Washi Notebooks

by she said

My mom is slowly getting me into her washi tape addiction!! I never thought the day would come, hehe : ) 

I had an unused notebook I bought a long time ago from Muji and decided to dress it up during this rainy weekend. I'm so in love with the pretty patterns of these Japanese paper tapes!

 

We just used scissors to trim off the excess tape from the edges of the notebook. The best part is that washi tape is re-positionable so you can try to see how it looks on different angles!

The finished product!

Mom and I were so excited with how great they turned out and we can't wait to use washi tape for more stuff real soon! : )

All washi tape from Paper Chic Studio.

Kindness is Contagious

By She Said

We were recently at Creative Kids Studio to share our 100 Acts of Kindness project. After our story telling and art activity with the students, they surprised us with a thank you gift- a whole set of their very own non-toxic washable paint! My daughter is having a painting demo in school and this is exactly what she needs. This is the reason why we just can't stop giving back. Blessings big and small just keep coming our way. 

Creative Kids Studio Washable Paint. Proudly Filipino Made.

We found some great books about kindness, so we've added story telling to our activity and the kids loved reading along with us.

Thank you so much to Bambi Mañosa-Tanjutco of Creative Kids Studio. We're looking forward to our upcoming projects with you!

Grandmothers Know Best

By She Said

My daughter and I live down south while the rest of our relatives reside on the opposite end, north of the metro. We make it a point to visit them at least twice a month because we do get lonely sometimes and crave some good old family bonding.

On the day of my daughter's birthday, we went to visit  my maternal grandmother. She makes sure to prepare lunch for us whenever we visit. She knows all of our favorite dishes so we tend to overeat a little when we're at her place plus not only that, there's always a care package sent home with us- cooked food to be reheated for those days we don't have time to cook, mangoes, jack fruit & plantain bananas from her backyard when in season, rice cakes, and sometimes even some fresh frozen prawns from the Sunday market nearby. Aren't grandmothers just amazing? She lives with my aunt, who takes care of her and they are both the sweetest and two of our most favorite people in the world!

My daughter requested for lumpia shanghai (spring rolls) for her birthday lunch and so lumpia shanghai it was...

Sapin Sapin birthday cake!

Frozen Fruit Salad.

My beautiful grandmother. She always gets compliments on her soft, smooth skin and often gets asked what her beauty regimen is.  #olaybeauty

Although she's turning 94 in a few months, she has excellent memory and she remembers everyone's birthdays. She goes to church every Sunday and spends her time puttering and tinkering around in her garden. When I grow up, I want to be just like her : )

Thank you, Lola Mama and Tita Rose for Bianca's birthday lunch! It was by far the best birthday lunch only great/grandmothers know how to prepare. We love you and we cherish every moment spent with you.

cupcakes & macarons

by she said

When my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told her I wanted to have a cupcake and macaron birthday cake and have a few of my friends over. We came up with the idea to have a dessert buffet set up at home and luckily everything came together. My mom brought out all her girly dinnerware and linens and the set up was so pretty! It was exactly what I wanted.

 

 Mini crowns handmade by Anagon Collection.

 Washi tape place cards. My mom has a washi tape addiction. Please raise your hand if you have one too. Washi tapes from Paper Chic Studio

Teapot boxes from Vanilla Cupcake Bakery are the cutest : )

 A buffet spread of all my favorite food- cupcakes, cookies, pink lemonade, candies and more cupcakes. My mom said I had to have at least one savory dish on the menu, so I went with chicken pie.

 I helped make these doilie candy cups.

Do these jars look familiar? We've kept all the pannacotta jars from Chez Karine because they are just too adorable.

 These freshly baked cookies were a gift from my Tita D. Thank you!

My cupcake and macaron birthday cake.

blowing the candle.

Thank you to my awesome mom for organizing the cutest birthday get together ever. I'm already looking forward to my Sweet Sixteen Party : )

Happy Birthday, Bianca!

By She Said

June is one of the busiest months for me. Apart from the start of school, it's also my daughter's birth month and we always have a series of celebrations with family and friends. We've never been into big parties. Her first birthday was probably the biggest she's ever had in a big venue with a party host and all the works. 

As she got older we got into the habit of having small groups of friends over or eat out in a restaurant on the days leading up to her birthday. This is so much less stressful for me and I get to sit back and relax and enjoy the celebration.

We kicked off her birthday festivities with a quick out of town trip to nearby Tagaytay in the early part of June. My daughter's Ninang Leslie and family joined us for a lovely brunch at Breakfast at Antonio's.

Jaffa Orange Pancakes compliments of the chef. Thank you!!!

