Collage Paper Wallet #5: Inspiration: Vintage + Travel

My love affair with vintage travel-themed scrapbook items and stamps began in 2010 when I had the chance to fulfill my dream of working in a scrapbook store in Singapore even just for a short time. I found myself buying (my "reward" for a week's work = spending my earnings to buy scrapbook stuff! ==> craziness!) anything vintage-looking designs of papers, stamps and embellishments. I love the look of postmarks, the Eiffel Tower, anything about Paris, old postage stamps, etc.

So to put my collection "at work", I made this collage design. 

Folding wallet

I made another one this time on my long wallet style. 

Long Wallet

Wouldn't it be nice to make a coordinating passport jacket to complete my ensemble of my vintage travel accessories and one day travel to these countries I only see on the map??? :)

Collage Paper Wallet #4

27 June 2012 - I did this collage wallet in under 30 minutes! I love the flowers & the bird design. I used an old pink tear-resistant handmade paper for the wallet to add a vintage feel to the overall design. Take a look! Comments & suggestions are welcome. :)

Closer look:

Thanks for looking! More designs to come. :)

Love Your Own

On ordinary days (ie. running errands like grocery, going to the bank, etc.) I prefer wearing jeans/shorts & shirt & flip flops since we live in a tropical country. I just need my car keys, mobile phone & wallet. I'm not usually fond of carrying bags everywhere I go. So when we came up with our own version of handmade paper wallet I gave my big, thick & heavy (not because I have lots of money but the wallet alone is!) Girbaud wallet a permanent vacation. I took with only the essentials - a few bills, 1 ID, 1 credit card, 1 discount card & 1 ATM card. That's all I need. Talk about simple living and I love it! Now, I can just put it on my back pocket or in my wristlet along with my phone.  :)

I've been using this wallet for several months now and its still okay. The original print is a damask design (see previous post) but I just found myself "playing" with one of my washi tapes and decided to give it a new "look". ;)

Up close:

I'll be posting more of the new designs I made for the past 2 weeks. I hope you'll like them :) Have a great week to all of you!

Wishing you a bright sunny Monday!

Hello and good morning, Philippines! I know its been quite rainy over there for the past days (while its freaking HOT as to where I am now!) but I hope this post will brighten up your day. Remember, it cannot rain forever! :) 

So, I wanted to post my own paper wallet that I've been using for months now. But since I wanted to send a bright and cheery vibes to all of you, I decided to post this first.

My washi-fied paper wallet using Made With Love's washi tapes (except the zigzag design)

I'm not an orange person but when I saw these tapes at Made With Love wow, I fell in love literally! I love the combination with red & light blue & white. The sky design, hearts & orange scallop design are enough to brighten up one's day, don't you think? :) May you all have a great week ahead. CHEERS! :)

It's Not About Ideas...It's Making Ideas Happen

So after months of ideas swimming around my head, I took out my "precious" papers that I've been hoarding for the past __ years. Like what I said in my collage post, it was liberating! I get to use them and see them transform before my eyes. Plus the feeling of being free to do whatever you want to do without the fear of making a mistake was something I missed for quite some time.

So here's what happened to Collage #2:

From this:

To this:

I added a gel medium over the the collage BEFORE sewing to keep the
papers intact during the process and also, to make it smooth & strong.

From Collage #3, I call it Pretty in Pink. I love the softness of the color especially when combined with white doilies. I'm not really a pink person but I think this one "soften" me. ;)

Into this:

The wallet is STURDIER than the Tyvek paper wallets I've seen in Singapore. Although the latter's purpose is for traveling so it was made to be lighter but still tear-resistant. My paper wallet is tear-resistant as well but I think it caters mostly to people who prefer a "more chic" version. :)

Do More of What Makes You Happy!

It all started when I saw an imported paper wallet in Singapore last 2010. It was just very simple, no sewing, just lots of folds and then that's it! I, being an OC (obsessive-compulsive) person, I wanted to have my own version of paper wallet, the one I would be proud and happy to carry anywhere I go. :)

So when I did my product design & consultation stint for my handmade paper supplier last June 2011, I suggested we try to make our own version of paper wallet - an eco-friendly with a lot of "chic-ness" in it. ;)

One of the designs in the 1st batch of paper wallets released last year was the Damask in black. I super love it and decided to give all my girl BFF's one as a Christmas present. Then sometime in the wee hours of morning in February 2012, an idea popped in my mind! I want to design my own paper wallet using a collage of scrapbook papers & washi tapes! I must admit I am addicted to these 2!

