Herbivore

I would like to start this blog by apologising to my #supercool #superfun #pumapayat with #lipsofanangel business partner: Hannah. 

Dear Bud, I went on a site visit to our clients house a while ago. Kuya Joseph (our clients brother) brewed super yummy coffee for me and then we talked about so many things! I kind of lost track of time. So I think some of our working drawings won't reach the deadline you gave me.. ermergerd. But I'll try to still finish them on time :D

Good news is I got a client freebie!!! As kuya Joseph and I were talking about his love for plants and herbs, he gave me this:

Anis

This plant is called Anis. It's leaves smell so strong and they are used in a lot of Vietnamese dishes. I wish the internet had #smellstagram.

I was a bit worried that I won't be able to take care of the plant. As you know, most of the herbs that I bought in Tagaytay just wilted away. So he gave me tips on how to properly grow herbs.

Half sand, half organic ash.

1. Herbs don't like to be drowned in water. So..

2. Plant them in a terra cotta pot with...

3. Half sand half & half organic ash soil mixture.

4. Make sure your herbs get the right amount of sun. 

5. Basils love sun. You can leave them in your terrace.

Coach adds a bit of tanginess to the herb. Bad dog, Coach!!!

Let's try to cook Vietnamese food when you go here bud. :D

That's all for now :) Time to get back to work. Promise I'll work as fast as I can.

xx!

-Y

Urchin Hunt

Hello! Today I'm gonna share with you photos of sea urchin shells that I found during a walk in the grassy beach of Stilts in Calatagan, Batangas. 

Beach finds ;)

Sea Urchins are extra thorny, when alive, so I got the dead ones (I didn't want to get peed on because of urchin sting).  

Cleaning them up before we go back to Manila.

Finding one was such a thrill! I felt like I was doing an easter egg hunt, except I was looking for shells, underneath sea grass, that also housed sea cucumbers and sea snakes (scary!).

I love their rustic colors.

Anyway, these things are so cute. I took home so many of them. Some I gave as gifts while the rest i placed in a small basin, and displayed them as the centre piece of our living room. I think they're bored just sitting there so I might do some of the urchin shell crafts that I found in Grains of Earth.

Giving them a sun bath before I put them in my plastic bag.

I love looking at sea urchins. They remind me of sunny beach days with the whole family. :)

-Y

The Dancing Tea

It was a cold day and work wasn't that hectic. So I decided get a cup of tea, read a book and relax. But before I took a sip from my cup, I saw it steaming with different figures. I was amazed with the very mysterious and playful flow of the tea steam. So I ran to my room, got my camera, and did a pho-tea-shoot (he he he).

Here are some of the photos:

Climbing snail.

Woman.

Mushroom. (I really love mushrooms!)

Squid.

Dragon spitting fire.

I just realized that they look very Japanese in form. Don't you think so, Hannah? 

It's really interesting how even cup of tea can show beauty.

-Y

A Custom Fit Condo

Our favourite step in the Interior Designing process is the getting-to-know-you session with our clients. It's such a pleasure to chat with them, over coffee (or tea), as we learn new things about them - how they deal with life, what they do in their spare time, what they want and don't want. Chatting with them and learning from them gives us a pool of inspiration for our designs.

Here's Sunny Side Up's first Interior Design project:

Living room. LOVE in NY has a special place in their hearts. <3

Center piece. She wants everything organised so we bought a tub for her remote controls.

She's not a fan of curves. Look at how all the legs are vertical and straight.

Ad Astra wall. I've known her since highschool and she's been reaching for the stars since then. *drama tear*

Lover of simplicity. She doesn't need a lot of stuff.

Our client knows how to have fun.

Jia was very satisfied with the work done in her condo, not because we're such great, creative, fun, cool, efficient and fabulous Interior Designers but because we took the time to get to know her better. In doing so, we were able to give her the condo that's custom fit to her personality.

Tips for keeps:

We used canvas for her curtains and they turned out nice!

We used wood vinyl planks for her accent wall (very cost-efficient and easy to install).

Artificial succulents don't look artificial at all. Try them.

Our Home has lots of good furniture! Of course, check the quality before you get them (this goes with any furniture and accessory brand)

We used stair lights as ambient lighting for her "Ad Astra" wall.

"You can never have enough storage." -Jie Pambid. We put a pull out under-stair storage behind the dining area.

Covelight can make a low ceiling look higher.

-Y

Colour Pies

Monday's are the days when you try to pick up the pace (rhyme not intended). As a designer, these are the days when I need inspiration -for work- the most. I can go to the mall and check out new furniture and accessories or I can visit galleries to look for artwork that can inspire my projects. But on this rainy, lazy Monday, I've decided to just stay at home and get colour inspirations from around the house. Check them out!

