Michi Photostory: April 2024

April 30, 2024

Shopping at Bee Happy Crafts Store: Clearance Sale

For the past several days, I have been busy packing, unpacking, and organizing my mini craft room. I’m so exhausted but at the same time happy because finally, I already have my own space. I will share about it in a separate post because I’m not yet finished moving my craft supplies, tools, and machines to our new house.

Speaking of craft supplies, over a week ago I had a chance to visit the Bee Happy Crafts store in Caloocan because I attended the Bee Happy Crafts 12th Anniversary Party. The store is more than 60km away from our place so it was a long drive, thanks to my husband and son who accompanied and patiently waited for me until the party ended.

And because it was my first time, I spent my time checking the Clearance Sale section. Ang dami nakasale pero nagfocus ako sa stamps, embossing folders, and paper na hindi available sa Clerance Sale sa website nila. I love clearance sales because I can score items at a perfect price, sharing the items that I got.

Lawn Fawn Celebration Scripty Saying PHP250 (PHP780)

Lawn Fawn Chit Chat PHP250 (PHP780)

Avery Elle Numbered Balloons PHP250 (PHP775)

Lifestyle Crafts Tea Party Embossing FolderPHP250 (PHP499)

The Project Life Southern Weddings Embossing Folders PHP200 (PHP395)

Precious Marieke The Nature of Christmas Embossing Folder PHP200 ($6.99)

Shimelle Sparkle City 6x8 Paper Pad PHP250 ($6.99)

Some items have no original price stickers so I have to search for their price online so I have an idea of the price difference. I still have a long must-buy list from their clearance sale, budget na lang kulang. I just hope, hindi ako maubusan. Hehehe!

“Crafting empties my wallet but fills my soul”

April 29, 2024

Shopping at Mandaue Foam Las Piñas City

For the last several days, we’re spending most of our time in our new house, parang hindi matapos-tapos yung paglilipat at pag-aayos. Pagod na pagod na yung katawang lupa ko kakapack, unpack at organize pero wala naman ibang gagawa kaya push lang.

This week, back to online classes ulit ang anak ko so I will take advantage of this time to blog habang may stable internet pa kami. After class, maglilipat ulit kami ng gamit. If money is not an issue, parang gusto ko na lang lumipat at bumili na lang lahat ng bago pero masakit na nga sa bulsa yung pagbili namin ng ibang gamit sa bahay. Hehehe!

Anyway, I mentioned in my other post that we did not buy a bed frame at Uratex Alabang Showroom so we visited the Mandaue Foam Store in Alabang. Feeling ko kasi mas marami mabibili doon kaysa sa Sta. Rosa branch nila. I’m also thankful na meron sila sale during our visit kasi laking tipid din yung 30% off discount. I think the sale is until May 12, 2024 so if you are planning to buy something, visit their store.

We purchased a sofa set, dining set, bed frame, coffee table, lights, and ironing board. Some of the items that we purchased were not available so it took them two weeks to deliver all the items. We paid PHP3,050 for the delivery fee, ang mahal pero inisip ko na lang, wala naman bayad yung pag-assemble. They just delivered the items yesterday and will return to assemble the dining set, bed frame, and coffee table later.

Update: Scheduled time is 4-6PM. The installers (two persons) arrived quarter to 6PM and finished around 7:30PM.

Just like our last visit, they still have complimentary drinks for the client. Hindi ko ito napansin sa Sta. Rosa branch nila, I will check nga on my next visit.

Mandaue Foam Las Piñas City

487 Alabang Zapote Road

Brgy. Almanza Uno

(02) 556 5621 or (02) 556 6086

April 26, 2024

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April 25, 2024

Shopping at Uratex Alabang Showroom

This month is pretty hectic na hindi ako napipirmi sa bahay sa dami ng alis, kung kailan naman napakainit, na gusto ko lang magkulong sa room. But I’m thankful for the holidays and online classes kasi nakakaalis kami na hindi kailangan magleave ni hubby or mag-absent ng anak ko.

