Online shopping at Instagram

I don't know when exactly it happened, but Instagram is definitely the new Multiply when it comes to online shopping. I used to be one of those people who loved shopping on Multiply, especially the "vintage" or ukay-ukay finds. In fact, I even became an online seller myself for a while back then. ;p

Now, I think every business has an IG account probably because it's so easy to connect with people and post pictures of products. I admit that I wasn't a fan of Instagram before but now, I'm obsessed with it for the shopping part haha! I love how I can find stuff online just by searching a hashtag or when other bloggers post their finds. Now, I'm following mostly online stores, so my feed is always brimming with products and SFS (shout-out for shout-out) ads.

When I'm nursing Skyler (which is basically 80% of my day), surfing online via the iPad or my phone is such a great way to pass the time, especially during the wee hours of the night when I can't really turn on the TV. However, it's also a curse since I've discovered so many great stuff online as well which I can't resist buying! Hubby already thinks I need an intervention since he always finds me scrolling through store after store and product after product in deep concentration. I also have so many Viber conversations with sellers through my inquiries and orders. Plus, I've also made him go to the bank a couple of times to pay for me haha!

Sharing with you my favorite online finds so far. :)

CRAFTY HATTIE

Crafty Hattie was kind enough to send me these goodies which I can't wait to use! They sell all kinds of washi tapes and also party & DIY supplies. What's also great about them is sales from their shop is used to support kids via World Vision and a weekly feeding program. Now that's shopping for a good cause. :)

InstaMUG

I've been seeing all kinds of items that can be personalized with Instagram photos, and one of those I really wanted was a pillow. Some of the stores I found online were a bit expensive (about P600 - P850) so I was happy when I discovered InstaMUG, which sold the covers for only P400 each.

Feedback and service were excellent. I got a response to my inquiry at once, and when I sent the pictures for layout, their artist was even the one following up if I had seen their email already for approval. Shipping was super fast since I got the pillow covers the very next day after I gave the go signal! I was also happy with the overall quality of the prints.

NAME ON PRINT

Here's another cute store which offers personalized items. I got some mousepads (P175) and also some coasters (P395 for a set of 6) which I gave away as gifts. I totally forgot to take photos of the items though, except for this mousepad which is what I got for myself. The coasters are made of exactly the same material so just imagine it being smaller in a square or circular shape.

PAPER CHIC STUDIO

I was browsing online in the middle of the night during a nursing session and happened to catch the start of one of Paper Chic Studio's sales. Their baker's twine was 15% off (P187 each) so I decided to place an order before stocks ran out. I originally wanted the colors blue and pink, but the blue was already sold out so I just got the yellow one instead. I also bought these pretty lace stamps at P30 each. Can't wait to use these in my DIY projects. :)

KAWAII CREATION

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Win and I've been looking online for those cute, customized cases. Unfortunately, most of the stores I follow don't sell for this phone (usually for iPhones and the other Samsung models only). So I just searched the hashtag #samsunggalaxywin or #galaxywin and found this store.

They sell interchangeable cases which is basically different inserts that you place inside the case. The one for the Galaxy Win costs P400 which comes with the case itself (Alibaba brand), a screen protector and 7 interchangeable inserts (I got an additional 2 free since they had a promo that time). They have so many designs to choose from and you can even customize it as well.

To be honest, I wasn't really happy with the quality of the printing up close. But it wasn't really noticeable once it was inside the case anyways so it was fine. However, I encountered a problem with the inserts though. After I used the case, I started to lose signal. I thought my phone was broken but after a while, hubby connected the dots that it was the inserts causing the problem. Since the inserts were made of cold laminated glossy photo with silver back, it completely blocked the antenna of the phone since the signal in our house is weak. It was fine if I used it outside the house, but when I'm home, I have to remove the inserts (hasel haha!).

D'JOUR SHOP

I've been looking for these origami skorts and all I had to do was search the hashtag #origamishorts to find lots of online sellers. Usually, I'm a bit hesitant to buy clothes online since I can't fit it nor see the material up close. But since these were just 2 for P450, I decided to go ahead and buy them. And I'm glad I did because I really love the fit!

