Celebrations!

http://www.raggedy-ann.com

For my first birthday, my Mom chose a Raggedy Ann theme.  She asked my godmother in New York to send party décor to match the theme. From the photos, I saw a pretty tablecloth, matching napkins, and a couple of hanging paper lanterns with Raggedy Ann and Andy on them.  A few close friends and family were our guests and the cake was topped with colorful candy and an icing illustration of Raggedy Ann. So I guess the love for party themes and styling details began very early for me, thanks to the creative influence of my parents!

Recently, my friend, Maru and I were talking about how we much we enjoy preparing for our kids’ birthday parties.  While not every celebration was done in a grand fashion, we always managed to give each year a special theme. We were so pleased to find out that our efforts didn’t go unnoticed.  Every now and then, our kids ask us to go through each year with them to recall what we did to mark their birthdays.  Then, they proceed to plan for the years to come!

Party planning (for birthdays and other milestones such as bridal and baby showers for our immediate family) has become another fun exercise in imagination and creativity. It also is a great way to bond with your kids. And if you do most of the work yourself, you can teach them to stick to a budget, work with what you have, and pass on some arts and craft skills in the process.

Here are a few of our favorite parties through the years…and the talented family and friends who helped out with the special details, too!

A Birthday Breakfast Party with yummy Pancake House breakfast food.  The kids came in their pajamas and went home with teddy bears that matched the party's color scheme. Party decor by Paperminties and cake by Sweet Ideas.

He learned to read before his 4th birthday and the book that made it happen was "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss. So it was easy to select the Dr. Seuss theme for his party.  It was a simple, handmade affair of  hand-painted brown paper bags to look like the Cat in the Hat's hat filled with "One Fish Two Fish...Goldfish crackers" and "Hop on Pop...Popcorn". Even more paper hats by Paperminties for the kids to wear, as well as "Daisy Head Mayzie" clips.  A book cake designed by my brother and executed on a photocake. 

Plants vs. Zombies. Need we say more? Cake by Shortcrust by Peachy Juban

His love for Disney villains made this party such fun to prepare.  The amazing cake and cupcake artwork by Peachy Juban (Shortcrust by Peachy Juban) depicting Prince Phillip battling the Dragon through a field of thorns and villain cupcakes that included his unique favorites like Kaa from The Jungle Book,  blew all our family's Disney fans away. His godmother and her friends from the theater dressed as Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella De Vil made it even more memorable.

A Pinocchio theme was easy to plan for a two year old who loved wooden blocks, toys and crayons. The reliable brown paper bag personalized with stickers and a Pinocchio print-out glued onto a wooden clothespin was filled with crayons, CD of the movie's soundtrack and a "color-me" CD jacket cover. Family pitched in for the entertainment which involved quiet arts and crafts activities like painting wooden toys (a la 

Geppetto's workshop).  Cupcakes by Shortcrust by Peachy Juban

The year of the snake and a fascination for creepy crawly creatures was the basis of this 5th birthday party. Snake cake and grass cupcakes by Sweet Ideas. Decor by Paperminties. And a lucky find at the grocery store: Sour Gecko and Sidewinder gummy candies for party guests to take home.

"And now, The Octopus!" A shower curtain embellished with cut-paper art by Paperminties, marshmallow lollipops with pipe cleaner tentacles, illustrations by the birthday boy, and Rina Design mugs, totes, and bag tags completed the look of this wet 'n wild party! Octopus cake by Cake Avenue Bakeshop

A tiny party for four little girls. This theme idea from marthastewart.com was just too adorable to resist.  Tiny invitations in multiple envelopes that kept getting smaller and smaller, tiny milkshake shots, a tiny party banner, and favor bag with pocket size craft and school supplies. Tiny cake and muffins by Sweet Ideas.

And finally, for the newest member in our family, a kitchen shower for Mara. Kitchen tool cupcakes by Sweet Ideas and wonderful centerpiece creations by 
Tina Ansaldo-Cruz 0917-8287077.

work in progress

When I was a kid, my favorite Childcraft volume was #11 Make and Do.  It was a source of many wonderful craft, costume, and play ideas. My brothers and I poured over the pages on almost every free day we had.  So it was such a pleasant surprise when I found out my husband shared the same intense passion for the whole Childcraft series, which now has a special place among our treasured collections for our kids to enjoy.

By the time I was in the 5^th grade, I got into the habit of making things that I knew weren’t readily available in stores.  It taught me to work patiently, respect procedures, and to simply enjoy quiet and focused activities at home.  I also learned to become a little obsessive about getting exactly the look I wanted, and to not settle for things so quickly. Because with a little patience, concentration, and creativity, I knew I could make something that was uniquely my own.

