Felt cloth owl decor :)

My son is always up at night that is why I decided to hold an owl-themed baptism for him.

I asked my caterer to style each table with twigs upon which felt cloth owls will hang from. I wanted to do the felt owls myself but when I went to the fabric store, I did not find any light blue felt owl. So I commissioned Pink Teacup Shoppe, a local online store that specializes in handmade products, to do the work for me. And here are the owls that they came up with:


I'm happy to receive my owl orders because they'll make the event look more festive. Even though the blue shade of the owls are darker than the blue hue that will be used in the baptism, I'm still happy with the outcome and I cannot wait to see how everything will look on the day of the baptism.

Medela Calma nipple

I am about to head back to work in a few weeks (Yes, there's no holiday break for me!) since my maternity leave is about to end. And so begins my story of starting to bottle feed.

My newborn (aka Thing 2) is very impatient when it comes to drinking his milk. I was building my milk supply by doing a direct latch on one breast, while pumping the other one to maximize each letdown. And I noticed that every time my let down would stop or my milk would slow down, Thing 2 would always kick his feet, get irritated, and cry as if there's no milk flowing down.

And so I would resort to feed him my expressed milk from a bottle. Though the nipple of Medela is already a slow flow, he would chug his milk so quickly as if I deprived him of milk when he was sucking at my breast.

If he'd rather drink from a bottle than directly from me, my milk supply will go down because my nipples will not be stimulated enough.

I needed to find a nipple that simulated a real person's nipple so that my child would not prefer a fast(er) flowing teat (vs mine). I found Medela Calma. Medela Calma is the latest innovation from Medela which functions like a real nipple instead of just a synthetic teat.According to Medela it:

• Enables babies to maintain their natural feeding behaviour learned on the breast.
• Babies can drink, breathe and pause regularly.
• Supports an easy transition from the breast to the teat and back.
• One size is sufficient for the entire breastfeeding period, just as in nature.

Convinced that I needed it, I bought one Medela Calma locally for P700 from a distributor. It is a bit pricey but I just wanted to try it out since I was desperate to protect my milk supply.

So what's my verdict? I give it 3/5

• The Calma takes a longer time assembling since it has 3 parts (excluding the cap and the base cover) vs a normal nipple that only has 2 parts.
• Very expensive but should be worth the money if you don't need to change nipples at each stage of a baby's life. Just don't know yet the strength of the silicone nipple -- how long it will last before it tears.
• With my child, there was no nipple confusion and he transitioned quickly from breast to Calma. Milk doesn't flow out of the Calma unless properly and effectively sucked on by an infant, which helps promote longer breastfeeding.
• However, for impatient newborns like mine, I suggest that when they are hungry and fussy, use a normal teat first. And then once they have relaxed and settle down, change the teat to a Calma.
  

I give it 3 stars our of 5 because of the price and assembly bu over-all, it served its purpose and delivered its promise.

Trousers in primary colors

The cold weather usually ushers in a dark, somber mood with women donning black or gray clothing. Somehow, the dark fever has eluded me for I find myself becoming more and more inclined to wear clothes in primary colors -- particularly, trousers.

I found this fantastic cobalt blue silk pants from Tibi from Net-a-porter. Unfortunately it's way beyond my budget (like 365 pounds overbudget). But the color is just so striking that I'm sure one would make a statement with it.


The texture of leather also haunts me in my sleep that's why I couldn't stop myself from staring at these beautiful cropped leather pants in orange which I also found from net-a-porter. The zipper details make it even more edgy, perfect for a rocker like me.
The 70s vibe is something that we can't ignore lately with wide leg pants proliferating everywhere. And if it comes in cool coral hues such as the one that Blake Lively is wearing, it becomes all the more difficult to ignore and escape from.

So, if I were you, don't blend in with the background. Make your face and style be seen by wearing solid primary colors. So excited to wear bright blue pants when I head back to work :)

Aria Nursing Tank Top

I'm a proud advocate of breastfeeding but I have to admit that it cramps up one's style. I can hardly wear any of my old clothes whenever I go out with my child because I they do not have a front or side opening since they are not essentially nursing wear.

Since I love jackets and blazers, I needed to find a basic nursing tank top that I can put under my outer garments. Jackets and blazers, even kimonos are ideal for moms who just gave birth since it can hide the flabs in our stomachs until such time that we have fully recovered from pregnancy.

Eden has a line of tank tops called "Aria" priced at P1000. Aside from the easy snap on top for nursing, it has a long hem which is ideal for layering. The only problem with the tank top is that it has no pads. One would have to find a small breast pad to fit in the tiny cup of the tank top.

