I have a new home!

I finally moved to a proper domain! Yay! Please check out my new space www.mashupmaria.com ...

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Type: Who Doesn't Love Friday?

Loving my new Daler Rowney round sable brush! It's perfect for brush calligraphy. You can find a set at Fully Booked for around 290 pesos only! Hope you have a happy Frida...

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All I really want to do all day

Is paint flowers and people! Work has been stealing time from me, but still determined to practice and test out a few samples for an up coming project with my sisters. Out of all the different painting mediums that I've tried, watercolor is still my favorite. Yesterday I practiced painting some peonies, trying out combinations for the bouquets of flowers in my paintings.         I feel like I'm at a crossroads...

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Laughter is Timeless

Sharing a brush calligraphy project that I did for my cousin, Paolo. He wanted to give an un-cheesy but inspirational message to his girlfriend for Valentine's Day, and he chose this quote from Walt Disney. I think the gesture is sweet and the quote is such a classic.  Acrylic on canvas 16 x 1...

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Project Condo: I am Real Living's Reader of the Week!

Look, you guys! Who would've thought I'd be featured as RL Philippines Reader of the week?! I've been sharing some photos of my home on Instagram and Real Living chanced upon my photos. They contacted me through email and we've been corresponding about the things that I like about their magazine and the things that I've learned from it. It's such an honor to be selected even if I didn't hire a designer. Share your photos on instagram using the...

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Where Did January Go? The 2015 Monthly Round Up

The month of new beginnings, fresh starts and resolutions is about to end in a few days and this got me thinking on what I’ve accomplished so far in terms of my goals. I’ve been listening to this audio book called “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown and it’s been a great help as I try to identify the different aspects in my life that I need to focus on this year. Events in January are indeed aligned with my goals, so here’s a round up of what took place...

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Project Condo: A Newbie Homeowner's Tips To DIY Decoration

Happy New Year everyone! First post for 2015, and it's long overdue! 2014 has been such a fantastic year and one of the biggest milestones I had in the past 12 months is finally buying and moving into my own place. As some of you may have read in my Project Condo series, it's a long and sometimes grueling process to select, edit and curate pieces for an apartment so small. The whole journey taught me that independence does not come cheap, buying...

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The Splash Bash Project

Oh what a weekend it has been!  I spent last Saturday with my family to celebrate my nephew and niece's joint birthday celebration at Hillsborough Aquapark in Alabang. A month before the event, my panic-stricken sister and the celebrants' mom asked me to create the invite, cupcake toppers and menu cards  for the party. Cupcake toppers She sent me her pegs via Pinterest and I came up with drafts. Because it's a joint celebration...

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Project Condo: A Bedtime Story

Remember my first post on the Project Condo series? I shared my top 5 things to buy for my apartment before the year ends and 6 months into living on my own, I'm still not done with the list. Moving into my own apartment has taught me a couple of things. One: nothing ever goes as planned. Two: It's very expensive. It took me forever to buy all the furniture that I have so far and really prioritized the things that I needed the most so that I can...

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Tropical Watercolor

As usual, my drawings are inspired by flora and fauna. The sketch was made a month ago while I was watching Jim practice with his band. I had a sketchbook with me so I passed the time with a few studies. Eventually, I decided to add a few details with some hibiscus and haleconia flowers and colored the line art using my Prang watercolor set.  My pain point is always coloring the girl's skin, but the macaw's feathers...

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Darling Magazine Challenge: The List Of Ten

Things have taken quite a turn since June when I transferred to a new project at work which prompted me to take a break from writing and concentrate on I.T. stuff for a while. A new project means adjusting to a new office, new colleagues and new role but I've been doing well and settling kinda great in my new environment. I'm learning a lot and have met some pretty rad people too. I want to share something from a post from Darling Magazine...

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Artsy Fartsy Round Up: May and June

I know I've been posting a lot of travel and apartment-related entries lately, and I've forgotten to blog about my arts and crafts projects. I HAVE been practicing, just not writing a lot about it. Thanks to Instagram, I have proof that I have been working on creative projects. Here's A quick round up of my artsy fartsy pursuits these past couple of months! (Top to bottom, Left to right) 1. Stenciled my corkboard using white acrylic paint and...

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