What a Doll!

I can’t sew. Oh, I can do a mean running stitch but that’s about it.  Good thing that’s the only stitch that my soutache jewelry asks of me most of the time.

Trying to sew using a sewing machine is, for me,  like solving a difficult algebraic problem.  I can’t sew. There, I said it again. And forget quilting  - is IS rocket science to me.  So when I meet someone who can sew and quilt, my internal dialogue goes something like this: “OMG, she can sew. I wish I could sew. I could try. Or not. I can’t sew. OMG she can sew.”

That’s exactly what went through my head when I saw these adorable dolls that Jacklyn Colmenares-Zapatos makes.  Jacklyn loves to quilt and she used to make them to give away to friends before her son was born.  After having her son, she made more quilts for him and a niece and, as any crafter will tell you, those bits of unused fabric and quilt squares you just cannot bear to throw away WILL pile up. Which is exactly what Jacklyn discovered.

What to do, she must have asked herself.  Since you can't keep a creative person from coming up with a creative solution, I.am.handmade was born.

Jacklyn turns her excess fabric from quilts and other sewing projects into these one-of-a-kind cloth dolls that I personally think are better looking than all those dolls you can get at the stores (yeah - the kind that look like they had a ton of make up slathered on them).  They're decidedly whimsical, a throw-back to the days when everything was simple and when a doll was a little girl's very first BFF and not a mini-mannequin to dress up in the latest fashion. The fact that they are made out of rescued and recycled material makes them all the more appealing -- I keep thinking that each one of these little babies has a story to tell about how they were put together if only I can be quiet for a while and listen really close. 

A working mom, Jacklyn juggles her time between caring for her family, her job and creating these little beauties.  She usually doesn't sketch out her designs and instead prefers to let the materials "talk" to her and tell her how they want to look like when done.  That way, Jacklyn says, she has the freedom to change things up and make something totally different when the mood hits her - which means that you can expect her to come up with some quirky yet adorable stuff like these -

Or fun little critters like these -

She also makes dolls with hand-painted faces like this little lady over here -

And of course, there's always, ALWAYS a diva in the pack.  She's my favorite (why do I tend to gravitate to the divas? lol) Here she is - decked out in all her finery -

So between a waxen-faced, stiff-limbed mass manufactured doll, I'd really rather have these to give to my nieces.  I might even keep one for myself.  So I'm going to head over pronto to I.am.handmade's Facebook page and visit her newly opened shop on Etsy too.  Or maybe I'll go visit her booth at the Alabama Art Fair on April 14 and 15 and "visit" with these little girls for a while, listen to their stories about how they were put together, and pick the one with the mostest in diva attitude. I suggest you do the same. :-) 

Just So True

Handmade bath products are one of the sweet indulgences I allow myself.  Our skin is the largest organ in our body and it takes a beating from all the stuff that it absorbs everyday.   Feeding it with simple, pure, all natural products is one of the ways that I honor my body – and give a nod to Mother Nature as well.  One of my favourites is castile soap.

Castile soap, made from a base of saponified olive oil, is a rich, moisturizing bar that you can use on your body and even as a shampoo bar.   You can always tell if a bar of soap that touts itself as a “castile soap” is the real thing by the minimal suds you get when you wash with it - bars made out of olive oil produce less suds than those made out of coconut oil or other oils.  It is a mild soap and will not clog pores.  Castile soap also helps heal skin abrasions, rashes and relieve sunburn and may also provide relief for psoriasis and eczema.

My search for the perfect bar has led me everywhere and has resulted in many more misses than hits -  until  I happened upon So True Castile Soap.  And I tell you – I have never had a truer, purer bar of castile soap.  I have Mia Rocha-Lauchengco, the lovely, creative lady behind So True Castile Soap, to thank for it.

So True's Coffee Peppermint Soap Bars

 I hate slathering on thick, sticky lotions so it was great that So True’s soap helped me do away with them – my skin stayed soft and hydrated even when I was stuck in an airconditioned office all day.

And then there’s the scent – minty, cool, fresh with a hint of citrus and rich cinnamon that really woke me up in the morning.  Bathing with it was like stepping into an aromatherapy tent!  I have tried other handmade soaps before but the scent easily evaporates after the bar is exposed to air.  Not this one – the bar I am using sits happily in my soap dish as it has done so for more than a week and I can still smell how yummy it is when I enter the bathroom. 

So LUXE - Lavender Grapefruit

There’s another thing – castile soaps (the pure, real kind) are hard soaps.  They will not vanish into nothingness after a few quick dips in water.  My bar of So True Castile Soap has not shown any signs of melting away while I’m not looking.  I’m pretty sure the generous sized bar will be around for a few more weeks – and that tells me I’ve got the real thing here. 

