THE BEST COMPLIMENT A STYLIST CAN EVER GET It’s actually not, “the styling was beautiful!”, although those words bring such great comfort to me and my team. It’s also not, “the theme turned out really nice!”. No, it’s not a proclamation of words, written or otherwise. So what is the best compliment? It’s the client hiring you for the 2nd time. Watch the spectacle that is Chad’s birthday party. Photos taken by Delightful Little Darlings. More...

THE THREE TYPES OF BIRTHDAY PARTIES For the past few decades, moms threw parties the only way they knew how: a host will officiate some games (one of which is guess what? the “bring me” game!), then a magician will come in and do his thing, after which comes the cake blowing, the handing out of souvenirs and giveaways, and then bam! The party is done and everyone is happy. I like to call this the “standard” format for a party. It’s definitely fun, colorful, loud...

About a month ago, we celebrated the death anniversary of my maternal grandmother. Whenever I think of my ama, my mind often flashes back to this specific scene: my ama, sturdily climbing up the grand staircase of Makati Shangri-la Hotel, off to see me get engaged to my now husband. By then, she was already at Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and had already undergone a number of surgeries (none were effective). For those unaware, pancreatic cancer is the Mike Tyson of all cancers: it’s hard to...

A PERFECT PARTY FOR A PERFECT GIRL If you had a daughter turning 7, what theme would you choose for her? I always joke with my clients that for their child’s first birthday, the parents should choose their own favorite theme, because by the time he or she turns 7 years old, the child will already be doing the choosing for them! So what type of girl is Ellie like? First thing that pops to mind is that she is a gymnast: Ellie in the process of doing a gymnast’s split-leap. Special...