Tous Comes to Manila

Spanish jewelry label TOUS finally makes it to Manila. They had a launch last week at Glorietta 2, and I have to say, I'm smitten. 

Look what I found.

stackable Tous Puppies, plus the Tous Cruz. Tous cute!

These threadbare rings are just too chic for words. I love how they can be stacked, or worn to maximum effect with one on each finger.

These are 18k white gold rings with diamonds. I want to stack 'em up and buy 'em all.

Or to make it more meaningful, maybe buy one piece for every occasion: birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, its-a-bad-day-I-need-to-buy-something kind of celebration, and so on until you get each single piece.

Which leads me to their hashtag #TenderStories. TOUS puts emphasis on celebrating milestones and moments gifting, saying that for every milestone we celebrate, there's always a tender story to tell and to share. That we should celebrate life, and we can do so with a fun and thoughtful present from TOUS that makes for a delightful surprise.

Fair enough. I know I like the idea of it already.

More than just the rings I showed you, TOUS is known for their fun designs. Tous is also known for its iconic teddy bear, the brand’s emblem.

Rosa Oriol, who started TOUS as a small jewelry workshop in her husband's watch repair shop,  designed the teddy bear in 1985, and since then it has become one of the top 100 icons of Spanish design. 

It was inspired by a plush teddy bear in a shop window, and it has become an amulet that evokes all the sweetest memories of childhood. Of course, TOUS is not just for a certain age, as there are plenty of styles for both the young, and young at heart. Even your grandma will find something fun to wear for everyday here.

There's even something for the boys.

See?

The Man Ring and colorful bracelets on the guy

Their Spring/Summer 2015 Collection is a true testament to the tender, fun and youthful spirit TOUS is known for.

Take a look at these, or better yet, visit the TOUS store in Glorietta 2 to see more.

About TOUS:

TOUS is a family business that delights its customers with original jewelry made of luxury materials. Founded in 1920, the brand took off under the direction of Rosa Orio; and Salvador Tous, when they decided to follow an innovative jewelry concept that distinguished itself from traditional fine jewelry. In recent years, it has become a lifestyle brand with its jewelry, handbags, fragrances, watches, glasses and accessories.

Today, TOUS has presence in 5 continents and nearly 500 stores worldwide, from Barcelona to Japan, Mexico, Paris, New York, Hong Kong and now Manila.

Visit TOUS at the ground floor of Glorietta 2 in Makati.

For more on TOUS, visit their website www.tous.com, and follow @tousjewelry and @tousphilippines on Instagram.

Aeropostale in Manila

Have you been to the Aéropostale flagship store at the  Ground Floor of the New Glorietta?

I have yet to, and honestly because I am not exactly the target market, heehee. But if you have teenagers in the family, it's definitely worth a visit. The casual apparel and accessories store, which traces its roots to New York, opened last May 2013, and carries a selection of jeans and denim pieces, graphic tees and hoodies, underwear, yoga and other items. 

About Aéropostale:

Aéropostale dates back to the 1920’s. Named after Compagnie Generale Aéropostale, a pioneer airmail company, that was the first ever to fly between France, South Africa, and South America, the first store opened in 1987. Aéropostale has always represented a sense of adventure, achievement and dedication. The early Aéropostale stores captured the essence of this airmail voyage both in the original store design and in the aviation styled leather bomber jackets that they sold.

In the Philippines, Aéropostale is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI).

Back-To-School Midnight Madness Sale at Glorietta This Weekend!

Calendar this, dear readers! Glorietta is having a Back-to-School Midnight Madness Sale this coming Friday to Sunday, May 31 to June 2, 2013. 

Ayala Malls invited the SoMoms and SoDad to a sneak peek of what's going to be part of the sale via a game kind of like The Amazing Race.

We split up into teams and my partner was Cai of Paper Chic Studio!

We went around Glorietta to look for the best deals and documented our finds:

Keepsake/storage boxes at Papemelroti starting at Php59

Baby Couture diaper bag at 50% off, which now sells for Php549.88

Janylin flats with neon trims starting at Php399

Gingersnaps sandals for kids at 50% off, Php425 from Php849.75

Floral shorts from Kamiseta for Php799. Not on sale, but still a steal!

