DIY: Ribbon Belt

I have been baking less these past few months, and crafting more.  One of the things that I have created out of an afternoon of free time is an easy-to-do and inexpensive belt made out of ribbons. With a little creativity you can create a belt for every outfit with leftover ribbon from your craft room.

This is one project that initially started as something to expand the accessories option for the girls’ closet; as I went along, I realized that I could borrow them, too!

 

This is a very fun project to do with the kids, or by yourself, even if you are just a novice crafter. With a few hours of toiling, you have a new and unique addition to your wardrobe.  You can use any ribbon of your choice; I used ribbons bought from Paris, some from Carolina’s, and still some from Divisoria. Grosgrain goes well with tailored dresses and blouses, ribbons with opulent needlepoint can further enhance a bohemian outfit, funky patterns can complement a favorite daily outfit.  There are no limits to the ribbon’s material and color; you can experiment with a variety of buckles as well.

You will need:

~ Ribbon, choose a ribbon that is slightly thinner than the width of the D-Rings or buckle

~ 2 D-Rings or one decorative buckle (can be purchased at any Carolina’s store)

~ needle and thread 

All you have to do:

1.  Wrap the ribbon around your waist and overlap about 6-12 inches.  What I keep in mind when I cut my ribbons is that the waist falls differently on different type of clothing.  If worn on a dress, then the belt would sit rather close to the natural waistline; it lies much lower when worn with a low-rise skirt or pants.  Consider this when deciding on the length.  Cut the belt to length, leaving an extra inch or so to hem the ends.

2 .  Put one end of the ribbon through the D-rings. Fold and sew down.  The closer to the D rings you are able to stitch, the less movement and more secure your belt will be.

3 .  Sew a line on the end of the ribbon belt to prevent frayed edges.

With a few hours of crafting and creativity, you can have a selection of low-cost yet stylish accessories to pull your favorite outfits together.

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Instagram Weekend: January 21-22, 2011

Another weekend in a blink of an eye... just like that and we are almost into the second month of the year already.  Have you made any plans for this weekend?  

We were at the Bonifacio High Street last weekend to celebrate the birthday of one of the kids' swimming team-mate.  There is a building there that houses the newly-opened Active Fun, along with some other boutique stores that all cater to children.  The kids enjoyed the tri-level area of playspace so much that they stayed from mid-afternoon up to the time the store closed at 9pm, only stopping to have dinner.

What I loved most about this branch is that the waiting area for parents is at the farthest part of the room so there is less noise, and the waiting parents can talk comfortably and hear each other without having to shout.  For parents with kids who needs more supervision, the yayas can also wait at the benches near the entrance.  There are also numerous function rooms that you can rent to celebrate your child's birthday.

A helpful reminder when you bring your kids to Active Fun:  make sure you bring socks and bottles of water.  Otherwise, you might have to end up purchasing over-priced socks and water.:)

While the kids played non-stop at Active Fun, the moms found time for some relaxation at The Spa.  It is my first time to try The Spa at Boni Hi-St.  It has the same serene and calm surrounding as their other branches, but this one strikes me as being sterile-looking, maybe because the minimalist design was taken too far.  

The service however was equal with the rest of the other branches so it is still worth a second visit.

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Instagram Weekend {January 15-16, 2012}

It is already middle of January, and I have yet to get my game on.  My things to do are piling up and I definitely need more hours to my day!  We just finished a week-long fasting at my church, and a few minutes of the day spent in prayer and reading the Bible does wonders to my perspective on things.

Inspite of the hectic schedule, we should all find time for some quiet.  And for me, quiet does not always necessarily mean the absence of noise.  It can also be just taking a break for the busyness of it all, and doing something that relaxes you.  And one of the things that I look forward to is spending time with my fellow swim-parents while we wait for our kids during training.  Last Saturday was one of those days where I spent hours with these like-minded parents as we talked about anything and everything under the sun, literally.  We were at UP's Sunken Garden watching the kids took a breather from swimming; instead, they played frisbee and soccer.  We all had a pizza picnic for lunch and called it a day!

Come Sunday, the family was up very early as the three kids participated in the Grand Family Invitational Swim Meet.  The Grand Family Association is an organization formed by the local Filipino-Chinese community who share a common surname.  They come together for a variety of purposes and have activities among members, mostly to promote family pride.  So for that day, the swimmers were grouped according to surnames.  I just love the family logo that our association came up with.

It is B's first competition ever, and to have made her pool debut in Rizal's daunting 50-meter pool is a feat in itself!  She did not top the list for her age group, but she finished fourth in the 50-meter freestyle, alongside more experienced swimmers.  Naturally, I felt so proud of her for doing so well and most of all for giving it her best.

J and R took home medals, which they couldn't wait to show their Ang-kong and Ah-ma.  They were swimming for Team Ong, after all,

A swimming co-parent took everyone out for dinner after the competition, so bedtime was pushed until 10pm.  With the exhaustion from her first competition and the extended bed-time, B couldn't help but feel sleepy in class.  And so during Math class, she couldn't fight it any longer and drifted off to sleep - for the entire duration of the class.   So I asked her, "So teacher did not get mad at you for sleeping in her class?"  She moved her head from left to right repeatedly, "nope, she did not say anything.  I woke up middle of Chinese class already."  Ayayay!  I probed further, "Do you mean to say teacher did not try to wake you up?" She answered, with her eyes almost in disbelief at my question, "Mommy, why would she wake me up?  Eh di ba, it's impolite to wake up a sleeping person?" Toink!

Hahaha!  Right back at me... this is my line every weekend morning when they wake me up with their noise.  Or worse, when they wake me up to ask where I kept the Ipads.  

