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Designing Spaces

trading spaces, instant impact

trading spaces, instant impact

Trading spaces is an old book we got (2004) based from a reality home tv show of the same name. Hosted mainly by Paige Davis.

This book is a nice read for DIY interior designer (cough) or to those who want some doable home improvement projects. Not really heavy on stuff about furniture but more on low-cost instant home – room makeovers. Each topic or section, it gives 2 to 3 sample projects. And i must say, it’s kinda inspiring and makes me wanna to some redecorating around the house.

The book dwells on fabrics, paint finishes and painting methods and architectural detailing (from this section, i learned a lot) and embellishments. The most entertaining part for me is chapter four, “artwork, made easy.”

The great thing about this book is that, the insertion of easy to accomplish projects like sewing, wallpaper, pillowcase making, repainting of furniture. Quickie tools, tips and techniques for topics like stitches, fabric terms, paint brushes and paint rollers use, architectural and construction materials are all worth reading.

And in fact, the book is in my re-read lists. Grab a back issue copy (from eBay!) and say… “it’s time to get busy and have fun.”

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Book description from here.

* Hit television show inspires more than a dozen ideas to decorate any surface in any room.
* Power decorating techniques for anyone with limited time or money.
* Chapters are organized by decorating topic so readers can choose a technique and instantly engage.
* Room tours and advice for many decorating styles and room types.
* Easy-to-finish projects require a few simple steps and readily available materials.

Back cover description…

Trading Spaces, Instant Impact. Pack your home with personality. Filled with ideas to take your home from blah to beautiful, Trading Spaces – Instant Impact is your all-in-one guide for inspiration, expert advice, and cool projects.

This book includes:

* 15 Amazing Makeovers featured on Trading Spaces and Trading Spaces: Family
* Quick and easy step-by-step projects – from bedding to furniture fix-ups – sure to bring wow factor to every room of your home
* Tried and true strategies for adding architectural detail, painting, framing artwork and more!
* Instant replays that feature some of the very best project ideas from trading spaces talented designers.
* Ideas for adding architectural details to a room, embellishing furnishings, creating decorative accessories, and beyond.

Home: Christmas Decoration

It’s now mid-November but it’s still not that late to bring in your holiday – Christmas decor.

To bring in the holiday cheer, you could always try the good ol’ Christmas tree. But there are other pieces that you could add…

Red is Alive!

Like, Christmas colored curtains, linens and draperies. To have that Christmas theme going on, you can’t go wrong by using the reds and greens and the ube – purple. Of course, the more you explore with colors, the more fun the process will be. That’s what it is all about after all, the fun and joy in decorating your home thisholiday season.

Nito Accent Balls Ito

Balls should not be limited as Christmas tree accessories. You could also use these balls as yuletide accents. Shower your home with joyful accent balls now. Shoot em up inside tall glasses, place them on wooden bowls and use this as tabletop Christmas center of attraction. For added elegance, shoot for the gold & silver colored balls. And these balls, keep them all ’til New Years, it’s for good luck as well or so they claim.

Remember Belen?

Bring back the memories of Christmas – yesteryears by placing a “Belen” set (Holy Family). Definitely, a scene stealer still.

Big! Bold! (Mall of Asia Christmas Tree)

Floral Delight!

Assuming you got big bold Christmas tree already in your living room, you can try using artificial or real plants & flower arrangements (poinsettia anyone?) in other parts of your home to give a dash of the Christmas spirit here, there & everywhere. Try using quirky colored jars & vases for your ornaments just to give the area a lively and lovely ambiance.

Grab the safe lights, will ya?

Sonya's Ilaw

Christmas decor won’t be complete without that twinkling twinkling tiny little stars. Through the years, Christmas lighting has evolved. Advanced technology (optics, LEDs, etc.) brought in safer and more spectacular, jaw-dropping Christmas lighting. Just make you grab, err, buy the safer ones.

Good food, Good times

After spicing up your home for this season… buy lots of fruits, bring out your best Christmas CDs (or download Christmas tunes), make sure you got good cooking, remember to thank the Celebrant for the blessings, health and a beautiful home… and then… and psyche yourself for a season of loving and giving. Whoooo, Christmas… what’s not to love?