Basics for Kids Floral print dress at 50% off, Php272.50 from Php545

 

Aztec print sling bag at Payless, Php796 from Php995

Preppy belts for little boys from Spanish brand Mayoral, starting at Php485

Gorgeous dresses for little girls, also from Mayoral (not on sale but pretty though!)

Gingersnaps maternity dress, down to Php750 from Php999.75

Cute oversized shirt from Just G. I cannot remember the price but I remember this was a good deal!

These are just but a fraction of the treasures we found, and judging from what the other teams spotted, there's plenty to keep the school age kids, in fact, the entire family happy and ready to get back to school!

If you've got the time, and the cojones to join the mad rush for deals, thrills, and steals, check out the Glorietta Midnight Madness Sale this Friday to Sunday!

PS - Where did the summer go? I can't believe June is just 2 days away!!!

(Photos 2, 3, 4, 13, 14, 15 taken by Tammy David) 

Cupcakes by Sonja is Spreading the Cupcake Love

What happens when...

and...

...spend an afternoon bonding over cupcakes? Well, they have a fabulous good time! That's exactly what happened when Berry & I joined the SoMoms and the SoKids at the new Cupcakes by Sonja shop at the Bridgeway in Glorietta 2 when it opened a few weeks ago:

Going to Sonjas is a huge, great, big deal for Berry because in our home, she is the biggest Cupcakes by Sonja fan ever! So much so that she has at least one box a week from Auntie Miriam.

Not only is she a consumer of cupcakes, Berry loves to bake too. When we want to keep her occupied, we give Berry a box of cake mix, cupcake liners, a bowl and a spoon and she's pretty much a happy camper in the kitchen all afternoon. So when Berry had the chance to ice and decorate her very own cupcakes, she was so excited! She took to the icing and frosting spatula like a fish to water:

She enjoyed sprinkling her cupcake with sugar and candy sprinkles,

And had a blast decorating the cupcakes all by herself, with very minimal to no help from me:

Yes, she decorated quite a lot, but she enjoyed doing everything, she even managed to frost a cookie!

For Berry, meeting Tita Sonja is like meeting a rockstar. Or maybe meeting a Disney Princess. When I told her to have a photo taken with Tita Sonja who makes her favorite cupcakes, she suddenly became shy and wanted Atchi N to join their photo. But "momtuition" tells me she was thrilled to bits inside. Just look at that smile!

Berry with Atchi N and Tita Sonja

By the way Dear Readers, you and your kids can go to Cupcakes by Sonja at Glorietta 2 and arrange for a cupcake decorating party for you and your friends too. Or you can have them bring cupcake customizing kits to your party venue. It's a unique and fun activity that I am pretty sure kids from 3 to 73 will love. Is there an unhappy child in this photo? No? Told ya!

Incidentally, we also got to bring home and try the new cupcake flavors at the Glorietta 2 store and I cannot wait to go back! I used to be just a Peppermint Patty kind of girl, but my oh my, I now have a growing list of flavors to try: Outrageous Mississippi Mud Pie, Valrhona Milk Choco-Hazelnut, Melt-in-your-Mouth Flourless Chocolate Cupcake and more. Uhm yes, I love chocolate!

Six years later and Cupcakes by Sonja is continuing to revolutionize the cupcake industry! (Haha, industry talaga) Apart from coming up with new gourmet cupcake flavors, it also has a growing customized cake business, offering cake pops and dessert buffets for private parties and corporate events. Sonja has definitely come a long way from the time she was frosting cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in the West Village years ago. And just like Magnolia Bakery, the store that started the cupcake craze in Manhattan, Sonja's cupcake stores are popping up around the metro!

I got to chat with Sonja's business partner, Anne Gonzalez of Terry S.A., and she shares more stores are set to open within the year at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Eastwood City, Greenhills Promenade, and TriNoma. Isn't that the sweetest news? Woohoo!

For more information, visit Cupcakes by Sonja online:

FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/CupcakesBySonjaOfficial
TWITTER http://twitter.com/CUPCAKESBYSONJA
INSTAGRAM http://instagram.com/CUPCAKESBYSONJA
PINTEREST http://pinterest.com/cupcakesbysonja
BLOG http://blog.cupcakesbysonja.com/
TUMBLR http://cupcakesbysonja.tumblr.com/