The Organized Life Part 2: The Closet Queen

That was a mouthful! Anyway, this post is dedicated to my loooooong search for the most coveted hanging closet organizer. Play song here: The search is over…you were with me all the while…tananan tananan…
As I was saying, I was in a long search for these hanging closet organizers (paulit-ulit?). I saw them first at Daiso some years back and though I found it cool I really don’t have any use for them at the time so I did not buy, just admire. hehe
But when I started living at the staff dorm at work, given the limited space for my things and clothes, the benefits of having a hanging closet organizer dawned on me. And that’s when I knew I have to get one.


And so, everytime I was on vacation in Manila, we’ll scour the malls, Daiso Festival, Daiso Galleria, Daiso Greenhills, Japan Home, Ace Hardware, True Value, Robinson’s Department Store and so on…but to no avail were we able to find one. Ubos na. Tagal na kasi nun.


Then last Christmas ( I gave you my heart..joke), we saw one in Festival Mall at one of the kiosks near the food court. Silly me, I told bf that we’ll just return  the next day to buy it, and the next day it was gone.


Another month passed and I was back again in Manila, and again in Festival Mall (sorry, it’s near our place and I miss going to the mall after a month of being stuck in a far far away island) when lo and behold, the rare closet organizer, there hang in the air. I told bf that we should get it to which he replied “let’s just return tomorrow”. I had to look at him to “are you freakin’ serious?” him. haha. No.He.Is.Not.Serious. Buti na lang.





And so, above are some of the photos of my closet before and after the organized life ( I keep on taking pictures of my closet even without finding the hanging organizer yet, somehow I always knew I will find one.) and below is how I was able to organize it to make Pinky teddy happy.

I originally wanted one without the plastic cover/enclosure but when I got this one I realized it is better with cover than without. It’s a really good way to organize my undies, socks, hankies and towels. I also used one of the nooks/shelves for my accessories. I put them on the nook just between the chest and eye level (based on my height, as pictured) so I can easily browse through everything.
And oh, trivia, Pinky teddy is actually a pencil case or something. She has a zipper at the back. (in case you want to know, that is.)
So there you go. One organized closet. I had fun sa pag-aayos d’yan and with this post din. Hope you had fun too.


the pinay bargainista

Hanging Closet Organizer, 260 pesos. Festival Mall, Alabang ; Hanger with clips, 69.75 pesos. Ace Hardware.

The Organized Life: A Bag Special

Have 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!





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.





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: The Organized Life Part 2: The Closet Queen
the pinay bargainista

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

Pinay 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:

Mason jars with lots of flower found on weddingbee.com.

Hanging mason jar lanterns from thesweetestoccasion.com

mason jars as drinking glass

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 here.

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.

Bougainvillea is cute on vases. Don’t forget to put water so the flowers can stay fresh longer.

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.

the pinay bargainista

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.

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.

 

My kuya painted the drawers with fresh white paint and distressed it a bit with sandpaper in true abeachcottage-fashion.

Easy right? I can’t wait to do my own furniture makeovers. Here’s my list of favorite furniture makeovers found online:

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

table with parisian letter

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? :)
the pinay bargainista

Absolutely Free: “Almost Vintage” Wine Bottle

 

Looking for vintage bottles? If you’re not too picky, you can settle for wine bottles that have a vintage feel to it like the one my boyfriend’s mama gave to me. Read on for story:

 

I have always wanted a Country cottage feel for my future home: warm, cozy and full of vintage odds and ends. I was inspired most by Robin Brown's guest cottage. Just look at the pictures of her charming home. I can look at them for hours.

 And since I don’t have my own home yet, and getting married is still not on the top of my to-do list, I would have to settle on the limits of what my parents would allow me at home (hehe) and, now that I work away from Manila, at the comforts of our staff house (dorm) room.

Our dorm room is my sort of halfway house/guinea pig for my cottage house dreams (at least my half of it since I have a roommate). Last time I went home to Manila my boyfriend’s mama let me have this used Paul Masson wine bottle so I can have something at my staff house room to put drinking water in . Our staff house is quite far from the “main house” where all the staffs eat and it’s not open 24 hours, so when you get hungry or thirsty in the middle of the night, you’ll have to wait until morning to do something about that.

Paul Masson carafe: free from mama; drinking glass:18 pesos at a local houseware store; bougainvillea: free from nature; wooden table: free use from forester friend. :)

Please let me share with you my attempt of a photo shoot today.

I try to dress it up a bit with bougainvillea and set it on top of a wooden table for more country cottage feel. What do you think?

