TOPAZ HORIZON

Correction:I measured the bag and it's actually 14 inches long!

Hello, bag lovers! The prototype of the 13" satchel is here!

This is the dark chocolate color. It's darker than the photo.

Still a prototype. We think the flap has to be shorter, about midway the bag and not two-thirds of the front.

Comes with a strap pad to protect your shoulder

The strap is removable.

Strap is also adjustable. Hardware is sturdy.

A lot of people requested for a top handle so here you go! That's added cost, though, so I have to rethink the pricing!

A 13" laptop fits fine (the laptop is halfway in so that you can see it). We also put a divider made of goat skin (it's stiffer) but I think it's best without. What you think?

The dark chocolate finish is cool. Remember how I was iffy about the uneven tanning? Well, Uncle Buck improved it and so it's now more uniform, no more swirly bits. If you want to see how that looks like, drop by Cole Haan this weekend and ask for the hand-painted messenger bag:

As you can see, Cole Haan's finish is uneven, which is the same finish as our bags. A lot of people have assured us that this adds character to the bag. Also, no two bags are alike because of this handpainting we do!

The 13" satchel will be offered in two colors only: tan and dark chocolate.

But we have to talk to Uncle Buck about the leather inside. I kinda think the unpainted side looks so white. It's actually cream but since the outside is a deep dark brown, when you open the bag, the cream is just suddenly so white. Do you think we should put a cloth lining inside? What kind of patterns and prints would be nice? But a lining is extra cost! Things to think about!

About the 15" satchel
We decided not to offer the 15" size anymore. We saw the prototype and here's what we found:
1. At that size, a bag made entirely of genuine cow hide is just so heavy.
2. Being heavy, magnetic snaps just won't cut it. When you lift the bag, the snaps fly open. So buckles are necessary. Didn't we say we don't like buckles?
3. A 15" is actually huge. So it looks so... manly! No likey. Unless you're a guy reading this or you're a woman who wants to have a bag custom made for your man.

I wore a K & Company forest green shirt dress that is absolutely unforgiving. It's soft and comfy but if you have fatty bulges, good luck. I squeezed myself into a Spanx body suit and I still got asked how far along the pregnancy I was.

No, I'm not pregnant.
The bag is my old, worn out super soft moss green leather sack from Topshop. Love it!

I wore my Urbanog multi-color platform heels. I was towering over everybody! I miss towering over everybody! I'm mostly in flats these days. Result of mommyhood.
Then, because my dress was beyond simple, I had to wear something a bit flamboyant. Nope, the shoes weren't enough! So I took out my feathered headpiece from Singapore and now I felt perfect!

Of course, when I posed beside society columnist Tessa Prieto Valdes and Visions & Expressions PR powerhouse Ginggay Joven, I looked so plain Jane!

For more on Pond's latest skincare line, click here.

I'm greeting all the new people popping by my blog. Yes, new blood! Was checking my blog's stats today and was pleasantly surprised to find that I'm now getting close to a thousand visitors a day!

Click to enlarge so you'll see that the highlighted part says I got more than 900 visitors last week!

That's an average of 800 unique visits and 1,300 page views daily. Not bad, not bad. My goal is a thousand visitors a day. I've been told that once you hit a thousand, the blog grows exponentially thereafter.

My Google Page Rank has also gone up. I don't exactly know what PR means. It's not about popularity, I read, since most sites score a 3. A high PR rank means your blog has more value to Google. What does that mean?!

Topaz Horizon scored a 4. I'm impressed! I don't know what I'm doing but I must be doing something right!

Summer is definitely over because today I dusted off the leather jacket and checked twice if I brought my umbrella. I don't mourn the end of summer because I've always been a rainy kind of gal, the fatter the raindrops, the louder the thunder, the better. Of course, it's best with a really thick book!

But I can't say I didn't enjoy the sun this year, especially since we have a little boy now. And, oh, how he loved our trip to Shangri-la Mactan!

We went there with Vito's entire Sales family (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and swam and ate and slept to our hearts' content. I won't show the photos of Vito's cousins here since they're all of school age but since Vito is too young to protest, let me show off my handsome boy's pics!

Vince shows Vito the jumbo jet we're about to board.

It's Vito's first plane ticket!

Vito's first plane ride was a smooth flight.

The baby was absolutely delighted with the huge bed! He kept exploring it. Vince, I guess we need a bigger bed!

See how excited he is?!

The little guy inspects the big garden. "Green, Mama! What is all that green?!"

Vito's first beach encounter!

He hated the sand. He's like me!

Poor darling was so upset whenever his feet touched the sand! Mama had to comfort him.

Good thing the pool was a success!

Where did you go this summer?

This is not a sponsored post but maybe Bench will read this and then they'll start sponsoring me! Hehe. So anyway, I'm writing this because Bench sent me a photo that they asked me to post on my blog. Because I live a Bench lifestyle, I agreed. But first, let me tell you about my love affair with Bench.

From Mothercare, I have...

Vito's crib

his rocker onesies and bibs (see next pic)

our red egg chair

my white chandelier

our love seat

my pink tree

From Bench, we have underwear and...

my tank tops!

From Charles & Keith, I have shoes and...

all my sunglasses!

From Aldo, I have shoes and leather cleaners and...

my sun hat!

From Bench Fix, we get Vince's haircuts and my eyebrows threaded. I use all the points from my Bench Lifestyle card on haircuts and eyebrow threading! Ate Carmen from the Galleria branch is the best eyebrow threader ever! Even better than the expensive ones in Brow Haus who thread off the skin, too! Ate Carmen is so gentle and your brows look so perfect after. Sigh. Must go back this week.

Anyway, so when Bench asked me to post a photo on my blog of an upcoming exciting project, of course I agreed! Here it is:

The photo is such a mystery! What do you think? Is Bench really going to open a shop on Mars or do those floating objects give a clue? A piano, a fedora and shades. Mars. Hmmm!