Your Home

What does home mean to you?  Do you equate it with your mortgage?  Something that is affected by the interest rate and something that makes you work harder up to the extent that work becomes your priority?  If it does, then think again.  Home is where  your inner self  should be able to dwell and rest, it’s where true  happiness reigns.  Home as they say is “where the heart is”.

Home is where your family bond together to the fullest.  It is where you speak about your daily struggles with the people who are dear to you.  It is where you build your dreams and aspirations.  it is where your story begins.

It is the same home that you share with your friends, a home where you hold birthday parties, a home where you gather even without special occasion, just special people. It’s the place where you create beautiful and significant memories which can never be forgotten, memories which are cherished forever.

Home is always unique, it has its own identity.  It may not be perfect, it may not be your “dream house” but it should be always your ideal home.  We may move and look for a “better house” but we have to be happy with our home for now.  It may have its inadequacies and imperfections but it’s always something that you can make beautiful

Source

I’m so happy that we as a family abide by this principle..making a place beautiful and we are so blessed that others help us to  make it more beautiful because of their visits in times of happiness and sadness.  Home is where you shed tears but at the same time it’s a place where there is endless laughter because it’s home where your life is unfolded, it is where you learn and grow.

Your home is your life…filled with significant stories which make you stronger, filled with meaningful memories that you keep throughout your lifetime.  So now would you agree if I say that your home is worth more than a million?  Actually, it’s priceless because you who resides in it is priceless!!  Love your home

God bless,

Nova

Winter mantel

Few more days and autumn here in Australia is over.  The first of June marks the official winter season down here.  So today, I’ve decided to put up our winter mantel.  First I thought of the gift I have received recently from my aunt from the Philippines.  It’s an oil lamp which we call it there as “storm lamp” ( ilaw bagyo  ).  It is used during the olden days during storm and electricity is cut off.  This brings back memories from my childhood, brings back memories of the town ( province ) in the Philippines where I grew up.

What came with this lamp from the Philippines is the love and concern of my precious aunt.  Then, I put the fabric flowers which  traveled all the way from the United States down here in Australia.  I was chosen to be the recipient of these lovely flowers by Beth from chicenvelopements.

What comes with these creation is the creativity and appreciation of a another blogger from the other part of the world.

Then I also added my own chalkboard paint project ( picture frames I used for my son’s birthday party ).  This time, I have written these:

For me it the love that you share that will keep you warm this winter, more than the electric blanket that you use, more than the gas heater that your house has.  Love is the best shield in the coming chilly days of winter.

So here it is, my simple winter mantel:

Keep warm and continue loving!!

God bless,

Nova

I’m sharing this to:

52 mantels

It’s a Blog Party

fun on a dime

I heart nap time

Raising memories

my 1929 charmer

Organization and DIY boards from Pinterest

In the last two posts that I’ve made, I’ve been featuring my pins from my “Inspiration/ Style for the Home board.  Today, let’s review what I’ve been pinning from my “Organization” and “DIY” boards

Here are few of them:

Source: myidealhome.tumblr.com

This is so cool, you hit two birds with one stone that is, organizing those letters and bills while creating a wall to be admired.  I love the huge letter here by the way and the chalkboard where you can write reminders.

Source: thecsiproject.com

What a fantastic way to use every part of the open book shelves.  Even the sides were utilized to hang those basket type magazine holders.

Source: shelterness.com

I would like to have one like this in the kitchen, open shelves and everything is labeled.  At a glance, you can see what you’re looking for.

Source: bhg

This is a very organized home office where you can really concentrate.  It has so many shelves where the binders are arranged.  So your important papers never get misplaced.

How about the garage?  How do you create extra space when you have millions of stuff ( of course, the man in the house also buys what he needs and what he wants ).  Let’s have a look at these:

Source: Martha Stewart

In here, basic and important tools which are usually used in the house are kept hanging for accessibility and to maximize the space as well.

This is a picture of my hubby’s bike inside the garage.  He uses big hooks to hold huge items such as this.

Even the tiny things are kept in order by my hubby. This is how he arranges his screws and all those small yet very functional items.  He places them together and he never mixes them up.

