TOPAZ HORIZON

Over at my Facebook page, I've been promising to give this dress away to my readers for weeks now but I just haven't been able to do it because I have other things to do. I'm seriously considering not doing giveaways anymore unless it's sponsored (this is not a sponsored post) because it's so much work!

Can you smell a rant? Hehe. Sorry! Unlike everyone else, I no longer use Random.org nor do I use Rafflecopter for my contests. I now really go through each and every entry then I pick who I like best. What happened? Well, I gave away a fab shopping experience before Christmas last year and the winner was randomly picked. I announced it on the blog, on all my social media accounts... No response from the winner! That means the winner doesn't read my blog or follow me on social media! It was a fab gift. I wanted the winner to truly deserve it. I wanted a loyal reader to always win my giveaways. So now I check each entry! And it takes up so much of my time!

Rant over.

To win this fabulous Vania Romoff dress, simply ask your husband or boyfriend to post a couple photo over at my Facebook page. Say whut?! Yeah, I have to pick a guy to win this contest because I promised it.

Never make promises you can't keep so even if this is kinda silly, I'm doing it this way! I kinda like it, though. I'll get to see your guys! I love romance! And this sexy Vania Romoff dress is sure to add sizzle to your love affair!

UPDATE: The dress will fit an XS or an S. It's backless and almost waistless. You gotta be pretty tiny and wasp-waisted to slither into this baby.

So here are the mechanics:
1. Ask your guy to post a photo of you as a couple on my Facebook page. Note: Better if full body shot!
2. Tell him to type: "I want my girl [your name] to win this sexy Vania Romoff dress from @TopazHorizon because she is the hottest thing that ever walked this planet!"
3. Tag three of his friends.

That's it! I'll pick a winner by next Topaz Fashion!

Thanks, Nestlé Non-Fat Milk, for the dress for my lucky reader. Sana ako rin meron designer dress!!!

UPDATE: The winner of the super sexy Vania Romoff designer dress is Jet Meneses! Well, he won it for his gorgeous wife, Josephine.

Thanks for joining, Jet. And thank you for being such a fabulous hubby to Josephine. That white hot dress will make your wife look absolutely incredible! Send me a message via my Facebook page on how you can claim your prize.

Quick Valentine's Day promo!

Ardent World, Inc. has a new line of fragrances for girls and boys who want to smell really good. They're called Adoré for her and Aqua Fresco for him. Here's the complete line:

That's a lot, right? Two of my readers will win all of that! All you have to do is Tweet!

Confession: We haven't really vacuumed the house in a long, long while. We've been relying on walis and dusters, which aren't the most efficient cleaning tools. Plus, they just stir up the dust, so horrible to Vince and me since we have allergies. So why aren't we using the vacuum? Because the noise freaks out the kids, especially Iñigo.

Yesterday was just unreal! That's because Ethan Allen announced the winner of their design challenge and I won!

I've been in a cloud of happiness. That's such an apt term since Vince and I named our design as "Life in the Clouds." As I keep mentioning, the whole room was really Vince's idea. Of course I had input here and there but I am amazed at how talented my husband is! He tweaked my design, gave helpful suggestions... I'm lucky I'm married to a man with discriminating taste!
And while some people tell me that I won because I had the luck of the pregnant woman, I beg to differ. I researched rooms with tufted headboards for inspiration. Vince researched color palettes. I studied Ethan Allen's design aesthetics to come up with a room that reflects their brand. I recalled the way Real Living styled our home when they featured it twice (easy tip: always have fresh flowers). Vince planned which photos will personalize the space without competing with the headboard. I even steamed the sheets and pillows! So it was a lot of hard work. And it paid off!

Here are a few of the room inspirations I put on my mood board:
As you can see, tufted headboards seem to inspire the same room elements: mirrored chest, sunburst mirrors and white lamps! I can't wait to turn our bedroom into something like the rooms up there. Except nerdier (books are always present in our home) and child-friendlier.

I feel like this is all so surreal since we've been wanting a tufted headboard for years. I even prayed about it. And now this! I was telling Mommy Fleur today that God may take His sweet time answering prayers but when He does, oh how He does! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd own an Ethan Allen piece. And now I do. Thank You, God, for giving me more than I ever asked for.

Thank you to everyone who campaigned for me over at Twitter and Facebook. Thank you to everyone who voted. And thank you to everyone who sent me encouraging words. I had fun doing the Ethan Allen design challenge but I had more fun seeing the overwhelming support you gave me. Whatever had been the outcome of the challenge, I already felt like a winner. Thank you!

It's Monday! Just one more week before Ethan Allen announces the winner of their The One Ethan Allen Challenge! I'm excited and stressed out!!! And if you haven't voted for my bedroom design yet, please do!

CLICK HERE to LIKE!

