On Upgrading & Upcycling (The Kitchen Edition)

Since I just posted regarding room makeover, I may as well share the recent works we've done in our kitchen. This happened sometime in July this year.
It wasn't a makeover really.  It was more on a simple upgrade.
Our house being relatively new ( barely 10 years old) is still in very good condition.
Our kitchen although till very structurally sound yet we feel the need to improve on some things to make it cosmetically more appealing and in return addresses our needs better at the same time.
I am talking about the worktop surface.
We were not happy with the old laminate worktop.
We did not like the colour, the  texture and the overall effect it had in our kitchen.
And while we were at it, we decided to have it replaced as soon as possible.
Dearest Husband and I both agreed on a solid  oak worktop.
(Isn't it obvious that we really have a thing for solid oak?!)
We also agreed not to purchase it from the common DIY shops but rather search around and we came across Worktop Express where its selection of beautiful worktops displayed in good taste at its showroom just impressed us as well as its overall service afterwards.
And it wasn't a DIY but professionals instead. Just the very thought of the cost of the solid wood worktops is more than enough reason not to risk it.

And just like the dining room makeover, I also forgot to take a before photo.
But here's a snap anyway while the upgrading took place.

It was a two day job as we have a long L shaped kitchen worktop and the attached utility/laundry room was also upgraded.
Since it is wood it therefore requires sanding and varnishing afterwards that needs drying overnight.
I am thankful for the nearby recently opened KFC that fed us in those two days while the work was going on.

And here are the finished photos of our kitchen with its new solid oak worktop.

My lovely potted anthuriums are still blooming lovely despite it being there in my kitchen window sill  from early summer

Displayed on top of the top cabinets are wooden decorative plate stands with pictures of lechon and Philippine tricycle respectively - a touch of my Filipino heritage in my Kitchen decors.

And the up close photo of my new worktop

I am  very satisfied and happy with the outcome.
The oakwood really complemented my existing kitchen cabinets, kitchen accessories and the kitchen table as well. It also brightens up the room.

Part of the upgrade was also changing the kitchen sink.
I was very unhappy with the old stainless steel.
It was very shallow that causes easy spilling  although I was more irritated with the easy staining.
I initially wanted a Belfast sink but unfortunately, the depth of it won't fit in our existing kitchen unit. I had to go  with the large white ceramic sink instead which surprisingly, came out more beautiful than I anticipated.

My new gorgeous white ceramic sink with its new tap.
Has a large deep bowl that solves the spilling problem and cleans easily as well.
Both sink and tap are from Reginox

I can never have enough storage in my kitchen so we added an extra kitchen cabinet as well.
Here is my new solid oak kitchen cabinet purchased from Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets.

More storage for my Le Creuset stonewares and Cath Kidston storage jars

That looks really good from the opposite end of the kitchen

I have above mentioned that we also upgraded our utility/laundry room.

Here is a photo of our revamped laundry room!

 Basically this is just really a small space attached to our kitchen that serves as storage for our laundry appliances, welly boots and kitchen bin.
We only changed the worktop into solid oak and added hanging shelves from Ikea to have a more organised cleaning stuff and hopefully, laundering won't be that boring anymore.

Sitting prettily on top of my solid wood kitchen worktop is this beautiful wooden wine rack.

This wasn't like this when bought. This one just went through a makeover just a couple of weeks ago and this is where the upcycling part of the post title comes in.
A charity shop bought solely intended for upcycling experiment purposes.
This way if it comes out as a disaster then at least I wouldn't feel so bad as this just costed me £5.
Just like the dining room makeover Dearest Husband was also apprehensive and generally unsupportive of the idea. He finds the item ugly and worth throwing out.
Of course I didn't listen to him and carried on  instead what I really had in mind.

The top left photo: Before the makeover

Bottom left : 3 hours after manual sanding

Top right: After painted with Dulux Blue Babe

Then it was left to dry overnight , varnished, left to dry again for 4 hours then 2nd varnish coating applied then left to dry again overnight.

Bottom right: The finished photo of the makeover

Had I listened to Dearest Husband then I wouldn't be enjoying this beauty now.
He did appreciate it afterwards and even encouraged me to start thinking on our other furnitures that might benefit on a little bit of upgrading. Further on, he even told me that his dad actually has an electric sander that I can borrow. How very helpful of him indeed, not!