Check Stool 1-2-3

Ladies & gentlemen, this a momentous occasion, for the first time ever, the most admired, the best selling, the well-received, the most desirable wood accent stools (small - medium - large) inside the House of Leoque are now photo-captured side by side for comparison and your appreciation. Get the whole ensalada for only P2000.00. Available per piece too: small - medium - large.

Rainmaker

• Dark colored rainmaker
• Creates the raining sound & induces rain (well, that’s the wish)
• Not guaranteed to give you rain, but guaranteed a unique home display
• Dimensions: App 2 feet long & 3 inches diameter
• Bamboo rainmaker, rainstick
• With sawali bamboo mat, rattan wraps & wood handle
• (Sawali - saw´ali’ n. interwoven splits of bamboo for walling)
• It mimics the sound of rain and at the same time, calls for one. Bring your umbrella!
• It doesn’t guarantee 100% every time you turn this upside down, what it guarantees is, this is a beautiful native accent. =)
• Contains pebbles & tiny shells from the ocean that used to shine in the sun & covering the shore
• Some musicians use this too, pretty good musical instrument
• Get this at LEOQUE.com
  

Felt/Pad Protects The Floor

To protect your floors (especially vinyl tile floors & linoleum) from scratches & cuts, one good protector to use is this felt/pads. The photo shown has built-in nail and used specifically on wood furniture footing/surface. Easy to use, just hammer the pads to the surface and walah, your done. Some variety has self-adhesive, therefore you can stick ‘em to other materials such as metal, laminate, aluminum, glass, ceramic, etc. This is widely available in your favorite hardware stores like Ace Hardware, Handyman and other hardware stores on the block and goes about P10.00 a piece.

Flowers & Plants Inside Your Home

Are there flowers in your home right now?

If none, I recommended getting a bunch.

Thinking Feng-Shui-ish, flowers can your spirits, make a room brighter and energize your home. No only that, having flowers is a beautiful way to greet your visitors… some flowers can give refreshing scent… and don’t forget that flowers easily add physical beauty to a room.

So, why not get a bundle of three, a bouquet, a vase of freshly picked roses or heck, even the whole enchilada, a whole potted plant with blooming flowers. A big time bonus, these plants give off oxygen into the air. WOW FREE CLEAN OXYGEN.

And, in no time of course, these flowers should dry up. By then, their service aint done. You could collect dried flowers and leaves and use these as potpourri. Still great display… why not dump this dried flowers onto a bowl of water and put floating candles too. (others tough prefer not have “dead” leaves & flowers inside their homes to do away with the geagative energy)

In the Philippines, roses are the fave, no question. Other option is Sampaguita, beaded necklace Sampaguita can be place on altars. Feng-shui says, its great to have wooden plants inside your home, you know, those little bamboo type plants. BTW, wood represents growth & wealth.

Problem is, flowers aint cheap in Metro Manila. You can buy flowers from mall or the nearest market. But the cheapest way to get flowers in Metro Manila is at Dangwa (I think it’s Sampaloc), Quiapo too. The easiest way albeit more expensive, is via online flower shops that operate in the Philippines. Another wise option if living in Metro is get a flower-bearing-plant that can survive the indoors, the metro-heat and metro-pollution. By the way, growing this plant is another challenge and fun stuff on its own.

In rural and sub-urban areas areas, getting flower bundle is easier and cheaper, local palengke has flower stalls. And growing plants/flowers there is easier as well. Easily, so you can grow like roses with no problems at all. Again, growing plants on its own, will give you pleasure and a stress-relieving exercise as well.

Be it in your office, kitchen, dining room, living room, or bedroom, use the power of flower all the time.

Home Improvement: The Massive Glass Panel

I spent 2 hours yesterday just to get this massive glass panel installed. The huge half inch by 7 feet by 14 inch glass panel is from my sister as she chose to go wood panel instead. I got this free.

Man Hours Breakdown

A. The Lift Off (20 min)

20 minutes looking for someone who'll help me bring this glass from G-Floor to the 5th, via stairs. After 15 minutes of waiting in the sidestreet, there you go, one pedicab driver agreed to help me send it up to the heavens (5th floor), I gave him P40.00.

