Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Made in Candy


It was a few weeks before Christmas and all through the house, a little creature was stirring,  saying "Let's open this Mommy!" 

"Not until I take a picture, honey", I told Berry. And as soon as I took a photo, she took the lid off, got the littlest bottle and said, "I am taking this to school, I will share with my friends." How sweet.

When she got home, she would hand me a piece to eat. "But I don't like candy, Berry", I would say every time she offered. Every time, she would go, "No, you eat, its yummy!" Until she got exasperated and forced a piece into my pursed lips. I reluctantly opened my mouth, sucked at the candy, and then.."Hmmm, oh hey, yes, this is yummy!" Not too sweet, and with delicate flavors that do not overpower the mouth, I found myself asking for more. And more. And more.

I am so not a candy person, but seriously, Made in Candy changed all that. I loved it so much, I ended up scrapping my original souvenirs for Xavi's christening and bought bottles of Made in Candy to give our guests. They all enjoyed their candies, of course.

Incidentally, my souvenir tag was made by Pat/101 Grams of Eye Candy of The Candy Shop

Another convincing factor is the fact that Made in Candy is made fresh daily. Darlene, who brought in Made in Candy to the Philippines (along with her cousin Arthur), invited me and Berry to see how candymaking is done, the Made in Candy way. So we headed off to Power Plant mall, where we had fun watching slabs of melted sugar turn into the cutest confections ever!

Darlene of Made in Candy Philippines. I love her style, heehee.



Let me take you on a virtual candymaking session:

It all starts with the design, in this case, a Nuclear symbol

A slab of warm melted sugar waiting on the wings, waiting to be shaped and pulled. As more air is incorporated into the pulled sugar, the shinier it becomes.

The "nuclear" parts, starting to get assembled

Shape, shape, shape...

Roll, roll, roll. I can see it now! Almost there!

Six kilos of candy, shaped into what looks like a humongous baseball bat. The bottle neck makes it easy to hold on to this huge chunk of warm love, while pulling.

Pull and cut, pull and cut, 50x (this is just an approximation heehee)

Inspect! Does it look like the sketch? Yes! Then continue!

Cut, cut, cut, cut, 50000x

Now taste, taste, taste...

Gimme some more of that sour-sweet nuclear lovin'

In essence, this kind of candy is the sort that looks as good as it tastes. Plus, I love the packaging too!


Oh! Did I mention that they also make these candies in such a way that it crumbles gently towards the end? Well, they do! So you don't get "sugat" on the roof of your mouth from sucking on candy that's too hard. Because trust me, you'll eat candy upon candy once you've tasted this. Berry and I managed to finish a small jar, just us two, in one sitting. True story.

P.S.
Made in Candy accepts custom orders as party and corporate giveaways. If I remember correctly, the minimum quantity will come out to just about Php8000 per order. I'll expound on the details as soon as I get them!

Made in Candy 
Level 2, Rockwell Power Plant
Makati

Facebook: Made in Candy Philippines
Instagram and Twitter: @madeincandyph

Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Year of Living "Dangerously"

When Candy aka @cuckoo_sing tweeted a link about a minimalist mom who vows to spend nothing on her kid in 2013, I was taken aback and mildly shocked. I mean, that's something I have been trying to do for myself to no avail. How much more my child? My own flesh and blood? To quote Homer Simpson, the "fruit of our loins"?

My initial thoughts were, "Is this even possible? To not spend for our child's needs, ok, wants, err fine, our wants? How can a mother not spend on her child? Isn't it that a mother, in the direst of circumstances, would still spend on her child and forego spending on herself?"

But as I read on, you know what, there is wisdom in de-cluttering our closets and homes and living a life less steeped in consumerism.  As I clicked on link upon link in the story, and seeing how other families have gone on to living minimalist lifestyles, that got me into thinking. While I wouldn't stop spending on the kiddos, maybe this is the year that I would really, really stop spending on non-essentials for me.

I am not going to go on a buy nothing manifesto on you. This is not a stand against consumerism, because I love being a consumer, in all honesty. This is just a personal challenge for the year. I will try my hardest not to cave in to fleeting desires. Which in my language means, La Garconne, Totokaelo, Net-a-Porter and J. Crew, see you in 2014! And if I were to spend, it would be on real investments, and not in the "fashion" sense of the word. As in, this is a bag I can pass on to my daughter, it's an "investment". Or, this pair of shoes will go with a lot of outfits, it's an "investment". Nothing of that sort.

So yeah, this year is all about downsizing, saving and not spending on me. Or at least during weak moments, thoughtful consumption. Even in the face of temptation. Even as I share with you my coolest, greatest, must-have finds here in the blog, on Twitter and on Instagram. Dangerous, I know. Will I be able to do this for a year? Let's see how long I can go.

To prove how serious I am about living with less stuff (but good quality stuff, heehee), I have been talking to friends, and we kind of want to get together and do a group garage sale. I think that's a great way to start de-cluttering. I just hope we don't end up buying each others stuff.

Ah, but a swap? That falls in the "not spending" category, right?

P.S.

How about you? Do you think going on a "no unnecessary shopping" mode can really be done?

Friday, January 25, 2013

Sebago Docksides in The Philippines


Boat shoes are a staple in my shoe closet. I like wearing them, especially during rainy days because apart from being classics, they're comfy and I am not too worried about them getting wet. So, when Sarah Esguerra of Sebago invited me to check out Sebago here in the Philippines, I was like, "Sure! Of course!"

