Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Organized Life: A Bag Special

Bag Organizer_coverHave you ever been lost in the jungle that is your bag? Check out this solution from Bag Org. and no, it’s not a map.


“What’s in her bag?” is one of my top favorite sections of beauty/fashion magazines: celebrities sharing what items they can’t leave home without, letting us peek into their bags. Curious lang kung ano laman ng mga bags nila, di ba?
Here I  tried to take a “what’s in her bag?”-picture. It looks easy in the magazines. Kahirap pala gawin in real life!


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Come to think of it, even si Dora the Explorer may “what’s in her bag?” section din. (sing: backpack, backpack, backpack, backpack…)
Pero, have you ever wondered how these celebs (yes, including Dora.) put all these stuff they show in the magazine without their bag looking like a jungle?
I don’t know about them, but for me, it’s my long time struggle with my bags since time immemorial. I feel lost when looking for something that I just put inside the bag a minute ago. (Buti pa si Dora, may map.)
Then came: Bag Organizers. One of the best secrets a girl could ever keep. As in keep. Secret lang kasi you don’t have to show everyone you have one but it’s there. And it’s such a joy to have.


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So, why is it good to have one?


It multiplies the space in your bag with lots of pockets and compartments.
There’s a place for your phone, wallet, journal, comb, make-up, lip gloss, pens, etc. Where in a regular bag you would have one zip pocket on the inside and maybe two compartments for your things, the bag organizers gives you spaces to stash your things times over. My bag organizer (shown above) has 8 pockets + 4 penholders. Plus, the pockets are of different sizes so it’s easier to decide where which of which and this and that will fit.


It keeps the shape of your bag so your square bag would not have a bulging tummy and bilbil.
This is inevitable lalo na if your bag is made of soft material or cloth. It sure doesn’t look good if you’re bag ended up shaped like patrick starfish when it’s supposed to be as square as spongebob. With your bag organizer holding your stuff inside neatly, you can be sure na walang transformation na mangyayari sa bag mo.


It organizes your things so you can find stuff easily.
Dahil marami ka ng lalagyan ng gamit, it’s easier to organize your stuff. The beauty of bag organizers is that it holds your things in place that once you open your bag you can immediately see where your things are. Di nagkakapatong-patong.
I love the penholders on the side. It’s very useful, malay mo manghiram ng ballpen si crush, ang bilis mo bumunot! :)


You can change bag in seconds!
Specially for those on the go, the bag organizer is a breeze. Simply lift the bag organizer and lipat sa kabilang bag. You don’t have to go through the tedious pag-aarrange ng gamit sa bag, we know how OC you are. Lift and lipat lang, go na! Mababawasan pa ang  chance na may makalimutan ka.


It’s very affordable.
150 lang. San ka pa?
Gusto na n’ya ‘yan..yiheee.. I got mine at Festival Mall. Meron din sa Landmark (in different sizes, prints and fun colors.)
Sa susunod ulit. Abangan:
Red heartthe pinay bargainista

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Cheap Find: Mason Jars equals Mcdo Burger Meal + 25 Pesos


010120082349-pola copyPinay Bargainista Tip: In lieu of vintage mason jars, use old jars or similarly tinted glasses as vases for a cheap way to inject that vintage country feel to your home. Here, I used a coca-cola glass from Mcdo. Story below:




Mason jars are a big hit right now on both home décor and wedding blogs. It’s no wonder because aside from being pretty, these jars are very versatile. They can be used as vase to hold flowers, can be hanged with candles as lanterns or as rustic cute drinks container. It’s good and affordable way to inject that vintage country feel for those on a tight budget for their wedding or home decor. Plus, reusing / repurposing these jars helps Mother Nature.

Here are some of my inspirations:
Peony and Blue Mason Jar inspiration = wedding? HELP :  wedding Mason+jar+filled+with+pink+peonies
Mason jars with lots of flower found on weddingbee.com.
diy-mason-jar-lanterns
Hanging mason jar lanterns from thesweetestoccasion.com


dressing up a window sill found on nauticalcottageblog.com

I am not sure if we have these same jars around here. But we can still use the idea with old glass bottles that we have at home. They will look great once cleaned and can be repurposed to be part of a wedding centerpiece or as home décor. It’s a win-win since you can upcycle these jars and at the same time save money on expensive décor.  Nakatulong ka na, nakatipid ka pa.
And if you are in love with the turquoise tint of those mason jars like I do, I’ve found a tutorial on how you can put color on those old glass bottles .
As for me I have used a different glass here. Remember the coca-cola glasses that comes for 25 pesos with every McDonald’s value meal?



I noticed the other day that they look quite like mason jars: with decidedly embossed letters on its face and tinted glass. Inspired as I am, I cut some blooms and put them in my coca-cola glass and snap some pictures.

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Bougainvillea is cute on vases. Don’t forget to put water so the flowers can stay fresh longer.
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I set this on top of our table near our dorm window. These tinted glass vases instantly prettifies a window sill.
I also want a doily for my “new-found” vase but there isn’t any so I just used a paper snowflake my roommate and I made out of this tutorial from Martha Stewart.
That’s what kept me busy last weekend. Hope you got inspired to upcycle your old jars at home.
It’s another week. Hope everyone have a nice one. Will be busy with work again. ‘Til next time.
Red heartthe pinay bargainista

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Makeover: Stackable Rustic Cabinets


I love furniture makeovers. This one was done by Kuya (my sister’s hubby).
I saw this cabinet of drawers in our front porch when I went home for Christmas break and immediately fell in love with it. Don’t you think it has this vintage / country feel? How I wish it was mine.
Rustic cabinets from Japan Surplus
They got these from a Japan surplus shop near Alabang for 2,000 pesos. Not bad.
I love most the drawer pulls and the metals at the sides which I learnt was for fixing the drawers in place once they are stacked on top of the other. One can even use both drawers separately as a low console table or can be put at the foot of the bed for additional storage.
rustic cabinets hardware

rustic cabinet hardware 


My kuya painted the drawers with fresh white paint and distressed it a bit with sandpaper in true abeachcottage-fashion.
rustic cabinet white
rustic cabinet white
Easy right? I can’t wait to do my own furniture makeovers. Here’s my list of favorite furniture makeovers found online:

sofa before and after, chair before and after, pink chair, green sofa, french chair, ornate chair, french sofa, ornate sofa
sofa before and after, chair before and after, pink chair, green sofa, french chair, ornate chair, french sofa, ornate sofa
sofa before and after, chair before and after, pink chair, green sofa, french chair, ornate chair, french sofa, ornate sofa

I am so in love with these seats from switcheroom. Read her article on these here.



table with parisian letter
created at: 08/28/2011created at: 08/28/2011
pop of color piano

vanity straight out of a storybook


room candy as seen on bellemaison23.com

Inspired by these? Drop me a message of what you’re planning to do this weekend. Upholster some old chairs maybe? :)
Red heartthe pinay bargainista