Delightful DIY with Dutch Mill Delight

DIY Washi Tape Cake Bunting

First of all, it's hubby's birthday today! I had a little surprise planned for him but more on that later. I just want to share with you first the super cute mini bunting I made for his cake out of washi tape. It really is so inexpensive and easy to make but makes a great impact.

Materials:
Baker's twine (or yarn, thread, or whatever string you have lying around)
Washi tape (or you can use scrapbook or wrapping paper, just cut them up into tiny strips)
BBQ sticks (or paper straws)
Scissors

Washi tape is so easy to use for this project because it already has adhesive so no need to glue anything together. Just cut up a small piece and position in the middle of the string...

Then fold over to seal.

After you have your desired length, you can cut up your flags into whatever shape you like.

Then, just tie the string on your sticks and you're done! So simple but super cute. :)

I did 2 layers of buntings, but it's totally up to you if you just want one or maybe even more.

Like I mentioned, I wanted to surprise hubby for his special day. So after he brought Miley to ballet class, I also went off to do some shopping. When he entered our room when he got back, there were lots of balloons scattered around and of course, his cake! But I think the kids were the ones who really enjoyed the balloons after haha! ;p

So again, happy birthday to the best hubby and dad we could have ever hoped for. Thank you for providing for us, for loving us, and for always being there for us. I thank God everyday for you and I love you so much!

Gift wrapping on a budget

I've just started wrapping Christmas gifts a few days ago and it's really something that I enjoy and find therapeutic.

I started with the gifts for Miley's classmates and school staff and I love how everything turned out. I used kraft paper (P6.50 a pack) and Manila paper (P6.00 a pack) to wrap everything, then just jazzed them up using the decorative/washi tape I got from Divisoria (6 pcs for P100!). I didn't even use gift tags for most of them, since I just wrote the recipients name right on the paper using colored markers. :)

Manila and kraft paper basically costs the same, but I like the color and texture of kraft paper better.

I bought the washi tape a few months ago and didn't really have any with a Christmas design. But the beauty of using decorative tape is you can totally get creative and mix and match different colors and patterns! Here are some of the ways I decorated each gift. The possibilities are endless and each package is completely personalized! :)

Here I am practicing my scripty handwriting. What do you think? haha! :p

I was able to wrap 12 gifts using about 2 packs of kraft paper. And at P6.50 a pack, that's like P1 per gift! Add the decorative tape (which you don't really need much of per package) and I think I spent a total of less than P5 wrapping each present! Yey! See, you totally don't need to spend so much to make your gifts look cute. Anyway, you can also check out my post last year for other gift wrapping ideas. Enjoy! :)

My first washi tape projects

If you read my post on my shopping loot from 168 Mall last week, you know that one of the things I bought was washi tape - a LOT of it.

6 rolls for P100

Like I said, I didn't really understand the whole washi tape craze when it started. I found the tape really cute but it was too expensive for my kuripot self at about P100 per roll. But then, I went to Divisoria and saw these babies being sold for so cheap! The paper and fabric ones were about 4 rolls for P100. I decided to get the cheaper tapes being sold for 6 for P100 because there were more designs to choose from. I believe they're cheaper since the texture is plastic (so do you still call these washi tape?). Well, here's a closer look at the designs I got:

kiddie designs

prints & patterns

travel themed

I plan to use them mostly for wrapping gifts, but I couldn't resist spicing up some of the plain stuff lying around the house - like the kids' portable DVD player :)

And the charger as well! ;p

Now I understand why people are so crazy about washi tape! They make everything look so cute! ;p Now I'm so addicted with searching for other DIY projects you can do - and there's so many possibilities. But first, I want to go back to Divisoria and buy some more tape to add to my collection haha. :)

Shopping loot from 168 Mall

Finally, I was able to go back to Divisoria after soooo long... the last time was exactly a year ago! I think it's becoming a tradition to go during this time of year though, right before the Christmas rush sets in. Good thing my mother-in-law wanted to go too, so we convinced hubby to be our driver and alalay for the day hehe. ;p I also invited my mom along so it was really a shopping day for us girls. Anyway, we left bright and early so we got to 168 Mall at around 7:30am. We were able to find really great parking in the basement right in front of the elevator (which is a must since hubby made several trips back and forth to put our stuff in the car - so we would have our hands free for more shopping!).

Anyway, we had breakfast first in the foodcourt and by the time we were done, most of the stalls were already open. It was good I had a list ready so I didn't feel so overwhelmed since I pretty much knew what I was there to buy. But still, it was hard not to get sidetracked with all the cheap items up for grabs!

Here are just some of my favorite personal buys from the day:

Wrapping Paper Books - I saw this before during my previous trip to Divisoria but didn't buy it then. Ever since, I've been seeing these sold in the mall and online for more than double the price. So happy I finally got my hands on these babies!

left: P130, right: P100

Washi Tape - I didn't really understand the whole washi tape craze ever since it started. I found the tape itself really cute but my kuripot self couldn't imagine spending about P100 for a single roll. Well, Divisoria really is the place to go since you can find all kinds of washi tape for so cheap - the paper and fabric ones were 4 rolls for P100. I decided to get these tapes which were cheaper at 6 for P100 - and I got 24 rolls! Now you can say my washi tape obsession has officially begun! :)

6 rolls for P100

Leggings - my closet staple! Loved the material of these leggings since it's very light so they're not hot to wear.

black leggings: P180, blue leggings: P75 each

Silicone Chopsticks - I bought chopsticks like these last year but as usual, we can't seem to find them anywhere around the house. Got pink ones for Miley and hopefully they last longer. :)

P60

Party Supplies - Got these for Miley's birthday when she celebrates in school. Yes, her birthday is all the way in February but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go back to Divisoria before then anyway. So at least, ready na months in advance pa lang haha!

goody bag (10 pcs): P20
paper plates (10 pcs): P30
paper napkins: 3 packs for P100

these are the other paper napkins I got, but for the house

Kiddie Coat & Tie - We've been looking for a coat for Sabe since he'll be attending a lot of weddings in the coming months. The cheapest one we saw was about P1,800 in SM. Well, thank you to the bridal section at 168 mall and we were able to score this one for a steal!

coat: P500, tie: P100

Kiddie Crocs- got the kids another set of slippers which they use around the house

P150 a pair

Cars Toy - Sabe loves CARS the movie so we had to get him this toy - it moves with lights and sounds!

P220

Of course, hubby didn't go home empty handed. Check out what he got for himself hehe:

plastic belt: P100

knee support: P80

Oh, and we got this electronic mosquito killer lamp for the house. We just tested it so far so I'll still have to let you know if it's effective. :)

P250

A lot of the other stuff I bought are for Christmas gifts (so I can't post those yet kasi surprise hehe). And even though we spent about 7 hours shopping, I still feel like I have a lot of stuff I'd like to go back for. We're still trying to convince hubby to drive us again though, so wish us luck! ;p