I went to the store in Rockwell Power Plant, at the Archeology area, where Happy Lemon is, and while it was a cute, tiny shop, much different from their other mall stores, I was amazed at the selection - there's a lot to choose from! Love the unique color ways of their Docksides!

Here are the Docksides I spotted for guys:
Docksides Royal Blue with the eye catching orange laces

Two-tone and three-tone Docksides

If I were a guy, I'd go for these!

There's quite a selection for us girls too:



Cute no? If you especially want your Docksides to stand out, then go and customize your laces with your color of choice (for an additional Php400). Go tone on tone or choose an unexpected color and run away with it!



More than just preppy color combinations and a rainbow of shoe laces to choose from, the must check outs are the Sebago collabs. Currently on board are NYC artists Stash and Ronnie Fieg.

Speckled sole on the Waterbury Docksides by street culture/grafitti artist Stash

Boots by Ronnie Fieg x Sebago

Meanwhile, here's a collab that is getting quite a number of folks excited: Linkin Park x Sebago. Only 100 pairs will be sold here in Manila, available by January 30.

Combat boots from Linkin Parx x Sebago. Perfect for the moshpit.

Oh, while this is not a collab, the Spinnaker Patriot UK was especially designed to commemorate the London Olympics. Cool Britannia.


If you think us girls are getting the short end of the stick with all the guy styles, here are the latest colors for girls, in stores now. So pastel pretty and perfect for summer!



Not to say I they're only meant for the summer, because these will perk up any day, especially rainy days!

For the full list of Sebago Stores, click HERE.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

baby Gap Presents: Peter Rabbit


Berry loves her Beatrix Potter books. Not only are they the perfect size for her, the colors and pictures are just so pretty. The same goes for the Peter Rabbit inspired collection for Baby Gap! Eeep! Can't wait to dress up the kiddos in these...





For Spring 2013, Gap introduces a limited-edition collection for babyGap inspired by world famous author Beatrix Potter and her captivating children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Drawing from Potter’s mischievous characters and magical adventures, the babyGap collection brings to life a modern interpretation of the enchanting world of Peter Rabbit through imaginative gifts for girls and boys from newborn to 24 months. 

Incidentally, for parents with little ones celebrating a big milestone soon, make sure to sign-up for babyGap’s Gift Registry Program to receive great gifts such as the Peter Rabbit Collection. Just visit your nearest babyGap store and a specialist will assist you in selecting items for your wish list. Upon selection, your list will automatically register in all babyGap stores in Metro Manila. Registrants will get a free diaper tote bag and invitation cards to give to your guests for the occasion. I did that for Xavi's christening, read about it HERE!

GapKids and babyGap are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Casual Clothing Specialists, Inc. (CCSI), a subsidiary of Stores Specialists, Inc. and is available at SM Mall of Asia, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Glorietta 4, Bonifacio High Street, SM Megamall Abreeza Mall in Davao, and Robinsons Magnolia.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Paper Chic Studio


I am super excited to prepare for Xavi's first birthday party! Ask me why! Ask me why!

Because Paper Chic Studio is here! Woohoo!

Such a perky post no? Well, its not everyday that you run into a party supplies business carrying such chic paper products as Paper Chic Studio. I remember planning for parties and I could only dream of doing the kind of things I would see on Pinterest. Because seriously, where to get those things right? Got to buy them abroad and have them shipped over pa. Hassle. Lucky for us, the search is over.

My friend and fellow SoMom, Cai Sio, finally did something about Manila's dire need for pretty party supplies of Pinterest levels. It all started when she was planning for her daughter's birthday party and she realized there was a serious lack of cute stuff that weren't character based, if you know what I mean. She wanted party supplies that were environment-friendly too. So, she came up with these oh so chic paper straws, loot bags, table napkins, cupcake holders and such. When I got my Paper Chic loot, OMG, I just wanted to throw a party for no reason! 

Check these out, yo:

milk bottles and paper straws

cupcake liner

baker's twine

more cupcake liners

loot bags

table napkins

candy cups

With items like these, the party planning is just as fun as the party itself! Can you spell, L-O-V-E? (Yes, you may order these felt letter cut-outs too!)


Cai also sells jam jars, and will also be coming out with paper cups, gift bags, wrapping papers and more for Paper Chic Studio. All to make your parties, chic and pretty, my dears!

For product updates, inquiries and orders:

- Visit Paper Chic Studio's Facebook page, HERE.
- Email info@paperchicstudio.com

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Mothering Earthlings is ON SALE!


It's Rone aka Earthling Mama's birthday month, so Rone is celebrating her birthday and the rest of the month with a great big MOTHERING EARTHLINGS SALE! Xavi's go to brands like googoo&gaga and In the Crib are on sale, along with a host of other brands. Check out the SALE page, HERE.

That said, I'm sharing with you these carefully handpicked pieces from Mothering Earthlings, that Rone sent to the kiddos for Christmas. We loved everything!


I love the print! This Basketball Court onesie is from googoo&gaga's Photographer Series, and this particular one is by Jake Verzosa.


Apart from a personalized apron that Berry is so crazy about - she wears it when she's baking, or playing pretend in her play kitchen, she also got the cutest rag doll ever. The Isabel rag doll by Anthill Fabric Gallery! Each rag doll by Anthill is exquisitely handmade from scrap fabrics and therefore unique, with her own personality. No two dolls are alike. More than that, buying an Isabel rag doll supports a community of mothers in Cebu, who lovingly make these dolls.


Unfortunately for you guys, my sister and I loved it so much, we ended buying most of the dolls last month, and gave them as gifts to deserving little girls heehee. I think there are only two dolls left in the Mothering Earthlings website. Eeep!
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