I got a little crazy and can’t stop taking pictures. I later realized that it looks like the flower is the subject and not the bottle. Haha. Lost in translation. Oh, I really want to learn photography!

oh well, weekend’s over in a while. It’s Monday again tomorrow?

Hope you have a great week ahead of you.

 

the pinay bargainista

 

Cheap Find: Heeled-brogues at 100 Pesos!

Journal Entry: The Pinay Bargainista finally found a pair of brogues after forever at an ukay-ukay for a super amazing price of 100 pesos. Story here:

“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

That is sort of a rule / mantra / belief / kasabihan that my boyfriend and I have whenever we go shopping specially if we can not find what we are looking for, or the item is just too high skyline-pigeon-fly above our budget.

(okay okay, it applies ONLY to me)

But hey, it’s not my fault that the things that I love are hard to find (or it is?). My love for vintage things and all those things that sometimes feel almost like just figments of my imagination (or sariling mundo?) have caused us countless times of aching feet and super tiresome days.

And for all the aching feet, here comes the shoes.

I’ve been looking for a pair of cheap brogues / oxfords for quite some time now. We’ve been to a lot of places: malls, ukay-ukay, garage sale, the internet, but all our efforts are fruitless until yesterday.

While on the way to meet the doctor, we decided to drop by this ukay-ukay inside a mall in Alabang. We have been checking this place before because our friends from church said that they have nice items there, plus, it is near the PNR train terminal (we love taking the train ride because it is cheaper.hehe)

So that fateful day, we decided for a short detour and just browse through the items. I immediately saw this pair and never let go. I showed it to the boyfriend and he is as excited. I checked the sole for the price (while I silently wish that it is within what I am willing to pay. Of course I know that I will pay for whatever price. maybe a bonus song and dance number if necessary) and it says 380.

My boyfriend brought the shoes to the counter and ask the staff of the price. And the sweet gay guy said…"100 po."

OMG!!!! Is he serious? I was freaking happy I could kiss him. Again, I feel that this gay guy is, again, my soulmate. (For details on my other gay friend / soulmate, read here.)

I cant wait for my mom to finish browsing through all the skirts and dresses for me to pay for the shoes. She keeps on asking me if this and that are nice and I just said yes to all those things without really seeing what she is waving in front of me (bad.)

Eureka! This is it. This is really is it ng bonggang-bongga. I have found it!!!!

Aren’t they a lovely pair? I really can’t help but feel proud of this find. Maybe it is my lucky day.

It is meant to be.

Really: “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

Do you agree? I would love to hear your own shopping mantras. ‘Til next time.

And also, if you happen to be shopping and overheard some couple saying that over and over again while shopping, well, those just might be me and the boyfriend. hehe.

Love,

the pinay bargainista

Absolutely Free: Saving Roses

 Whenever I go to church, I always pass by this rose bush on the side of the road just outside the place where I am staying. Covered in vines and weeds, it is as if someone planted it there to grow on its own.

But despite the competition and bullying of surrounding weeds, it just manages to stretch out its arms, I mean branches, in between that spider web of vines (really, those weeds prove to be merciless) to show off those beautiful blooms. Little pink flowers, almost like carnation, nothing fancy and big like the roses they have on books. I guess we cannot grow big roses here with our tropical weather. (I’m not sure, but if you know otherwise, please please let me know. Having a rose garden is one of my childhood dreams.)

And so Operation: Saving Roses started.

I wanted to get a lone stem and see if I can grow one on a flower pot and place it inside my room. Well, as green-thumb-challenged as I am, I do learn from grade school that roses are one of the plants that you can grow through cutting. Yey!

So I planned and plotted on getting that cutting myself. One, I can look for the owner and ask for a rose cutting. OR. When no one’s around and looking. And it has to be fast. Sneaky.

Only, it did not happen. It was very hard to have no person in sight at that area, it seems that the people planned and plotted too. Sad.

It is not very easy to get that stem ha? And I am yet to learn speaking the local dialect. How do you say “pwede po ba makahingi ng rose?” in waray-waray?

And I’d say “that’s what friends are for.” Hehe.

Of course, I asked my good friend, who to my luck happens to be a forester, to help me. He talked to the guy working there with some bolo and bamboo. (I could not dare approach a man swaying his bolo, though he turned out to be a very friendly guy) He even let my friend borrow the bolo and then forester friend picked the stems ideal for planting. Whoa!

Here look at them:
I took this photo early this morning. We placed the stems on a vase with water to keep them hydrated overnight.

And we will be planting them today. I am very excited. I hope they grow in good health. (and please don’t die.)
Or maybe I should change the title of this post until such time as I can definitely say that they were saved?
Ahh…(cross-fingers)

the pinay bargainista