Home Improvements During the Pandemic

When the pandemic started, most of us have a 360-degree turn of our lives. 

My work implemented a rotation schedule for us when the pandemic took it turns to worse just so there's not a lot of people in the office and that we are complying with the social distancing protocol. I started working for two days and then two days off. With all that free time, my husband and I started a home project. We repainted the house and bought new furniture. It was a total make-over. But no, we did not overspend or splurge. We bought what we can afford and somethings I repurposed and was used for something else.

The first thing we worked on was our kitchen. We used to have a lot of plates, utensils, bowls, mugs, and water bottles that we don't really use, so I started boxing them and put them away. We are only two at home and rarely got visitors, so all of those are mostly clutter in our kitchen. We got a cheap set of plates and bowls from Walmart with a color that eventually started the theme of our house.

Mainstays Amelia Topaz Dinnerware Set

Here's a look of our kitchen:

Our next project was then the dining area. We found the cheapest but comfortable dining set from Wayfair, and since the brown color doesn't really match our home aesthetics, we bought some chair Covers are from Amazon. The giant wall frame was given to us by a friend.

The living room was the next one we did, and it took us a while to finish putting everything together. The sofa set was also from Wayfair. The coffee table was something we got from Facebook Market for super cheap, and the TV stand was from a local thrift store in our area. This living room update is definitely our favorite part of our home project! 

The last part of the house that we had a significant update was the master's bedroom. The bed was, of course, from Wayfair too.

We did some minor updates on our bathrooms, but that would be for some other time for us to share because we are still in the process of repainting it. We are also still working on my husband's "man cave," a.k.a gaming room; when it's finished, we are going to share it with you too! As for my playroom, I updated it a couple of times already, and most of the furniture I have there was some old furniture from our bedroom and living room that I chose to repurpose instead of just throwing them away. I will do a separate post about it since I've got so many things to share from there! But here's a glimpse of my vanity area:

We are happy with how things turned out. I believed that even if you are renting, you can still make the best out of your home. But I am looking forward to that day that we'll be able to own our house that we can call forever home. I always wanted to move somewhere else. Maybe not on another state, because I love Florida! I guess, just somewhere new.

I've heard a lot of good things about Jacksonville. And if ever you are in the market for a new house yourself, you can count on Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty, Erin E. King MBA. Erin was recognized as Best of Zillow Realtor. He specializes in Jacksonville's historic homes like the homes for sale in Ortega. 

Erin King is also a Ramsey Endorsed local real estate provider in Jacksonville. A Ramsey endorsed local provider is a 3rd party affiliation that he has, and he's really proud of it! With his combined expertise and experience in buying and selling, you are in good hands and can definitely find your historic dream house in the Jacksonville area. 

His website is also easy to navigate, and there are quite several beautiful homes for sale in Ortega. I particularly like this one:

Home for sale in Ortega

My husband and I always dreamed of a house far from neighbors and with a big extra lot where we can have our fur baby, Luke, run around and play. 

You can check out more houses from the website and if you find what you are looking for, make sure to give Erin a call.

Hopefully, someday, we can have our own little house, may it be here in Florida or back home in the Philippines. For now, we are grateful that we are living in a charming and affordable townhouse that we can decorate on our liking. 

What about you? Are you planning on buying a new home anytime soon? Or were you able to do some home projects or improvements during the pandemic? I'd love to hear from you!

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My Top 5 Favorite Romantic-Comedy Korean Series!

Are you a K-drama fan? If yes, you probably already watched everything I have on this list. I won't say that I am a big fan of Korean drama because I don't watch everything that most of the k-drama fans will watch. I mostly like romantic comedies and feel-good dramas, although there's definitely a couple of heavy drama ones that I did love (that's for another time for me to share).

Today, I am just sharing my top 5 favorites, which I watched two or more times already. I usually re-watched them to entertain myself during my treadmill workout. 😁

My Top 5 Favorite K-Drama Series

5. The Secret Garden -   this is a 2010 South Korean television drama starring Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin. At first, you will think that it's your typical Cinderella story between a stuntwoman and a rich and arrogant department store CEO. But there's more to it than that. I love how they mold the characters in this drama - including the supporting casts, and how each of their stories unfolds throughout the series.