Happy Birthday to the awesomest 15 year old I know! I love you to the moon and back, a million times over ♥

endings & beginnings

by she said

Summer's coming to an end. NOOOOO. I'm not ready to go back to school!

I read a little, wrote a little, took lots of photos, learned how to play the ukulele, and hung out with some friends. But this summer greatly consisted of me and my mom sitting across from each other, eating. : )

Though I actually find school fun sometimes, I wish it wasn't so stressful and tiring. But I'm going to try to make the most of this year! It's the beginning of my last two years of high school, and it's scary and exciting at the same time.

I want to set a few goals for myself, and maybe by putting it on this blog, I'll be further inspired to finish them:

• be active in an organization or two

• find lots of new friends - and not only in my class

• get straight line of 9s for the three terms of this school year (meaning no grades lower than 90!)

• join the school play again

• stay optimistic about everything and not let anything get me down

If there's one thing my mom always says, it's that if you set your mind to something and you're positive, it will happen, it will. I hope to make this school year the most memorable one yet!

20/23 Cafe Ysabel

By She Said

We're finally back to eating out. We had to temporarily hold off on completing our twenty three restaurants for summer after my daughter's bout with the stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis). While she was recuperating, I put her on a diet that was limited to light and easy to digest meals. 

I'm just so happy and relieved that she's all better and well enough to go back to school, which starts in a few days. Sigh, where did summer go? I will miss hanging out with her, that's for sure.

Cafe Ysabel was one of the restaurants I often visited when I used to live near the San Juan area many years ago. I loved the old world feel of the place and the food was always excellent. The cafe is housed in a refurbished 1927 ancestral home with a glass enclosed porch overlooking a garden.

The compound is also home to Center for Asian Culinary Studies, a school offering a full range of courses in the culinary arts. The students get to work hand in hand with the chefs of Cafe Ysabel in their daily operations as well as special events.

I brought my daughter for lunch here today. I haven't been back in more than 20 years and I'm happy they still exist but I think in need of a little sprucing up and maybe some new upholstery. The food was not how I remembered it to be but to their credit, service was warm and attentive. It made us feel like we were dining in a five star hotel!

 Complimentary warm bread with balsamic vinegar dip.

 Calamares with marinara sauce.

Napa Ceasar's Salad- a whole meal salad with spiced shrimp and grilled chicken. They also added some smoked salmon which wasn't included in the menu description and didn't quite go well with salad.

Vegetalie Aglio Pasta- grilled white cheese, seared garlic, fresh tomato, basil, olive oil.

 Strawberry Shortcake- this was our meal's saving grace. Light butter chiffon cake covered in cream & fresh strawberries.

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We can't believe that we're done with twenty and with just three more to go. Looking at our list, it's funny that the last three happen to be the most pricey restaurants. I guess I was mentally pushing them down and delaying the expense. Haha! We'll definitely find a way to complete the list as soon as possible so watch out for that! Have a good weekend!

Related Posts: 19/23 Hai Chix & Steaks
                    One Summer, Twenty Three Restaurants



Cafe Ysabel
455 P. Guevarra Street
San Juan, Quezon City

Happy Monday : )

By She Said, she said

 

SOS Children's Villages Philippines @ 25

By She Said

SOS Children's Villages Philippines will be celebrating their Silver Anniversary this coming June 12, Wednesday. It will be a whole day affair starting with a Parade, Eucharistic Celebration, Fiesta Games and a Dinner for a Cause. Tickets are at Php500 each.

If you would like to join and support this event please send us an email: shesaidshesaidph@gmail.com

Related Post: SOS Children's Village Summer Party

Fully Booked in Alabang!

by she said

My mom and I are ecstatic that Fully Booked is finally open in Alabang Town Center!! We've already been there three times since they opened yesterday. We were there at EXACTLY two pm for their soft opening. (Crazies.)

Four floors of heaven. YAY! : )

The first floor has all the notebooks and magazines and stationery as well as the best sellers! If you're looking for a popular book, you're going to find it here.

We love the little reading corners they have on every floor.

The second and third floors are full of books! Fiction, non-fiction, young adult, cooking, children's story books, and lots and lots more. On the fourth floor is where you'll find music and the awesome Comic Odyssey : )

Similar to Fully Booked in Power Plant Mall, there is also a Press Cafe, that's conveniently located inside the bookstore. They still have a menu limited to just a few sandwiches, pastries and desserts but will eventually have more of their familiar offerings soon. We got to chat with Carlos Medalla, Press Cafe's Manager, and he told us that we were the restaurant's first customers for opening day!

Book Art at Press Cafe

It's been a fun weekend full of good vibes just hanging out with my mom and my best friend, Bea. I've got one more week of freedom before school starts so I'm just making the most out of everyday.