B. The Talk (10 min)

Precious 10 minutes to inform thy neighbor of an impending mala-jack-hummer powerful drill. Gotta talk to thy neighbors if you're separated by only 4 inch walls.

C. Measure Up (10 min)

10 minutes to draw the lines, err, the points. This one is 35 inches high and with 4 steel supports separated by 21 inches to spread the load.

D. Drill You, Screw You (20 min)

Just 20 minutes to actually drill the holes and screw the supports. And, I loaded the glass panel by myself while reciting Hail Mary. I was actually praying while lifting this thing for fear that it might snap and slit my throat. A lone worker lifting a seven foot glass panel is not recommended as it could snap in the strained/stressed area. BUT, I want to see how it'll look ASAP.

E. Clean Up (60 min)

Finally, 1 hour to clean up the mess. I actually spent more time cleaning up the concrete debri, chipped rust from the supports, tools everywhere... than actually installing the panel.

Next up, some paint retouching for the steel supports, i want it white and thoroughly clean the glass. Later on, get some artpieces or frame my own photo shots to put on the glass.

How To Install Invisible Shelves

Only Belo Touches My Ass

Have not been paying attention to this, but I noticed our C.R. has/had 5 active soaps. Only noticed this when 4 out 5 of these soaps are nowhere to be found. I got the SAFEGUARD (pay me Procter & Gamble) and the waterbased facial soap (i don't use anymore).

I asked, what are those other three anyways.

One, the Gluta-something, colored orange.

Two, HIYANG soap, colored orange.

And, BELO beauty soap.

For the first time in months, I only see the Belo soap on the rack.

Pending a quick trip to SM Hypermart, only Belo touches my ass.

Great, January 09, I am 4000 Pesos Richer Per Month

Once upon a time we had our home far away. Then, all studied and migrated in Metro Manila. The house was left behind. It's now a house of God. as I was told. Group of Born Again Christians bought our house. I guess it's a holy place now. By far, holier when I was living in there and in my teens. Oh the memories. The Vaseline memories.

Then we rented places/apartments here in Metro Manila (mostly Makati). And we rented... and we rented... and we rented... and we rented...

It dawned on the matriarch that we were wasting P6000 or 8000 or so a month. So the Momma got this sub-urban house, payable some 6 to 8 years.

(Same reasoning that's why I moved out of a rented flat of P8500 a month, to a "to-own" condominium unit. Despite the burdensome monthly ammort of P25,000, I still think owned place is the right choice. 4 years to go on this one. We'll get there. God is great. No really, God is great!)

In the middle or before the middle of the term, she retired from work. The rest is history. For some years/months, the youngest paid for a whopping P19,000 a month. Salamasistah!

Then, things change, financial statuses of us change, so, we responsibly adjusted and split it up to four.

Past 2 years, four siblings paid P4000, P4000, P5000, P6000 a month to pay for it.

To date, though we all have are own homes, we are still shelling 4,4,5,6 grands a month to get this sort of ancestral home paid.

But the news yesterday is, it's almost over. By January 09, the house is fully paid. Soon to be free.

Come 09, new year's gift, I am P4000 richer every middle of the month.

MR Bean Bag FS

Am selling this bean bag. Bought this a week ago. Reason for selling: At 70cm diameter, it's a little wide for our micro living room.

• Size - about 70 cm diameter
• Acts as accent chair
• Nice during TV watching, nintendo or PS3 playing, watching DVD just chilling, or how about this, A LOVE SEAT. Save money, buy this rather than availing VICTORIA COURT's love seats.
• Super comfortable
• Adapts to body/size/weight of the user
• High quality material make
• Pick up only at Makati (WEEKDAYS).
  
• Breathing holes.

Contact me directly if you like this OR bid on it at my EBAY account.

Home and Transpo - Back-2-Normal

Whoooo, finally after 2 months, my routine is back to normal. My home is done. Just a little over 3 weeks ago, I kicked out my sub standard contractor and literally made the homerun finishing for the works. That includes paintings, carpentry and a good amount of cleaning. In fact I think I am still stoned after consuming and sniffing 4 bottles of thinner and kerosene during the clean up. And so my dwelling is done, just some fixtures and furnitures to be bought. After the pro-longed renovation, no more dough. Fixtures and sofa and office table and bar like chairs will remain in the to-buy list for some weeks.