Netflix/Giphy

4. My Love from the Star - a 2014 romantic fantasy TV series starring Jun Ji-Hyun and Kim Soo-Hyun. This is about an extraterrestrial alien who landed on Earth in the Joseon Dynasty and, 400 years later, falls in love with a top actress in the modern era. What I love most about this series was the hilarious character of Jun Ji-Hyun and the mysterious but cute character of Kim Soo-Hyun. This drama also entails family relationships, the complicated life of an actress, love, and friendships.

Giphy

3. The Legend of the Blue Sea - this is another romantic-fantasy tv series aired 2016 and starring Jun Ji-Hyun and Lee Min-ho, two of the most top-rated Hallyu actors. I already love both of these actors, and they have the perfect chemistry in this series. This drama will leave you laughing because of the innocence of the mermaid who made it to land to follow the man she fell in love with, who turns out to be an expert con-artist. And at the same time, it will make you cry because what is Korean drama if it can't make you sad and cry, right?

Giphy

2. Full House - this will be one of my forever favorite TV series because I just love the story and the characters, and also, this is the first series that my husband watched with me. Among this list, this seems to be a classic, which aired back in 2004 and starred by Song Hye-Kyo and Rain. I love the storyline. It's about an innocent and ordinary girl who is just trying to survive as an orphan and become a successful writer and a famous actor who wanted to escape all rumors surrounding him and his career. They ended up living together in a fake marriage.

Photo Credit: KBS / Wikipedia

1. Crash Landing on You - this is the most recent series that I probably watched four times already. I love the plot of this 2019 drama starred by Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. This drama is about a South Korean heiress who, while paragliding, is swept up by a storm and ended up crash-landing in North Korea, where she met a North Korean officer, who tried to protect her, and they both ended up falling in love with each other. This is the second k-drama series that my husband watched with me, and considering he was actually the one who chose this series.😆

Netflix / Giphy

If you have any recommendations, comment below and let me know so I can check them out! And please share your top five too!

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My First Giveaway! #ladyshula1stgiveaway

I am very thrilled to have my very first Instagram giveaway! It's not as grand as other Giveaways coming around in Instagram World, but I know it'll be worth it to my loyal followers who became a big part of my freebie hunting journey and influenced me to strive more on becoming an active, honest product reviewer.




A closer look at the prizes:

A variety of coupons.

Different Sample size products.

Pink purse (to be filled w/ your prizes!)

Katloo cute nail cutter.

Pink nail clippers.

L.A. Colors Nail Glitter.

L.C.S.C Skincare samples.

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Sweet Tooth.

Onyx Professional Polish w/ the glittery box :)

Skin & Co. Face Toner.

Ofra Rendezvous Blush.

Beverly Hills Polo Club Mini Spray.

3 Bamboo brushes.

Benefit Gimme Brow Fiber Gel.

How to enter:

1. You should be following me on Instagram (@ladyshulammite016) (no unfollows please!), like the giveaway post and then tag at least 2 of your friends.
2. Comment your favorite giveaway item from above in this blog post.
3. OPTIONAL - Subscribe to my Blog and receive an additional surprise gift(s)! (You can find the subscribe form at the upper right of this page, yes above my cute profile picture! 😉).

Disclosure:

•  This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly, Marionette, No Strings Attached and is no way sponsored or affiliated with any brands included in the giveaway or  Instagram.
• You should be 18 years or older and a US Resident.
• The contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on May 21, 2017, and 1 winner will be selected at random.
• The winner will be announced on Monday morning, May 22, 2017, and will be notified by DM on Instagram.
• Winner must respond by Monday, May 22, 2017, at 1:00 pm to claim the prize and must immediately provide a shipping address for delivery.
• I will be in no way responsible for lost shipping.
• Marionette, No Strings Attached reserves the right to update, edit, and change Terms & Conditions at any time.
• Any questions, comments, or concerns can be directed to ladyshulammite@gmail.com

Ready to win this giveaway? Follow the simple steps above! And don't forget to share your favorite product in this giveaway by commenting below!

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My 1st Walmart Beauty Box - Spring Edition

I am a person who loves free and cheap things. Subscription boxes sound interesting to me, but I also find it quite expensive (because most of them you'll get for $10 and above, yes I know, $10 is already expensive for me). However, I came upon this Walmart Beauty Box going on on Instagram, and I saw how others post about the interesting products they find in their boxes and the best part of it? It's free! Well, technically, the box is free, but you have to pay the $5 flat rate shipping fee. Not bad, huh? Here's what I've got on my first box!

So I received about 7 sample products in my pretty box, 2 of which are sample sizes that you can sometimes get in a magazine, and the rest are travel sizes. I love the variety of the samples inside my box, and I believe it's worth more than $5.

