TOPAZ HORIZON

I discovered Craft MNL on my Facebook feed. One of my Facebook friends took a crafts lesson and I clicked on her photo and that's how I decided I wanted to take doll-making lessons!

Now, I had thought that we'd be given blank dolls and then we'd just decorate them. But silly me, it wasn't a doll-decorating workshop—it was a doll-making workshop! We made our dolls from scratch! Here is my photo essay of my very first doll creation:

It all starts with handfuls of this. I forget what it's called. Let's call it stuffing! Wads and wads of this!

I made the head.

Here's the neck.

The yarn marks the eye and temple area.

Pins and needles! Yards of yarn!

That's our teacher, Jac Zapatos, a wife, full-time working mom to a toddler, and a doll-maker! Follow her crafty blog, I am handmade.

This is a really soft cloth. It's my doll's skin.

Stitching away.

Not very neat. Sigh. I haven't stitched in years!

Stuffing the limbs with more stuffing!

Head, arms, body!

Slim legs! The doll looks better chubby actually but since it's MY doll, I made her thin.

Skinny like me!

Closing up seams.

Pins mark the eyes. Then I satin stitched the eyes.

Making the hair with red yarn. Because I'm a redhead!

Super cute! She looks like me!

Tada! Our pretty dolls!

I forgot to tell you about this!

My life is surreal. First, Rissa Mananquil Trillo then Lucy Torres Gomez. Now Cecile Zamora Van Straten. I have only met Cecile thrice in my life and all those times involved food. The first time was the opening of Pepper Lunch at Power Plant and she personally attended to our table, showing us how to cook our food. The second time was at Cibo Greenbelt 5, when she sent over dessert for my friend Kate who was eating dinner with me. The third time was at Via Mare, when we all had merienda with author Samantha Sotto and then Cecile offered to take me and my son Vito home. There's always food with Cecile! That's why when I think of Cecile Van Straten, I think of food.

Yes, I am deriving pleasure from typing their full names. It's my way of convincing myself that important people read my blogs because I still can't believe it!

Thank you so much to everyone who take the time to visit Topaz Horizon and Topaz Mommy. All of you inspire me! God bless you all for the encouragement and support. Mwah!

UPDATE: Four times pala! The last time I met Cecile was at the launch of Magnum ice cream bar and we were surrounded by trays and trays of Belgian ice cream and coolers upon coolers of Magnum. So food pa rin!

The magazine was already about to run in the printers when I saw Kristen Stewart in that lace gown. It was a dress that made everyone either love it or hate it. I, for one, loved it. Absolutely loved it! Loved that it was so polarizing and arresting that it deserved a cover. So I called the printers and was able to make my dream come true for the second time when I trilled, "Stop the presses!!!" and replaced the cover with KStew.

Oh, to be in your 20s, with milky white skin, with long lithe limbs, and an A-list status! You could frakkin' wear the most ridiculous outfits because on anyone else, people would laugh at how stupid you look but when you're young and perfect, you can get away with anything and everything. Yes, from nearly nude gowns to having "momentary indiscretions" with a married man with young kids!!!

So tell me—is Kristen Stewart's gown the best gown you've seen this year or the worst? Personally, I actually liked it. Her sartorial picks this year made the entertainment editor in me giddy with pleasure. She was always wearing buzzed-about outfits. As for her personal picks, and by that I mean her life choices, they ain't so hot. So for me, KStew is this year's best dressed but worst decision-maker. The kinda star an entertainment magazine adores!

The December issue of OK! Philippines is filled with all things terrific and terrible. TV, movies, music, red carpet gowns, trends in fashion and beauty... You name it, it's in the December ish!

Sorry I had to make them smaller! In the previous extra-large format, you can actually read the Best of Beauty list! Oops. Grab a copy na lang haha

We have Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for our royalty fans. We have our much-anticipated Best of Beauty List, our tried-and-tested and most recommended products for the year. We have the coolest gift-guide fitting for the stars in your life. Very very proud of this issue!

Which also happens to be our last.

Yes, folks. After almost 8 years, OK! Philippines is turning its very last page. We couldn't keep up with the lightning speed of the internet and the celebrity blogs like Perez Hilton and Just Jared. While I love all the instant news, my heart is breaking because I love magazines and I'm sadly a witness to its death.

