Suddenly it’s Christmas at home!

As usual, I have no plans of decorating the house for Christmas. After spending the first couple of weeks of December making Christmas decorations for clients, I have no energy left to decorate our home. But because of the red flowers that I brought from my brother’s wedding over the weekend, the house got an instant Christmas makeover!

Inspired by the decorations I made for a Petron station, I made three additional tabletop Christmas trees from old magazines, spray painted them in red and gold, and finished them off with a sprinkle of gold glitters. You can find a video tutorial from Martha Stewart here. The project is quite time consuming, but you can easily make them while watching tv.

Above is a variation of the magazine Christmas tree. By alternately gluing (or stapling) three points of the folds together, you can create an accordion pattern for your tree to make it look more fancy.

To  give my trees a bit of height, I simply placed them on top of my ceramic candle holders which functioned as a base.

Total cost: P0.00

I just hope the flowers will last until the 25th.

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We’re taking pangangapitbahay to the next level as we take a peek at the homes of other families to see how the rest of the world spruce up their spaces for the holidays.

First stop is the cotton candy-colored home (above) of graphic designer Danielle Thompson (USA).

Above is an interesting hanging wreath from Veronika in London.

In Seattle, Dottie Angel spells her holiday shout out on her mantel.

Kleofe from Switzerland gives her wall a touch of color with a garland of flaglets and some Christmas balls.

In Mexico, Rosa Maria goes natural with a wreath of lavender leaves.

The traditional red color takes center stage in the home of r_okoko20 in Ireland.

It’s a white Christmas (with a touch of red) in Rebecca Wallenta‘s home in Austria.

Finally, in Netherlands, Wood and Wood Stool‘s home goes green with a Christmas tree made of reclaimed wood.

Hope you enjoyed our quick holiday tour! df

More than the pretty lights, the glittery ornaments, and the beautifully-wrapped gifts, it is the love that we give to and receive from our friends and loved ones that make Christmas special and meaningful.

From all of us at Design Folder, have a merry Christmas!

Wrapping gifts is one of the things that I love to do. But as much as possible, I want my presents to look special. I don’t want it to look like any other gift. You can easily achieve that with the interesting colors and patterns of Lili & Nana wrappers! But if you like mixing things up when wrapping up your presents, here are three alternative uses for your pretty Lili & Nana papers:

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PLAINS AND PRINTS

(Image above, rightmost gift) Wrap the gift box with a plain paper. I used turquoise Japanese paper for the above gift but you can also use white hopia tracing paper (my choice of paper for pencil drafting when i was a student.) and brown craft paper.

Cut a narrow sheet of patterned wrapping paper and use it as a sash/accent panel in the middle of the box. This does not only make the patterned paper stand out, but it also allows you to have a two-toned package. Finish it off with a ribbon and a bow parallel to the sash.

PAPER GIFT BOW

Call me granny, but I’m the type of person who saves the wrapping paper from my gifts, especially the really nice ones. I re-use them as wrapping papers for smaller gifts so the creases won’t be noticeable. Thankfully, I found a tutorial on making recycled paper bows. Instead of using magazine pages, like what the tutorial suggested, I used my stash of old gift wrappers. I hope this will also encourage you to minimize your trash this holiday season.

GIFT ENVELOPE

Create designer-like gift envelopes using patterned wrappers. Cut a letter-size sheet and fold it up as shown in this tutorial. This is perfect for ‘wrapping’ cash gifts and gift certificates.

I hope these will inspire you to make your presents extra special (at least from the outside) this Christmas. -ardel

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What do you get when you combine the style and aesthetic sense of an interior designer with the wit and out-of-the-box approach of an industrial designer? Coolness!

Interior Designer Billie de Guzman and industrial designer & brand-identity consultant Cristina Sena are the minds behind Lili & Nana, a local brand that’s finally changing the image of wrapping papers! For the longest time, most of us are forced to use the  old, boring wrapping papers available in the market. That’s why personally, when I want to make the gift extra special, I use other materials instead because the local wrappers won’t do.

