Ultimate Elegance: Fleur de Lis Online Collections

Franco lovers many times have a hard time finding a one-stop shopping center for fine decor and quality curios symbolic of France. And what better symbol of the French than the Fleur de Lis? Today, thanks in part to the dynamics of the Internet, buyers can conveniently visit several online outlets to help satisfy the yearning for all things Fleur de Lis.

To help make sure your shopping experience is a quick, convenient and complete one, here are just a few of the things you can anticipate finding in your browsing visits. When looking for specialty items in the realm of the beautifully classic Fleur de Lis, quality online stores, such as Fleurdelisvalueplus.com, should have any one of the following to offer their online visitors...

Fleur de Lis Design Jewelry

Shiny, sculpted pieces of earrings, bracelets and classical brooches can accomplish much when bought at the proper online store. Coming in various materials and colors such as copper, bronze and brushed variations, you'll be the talk of the bridge club gathering with your elegant Fleur de Lis design jewelry.

Fleur de Lis Home Decor

Lamps, ceiling designs, fine China and glassware will add not only personal satisfaction to yourself, but such a collection also adds extra value to your home. As you incorporate the various specialty items found at online centers for Fleur de Lis home decor, you'll be sure to come back soon and tell others about your online shopping experience.

Adding a touch of class to your home just became simpler when you accent with a piece or accessory embossed with the magnificently elegant Fleur de Lis.

Unique Gift For Babies: Patchwork Quilt

Patchwork Quilts. Those two words conjure up hundreds of years of history in America. Colonists made use of every scrap of material bringing forth the beautiful, intricate quilts so familiar to us today. They didn't know they were making history; they only knew they were providing for their families. Fortunately for us their practical, traditional artwork has been carried on through the generations.

Just the name "quilt" evokes comfort, coziness, warmth and home. Since 1983, Linens-N-More has been a Texas tradition offering hundreds of quilts that spread the nostalgia and history of quilts to thousands. Linens-N- More has so many different styles and patterns to choose from there is sure to be one to complement your home. In addition to the traditional patchwork and wedding ring quilt styles, other available styles include beach, tropical, themed, contemporary and a variety of solid color quilts. Each is ready to make your choice more difficult because with so many to choose from, it is almost overwhelming to make that final choice.

Quilt throws, children's quilts and crib quilts make unmistakable gifts sure to please the recipient or as cozy additions to your own home. Each quilt is hand-quilted making it a purely unique item. The addition of matching pillow shams, toss pillows, and/or bed skirts will complete the complementary look of your bedroom.

Ahhh... Comfort!

Draw For Fun... Again!

When I was younger, I was really very fond of drawing. I copied cartoon characters, drew people from my photo albums, made-up comic strips and drew girls in clothes I designed myself. That interest faded in college when I was drawing just for my course. That interest got lost when I started working.

Now, that I'm a mother and I have a child who likes to draw and likes to ask me to draw, I am being forced to revisit my old hobby. My skill is super rusty and I sometimes feel ashamed to draw for Elle. Well, I decided I want to polish my drawing skills, but this time, using the computer. I need to be technologically updated too, right? Or maybe I'm just too lazy to get a sketchpad, sharpen pencils and take out the eraser. And I think it's more practical since I'm on the computer during my free time. Maybe I'll use the pencils and paper when I'm out waiting and bored.

Here is something I tried using the tablet. pardon my very child-like drawing, I badly need practice. Just so you know, the background is provided by the program. I wish I could draw like that.

This is perfect for this very hot summer season. Enjoy!

3D Heart-shaped Valentine's Decor by ceemee

Crafting could really be therapeutic.

I have always wanted to do crafting, or give presents that are hand-made by me. But, it seems I am all thumbs when it comes to this hobby that I wish I am into. I could not even cut a straight edge with a cutter or a pair of scissors.

"Do I cut on the drawn line or outside of it?"

Browsing photos of crafts or reading how-to's in Pinterest could either inspire me or make me feel frustrated. Some people are really good at making pretty things and sadly, I am not one of them. I especially want to learn so I could do crafting activities with my children.

But, I do try to do it occasionally. When I have the materials on hand, I give art-making a go.

Like this Valentine's Day decor I made for our tree. Yep, I still haven't taken it down.

I made these from left-over corrugated boards I used in college. Yes, college! I glued the curved side edges of the three cut out hearts together. After they dried, I used a needle and red thread to "sew" them together and make the "hangings" on top.