Last week, Vince and I attended the biggest and most fabulous blogging summit in the country—Blogopolis! Presented by Nuffnang, the conference dealt with topics such as how blogging truly is the new media, how to keep coming up with great content, how to turn your blog into a brand, how to engage your audience, how social media helps market your blog, what advertisers look for in blogs and bloggers, how to turn your blog into a real money-making machine, and the trouble with that troublesome Anti-Cybercrime Law. Then there's a party at the end of it. So comprehensive! And all that packed in one day!


I wanted to be there the whole day but I'm a mommy so I can only be a few hours away from home. I figured that the most applicable to me right now is how to attract advertisers, what kinds of services can I offer clients, and how I can turn my blog into a brand. So I just attended the afternoon session.

This dapper guy is Liam Capati. He's the media director of Starcom. That means he gets to say where the ads go. That means we shoulda gone up to him and said hi! See all those logos behind him? I want all those brands on my blogs and Twitter campaigns. Liam, if you're reading this, please make my wish come true! So far, I've worked with Meralco, Sun Cellular, Coca-Cola and McDonald's. That means I'm on their radar!

Actually, I got a big surprise when Liam mentioned that my parenting blog, Topaz Mommy, is a good example of a well written, well done, well branded blog. I knew Topaz Mommy has great writing (of course!) but I didn't know it's already seen as a brand. I must be more aware of what I'm doing!

That's Carlos Palma, executive director of Havas, with Liam. They're talking about numbers. Basically, what they're saying here is your blog doesn't have to be as huge as Yugatech or Chuvaness. Of course, a large readership is great but it's more important for advertisers to be associated with good blogs. So what matters to advertisers?

• The blogger's personality. Is she engaging? Does she make readers feel like they're her friends? Is her personality strong enough that she stands out in a sea of bloggers? 
• The blogger's influence. When she recommends something, do people try it? Are her blog posts shared, her Tweets reTweeted?
• The blogger's authority within her niche blog market. Does she know what she's talking about? Is she an expert in her field?
• The blog's good reputation. Your blog may be popular but if it's too negative or controversial, brands won't want to work with you. 

Now numbers. When is a blog big enough to make advertisers sit up and notice? Well, here's the thing: Because of the long tail statistical distribution, it doesn't really matter. Let's say Brand X has P10 million to spend on a campaign. Media buyers are in charge of distributing this budget over various media. So TV gets a chunk, so does a few print publications, and some big bloggers. Let's say P6M went to that. The rest of the money, which is still a hefty P4M will now go to a group of smaller bloggers and social media influencers.

That's where we come in. The more, the merrier because Brand X wants to be talked about. Sure, the money isn't as big as the one that goes to traditional media but considering that blogging is just a fun hobby for most of us and not a job, any income that comes in is amazing!

Now the good news is with blogging and Facebook, bloggers are getting a bigger and bigger chunk of that pie while traditional media's slice is getting smaller and smaller. So if you're asking me, "Should I blog?", I only have one answer: "Hell, yeah!"

Now, I did say that blogging is usually just a hobby for most bloggers but when your hobby becomes huge and starts taking up most of your time, Abe Olandres, Nuffnang's Country Manager, says it's time to make it a brand and a business.
Abe says there are many ways to make money from your blog. Display ads, sponsored posts, paid links, affiliate sales, co-branding and partnerships. I've done all of the above, except co-branding and affiliate sales. It's good money, y'all. But not enough. That's why I'm focusing on making the blogs bigger next year. It's top priority! I want to earn as much as some of my blogger friends! They earn much higher than I do as a magazine editor!

Besides, people already think of me first as a blogger. Then they remember my day job. It's an afterthought. So I might as well make blogging the day job, right? We'll see if this plan pans out!

Speaking of people thinking of me as a blogger, here are a couple of readers I met at Blogopolis:

Roxi of Mr. Jacob's Mom. She's so sweet! She's like my top blog commenter. I should give her an award!

Chrissy of Changing Nappies in High Heels. I always run into Chrissy everywhere!

Next year, if Nuffnang holds another Blogopolis, I'll stay the whole day. Why? Because we won the grand prize this year—an iPad Mini!!! But since mommy-to-babies duties and my breastfeeding boobs dictate my schedule, we couldn't stay and so we lost the prize! It's okay, it's okay. What I've gained from Nuffnang and Blogopolis is worth much more than an iPad Mini. Chos!