True as they say "Its not about ideas...its about making ideas HAPPEN." It took me months to make it happen...designing & creating took a backseat when families came over, Holy Week celebrations & it was summer! :)

It started with this:

Then this:

Into this:

From collage to machine-sewn paper wallet.
The base for the collage is handmade paper and the collage is coated with a glossy gel medium for protection

I was super duper happy when I finally saw the finished product! :) Makes me want to create MORE of them everyday. I actually did (see my previous posts on collages) and will show you on my next post what happened to the other 2 collages I posted previously. **excited!**

On Painting Our Canvas

NOTE:  I just found this blog entry in my drafts folder dated 26 May 2012. I thought I would share this anyway for it has been a part of my journey and will continue to serve as a reminder for me that I am the Picasso of my own life.


The past few days were a sort of emotional roller coaster ride for me. Just when things are falling into place and I am "unusually" feeling calm amidst some uncertainties, some people tried to talk me out to follow the "normal" path as to what they believe will lead me to success.

I have always been a different - no, not to the extent I am weird! I just see and do things differently. Not for the sake of being different, no, I am not KSP (kulang sa pansin or lacking attention) but according to some people close to me, I am "ahead of my generation" (which would require another separate post!).

Anyway, at this point in my life, I practically know what I want to do and to become. I am now confident in my own skin unlike a decade ago. I know I have taken a different path as compared to my friends and classmates but I am happy with what I did. But that feeling did not come easy. I went from being insecure to self-pitying to finally appreciating myself and what I do. It took me years and hard work and appreciation from other people and other creatives as well to get me out of the rut and I don't have any plans of going back!

I wrote this on my Starbucks planner to remind me that I am that my life is a masterpiece meant only to be painted by me. My life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns but I have no regrets. Every experience, people I met, decisions I made, mistakes I committed,  all added colors to my living canvas and I am damn proud of it!

An All-Pink Collage

This is the 3rd collage I made right after finishing the previous 2. But things got busy over here and I had a 3-day Boracay getaway with BFF's last week, hence, a super delayed post!

As I gathered my papers for this collage, I kept reaching for the ones in pink shade so I just went for my instinct and this came out after half an hour.

It was LIBERATING to just CREATE for the sake of creating and not think about any "rules" in designing. It frees up the mind with "what color should go here, there, etc". Just like in life, sometimes we need to break rules, explore and let go so we can DISCOVER new things or even new ways of doing the same thing. We must let go of our inhibitions because they only confine us in our comfort zones. For it is when we take that single step out of our comfort zone we open up ourselves to possibilities and let the Universe work in our lives.

How far have you gone out of your comfort zone? :)

Collage 2012

After making my Starbucks Collage series some years back, I fell in love with the process. It was liberating in a sense that there are no rules - just tear, cut, paste, smudge - it doesn't matter. You may not appreciate the beauty yet but after putting the pieces together you can now call it a masterpiece...your own masterpiece.

It was early morning sometime in March when an idea popped in my head - using my collage paper for the product I helped developed last year. I was so excited with the idea I even made a digital mock-up of how I want it to look like. But making the actual collage paper & the product took a backsear when several family members went home for vacation. Of course, I took a vacay, too! Hehe! ;)

And so, after everyone left last weekend, it was only yesterday that my lazy b*tt got up and WORK! And truly, the hardest part in making something is to get started. But once the mojo is there, wow, there's no stopping until it was time for me to clean up my mess or else, we will sleep side by side with my gel medium, paintbrushes, stamps & inkpads and bits of paper! LOL!

As for doing something again after quite some time, it takes a while for me to gather my thoughts as to how the heck I'm gonna do this???? It takes courage to just tear that piece of paper I've been keeping (coz I don't want to cut it up, just look at it! Haha!) and glue wherever my hand takes me. In between those cutting & pasting, thoughts about life cross my mind. But...I will save that for my next entry. Hehe! ;)

Anyway, going back to my 1st 2 collages for 2012, the 1st one is more on vintage + dark red. I want to see how it looks like AFTER it has been transformed into the "product".

The 2nd one, the process just started with a piece of an "old" Chatterbox paper in orange & brown tones. As I cut it up, pictures of cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne & curry powders started popping in my head. And so I moved into that direction picking up papers in warm shades of orange, brown & deep reds.

