Reveal: New wall gallery for my little girl

This gallery has been a work in progress for a few months now and finally it's done! If you remember last month, I posted a sneak peak of the arrangement of the frames I was planning to do (I went with Option B!). But even before that, I was already figuring out what to put in the frames.

Btw, all artwork are from Etsy.com (some I had even bought almost 2 years ago) except this one which is Miley's 1st ever drawing! It definitely deserves a spot on the wall. =)

And here's the DIY flower frame I did (see the tutorial HERE).

Here are the other pictures which are a mix of the different things Miley loves. =)

Oh, and the best part? This whole wall gallery is DRILL FREE! I just used double-sided mounting tape to hang everything. Good job to me haha! =)

DIY: How to make a Flower Picture Frame

Here's my latest DIY project, and probably the easiest one yet! I'm working on Miley's wall gallery and decided to spruce up one of the frames. Read on to find out how. =)

I bought this set of 3 round mirror frames from SM at P249.75. They come in different colors btw. I used the smallest size (5") for this project.

You can actually use it as a mirror or a frame. But if you display a photo, there's no glass that covers it which is just fine.

I found these foam popsicle sticks at National Bookstore for P39.50. They're about 6.5" long and really soft.

 I just cut the edges of the foam sticks for my petals...

Then I just used masking tape to stick them to the back of the frame. I alternated the light and dark pink colors for this one. And make sure you have already placed your picture inside since you won't be able to open the back part once you've placed the petals.

And here's my new flower frame! Cute right? And I just used double sided mounting tape once again to hang it on the wall (since the hanging hardware will be covered with the petals and masking tape as well anyways).

I spent less than 30 minutes doing this. Super easy! Now, I can't wait to show you the whole wall gallery once it's done. =)

Color, Cut & Treatment at Hairport Central Salon

FYI, I hardly ever go to the salon. Thrice a year is probably the maximum for me. I don't know, I'm just not the type to have treatments done or even mani-pedis. If I can do it myself, why not save money and spend it elsewhere. That's why I end up trimming my own bangs and putting nail polish on myself. And there's really no point in changing my hairstyle every couple of months since I'm always at home anyways. ;p

The last time I went to the salon for a major hair fix was in February, when I bought a voucher from a group buying site for a cut, color, and treatment deal. Yes, it's been that long! Well, then I just had a trim a few months ago in one of the cheap salons here in BF for about P99 (I actually just wanted to get a blow-dry since I had a wedding to attend hehe).

Anyway, last week, I was finally itching to do something with my hair. I was thinking of getting a perm but then just decided to have my hair colored again to even out the roots. If you're familiar with the BF area, you know that there are so many salons to choose from. And since it's also December, there are a lot of Holiday promos ongoing as well.

One salon I pass by frequently is Hairport Central Salon. Their big banner at the front featuring "Special Gradient Packages" caught my eye. So I looked up their Facebook page to find out more about them and their other packages.

I believe these packages run until December only

these packages are available year round

I still wasn't sure if I was going for the Ombre (P950) or Pamper (P1300) package at first. But then I figured, my hair actually looks ombred already with my dark roots almost halfway the length of my hair. So better to just have everything colored. And besides, I asked and their Ombre package means that they will just color the bottom half your hair. So whatever color your hair is will stay as is on the top part. If you want them to also change the top half, you have to pay extra for the coloring of the roots. So it will more or less cost the same if you want coloring for your whole head of hair.

Anyway, here's some pics from my salon day. My first time getting a "dry shampoo" meaning the shampoo was placed on my dry hair while I was sitting down. And then of course rinsed after on the sink.

I was offered an iced tea and also a small snack. They have free wi-fi which is good since their magazines were a bit outdated. They gave me hair magazines and a Cosmo which was last year's issue.  Hopefully they stock up on the latest issues and more publications.

Some shots of the interior of the salon...

And here I am waiting for the color to set. They used a Korean brand hair dye and then an organic treatment for my hair.

And they also have a rewards system. So if any of you decide to try this salon, tell them Helene referred you hehe!

Now, here's a BEFORE picture of my hair. My dark roots were already really obvious as you can see from my ponytail shot...

And here's my hair AFTER! I'm really happy with the result although I did ask for a lighter shade (I even had a peg). It actually looks like they just evened out my color. I don't know why I can never get the exact shade I want. Well, probably because I don't go to those high-end salons haha! But at P1300, it was a good deal (although I didn't avail of the eyebrow arching included in the package anymore). The service was good and the salon was nice and clean.

Surprise! I got BANGS! What do you think? =)

Oh, I forgot to say, I also timed this salon visit since I had a wedding to attend to that night. I have a habit of doing that so I hit 2 birds with 1 stone. Sayang naman if your hair looks good then you have nowhere to go after right? ;p

at Hotel H2O with my date for the evening

Hairport Central Salon is located at G/F Triple W Homestore Building, President's Ave., BF Homes Paranaque City (4784677). They also have a new branch in Quezon Avenue at the Sun Shine Boulevard Plaza next to the BIR Office. Or check out their Facebook page for other details.

Getting crafty with Christmas wrapping

Our dining table has now been transformed to my official gift wrapping station. I try to get a little bit done everyday so I don't end up cramming when Christmas is finally here. ;p

I really love wrapping presents. I'm a believer that the way a gift is wrapped affects how you see the gift. But as much as I want to go all out and be like Martha Stewart, I simply don't have enough time with 2 kids running around all day. But I try my best so here's a few tips and ideas on being resourceful and creative when wrapping presents. =)

First of all, I think I'm a hoarder. Or I just like keeping things for future use someday. One thing I never throw out are those ribbons from gifts we receive. Sayang naman right? =)

But one thing I hate are those unsightly creases when you untie the ribbon. If you use it again to wrap another gift, it's so obvious that its been used before. So what do I do?

I iron it! I actually just use my flat iron and it works just fine. Just run the iron a few times over the creases, just like you would over your hair, and the ribbons are as good as new! ;p

Another thing I like using aside from normal gift wrappers is manila paper. Not only is it cheaper, but you can also get more creative! Last year, I drew stuff and wrote the recipients name right on the paper, so no need for tags anymore. You can also use magazine pages or even newspaper to wrap your gifts. Nothing beats recycling right? =)

While browsing through the November issue of Southern Living, I came across this great DIY article on Christmas wrapping by Marielle Nadal and Nikki Abelardo of Craft MNL and decided to give it a try.

Here's my "snowflakes" from magazine pages...

What do you think? Not bad for my first try right! Anyway, can't wait to finally finish wrapping all the gifts and then give them out. Christmas is so near already! =)

Fun activities at Dusit

During our buffet lunch at Dusit, we noticed there was this small area at the lobby where you could get glitter tattoos for free. So, Miley and I checked it out and what do you know, she LOVED it!

The thing is, Miley hates strangers. So I wasn't really sure if she would allow someone to touch her hand at first. But when she saw the different designs and the glitters, she got excited as well. She was even the one who chose the unicorn design and the colors! =)

After a while, she wanted to get another glitter tattoo. But there was a line so we noticed that there was a tumbler making area right beside it (you choose what stickers you want to place on the tumbler). Well, let's just say she didn't want to leave and ended up finishing almost all the stickers. We went home with 4 tumblers. Good thing they were also free! =)

Then, it was finally her turn to get another tattoo. During the first one, she was sitting on my lap. But after a while, she was on her own like a little donya haha!

She ended up getting a Dora and lips design on her legs, and another one on her arm of an angel. She wanted more but we already had to go! ;p

These glitter tattoos are so cute but I hope she doesn't get a permanent one when she grows up hehe!  ;p