My favorite - The Christmas Bar (can't it be Christmas all year long?)

If you want to give your skin a treat, hop over to So True Castile Soap’s page on Facebook and order online.  Her selection of handmade castile soap is dizzying, but don’t worry -  Mia is the nicest soapmaker I’ve met and I am sure she will be glad to help you out.  

Mia has also come out with a wonderful new product: The So True Repair Balm, a luxurious blend of olive oil, pure beeswax and fine essential oils guaranteed to moisturize your skin in the most delish way. 

Can't wait to try this!

She also offers lovely gift packs in case you would like to give these soaps as a gift.  

Lovely idea for a baby shower, don't you think?

Mia also sells her beautiful soap at the Alabama Art Fair which is held monthly - last I heard, the next art fair is set for April.

Sweeter the Second Time Around

What’s that old saying again?  About things coming in three’s?

I forget if they meant good things or if they were referring to bad things.  But as I am someone who always sees the glass half full (with strawberry milkshake at that!), I prefer to go with the good things coming in three’s.

After their first run at the UP Bahay ng Alumni last July 16 Step Up Events are at it again.  This time, they’re back with Round Two!

Take a look at some of the lovelies you can find in the links below.

http://pitakaonline.multiply.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tsibots/217563884923472?sk=wall

https://www.facebook.com/ferdinandcc

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000785561936

https://www.facebook.com/kbadz?sk=photos

http://www.angimahinasyonnicaca.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Verse-Paperie/164371490253475

https://www.facebook.com/paperpodseedpaper

https://www.facebook.com/Alunsina.Handbound.Books

Handmade heaven!  (I know - I should've gone with the linky thing with thumbnails but my brain's not working right tonight and I can't seem to make it work.)  

I suggest you drop by early –  the better to snap up the best goodies before everyone else arrives! It really is sweeter the second time around.

Second Life

Let’s pretend that we’re taking one of those logic tests.  Now, which of these words do not belong in the series:  REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE, WEAR.

a)      a) Reuse

b)      b) Recycle

c)       c) Reduce

d)      d) Wear

e)      e) None of the above

f)       f)  All of the above

g)      g) Next question please

I see furrowed brows. I see thought bubbles sprouting with a huge question mark right smack in the middle of it.  So who’s got the answer?  Give up?

If you are a denizen of our world it would most likely be (d) – Wear. But if you live in the world of Ros Flores  of Junkshop Abubot,  the answer would be (e)  - None of the above.

More furrowed brows.  More thought bubbles.  Wait – let me explain.

Ros is a firm believer in making use of every teeny-tiny bit of material she can lay her hands on.  Discarded bottle caps, old buttons that have seen better days,  scraps of metal,  keyboard keys, lengths of cable, electrical wire and other things that have been given up for dead are rescued from the trash pile and reborn into wearable pieces of art.

Don’t believe me?  Here’s proof:

 Those are actually used up colored pencil stubs turned into earrings.

And these are made from discarded aluminum soda cans.

Are these more your type?

For the geek - LAN cables turned glam

 Her early training under her mother (a great seamstress ), taught her to do fine needle work by hand and was, by the time she was in 5^th grade, her mother’s assistant tasked to do the beading on the gowns and dresses her mother made.  (At  5^th grade, I didn’t even know what a thimble was!).  Watching her mother sew and alter dresses and other clothing influenced Ros greatly .  Growing up with artistically inclined siblings also trained her eye and it was easy for her to put this and that color together, or experiment with different materials in her creative work.  Ros tells me her siblings are her mentors. 

She never sketches out her designs - she picks up her chosen material and plays with it until she comes up with something beautiful.  (The operative word here is PLAY – I told you making art is play!) In fact, she says she has often surprised herself by how a seemingly useless piece of plastic or metal can look so pretty sitting among other resurrected “jewels” like this button bracelet:

Ros confesses to not being past stooping down in the middle of a busy street to pick up an interesting piece and she has sourced her computer LAN cables from the office she used to work for, giving the cables a glamorous second life as necklaces, rings, and belts.  Even plastic bags are not spared. 

While she enjoys creating  art-to-wear pieces out of junk, Ros has a deeper motivation for doing what she does – she firmly believes in the benefits of recycling and the good it can do to a planet that is already straining under centuries of abuse, pollution and senseless waste.  Ros says every little bit helps and if doing our share means wearing such lovely, quirky accessories – then I don’t see why this is a bad idea.   

Her pieces are sold at handmade bazaars and you can catch Ros and Junkshop Abubot at the Triple Treat Tiangge in October (she told me that she’s working on new pieces for this event!).  If you can’t wait till then, visit her Facebook page or get in touch with her through cell number 0906-395-3061 or via email at  ros.rflores@gmail.com.

