the sincerity as everything feels forced. But, I'm in it so I guess I have no choice but to go with it and just learn to set boundaries. Boundaries. Word. Another hard one because many adults don't know this.

When I start to force myself to be sociable or outgoing or talkative simply because I fear I'd miss things out, I would feel drained afterwards. It's not how I function. And at times when I start to believe that not sharing and living a quiet lifestyle are unusual and boring, I turn to this book.

Being an introvert is fine. This book explains and takes you to the different layers of being one. It's okay and it's beautiful.

So, for introverts like me, I hope you find a book like this. Sometimes, a book can be your friend and/or voice that would say, "It's okay." 

Apron dresses, my way

As I imagine loungewears, I can't help but want to create apron dresses, and when they, by any chance, materialize, I want them to be denim, comfy, airy, and utilitarian with lots of useful pockets. 

Face Study 3

Made a face study this weekend, it's bigger than the last time. What do you think of those blush ons? 

I kind of like them. 😊

Flamingo Colors

Tried my new Staedtler Triplus "Flamingo" Pens. So far it was okay, it wasn't the tip that I was expecting but some colors are nice. 

Loungewear in "Flamingo" colors

My first attempt in trying to draw a rose. I want to draw flowers, too.

My "Library" and Nook

Upon the arrival of my treadmill, I suddenly felt the drive to rearrange my spaces. And cleaning came next.

It was past 12 am and I was moving my things around. I hoped I didn't disturb anyone. I think I was making a lot of noise for 5 mins while I was pulling my sewing machine out the nook.

It was tiring but time flew by fast, when I checked the time, it was 2:20-ish am already.

So just to share, here's my workspace and "library" because my long table made this area look like one and I work here. The  nook where I used to put my sewing machine somehow looks like a treadmill room now. 😅

Workspace/Library (My books are still in the nook) 

Treadmill Room/Reading Nook

Ovicx Q1

Last week, I decided that I was going to get myself a treadmill. 

I hope to get back to exercising. I NEED IT. I gained weight and not losing any. My mother approves of it, she also wants one and I want one. It's a win win situation.

Katas to ng work from home. 😅😂

It's easy to set up but it's heavy, it wasn't light at all. Everything is compact. Setting it up is intuitive and I just followed a video from YouTube. 

It looks better than what you see in the picture, bigger and more spacious, too. 

Arte time: A wrap up

There is magic in pen and paper that helps me clear my head. Perhaps it's the energy I put in shading colors, in stroking lines, in selecting colors, in putting my ideas on the paper... 

Looking at these outputs reveal to me that I like vibrant colors, cute and feminine aesthetics is shown in my drawings, and I love using pens. 

I hope I continuously illustrate even after my short vacation. I really enjoyed this and I want to be be good at this. ❤️

Face Studies

Yesterday I made my first face study and did another one today. I'll finish coloring tomorrow. 

First study

Today's study

To add, down to my last sheet in my sketchpad, I made two figures. It was supposed to be three but I messed up the third one.