Honeysuckle: 2011 Color of the Year

It has been decided!  Pantone, the color know-it-all, has dubbed Honeysuckle the color of the year.

This playful shade of pink, described by the Wall Street Journal as a "sherbety pink with a hint of red and orange zest,"is expected to be making numerous appearances in the clothes, accessories, and cosmetics on the runway;  at furniture and other home accessories; on industrial design; as a theme for weddings; and even on our nails. 

Liz Hurley is pretty in pink

Here is Paris Hilton showing us how NOT to do it

Mood Board for a honeysuckle themed wedding

You can also tone down the color when you pair it with silver and gray 

The Kitchen Aid stand mixer in this color is sold out at Amazon

A fresh take on the kitchen

A lovely room to wake up to

Charge in Style with the Visa® Platinum Rewards Card in Honeysuckle

James Mischka, one of the designers for the Badgley Mishcka designer line, says that the vibrant shade can fashionably be worn all year long, for casual and formal occasions.  He adds that the way to wear it is either against white or all on its own, noting it doesn't pair well with black.

image from the Badgley Mishka Spring 2011 collection

As for me, it is good thing that James Mishcka was nowhere near me as I venture out a couple of  months ago wearing my "honeysuckle" bag with a black dress. Di daw bagay di ba?  :)

Take note of the cousin rocking her sky-high pumps in the background

The bag is a Kate Spade, purchased this year by C as a gift for me.  Shempre, when I initially saw the color, I was shocked... eh kse hot pink.  To explain the strange choice of color, he says he bought it on sale.  He thought it was a good price for a bag that was made from genuine leather.  I am sure he bought it primarily because of the hugeness of the bag because he knows I put everything in my bag.  I am literally a travelling clinic and nursery with the various kid-related paraphernalia I have inside my bag...band-aids, nail-cutter, Victorinox mini multi purpose tool, medicine, citronella anti-mosquito spray - and that is not counting my own war-slash-vanity kit... oh well you get the drift...  

Who would ever have thought that my manang bag would fortuitously be "IN" next year.  hahahaha!



Thanks for reading "Our Phenomenal Life." If you subscribe to the blog via RSS feed or via email, you'll get new posts sent straight to you, for free!   

Like this post? Subscribe here.

Share

Saizen: A Store For The Japanophile In You

Is it just in Manila, or is it happening elsewhere in the world, that everyone is loving everything Japanese nowadays?  Several friends and family just made the trip to the Land of the Rising Sun and everyone came home raving about the food and the wild and funky Japanese street fashion.

As for me, I do not need to go board a plane to get my fill of Japan.  All I need to do is head to the Saizen (Daiso) center in Robinson’s Galleria.   There are a lot of Japanese discount stores sprouting all over, but this one at the Galleria is the original Daiso, the same store that has branches in Japan, Singapore, HongKong, etc.

In my latest visit, I filled my shopping basket with things to make a bento box lunch, a planned summer activity with my kids; a few more items to add to my baking paraphernalia, and a lot of other things I don't really need but seemed too good a deal to pass up.  Everything at P85.

There's something here for everyone, scroll down and you'll know what I mean.  (Sorry if the quality of the photos is less than spectacular, all photos are taken with my Nokia camphone.)

For those who might be a little obsessed with organizing their kitchen, there is a long aisle of plastic containers:

 

What else do you expect from a country with a fanatical infatuation with cleanliness...

There are silicone liners, paper cupcake liners, cake boxes, for the happy home baker:

and if you are looking for something to give

origami paper for the creative set:

mini travel kits for the wanderlust 

Share

e-shopping my way

I regularly get email updates from sites like Amazon and Sephora informing me of upcoming sales or new inventory.  As you can see, I am a devoted online shopper. I have bought a lot of stuff online and had them conveniently shipped right to my doorstep.

Here are some of my new purchases, mostly baking paraphernalia:

a cake level slicer...   

 

a tiered cooling rack...

a cupcake transporter/holder...

 

a cupcake stand...

