Crafty Me & More: Definitely a crafter's heaven

Since my blog doesn’t follow a specific topic and I usually blog about everything and anything that I want to write about, I decided to make this entry that tackles about some of the things that I’m passionate about. If you can read my blog title banner/header, you will see there that I included DIY, because I really love doing things or creating something from scratch rather than buying them off the shelves.

I am truly passionate about doing things DIY, which is very evident in my lifestyle. I sew my own clothes if time permits; I also travel DIY too. And ever since I was little I have had an inkling for arts and crafts. I probably owe that to my paternal father side’s genes, my relatives on that side of the family are all artisans in their own way. May of them draws well (especially my youngest uncle, my sister Hazel and my little brother), some loves to create DIY jewelries (some of my aunts), and some have the gift of creating garments from scratch (my grandma, my grand aunt and my sister Hazel). I don’t want to sound boastful but I think it was really innate in me to love doing arts and crafts.

Digital Blues and Periwinkles [Persunmall]

I’ve been visiting and purchasing apparel from several online stores that I truly adore and trust. And one of them is Persunmall.com. Persunmall will always be dear to me because it is the very first online store that I did a collaboration with by sponsoring a giveaway on my blog last year. This was the one of the catalysts that caused my blog stats to increase, that’s why I’ll always be thankful of them. Every time they ask me to promote something for them I never hesitated to do it for them. They are also very grateful and most often than not, they grant me store credits whenever I collaborate with them.

So when I collected enough store credits through Persunmall collaborations, reviews of products, coupon codes and giveaway winnings;  I checked my wishlist and see what items I can [finally] add to my Persunmall shopping cart. I also checked the new arrivals collection to see if there is something that I like and might get too or add to my ever-growing Persunmall wishlist.

Free Mineral Make Up Samples from Ellana

I remember when Mineral Makeup became so popular, and you can only buy it from high-end stores that carry U.S. brands or ask a relative or friend from the States to bring you some home. Lots of brands mushroomed here and there and girls went crazy over them because of the promise of being all natural, longer lasting, good coverage and that’ll make your skin healthy.

Mineral make ups don’t contain ingredients like preservatives, parabens, mineral oil, chemical dyes, and fragrance, all which may cause skin irritation specially to sensitive skin. And because it doesn’t contain oil, it has lesser chances to aggravate acne-prone skin.

The Porch Restaurant by Casa Verde

Another pastime that I love to do is to eat and discover new foodie places and try them out, but of course, it should be affordable. Although I would like to splurge sometimes on food, but most often than not I stick with what fits our budget. Though there are times that I allow myself to go  little over budget especially when there’s an occasion. I read from another blog about this fairly new restaurant that’s gaining popularity because of the mother brand that carries it, The Porch by Casa Verde.

If you guys have been to Cebu and have heard or try eating at Casa Verde, you know very well how good the food is from this restaurant. I was able to visit Casa Verde in Cebu IT Park back in 2012 (related blog post here) but didn't get to try their food except for their famous dessert: Death by Chocolate. Now they have ventured to Manila and aside from the Casa Verde in UP Town Center in Katipunan, their latest addition to their chain of restaurants is The Porch.

Turn Up The Heat of Summer 2014 With Choies

Summer is not yet over, well for most parts of the world it isn’t. But here in South East Asia, the rainy season is about to start. But that doesn’t keep us from hitting the beach if we want to. South East Asian countries, especially the Philippines boasts of many beautiful beaches and because of that we are can always have 365 days of Summer!

But for the rest of the world, June means Summer is drawing near but is still fleeting to the touch. But  don’t worry, it’s finally peeking its head around the corner. Admit it, I know you have been looking forward and dreaming of the warmth of the sun and the cool sea breeze hitting your entire body after enduring the grueling cold brought by Winter and Spring.

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: White Fence Country Cafe'

This blog entry wraps up my Puerto Princesa Palawan blog post series… Finally! After two months, I am able to complete a review of all the places and restaurants I visited for 4 and a half days during our trip to the Philippines’ Last Frontier and the so-called city in a forest. Not only that it boasts in natural wonders (which are the reasons why tourists flock to Puerto Princesa), it is also a place where good food and restaurants are of great quantity. Those that I have blogged about are just a few; maybe next time, when I get another blessing to go back to Puerto Princesa, I can try those that we were not able visit.

Since Puerto Princesa is a province in the Philippines, you would expect restaurants there to serve mostly native and exotic Filipino dishes. But there are some new places that go out of the norm and offer something that isn’t like the others and yet, still has that Pinoy flare on it. One good example is White Fence Country Café.

Drool-Worthy Dresses from SheInside.com Pre-Sale

Sheinside never fails to make me drool with what products they're offering! I'm a frequent visitor of their website, not only that I am a part of their Publisher Program, but also because I love checking out their clothes and see what i can score or what i can add to my wishlist for later purchase.

These past few weeks they've been coming up with super pretty designs that really really tempts me to almost purchase everything! Before I show you girls what's the latest items on PRE-SALE, let me first explain to you how it works.

Walk Down The Aisle in DressWe

It's the month of June once more... And what comes to mind when we here that? For most girls, when they hear that word, nothing comes to mind first but wedding. Yes, many girls want to become a June Bride. I don't know what's up with being a June bride. Well in the Philippines, June is the start of the rainy season, the  dry earth caused by drought brought about by Summer is rejuvenated by the downpours. But I've done a little research and here's what I found out:

During the 1400 and 1500, June was considered the time when people came outdoors after a long winter and bathed communally. I guess to marry when one is clean seemed to them to be a good beginning… It is quite possible that the use of flowers at weddings was also, initially, a way of masking body odor… June weddings also come from the Celtic calendar. Even the term “honeymoon” has a historical origin, referring to the first moon after the summer solstice – June 21 – which was called the “honey moon.”

PUERTO PRINCESA TRAVEL DIARY: Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn

Our Puerto Princesa Palawan trip, all in all is 4 ½ days, it was supposed to be just 4 days but our flight back home was moved to an earlier flight and on our last day we still have scheduled activities so we opted to take the next earlier flight the following day (from the day of our original flight sched). I don’t want to go into detail on what had happened because I’ll just get pissed all over again with Tiger Airways and I’ve promised myself to always look onto the good things that life (and God, of course) has blessed me.

Since our free accommodation at Legend Hotel Palawan through Club Astoria entitled us for a 3 days and 2 nights stay only (which I kinda overlooked when we booked the flights), we needed to transfer to another hotel. Weeks before we leave for this trip, I scoured the net  for affordable and decent places to stay in PPS. I’ve seen a lot but only one really caught my eye and strongly agrees with me on this. Well, on our last 1 and ½ days in Puerto Princesa, we chose to stay at Purple Fountain Courtyard Inn.

Puerto Princesa Travel Diary: What I Wore #3

On our fourth day in Puerto Princesa Palawan, we did another day tour to destinations on the outskirts of the city. We went to Irawan Eco Park to try their zipline, claimed to be the longest in South east Asia which is 1.3 kilometers long. I needed to wear something comfortable and with I can move around freely because will do alot of walking and some activities.

These were our itinerary for our second Puerto Princesa City Tour (click the links to read more about them):

- Irawan Eco Park and Zipline

- Crocodile Farm
- Mitra's Ranch
- Baker's Hill
- Binuatan Creations Handloom Weaving 

- Rene Saigon Vietnamese Specialties