The Lion Sleeps Tonight

" In the jungle, the mighty jungle 

the lion sleeps tonight 

In the jungle, the quiet jungle

the lion sleeps tonight. 

Wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh " 

Grab your passport! A wild safari themed party is on the loose. Gayle of Partycles Alert and I styled this party for her little one, together with the help of the men of Bluegrass Project. 

Guests received custom-made jungle-safari passport invites, inviting them to enter Enzo's animal kingdom. The venue was perfect for the theme. With an open air reception area and wooden structures gave an absolute backdrop. 

Animal prints lead the guests to the reception hall and were welcomed with animal shaped visors.

Buffet tables were dressed with animal printed table cloth and guest's tables were all in white decorated with jungle diorama as its center piece. 

The details goes on an on from the napkin rings to the photo walls.

Photo wall painted by a friend, Fred Jedan Carnice

Animal shaped cookies by Melotte Dumadag Ybanez

Cake and cupcakes by Charmaine Dumadag Usares

Jungle dioramas by Bluegrass Project

Tripod with jungle greens by Bluegrass Project

With the mommy and my bestie. Instead of " pin the donkey's tail ", I drew a zebra and called it, " pin the zebra's tail ".

Who doesn't love confetti?

Life of a Pinata

When I was little, I never had birthday parties nor the lavish ones. Themed parties wasn't a craze years back. There were no goody bags, "pabitin" and "pinata". Chiffon cake, " pansit " and soda were all we had and if we get lucky , there's ice cream. I never dreamed for a grand party with hundreds of guests, all I ever dreamed for is a simple yet pretty one. I like to play with themes and all the details. This is why I chose to enjoy preparing a party for the little ones.

Pinata is a container made often of paper-mache, pottery or cloth and decorated, filled with small toys and/or candy, and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration.(source) It is hanged up to be broken with a stick by a blindfolded celebrant. As the goodies are released, children or guests gather to collect them. However, for those who do not wish to use a pinata bat, you can opt for a pull string pinata wherein strings are suspended to easily release the goodies, which are safe for kids of all ages. Pinatas have evolved to be the star of the party. Here in the Philippines, we call a pinata, " paluan ng palayok " which we only use clay pots. In comparison, paper-mache pinata is more fun than clay pots, considering that you can customize the design and shapes of the former.

Because I love the arts and crafts, here are some of the pinatas I've made. Tud-dah!  

 

Sweets For My Sweet

It was my friend's son's second birthday and as a doting mother and the proprietor of Partycles Alert ,of course it was grand and well planned.

 

balloons wrapped in clear cellophane to make it look like candies

centerpiece

loot bags filled with candies, toys and other goodies 

candy corner

A children's party is not complete without a " pabitin " and a piñata.

lollipop piñata

cupcake piñata

birthday boy

* Invites by Radical Ads 
* Balloon decors, party supplies by Partycles Alert 
* Cake by Charmaine Dumadag Usares of Lola Lilia's Cakes and Pastries 
* Tarpaulin by Island Prints
* Venue : Bohol Tropics 
.... drum rolling ...  
* Lollipop and cupcake Piñata by me myself and I 




** Pabitin is a fun game played during Filipino fiestas and traditional parties. A rack of items is suspended over a crowd who attempt to grab at the stuff as the wooden rack is lowered and raised, up and down. The word comes from the root " bitin " which means " hanging " . source

Paper Weight

It feels great when people like the pair of Bluegrass Project recognizes, admires and all the more pays me for my creations.

pebble used as paper weight

Photo by Michael Yu of Bluegrass Project

Click here ... for the tutorial.

Rock 'n Roll

Inspired by a pin on Pinterest and a blog by Pure and Noble, I made a pebble art. I painted or drew on pebbles the way I know how.

Materials: 

     - pebbles
     - Staedtler technical pen 
     - white ink ( white ink for gray or black pebbles; black for white ones )
     - clear lacquer spray paint 

Procedure:

1. Make sure the pebbles are clean. You can wash it with soap then let it dry.

 2. Put white ink on the technical pen, that is if you're using a gray/black pebble. Make sure that the pen is immaculately clean from other colored ink. I suggest use a new one to spare you from cleaning a used pen. 

3. Start drawing or scribbling words or notes.

4. Seal it with clear lacquer spray paint to avoid from peeling or scraping .

TUD-DAH! 

Star Light, Star Bright

Cheers to 2012! It was one heck of a roller coaster ride but it was all good. I want to take a quick moment to say " Thank You " . Thank you for being the source of joy and inspiration. Thank you for the kindness, support and love. 

Now, it's officially 2013! What better way to start the year? And what brings out the kid in me is seeing ..... Fireworks!  They say fireworks are meant to scare evil spirits and bad lucks but the way I see it, they are wishing stars with a bang!  Here's wishing for a " fantabulous " 2013! Here's to hope, strength and love!