Mastermom Speaks

I realized that sometimes, we are so busy enough that we unconsciously neglect the important things that really matters to us. We are busy earning for a living that we forget to live. We are busy in advancing our careers that we forget we have a family. We are busy attending meetings that we forget our children's glee.

Dr. Seuss is right when he said this. Sayang ang moment if we don't seize it. Every minute of our life counts. As much as we can, it is good that we document those things or events that brings joy in our heart. Kahit din siguro mga sad stories because it is in those stories that we truly learn a life lesson. Memory allows us to recognize faces of old classmates or relatives, remember old songs, remember good times and bad times, and remember important information about events/experiences in our journey. Mahalaga na may mga bagay tayong binabalik balikan lalo na when we're aging. This will also preserve our relationships to the people that we encounter through time.

Given that, I am so happy that I got to know Istorya Creations. I came to know them during the Project Mom events. They make hand-stamped jewelry of the very special moments that we wanted to remember forever. An evidence na may forever talaga. Lol! I found their IG and immediately fall in love with their creations. I even joined their #istoryapasalubongseries and won! Woohoo!

Here's a brief of their success story.

Joanna, the owner and designer, started making hand-stamped jewelry for personal use on Mar 2011, on May 2012 she decided to start selling her personal creations. Istorya is the first ever store that sells custom-made, hand-stamped jewelries in the Philippines.

Joanna always had a fascination for arts and crafts. She loves vintage photography, nature, classic books and recently is into the beauty of jewelry making. She enjoys baking and cooking on her free time and likes to listen to the old music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Trio los Panchos with her dad. She gets inspired by the outdoors especially the sand and sea, the lost romanticism of the bygone eras and considers herself an old soul.

Each piece of her creation is handcrafted from start to finish. The metals are cut,wrought, hammered, sanded and filed by hand thus giving each piece a raw and organic feel. Each jewelry is stamped by hand also, She do not use a machine making every truly one of a kind. Due to the nature of the process in making this jewelry some letters may be offset but that just adds to the charm and uniqueness to every creation.

Each piece created at Istorya is a work of love.

Yes indeed! Joanna made sure that her creations were unique and special as if it's her moment to share. I ordered her famous product which was the couple bracelet and our transaction ran smoothly and hassle free. Not to mention that she was very accommodating and patient in answering my queries.

1st delivery: The box looks very special right? Each has a special charm that comes with it. The box doesn't have an extra charge. It's just an extra love given by Joanna =)

2nd delivery: Taking time to write a note. I love it!

As you can see, each bracelet is enclosed with a special zip lock (thick) plastic to maintain it's shape.

Couple leather bracelet (Available in black and silver combination)

I have to say this: Notice the 1st and 2nd delivery? Here's what happened. The first one that she delivered had a very slight error on the initials which is no biggie at all to me, however, I had to inform her so that she knows. I told her that it's okay because maliit na bagay lang naman talaga and it did not affect the over all appearance and uniqueness of the product. But what I like about her is that she was very apologetic and GENEROUS enough that she sent a new set of leather bracelet. This time, the corrected version. I told her that I can ship back the first parcel but she declined. Akin na lang daw both. So I got 2 versions of couple bracelets yehey!

I really love our couple bracelet. It serves as a constant reminder to me and to my husband to always cherish and remember our love and faith to each other especially when faced with the toughest times.

This one naman is what I got as a price in one of their IG contests that I mentioned earlier.

Stackable glass bead bracelets! These are so cool!

For Inquires/ Orders/ Product Catalog request please

email them at: istorya.creations@gmail.com
Vibe/SMS: 0917 5432341

IG: @istorya

Istorya Creations are perfect gifts for your loved ones that captures your meaningful moments that will last a lifetime.

Thank you Istorya for adding life and color to our stories!

Are you a fan of personalizing or customizing your stuffs? If you are, we will be very good friends.

