Home Holiday Mood!

Though we had a busy weekend, I squeezed time to put on some Christmas trimmings around our apartment.

Clockwise, you see a pretty box with decorated real egg-shell. Inside is a German chocolate truffle. Eggs symbolize birth in the circle of life, and as Christmas was a celebration of the birth of Christ, the giving of decorated eggs on Christmas Day had become a custom.

Beside the box is our current coffee table book Angela and the Baby Jesus by our  all-time favorite Author, Frank McCourt.

Below those are some holiday presents I finished wrapping at the time I took the photo. Currently, i have wrapped 10 presents. I sneak to do such when my little one is asleep. Raise you hand if you've been good this year. =)

Next are three Christmas stockings, one for each member of the family. The big one is obviously for Andreas lol! Now that's a challenge to fill, darling!

Then we have a pretty Christmas backpack, filled with cookies and toys, decorating Andreas' little corner.

Lastly, a holiday wreath on our front door. Drop by for some Christmas cheers!!

An entry for

Faienceries De Gien Dinner Service

And so I continue my post featuring the on-going Festival Colbert in the region.

Established in 1821, la Faincere De Gien creates varied collection including decorative pieces as well as dinnerware services that are either classic in style or more informal. Aside from the impressive know-how, the excellent reputation of the house lies on its desire to create new producs inspired by tradition in collaboration with famous artists and designers.

For the first Festival Colbert in Dubai, Gien brought it Horses of the Wind, a dinner service  celebrating the elegance of Arabian Horses and generally associated with Arabian Pincess.

The artist behind is multi-awarded Marine Oussedik, a sculptor, illustrator, and horsewoman.

You can see more objects on display from the Festival Colbert here.

An entry for

An Art Show for Breast Cancer Survivors

A support group called Woman2Woman opened an exhibit of art works by UAE artists at the Festival Center of Dubai Festival City. Avid art collectors can purchase the paintings and all proceeds will be donated to charity groups supporting women who are fighting the breast cancer disease.

Here are some of the art works on display. For sales inquiry, contact info@woman2woman.biz  or mobile no. 050 5515979

Artists:  Ashitha Dileep

Title: Dainty Damsels

Cost: 3,500 AED

Artist: Ashitha Dileep

Title: Lost In Thoughts

Cost: 5,500 AED

Artist: Shilpa Ajith

Title: Mother & Child

Cost: 6,000 AED

Artist: Noopur Ahuja

Title: In Honor of Breast Cancer

Cost: 2,000 AED

Artist: Astrid de Menezes

Title: Moorish Mosaics (mixed medium)

Cost: 1,900 AED

Artist: Zareen Khan

Title: The Invisible Hug

Cost: 6,200 AED

Artist: Zareen Khan

Title: In Mom's Garden

Cost: 4,200 AED

Artist: Pari Sagar

Title: Stength

Cost: 2,500 AED

Artist: Ashitha Dileep

Title: Colors of Rajasthan

Cost: 2,500 AED

An entry for

BlackBerry Goodie Bag

Listen up, fellow BB users in Dubai. RIM is saying thank you to us loyalists in a very nice way. Head on to Caribou Cafe for the remaining Thursdays of October  to claim your Blackberry Goodie Bag.

I got a new BB skin, memo pad, pen, a Caribou charge card loaded with 30AED, among others. Hurrah!

Participating Caribou outlets are Times Square, The Dubai Mall, DIFC, and The Greens.

An entry for

First Coin Bank

My son got his first coin bank over the weekend. It was part of the goody bag from the birthday party we attended in KFC at Sharjah.

I was really happy because it is included on Andreas' to-do list for this year that he should be acquainted with the idea of saving money - at least  in the form of a piggy bank. After showing him how to drop the dirham, he is now regularly reaching for top of our fridge where we place all our loose coins. This morning, he got upset because he wanted more serving of brownies ( he is limited to two slices). To soothe him, I gave him a dirham. He happily reach for it and went down from his high chair to look for his coin bank.

He sure is having fun dropping and shaking them after. I just don't know if he will still feel the same when he finally figures out that he can exchange the coins for a slice chocolate cake at the nearby confectionery ((^_^)).

An entry for

Bvlgari au The Rouge

For a awhile now, I had been looking for a scent that Hubby can wear during day time. I want something that can compliment his suit while attending meetings with lawyers, consultants, and project managers. You see, he has only one perfume - Dune by Christian Dior. He had it before we were even married (like four years ago) and I think he used only about 10 ml.  Now he stopped  spritzing it all. I think he finds the scent overwhelming that the 50ml bottle's only chance to be lifted is when we clean the bathroom counter.

Although he did say once that he finds perfumes too artificial, I do want him coming home smelling good from time to time lol! So I bought this on sale. 

Bulgari au The Rouge. The small gift box contains body lotion, cologne, and after shave emulsion. 

The Rouge (Red Tea) is the third series of tea-based perfume from Bvlgari. This is the first time I bought a signature perfume and I am probably not the best person to judge.  Though the tester started heavy, the scent soon turned to a sweet, mild, and calming effect. Hubby nodded to it and when we got home, he complimented the box looks nice LOL!

 

Anyways, the other night, he got to use it for the first time when we attended the  media launching of 2010 Cartier Exhibit at The Dubai Mall. I gotta say, the scent was very appealing ((^_^)) 

An entry for

Venice Best Buys

Colorful carnival masks

Charcoal paintings of San Marco

Murano glass

Handstitch laces from Burano

Acrylic paintings of gondola

An entry for

 and

Ruby Tuesday

Gladiators!

A photo opportunity with these dressed-up gladiators costs 15 Euro.

A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained the Roman Republic and The Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals.

See more of our Colosseo Tour here.

An entry for

Ruby Tuesday

Bloomingdale's in Dubai

I guess this is how Bloomingdale's is written in Arabic =)

The cutout red-dotted buildings show the current Dubai skyline as seen on the high-end American department store. Bloomingdales's opened in February at the Dubai Mall. It also houses the famous Magnolia Bakery (you gotta try the red velvet cupcake :))

An entry for

Pottery Barn Opens in Dubai

The premier home furnishing retailer in the USA called Pottery Barn opened its first store in the Middle East. Located at newly opened Mirdif City Center, the almost 3,000 sq metre store can be found at the ground floor.

I took these photos at the Pottery Barn Kids store. With such unique and trend-setting designs, locals and expats will surely be delighted.

Other in-store features and benefits include:

 Pottery Barn Wedding & Gift Registry – Customers can schedule a complimentary appointment with a specially trained associate who can assist them with building their registry. Convenient scanners and complimentary gift wrap are also available.

Complimentary Design Classes – The ideal way to find design inspiration. Class size is limited, so be sure to call the store (+971-4-6062610) to confirm class times and reserve your space.

Website – Visit www.potterybarn.me/ for the most current seasonal catalog, information about store locations, hours of operation and in store products and service.

An entry for

Scene From The Fringe

A funny clown and balloon modeler gives his crafts to the audience during the Dubai Fringe Festival.

An entry for