Category Archives: Family & Friends

Design Projects Family & Friends

Robert + Kristina: Shabby chic & made of awesome!

I first gushed about this wedding HERE, but here’s more (uhm) gushing. And lots of photos.

Robert & Kristina's Wedding Invitation

If Robert & Tin didn’t ask me to design their wedding invitation, I probably pulled their arms and insisted on letting me do it. Thankfully, they asked even before anyone was hurt. :P

It was an honor, and definitely my pleasure to do this project.

I already said in that post how special these two are to me, and how beautiful their Martha Stewart-inspired wedding was. In fact, their wedding made it to Bride & Breakfast’s wedding blog. :) Here are some photos I grabbed from B&B, taken by their official photographer Daniel Lei.

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

Robert & Kristina's Wedding

To show more details of their wedding invitation, this was my final design mock-up:

Robert & Tin's Official Wedding Invitation Mockup

See that poem written at the backside of the photo strip? That’s my favorite part.
Click to zoom.

Wedding Suppliers: Photographer: Daniel Lei Studio | Ceremony Venue: The Mango Farm
Videographer: Marvin Barbarona | Catering: Josiah’s Catering | Flowers & Styling: Vatel Manila

Wedding Rings: Matus Jewellery | Wedding Gown:  Renee Salud

Sidenote: I started this new section/category in this blog where I feature some of my design work—wedding invitations, party suites, product catalogs—including my favorite ones from years ago. Feel free to message me if you like what you see. ;)

Family & Friends Food Trips Photo Dump

Taking a trip down the Memory Lane

I did say I was going to upload more photographs of Memory Lane, that quaint little cafe in Tagaytay my friends and I visited last month. Well, here they are.

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

memory-lane-tagaytay04

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Owned by Jolina Magdangal, Memory Lane reminds me of Hansel and Gretel’s house of candies, except you can’t eat its floors and walls. With its retro vibe and vintage collection all over the place, Memory Lane is surely is as eye candy as it can get!

I don’t have much to say about the food. We only ordered some cheese sticks and kebabs out of courtesy, just because we spent too much time taking pictures and we had to consume the 100 peso parking fee.

Tagaytay is known for its food strips, and surely there are countless of restaurants in the area that offer better and cheaper food than this one. But what’s worth the trip down the Memory Lane is the place itself, coz it seemed like it was built to be a tourist attraction / romantic getaway / barkada hangout more than a specialty restaurant.

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Memory Lane Tagaytay

Then again, what’s worth the trip anywhere at all is the people you’re trippin’ with. So if you’re planning to come see Memory Lane, make sure that you bring along a camera, lots of stories, and people who make you smile. ;)

Memory Lane
Magallanes Drive, Tagaytay City
+63917-8581950, +63922-8298487
Memory Lane’s Facebook Page

Faith Talk Family & Friends Life as I Know It Married Life Mommyhood

Day 22: Leading worship, speaking to the youth, and lovin’ my family

February 10 at Lifex

1. Leading worship. My husband was assigned to lead the praise and worship in church last Sunday, and I stood up there with him again (at his request). It’s what I would do too when I’m the one leading worship—I’d ask him to stand up there with me. Not that we couldn’t do it apart from each other; it’s more of, we simply love doing this together. It doesn’t feel like a long time ago when I was just praying to have someone I can grow in faith with and worship the Lord with. God answered those prayers beyond my imagination. Not only do I get to worship with D now and all the days of our lives, I also get to do this ministry I love with him.

2. Speaking to the youth. Later in the afternoon, I delivered a message at Lifextreme, our church’s youth worship. The last time I had the privilege of speaking to the young people in church was February last year, where I talked about, well, marriage. And then I got pregnant and took a little hiatus from speaking in front. One year later, last Sunday, I spoke about loving your family. Funny, these topics they assign to me. Someone’s getting old.