Unlike the conventional gift wrappers with repeat images of Santa Clause or “Merry Christmas” all over the sheet, Lili & Nana’s line features a collection of fun,  sophisticated and designer-ish patterns. Designers Billie and Cristina often find inspiration in nature, architecture, travels, fabrics, and handmade crafts to come up with unique patterns and interesting selection of colors every year. Their wrappers are too pretty, they can easily pass as wallpapers and art prints (top and above).

These are the type of gift wrappers that I would carefully remove from the gift, keep and re-use as a gift wrapper, paper bow, or gift card for future gifts. It would be such a waste to simply throw them away!

For me, the packaging of a gift is already a gift in itself. Because time and effort are invested in a beautifully wrapped present (especially if you made it yourself), I feel that it rightfully makes up ½ of a gift’s total value. “Gift wrappers communicate a unique love language just like how old-fashioned love letters do,” Billie and Cristina share.

Aside from gift wrappers, Lili & Nana also carries ribbons, gift tags, reusable gift sacks, and printed boxes. You can find their products in Fully Booked branches in Metro Manila and Pampanga, and Scribe Store in Eastwood Mall. For prices and other inquiries, visit their Facebook page here, or contact them via email at liliandnana@gmail.com.

Watch out for our diy posts on gift wrapping this weekend on Monday (Dec 6) featuring the products of Lili & Nana. {Thanks Billie and Cristina!} –ardel

Hello Christmas! And hello holiday traffic! =/

Sorry, let’s skip the Mr. Scrooge attitude and start the festive holiday mood!
Here are some pretty images to inspire you to decorate your homes for Christmas. If you have the time, you can make these ornaments yourself using found objects at home (and save yourself a trip to the mall):

1) glittered paper snowflakes (you can find snowflake patterns here)
2) doily wreath with fairy lights
3) flower wreath with fabric ribbons
4) abaca twine snowman
5) wreath of yarn and christmas balls

Green Guide and I will be joining a half-day build in a Habitat for Humanity site in Pasig tomorrow. I hope that the architect and the interior designer will make good construction workers, heehee!

Happy weekend everyone! -ardel

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*images (2-6) via marthastewart, designsponge, & houzz

When df started in 2009, all three of us were still “freelancers”. Because we had a lot of extra time in our hands, we managed to whip up some craft projects ourselves. Here are the first diy projects that we made in time for Halloween and Christmas. Hopefully, these will put you in the mood to get started with your decorations to avoid cramming on the last minute. Besides, Christmas season in the Philippines starts in October, right?! -ardel

• manananggal in the city
• monster candle votives
• recycled paper gift bows
• christmas twine balls
• tabletop christmas tree
• christmas stocking
• practical princess’s christmas decorating tips

[Too bad we weren’t able to personally visit this exhibit. December was a pretty hectic month for our individual “day jobs”.

Good thing, our friends from UST were kind enough to share with us their photos of the said event. I can tell from the pictures that each space was well designed and put together. But I’m so sure, they all look much better in person! Congratulations!

Also, special thanks to their teacher, Bam Basbas for coordinating.]

*Images and text courtesy of UST ID

Sharing and giving has been a huge part of the Filipinos’ Christmas tradition. That’s why it is no surprise that during the holidays, streets become busy and malls get packed with people who are all in search for perfect gifts. The Christmas Lane exhibit intended to capture the season’s “shopping scene”.

For the past eleven years, it has been a tradition of the junior students of the UST Interior Design Department, College of Fine Arts and Design, to hold a Christmas exhibit that embraces the spirit of the Christmas season. The 2009 exhibit, entitled Christmas Lane, took a different version of presenting the Filipino Christmas scene. Instead of the usual residential spaces, the batch decided to focus, for the first time, on commercial spaces.

The Christmas Lane featured design mock-ups of the four most frequented shops during the holidays: a candy shop where there are endless possibilities for sweets and treats; a novelty shop where one can find great treasures and tokens; a café where one can enjoy freshly brewed coffee and pastries; and a toy shop where everyone can be a child again.