To be honest, the Facebook likes account only for 10% of the total score so while I do want you to vote for me (and me alone!), I can be pretty magnanimous and not get mad if you vote for the other rooms, too. I'm joking. Of course I'll get mad! No, I'm kidding. It really is just 10% of the score so I'm more concerned with getting the judges' approval in the other criteria, which I really tried to meet. Here they are:

CRITERIA FOR JUDGING
30% - Highlight of the One Ethan Allen piece
25% - Style (uniqueness, reflective of personality, creativity)
20% - Visual Impact
15% - Space Utilization
10% - Facebook Votes

100% - Total Score

Highlight of the One Ethan Allen piece was easy. As you can see from my bedroom set-up, the Jensen headboard is the central piece. I don't think anyone can miss that bed! It just dominates the space. So in this criteria, I think I have tough competition from Jane since she really did a great job highlighting the white armchair in her set-up.

I really designed my room around the bed:



As for the style criteria, I truly do believe the personal touches of photos, baby things, flowers, books added charm to the room. Of course, because I was designing for a family, the "personality" had to be toned down. The other rooms showed individuality better.

Visual impact category, I think I did really well here. While every room has its own fab look, my bedroom has the most comments about how the viewers liked the look, the style, and how they want to own it. That means the design triggered a response from people, a call to action of actually dreaming and wanting and perhaps even buying!

I'd like to give special thanks to my design consultants Sharon and Angel because they gave advice on how to create stronger impact. For example, they suggested that I use the mirrored chest instead of a little side table and to add a lamp on it because it will warm up the space.

Remember when I wrote about this bed?

Since then, Vince and I have been roaming Manila's furniture shops, department stores and bed boutiques looking for the perfect tufted headboard. We've found a few but they never did quite meet our standards. So when Ethan Allen announced that they had a design contest and a tufted headboard was one of the prizes, it was kismet!

Ethan Allen's rules were simple:
1. Choose one piece from their collection and highlight it.
2. Create a concept about how any space--big or small--can be made lovely with the right furniture and accessories.
3. Design an entire room around the chosen piece. I can use other Ethan Allen pieces and my own furniture and accessories.

Of course you all know what that one Ethan Allen piece I chose! I chose the Jensen tufted headboard!

Here's the concept I came up with (special thanks to the advice and active participation of my wonderful husband, the one with the real taste in design—Vince Sales!):

This is the whole setting up at the Pioneer showroom:

My little wall!

These guys are so fast and efficient!

That's Angel of Ethan Allen arranging my sheets and pillows. Yes, those are really mine!

I brought my steamer so I can smooth out the creases.

My pet peeve is wrinkly sheets and pillows!

Last few touches!

And here's the result!

Except for the major pieces and rug, everything in this set-up—from cradle and sheets to flowers and rocking horse—is really my property!

I think I want that tufted armchair and mirrored chest...

These are my design consultants, Sharon and Angel.

Do you like it? There are more photos in The One Ethan Allen Challenge Facebook page. You can also check out the other challengers' rooms. They're also nice!

But there can only be one winner!

Please vote for MY room! Make sure to like my bedroom in the album called OFFICIAL ENTRIES. There you can vote for my room (yes, my room, ha!). So pleeeeeeeease VOTE FOR ME by "liking" my room! Thank you so much!

UPDATE: I won! Hooray!

A lot of people ask me how I earn money through blogging. Well, I earn most of my blogging income from Nuffnang. I joined Nuffnang in 2008, soon after my mother died. Mama's death had completely wiped us out financially so I was looking for ways to make more money and Nuffnang was recommended by my friend, Jennie of Marriage and Beyond.

At first, there was just a tiny trickle of blogging income coming in (so I was very relieved when the company I work for gave me a big raise in early 2009!), but after a few months with Nuffnang, things started getting very interesting! So without further ado, here are...


10. I got a free trip to Singapore!

On the Singapore Flyer with fellow bloggers

 In 2009, Nuffnang invited me to join the first ever Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards in Singapore. I was shy to go since I didn't know anyone on the trip but I packed my bags, kissed my hubby good-bye (with tons of melodramatic tears), and then met some of the most fascinating people in Asia!

I learned so much about blogging from that trip. The most important lesson? That you can earn SO MUCH MONEY! I remember my jaw dropping and my eyes going very wide when some of the bloggers I met (some just barely out of college) told me they just bought a car or quit their job all because of the money they earned from blogging. As soon as I got home, I told Vince, "I'm taking this blogging thing seriously from now on dammit! Those kids are earning more money than I ever dreamed of!"

On our way to the awards ceremony (I'm the girl in far right)

So, obviously, I want to go to the second Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards! This time, it's in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On Dec. 16, 500 bloggers from all over the Asia-Pacific region will be invited to a lovely weekend stay at the Putrajaya Marriott. The awards ceremony will again honor the the region's best bloggers and bring together the blogging communities so that we can all learn from each other. Plus, the lucky bloggers get a free tour of the city! The event is sponsored by Volkswagen Malaysia and Putrajaya Marriott, and if you want to win an exclusive invitation to the event, click here!

And please nominate your favorite bloggers (ahem! ahem!) for the awards!


9. I won a Gucci bag!
Nuffnang has a lot of contests. Their partners are always willing to raffle off really cool stuff like gadgets, and in my case, happily, a designer bag! I won the Confessions of a Shopaholic contest and the prize was a limited edition Gucci shoppers tote. So do check out Nuffnang's exciting array of contests (I think there's one a week!)