Today I am taking a break from packing, cleaning, and unpacking our stuff. We’re slowly moving our stuff to our new house, ang ginagawa ko per room so para hindi overwhelming pero nakakapagod pa rin, Malapit ko na matapos yung sa kitchen, ang naiwan na lang dito yung every day na ginagamit pa talaga namin. Ilang rooms pa tatapusin ko, Waah!

This month, we’ve visited several home and furniture stores, including Uratex Alabang Showroom. How time flies, it is more than a decade na pala since we bought our bed at Mandaue Foam Store. Our present bed is still okay but we no longer want a queen-size bed and we want to try a new type of bed.

Uratex has been around for 55 years and is one of our go-to brands. In fact, our first bed was from Uratex, if I remember correctly, Uratex Classic yun and wala pa 10k yung Queen size. That bed was still okay pero pinamigay na lang namin kasi we wanted a thicker bed so we bought the Gala Bed Chiropractic at Mandaue Foam.

Uratex Alabang Showroom

After more than a decade of using our bed, it is time for a change. We visited the Uratex Alabang Showroom so we could personally see and try their beds. They have several bed collections depending on your budget and preference. They have Uratex Classic, Trill Collection, Perfect Serenity Collection, Senso Memory Collection, Orthocare Collection, and Premium Touch Collection.

They have a designated room where you can try these beds, yung room na meron pampatulog na background music and dim light pa talaga. Bibigyan ka pa ng staff ng pillows para feel na feel mo na talagang matulog.

There are so many choices but we chose the Premium Touch Collection. Our options are Uratex Premium Touch Viscoluxe Mattress, Uratex Premium Touch Sublime Mattress, and Uratex Premium Touch Cozy Latex Mattress. After trying the 3 beds, we purchased the latter, the price depends on the size of the bed.

Premium Touch Cozy Latex Mattress Price

Single - PHP26, 899.75

Double - PHP31,199.75

Full Double - PHP33,399.75

Queen - PHP36,599.75

King - PHP48,399.75

The Premium Touch Cozy Latex distinctively luxuriates in reassuring comfort, allowing a cool and soothing feeling all day and all night.

* Made of Smart Reflex® pocket springs that cleverly adjust to the body’s every move.

* The top layer features natural latex that is naturally elastic and highly resilient adapting to the movement of the body, correcting spinal alignment, and promoting good blood circulation and pressure relief.

* Uses mattress cover made from Tencel®, a natural cellulosic fiber that regulates moisture and body temperature.

* Treated with Sanitized® which effectively protects against the growth of bacteria, odor, mildew, and dust mites, keeping the mattress clean and hypoallergenic.

* Power Edge® support foam provides a supportive seating edge.

* Trusted and approved by the Philippine Orthopaedic Association.

We only purchased the bed kasi wala kami na gustuhan na bed frame. The bed is out of stock so we need to wait and it was delivered after 8 days. We only paid PHP340 for the delivery fee, sana all ganyan lang delivery fee, ang mahal kasi sa iba. In addition, they gave us two complimentary pillows.

Also, may complimentary drinks sila sa showroom so habang naghihintay kami ng turn namin sa cashier, busy kami sa pag-inom.

We haven’t tried the bed yet but I’m crossing my fingers that we’ve made the right choice kasi ang mahal ng bed ha. Hanggang senior years na itong bed na ito. Hehehe!

Uratex Alabang Showroom

Km.23 East Service Rd.

SSHW Bo.Cupang Muntinlupa

Contact Number: 09178334195 / 0917 5799284

April 19, 2024

Day Trip at Villa Esmane Private Resort in Laguna

I know we are experiencing extreme heat all over the country so parang walang naman naghahanap ng hot spring but I would like to share our Day Trip at Villa Esmane Private Resort last March. It was supposed to be a Baguio trip but long travel is not possible so I suggested to my husband, maghot spring na lang kaya. “In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with” so kahit saan ang importante, may family outing pa rin and matuloy na.