CANDY EXPRESS

Freight Rail Transport, or commonly known as cargo trains, is one of the most reliable means of transportation of goods that can carry tons of goods to distant places. The store shares a similar vision as Candy Express offers a wide variety of candies, from expensive chocolates to the more affordable mint gums.

The “express” from the shop’s name is literally translated to the Cargo train motif, especially in the design’s display ledges, promotional tables, cashier counter and ceiling design.

The space is dominated by a colorful palette of bright red, blue, yellow ochre, ivy green and mint green, resulting to a playful atmosphere. The winter-themed Christmas decor is inspired by the ever-famous song written by Sammy Cahn “Let it Snow”.

ILAYA MODERNO

Filipinos have a penchant for glamorous traditional holiday styles. Novelty shop Ilaya Moderno fuses the casual Filipino flair with the luxurious Christmas character.

Crystal, mirrored ornaments and metallics add sparkle to the shop. Décors with various natural textures balance the visual smoothness of silver and gold. Intricately cut pabalat (wrapper of pastillas de leche) adds a touch of Filipino elegance and glamour in the design.

WISTERIA CAFE

Named after the wisteria flower, Wisteria Café presents a new idea of contemporary delight through a fresh, chic and relaxed dining setting. The outdoor theme is achieved through the addition of the trellis and the use of different outdoor furnishings and accessories.

The design made use of Filipino products for the furniture, wall decor and accessories.  Recyclable materials were also introduced in the design such as cable wires for the Christmas tree, old cardboards made into accent flowers, and empty wine bottles used as decorations.

WONDER WORKS

Wonder Works toy store caters to a market ranging from pre-schoolers to school-age children. From the name itself, Wonder Works features different stuffed animals, collectibles, books, and other toys that excite, amaze, and capture the interests of children.

The store’s design is a playful take on the Christmas celebration through its contemporary interpretations of a country style playhouse.

Remember our feature on Biksa Coffee last October? It’s the laidback, not-too-commercial coffee shop that’s making a buzz in Marikina. This afternoon, I dropped by Biksa for a cup of almond mocha coffee. Yum!

It’s definitely Christmas in Biksa! After being submerged under the chest-deep flood of typhoon Ondoy, it’s good to see that the coffee shop is back in it’s usual “happy and creative” self.

What’s even more interesting is Biksa’s effort in going green for the holidays–all of their Christmas decorations are made from the coffee shop’s ”trash”. This just shows that one man’s trash SHOULD ALSO be his own treasure, hehe

They have a paper mache Santa Clause using Biksa’s old newspaper,

… a colorful Christmas tree made up of empty Torani bottles,

… a relief wall art using painted milk cartons,

… and poinsettia trims made from cut softdrink bottles.

After being one of the hard-hit victims of the flood, it’s very inspiring to see that Biksa still has its creative drive to put up wonderful handmade decors, rendering the place with a warm Christmas atmosphere.

Here’s another good news. Biksa is giving away two (2) P500 gift certificates to our df readers! Yey!

To join the draw, just leave a comment on this post with your email address (will not be published). This giveaway will end on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 8am (manila time). Two winners will be drawn through a random number generator, announced on this post, and will be contacted via email.

For their complete menu and contact details, visit Biksa’s website here.

UPDATE 12/29/09: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who joined and gave their wonderful comments! Congratulations to the winning commenters: #7–Daniel and #3–Lesley. The Design Folder Team will contact you through email on how to claim your gc.

Add a twist to traditional Christmas ornaments by trading the red-and-green combination for an unconventional color scheme. Turn to fashion for inspiration. I went for a cute pink and brown mix for this Christmas stocking.

The brown fabric that i have has thick threads, perfect for fringing. I suddenly thought of adding the fringed detail usually seen on cowboy boots.

So, what was supposed to be a Christmas stocking, became a fashionista’s “Christmas boot”!