It's that time of the year... All I can say is "ang bilis!", it's Christmas Season once again! 

I loved Christmas as a kid..and I still do up to now! But the feeling of excitement and joy is different as compared to when you were a kid, you know? They say that Christmas is really a holiday for the children..not just because of the gifts, toys, and aguinaldo, but mainly because it's the day baby Jesus was born. I shared my reflection about Keeping Christ in Christmas last year. Our Christmas has become even more meaningful now that we have baby Hailey. Yes! I recently gave birth last November 7 to a healthy 6-pound little girl. That's another thing off my Life List.

Kuya Kiel welcoming his baby sister, Hailey

So, this is also the time when I get into decorating. Last year our motif was Red-Green-Silver, and I shared how I "recycled" most of the decorations I used. 

Well this year, I want a NEW theme for Christmas :) I want to decorate for the kids! Now what do I mean by that? Well, since I now have 2 children, I want our decorations to be childproof kid-friendly and appealing. Keeping in mind that Christmas is for children, I used lots of colors and not just one or two. Mainly I used Red, Green (mostly Olive green), Blue/Teal, and Yellows/Gold... Something like this:

Due to my nesting before Hailey was born, I had my husband do some DIY refurbishing first before I go and decorate! He, together with my sister and our yaya, painted one side of the wall a fresh green (we used odorless paint). Hubby further installed hanging shelves (bought from Wilcon Home depot). We also installed cabinet doors for the kids. By "we" I mean I also helped :) We bought plywood and had them cut to specific dimensions. We smoothened the edges and used sticker paper to finish it instead of varnish.

I have always been a lover of Art. My childhood memories are mostly of drawing and doodling in my sketchpads and spending time finishing my coloring books...

And that passion I can never forget. EVER.

When I was in college, I was thinking of shifting to or taking another degree in Visual Communication or Interior Design. That's how much I love the Arts! I have had my fix of Interior Design when I designed our 36sqm. condo unit. Good thing that my husband and I meet eye to eye when it comes to aesthetics. Hopefully, we get to design our own house before we're 30! 

Interior Design Sketch Concept. This is what I gave the contractor, together with
hand-drawn perspectives and reference images. The pictures that follow are
actual pictures, they're a little outdated, since I haven't taken a picture of the
unit recently, so there's still no evidence of a toddler living here (haha).
I'll remember to take a pic of it's present state soon.

Although I may be a full-time mom and may not practice Landscape Architecture for almost 10 months now, I have been doing graphic design as a sideline lately. I consider it a FUN hobby too! I've always had the knack for designing, being an avid Adobe Photoshop-er since highschool. And now, thanks to my online shop and VA work, I know some basic html and CSS codes and even Adobe InDesign.

 ”I’m participating in the Spend-Less Holidays: Saving While Savoring the Season Blog Carnival, hosted by The Frugal Fil-Am and Dainty Mom. We’ll be sharing our tips on how to spend less this holiday season, so that we can have a more meaningful Christmas. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.”

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Christmas is fast approaching! And I'm excited now more than ever because it will be my little boy's first Christmas! 

We've already decorated our unit. Our motif for 2012 is Red, Green, and Silver. Last year, our motif was Green and Silver, and went with a minimalistic feel.

Now we've decided to add the color Red to make the unit look more festive! 

But instead of buying new decorations, we opted to borrow some of my mom's unused Christmas decor.

Ever since I got married, my cleaning and organizing habits have levelled up! Just because my mom isn't around anymore to clean up after my mess (hehe).
Besides, I have to clean up my husband's, and now, our baby's mess too!

One of the things I learned from my mom is the importance of keeping your home as neat as possible. It may not be squeaky clean 24/7, but just having a refreshing sense of organization to a space is more than enough (if you know what I mean).