But just so you know, and not think that the teacher doesn't care to have a student sleep through her class; her classmates took it upon themselves to explain to the teacher about her competition the day before.  And the day after the incident, she also got called to explain why she fell asleep in the class. 


Hope your weekend was as FUN!


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Weekend In Instagram {October 21-23, 2011}

Last weekend started with a lunch date with B.  We haven't had one in a long while, so it was a date that is long overdue.  She had her favorite Macaroni and Cheese at Pancake House, followed by a quick trip to Starbucks for a Strawberry Milk Drink.  We regularly schedule one-on-one dates with all the kids, but I feel it is B who is really appreciative of it.  I regularly observe a significant improvement in her behavior after we take her on a day-out.  She is usually profuse with thanks, and it makes me feel like I am truly the greatest mom. :)

Dropped off J for another slumber party, this time at Discovery Suites in Ortigas.  The suite she stayed in had 2 bedrooms, a dining and living room, and a working kitchen.  The kitchen is really a winner for me - it is really ideal for hosting slumber parties for girls her age (as I think taking out a handful of pre-teens could potentially be a cause of head-ache) since you can just prepare meals in the kitchen or call for food delivery, and thus save you the travel time of taking them out for meals; yet your wallet also do not have to suffer from the exorbitant prices that hotels charge in their food outlets.  The girls are really just content with movie-marathons, lounging by the pool, and talking all night.

Saturday night, C took us out to eat at Cerchio Grill & Lounge.  I cannot particularly place what cuisine the restaurant specializes in, but most of the food on the menu would make it look like a very glamorous version of a Filipino grillery.  The place is very modern looking, with the hand-painted white loops on the charcoal-colored walls adding to the visual delight to the place; the presentation of the food was commendable, much more than what I can actually say about the food.  I found the food unexceptional.  For one, the boneless crispy pata did not get to our table "crispy" at all.  Nevertheless, the over-all experience in the restaurant is still positive as the service given to us was excellent. 

I always look forward to attending wedding parties.  The pink, blue and purple hydrangeas that filled up the ballroom reminded me of my own wedding.  I just love how any newly-wedded couple can radiate their love to fill up the entire ballroom.  I take joy in being able to bask in the sunshine of their happiness.  Weddings are also a good occasions to revel in the company of friends, good food and good wine. 

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Instagram Weekend {Sept 2011}

The past weekend was a busy one for me.  But busy is always good because it is a reminder that I have a lot to be thankful for...

The weekend activities started early - Friday lunch with some friends at a hole-in-the-wall resto deep in the pockets of San Juan.  Mely, one of my foodie friends, always discovers these great restos, and makes it a point to share it with us.  This time, it was at Maimee's Garden Cafe.  It was a family residence that the owner transformed into a cafe serving Filipino comfort food.  I love kare-kare, and their version is quite good.

 

Saturday started very early as I juggled a dice game, a swim meet, a kiddie party, and a get-together with my high school friends.

We attend a lot of dice games during the Mid-Autumn Festival season, but I simply love how this dice game with this particular group of friends turned out to be a tradition already.  Our kids have simply grown to expect this every year; and the prizes, as with the company, just keeps getting better and better through the years.

Simultaneously happening with the dice game is the third and final meet for the G-League short course.  Good thing for me they were held at the same venue so I just had to rush up and down a few flight of stairs to catch the action in the pool.  Big, big thanks to the team's sponsor for the new team jersey.:)

Come night-time, it was FUN catching up with high school friends... how great to see that most of us do not look a day older than twenty, no? :)

 

Sunday is yet another wonderful opportunity to meet up with friends as we celebrate the first birthday of a friend's unica hija.  The indoor basketball court of the RONAC Art Center was transformed into a castle fit for a princess.

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Who Do You Follow?

For all you Instagram addicts out there, are you aware of Webstagram?  Webstagram is this awesome web interface which allows user to access their Instagram account in a desktop browser.  Cool, right?  Finally, I don't have to scrunch my eyes to see details of my favorite photos.  I can now view them on my desktop and laptop. All the Instagram features are available here and it is so easy to use, and most important of all, it's FREE, too!  Check it out by heading over to http://web.stagram.com/.

One of the people I follow at Instagram is my kids' swimming coach.  Now that I am on Webstagram, I can appreciate his photos more.  I follow him because he takes such amazing photos on subjects that I love...

....first and foremost among which are MY kids... Thanks, Coach!  I really LOVE the photos!

But other than my kids, I also love the photos he took of swimmers of all ages, capturing the swimmers in action...

 

His photos affirms what many of us swim-parents know all along - that for many young swimmers, happiness is simply being in the pool!

He captures the friendship and the essence that the pool is really one big playground for the kids.  A great venue to meet friends - many of whom stay on to become best buds ... for life!

 

 And here are a few more pool shots that are simply beautiful to look at.

And if you are the type who want a little something different, he also offers up interesting people photographed from an artistic perspective, with an edgy urban feel.

 

 

He consistently finds common locations and successfully transforms the mundane to interesting by coming up with new angles to shoot from.

 

 

 

Follow him at Instagram or Webstagram to see more of his wonderful photos.  His instagram ID is:  wengman.

Sherwyn used to be a bemedaled swimmer in his youth, and has since channeled his love for the sport into coaching a young but very talented swimming team.  As you can see, he is also an amazing photographer who covers events (weddings, birthdays, engagement, corporate functions, et al) and product launches.  He also does one-on-one portrait services, pre-nuptial photo shoots on location, company product shots, and many more. 

If you have any need for beautiful photos, give his photo team a call/message at #0917.533.0727.

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