Well that's all for now. I think I really have to control myself, otherwise I'll end up buying so much more stuff hehe! I think it's also partly because I haven't really been out for almost a month that's why I've been so trigger happy online. I guess I just miss going to the mall and actually shopping for real haha! Coming up, my online buys from Zalora! ;p

DIY: Paper doillie signs for your table centerpiece

I'm obsessed with paper doillies nowadays and I just thought of a cute way to incorporate them in your party. Every event nowadays (from weddings, baptisms, birthday parties, etc) has its own hashtag. There are lots of ways to let your guests know what hashtag to use when posting pictures, and here's what I did for my brother-in-law's engagement party.

Materials:
- paper doillies
- barbeque sticks
- scissors
- double sided tape
- masking tape
- circular print-out of your picture

I used 6" paper doillies (P14.40 for a pack of 12 pcs.) which I bought from Landmark.

I made a silhouette art of the couple's pre-nup picture and placed their hashtag on it. Then I measured how big I wanted it to be (about 3.5") based on the size of the doillie and printed it out. Put double-sided tape on the back of each picture...

And stick it on the center of the doillie.

 Then attach the doillie to a barbeque stick using masking tape.

Cover the exposed barbeque stick by sticking another doillie on the back of the first one.

Now you have these paper doillie signs which you can stick on the centerpieces in every table!

Which will look something like this:

You can also use it for table numbers, show photos, or whatever else you might think of. I just think it adds a cute (and super inexpensive!) accent to your centerpiece don't you think? :)

Follow me on Instagram!

I've had my own personal Instagram account for a while now, but I've always kept it on private settings. So I finally decided (just yesterday!) to make an IG account for my blog which you can see below. :)

As you can see, I only have a measly 10 followers as of now, so please please follow me! hahaha! Thanks everyone in advance! ;p

Random pics of my babies

 Here's just some moments that were captured on Instagram. :) Cuteness overload hihi! ;p

rain, rain, go away...

Ate, wake up!

Miley's obsessed with PINK... so kikay!

while watching Tangled... (yes, ayaw magpatalo ni Sabe sa kanyang "long hair")

bubble girl

popstar hair

late night snack, which we got for free! (delivery was late hihi)

keeping up with the latest chismis ;p

my princess ballerina

children of the corn! lol!

Instagram photo dump

Some IG photos from hubby and me taken last month:

My first time to drive to Alabang Town Center from the house and also to reverse park! Success but I still need LOTS of practice

wall climbing

burger date at Size Matters in BF

water babies

chips!

finally watched the 1st episode from Season 3!

it's a pool party with Mamu

summer in the sala

using the mirror as his blackboard

merienda from Yellow Cab

lazy day

We're headed to the beach for a little family vacation! So excited and can't wait to go swimming! ;p

Instagram photo dump

I'll probably be posting Instagram pics once a month (my first one in January can be found here) just coz there's a lot of captured moments that I won't necessarily be dedicating a whole blog post to. Anyway, most of these photos are from hubby since he's the more active one in IG hehe. I still prefer using my camera kasi e (in fact, most of the pics I upload are actually camera shots which kinda defeats the purpose of Instagram haha). ;p

an afternoon at the park, right before the kids got sick!

Sabe as BOOTS from Dora or TED MOSBY from How I Met Your Mother
(if you watch the show, I'm sure you know the reference to the red cowboy boots ;p)

breakfast at our new garden set after the Condura Skyway Marathon
(hubby ran 21k in under 2 hours!)

look what we got from the ATM! #dlsufirst ;p

Miley finished her first 16 pc. puzzle all by herself!

the cookie monster strikes again!

while waiting for Miley to finish trial class...

behind the scenes arts & crafts for Miley's Hello Kitty party

Happy birthday to youuuuu...
Miley's birthday lunch at Grandpa's house

happy Sabe at Nuvali (I still have to post about our recent outing there)

Mustache Miley

and finally... David Pomeranz in G4!
We just happened to pass by his concert when we were at Glorietta last weekend for dinner ;p