The nursing tank is made of cotton/ spandex and comes in the ff colors:

• midnight/black strap
• mocha/black strap
• ash/black strap
• snow
• carbon

Eden is available in Aura Athletica in Rockwell and can also be bought online (shopeden.multiply.com). The basic snow (white) and carbon (black) colors immediately go out of stock but I was fortunate enough to find one white tank top left in Rockwell.

To look like the hip, young mom that I am, I layer this white tank top with a sheer kimono and skinny jeans and this is what I end up looking:I'm going to purchase the black tank top as soon as it's available and I will pair it with black jeans or black leather leggings from Top Shop plus a Kimono or blazer to look ultra chic at night :)

So, mommies don't have to look frumpy and outdated. Just make sure that you have the basic garments in basic colors and you can have fun layering and mixing them up :)

Call It Spring Gold Flats

Back in 2000, my friend and I scoffed at the idea that gold is the new black. A month after our mockery of gold, I gave in to the trend and found my friend doing the same thing behind my back. LOL! We were afraid of what the other one would say so we hid wearing gold from one another.

Now, I seldom go out without any gold in my outfit -- whether it be in my accessories or as hardware in my bag or as buttons in my blazer. I just have to have my GOLD.

That is why I am so excited that the holidays are here because this also means that gold clothing/ holiday wear is rampant!

While I have yet to find the perfect gold dress for New Year's, I am to happy to have found very chic yet affordable gold flats which I often use on my days out to the mall. It perks up an otherwise plain outfit :)

Call it Spring Esperanza flats in Gold. Only $29.

Makes moms like me feel sexy again :)

Shopping totes are making a comebaaack!!!

I don't have time to shop for gifts anymore this Christmas season. And I believe M Missoni just heard my prayers because they released the perfect gift that I can give to my (astrology-loving) friends this Christmas -- Zodiac canvas totes!!! This is perfect because not only are shopping totes making a comeback (with us seeing many variations from leather to cotton to canvas) BUT this tote is somewhat personalized and unique. :)


Each tote is only $29. How perfect is that?! :)

Burst of color in winter

Burst of color in winter by mumstyle featuring v neck shirts

This week is a week of firsts.

First time to blog.

First day of saving.

And first time using polyvore.

I know that Polyvore has been around for a long time. But I wasn’t an internet person in the past – actually, I still am not because I’m lagging behind the latest in technology and the latest trends online.

But since I know that I can’t buy things as often as I used to because of the darn expense of real estate, I decided to give Polyvore a shot.

Polyvore gives me a feeling of control and the illusion that I just went shopping. Hahaha!

If there are two things that you need to know about me, it is this:

I love jackets and I never go out without accessories. In fact, if I were to start my own fashion line, I would probably just sell either jackets or accessories. J

I own several blazers and I wear them with dresses, and pants. But most of all, I love wearing them with shorts. Even though I’m wearing shorts, I feel dressed up if I put on a blazer. It just jazzes everything up without you even trying.

Despite having different colored blazers, I realized that I don’t own a bright pink one that is perfect for color-blocking. So, I decided to focus my first entry on a bright pink blazer and matched it with a green color that just pops! I matched, or rather, mismatched it with cobalt blue sky-high heels. If only my template would allow me to post one other article of clothing, I would have placed a gold Hermes cuff to finish the whole look.

I'm so happy with my color block look. It makes me feel like I just went shopping. Well, not really.

A new beginning

My husband and I plus my two children whom we fondly call thing 1 and thing 2 went to Nuvali, a revolutionary, eco-friendly place in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

We went there to supposedly scout around for house and lot prices. However, because of the lush environment, sustainable eco-friendly developments and safe haven it offered to my children, we decided to purchase a lot right then and there, right before leaving.

Now, I can say that I am a proud homeowner – or lot owner, at least. This is my very first purchase that has value since most of the time I just buy trinkets in the form of faux accessories, and clothes.

Though I am beaming with happiness, there is also a part of me that’s sad – because I know that today marks the day of frugality and practicality. I need to be mindful of my expenses since purchasing a real estate is no laughing matter. Being a fashionista + a mom with a third world budget just doesn’t match so I have to find a way to make sure that I don’t sacrifice any of my two personas.

Thus, I’m creating this blog because I know that I can no longer buy things at whim. Browsing at beautiful clothes and stunning accessories now define my life. And living vicariously through others takes on a whole new meaning as I ogle and salivate at the marvels that I find online.

This way, even if I don’t have money to burn, I wouldn’t feel outdated J

Welcome to my life.