Hardcore Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware never fails to inspire me. I want to sleep in a room that looks like any of these:

With a primping area in the bathroom:

 

I like the mix of rustic and industrial here. I can imagine filling the bookshelves with my collection of books. So when I have the chance to sit, I can just plop myself on the couch and read to my heart's content:

I don't need a fancy dining room. I want one that's open and welcoming, a table to share stories at while enjoying home made meals. When I was growing up, our house was open to all our friends, and every one who came over was welcome to sit down and enjoy a meal with the whole family. All my childhood friends have fond memories of dining at our table, munching on tacos and sloppy joes, or my Mom's Italian style spaghetti. Those were always a hit with high school kids, haha! Practically whatever it was that we had on the table, it was welcome to be shared. When Berry grows up, I want our home to be the place for her friends to hang out too.

And I would love a kitchen with a prep table just like this. So French! Oooh la la! I just don't know how safe it is to put breakables on open racks like that! Especially with a toddler in da house! Yikes!

BOOKMARC This Page

Growing up, up until today, I get a retail high from book stores and stationery supply shops.

Whether I needed it or not, I'd often end up buying things, always with some excuse as to why I needed them at the time - notebooks (Jordi Labanda, how stylish, maybe it'll rub off on me), pad papers (for my to do list, never mind if I have a Filofax - a Filofax, how quaint!), folders (I have lots of reading material to organize, as if), markers and colored pencils (useful when I'm feeling creative, which happens every 10 years), another stapler (this one's perfect stapling a thick stack of pages), a tape dispenser (it's pink and it has sand inside) and yes, books and magazines (do we need an excuse for that? Uhm, no) !

Days before the big move, my editor Cecile asked me to check out Marc Jacobs's new pet project called Bookmarc, a book store, for The Radar.

I said "Yes! Of course!",  never mind if I had 20 million boxes of stuff to take inventory of. Thought that was the perfect excuse to step out for a breather, because hello, it was for "work" you know.

A few days before Bookmarc opened, we happened to pass by and I saw it was still boarded up. I thought nothing of it really, except for the fact that I found it sad that Biography Book Shop closed down after years of occupying that spot. (Well it's not that sad, Biography Book Shop re-opened as Book Book down the same street.) With Bookmarc now in its place, at least the essence of the place to browse for interesting reads wasn't entirely lost in translation. To my eye, they also pretty much kept the place intact, save for a paint job.

Here are a couple of items that caught my eye:

Take note, nothing from Marc Jacobs's Special Collection items are over $30. So true to form, I couldn't resist walking out the store with stuff I don't really need, hahaha! (Hint: I'm giving that leopard print key chain away, along with some other things I picked out myself, for my long delayed blog anniversary giveaway! Will get to that when I have the time, pfffft! But yeah, watch out for that!)

Read all about my Bookmarc finds and their prices, HERE!

Who Will Be googoo&gaga's Kooky Kid of the Year 2010?

As far as I know, Berry holds the crown, throne, scepter and title as The First Ever googoo&gaga Kooky Kid. Heehee!

Since 2009 is about to give way to 2010, then she will have to pass on the privilege of being googoo&gaga's Kooky Kid to this year's winner. To be eligible to join, all you have to do is take a photo of your little one wearing googoo&gaga and send it to audrey@googooandgaga.com. Previously submitted photos are considered eligible.

Like Berry, the winner will win Php 5,000 worth of googoo & gaga items, plus a specially designed googoo & gaga shirt. How special is that?! Super special! 

For Berry's custom shirt, we told AJ & Audrey that Berry loved music, and with that, they came up with this:

It's just so Berry! We love it so much, we've actually asked Audrey if we can order shirts for Berry in various sizes, in this print of course, so she has one to wear as she grows.

I have to warn the parents though, if you're into winning as much as we were, be prepared to shamelessly bug family and friends for votes. Hahaha! We were so competitive, it was  almost stressful. But when we won, hey that was so much fun! It was a nerve-wracking, emotional, and fulfilling bonding experience that the whole family will tell Berry about for years to come.  Winner!

A is for Art, B is for Bayo

...and C is for Cory!

Put them all together and what have we got? A capsule collection for Bayo showcasing former President Corazon Aquino's paintings. Her work will be seen on shirts, tank tops, 1950s-inspired dresses, and canvas totes:

Bayo will donate a portion of the proceeds from every purchase of these items to support the diverse advocacies of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation and the iamninoy-iamcory movement.

Jessica Holiday 2010 Collection

Are you excited about all the Holiday parties coming up? I am! I actually bought some party dresses before leaving, because I just wasn't sure if I'd find anything I'd like back home. But. How could I have forgotten Jessica. I remember I used to check their section in Rustan's Makati and the stores in Greenbelt and Shangri-la for pretty dresses (these stores have closed since). I even recall buying a glittery poufy skirt with sequin embellishments from Jessica on sale - it was just Php 500, no joke!

So, if you're in the mood for some party dressing, you might want to visit Jessica! Here are some pieces from their Holiday Collection that I like:

If you are planning to go some place cold for the holidays, they've got some fur shrugs, fur trimmed vests and striking coats too. I'm actually liking the haute hippie kind of vibe:

In the Philippines, Jessica is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI) and is located at Rustan’s Makati, The Podium, and Eastwood Mall.