Frugal Finds at Merriam and Webster

Thank God it's June! I never thought that I'd actually hope for June to come. Normally I'd wish for summer to last forever and really hope that the month of June (er... back-to-school dread) never to come. Needless to say, we had a busy month of May.   

Anyway, I had a "blast from the past" moment when I stepped in Merriam and Webster Bookstore along Morayta Avenue a few days ago. Flashbacks of my college days at the U-belt area came to me as the sight and scent old books, intermediate pad paper as well as whiffs of dust greeted me on the first floor of the building. 

Holy time warp! I haven't seen watercolor like this (not even in National Bookstore -- or maybe I wasn't just looking) since grade school.

The old lady standing beside me probably thought I was crazy for almost knocking over a basket of rolled wrapping paper as I rushed towards the far end of the 2nd floor. Lo and behold -- shelves and shelves of Stryrofoam letters! I got a little carried away, and yes, even a little tachcardic. I have been planning on creating an alphabet wall since the day I bought ceramic letters from Uniwide. These styro letters come in either upper or lower case sets, script or print. The price essentially depends on its size, between P4.00 to P19.00.   

I also found more books to add to my children's dentist book collection. Alonzo favors the "Maisy, Charley and the Wobbly Tooth" over "Titus's Troublesome Tooth". He didn't particularly like how Titus' tooth fell off when he hit his head on a gate. While the former book gave me a chance to introduce to him the concept of how a baby tooth will eventually fall off and be replaced by a big tooth when he gets older. Understandably, he was excited about the concept of the tooth fairy. "Mama, the tooth fairy is a santa who is a dentist", he told me after explaining the story to him. 

I've been back to the bookstore two times after my first visit and got 2 more books for Alonzo. Too bad, they don't re-stock that often. I should remind myself to lengthen the time between visits.

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.....

Alonzo's Button Collection

Over the past couple of weeks our little toddler has showed some particular interest in collecting buttons. It started with just a couple of pieces. I think the huge, red one was what got him interested. Now, he has over 200 pieces!

I am amazed at how these could keep him entertained for hours (no exaggeration!). He could spend the entire afternoon just tinkering with each piece. He sorts them by color, counts them (he can count up to 10, and sometimes a little over), pours them on to different bowls, lines them all up and even tried to stack them.

He seems partial to the stripped beige and black one. He also knows which ones are our favorite pieces. For his dad it would be the oversized, red one while mine would be the paisley printed one (he chose it for me!).

Believe me, too, when I say that the little guy takes pride in his collection. He is mindful of where to keep them and is even particular as to who he will allow to help him pack them away!
How adorable is he? 

children's book collection

i've been collecting children's books for more than 10 years now ---- way before i got married and had a baby. the books are all about teeth or dentists. this isnt the entire collection as i have given some away to friends while others were borrowed by patients (and never returned!). my favorites are "ay, may bukbuk ang ipin ni ani" (ani has a bad tooth) by luis gatmaitan and "magnificent benito and his two front teeth" by augie rivera.

this is the most recent one that i bought from book sale. i don't consider these books mine anymore. they all now belong to my toddler. hopefully, these would be enough to encourage the little guy to brush his teeth!