saturday sneak peek

I rested for most of the morning because I had been on the verge of falling ill the night before. The cat stared at me from the other end of the bed, probably wondering why I was still not up.

When I felt a bit better I tagged along with my parents and sister to check out a garage sale by friends who are moving out. I got myself this pair of ceramic cups which are perfect for holding my pens and highlighters. You can never have too many pens and highlighters.

I was still feeling a bit under the weather but I made myself deal with long-postponed chores that could help ease and release stagnant energies in the house. I finally got around to organizing the bedroom bookshelf.

I also finally got around to clearing and organizing the art corner (which also happens to be the room's love and relationship bagua so maybe something nice will happen in that aspect of our lives). 

I have sideline/dayjob work to do and I just keep telling myself that it will all be done soon enough.

currently inspired by:

And since I am starting out on my personal New Year ('twas my birthday two days ago), this is a good time to refresh those corners and re-organize more towards to what I am becoming. There have been changes in the past year. For one thing, I write much, much more and have redefined the breakfast table as a writing table. I have renewed my book buying and will need to manage space better. I want a wall gallery for my artworks. My studio space needs a next-phase evolution.

It is easier now because I have captured my color theme and life flavor. All I have to do is basically fine-tune and edit so that my home is attuned to what and where I am in my life.

slowed down sunday

I have deliberately made myself slow down today as I caught myself getting all hyper and tense and stressed out about all the things that remain undone or unfinished.

I went out to see Brave in the movie theater with my suster, after which we had coffee and pastries al fresco -- just a few feet from the sidewalk where the rain poured incessantly.

I also ran some light errands while in the mall but always reminding myself to breathe and not act like I'm being chased by hell hounds.

I got myself a pencil case to organize my fountain pens, calligraphy pens, ink cartridges, Sharpies (in all colors), and drawing pencils. That way I can have a more portable art journaling set of tools.

I also ended up buying this lovely notebook that felt like an old library book and which therefore brought nostalgic feelings. So beautifully old-fashioned.

How's your Sunday going?

paprika and paper

Yes! I am finally seriously fixing my meal plan so I will eat well and on time for the rest of the year.

I was derailed for the past four or five days because of projects (from the Other Business) that came and needed to be attended to. Meetings alone ate up a lot of time and I had to postpone the grocery shopping many times. On the other hand, it also made me think even more seriously about having a meal plan that can withstand work loads and lazy modes.

Last night I found myself organizing my digital files (trying to find old work files) and realized that my digital clutter is more horrible than my physical clutter (which, I am rather proud to say, has been managed not too badly since the start of the new year).

So I made a craft file-book where I collated important articles, e-courses, references -- everything I will need and use over and over again as I move forward with my creative pursuits. I (re)discovered articles I had saved for reading at a later date. I un-bookmarked old articles that are no longer relevant. Basically I cleaned up and organized. And no matter what app or software comes out there, nothing yet can match the tangible order and versatility and flexibility of folders and paper. Yes I printed on paper but I was selective and the file-book itself is promising to grow into a beautiful collage and collection. I  have blank pages where I can write and draw as my notes and comments to the articles.

This led me to the idea of doing the same for my meal plan and recipe collection. I have lots of cookbooks and food magazines and I subscribe to a lot of online food blogs and websites yet it is such an effort to find something to cook for dinner. It really is time to have a system so I also get to cook or bake something new at least every week. I also want to keep vegetables as regular mainstays in every meal.

Paprika is an iPad app that I am finding to be very useful in collating all my online recipes from across all the blogs and websites. It is accessible offline and it has a wonderful amazing system for capturing recipes. From my physical cookbooks I intend to put together a recipe file-book (or file-box!) just like what I did with the crafts and re-write the recipes in my own kitchen shorthand so it is also easier to use and refer to. Then I will also turn it into a kitchen diary of sorts and paste photos of what I have cooked or baked. This way I can also easily check ingredients.