 (All photos courtesy of Junkshop Abubot)

Write It Down

“Dear Universe, it would be nice if you could clue me in on where I can find blank journals to write on.”

I’ve heard it said time and again, ask and you shall receive. And I did.  Look what I found

Photo courtesy of Alunsina Handbound Books

My search for journals and blank books has led to some pretty interesting finds like the unbelievably pretty little ones from Free Verse Paperie which I wrote about in this post.  But, leather bound ones are, for me, to die for. So forgive me for drooling over these journals by Alunsina Handbound Books.

Leather bound journals
 Photo from Alunsina Handbound Books

Photo courtesy of Alunsina Handbound 

I love these journals because they are handmade.  It takes four to eight hours to make one journal and Coptic binding is used to create them. Which leads me to another reason why I love these journals – Coptic binding (a method of putting together paper to create a book developed by an early group of Christians called the Copts) allows you to open the book flat making it an ideal art journal or every-day-write-what-I-had-for-breakfast journal.  I am left-handed and I really, really, really like journals that I can lay flat to write on.

The covers of these journals also serve to highlight the beauty of indigenous hand-woven fabric from the Philippines. Tinalak, Yakan and  “habi” fabric from Cotabato are just some of the indigenous materials that have graced the covers of Alunsina Handbound journals.  One can also find beautiful journals covered in batik as well as fabric from India and Burma in stock.

Journal covered in indigenous Filipino fabric
Photo courtesy of Alunsina Handbound Books

T'nalak covered journals.
Photo courtesy of Alunsina Handbound Journals

The journals come in  several sizes – again, another reason to love them because I like to carry journals around with me (I have one in my bag and I keep another at home).  There’s the big journal sketchbook which measures 27 cm x 19 cm and the handy-dandy regular journal sketchbook that measures 22 cm. x 14 cm.  Each journal has 112 pages – more than enough to write down all your angst about your most recent break-up don’t you think?

And then, there’s the price.  I know what you’re thinking – “Mahal ‘yan, I’m sure”.  BZZZZZ – wrong answer.  The journals are priced quite reasonably considering all the work that goes into them and the materials they use.  A leather-bound journal will cost you less than P500 and the handy-dandy journal goes for about P300.  Now I think that is QUITE a steal.  And they have wholesale prices too.  Hah! That’s just enough for this journal addict to definitely want a fix.

If you want to read more about these lovely journals, go take a peek at Alunsina Handbound Book’s blog.  Or visit their page on Facebook (I can see you clicking that “LIKE” button already). You can order online and have it delivered to your doorstep - or, if you can't wait to get your hands on them, Alunsina Handbound will be at the Supersale Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent on July 15 - 17, 2011.

Sometimes It's In the Small Things

I ran into Betsy at the Bazaar Love Triangle.  She was wearing turquoise chandelier earrings and sat minding a table filled with organic soap, wine made from local fruit and a host of other unusual products.  That afternoon, as we stood watching Rock Balancing Philippines create a sculpture from rocks, balancing each one carefully and creating interesting cairn-like towers, we shared our views on handmade items and how they rarely do well in venues where people go to look for the mass-produced, inexpensive stuff stamped with the Made in China or Made in Taiwan seal of knock-off authenticity. Later, I walked by her booth and saw a deck of tarot cards laying there – she said they did readings too.  That , and the conversation we had earlier about the value of handmade, made me suspect she was a kindred soul.  And of course the turquoise chandelier earrings were a dead giveaway.

A few days later my suspicions were confirmed when I saw a comment she left on my Facebook page-  her profile picture was that of Frida Kahlo. 

And as we are wont to do when a new friend is met on the much maligned yet much used social network (come on, you know you visit your page almost everyday), we dig deeper.  I was glad I did.  Visiting her page told me there was much more to this slim, diminutive woman.

That she painted came as no surprise to me – the passionate words on art and handmade and the plight of struggling artists trying to be seen in a world of mass-produced gave me an inkling.  But seeing her work was a surprise.  She doesn’t paint on canvas. She paints on eggs.  Yes, eggs – you know, the kind you fry in the morning with bacon so you can get your daily cholesterol fix and feel burpy and queasy all day? Those kind of eggs.

Coming from a family of artists (her grandfather was a high realism painter, her aunt a portrait artist and art educator) she developed a love for painting early in childhood and had become quite adept at watercolor (a medium that terrifies me!).  So did she take fine arts in college? Of course not – people like her never take the usual, expected route.  Instead, she became a veterinary medicine major who happened to get sidetracked into theater, Teatro Umalohokan,  and who also happened to be part of Pintados Umalohokan, an art collective that painted murals on sidewalks and canvass. 

