For this week’s spread, I took a little break from my 3-week streak of Harry Potter–themed layouts and reached for something bright, fresh, and full of happy energy - Traci Reed’s newest collection, Brighter Days. And honestly? This has to be the happiest collection I’ve played with to date.
I turned some of the elements into stickers and used them all over this week’s layout. The sentiments “Seeking good vibes” and “Looking ahead” felt especially fitting - because that’s exactly the energy right now. Good vibes and moving forward!
Then of course, I added all the other cute and colorful elements the collection has... flowers, mushrooms, butterflies, bees, tags, and so on. They just make everything feel so fun and happy.
Brighter Days Mini Album Flip Through
I’m also sharing again my Brighter Days mini album that I created for our IG hop. If you haven’t yet and would like to see the rest of the Design Team’s projects, you can start at Traci’s IG over at @tracimreed.
Meanwhile, here is a flip-through of my Brighter Days mini album.
Life Lately
A little life update because we’ve had some small but exciting wins lately!
Visa news! Our Spain Schengen visa finally arrived! And I’m honestly so happy they used my biometrics photo instead of the one I provided as it was taken pre-iron and on a night I wasn’t feeling well. Soooo… hasta pronto, España!
Weekend in Dammam / Al Khobar
We went to see friends and had such a full (and very food and walk-filled) day.
We had lunch at Pikniq where our kabayan server gave us complimentary desserts - dates, Biscoff cake, and macarons!
Fun stuff in Pikniq:
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| Restroom signage! hehehe |
After that, we went to Brands For Less to shop for the husband, then crossed over to IKEA (which is right across) to grab refills of Bastis - my must-have lint roller for ironing. haha! We also picked up an organizing tray for my drawer (maybe I’ll share a before and after next week!) plus their chocolate (buy 1 take 1!) and the cinnamon bread I love.
We stopped by Dhahran Mall to check out a Rolex watch, but found out the store had already been replaced by another watch shop. So… window shopping it was.
I did score a nice find though! A pair of Crocs for my brother on sale for SAR 229, and it already came with 7 Jibbitz (one even lights up!). Such a steal!
For dinner, we debated between Yasumi and Five Guys (they’re close to each other), and eventually went with Yasumi. But I still couldn’t get Five Guys out of my head, so we passed by after for takeaway. And while waiting, one of the Pinoy staff handed me a bag of fries for free! It was a lot - the five of us actually struggled to finish it.
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| Hahaha. Ang tanong - did they have 2 Mohammed friends or is Mohammed x2 in fatness? |
All in all, a walk-full and eat-full day.
Creative & Everyday Wins 💛
I’ve been deep cleaning the craft room lately - not just tidying after crafting, but really organizing everything, decluttering (yes, even letting go of old 3D projects!), vacuuming, and wiping things down. It’s been so dusty, and I’ve been sneezing like crazy, so it was definitely needed.
Reading update
For March, I finished 10 books (March 1–30, with March 31 as my break).
For 2026 so far, I’m at 17 books!
Journaling win: I filled out my entire March spread in my Daily Stampede journal - such a small but satisfying win. I’m really looking forward to filling up the whole notebook!
Journals I’m Currently Using
Here’s what I currently keep and maintain on a daily to weekly basis (excluding art journals and my traveler’s notebook):
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Happy Planner - daily updates and to-dos
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Pink Flying Tiger journal - a gift from Ms. Lala of Mommy Guide Inc. I use it for DT deadlines, publishing schedules, and Instagram planning (yes, I plan my Lucky posts too)
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The Daily Stampede - junk journaling in stamp punch
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Book Nerd journal - my reading log
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Internal Screams journal - for life’s plot twists (especially the not-so-happy ones). I like the idea of journaling not so nice plot twists and later on going through it and appreciating that despite those twists, life is still beautiful and everything ended up well.
I’m thinking of adding another journal just for thoughts and musings… but we’ll see!
Crafty News
Big news! The owner of Polkadoodles emailed me and asked if I’d be interested in joining their New Release Team - of course I said yes!
Even though I can use my New Release projects for Digi Choosday, I think I’ll still make separate ones whenever I can. I really enjoy the practice - it’s such a good way to keep working on my coloring with alcohol markers and colored pencils.
I’ve already played with some of their Easter releases and made blog posts about them - check them out here.
Projects last week
Apart from the Polkadoodles new releases, I’ve also been joining Ms. Lala of Mommy Guide Inc in her YouTube live Daily Devotions.
After each devotion, she does a crafting session. I’m not the best at following along live so what I’ve been doing instead is crafting alongside her - but working on the previous day’s project at my own pace. It’s actually been such a nice and relaxing way to create without pressure.
I just finished yesterday, and it’s been so fulfilling combining crafting with devotion time. I’ll be sharing the cards I’ve made on a separate blog as they all been really meaningful projects. I'll do it as soon as I finish all. So far, I've done 4.
Kitchen Wins
Food has been extra fun (and a little experimental) lately!
Dynamite Shrimp - This all started when we were in Riyadh and the husband tried Dynamite Shrimp from Chowking… and immediately loved it. Like, loved it enough to order it again the next day - and then again at a Filipino restaurant we tried after that. So of course, he asked if I could make it at home. No pressure, right? I gave it a shot last week, set aside a few shrimps for myself to cook my mom’s way, then made the dynamite version for him. Verdict: he said he liked it! And since he actually finished it, I’m taking that as a win and not just him being nice. Haha!
Embutido - I made a batch a couple of weeks ago and only got to properly appreciate (and photograph!) it now. One of the things I love about embutido is that since it’s already steamed, it keeps really well. But even though you can eat it as is, I still prefer slicing and frying it, it just hits differently when it has that slightly crispy outside.
Cordon Bleu - This one makes me proud every single time. I’ve had this recipe in my notebook since I started learning how to cook here in Saudi, and I remember during the pandemic when my attempts would always turn into… deconstructed cordon bleu. But now, getting that nice, intact roll with the melty cheese inside? So satisfying. Definitely one of those “I’ve come a long way” dishes.
Tortilla Wrap Pizza - This was inspired by an Instagram reel I saw where they cook it with a bit of water until it evaporates. It works when reheating pizza, but not so much the first time I tried making it from scratch. Second try, I skipped the water - better, but too many toppings meant everything was falling out. Third time’s the charm: I wrapped it like a burrito, covered it in foil, added a bit of water, and let it cook covered. That finally did it! Cheese melted perfectly, and it was actually easy (and less messy) to eat. It’s now my go-to snack when I get random hunger attacks.
Gourmet Tuyo - I finally used up my remaining tuyo from our last Manila trip! I love tuyo… but I don’t love how the whole house smells like it every single time I cook. So instead of frying small batches every now and then, I decided to cook everything in one go and turn it into my own gourmet tuyo. Best decision ever! Now I can just enjoy it anytime without committing to another round of that very distinct tuyo aroma taking over the house. No more repeat frying sessions and future me is very grateful.
Wrapping It Up
It’s been one of those weeks filled with little wins, creative bursts, good food, and even better company.
Here’s to more good vibes, brighter days, and always looking ahead.
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