Laguna is known for hot spring resorts so there are so many resorts out there but there are two things we need to consider like time and budget. We were having difficulty finding an affordable private resort in Laguna. We don’t need a big resort naman since 14 pax lang naman kami. Also, paHoly Week na rin kasi so some resorts were already booked and some resorts naman don’t accept day trips, gusto nila 22 hours.

Anyway, thanks sa pagpupuyat ng asawa ko, nakahanap din siya ng pasok sa budget namin. It just so happened na may 12AM meeting siya (following USA time kasi) so hindi siya pwede matulog kaya nagsearch na lang siya ng resort habang naghihintay ng telecon. Hehehe!

Villa Esmane Private Resort was not our first choice pero fully booked na kasi yung first choice namin so ito yung sinuggest ng owner. Also we changed travel date na rin kasi wala talaga pag-asa sa Holy Week.

What I like about this resort is, they have different rates, depending on the number of people. Here are the rates at the time of booking.

Rates for 15 to 20 Persons

Weekends/Holiday: (Friday to Sunday)

• Daytime P 7,000.00 (9am to 5pm)

• Overnight P 9,000.00 (7pm to 6am)

• 1-Day P 14,000.00 (9am to 6am or 8pm to 5pm)

Weekdays (Monday to Thursday)

• Daytime P 6,000.00 (9am to 5pm)

• Overnight P 8,000.00 (Open time, 11 hours)

• 1-Day P 10,000.00 (Open time, 21 hours)

My husband called to inquire pero sa Viber app na lahat ng communication. To confirm the reservation, he paid a 50% downpayment and within the day, he received a confirmation email. The remaining balance is upon arrival at the resort.

What are the amenities?

Adult swimming pool (natural hot spring water) 4 ft to 5 1/2 ft

Kiddie pool “ 3 ft

1-bed room, capacity of 2 to 3 pax

4 Bedrooms with full air conditioning.

Kitchen - Refrigerator + Cooking Utensils

Complete Set of Bedding

4 Comfort Rooms

Barbeque grill

Unlimited Videoke

Tables and Chairs

Pavilion Wifi

If you plan to cook, there is an additional PHP500 for a gas stove but we did not avail this because we brought cooked food na and yung ibang ulam namin is grilled food like BBQ, hotdog, liempo, talong, bangus, tilapia and yung isang fish na parang lapu-lapu (hindi ko alam name, hehehe).

* Do not forget to bring your own dishwashing stuff, toiletries, and towels.

Sharing some pictures, Nagtake lang ako ng pictures ng rooms but my family did not stay here, so I cannot comment kung okay ba yung bed and yung aircon.

Since it was day trip naman, nasa pavillion lang talaga kami, busy sa paggrill and pagswim. Yung swimming pool temperature, hindi siya mainit like yung sa 88 Resort Spa, pero may parang falls so yun ang mainit.

My only concern is the bathroom, need ng konting maintenance especially sa door knobs and doors. But overall, we had a good time here.

It was my Father-in-law's birthday celebration so I also made this cake topper. This design is available on Cricut Design Space.

Villa Esmane Private Resort

Lake Wood Subd, Lalakay

Los Baňos Laguna

April 17, 2024

Thank You Cards

April is a busy month for us because we are planning to move to our new house so we started cleaning, buying furniture and slowly moving our stuff to our new house. Nakakapagod talaga maglipat ng bahay and also magastos din. Tapos ang tagal din ng delivery ng mga binili namin.

I am feeling the stress already and wish I had more time to blog and craft while I still have a stable internet connection. I have one craft project that I want to do for Bee Happy Craft Anniversary Weeklies and hopefully matapos ko itong Diorama of my Dream Craft Room.

Despite the stress, I am still thankful because finally, makakalipat na rin kami. Since 2020 pa kami naghihintay na matapos ang bahay. And because of that, I am sharing the “Thank You Cards” that I finished this month.