Now, let’s take a look of what I have repinned lately which became so popular with 90 repins and still going

Source: diyshowoff.com

I bet so many women repinned this because every woman who by nature is fashionable, also has a dilemma..that is how to tidy up those fashion stuff like the millions of nail polish, scarves, boots etc.  So the above picture is the solution.  I love how those petite bottles of  nail polish were displayed.

This time, let’s feature some of my pins from my DIY board:

Sources: sadieanddasie and theironstonenest

Open shelves are very handy and shelves can easily be installed.  My hubby just put one lately and it only took him few minutes to install it.  I’ve made a post about it, Lettered mantel )

Source: sandandsisal and littleprince68 ( my own )

I have pinned a corkboard with style and so I did it myself too.  The picture on your right is my own DIY project {Awful to beautiful)

Source: inmyownstyle and from my own blog ( Polka dots )

I admired how the dresser was transformed and so I tried to do something very similar.  Well, not as good as the dresser but surely the hand me down stool did have a new look.

By the way, here’s one which is so lovely but I haven’t done anything like this yet.

Source: Storypiece

Danielle from Storypiece who did this awesome project is a follower of mine and I’ve been following her as well and it’s always fantastic to know that we can share our stories even we are so far from each other.

With all of these, I know I will never lose the “interest” in Pinterest and of course, I will always have the desire to blog and to read blogs.  It’s just so liberating.

God bless,

Nova

My Pinterest represents me

I have made a post that my Pinterest is a reflection of me and it’s really true.  So again, allow me to show you what I’ve been pinning and why I say my pins in one way or another represent me.

Let’s start with this little entryway

Source: Young House Love

This is squeezed in between the living room and dining room and this is the one that you will see once you open the front door.  This is so functional because the moment you step in to your own house you want to put down your bag, remove your scarf and take off your shoes.  This has it all.  The huge letter N made it appealing especially for me since N can stand for my name: Nova!

Let’s take a look at another one:

Source: Know All That I Seam

For me, you can place this in your entry way and the crate is where you can put your shoes from work or your kid’s school shoes.  At least it won’t be left anywhere.  Also the furniture here provides the solution for your house and car keys.

So much for the entry ways, try to have a look at these living rooms that I’ve pinned

I am drawn to something that is rustic and vintage like the coffee table that you can see in the above pictures.  I love anything vintage, rustic and antique with a modern twist.  I think I have an explanation to this.  I acknowledge that I now live in a modern world however, since I grew up in the country ( province as we call it in my motherland of birth, the Philippines ), that is why a part of me still longs to see furniture or items that would remind me of my childhood. It gives me a connection to my past in order to appreciate what I have now and where I am now.

Let’s try to view some other living rooms that I’ve pinned.

Source: Brabourenfarm and frugalfarmhousedesign

The furniture here are mostly modern yet it gives you a feeling of the “olden times” since the house is old but renovated.  You can see the very high wooden ceilings which I really love.  Again, these houses take me back in time and gives me a chance to relate to my past and see the future clearly.

Let’s move on to dining rooms that I have pinned.

Source:  Flourish design and style  and Young house Love

Again, the dining chairs and the china cabinet are old yet for me they are beautiful.  These pieces are so rich in stories, these pieces have witnessed so much from the past and yet still ready to serve the modern family with its original charm.

Source: ehomee.com

This modern house also contains antique cabinet and worn table yet they give so much life on this white living room.

So from today’s post a part of me is revealed, I love anything that characterizes the past yet useful and functional for the modern home and family who tries to have introspection at times yet remain to be practical and live for the “here and now”

This is not my last post about my Pinterest..there will be a lot more.  Stay tuned

God bless,

Nova

My Pinterest is a reflection of myself

I am thrilled that many people follow me on Pinterest especially on a particular board which is “inspiration/ style for the home”.  Well, Pinterest is an  on- line board and I just pin all the things I  love and all that inspire me.  So although most of the things that I pin are not my own, they still reflect my style, my passion, my dream..in other words it’s a reflection of myself.  It tells something that is within me, what I value.   Today I’ve decided to show you what I have there that have been repinned by many followers of mine.  Let’s start with a very lovely front porch

From: Imparting grace

For me this porch is so relaxing where you can have a cup of tea.  I believe it’s a porch for all seasons.  It is great for summer and if you add an outdoor heater it will be very good even during winter.  I love the chalkboard frame hanging where you can write ” welcome”.  I would love to write too, “JOY dwells here”  or “PEACE resides on this abode” and you can just change the colors of the cushion depending on the occasion.  This porch I believe is just so flexible.