Vince calls these photos the anti-fashion blog photos because he says I don't look like I tried to look fashionable. Tee hee. Well, he has a point. These are my usual "wala lang!" outfits. To be fair to me, never naman ako nagsabi na this will be a fashion blog. Mothers, hindi ko kaya so don't expect!

Zara knit top, Zara mini skirt, Zara ballet flats. Kate Spade tote.

I'll also add some of my observations about Topaz Fashion in this post. I think you'll find them more interesting than the shabby outfits haha.

I tried FF because many readers were curious about what I usually wear. It's usually very boring, ladies.  Comfy dressing all the way! Stylish comfy dressing—I want to reiterate that!—but not the kind that'll knock your socks off or get me a fashion endorsement deal, as some young fashion bloggers are currently fighting about.

Wrong angle. Yaya was sitting on floor. You can almost look up my Uniqlo dress! Others: Lacoste ballet flats and Rags 2 Riches bag by Aranaz

So FF was an experiment, nothing serious, nothing I planned to continue. My findings are:
1. It is very hard work.
2. It made me overly concerned about what I'll wear.
3. It made me overly concerned about repeating clothes haha.
4. I'm starting to figure out my best angle! Face camera. Left foot forward. Bend left knee. Stand up straight. Turn away right shoulder. Slightly keep arms away from body. (But in these photos, you can see I'm still trying out different poses.)
5. It works.

Wha?? Topaz Fashion works, bloggers. Want to make your blog popular? Do fashion posts! In October, my page views jumped from 40,000 to 60,000. That's huge.

Ojay raw silk blouse, Frou Frou embroidered shorts, Lacoste flats, Longchamp clutch

I was scratching my head wondering why I suddenly had so many new readers and when I studied the stats, it's the Topaz Fashion posts that always spike the stats meter. Like, there's a big jump. 

So this November, I skipped several FFs just to check if the stats will remain at 60K. Well, it didn't. It went down and now it's hovering at 55K. Still much higher than the 40K but I see now that FF had a significant effect. And so now I have a dilemma!

Muji scarf, Forever 21 tank, Levi's jeans, Anthropolgy flats, Charles & Keith sunglasses

Obviously, I have to continue with FFs, right? It's okay actually. I think it can be good for me to care more for my appearance (although I hope I don't become vain and shallow in the process!). My problem with it now is this:

• I don't have a lot of clothes. Well, I actually do but they're all pre-pregnancy and so I don't fit into them anymore/yet. I fit into maybe 12 outfits. I think you'll get very bored once you've seen me recycle 12 outfits! Plus, I may have lots of shoes but I seem to wear only 3 pairs!
• Some of my friends say that posting photos of stuff you own is nagyayabang and I don't want to appear mayabang. 
• But if I post outfit shots only of my affordable fashion or second-hand finds courtesy of eBay, baka naman you'll think I'm poor! Haha.

Sexy White Shirt tee, Colours shorts, Lacoste flats, Rags 2 Riches bag by Aranaz

Grabe, napakabigat na problema ito! Is Topaz Fashion worth it??? Muni-muni muna me.

I wish!

Start of the week and I'm already drowning in my to-do list. Initially, I thought I'd be absolutely free today (today of all days!). But, nope, I have tons to do. In order of urgency, here's what I need to do today:

1. Buy food! We actually have a fully stocked everything except there's no meat, vegetables and rice in the house! 
2. Go to the bank for some OTC transactions.
3. Sort dirty laundry and send out to laundromat (yes, I'm the one who does this!).
4. Write an article for a parenting magazine.
5. Unpack the bags from our mini getaway in Tagaytay this weekend.
6. Organize the stuff I brought home from the office.
7. Re-sked a dentist appointment.

Then I seriously need to fulfill some blogging promises I made to people and brands who have generously sent me goodies. The list is long and I don't know if I'll ever get this done!

How's your Monday like? No matter what you plan today, remember to smile and thank God that your busy life means it's a blessed one. I know I complain a lot but I'm actually really grateful. For one thing, despite all of the stuff I have to do, at least I don't have to go to the office! How lucky am I?