Also, exactly after 2 months after my car went on ICU, (they cant find the part - original civic sir steering drive shaft), I now have the wheels. Contrary to the quoted price of P7000 originally, the bill more than double to P16000 as they found other items for replacement. Thus, I repeat, Fixtures and sofa and office table and bar like chairs will remain in the to-buy list for some weeks. Last Feb, I swore that if ever I'll dole out another double digit car repair (that's 10K plus), I seriously consider selling the SIR. But man oh man, sarap i-drive ng SIR, I missed the roar and the speed. Besides, remembering, I no longer have the cap to get a new car financing plan. And so, I'll stick with my black mamba(barurot) car for now. (The 2 months I went on PUJ and TAXI and BUS mode, I did some meditations during the commute. I have made up my mind, I'll run on safe mode a la windows OS. I'll be more giving to the monster drivers and I'll take it easy on the pedals. I think, my driving style in the past made my car a regular autoshop visitor).

{Only prob that's breaking the life rhythm is my cranky SMARTBRO connection (no new news). Many times I asked my colleague in the office to call Smartbro Tech, three times they said, "ma'am your connection is fine". What the, why don't you move your ass in here and check it for your self. I am still not in boiling point with my home smartbro connection coz the times it's down, I am finding minor things to do at home, like installing racks, locks, etc. Damn this huge telcos (GLOBE & PLDT), I cant get it, why they dont have available telephone lines (and cabinets) here at my location. Geeesh, Im in the center of MAKATI CITY! and application of landline is now 2 to 3 months running. What year is it? 1998?}

Site Dev 2 - Dama De Lofte

The model...


The Jpeg Plan... (done using photo software, I no longer have autocadd installed, it's a memory hog)


I swung by to check the long delayed (plus 2 weeks now) house/condo renov earlier this afternoon. They are now working on the loft flooring. Vynil tiles in checkered black and white with gray/silver in the perimeter. Too bad, the silver tile is kinda same with the white ones. And so, the silver border aint noticeable. But hey, we'd like t wrap the works and so this will do.

Actual flooring...

The red center piece if for good luck.

SON OF A THIEF

I mentioned days back that some son of a thief took a swing at our house (my momma's actually). Roughly 100K of stuff were mugged. Ampota, my room (2nd floor) was a total mess. Just like in the films, as if they were looking for CD with classified info in it. They even stole a coupe of my shirts coz the mother fuckers were perspiring crazy. They forgot one shirt, and it was stinking real bad.

previous owner of this shirt is hell bound...

Being the last one to get married, early this year I shouldered the fortification expense of the dirty kitchen by putting bar/grills, bought additional locks, gate locks, et ce te ra.

Not knowing that there was a weak link. Since my sis moved out and they got their AC, that's where the crooks entered (2nd floor). They planned to saw the metal grills at side window at ground level but saw a better gateway. Yaah, the aircon slot at 2nd floor room. So you folks out there, check that area, check that AC slot. Secure it.

What made it easier for the mother-stealers was that an Avocado tree was planted right beside the house. That's where the monkeys got the e-le-va-tion. The avocado tree is now history.

The grills/ac slot is now welded and secured. Too late, lost items were highly valuable not only in terms of money but the sentimental value. Included in the heist was another piece I inherited from my father, necklace with a cross pendant.

be afraid for you have stolen my dad's (RIP) pendant and a cross at that....

This is the second house intrusion I've had. Last year, not even a month in my dream flat, burglars broke in too. What I lost then was my papa’s ring.

This Nov, when we transfer to our condo, I'll make sure even Houdini's great grandson will not be able to crack my home.

After this akyat bahay incident, as always, police, village security, home owners assoc all don’t have anything nice to say or do. The head security was even mentioning about residue, DNA and all that shit.

Patrol the streets, rid the village of walk-in gardeners, close other gates past 10 pm, implement IDs-to-all to all resident and employees going in and out.

Residue my ass!

I want that ring.

Fuck you thieves and fuck you security people.

Akyat Bahay

Almost up to nothingness these past three days. That is because, last Friday our house was hit by one mother fucking bastard. Almost 100K worth of properties was stolen. I'll hold the story for another day as my attention is FIBA Asia Tourney focused.