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.

Make your own faux taxidermy

Taxidermy is a fun and whimsical decorative element that could add style to your home. If you are grossed out by the idea of having a dead animal’s head sticking out of your wall but still want to be on trend with the taxidermy craze create your own version with items you already have around. How’s that for a green and animal-friendly project?

 

 

Materials needed:

Plastic bottles, bowls, spoons, thread spools, twigs, etc..

Cutter

Scissors

Glue gun

Cardboard boxes

Scrap paper, cut into small pieces

Cornstarch

Spray paint

Step 1: To make a basic "head" cut bottom part of a plastic bottle at a slight angle and attach to a plastic bowl to form a "snout". Adjust the length and angle of the "snout" depending on the form that you prefer.

 Step 2: Cut a notch on each sides of the rim of the bowl.

 

Step 3: Attach a plastic spoon on the notch created for the “ears”. Rummage through your recycling bin and play around with the different materials to come up with a configuration that you like.  Use old pasta tongs to create a moose’s “antlers”, thread spools to form “horns” --- use your imagination!    

Step 4: Cover by layering with strips of paper and cornstarch glue. *

 

Step 5: Let it dry and spray with paint.

Step 6: Attach taxidermy “head” to a cardboard box and mount on a wall.

*cornstarch glue recipe:

Dissolve cornstarch and water. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and becomes translucent. Turn off heat and let cool before using.    

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.....

Frugal Finds at Uniwide Part 2

It's been a while since we've been to Uniwide. Although hubby and I were happy with our last visit we were never able to go back until last weekend.

 

What can I say? Uniwide is a very dangerous place. Not in a negative way, though. It's just that hubby and I ended up with (multiple) random, unplanned purchases. The original intention was to make a quick trip to purchase about 70 pieces of covered  plastic drinking glasses -- an errand Mama asked us to do for the feeding program organized in church. SM was on our first agenda but surprisingly, they didn't have what we were looking for. Uniwide has them but there weren't enough and we couldn't leave empty handed...         

 

 

 

 

These rubber alphabet cut-outs used to be sold by the kilo. I already wanted to get Alonzo a pack the last time but hesitated because I thought that I had to get a whole kilo of these. If I remember correctly, they were sold at P250/ kilo. I mean, what would I do with a kilo of alphabet letters??? What I didn't know was you could purchase just one pack and have it weighed and pay accordingly. Silly me. Anyway, they are now sold by the pack at P29.00. I made a mental count of the number of kids that I could them to and almost ended up getting everything in the crate!

 

Now, aren't these ceramic owls adorable?

 

I was already picking which of these little guys would go home with me until this charming piece caught my eye. Wouldn't you agree that it looks so Anthrologoly-esque??? I super love it and for only P59.00 I couldn't resist.

 

I also couldn't get these porcelain balls sold at P39.00 for 2 pieces off my mind either as I toured around.

 

These are just a few of our purchases that day. I got ourselves several pieces of coffee mugs (for a project that I have in mind), a bundle of barbecue sticks, a wooden board puzzle for Alonzo and a Santa hat. And would you believe that hubby was able to finish off his Christmas list all in one go on our visit to Uniwide?!!

 

I'm now regretting not getting the pastel-colored, polka dot serving plates and coral shaped candle holders.

We'll have to go back there soon!

 

Frugal Finds at Uniwide

A post by n@wie friend, Maqui, remimded me
 of how hubby (then boyfriend) and I used to go
to Uniwide to stock up on junk food during our college days. 

Anyway, a random stop over at Uniwide along Sucat road
turned out to be a pleasant surprise.    
It's been ages since the last time we've been to there.
It still looks like the same dark and dusty warehouse that
we used to be so familiar with but this time
hubby and I purchased several stuff for the house.

Among the ones that we bought, these would have to be my favorite.
The ceramic letters are such a great find -- perfect for the "alphabet wall" that I'm planning set up
(25 more letters to go!)


Letters: P15 each 
Crown: P29 each.

We were also able to get Alonzo
a little table and chair for his play room and mini library
for a little less than half the amount of what we could have paid for at another department store.

We are definitely going back!

Sunday's Frugal Finds!

Alonzo received a lot of toys as gifts last Christmas. Mima even sent 2 balikbayan boxes full of toys (if you're Filipino you know what I'm talking about)! Most of his new toys are kept at my parents' house where he spends most of the day and the rest are at our house. We also kept the toys that are not yet appropriate for his age.

With my sister-in-law's permission, we'll be converting her room into Alonzo's playroom and mini library. No, we won't be doing anything extreme. Actually, we'll just be moving the beds against the walls and literally just bring in all the toys. 

 

We knew that we had a lot of sorting and organizing to do so off to Dapitan we went to purchase some baskets to get ourselves started. 

Would you believe that all these (nine baskets all in all!) cost us only P400?!

After less than an hour (we got there at around 8:30am) we were all done and the car's trunk was full. Hubby and I couldn't believe how much time we still had so we decided to make a quick stop at Cash and Carry for brunch. Of course, I also had to make mandatory(?) "inventory" at their Book Sale branch.

For only P240 we were able to get these for Alonzo's library!