Iggy Pop wrote this lovely letter to a young girl who was going through a lot of shit. His letter made all the difference.

I have also just recovered from a pretty massive hit. I wasn't surprised when it hit as I have felt it building up since the start of this year. And when it finally punched me straight between the eyes, I was dizzy and in despair for a good long while. You didn't notice it? I'm very good at hiding things apparently, which comes as a surprise to me.

For a while there, I was thinking, "Why can't my life just remain perfect? Why do I have to go through this? Why must things change?" I soon realized—rather, I was made to remember—that some things, good and bad, are meant for you. You'll just have to man up, embrace the changes, and move forward.

Good or bad, it applies.

What got me going was the gigantic love and support of Vince and a few very close friends. Yes, only a very few knew. So precious few, but if you read between the lines of my blog posts, especially at the start of the year, you'd have been able to tell that I was going through some major emotional seismic shifts.

Now I've taken my hits, I've recovered, I'm moving on. It wasn't so bad, after all! In the great scheme of things, my hit was so ridiculously shallow, I am ashamed I was so worried and upset about it. In fact, I'm now glad it happened. Because I'm so psyched about the future!

I'll tell you all about it soon. I'm off to Tagaytay for a much needed break! Meanwhile, what I just want to say is if you're going through hell right now, don't despair. It's happening for a reason—whether it's to humble you or to prepare you for something much bigger. Or maybe you're being used to help someone. Whatever it is, you have to believe that there is a purpose. Of course, some shit is really just random. You just happen to be collateral damage. But don't allow yourself to be a victim of random shit flying about. Like that poster above said, if that shit wasn't meant for you, it wouldn't land on you! So get a-hold of the situation, stand up, dust yourself off, and move on.

Now if you know someone going through hell lately, be more patient with them. Sometimes, words of encouragement are all we need. Or a smile, a hug, a look of love. Then we're ready to take on the world again.

Thanks to my amazing support group, I am. I am oh so ready.

Last week was really fun! Best birthday week ever. Which comes as a surprise to me because I'm obsessed with my birthdays and I'd always plan for it and bug people about it BUT this year, I totally forgot that my birthday was approaching until I looked at the calendar and saw it was November. I kinda freaked out a bit—I haven't come up with a gift list, I don't have anything to wear, I didn't plan a party. Nothing!

In a futile attempt to celebrate, I got free Facebook covers with a birthday theme (sample above and the last photo below) so I can remind everyone on Facebook that my big day was coming up and then I thought, "You know, I don't really care. I have a great and happy life, wonderful family and friends. What am I freaking out about? I don't want anything; I have everything!"And, yes, the week proved that!

Monday. My prayer group surprised me and Cathee with a birthday party. Surprise parties I'm usually allergic to haha since I'm never ready! Ya know, I didn't have a pretty dress, my hair was unbrushed, my face was devoid of makeup. But, what the heck, I had the loveliest time with my mommy friends!

Yummy chocolate cake from Red Ribbon. But I want to know who did the icing letters!

Cathee blew out her candle first since her birthday was before mine.

Vito blew out my candle but I made a birthday wish for my sons.

Thanks so much, Claire, Earl, Dada and Tricia! Happy birthday, Cathee!

Tuesday. My favorite hairstylist in the world, Louis Phillip Kee, treated me to a salon day. I had my good friend Jane Kingsu-Cheng of Forever 21 and Lucky Janie with me and we chatted about everything under the sun—from our sons and yayas to career plans and other bloggers.
Louis, thanks for making me beautiful! Jane, thanks for spending the day with me and for the free lunch!

Then Vince surprised me with a bouquet of red roses. Vince always gets me flowers for my birthday. I love flowers. He either gets red roses or multi-colored tulips.
He also got me Chocolate Truffle Cake from Mary Grace Café. It's my favorite chocolate cake. Yum yum! It's Vito's favorite cake, too. Hehe, yes that's Vito's birthday candle! We didn't have any other candle kasi haha. For more photos of the boys and their Grab The Cake Mission, click here!
At work, my staff "surprised" me with the best banana chocolate cake (from Kitchen's Best) I have ever had in my life. I put surprise in quotes because it's tradition that we give cake to whoever the birthday girl/boy is. But I was still surprised because... I don't know. I really truly wasn't expecting anything!