Tita is preparing some warm ginataan! Super perfect for the weather.

These are macopa we got from our neighbours tree. Haha! 

Nothing beats walis tambo in dust sweeping.

You can use these colour schemes for interiors, logos, clothes or even your nail polish. Just don't tell people that you got them from walis tambo or stolen macopa. :p

It's really easy to find inspiration from everywhere, you just have to appreciate. :)

Have a fun and productive Monday everyone!

-Y

Discovery Dates

La Mesa Dam

When in the park, run through a hidden pathway.

Kingfisher Mangrove Park, Coron

Try a different mangrove route.

Lingnam, Binondo

Van Gogh is BiPolar, Maginhawa Street

Eat at different types of restaurants.

Paco Park, Manila

Run in a municipal cemetary.

Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo

Visit galleries.

Get out of your comfort zone and try something new every now and then. Believe me, you'll discover a lot of new stuff about yourself. 

Enjoy what's left of the weekend!!

PS. I'm a girl and the guy in the photos is my boyfriend. I'm a bit obsessed with him. :p

-Y

Sheepy Day

Saw some sheep today. Aren't they cute? They were kind of hard to take pictures of because they kept moving away from us even though we were walking towards them really slowly. Yani and I looked like a bunch of weirdos yelling out "baaaaa baaaaa" so they would "trust us." Haha sort of like saying, "Hey hey, sheep, we're not humans."

baa baa

 That's them, looking at us because we were calling out to them. Haha I can only imagine what they were saying in their adorable little heads. "We ain't that stupid...baaa baaa...we know what you are," or, "Awww...these humans. So weird."

Humans, are you lost?

Anyway, I just thought, don't they look like clouds? No? To me, they do! Haha So I did a little illustration for you all. Nothing fancy. Just some sheep looking like clouds. I hope it makes you smile like it did me when i was drawing them. Well, I giggled...a whole lot. Haha

Rainy sheepy day

Sunny sheepy day

-H

Flower Power

Can you smell them from the screen?

Have you heard the famous quote, “Stop and smell the flowers?” This phrase tells us that we sometimes tend to focus too much on the path that we have, in line with the goals that we set for ourselves. Apparently, we become too obsessed with these things that we forget to enjoy the actual journey.

Let me give you an example. Imagine yourself eating your favorite food in the world. Your eyes pop out and jaw drops in the sight of this sumptuous plate that you are about to attack. For me, it is a Japanese meal, specifically a Mori Soba accompanied with Maki, Tamagoyaki and hot green tea on the side. While at the peak of extreme hunger, we quickly grab our eating utensils, pick the food, swallow and bite it all the way down to our tummy. Once satisfied, we rest on our seats after indulging in this great feast. We cannot move. We carry a heavy stomach, full and bloated. A few minutes later we wonder where the food goes. Did you savor its flavor, texture and taste the crisp or juice of every ingredient therein? Did you even know the dish that you just ate? 

This example points out that we tend to forget to appreciate the little things we have around us. Many can raise their hands in guilt of this, including mine. If only we learn to stop and smell the flowers on our way, we can still see the beauty in a difficult day.

Straight from our gate.

Here is a short list of what I consider some of my “flowers” to be:

• Stop to look at flowers. (Pun intended. Haha)
• Soak in a good shower.
• Ogle at a gorgeous sunset.
• Enjoy my meals.
• Appreciate a joke even the corny ones. (Especially with Yani Haha)
• Stare at my dog and see how happy she is when I give her my attention.
• Take pictures of the sky. This is definitely one of the most beautiful subjects ever. The sky is different every single time.
• Hug my pillow. (I love hugging things. This is not a sentimental statement. Haha)
• Prize a cold glass of water.
• Take deep breaths. (I have asthma that’s why I highly appreciate this.)

Some of these things may seem absolutely ordinary. But this is exactly my point. Relish everything.

-H

Pop ups

When will I see a four-leaf clover?

Hi I'd just like to share something that might weird you out: I've always wanted to be a dwarf. There you go. I've always dreamed of playing with mystical creatures of the forest, building houses under tree roots and running under the shade of mushrooms, when big droplets of rain start to pour. 

This bunch of super small plants can be a resting place for dwarf dogs.

It's one of my most favourite childhood dreams (aside from becoming as sexy as Sailormoon) and that’s probably the reason why I am easily captivated by mystical-looking plants and fungi.  It chases me back to those days when I was free to just dream and play the whole summer, when life was free from problems and bills. It brings me back to the days when life was simpler, happier and lighter (I'm not talking about my weight).

Mushrooms are so cute and they taste good.

I really wish I can go back to those days. Good thing God has created memory- a mysterious thing that can be sparked by such small objects like mushrooms and clovers.

xx
-Y