It's also nice how they add a little extra boost for you such as the card (and the carton) that says "Embrace Your Beauty." You can also share your thoughts about your box in your social media channels with their hashtag #walmartbeautybox.

So these are the beauties I received inside!

I love surprises, so I was excited opening the box and was happy to see what's inside! Below is the list of the products I received:

Travel Size Products:

**Colgate Optic White Toothpaste

**Gliss Ultra Moisture Shampoo

**Gliss Ultra Moisture Conditioner

**Dove Advance Care Deodorant

**Biore Baking Soda Acne Scrub

**Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Sweet Tooth

Sample sizes of:

***Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

***Aveeno 60 second in-shower facial

***Aveeno overnight hydrating facial

So these are the individual photos:

I haven't tried all of these products yet, and some of these will go to my upcoming giveaway. But, as far as I know, these are awesome products! I can't wait for my next Walmart Beauty Box - Summer Edition! Oh yes, this subscription box only comes 4 times a year, a seasonal box that will only be released every Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Spending $20 a year ain't bad! Plus you'll have the chance to try products before you buy them! I will highly recommend this!

Are you already subscribe in this beauty box? What are your thoughts? Share it in the comments below!

If you are not subscribed in this Walmart beauty box yet, you can subscribe here: https://beautybox.walmart.com/

You can also watch my first Unboxing Video below. Please follow me on my social media channels and subscribe to my YouTube channel too.

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2017 Liebster Award: Marionette "No Strings Attached" First Award Nomination

I was thrilled to be nominated for my blog's first award, the Liebster Award, by one of the nicest and very supportive persons I know in the Instagram world - Paula of Her Life is Love. Being a newbie in the blogging world, I constantly find myself lacking inspiration and giving up, but moments like this somehow lifts my spirit. By the way, I've been drawn reading her blog lately as I found it interesting to read about her motherhood journey and how she creates a happy home in a frugal and minimalist perspective, so I suggest checking her blog out.

So, some of you might wonder, what is this Liebster award? Well, after an hour or so of Google-ing, this was what I found:

1. Liebster is a German term. And the top 2 meanings I found for this word are Beloved and Sweetheart. So, in a blogging sense, it means showing some love to your fellow bloggers by helping them be known to others. It's a great way of promoting not only your blog but others too!
2. Liebster Award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers. It's an award that only exists on the internet for bloggers by bloggers. What a nice concept, isn't it? 
3. When you choose to accept the award nomination, you have to write a blog post about the Liebster Award and abide by the following rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and posts a link to their blog on your blog post. Try to include a little promotion for him/her. They will thank you for it, and those who you nominate will also help you out as well.
• Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget.” You will need to save the image to your computer and then upload it to your blog post.  There is no one set image for the award.  You can save the pictures I used and use it on your blog or find many others at The Global Aussie.
• For the 2017 Liebster Award, write a 150-300 word post on your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog and provide links.
• Optional: Provide ten random facts about yourself. If you wish to engage with your readers, it's an excellent idea to include random facts about you.
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award. The blogs must have less than 200 followers. Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!  Then, create 11 questions for them to answer.
• List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here or simply link to this post.)
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide a link for them to your post or mine if you don’t have all the information so that they can learn about it.

If you have been nominated before at any time, please share the love! Liebster award is more than a chain email/letter! Its main idea is to help promote each others’ blogs.

Before I get started answering Paula's questions, here is my favorite blog as of the moment: Everyday Tia. Like me, Tia is also a beginner. However, she easily found her way on how to monetize her blog at an early stage and the best part about her blog? She's sharing everything about it so other bloggers can benefit too! I learned a lot from her post Monetizing Your Blog: For Beginners By A Beginner. She encouraged beginner bloggers to stop thinking that they can only start monetizing their blog when they reach thousand of page views because in fact there are affiliate marketing companies who are willing to work even with beginner bloggers! She even listed all those companies with each associated links to help bloggers start out! I am trying to intake everything I learned (and continuously learning) from her right now so I can start monetizing my blog too. I think it has long been overdue. Tia was an amazing blogger who loves sharing her success with others, and she's pretty good in interacting with her readers. I encourage you to check out her blog, I know for sure you'll learn a lot from her too.