“Gratitude helps you fall in love with the life you already have” Unknown

Thank You Apple Insert Greeting Card

This Thank You Apple Insert Greeting Card is an easy project using the score, draw, and cut function on Cricut Design Space. I just colored the image using Ohuhu Markers.

Starburst Layered Thank You Greetings Card

This Starburst Layered Thank You Card is an easy cut-and-assemble project. I like this card because it only has a few layers.

Rainbow Layered Thank You Greetings Card

I like this Rainbow Layered Thank You Card, it is so easy to cut and assemble but this card has so many layers so it is really a thick card. Don’t forget to use a thick cardstock for the cardbase.

April 12, 2024

Bee Happy and Me Story

This is my entry for Bee Happy Weeklies Week 15: Bee Happy and Me Story. When I started this blog, I already did some DIY and Craft projects but I don’t consider myself a crafter yet so I always say that my crafting journey began when my husband gifted me a Cricut Maker in 2020.

He purchased my Cricut Maker at Bee Happy Crafts website and since then, crafting supplies and tools ang wishlist ko whenever there are special occasions. I still have a long list of must buy stuff so hindi mauubusan si hubby ng pwedeng iregalo sa akin. Hehehe!

In the year 2021, I discovered Bee Happy PH Crafters Circle and since I am an introvert, I was just a silent member of that group. It took me a long time to join Bee Happy Craft Weeklies because I felt intimidated. Ang gagaling kasi ng mga sumasali so feeling ko nakakahiya naman magpost.

But last April 2023, I gave it a try and surprisingly, I won an Exclusive Event Pass on my first submitted project. I had no idea that my first craft project would become weekly. I almost joined all the weeklies of Bee Happy Crafts, I just submitted my project whether I win or not.

After one year of joining weeklies, I’m grateful to Bee Happy Crafts for giving me an opportunity to be part of the Guest Ambassadors Quarter Two. I’ve been meaning to share the good news here on my blog but of course, I need to wait for the official announcement of Bee Happy Crafts. Now, I’m happy to share that I’m one of the Bee Happy Guest Ambassadors.

Bee Happy Crafts posted this "Guest Ambassadorship" thing as early as January but in my mind, I won’t be considered because I rarely post process videos of my projects. If you visit my social media accounts, I only have a few followers so I was stunned when I received a message about Bee Happy Guest Ambassadors last month.

This only proves that everyone has a chance to be a Guest Ambassador, so if you want to become the next Guest Ambassador for Bee Happy, here are the criteria:

* Crafters who create projects and join our Weeklies prompts may be considered for Guest Ambassadorship.

* Crafters who post photos and videos of their projects that are not Weeklies-related but use the hashtag #BeCraftyBeeHappy may also be considered for Guest Ambassadorship.

* Crafters MUST be active in our FB Group Bee Happy PH Crafters Circle both in crafting & posting AND helping fellow members with their crafting questions.

Once chosen, Guest Ambassadors will receive a craft kit from Bee Happy that is curated specifically for them. They must craft using these items and post projects on their social media accounts + our FB Group within 3 months.

Ang saya ng feeling when I first received my craft kit, ang saya pala mag-unboxing ng ganito karami na supplies. I even have my own crafting apron, hindi na kitchen apron. hehehe! You can watch my video here.

American Crafts Textured Cardstocks Variety Pack Autumn 216 gsm

Worx Specialty Paper 200gsm Cream

Worx Specialty Paper 200gsm White

Worx Black Premium Specialty Paper 200gsm

Bee Happy Watercolor Paper Pad A4 Size 300gsm

Ohuhu Glitter Metallic Marker Pens 12 colors

Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Wild Honey

Cricut Standard Cutting Mats 12" x 12"

Bee Happy Blending Brush Set (10 pcs)

Versafine Pigment Ink Pad by Tsukineko

Mo Card Vintage Collection Foam Stamps/Cling Stamps - Words

Project Life Roller Phrase Stamp

We R Memory Keepers Adhesive Deactivator Powder Tool

Enchanting Vines 3D Embossing Folder

Tim Holtz Small Talk Idea-Ology Spiral Bound Sticker Book

April 11, 2024

Do More of What Makes You Happy

“Do More of What Makes You Happy” is one of my favorite quotes so for Bee Happy Weeklies Week 16: Wall Mural Design, this is the quote that I included on my design.

