Wall Two.

I have decided to set my home-decorating mission into very small milestones so I will not feel so overwhelmed with filling up our small abode.  As you know, I started with the one-walled foyer.  I am proceeding with the "wall milestone" approach which, in my estimate, should get me to complete the whole mission in 2-3 years!

I have just finished another wall.  This is one of our living room walls.  At the back of which is our jungle storage area.
Let us start with my nice jar which I got from Mandaue Foam for a little over PHP2,000.  It  has the same design as my other jar in the foyer but in a different shape.
This is my cute red cabinet which I purchased from iDeas almost a year ago.  I did a bit of an overspend on this one because I fell in love with it.  It looks antique and is not an ordinary furniture piece.  This holds the mini DeVant TV which we got from a sale. The TV, by the way, only costs more than PHP7,000 and is doing pretty well.

The paintings I purchased from the Home Market section of Market! Market!  They have the original paintings done by Filipino artists... not as famous as Arturo Luz but their works are very nice, too.

This is a depiction of Old Manila by a certain painter with the last name Cruz.  I apologize for not getting his full name.  I need to go back and ask.  Price of the painting plus the frame is PHP450.
The black and white painting captures the Eiffel Tower.  This is by another Filipino painter with the last name Alvarez... again, I am not doing my homework.  Sorry.  This cost me around PHP700.
The most expensive art we have is a painting of the Magellan's Cross by Antonio Calma.  Not too expensive still because we got this for just PHP3,000 after haggling with the art store.  We are after all their "suki" already.  I really liked the color and how it blends with the furniture placed on this wall.

That's 2 down and more than 10 walls to go.  

By the time I finish, I may need to start re-decorating again.  But, I guess, this is the fun (and pocket damaging!) part of building a home.

Foyer Done.

It is a project that has a moving target completion date.  I guess it will take some more months (perhaps, years?).  The more important thing is that there is progress.


I am happy to tell the world that our foyer is now complete.

Our house is not big so don't be surprised if the foyer I am talking about is just one wall.  This took 10 months to finish.  See...

The sunburst mirror I got from True Value in the Powerplant.  Sunburst mirrors are said to be lucky because they symbolize glowing or bursting energy.  Damage was Php5,000.

Elephant figurines also help bring good luck especially if their trunks are pointing upward.  They also say that the figurines should not face the door else luck will escape.  Got my set from Mandaue Foam and costs Php800.

The two picture frames we got as gifts while the wooden piece was from the Home Market at the Market! Market!.  It was made from Bulacan and costs Php180.

All of these from Mandaue Foam.  Damages were Php1,000 for the bowl and Php200-220 for those round stuff.

The console table was a great find from the Home Market at Market! Market!.  It was from Ilocos, made of Mahogany and costs only Php2,300 (after bargaining).

The nice slim jar was from Mandaue Foam and costs Php1,600 (I think I need to put some twigs in there to address that bare part of the wall).  Notice the obsession for things that look like bursts.  For me, they symbolize positivity and energy.

Total cost of this wall was Php11,540.  That's like saving Php1,500/month for the 10 months that we were here and having these savings invested on stuff that make our home even more cozy.

Now, I need to save again for the next wall... er... portion of the house.

Project Curtain

The truth is... the house move in has kept me away from blogging for the past 3 weeks.  I am still tired actually... and the things to fix in the house do not seem to end.  But I am loving it -- putting things in order and beautifying the interior (with a very limited budget).

The latest accomplishment is completion of the window curtains.  Thanks to SM, Landmark and Market! Market!... their curtains are cheap and nice.  Gone are the days when you have to buy yards of textile, have it sewn by the seamstress and wait for a few more days.

See how the curtain project panned out.

Living Room.

Dining area.
My boy's room.  Took advantage of the Market! Market! sale.  Only Php280 per panel -- 50% off!
Family room.  From Market! Market!
Bedroom 3.  Market! Market! curtain still.
Stairway.
Master Bedroom.  Notice the white curtain with green trimmings.  Nice find in SM for only Php399 each panel.

Next project... wall decorations!

Light Shopping.

No, this is not about shopping less.  This is about shopping for house lights.


My two weekends have been devoted to the house project so I am a little bit exhausted now... really... but, yeah, excited.


It was a good thing that shopping for lights did not bring me to far away places just to get discounts.  The Global City has the glorious MC Home Depot.  It is located along S&R's block and occupies a large area so it can't be missed.

From Iphone loads

It is organized much like SM Department Store.  MC Home Depot has its own large store where you will find aisles for the different home construction/improvement stuff -- electrical, tiles, paints, hardware, etc.

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Outside the store, there are smaller stores that specialize on specific home construction products.


In the Depot, we got pin lights, a spotlight, and the ceiling fan for the family room.

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We went outside the Depot store to Akari to get simple lights for the bedrooms and the bathrooms.


Then, we discovered Light Options.

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They have a wide selection of light fixtures... most of it at reasonable rates.

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We found the best track lighting fixture in the building with LED bulbs! LED, by the way, is currently expensive but consumes the least energy and is said to last longer than the normal incandescent, halogen, or even fluorescent bulbs.  We also got the mirror lights for the bathrooms... see the classy look but really... they are affordable.

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The best thing about Light Options is they have the most accommodating sales staff ever.  They did not look irritated with all my questions, managed to entertain all customers, NEVER resorted to hard sell talk and, most importantly, they gave discounts!  Here are Marco and Geron (their supervisor, Charles, was busy with a customer).

From Iphone loads

Those were a lot of lights for two weekends but, goodness, I am not done yet.  I still have some more to buy and I have not even started with the toilet fittings.  Too many expenses... I must not bust our budget.  Lord, help me.

Design Inspirations.

Activities for our house move are picking up so I am getting excited by the day.

Our contractor will start with the renovations next week (I hope!).  Deliveries and installations then need to be coordinated.

But since we are working on a VERY limited budget, the house can still be considered bare even with the renovations.  Design of the interiors and how it will feel homey must be figured out by moi.

I do have an artistic side but have only used it on cheap stuff.  I need to be careful about this.  I cannot, for the love of my husband, purchase a furniture and set it aside if it does not fit the intended concept.

The internet, indeed, is a wonderful invention.  I have found good websites that I super recommend for amateurs like me. 

Design Sponge Online.  It features sneek peeks to houses of real people, not celebrities or royalties.  They have a good mixture of lifestyle write-ups from gardening, parties, cooking and some do-it-yourself stuff.

From Digicam Shots

Desire to Inspire.  It focuses more on houses, both interior and exteriors (including the garden).

From Digicam Shots

Martha Stewart Online.  I go directly to the home decorating portion of the website.  This has a more organized presentation so you get to your topic in mind the fastest.  They have a link for decorating, gardening, home improvement, painting ideas, organizing, etc.

From Digicam Shots

And, of course, we have the Urban Zone on TV... now aired on Fridays.  It starts very late at night but I make it a point to watch.

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I've grabbed some ideas already.  I hope it turns out well and not too expensive.  Update you soon.