I took this and some art materials from my parents' home in hopes of making art with Elle, my eldest. Hope to make some garlands next!

Color by Numbers Review and Giveaway

During the last days of my 3-year-old daughter's summer vacation and I was still wondering what to do for our home activity, the opportunity to review a coloring program came along in a timely manner.
The downloadable program is called Color By Numbers and it aims to teach kids to color pictures with numbers as guides. There are three types of "coloring books" that are available: Animals, Princesses, and Vehicles. Of course, my daughter Elle's favorite is the Princesses package. There were more pictures she finished here than in the other categories. There is a pre-determined set of colors for each of the picture. I like that Elle has the option to change the numbered "tube" to any color that she wants. Another option is the tubes are not numbered at all and it's like a real coloring book wherein she could fill in the colors to her heart's content. The coloring books come in 15-20 pages for each category. It's easy enough for my daughter because it's like using the bucket tool in drawing or photo editing softwares where the colors are filled into the area with just one click. The illustrations are cute, not too complicated and made for small children to capture their fancy. There is a wide range of colors available and most of them are pastel-hued, the way I like it.

You can see more information here: coloritbynumbers.com

Mommies and daddies, if you want to let your son or daughter try this cool coloring application, I have three serial numbers to give away to three parents or kids, one for each of the category. Simply:

• Follow me on Twitter: @ceemee
• Like my Cymplified Facebook Page
• Comment on this post telling me you did + your Twitter and Facebook usernames + which coloring book you prefer the most, the next, and the least
• Example: "I followed and liked, @ceemee, Cym Gonzaga-Marzan. 1. Princesses 2. Animals 3. Vehicles."
• I will let my daughter pick out the winners on July 31 via lottery. The first winner will get his first choice, the second winner will get his second choice if his first choice is taken, and so on.

C is for Crown

I wanted to make a crown for my little princess. After looking through search results in Google, I found an easy one using a paper plate. I cut it like how I would a pie. I used glitter glue to make the designs, then I folded up the triangles when it's dry.

The plate I used was waxed, I think, so the designs came off almost instantly. Maybe I should have cut shapes of gems and jewels the pasted them there instead, but the video I saw used glitter glue, too. Another error I made was that I didn't cut the triangles farther back, so it didn't really fit Elle's head like a crown would. When she tried to squeeze her head in, the crown ripped.

Oh, well! I guess I'll have to make another one. Use a different kind of paper plate. Or I will use a different style in making crowns.

S is for Sheep

Inspired by art made by mommy Chris and her son Toby, I decided to make one also with my daughter Elle. It's no Shaun the Sheep, but, ain't it cute? He he!

Personalized Trinkets

Last Christmas, with the gifts I have prepared for my close lady friends, I included something I made myself. My aim was to add a personal touch, and in hopes of giving them a token of my appreciation, something I hoped they could decorate their things with. I hope they liked them!

My Little Artist

Elle likes to write on paper, and everywhere else! See her other canvasses here.

Before, while we were using the brand Pampers for her diapers, I joined their Hearts Club wherein I send in the code from the package to a particular number so I could collect points. I had already accumulated PhP200 worth of GC from the Toy Kingdom toy store and recently, I redeemed them and used it together with cash and bought Elle this paint set. She liked it and asks me to take it out from the box almost everyday. I hope this helps her bring out her artistic side and discourage her from writing on the walls.

At first, I didn't know what she wanted. She kept saying "colo loo", then I realized she was saying "color blue". I asked her what color blue thing it is that she wanted. Elle then dragged the paint set box out from her toy basket and showed it to me. I didn't know why she called painting "color blue"... Anyway, I just hope she becomes more creative than me.

A Little Makeover

As you may have noticed, my blog now sports a new look. I chose the background because it has stars, and it gives a vibe of treasured memories. The header might be a little too big, don't you think? I was looking around for a simple but cute header, unfortunately I found none.

Anyway, the source of these designs was blogged about by Odette of little miss firefly and I decided to try it out for myself. You might want to check them out too, at Shabby Blogs.

Our 3D Glasses

My hubby Rix downloaded a 3D animation Barbie fairy tale movie for my daughter Elle. It turned out, we needed 3D glasses to appreciate it, I think. I googled how to make one and followed the instructions from this site. These are the results. I even cut my finger with the cutter blade. Stupid me!

It was not kept on throughout the movie, though. And my daughter was not able to really use it because it kept falling off her small face. Oh, well!