I love everything that has my name on it. May it be my full name or just my initials. I find the stuff very personal and extraordinary when my name is on especially if it is a gift. This is also one of the reasons why me and my husband venture into an embroidery business. Our shop (The Elle Embroidery Trading) which is located at Market! Market!, Taguig, embroiders almost everything under the sun. From bath towels, to bags, caps, bed sheets, hankies, fans, umbrellas, shirts and jackets...I mean the sky is the limit! (This is not me promoting our shop, but please do visit us hehe).

Being a mom, I find it also very cute to personalize the things of my kids especially their school stuffs. They love it because they feel very special and unique at the same time. So, while I was thinking of my birthday gifts to them, I saw a post in Instagram featuring the products of Monogram It! By Ash and Muff. I swear, when I saw their photos, I wanted to jump off from my chair because of it's overloading cuteness!!! I craved to have ALL of their products. But since my budget is limited, I just stick with their kid's bath towels.

650 php each

Yes I know. It's too cute right? and the quality of the towel is excellent. You see, you needed a thick fabric for the stitches to be embroidered properly or else the fabric will be torn. It is thick but light weight at the same time. It is also fluffy and glides smoothly in your skin. Really perfect for the sensitive skin of our kids. I love the colors to! lively and vibrant.

Monogram It By Ash & Muff is a result of their search to find the perfect gift for the numerous birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. They truly LOVE and appreciate anything personalized, especially Monograms! With this came the idea of giving monogrammed blankets to all their nieces and nephews. It was such a hit, that we decided we wanted to share this with everyone.

All of their blankets are made with a lot of TLC. Designs and fabrics are carefully chosen to ensure that only the BEST quality arrives at your doorstep. Each piece is embroidered by hand making it UNIQUE every single time. Though blankets are their specialty, they continue to expand their line to give clients a variety of items to choose from.

Now, the Monogram It! By Ash and Muff already offers a wide range of products. They are now personalizing bibs, hankies, pillow, bags, beach blanket, onesies, etc. They even accept orders for souvenirs, giveaways and loot bags!

Here are some of the products' photos:

Summer String Bags

Hankies

Best Seller: The Jaq Bag

Bath Towels

Monogrammed Pillows

Best Seller: Reversible Blanket

The cutest bibs ever!!!

Soon on Monogram It! With Ash and Muff (Coming this August!)

Men's Wash N Wear travel clutch bags

Vibrant Colored Shoe Bags

Catch them at Monogram It! By Ash Muff and email them at ashandmuff@yahoo.com

You can also shoot them a message/viber at +639159267072 for more details and designs.

Happy MONOGRAMming!

This is not a sponsored post. The featured product came straight from my old wallet =).

It is not new to you that my son, Axxel, has an atopic dermatitis or what we commonly know as skin asthma. He had it since birth. My pedia said that maybe it was in my genes that my baby got his skin asthma. I had mine but only in my palm and it gets dryer and itchy when exposed to pollution, dirt, and dust.

Because of that, I am very cautious in putting oils, creams, body wash, shampoo, or cologne in my baby's body as it may aggravate or worsen his skin condition. I always check the products' ingredients. It should not contain colorants, perfume and preservatives to enhance its hypoallergenic effect. Look for products that are phthalate- and paraben-free. Those chemicals are potentially harmful to babies and can lessen allergic reactions. And best of all, it should be non-comedogenic.

All this I have found in Physiogel AI Cream.

Description

Physiogel™ AI Cream/Lotion contains PEA, a physiological complex with antioxidant properties that can protect the skin from cell-damaging free radicals. Free radicals are associated with common skin problems like redness, dryness and also plays a part in the skin's aging process. It has unique DMS® (Derma Membrane Structure) for regeneration of the skin protective barrier. They help retain skin moisture and prevent skin dryness.

Active Ingredients

Aqua, olea europaea, glycerine, pentylene glycol, palm glycerides, olus, hydrogenated lecithin, palmitamide mea, squalance, betaine, palmitamide MEA, sarcosine, acetamide MEA, hydroxyethyl-cellulose, sodium carbomer, carbomer, xanthan gum

Presentation

Cream: 50ml/tube

Lotion: 100ml/bottle

Directions of Use

Suitable for face and body. Apply Physiogel™ AI Cream/Lotion twice daily (or as often as needed), and massage gently into skin. If skin is broken, cover Physiogel™ AI Cream/Lotion with a dressing of choice.

