My home decors

When my father was still alive,  I  heard him telling my mom several  times that I was fond of nice things.  That’s why when I asked him to buy me a bath rug from JC Penny,  he chose the $7.99 over the $3.99 kind.    He would buy me the $4.99 bath towels instead of the $1.99.    This bath towel is still the favorite pasalubong of Filipinos.  But now it is no longer $1.99 but $4.99 + sales tax.

But who wants ugly stuff?   But then when you say “nice”  you have to qualify it.  Nice is art.  And art is subjective.  So what’s nice to me may  not be  your type.

I have a lot of “nice to me stuff” around the house.  These are small items and generally cheap.  They are part of my treasures.  But of course when I am dead,  these would be my children’s junk (I hope not).

This is a gift from Lotis Key.  She was a popular actress in the 70s and is now happily married to Bambi Kabigting.  Bambi is my husband’s best friend and is ninong to our daughter.   Bambi played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles and Crispa Redmanizers.  That’s how he and my husband crossed paths,  thru basketball.   Lotis sells antiques.

1918 “Nappy” from Lotis Key.

One time we had a party at home and the following morning I couldn’t find this cute toothpick holder.  I cried.  But my husband kept it pala kasi daw baka mabasag.

I bought this in Volendam 8 years ago for US$5

Export overruns- handpainted wooden houses I bought several years ago for P2,500 for the two.
The golf timba is from the US but made in China.

T

$3 picture frame

Small cuckoo clock from Black Forest, Germany.

One day this cuckoo started sounding like he had sore throat.  I brought it to the clock repair shop at the basement of Robinsons Galleria.  It stayed there for few months and I decided to just take it back.  They couldn’t bring his voice back.  Parang  inuubo yung bird pag nag -cuckoo.  Until now,  I still have to collect the P1,200 I paid to them.

Picture frame made of Pinatubo ashes from Sonny of Excel Frames.  Basag-basag na but I still don’t want to throw it away.

The above photo shows Fr. Leon.  He passed away few years ago.  He was the very first one who  gave my husband popsicle when he was still a little boy studying in Sta. Maria Catholic School,  now Ateneo de Iloilo.  My husband  never forgets that happy moment.

My children’s photos.  Frames at $3 each from Marshall’s.

Miniature wire chair from Pampanga P45, about 15 years old.

I had a TV show  then entitled “The Export Connection”.  It was sponsored by the Philippine Exporters Confederation and the US-Aid.   This tiny chair was my give-away after the press-con at the Shangrila Hotel in Makati.

Tiny blue plate from paris, about 10 years old.  The pewter name holders are from Macy’s but made in China.

German-made plastic clock.  6 inches tall.   I bought it at a sunday street market in Washington, DC for $10.  Unfortunately, I accidentally broke it.

Handpainted ceramic plate from France, $10

I walked into a high-end furniture store in Manhattan.  I looked around and all their stuff were in thousand dollars.  There were no people in the store except me and  the guy at the counter.  I went into a small room behind the showroom and saw broken pieces of very expensive decors.  I saw this beautiful ceramic plate lying on the floor.  It had no price.  I picked it up and brought it to the guy.  He asked me “where did you get that?”.   On the floor,   then he said  “Okay,  just give me ten bucks”.     I was so thrilled.  I paid and left right away before the guy changes his mind.

(some photos disappeared when ohmybuhay crashed two years ago)