Sugared pili nuts, dried mangoes, calamansi honey with toasted quesong puti, La Maria Camembert and Queso Rustico.

And now it's done. My birthday's done. I had a great week. I felt really loved. I am really truly happy and excited for what life has in store!

If you're serious about blogging, then mark your calendar with the biggest blogging conference this year!

It's happening this Sunday! Decide fast!

Learn! Mingle! Win!

You might even bring this baby home!

I wasn't supposed to attend because I'll be out of town this weekend (my first real vacation in years!) but as a member of Nuffnang's talent roster (naks!), I really should go! And if you're planning big things for your blogs, you oughta sign up, too!

For a complete list of the blog and social media experts speaking at the event and the list of exciting topics to be tackled, go to Blogopolis.ph. You can also buy your tickets from there. Come one, come all!

One of last month's most popular posts was my transformation so I guess you guys like ugly photos of moi! You, ha. But okay, okay, let's give you more. Presenting Makeover Mondays!

I figured since I just celebrated my 36th birthday, it would be a good idea to do makeovers. Just to let everyone know that it's never too late to do something new! Birthdays and New Years are usually the time when people start something new. But if you're raring to do something different, don't wait for your birthday or January 1. Do it now!

For the first edition of Makeover Mondays, I give you... My hair.

BEFORE:

My long, lifeless, tired hair was always tied up! In other news, how cute is that little guy???

I'll tell you the conclusion of this story first. All my husband said when he saw me and my crazy red-pink hair was, "My wife's back," and it was exactly how I felt. I'm baaaaaack!

I've been coloring my hair since I was 18. I started with safe browns and blacks (black didn't suit me at all) then as I got braver, I was sporting blond, purple, orange and finally, my real hair color (haha): RED. So Vince has seen nearly all my hair incarnations, and while most Filipino men cringe at women with weird hair, Vince loved my crazy-colored hair.

That's why I married him.

At Louis Phillip Kee's new salon at Bonifacio Global City. There's Iñigo at left.

Pinoy men like their women to be virgins from hair to vagina. But since a lot of Pinays aren't virgins in the latter sense or don't remain in that state, they obsess about keeping their hair virgins for their guys. Pinoys like long, black, straight hair, not a strand out of place—the perfect hair of their perfect girl.

Now Vince is very Pinoy. I know that he prefers my hair long and straight. But he doesn't force me to look or behave the way he wants. He lets me be me and he loves the crazy me. So even though I know he's super happy when my hair is long (and I am always miserable when my hair is long and uncolored), I know that he'll be happier when I'm happy. He totally subscribes to the philosophy "Happy wife, happy life." You gotta marry a guy like that!

And I see red!

So back to my story! So I color my hair often, and Vince says it's like dating a different girl every few months. I think that's a good thing haha. But then I got pregnant in 2009. No hair color! In 2010, I was too busy to sit for 4 hours to have my hair colored. No hair color! In 2011, I got pregnant again. No hair color! But now, in 2012, after three long years, I finally had my hair colored. And I feel like I finally finally finally recognize the girl in the mirror.

AFTER:
My husband said, "My wife's back." My friends said, "Hey, I know you" and "You look familiar!" and I see my reflection and say, "It's me!"

I may not look better (who looks better with pink hair seriously?) but I look like me. Me! And that is always the best way to be!

It's been an amazing week! Absolutely glorious. I am so happy! I'm living a great life! Gifts, surprise party, flowers... I can go on and on. My friends and family are pulling out the stops making me feel loved!

And then there's you. Thank you for reading my blogs, thank you for loving and blessing my family, thank you for all the support and kindness. I've had a blast blogging these past 6 years. But this week, I'll be on a bit of a break.

Mwah! See you around here soon!

I have to confess this. Our November cover gives me the heebie jeebies. Those three kids look really scary. I'm not a fan of the Twilight movies (though I swooned when I read the first book) but it's the mega-franchise of the decade. It's a force of nature! It's... insane.

Our Twilight Saga special issue really does have fantastic stories. Even I was drawn in when I was editing it. I laughed at the "Epic!" and "Fail!" comments of my staff about the franchise. I loved the fashion transformation photo essay of Kristen. I was amazed at all the juicy gossip and secrets of the stars that I've totally forgotten about.