From:  My blessed life

A very simple back porch where you can unwind after a very busy week.  This porch gives me an idea that an indoor furniture can be put outside and can really be very functional

From: Flea Market trixie

I love the idea that window shutters are used here as the wall design. It goes very well with the rattan furniture.  I love the blue floors too which creates a cool and peaceful mood.  This area can be fabulous during weekends where you can entertain extended family or friends for an afternoon tea.

From: bhg

This back patio can be used for family lunches and  barbeques.  I love the vintage dining table, chairs and benches here.  This back patio is just right after the kitchen so even that the freshly cooked food can be enjoyed straight away.

Then let’s go to some entry way which for me should always be welcoming, not crowded yet useful where you can leave your shoes or coat in case they are wet to keep the house clean.  These are some that I adore:

From: Pottery Barn

In this entry way, you can even sit down while removing your boots.  My heart also goes for the Bolton lantern, it’s just so lovely and would surely welcome every guest even during the night.

From:  The Rambling Renovators

This entry way has spot for umbrellas ensuring that every person who walks in does not need to look any further where to put it or if you are leaving the house and it’s raining, this would always be handy.  Then there are the lanterns again which look so pretty and chairs again just in case you need to sit down when taking off your shoes.  The furniture in these two entry way are very useful because for the owners, they can hide their house and car keys here as soon as they enter to avoid misplacing them.

How about some the walls of the house:  I’ve made a post before wherein I have mentioned that walls should always attract and attack. Yes, it should attract they eyes and attack  the heart and even the soul.  Look at these walls that captivated me:

From: Cottage Instincts

This wall had old windows which are used as picture frames.  The word family is  there which says something a lot about the homemaker, that she values family so much.  This picture frames are actually on the dining hall to ensure that every time they gather to eat, it reminds them that they have to stick together since they are one family.

From: Young house love

This wall has a variety of stuff, but the word GO captured my attention since it reminds every member of the family to choose the “right way to go”.. like “GO for your dreams” or “Go and do NOT give up”.  I find this wall just amazing and meaningful.

This is my very own creation.  My husband put a shelf on our blank wall and I placed the letters of our names ( Lorenzo, Nova and Joseph ).  I am so happy with the outcome because it tells that these are the people who reside in this dwelling house which make it a home where we dream, pray, laugh and love together.

Definitely, I will have part 2 of this post.  Stand by

God bless,

Nova

My son’s 13th birthday ( part 2 )

After the fun at M9 laser skirmish, the celebration continues in our humble abode.  In our place, we did have a photo booth for everyone

Me and my son ( background was the birthday present of my sister from the Philippines and brought to us by my brother and his family who was visiting )

To make the photo booth more exciting, I bought hair wigs, hats and glasses from the dollar shop for us to wear.  Those wigs really created a new look for everyone who wore it that night.  Well, as the saying goes” let your hair down” from time to time and our guests did and enjoyed it.

By the way, there were also some props like this Harry Potter wand which goes with the HP glasses ( my niece here is the female HP )

Oh, there were some masks too for anyone who who would like to make a facade during the picture taking.

Of course, aside from the photo booth, we had variety of food that  night which delighted our taste buds.  Like the colorful  and traditional Filipino rice cake in the above picture which are old-time favorites for the kids and adults.  Take note as well, we did not only have Filipino and Aussie food that night, we even had Japanese food like this Sushi.  So, in this party we really adhered to multiculturalism which is practiced in Australia.  But one thing was certain, we all wanted to have fun and we did! (Oh, and to mention again,  I used a ping-pong table as the buffet table, just half of it and covered it with table-cloth and table skirt  )

If you are following me, then you have seen the DIY chalkboard picture frames and the birthday banner for my son.  This is another one, a very simple decor, the badge was from a thrift store and the additional decor here which bears my son’s name and age is a paper coaster covered with craft paper where I’ve placed what I have printed ( Joseph @ 13 ).