After the dining room makeover and the kitchen upgrade I am now happy with my ground floor rooms (well except for Little Girl's playroom that I am intending to revert back to a study room) and move her playroom upstairs next to her bedroom.
I am now obviously hinting at my next DIY projects.
But there is Halloween yet to think about where I want to serve high tea to my friends in my newly finished dining room.

Good night everyone.

D.I.Y Dining Room Makeover

I have been very busy in the past three weeks challenging my very best in the interior decorating department.
Thankfully, I came out triumphant as the outcome was more than satisfactory than I originally expected.
My project was my Dining Room Makeover.
A Do-It-Yourself undertaking in its truest sense as Dearest Husband was initially unsupportive.
I could not blame him. After all,  I have none/or  very little experience in the decorating aspect especially in stripping down wallpapers or painting the wall.
But as I have often told him, I wouldn't know unless I've tried. So try I did!
There are the professionals anyway who can do the job properly should my DIY turn out a disaster but at least I gave a try.

Here is the before photo of my dining room.
My apology as this is the only before photo I have.  In the midst of the all the preparations and chaos I just forgot to take a before photo.

My dining room at Christmas time last year

The old wallpaper is beautiful with its lovely print.  Unfortunately, it is not a dining room wallpaper.
It is more of a bedroom or living room feature wall.
As soon as the wallpaper was up I just knew straightaway that it was the wrong wallpaper choice.
It overpowered and dominated the room as an average size as it is. Worse, it was even on 2 walls.
I thought that perhaps a new set of furnitures might just remedy it but sadly it still didn't.
Fed up and been unhappy for a time already,I finally decided that its about time it should have its long over due necessary makeover. This whether by a professional or by myself which ended in a DIY by yours truly.

As above mentioned, I have no prior experience in stripping down wallpaper.
A bit of research and a few episodes of home makeover TV shows did the trick for me.
It does look easy on the TV and on Google but the truth is far from it.
It requires the right tools and lots of patience and time.

The first wall  took me about 3 hours and I was so amased and proud of myself as it went on smoothly with barely visible scratches although some paint peeled off together with the wallpaper.
As soon as I found my way of doing it properly,  I then allotted an hour or 2 in the evening when Little Girl was already asleep or at daytime when she was at school.

Then came the hardest and tedious part.
Cleaning the wall by removing the residue is the most laborious part.
Some tiny bits of the wallpaper were so stubborn it didn't peel easily. This was a very necessary evil though because if left, it would only produce an unsmooth surface once the wall is painted.

And here is the clean walls finally stripped off  its wallpaper and ready for painting.
Floors and furnitures were covered and glasswares/chinawares were emptied out from the cabinet.
Skirting boards to the floors and around the windows were also taped.

And here's me in action!

Painting sounds easy but surprisingly, in reality it actually did.
It is the preparation that is the tiresome part. Paint colour selection is not even easy to begin with.
Since I stripped the wallpaper off, I wanted to revert it back to its original colour to match the two untouched walls. Now, the problem lies on which shade.
We had no idea what brand or shade was used when the walls were originally painted. We even had to refer to the house manual but there was nothing there to suggest any help.
We bought several paint testers in the end  until we found the closest.

Finally,  here is the collaged photos of my finished Dining Room!

I simply carried on the theme and colour scheme of the living room - cream and chocolate brown with solid oak furnitures.
This way, should it happen that we would finally decide to take down the wall between the living and dining room, at least there is already a continuity between the two main rooms.

Here is a photo of our living room (which the dining room makeover design is inspired by).

Cream and chocolate brown colour scheme
Solid oak furnitures all from the Winchester Collection by Furniture Barn
Accessories/Furnishings are Filipino woodcraft mostly from Kultura Filipino mixed with Wedgwood collectibles

Of course I understand that the above collaged photos of the makeover are not that appealing so here are the bigger, individualized versions.
Dining room photos from the different angles of the room.