I am now wondering if there are printing papers out there that are made of recycled materials? I think I will be using a bit as I do more organizing. Perhaps I should check the bookstores thoroughly. I am sure something is bound to turn up.

:)

redecorating : making more progress

I got a good amount of cleaning, clearing, and redecorating done even with a sore back. I just avoided anything too strenuous and I remembered to do stretches during my breaks.

Today I did portions of the kitchen, dining area, work area, and the bathroom, plus I finished up the entrance area (a semblance of it, at least, since I have a tiny, tiny, studio).

These matchboxes were souvenirs from Beijing given by a friend. I love the cat images and decided to put them on display on the entrance table. The Welcome Home is a fitting message!

I dressed up the side of the refrigerator with light fabric to create the illusion of a wall instead of an appliance. It also effectively separates the kitchen from the entrance way. The flowery plastic container is made of a recycled and repurposed softdrinks bottle, handcrafted by my grandmother. The glass bowl on the left is a gift from another friend and holds an assortment of hard candy. The round decorative piece on the right is a tealight holder, yet another gift.

This recharging station used to be white which had become stained with stubborn dirt. I cleaned and repainted it and is now an attractive piece. This recharging station has been made to order for only Php700, patterned after a similar piece from Pottery Barn.

I covered these shelf doors with an old stock of French Provincial designed giftwrappers. Again another case of putting on display things that would otherwise be hidden and gathering dust and most likely to be forgotten.

The bathroom finally gets its turn. I disposed of anything I haven't used for the past six months. I cleaned my makeup brushes and devised a way to display and organize my flower clips.  Fabric coverings made everything look even more cleaned up and organized, not to mention bright and happy.

This is it. My whole stock and repertoire of personal care products (only a handful not in the photo because they are kept in the shower area). I used to have about three to four times as much when I was younger and used to shop with abandon. At least a quarter of the items here are gifts.

My trinkets. Hair accessories, rings, and earrings. And yes I only have two bottles of perfume. Necklaces are in the closet (which is next in line for redecorating).

I don't think I will get to finish the fixing and redecorating 100% by the time the new year comes along. But it will be a nice thought that the new year came in with most already done. Always looking at the bright side. :)

it's eleven in the morning and i just woke up

All that serious creative work and redecorating have caught up with me and I slept through the whole morning today. I was woken by the alarm at 5:45AM but then I could not move very well because my body was just dead tired and aching still. So I gave in and slept more and had more weird dreams until my body said, "Okay, that'll do for now." My back still aches a bit although it is much more tolerable. I guess I still have to take it a bit slower today.

On the other hand, this is the first time in long months that I have indulged in a very late sleeping in. I also feel cushioned by the progress I have made in prettifying my home so I don't feel guilty. Oh yes, even now I am plagued by that feeling of horrible guilt when I indulge myself. I am not quite sure how to get rid of it and just simply enjoy and savor the indulgence (especially since I have them either rarely or in small amounts).

I will need to write my plans and wishes and intentions for the new year between now and the new year. They are all in my head for the moment, chattering and having cocktails.

truly nesting in

My back has been aching since yesterday. I must have strained it with three whole days spent redecorating and painting and walking long hours through shops looking for ideas and materials.

So today I decided to stay home and take it a bit easy. I was planning to start on painting my wall but I didn't want to make my backache worse. Hence after doing half an hour of yoga for back pain, I contented myself with painting smaller objects. I also got a start on fixing my kitchen cabinets and making sure that there are no old useless stuff to carry on to the new year.

My home is starting to look and feel bright. It is no longer just a waiting place, or a transition place. Regardless of how my life turns out this will be my little refuge. A place and space for creativity and comfort.

A definite good morning as the morning mail brought my Mod Podge order from Deovir.

It's orange day today. I got this pretty shade called Tiger Lily from Ace Hardware. 

This metal lamp got a bit of extra after the paint. Glittery jewels in the middle of the biggest flowers to add a bit of something.