In college, I discovered Martha Stewart on a local cable channel.  I began collecting her magazines, taping her shows on VHS (!), and basing every crafting decision I made on her style and advice.

Those invaluable lessons certainly helped me cope when I married and moved to the province with my husband.  When there was nothing to do, I painted the walls of our house, re-upholstered accent chairs, etc. I would get completely absorbed in crafting that I hardly felt the scarcity of materials and resources. I was caught up in an endless cycle of sourcing possible materials, “making” the things I couldn’t find, and  finishing the actual projects.

Back in Manila and nursing a new baby, I suddenly got a call from an old friend, Tata Mapa.  I had previously worked for her as contributing stylist during her days as Seventeen magazine’s managing and associate editor.  Her newest gig was editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines! (cue: angel choir singing)  She asked if I wanted to do some work for her on the magazine and I was thrilled and nervous at the same time.  I asked my husband for advice. He simply said, “You love Martha Stewart! And now the opportunity to work for her comes to you, here in the Philippines! What were the chances of that?  I think you know you should do it.” 

we went for an "element of surprise" concept
for this cover and asked aranaz to make a bag
that looked like a bouquet!
photo by at maculangan

Even if I was just going to be a contributing stylist, Tata wanted me to learn some things as though I was a staff member. So I would first have to train for my assignments along with the tight team of managing editor, Paulynn Chang-Afable, and section editor, Charisse Katigbak.  The shoots were incredible, intense, uber-detailed and beautiful.  We poured so much of ourselves into our work  since we had to send everything to New York for approval.  New York! So close yet so far.  I would imagine Martha Stewart looking at our styled work and would get such a thrill that I was somehow connected to her.

this tower of favors (by peachy juban of shortcrust)
made for an extra-challenging project.
photo by at maculangan

Through all this, it was great to find in Tata, a style-sister! At Martha, we had to make magic happen with simple resources. Which was a lot like what I had to do as a homemaker in Bacolod. Tata knew about colors and had a knack for mixing and matching things, just the way I liked them, too.  And just as I loved my Childcraft moments, she had always been a natural when it came to subjects like Home Ec and English, so it was no surprise she ended up as editor of a magazine like Martha Stewart Weddings. 

Fast forward to 2010. Tata whispered to me, saying that she was leaving the magazine. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that. I mean, leave Martha Stewart? Why?! She calmly explained that she had reached her goals and was ready for something new.  She seemed so at ease and happy with her decision that I could see that she had made the right one—even if I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.

the whole team pulled out all the stops for this cover. boxes from tie me up buttercup, tiffany chairs (in wenge finish) by banquet ensemble, event styling by jo claravall. photo by at maculangan.

But now that we’re enjoying ourselves with this blog, and our other projects, I’m starting to understand what Tata meant. In many ways, I still get that old “Martha Stewart” feeling as we share our thoughts, project ideas, and excitement about ribbons and nice paper. But it’s also very different because now, we are doing something that is more closely connected to who we are. Together we are gathering our life experiences and insights, and are sharing and creating something from our innermost hearts. It’s almost like our “magazine” title now is tata & anna. This time around, we are the project, the materials, and the process. And each new entry is part of who we are: a work in progress.

Thanks for being here as we grow,

anna

P.S. Here's a shout out to Cleone, Loren, Tara, Nat and all the other wonderful and talented individuals we worked with on the magazine!

the grosgrain ribbon

We’re tickled pink! A lot of you have asked us who we are, and why we share a blog. We realize this can only mean that people are actually reading our posts! So here’s a big thank you from the bottom of our humbled hearts. And without further ado, allow us to share the story behind the grosgrain ribbon.

We are two friends from college who reconnected a few years ago as we bonded over long walks, Martha Stewart Weddings projects, and a shared penchant for noticing—and falling in love with—the little details.

Together we are now filing away and making real all the tidbits we’ve talked and daydreamed about. From bridal ideas to party details, to practical yet whimsical solutions and soul-stirring a-ha! moments, we’ve worked the spectrum. This blog is our attempt to chronicle life in all its everyday glory. (This way, we won’t have to strain our memories in our old age!) Because when you get right down to it, we all have stories to tell. This online journal will give you a glimpse into ours. Perhaps they will even seem a whole lot like yours.

Life is filled with ups, downs, and in-betweens. May our cherished relationships and good times remind us of how blessed we are. And when the slumps do come, may we find comfort in knowing that things always look so much better and brighter when we can share the journey with a friend.

Here’s to gifts from the universe and tying up loose ends!

Love,

tata & anna