I was curious as to why she paints on eggs.  Betsy explained that she once stumbled into a shop that sold washi papers used to make what is known as washi eggs.  Pretty simple really – you take the Japanese washi papers and then use a decoupage technique to cover the eggs with them and you seal the piece with lacquer.  Of course a girl who wears chandelier turquoise earrings and reads tarot cards would not settle for such a simple craft right?  She took it to the next level and decided to paint on them.  And I must say, she does a marvelous job.

She has painted on all kinds of eggs, from the regular grocery store chicken egg, to the more challenging quail eggs (I cannot imagine the skill that goes into painting one of these little eggs! I'd most likely eat them than have the patience to paint them), and even ostrich eggs.  Betsy says it takes her about two days to finish a piece, given that there are no mountaineering trips scheduled :-).

Her mother and child themes must reflect the contentment she feels being full-time mom to her child.

She also loves to paint images of tribal Filipinos. Look at the penetrating gaze of the woman in the center - no matter how small, Betsy is able to capture nuances in expression.

And of course, the question on which came first, the chicken or the egg, is not something we ask when we see her collection of bird themed pieces.

The detail on this is quite amazing

I was tempted to call these Matryoshka dolls but to me they seemed to be strong, creative ladies joyfully wrapping themselves up in what life has to give

I’ve always wanted an owl.  One that looks like this guy

Betsy creates these pieces for those who appreciate it.  She admits that it is not for everyone but each piece is created from the soul – inspired by the everyday things that we fail to notice because of the rush we always find ourselves in, little vignettes of life from a simpler time.  She treats each one like a gem, carefully bringing forth the story she wants to tell on the small surface she has chosen to tell it.  Sometimes, meaning can really be found in the smallest things.

Betsy accepts custom orders and she also has several pieces ready from which you can choose from. Reasonably priced, considering the skill and talent that goes into making one of these, they would make perfect gifts for that someone who seems to have everything, or maybe a lovely token to remember a moment passed, a season gone.  To see more of Betsy’s work, visit Ysab Egg Art on Facebook.   

Note Worthy

I love paper. Take me to a store that sells it in any form and I'm a happy camper.

My bag - any bag I carry - will most certainly contain at least one blank book.  The one I lug to work everyday holds two: a pretty ordinary steno pad where I jot down ideas that come from nowhere and a nice, formal looking blank journal that contains insights about my day, random words of wisdom, rants and pages and pages of sketches and little collages. Even the little clutch purse I bring with me to the grocery has a small top-bound spiral notebook in it.

So it was to my great delight that I came upon these lovelies from Free Verse Paperie while checking out the great handmade sellers at the Bazaar Love Triangle on Timog Avenue. Adorable, no?

Handmade by cute couple Eis Manguito and Louie Gutierrez , these little blank books measuring 5 1/4 inches high by 4 inches wide are just the thing to tuck in your purse and make for a quick fix for journaling addicts who would rather not carry their large journals all over the place with them.  In fact, that's exactly what this duo want to inspire in people -- to start journaling and maybe doodling in a little cartoon or two.  Two thumbs up for that!

The mini-journals (you call them notebooks, I call them journals -- same-same) are covered with beautifully patterned scrapbook background papers that Eis and Louie source from abroad. The blank pages invite you to leave your mark and have just the right thickness for some guerilla doodling or writing.  And what about that cute ribbon that you can tie up to keep your little journal closed? Best of all, they're almost ridiculously inexpensive - so I'm going to stock up.  They'd make perfect little giveaways for Christmas, a nice inclusion in a grade-schoolers birthday loot bag (yes, I think we should encourage children to write) or these would make great souvenirs for a wedding!

You can also turn these little babies into mini-scrapbooks! Imagine lolo or lola's smile when they receive a mini-album of bunso's baby photos or pictures of Ate or Kuya's first day at school.  Your little one can even scribble in his or her own little drawings or a sweet note for them.  

I just love the texture of the cream colored blank pages.  For a paper addict, this is like ice cream and cake and chocolate and silk rolled into one.  There are also blank books with white pages so if vanilla is more your style, then those are for you. Eis had a few hardbound blank journals on display as well and she says that they will be offering these soon.  The hardbound journals are also covered in pretty paper - designed by Eis, who certainly has an eye for pattern and color. 

I  especially like this one  - the floral pattern and the color palette gave the mini-journals a vintage, art-decoey look.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for orange and blue.

I almost hemorrhaged to death trying to pick which ones I liked best.   In the end, I picked seven (I already gave away two -- one to my daughter, the other to my assistant who is also a blank book addict) and I am sorry I didn't get more.  Never, ever, ever let a girl who loves paper loose among things such as these blank journals.

If you're like me and you only stop talking so you can write or doodle, visit Free Verse Paperie on Facebook.