accessories

Some of the bracelets and necklaces I made which I will soon be selling. Simple, everyday accessories for guys and girls! Can't wait! 

handmade with love

I made something new again today: another handmade necklace (which I am most satisfied with out of all the necklaces I've done so far). Still working on better combinations, but the ends and quality of this one are much better than my work before.

scarf making

As a birthday gift to one of my very good and long-time friends, I decided to make a scarf. 

Scarf-making started with my tita Marisa (my mom's sister who's very, very creative). She is actually the one who provides me with the materials I use. Every time she comes to visit, she brings with her some materials for arts and crafts, which is why a lot of the things that I have are from her. She was even the one who taught me how to use the sewing machine and make handmade notebooks! 

Note: a lot of the art materials my tita brings back to the Philippines are actually scraps from different stores in Canada. She buys the scraps from shops and turns them into an art project of some sort. Some strings used in scarf making are actually scraps from Canadian stores.

EDIT: The strings used in the scarves aren't scraps according to my mom. Some strings are actually imported from Italy! 

Here is the scarf I made for my friend Isa. 

Made two more scarves when I woke up this morning.

The little mess in my working room now.

sewing

After years of regret for not listening during my Woodrose home economics class, I am finally relearning and appreciating the art of sewing. I've been longing to get my hands on the old Singer which was given by my mom's sister, but I had no clue of how to use it. The other day, I finally got to use it. My tita Marisa, who is visiting from Canada, took some time to teach me how to use the machine.

Great photo taken by my sister Chesca while I was being taught. 

My first few stitches. 

My first pouch! Don't be fooled--the fabric is just gorgeous. The stitching is still quite bad. 

Attempted a draw-string pouch and here is the outcome. It actually turned out better than I expected, but still needs more improvement in the workmanship. 

Got frustrated while trying to make a few other things so I went back to the basic for more practice. 

Takes a lot of practice, patience, and getting used to the machine. Hopefully in time I'll be able to learn more and make more! 

necklace

Finally finished my first necklace! Unfortunately, the extra long string I used was still not long enough, so the necklace is shorter than the desired length. I can still wear it, but because the ends have to be tied, it's harder to put on.

A lot of improvements still have to be made with regard to the ends. Been itching to use the locks I have but since I'm using a lot of string, it's so difficult to put them on. Hoping I can make some improvements in the next one!

more bracelets

Made more bracelets the other day! Unfortunately I've been so pressed with time that I haven't been able to finish some and make new ones. Hoping for more work free days to come so I can make more while I endlessly re-watch Friends.

bracelets

Look what I made yesterday!

Got up early for a meeting that ended up getting cancelled right before leaving the house, so I spent my morning making these instead. They're actually really simple to make, but very time consuming and tiring (my fingers were already painful after only making 3 due to all the tightening). The pattern is just based on a basic friendship bracelet I learned from a friend years ago, and I just inserted beads to make it look a bit different. Planning to make more during my free time, and if people are interested I'm willing (and hoping) to sell! Just need to work on trying to make the ends cleaner!

Happy Saturday!

special birthdays

A little something I made for my friend AJ's birthday.

AJ never really celebrated his birthday with the group before, so his family decided to organize a little surprise for him on his special day. As a gift, I thought of making him something simple and personal that could come from the group. Just took some stamps, ribbons, paper, cardboard, and a puncher to make this present!

"AJ is amazing because ______" plus a birthday message from his friends written on the back.                   

Happy Birthday AJ! It was great seeing you again, being in your house for the FIRST time, eating the amazing food prepared by your family, meeting your UST friends and just spending time with
you on your special day. Thank you!

The day after AJ's birthday was followed by another celebration. A birthday of someone I'm not really close to; someone whom I have exchanged more "hi's" with than words in a conversation.

I didn't get the chance to really know Paolo Mallari as a person, and it's unfortunate that it is from his passing that I learned about how much of an amazing guy he was. I just always knew him as an acquaintance in Luke 18 and school, but more importantly, as my friend Sasa's boyfriend. But after seeing all the love Pao, his family and Sasa received during his wake, and after hearing all the stories about him and all the things he had done to touch the hearts of all the people that paid their respects, I am inspired. I'm not sure if it was said by the priest or a friend during the mass, but there was a mention about Pao being so good at doing the little things, and these little things affected people greatly, which eventually became big things to everyone around him. This is something that really hit me, and now that I've seen and heard just some of the wonderful small things Pao had done, I am so moved. I realized how much small things can lead to great lessons, memories, and impacts on others, and how it can make someone, like Pao, who did an amazing job as a son, brother, friend, cousin and boyfriend, so great.

I know it's very unfortunate for Pao's loved ones and for the world to lose such an amazing guy, but personally I think that it is because of each individual in Pao's life that he had become the person that he was, and the person that he will always be remembered as. Everyone in Pao's life played a major role in sending him to heaven, and I'd like to congratulate everyone for that. There is probably nothing more fulfilling than being a part of the life of someone like Pao, who at a very young age, gets to stand by God and watch over all his loved ones.

Thank you Pao for the lessons that you have left us all with; for teaching us never to take any person, event, or the chance of a tomorrow for granted.

Lanterns in the sky for Paolo's 22nd birthday.

RIP Paolo Mallari.