Floor lamp by Next bought 2 years ago which has been discontinued so I could not find a matching ceiling shade anymore
Table runner by  SM Home Accessories in the Philippines
Wooden candle holders from The Range
New Ceiling Shade from Dunelm Mill

I am very happy and surprised of the finished article.
It came out so well put together considering the furnitures and the soft  furnishings were bought at different shops at different times.
The makeover made the  room bright, cosy and spacious.
The curtain was even a last minute second choice as I was originally eyeing  for the Debenhams Lucille curtain but had to return it as the chenille material  is not appropriate for a dining room.
A light material is essential so as not to overpower the  room as there are big solid furnitures in it.
In the end I settled down with Como Printed Curtains by The Range at almost half price and much closer to my living room wallpaper print.
The only new things we have  in this makeover are the clock, the ceiling shade and the curtains in which Dearest Husband happily put it up for me as he observed and realised that I was doing well with the makeover.
Even bragged to his colleagues how good I am with the decorating!

Here are a few of the accessories in closer details.
As with my living room, I want my Filipino heritage evident in my home furnishings.

Top left :  Big Statement Clock by Edinburgh Clock Works Co.
(colour to match my mirror and dining chairs)
Bottom left: Large brown twig Balls from Kultura Filipino in a large clear vase with lead crystal decanters on both sides.
Upper Right: Giant Wooden Spoon and Fork from a native shop in the Philippines
Bottom Right:  A Filipino frame picture from Gaisano home accessories

I forgot to mention that I also bought a new display cabinet to accommodate my ever growing bone china collection and crystal glasswares courtesy of mother-in-law and her sister

Left photo: Large solid oak  glazed display cabinet bought more than 2 years ago from Marks and Spencer
Right photo: A similar smaller version but still solid oak glazed display cabinet bought at Home Sense at a bargain price of £199.99!

Here is a closer look at my chinawares/glasswares!

Left photo: Royal Doulton in Regency Gold collection courtesy of mother-in-law as wedding present
Angela Collection by Wedgwood from aunt-in-law
Right Photo: Some Royal Doulton glasswares from mother-in-law 
the rest of the different types of crystal glasswares and decanters all from aunt-in-law
Tea Set Revelry Collection by Coalport purchased by myself

Angela Collection by Wedgwood

Some of the crystal glasswares from aunt-in-law

Tea Set Revelry Collection by Coalport

The makeover is not truly finished yet. I still want to put a brown rug underneath the table and a mini cupboard or a wine cabinet by the floor lamp, all funds permitting!
I apologise for this very long post but I just want to share in details what went through my dining room makeover as I put too much passion and dedication in it.
Indeed, it was a labour of love.
It was physically exhausting and made me even poorly over the weekend yet the result was just simply rewarding.
Above all, it made me realise that there is actually an interior decorator/designer in me!
Would I do it again? Yes of course! In fact, another room is in mind. And that will be in one of my future posts, hopefully!

Good night.

Our Summer 2013

The melancholic season has arrived. Autumn is officially here.
With the days getting shorter and the leaves changing its colours (although some are still as green  in the Summer) yet  it won't be long till all the leaves start to fall and it would definitely be Autumn.

We look back to a proper Summer for the first time in years here in the UK.
Proper, bright, warm, long Summer.
Not just for a day or two  but for weeks and months even.
With only occasional rains and immediately back to the sunshine and warmth lasting throughout the day and into the night for most of the Summer time.
What a pure bliss it was!
Which was welcomed with such happiness and enthusiasm by most Brits.
You couldn't blame us when came Springtime and we still had snow!
I could not remember Spring at all. I think we skipped it entirely  and went straight to Summer.

This was what Spring was like to us this year.

Photo grabbed from a friend from the Philippines who came over for a visit.
Snow in the Spring!

It's Spring and our house is covered in snow!

Followed by a still very wintry Easter when we went to Cornwall.

A visit at King Arthur's legendary birthplace.

And then a miracle happened!
Mr. Sun came and decided to stay long  to give UK the chance to experience Summer for a change.

And when there is gorgeous weather there is barbecue of course!
The al fresco dining thing became a Summer habit.

Flowers in constant bloom

Lazy afternoons in the sunshine

Endless swimming for my little girl

Swimming pool in the morning
Paddling pool in the afternoon
My water baby!

Even the Edinburgh trip was surprisingly warm and dry when it is always the opposite everytime we cross the border.

The Scottish Capital - Edinburgh

Rosslyn Chapel featured in the Da Vinci Code movie

And summer outfits of course!
Gone are the boots and coats and came the open toed  sandals and light, summery, colourful attires.

This was actually outfit planning for our Paris trip

And talking about Paris, here's a few photos from our recent Parisian trip just before Summer came to an end.