What makes me happy? Sleeping, eating, traveling, blogging and crafting makes me happy. And because it makes me happy, I find and make time for these things. I have no drawing skills but it did not stop me from doing the challenge.

I created a design using font and clipart, printed it on watercolor paper, and used Ohuhu Markers, Distress Oxide Salty Ocean, and Simon Hurley Lunar Paste Clear Skies to color my design.

Font is The Wild One

Clipart and Pattern is Love Bees

Coloring the design took much time but I enjoyed the process.

April 08, 2024

Birthday Artist Trading Cards

How quickly the months roll by and I can’t believe that it is already April and this means, it is Bee Happy Crafts Anniversary Celebration so I’m trying my luck again. This April will be one month of celebration with a theme of Spreading Happiness.

Here are the challenges for the anniversary weeklies.

Artist Trading Card

Bee Happy & Me Story

Wall Mural Design

Diorama of Your Dream Craft Room

It was only last December when I first read about Artist Trading Cards so I researched how to make one. According to the pin that I found on Pinterest, for a great ATC, you can choose from the following:

1. An interesting background texture or environment.

2. Subject matter such as a person, animal, creature, insect, etc.

3. School-appropriate word or phrase.

4. Embellishment - buttons, string, ribbon, shapes, bling, papers, etc.

5. Draw or color onto the image to emphasize certain elements.

For my craft project, I decided to create a Birthday ATC. I don’t have drawing skills so I used stamps for my subject matter and even the phrase. I used Ohuhu Markers, Distress Oxides, and Lunar Paste to color the image and other elements. For the paper, I used textured and watercolor cardstock.

It took me a long time to finish these 4 ATC but I am happy with the result. I made a short video here.

April 05, 2024

Spring in Norway

For the past few years, I stopped planning for summer vacation because we all know it is not school break yet. So I was so happy when I learned that DepEd adjusted the school calendar this year because when the pandemic happened, ang haba ng school calendar namin. Imagine, yung start ng school year namin is August tapos ang vacation end of June pa. I don’t understand bakit 11 months na pasok namin. Namimiss ko yung 2 months na summer vacation talaga.

And because of that, whenever my mom asked me kung kelan kami babalik sa Norway? I always say “Ikaw na lang magbakasyon dito”. Kasi naman, ang effort mag-apply ng visa and ang mahal ng airfare tapos one month lang kami, parang sayang. Anyway, at least this year, bakasyon na kami sa June.

Also, if I ever return to Norway, I prefer the Spring Season, which is March to May, because I like cold weather. Even though I know Spring weather in Norway is unpredictable, I will still choose it over the Summer Season.

Two years ago, we were lucky because we were in Norway for three months, from March to first week of June so we experienced two seasons which are Winter and Spring. So we witnessed the transition of trees from bare to blossoming trees. This is one thing that amazes me how trees survive the four seasons.

This trip is memorable because there were so many unexpected events like we had a Glimpse of Northern Lights, not once but twice.

I’ve said that Spring weather in Norway is unpredictable because you will experience sun, rain, and even snow. Yes, snowfall during Spring in Norway so it is an advantage for us because we can still experience snow. Our last trip was unforgettable because we built a snowman, and we tried skiing and snow sledding.

And lastly, during those months, we celebrated my mom’s birthday, Easter, and the 17th of May. Easter in Norway is a week-long holiday so people usually go to the mountains to have fun in the snow or travel abroad. When we were there during Easter Week, we traveled to Røros, Oslo, and Stugudalen.