We had also a total entertainment because we had “karaoke fun night” as well.  This is a picture of my talented  niece and sister in law, in one of their performances that night.  They have dedicated their songs of course to the birthday boy who was really so proud of his cousin and auntie.

After all the karaoke singing and fun games for the kids, my son had the blowing of candles and cutting of cake ( this was his second cake for that day since he had his ice cream cake as well at M 9 laser skirmish ).  This time, he had a picture cake from Michel’s patisserie.  I was the one who selected the photo and he was  happy with my choice.

There you go, my son’s 13th birthday party celebration which made him happy and because of that, me and my hubby and the rest of our family and friends were happy too.

God bless,

Nova

Lettered mantel

My lettered mantel which bears the first letters of our first names..Lorenzo, Nova and Joseph.  By the way, I have to give credit to my hubby for putting this shelf for me which we bought from Aldi Store for a very reasonable price.  I’ve bought the letters from Typo shop.  In fact letters L and N were bought first which I’ve placed before on top of our metal filing cabinet.  Then, I just bought letter J for my son recently.  So there you go, another empty wall was filled with something to look at.  As Banksy (Graffiti artist )from England says,”A wall is a very powerful weapon”, hence, we have to make sure that our walls can attract and attack!

I’m linking this to Organize and decorating everything and 52 mantels

My son’s 13th birthday ( Part 1 )

My son’s 13th birthday started with an action and fun-filled activities in M9 laser skirmish

Joseph with his friends from school

My son with my brother and his cousins who are visiting from the Philippines.  Their presence is what my son values the most during his 13th birthday celebration since we can’t celebrate every important occasion with these significant people in our lives.

My awesome niece and nephew and my one and only brother with some guests enjoying the arcade games

The birthday boy with his ice cream cake ( part of the package of M9 laser skirmish birthday party )

His party did not end here, the celebration continued in our place.  The birthday boy was really so thrilled, with family and friends with him, and being able to have ultimate fun.  Next time, I will be posting his birthday celebration in our home.

God bless everyone!

Nova

Re-purposed pieces used for my son’s birthday party decoration/celebration

I have used picture frames  painted with chalkboard paint where I wrote “the happy birthday” .  These served as decorations on the food table and in the other tables as well where guests sat.  You can check out how to make one on my previous post: Chalkboard paint for picture frames

By the way, this food table is actually a ping-pong table.  I just covered it with table-cloth and table skirt all over to make it appealing. So you do not have to buy a bigger outdoor table for your next party, just look around and for sure you can find something which can be re-purposed.

I made this banner out of paper coasters stapled together in one end. Then I covered it with blue craft paper.  For the letters, I bought it from the dollar store then traced them on a glitter paper and finally glued them one by one.  Then I just hung it on a yarn ( one end only was stapled ) which was so easy to do.

Next time, I will post more photos from my son’s birthday.  Have a nice weekend everyone.  God bless!!

Chalkboard Paint for Picture Frames

My son’s birthday celebration is coming up and since I will be busy for the arrival of my brother and his family from the Philippines to join us in the celebration and also to look around Sydney and Melbourne, I knew I have to finish some projects to be used for his birthday. So I began my another chalkboard project of mine..picture frame with chalkboard paint.

This is one of the picture frames that I bought.  First, I put masking tape around on the wooden sides since my goal is just to paint the glass area.

Then I started painting the glass.  I thought just like in my first chalkboard project which you can see in Easter Centerpiece, one coat will be enough.  But I was absolutely wrong. When one is painting a glass with chalkboard paint, at least 3 coats are needed ( let it dry first before you proceed with another coat ) for best results

My picture frames were ready the following day and so I wrote:

Not sure yet where to place these, but what is important for now is that I have finished one of my projects for my son’s birthday.