It doesn't need Holmes to deduce that I am sooo into a "baking" state of mind.   I really am and happily so!  Sadly, most people cannot relate.  Friends have asked, "A cupcake what?!?  Why do you need a cupcake courier for?  Because really, who ever needs to carry that much cupcakes around?"  Uhmm, I do not even offer to come up with an answer, because really I have none. It just looked too cute.  Fortunately, the person who pays for my purchases understands me.  He finds it funny that there is even such a thing as a cake leveler, ribbing me, "what, using a plain knife too low-tech now?" tee-hee!

If there ever was one purchase that amazed everyone (they were amazed mostly because they found out I have been trimming R's hair with it), it would have to be this... 

One of the most practical and worthwhile purchases I've made.  This razor stays true to its promise of giving a professional looking job.  I spend almost P300 (P250 for the haircut plus P50 tip) every other month to get R's hair buzzed off by a barber  And believe me when I tell you that his hair grows at an incredibly speedy rate.  I usually try to extend our trips to the barbershop as long as I can before his hair starts screaming, “Cut me!”   I figured that if I invest in this I would eventually be saving thousands.  The thing probably paid for itself in the 3^rd or 4^th haircut at home.  Yeah,  I am cheap like that! :)

His hairstyle is so simple and the razor so uncomplicated that even someone like me, who has no experience nor formal training in hair-cutting, can easily pull off a professional look in no time.  Promise!  Just remember three things:  Guide #5 for the top, Guide #3 for the middle and Guide #2 for the sides.  That's it!

Now, excuse me while I go trim R's hair before we go off for a swim on this hot Saturday afternoon!

Share

What I Would Do for A Handbag

Where have I been? Even I couldn’t believe I’ve not written anything for two months!

Since school started, life has been crazy bringing the kids to school and to their various after-school activities. With three kids growing up very fast and starting to find their own interest, I find myself like the proverbial headless chicken as I scurry back and forth to bring them to different locations all over the metro. There’s swimming, soccer, gymnastics… and still they want to add piano, painting. To add, since R started big school, homeworks are being given everyday. Can you believe that? I don’t remember doing any homework when I was in nursery.

Having been driven near the point of exhaustion by all these activities, to which I am just a passive participant, mind you. I found it particularly important to reward myself for my - ehem, "hard work." So I went bag hunting! :)

I searched online for about two weeks, looking for that perfect everyday bag to keep me in sartorial company as I go about my daily routine. The LV’s and Prada's are perfect for lunch with friends but totally out of place in the pool’s waiting area. I always do a double take everytime I set them down, lest they unintentionally sit on a dollop of water, which could damage the sensitive material. The Nine West bags are perfect for running errands and picking up kids from school but the synthetic leather have a limited life span in my perpetually sweaty palms.

I wanted something durable to last me forever (is that too much to ask? :) ) and yet something mid-priced that will take the beatings of the everyday routine of a mom with three active kids.

A bag can go as far as to tell the kind of person we are; telling others of our interests and creating a strong statement of our personality. No matter what bag you carry, shabby or chic, your handbag definitely says a lot about you. Choosing the right piece will keep us looking effortlessly well put-together, while we savor the appreciation from others.

Longchamp tote is a fave among Manila’s fashionable set, but it doesn’t do wonders for me. I find the bag’s flimsy material insufferable, considering the price-point set for it. A recent incident wherein my sis’ bag was slashed at Powerplant did not do anything to improve my impression of it.

I have always admired the colorful arm-candies at Kate Spade. They can brighten any outfit easily and even if it’s made of nylon, the fabric seems thick enough not to give way easily to any mugger. However, I quickly did a turn-around when C pointedly opined that they looked much like the freebies that cosmetic companies give out.

And so I tried searching under the “fine leather” category. And I loved what I found:

Kate Spade Park Slope in Black

Kate Spade Park Slope in Saddle

Coach Madison Julianne in Black

Finally, here is what I decided on. I just fell in love with the bag’s timeless design and its rich full grain leather, accented with gold tone hardware. Do you agree with my choice?

Share