Physiogel™ AI Cream/Lotion is available exclusively in clinics and hospital pharmacies.

Source: www.stiefel.com

Priced at PHP 574.50 for a 50ml full size, the AI Cream is my ultimate partner whenever itchiness and breakouts occurs in my son's face or merely for maintenance use only. I applied it my son's face, neck, back, arms, and legs after bath in the morning and at night before going to bed. Do not rub the skin of your baby by a towel right after the shower. Please make sure to apply the cream in a damp body for the skin to lock in the moisture. Believe me, it is more effective that way ;). Also, keep the bath time to 10 minutes max. Long bath may dry out the skin and remove oils and other substances that protect against infections and other irritants.

It is actually the basic Physiogel Cream that I use before but since it has been out of stock (due to package renovation), I switched to the AI Cream. They have basically the same ingredients and function as to keeping the skin hydrated and moisturized.

My dry hand before thinning out the cream

My Hand, after the cream has been spread out

See the difference? It really makes the skin more smoother and moisturized. It looks like a healthy supple hand compare to my first photo. The first one looks dry and tuyot =( while the second photo (with AI Cream) looks like a recently watered plant =)

This is Axxel before (still months) when irritation attacks!

See his reddish cheeks? But still a cutie right??? All smile padin =)

With continuous use, here's the development...

Axxel in 6 months

Axxel in 8 months

Axxel in 11 months

Kinis na diba??? Oh boy! He is such a grown up now but you will forever be Daddy and Mommy's adorable son. =)

Oh hello there!

I know its been a while...a long while really. Things have been so busy for me this month. Celebrating 4 birthdays in a week is no joke! Idagdag mo pa ang cramming for the school opening really makes me insane! Good thing one of my helpers is back now and I am too back from my 1 week leave from the office.

Speaking of getting back to the office, I noticed that I always cram in the morning, putting lots and lots of stuffs in my bag and finding hard to organize it at all. My uniform office bag, which was with me for a year now looks already tired and exhausted. I noticed that it was already worn out due to repeated use and abuse =(. This made me realize that maybe I should get a new one. Bags are equally as important as our clothes. It defines our personality (personal image), keep our treasures in there and sets our mood as well. Definitely one of the woman's bestest friend.

While constantly searching for the right office bag, heaven sent me the shop called Joan and Klaire (J&K). The people behind this shop loves to travel and explore. Their products are chic and classy and are perfect for the on the go, adventurous guys and gals. What really caught my eyes is their Cartera Leather Tote bag. It was a love at first sight! This is the one that I have been searching for ages!

Cartera leather tote bag in chocolate brown

Very adorable isn't it? J&K's Cartera is made of genuine cow leather. Hides from cows are smoother, thinner and softer but is durable and flexible. A perfect material for a bag. You don't want your bag to be too thick making it very heavy.

Neatly stitched!

Cartera also features a 2-pocket compartment in which you can properly place your cellphone, sunglasses, pens, or even cords and chargers. In my case, I placed my facial sunscreen in there.

The bag is very big and spacious enough for all your stuffs. Inside, you can see that It can hold my 3 pouches, 2 wallets, 2 pack of wipes, and a pen and it still have a LOT more extra space to put my documents on!

Approximate Dimensions:

Width: 7.5 inches

Length: 17 inches

Height: 11 inches

In addition, it has antique-finish key holder - so you won't have to pour out all the contents of you tote to find your keys!

And oh! You can have it personalized (monogrammed) also. You can put your initials stamped directly to your bag! That is soooo cool.

They offer a lot of different colors too but I'm loving my chocolate brown =).

Photo c/o J&K

Joan and Klaire also offers Cartera Bolsa which is a large zippered pouch made with light fabric to keep its weight to a minimum and a genuine and washable leather trimming to allow for a monogram. It's perfect to keep all your belongings together, leaving your worries behind. Carry it in your Cartera or switch totes and you'll only need to move all the contents of your tote once!

It comes in brown and black.