A beautiful Parisian afternoon by the river with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background 

The Paris love lock bridge

What can be more romantic then this symbol of undying love with sweethearts names inscribed on the padlock and the key thrown in the river?
The Paris love lock bridge in the most romantic city in the world

The obligatory Parisian crepe

The sights

a visit at the Louvre

And of course,  for our little girl no Paris trip will be complete without a Disneyland visit!

With her most favourite rides 

The Mad hatters Tea Party - how we queued on this a hundred times!

never ending carousel ride

And a meet and greet with her beloved Mickey Mouse!
How she patiently queued for an hour and even tried to contain her desperate need for the toilet so as not to miss her place in the queue.
Came her encounter with Mickey Mouse and she just couldn't stop showering him with loads of hugs and kisses and pringles as a hello present. Bless her!

Indeed Summer has come and gone  but surprisingly it didn't depart with its warmth -  not just yet.

But it did leave us behind with beautiful memories to cherish  all thanks to its glorious sunshine.

A very good night everyone.

Yves First Outdoor Photoshoot

Thanks to my Yves godmother--Andrea who arranged to do an outdoor photo shoot for Yves birthday.
The photo shoot was intended for Yves Birthday Invitation Cards.

Weng is young & talented lady who has a passion for photography.  She is not a professional photographer but I think she has an amazing eye for photos.  Her photos are natural and captures the character of the model.  And to Auntie Weng & Andrea, thank you for giving Yves the opportunity to be a model for 1 day.

Taken at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden at Singapore Botanical Garden, I am so happy and proud to share you the pictures of Yves first outdoor photoshoot.

..I think it's really in the blood, Yves loves camera as well!

Singapore and on Turning 3!

Let me join in the seemingly birthday tone going on recently in this blog with the obvious one after another birthday post lately.
And here's mine for my little girl. (And just what I said in my previous post ( Far East Trip - Philippines).

In my preceding  Far East Trip post where we not only got to experience the best of the sunshine and family, we also had the convenience and reason to celebrate little girl's birthday with her Filipino side of the family for the very first time.

As with  her past birthdays here in the UK where the celebration took place in our house, the Philippine one was also at my parents home and  was a simple, low key more of  a family-get-together-happy-to-be-with-each-other because of our home coming and little girl's birthday.

And just like any other children's birthday parties (and her previous), we also have a theme.
This time we elected Minnie Mouse.

Here's the birthday girl wearing a top and bottom Minnie Mouse blowing the candles of her personalized birthday cake

(With a Minnie Mouse sticker on Daddy's forehead!)

A closer look at little girl's Minnie Mouse cake

Here with Mummy and Daddy and the rest of her party food

Lechon of course as the star of the show
 spaghetti and hotdogs for the children
 dinuguan, pancit, fish kinilaw , caldereta for the adults
 the obligatory rice for everyone
 and I remember buko and macaroni salad for  desserts
 and  gallons of ice cream in assorted flavours!

We didn't have any buntings but my brother had commissioned for a personalized large happy birthday banner (which I couldn't find the picture at the moment) and personalized birthday balloons in different colours.

How time flies! 3 already!

And most of her birthday cards and presents received were in keeping with her Minnie Mouse theme.

This was actually an advanced celebration as on the day of her birthday we had left Philippines already, which brought us to our next Far East destination - Singapore!

And what better setting to celebrate a 3rd birthday than at Universal Studios!
Here with 9to6mom and her parents

Carousel ride was the special request of the day, and did I say non stop the whole afternoon?

The pictures just say it all- little girl obviously had a very good time.
After all, it is not everyday we turn 3 and it is not every birthday we get to celebrate it on a theme park (Universal Studios at that!) -  and on a carousel ride!

And it is of little wonder to anyone that at the end of day we had a very exhausted yet very happy birthday girl.

Don't grow too fast sweetheart

This was another opportunity to spend quality time together with 9to6mom (hopefully with madsaboutu in the picture in the near future).

we are all happy  but we just have different ways of showing it!

(Out of the context point but just want to brag about it anyway).
Shouldn't it be regular people having pictures with celebrities, and not the other way around?
Well,  not in our case with 9to6mom!

Philippines Streetboys asking us to have a picture with them! 

How time flies indeed. She just turned 3 and now she's in Pre School.
And what a very good Pre Schooler she is!
Coming home everyday with a sticker and a topped it so far with very special award today!

And what parent wouldn't be proud?

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this post of mine.

Good night.