My entrance table gets a brightening up as well so it does not melt into the shadows and the somber gray of the refrigerator (which it is actually trying to distract from).

The refrigerator gets clothed in bright stripes to complement the entrance table. Mr. Pebbleman is assigned the welcoming role.

Whole waiting for the paints to dry I started fixing my kitchen cabinets. I need to get more of those shelf helpers that let me maximize my shelf space by adding second layers. The mason jars at the top shelf are joyful finds and will be used for projects as well as some food preserves.

The mason jar box became the Mogget box.

That's pretty much what I got to do today with my back feeling bruised and beaten. I took a lot of breaks during which I read The Perfectly Imperfect Home -- a perfect match for my current activity. This book is one of my Christmas gifts to myself. I also read from Alphabet of Thorn, a fantasy book I purchased for my iPad Kindle. It's been a while since I got caught up in a magical story, I didn't realize I missed it so much.

Only two more days until the new year. I should get started on my new year lists! Maybe I'll put that on my to-do for tomorrow. Until then, savor whatever is left of this old year! Tweet

redecorating in progress, part 2

Today I tackled my work/study/crafting area, plus a bit of the kitchen. I repainted the back of my bookshelves which also serve as wall dividers to give my tiny studio some semblance of space assignment. The original color of the shelves was a very pale blue and I wanted bright color. I got a yellow green shade that looks sunshiny in daytime and lime-lemony in the evenings.

This is the back of my biggest shelf which separates my bedroom from the rest of the place. Just as I put up my Sandman card collection on the bedroom wall, here I chose to put up my Griffin & Sabine postcard collection. I have always been a Nick Bantock fan and I love to do my own collages.

I also changed the books on display at the top of the shelf (they used to be my Japanese manga collection) to complement the postcards - here I have Nick Bantock's books and Barbara Hodgson's. Barbara's books are like Nick's -- with beautiful art and beautiful writing combined to tell compelling stories. I hope to write one of my own one day.

Instead of throwing away a worn out mousepad, I stripped it of its peeling cover and re-covered it with a fresh bright fabric. Good As New mousepad!

These fabrics are waiting to be used for other decorating projects.

I took advantage of a 50% discount sale of good quality storage boxes and now I finally have my art and craft materials in one place. I added the stickers for a touch of whimsy. The objects on top are the materials for a current project.

I brightened up an all-black purely functional kitchen shelf by covering it with a bright green and white plaid self-adhering wallpaper. 

Not to be left behind, I dressed up a bare shelf that stored my cleaning products, kitchen towels, rags, and floor rugs with a fabric cover  so that the contents need not be exposed for all to see. It certainly made this tiny corner of the kitchen look fresher, brighter, and better organized. The bottles in the basket are waiting to be repurposed into something functional or decorative or both.

I will be going out for a new paint color tomorrow plus more fabric for new window curtains. Do visit again!

the ultimate organizing challenge

We have begun to acquire a lot of materials and supplies to get us started on the whole crafting and vintage shop we are dreaming up. After the shopping spree there is now that task of organizing every little bit so we can monitor consumption, supply levels, and pricing. When we were finally unpacking things from the shopping bags we realized how challenging it will be to set up and maintain order with so many little pieces and types and colors.

We are on a small investment budget so we bought many things by piece rather than by pack. We bought ribbons and trimmings by yard not by roll. For starters we used empty cardboard tissue rolls to keep our ribbons, ric rac, laces, and other stringed trimmings. We got inexpensive plastic organizers for the buttons and beads. For wrappers and cartolinas and felt papers we got a trash bin to hold everything together. We also have a very small crafting space so we need to consider that as well.

We are not yet done taking stock of what we have so far. Any suggestions on organizing crafting supplies and materials will be most welcome! We have not yet even begun to think about how to store our fabric!

all saints' day

It's a holiday. The streets are blissfully quiet. The sun is shining softly warm.

I am cleaning and fixing my shelves. I actually want to step out into a cafe and have some quiet time in the outdoors reading and writing and dreaming.