So I told them the obvious, that we get to choose our friends, who we hang out with, and in a way, who we work with. But the family we’re born into.. now that is something that God chose for us. It’s a gift, something that we should nurture and take care of even though, and especially because, these are the people who know us for who we are. And these are the people we’ll go through life with, whether we like it or not! Be kind to the ones you do life with, says Bobbie Houston. I stood up in the pulpit for 30 minutes speaking about this topic that means so much to me, especially now that we’re starting a family of our own.

3. I love my family. I could never get tired saying it. I love my family. I love the family I was born into, and I love this new family God has blessed me with. The thing with speaking about topics like this is, as you study your passage and review your notes, you also get to look into your own life and have a deeper appreciation of what you have. I feel so blessed beyond words.

*The rest of the 30 Days of Gratitude shall be posted with dates backtracked. Like I anticipated, it’s easy to list down blessings, but to find time to post them here.. it’s more challenging than ever. I just need one uninterrupted afternoon to get those drafts out, so watch out for a flood of posts soon. ;)

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 22.

Family & Friends Food Trips Life as I Know It

Day 19: Day off, married friends, and coming home

Married Couples' Day Off

1. Day off. It was the first time we went out-of-town without the twins, and the farthest we ever got away from them since they were born. Lola Norma came to watch over the babies while Mommy & Daddy took a day off with some married friends. It almost felt like we just got married last week—excited, in love, free. Not that we don’t feel that way anymore now, we do. Just that, having babies around makes you feel those things in a whole new level.

2. Married friends. When we got married, I remember wishing my friends would get married already for the selfish reason of wanting to talk to them about married life. Wish granted! An avalanche of friends’ weddings happened in a span of 2 years, one after the other. Last Thursday, six of us went to Tagaytay and spent the day splurging on good food and hopping from one hangout place to another—Memory Lane for afternoon snack, Pamana for dinner, Cliff House for mochi and coffee. We took a lot of photos, and  freely talked about *cough* stuff we avoided talking about when we were still singles. :) It’s a blessing to have people we can grow with, whatever phase in life we are. Last time I was in Tagaytay with this same group, we were scouting for a wedding venue for Robert & Tin, and now they’ve tied the knot too. So much has happened in a span of a few months!

And so many blessings all in just one paragraph.

3. Coming home. We made the most out of the day and by the time D and I came home, it was already past 12 midnight. The babies were still up and a little restless, but were mostly just waiting to be tucked in. It took me less than 30 minutes to get both of them to sleep, making me think that they really just waited for us! I enjoyed the day out with my friends, no doubt. But nothing still beats coming home and ending the day with the loves of my life.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 19.

3 Beautiful Things Family & Friends Love

Day 6: Kuya Nikos, 3 months, and Thursday Group

Kuya Nikos

1. Kuya Nikos. It’s his birthday and the whole family spent a lazy afternoon hanging out and stuffing our mouths with food. He’s 16 months older than me but growing up (sometimes even until now), we were always mistaken to be twins—chubby cheeks, round eyes, dimples and all. I’m glad we’re not twins though, because I really love that he’s my Kuya. You see, there are only two people I fight with when I’m stressed out: my husband and my brother Nikos. I guess it’s because I know that even if I threw a fit at him, he wouldn’t judge and would always love me anyway. He’s 31 years old now, and I praise God for giving me this opportunity of growing up with and being in the same family as this great guy. Also, best self-taught chef in the world!

2. 3 months. News flash. I have been a mother FOR. THREE. MONTHS. Need I say more?

3. Thursday Group. It’s the first Thursday night my husband and I got to spend with our Thursday friends. My take home: “Grow in grace” and “love lots”. (I’m not going to elaborate.) See, I’m not even sure whether to categorize Thursday Group as a bible study group or a cell group or simply a barkada. It probably doesn’t matter what we are; all I know is, every Thursday for the past 5 years of my life, I get together with this awesome group of people, rummage our Pastor’s pantry and eat all their food, study the Word, encourage one another, and I come home past midnight with a full stomach, heart, and soul. Also, a swollen jaw. From all the laughing.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 6.