Questions from Her Life is Love

So, here are the 11 questions Paula has asked me to answer:

1. What is something you vividly remember being afraid of as a child, but no longer fear now? I think I used to be afraid of the dark (I can't sleep when the lights are off) but now, I can't sleep when the lights are on. 
2. What is one thing you use every day but could live without? My laptop? I use it every day, but I think I can live without it. (Because I know I will always have my phone, haha)
3. If you had to plant a garden full of lettuce, basil, or random flowers, which one would you choose and why? I don't have a thing about gardening at all, but if I have to choose between the 3, I'd rather choose the lettuce! Why? I can make a salad out of it, and that's one of the few vegetables that my husband eats! Hahaha.
4. If someone was going to visit your hometown, where would you recommend visiting and why? So, I am from a small town in the Philipines called Sto. Tomas, Batangas and if I am going to recommend a place to visit there, it would probably be.....Malvar Shrine! A historical landmark of General Miguel Malvar, the last general who surrendered during the Philippine-American War. Why? It's the only interesting place I can recommend to someone there, plus it's just a few minutes walk from my parent's house (where I used to live). And did I mention that it's free to visit? 
5. You must have a roommate with the personality of Dory (forgetful, but positive) or Marlin (logical, rational, negative) from Finding Nemo/Dory.  Who would you rather live with? I would rather live with Marlin! Because, it will contrast my personality being more likely Dory, forgetful but positive. Balance in life is important! Complementing each other brings the best out of you.
6. Would you rather chase bears or bees (under the assumption that no harm will come to you, the bears, or the bees during the chase)? I love bears, so I would rather chase them and give them a big bear hug afterward.
7. Sunny or rainy? Sunny sunshine! Rainy days makes me sad (for some reason).
8. Can breakfast be skipped?  Yes or no. Yes (I'm guilty of doing it).
9. What is one thing on your bucket list you haven’t done yet? To tell you the truth, I don't even have a bucket list yet! Maybe, I'll start with making one.
10. Is there a 2D world you would want to live in?  If so, what is it and why?  (2D world can be comic strip, animation, paintings, etc.) I wanted to live here:

Taken from God's Promises a Paradise in jw.org

Yes, I wanted to live in Paradise earth! And for me, this is not only a 2D drawing. It is something I look forward to in the future that for sure will become a reality! 

11. What is the one song you can’t resist dancing to? I'm one crazy person; I dance to any upbeat song or music whenever I hear one, even when there are people (I don't know) around.

10 Random Facts About Marionette

1. I am a sleepy head. I enjoy sleeping more than anything else (yes, more than eating).

2. I am a freebie junkie. I love samples, cheap things and anything free.

3. I am a good researcher (I can sometimes be a detective).

4. I know 3 languages. My mother tongue is Tagalog, my second language is English, and I am currently learning Spanish (I am now slightly conversational).

5.  I know how to sing, and I used to play guitar. I sold it when I was about to leave the Philippines for the US.

6. I met my husband on Facebook. We're friends for 4 years before being an official couple. Now, we are 2 years in marriage.

7. My favorite anime is Detective Conan (Case Closed). I sometimes spent a whole day watching it. (I am currently on episode 400 something, and there's about a thousand more to go.)

8.  My dream vacation place is Palawan, Philippines.

9. I love Monterey, California. Beside of it being a beautiful place, it's where I first met my then boyfriend and now husband in person.

10. I love cooking, and I am looking forward to finally learn how to bake.

I hope you enjoyed learning some things about me! Please feel free to ask me anything that you are interested to know about me, leave it in the comment below. I am looking forward to finding out more about you!

So here's the list of my fantastic nominees:

1. Tia of Everyday Tia
2. Marga of The Modern Belle
3. Cassie of Cassies Freebies
4. Chrissy of Blooming Beauty Bites
5. The Cheap Subscriber
6. Jessica of Simply Jezral
7. Cassie of Stay at Home Cassie
8. Maria of Reviews on free voxbox's from influenster
9. Vivi of Freebie Critic
10. Jacinta from Jump Start your Biz

To my nominees, here are my questions:

1. What is your greatest childhood memory?

2. If you were given a chance to be someone else, who would you rather be?

3. If blogging can be a full-time job, would you consider it?

4. Would you rather have a baby girl or a baby boy?

5. Sing or dance?

6. If you can travel the world now, where would you go first?

7. If you can change your nationality, what would it be?

8. What food do you hate most?

9. What is your favorite post in your own blog? Why? (Provide us a link so we can check it too)

10. Reading a book or watching T.V.?

11. In my 10 random facts above, which one did you find interesting? And why?

Comment on this post with your award acceptance post link and I’ll visit and comment!

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