Check out this teaser trailer where the vampires teach the new vampire Bella how to act human.


Was this in the book? I don't really remember. But it just occurred to me now, while watching that trailer, that it's a strange scene. Bella was, prior to this transformation, a human being. She couldn't have had forgotten what it's like to be human so quickly. I understand that she's enjoying her new powers and abilities but if there's anyone who needed lessons in being human, it would be the other vampires in the room. They've been undead for such a long time. And I know they need reminding because, as the books and movies showed, real humans find them strange, unsettling, even frightening.

Okay, I'm overthinking it. Why am I doing that?!

If you're not a fan of these movies, grab the November issue for the money stories! We reveal superstar salaries and outrageous splurges. Plus, I love the best fashion and beauty products that you should invest in. Yep, they cost a lot but are worth every centavo! I always enjoy our money issue! For example, finding out that Rihanna spends a million dollars a year on her hair just made me go WTF because her hair's been awful for a good loooong while! Thank goodness she went back to her pixie crop!

Now, if you don't like Twilight and you don't like frivolous splurges, then I still think you'll like the November issue of OK! because our free magazine, OK! Glam, features the best budget finds for your makeup kit and closet. They may be inexpensive but they will make you look rich!!! All that and more in the fabulous November issue of OK! Grab a copy today!

P.S. Want a super sulit beauty box? Check out my BDJBox giveaway!

I've been doing a lot of research lately because I'm making a media kit for my mommy blog. Well, it might interest you to know that according to Babble.com, this is how US bloggers charge for one sponsored post:

The article did say that the formula is just a guide. I actually charge more—I won't say how much unless you want to propose something haha—simply because I'm a writer by profession. I can guarantee clients that sponsored posts are well written, well edited and presented professionally—a service not a lot of other bloggers can offer.

The article said you can skip the last operation (the divide-by-2) if you're a specialized blogger. The more niche your blog is, the higher you can charge. I think mommy bloggers, tech bloggers and beauty bloggers belong to this group because these are the blogs that get people to buy. Lifestyle blogs, gossip blogs, news blogs, travel blogs, they might get lots of readers but no one reads blogs like those to shop. These blogs are for information so if you're a brand that has something to announce, you target the popular blogs but if you want to sell, you go after the niche blogs.

For example, Topaz Mommy is a specialized blog and I always receive feedback from brands that say they got a sale when I published a blog post about their products. Like this email from Ria who makes adorable felt letters:


So even if your blog is small, take heart! As long as it is targeting a specific audience, it has a chance to still earn you money. I was telling Jenny Ong of Chronicles of a Nursing Mom this and... I'll just copy-paste what I wrote her so I won't have to re-type what I said!

I think sponsored posts should be equal or greater than your ad rate. Why? Because you have to write it (effort!) and you have to endorse the product/service. It's your integrity on the line. For example, hmm, let's pick a brand I don't use... Okay, Louis Vuitton. LV can place an ad on my blog to target my readers. You see it, you click on it, but it's not connected to me personally. But if Louis Vuitton asks me to write about their brand, talk about it personally, recommend it, I won't be able to unless I actually own and love an LV bag!

Anyway, just thoughts I wanted to share with you to help you along. I know a lot of you want your blogs to grow and earn you money. There's a big blogging event coming up called Blogopolis. It features the top bloggers and social media experts of the country and they'll reveal how you can get a constant stream of ideas, how to capture an audience, how to market your blog, how to increase readership, how to get and deal with advertisers, and a whole lot more.

I'm sure it can help out a lot of bloggers struggling to earn from their online activities. I won't be there—a full day seminar just doesn't work for a mommy like me!—so just tell me what happened, okay?

I do know one big secret to successful blogging: Blog for yourself, not for the money. Blog about what makes you happy, whether it's DIY crafts, your dogs, your Star Wars collection. This will give your blog its own voice, its own personality—yours!—and make it unique. After all, there is no one quite like you in the entire world.

Once your blog feels like a real person is writing it, it will begin to attract its own special group of readers. Then your blog grows and then it starts attracting sponsors. It's the same with life really, make yourself a happy and interesting person and people will want to be your friend. So be yourself, be happy, have fun. The rest will follow.