Binoculars

Again inspired by Allie of No Time For Flash Cards, I made this pair of binoculars for my little girl. I used two bathroom tissue roll cores then glued and stapled them together. I had Elle decorate it with an assortment of stickers, instead of the different types of shapes that Allie did, because I'm lazy like that. :-) Good thing I had a leftover pink ribbon from one of the gifts that Elle received when she was just a baby. So I used this as the binoculars' lanyard. I punctured holes on either side of the cores, inserted the ends of the ribbons and knotted them up. Voila! Elle is ready to go on a safari.

On the menu: Shapes Pizza

Inspired by Allie of No time for flash cards, I decided to make this to teach my Elle some basic shapes.

Our personal pan pizza!

She doesn't like to color the shapes, I ended up doing that. She just pointed where on the "crust" I should glue the shapes.

Holding up the pizza for me

Canvasses

For her scribble art

the wall

her feet

Even though I have already given her sheets of paper

The Gathering (Of friends and of trees)

The Monday following Irish's wedding was a special non-working holiday. While she was at her honeymoon in Macau, the rest of the gang, Rix and I met up at Don Henrico's for a nice pizza-pasta-fried goodies lunch. There we treated Mary since she's the guest of honor from Taiwan. After hours of eating and talking, there were leftovers still, we went for a walk at the Robinsons Place shopping mall to digest the food in our tummies. Some of them did a little shopping. Then off we went to watch Twilight in one of the theaters at the mall. I enjoyed it. We did a little reminiscing of our high school days over coffee at Cafe Breton afterwards. This time, Mary went home with Chloe because they were to buy dried mangoes the next day, Mary will bring these back to Taiwan for her friends. Her stay was short due to unpaid leaves as an employee of less than 1 year. I hope she enjoyed.

*************************************************

I was scheduled for a Pulmonary Function Test today by the doctor I saw yesterday because of my cough that I thought was Asthma. While I was waiting, I got bored and took a picture of their glittery tree using my phone. Sorry for the blurry photo.


The test was a bit tiring as I had to breathe through my mouth and I was told to expel all air from my lungs, to inhale with all my might and to pant fast with deep inhaling, several times. I even coughed towards the end of the test. I was a bit light-headed afterwards. Then, I had an X-ray of my lungs done. 3 films with different positions, I wonder why.

I was happy that my hubby offered to come fetch me. So, while I was waiting for him (while people-watching, too), I took this snapshot of the Christmas tree at the lobby.

Regretfully, we don't have one at home. I'll just post this picture of the tree at my workplace. It's a budgeted tree, so it might look a little "malnourished".

I helped decorate it. What do you think? Here is a photo of the other decors, to compensate, I suppose.


There's a nice Christmas tree over at Momisodes, take a peek here.

Anyway, the technician over at the Pulmonary Department said that my results were high. It meant that I have no Asthma, it may be I am just having an allergic reaction. Thank God!

The Art of Loving Art

Here is an interesting artwork for your living room or office wall:



I like the way the canvasses were juxtaposed, but the picture was still composed.

And this one also:


The colors make the variety of flowers come alive. It's a feast for the eyes.

Got coffee?

I thought I won't be able to have coffee anymore because of my palpitations due to Hyperthyroidism. Thank God, it is not because of this. I went to my Endocrine doctor and she said that my heart rate is normal. The ECG result I had when I was rushed to the ER was also normal. It must be my carrying of my baby, even if she's just a baby, she still has weight, resulting to bone and muscle pain-or so the doctor said. She then prescribed Moxen, a painkiller, the next time the same scenario happens. She said the pain was constricting my breathing, the more I gasp for air, the more constricting it becomes.

So now, I get to have coffee whenever I feel like it. I miss hanging out at cafes with my husband, with my friends. It's relaxing to talk about anything over coffee, be it cold or hot. I am not affected much by coffee. Once, I had all the coffee I could drink at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel with my relatives, and I still became sleepy on the way home. I just like the aroma of it, and the way it could be dressed up into Frappuccinos, dessert, etc.

Here's something shared through email:

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general...
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee..
When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering... ''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."
He continued...''Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups... Then you began eyeing each other's cups....''
''Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us... God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!''
The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have... So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the rest to God.
And remember - the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Note: The photo above was taken from an email forwarded, showing coffee made into art in a Canadian coffee shop. It looks so nice that one seems to dare not sip it for fear of ruining the design.