8. I always get tons of goodies!
Here are just a few:

Tropicana!

Berocca!

I've also gotten beauty products and fabric conditioners. I know I've gotten more but I just can't remember them all! So much stuff!

7. I get invited to lots of exciting events.
Nuffnang never seems to run out of stuff to offer their bloggers! There's always a beauty launch here, a fashion show there, a movie screening now, a field trip tomorrow. I sometimes wish I wasn't so busy so I can attend them all!


6. I met celebrities!

Alodia's the girl with the backpack.

Alodia Gosiengfiao at the Asia-Pacific Blog Awards at Singapore. Alodia is so cute and shy and talented. There are no airs, no snottiness, no spoiled brat-ness.

Solenn is the girl who forgot to put on a shirt!

Solenn Heusaff at Neutrogena Fine Fairness Ambassadors launch. Well, all I can say is she's sexy. And very sweet to fans. But she looked very uncomfortable the entire time at the event, like she was very scared. I dunno why!

Iza Calzado at the Myra-E event that launched her as their new model. Funnily enough, to me, Iza is not a celebrity, even though she's one of the hottest stars in the country. That's because I can never erase the image of little 5-year-old Izadora following us, her cousins, everywhere, saying, "I can dance! Want to see me dance? Please watch me dance!"

5. I earn money!
I almost forgot that that's the reason I joined Nuffnang in the first place! How's the income, you ask? Well, Nuffnang's been very generous with giving me assignments and you'd have noticed some of them because they're marked as "sponsored posts" (for example, you all loved the Mango post, which was not just fun to do but was also paid for!).

I'd earn more if I accepted all their proposals but I only take on brands I believe in, use or want. But as it is, I've already earned lots of shopping money! Thanks, Nuffnang!

4. I gained new friends.
That's Shen of Shen's Addiction on top and Nikki Tiu of AskMeWhats. They are just two of the wonderful bloggers I've met at the events Nuffnang keeps throwing for us. I'm so glad I joined this blogging community because I've been forced to go out and meet fellow bloggers. You see, if you're a blogger, obviously you spend a lot of time in front of a computer so there's not much of a social life there for bloggers. But because of Nuffnang's plethora of events and activities, I've met some of the most wonderful people ever!

3. Nuffnang believed in my non-blogging ventures.
One of the very first people who bought my satchels is from Nuffnang! Trixie Esguerra is the talent manager of Nuffnang and I never expected that we'd have a friendship. I'm very careful to keep my professional relationship, well, professional. But Trixie is, like the rest of the Nuffies, so much fun and bubbly and makulit, that you can't help but adore her. Plus, she was one of the very first who bought my satchel and mega promoted my bag business! She didn't have to but she did. Thanks, Trixie!

2. Nuffnang supports good causes.
It's not all freebies with Nuffnang. One of the best out-of-my-comfort-zone experiences I've ever had was when we visited Sunshineville in Las Pinas. We met a thriving community of homeowners, working happily for a better life. It was really refreshing to see how giving jobs to people makes them confident, happy, proud. That exposure was the first time I decided I wanted to be an entrepreneur since I saw that it isn't charity dole-outs that help people at all.

Nuffnang also makes sure its bloggers get an education. By this, I mean free classes to everything from cooking to financial freedom. I've been wanting to attend their cooking classes at Enderun but weekends are yaya-less so I haven't had the opportunity. But I'm glad I was able to attend the Philam Life financial planning class. I learned so much! I bought a mutual fund investment plan soon after that session (but with a different insurance provider. Oops!)

1. Nuffnang cares about their bloggers.
The first people who visited me when I gave birth to Vito were Nuffies. Thanks, Anne Franco and Carlos Palma. You got to the hospital with flowers and gifts way before my own family and friends did! To say I was surprised is an understatement. Vince said, after you left, "Wow. You must really mean a lot to Nuffnang." I don't think I'm special that way; I think Nuffnang really just treats their bloggers like family.

And that's why I'm glad I joined Nuffnang. I earned not just money, but a wealth of experiences and a lot of new friends. And family. I have my Nuffnang family. For that alone, I am very grateful.

This is my official entry to the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011. To join, click here.

Off to Philippine Fashion Week in May! Wearing Bench tank, Zara skirt, Sapato Manila heels, Liz Claiborne necklace and Kate Spade bag

At Enterprise, on my way to Sunlife to file a claim, I met these yummy colorful creatures. They were promoting a raffle--vote for the M&M color you want and you get a chance to win $1,000 shopping money!

I voted for Green because she's described as "smart, strong and sexy." Hey, sounds like me! Teehee. If you want to join, click here. I hope I win, though! Good luck to us all!

Here I am at Sunlife again, this time to claim tickets to Varekai! I joined their contest on the last day and won! Am I lucky or what? Thing is I'd already bought tickets. So I gave my prize to my in-laws and watched Varekai on the second night. You all know what happened to us that Thursday night!

And this was Vito the morning after the Varekai show. We bought that hat, so enamored were we with the show. We're enamored with our baby boy, too!