Frugal Finds at Uniwide: Mix and Match Tea Cups, Saucers and More!

 

As you may already know, I consider Uniwide a treasure trove of just about anything. Without really "looking" I chanced upon a stack of small, assorted, floral plates and saucers.  

 

bread plates cost P15.00
while saucers are only P12.00 each

 

At that time I was concentrating on finding a couple more of ceramic owls which Mama asked me to get for her as well as the printed fabric I needed for the throw pillows.  So I tried to ignore the urge to at least check them out. That night, I had a hard time sleeping and had that familiar, nagging feeling that I get when smitten by something.



tea cups sell between P15.00 to P19.00

It took me three separate visits to Uniwide to "complete" my collection and to finally get my mind to stop obsessing about these lovely, dainty tea cups and saucers.

 

They also have creamer pots that sell for as much as a tea cup. I also found a sugar bowl for P14.00. The cover was missing but I bought it anyway! 



 I love how it evokes a shabby chic esthetic and how each piece casually goes well with each other.   

I am absolutely charmed by my new collection that it makes me want to host a tea party... And, I think I might just have the perfect occasion to do so.....

"Ngiti Mo, Sagot Ko"

In lieu of our Christmas party, the Association of Philippines Orthodontists in coordination with the Ateneo Center for Educational Development had an outreach program last November 20 at the Manuel L. Quezon elementary school. 

Some of the kids were shy to show  their teeth...

 

...while others flashed their brightest smiles!

The objective of the outreach was to promote proper oral hygiene.  APO volunteers taught about 400 students from Grades 2-4 how to brush while members of the Luz C. Macapanpan Foundation provided free dental check-ups and treatment.

Cyril and Xilver volunteered
to be the "models" 



APO president, Dr. Laarni
with Cyril and Xilver

Dr. Katet showing the little girl
the proper way to brush

 

Dr. Chrys doing the "shake-shake-shake"

 

 


Dr. Boon and Dr. Claire
at the medication dispensary

 

The children's art works



APO members

Needless to say, the event so really tiring but nonetheless truly fulfilling and inspiring! It was also an opportunity to meet up and reconnect with fellow orthodontists and old classmates.  

DIY Personalized Christmas Gifts

For the past few years I have tried to give out hand made gifts for Christmas. The key word here is "tried". In a way I have semi-succeeded in this self-imposed resolution...somehow I managed to give hand-made gifts (Alonzo's bear pillow case, dip dyed and stenciled shirts) to the kids and adults last Christmas. Cookies, carrot cake and atchara count as hand-made, right?!!

 

 

Anyway, check out my article for Yahoo!She to make some easy, inexpensive and personalized Christmas gift items. 

Throw Pillows Galore!

 

I might have mentioned several times how I wanted to make throw pillows for the living room? Now, I think I might have gone too far! Hubby and probably everyone else are thinking the same thing -- pillow overload!!! Okay, I get it. Yes, I got carried away.

 

Mama and I went shopping for fabric a few days ago.  I saw several lovely printed canvas material but this floral-paisley print (center pillow) at Cotton Depot really caught my eye. Printed canvas costs P120 per yard while plain, colored canvas costs P100. The other fabrics that we bought were based around the colors of this print. I easily spotted a plain, teal-colored canvas and decided to get some.

 

I love mixing patterns but this could be a little tricky and one can easily end up with a very distracting, haphazard and confusing design result.  It was a little difficult to find patterns that would compliment our base print. There was this sage-colored, leaf printed pattern canvas at the scrap fabric section. I'm not exactly crazy over the color and print but I think it goes well with our base print, so I got the remaining 3/4 yard.

 

I wanted to get another print but couldn't find anything more at Cotton Depot. The other fabric stores in Glorietta have a couple of printed patterns that I liked but they cost three to four times more! Then I remembered the mango-colored, geometric printed fabric from Uniwide which was used to make wall decor. So, from Makati we headed towards Uniwide (I was adamant to get all my fabric and finish the project by the long Halloween weekend). I was also worried that there wouldn't be any of the fabric left (after all, it only costs P69 per meter! I even saw in a design magazine that Heima has some pillows made of the same print). Thank God, they still had a roll and yes it still costs P69!!! I bought more fabric than I intended to get and had them made into 2 bolster pillows.

 

I'm happy with how it turned out and hopefully, achieved the Anthropology-esque esthetic that I was aiming for.

 

 



Tuna Casserole

This recipe is a real crown pleaser. I usually serve this for brunch, potlucks and whenever I feel too lazy I prepare this even for dinner because it's fool proof and so easy to prepare! 

Ingredients:

1 package macaroni, cooked

1 can all purpose cream

2 cans tuna in water, drained

1 block cheese, grated

1 onion, minced

2 cups mixed vegetables

1 tsp butter

1 bag potato chips, crushed (optional)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

 

Procedure:

Saute onion in butter until soft and tender. 

Add in tuna and mixed vegetables. Stir for a few minutes.

Add macaroni and mix together.

Pour cream and 1/2 of grated cheese. You may add a little pasta water if the mixture becomes too thick.

Remove from heat and pour on to a baking dish. 

Sprinkle crushed potato chips and Parmesan on top. 

Place in a pre-heated oven at 170 F for 10 minutes. 

 

Enjoy!