An Afternoon in Alabama (Street, That Is)

I had a plan. It was so simple I knew it would work.  In order to keep a promise, get my hands on one of those new mini leather journals by Enan and Nadja of  Alunsina Handbound Books, and have enough time to take a quick nap before my brother's birthday dinner, I mapped out the steps I was going to take at the Handmade Art Fair at No.10a Alabama Street:

1. Brave the noonday glare (I hate glare!) and leave the house right after lunch. Get to No. 10a Alabama in 15  minutes. (Hey, on a Sunday, anything is possible!)

2. Walk  in and find Enan and Nadja’s space.

3.  Pick up precious leather journal.

 4. Do a quick 20-minute tour of the place.

5. Brave the mid-afternoon glare (I really, really hate glare!), get home and nap (aaah).

6.       Total time spent: 1 hour and 30 minutes AT MOST.

I should’ve known that the perfect little plan would be all for naught as soon as I saw this guy:

It was a sign.  This fellow, like me, had resolved to stay no longer than an hour and do a quick exit.  But here he was, reduced to skin and bone (mostly bone in my assessment) and still he could not leave.  The draw of the handmade, the call of creativity and art proved far much stronger than the desire for a Sunday afternoon nap - or even meals I think. (Uhm, mister - you're clavicle is showing.) 

Shaking it off as coincidence, I moved to step no. 2 – get the leather journal from Alunsina Handbound Books.  Not easily accomplished though – I had to pass through several tables of handmade goods and I had to remind myself constantly that I had a mission to get out in 45 minutes or less – or else my wallet would self-destruct. 

It was the hardest 10 meters I had to walk through in my entire life.

Surrounded by handmade items, I was in heaven.  Not a single mass-produced, neon colored baller ID in sight.  There were no tops that had that ubiquitous hand-lettered sign that read “Korea blouse – 150”, no stalls that advertised chemically laden skin whitening poison.

Instead, I found these:

‘80s themed shirts by i love 80s that screamed to me, bringing back memories of that carefree decade when bad men were vanquished by a few swift kicks from Bioman and Scheider and your friends considered you top dog if you had an Atari  

Vintage inspired jewelry by Erika Avancena Bustamante that brings one back to simpler, less harried times

Vintage buttons transformed into pretty rings

Handmade quilts by Linda  – all of them with a fascinating story to tell

Whimsical paper quilling pictures by Amihan Abueva

Amazing art by Eugenia Alcaide  which were responsible for my jaw involuntarily opening and closing and opening again in sheer awe. (She does custom work - so if interested, you can get in touch with her via eugeniaalcaide@yahoo.com.) 

Portrait done entirely with string

This is a three layered drawing - first layer shows the full face, behind it is a skull and I think the third layer is another angle of the lady's face.

I finally made my way to Enan and Nadja’s space and snagged my journal – all within two and a half hours of arrival.   It took me another half hour to get my nieces to move away from the table selling clay art (bribery with handmade clay pendants always works!).   Another  half hour to do another walk-through (translation: more shopping) and squeeze in a pleasant chat with Ms. Sandy Beltran (she of the  Triple Treat Tiangge and Reading Room at Cubao Shoe X) who was tending a booth showcasing  her Pippin Art and I was set to go.

I looked at my watch. It was 5:00 p.m.  and I had missed my deadline horribly.  My wallet, however, did not self-destruct  and being around handmade artisans and artists had energized me far better than any nap could.  Sometimes, plans go awry for the best reasons.

(The Handmade Art Fair at No. 10a Alabama happens each month. This address is also where you can find Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery.   The next art fair is on October 22 so if you love handmade and support handmade artisans, go check it out.)