I didn't notice that it was dark outside already and I managed not to turn on the AC the whole afternoon amidst the summer heat! (my hubby will be very happy to know this! Hehe!) That's how I got engrossed with the process and slowly, I'm realigning to my center again. :)

On aligning my center...

As I waited for the kids to finish their summer classes, I grab the opportunity to catch up with my blog reading. Its been 6 weeks of busyness with balikbayan families and I rarely had time to follow my “routine”. Although I cannot say that I am a “routine” person, somehow, a bit of structure like having my to-do list for the week; my glancing at my favorite Kikki.K planner several times a day, give me focus; direction on the tasks at hand. Otherwise, I will be lost in my sea of papers (handmade, scrapbook, journals, scraps) and washi tapes; baker’s twines on my table! Oh, and I forgot to mention a pile of magazines & books I bought BUT haven’t read!

After reading Kelly Rae Roberts’ blog entry “on getting further and further away from the center”, I now know the “term” when I write on my journal tired, sad & empty – its not really what those words mean but its more of “losing myself and getting further away from my center and not being present”. I just need to make that everyday decision ALIGN myself with my CENTER and BE PRESENT. The too many hats I wore several times a day for the past 6 weeks took a toll on me and I am totally lost and don’t know where and what to start. When I look at my growing lists of to-do’s (re: work, kids, house, what I really want to do), book wish list (not to mention the unread books list! LOL!), to learn, files to backup, I am completely overwhelmed! But I know now… and I just have to START WHERE I AM NOW, work with whatever is at my command, and I know, better tools will be found as I go along.

Postcard

I was tidying up my work area weeks ago when I found this postcard sent by a former client of mine from Canada. I never met her (the bride) personally, only via email. Even so, she was very polite & pleasant to work with. Not all of my clients took their time to send me a thank you note, for which I do understand because of the busyness before & after the wedding. A simple "thank you" is enough for me. But a written note all the way from the other side of the world is HUGE for me. It inspires me to continue with what I do and do better. :)

In this age of SMS & Facebook & Twitter, nothing beats a handwritten & snail mailed note!

Oh, hello blog!

Hello :) Its been 1 year and 9 months to be exact since my last blog entry. A lot of things happened and changed my life hence, blogging took a backseat. I am still tweaking this blog to give it a fresh look and hopefully bring back my mojo in blogging again.

I do love blogging - writing/documenting it is. But I guess I still prefer the old way of keeping a journal and handwriting my thoughts. I can't say I have nice handwriting but I love seeing my penmanship and the feel of the paper as I write. But years and years of working with computers and paper crafting, I developed ganglion cyst on my right wrist that sometimes writing can be more painful than typing. And so I guess I'll save my handwriting for my Starbucks Art Journal which I use to document snippets of my everyday life.

For now, I'll leave you with the cover page I made for my Facebook business page. Those are some of the invitations I made for past years including the recent ones. Hopefully this will be a good start for me even if it is April Fool's Day! ;)

Happy Spring/Summer!

xoxo

Change....

Its been a month since my last entry.... I guess I'm really bad at updating my blog :( I still have some reservations on what to put on my blog...my deepest thoughts, my sentiments, exactly what I feel on a certain day. Today is just the same though there are a lot of things going through my mind but I just can't let them all out. *sigh* I don't know..... I came across this quote today and it just struck me....maybe this sums up what I am feeling now but just can say it. I'm into red & black today coz I've been working on a design this morning with these colors.

My Starbucks® Collage Series: #1

April 23 - Dropped off hubby to his job interview somewhere in Makati. Just what I needed...some time alone to update my planner and to jot down my ideas. I found a nearby Starbucks® and I immediately need a sugar rush...not the sugar from the Frappuccino but from the rich & moist chocolate cake!

In between bites of the chocolate cake, an idea popped! I'm going to make a COLLAGE using Starbucks® fliers! I already have images running in my brain of how I want it to look like but I haven't even tried making a collage! Lakas ng loob 'no?! Though I've been wanting to create it (I already have my blank canvas, gesso, Mod Podge for the longest time!), the fear in me kept me from doing it.

So, I sketched it before I lose it in my memory.... talk about memory gap! ;) Finished my cake and went back to my car. No, I didn't take some Starbucks® fliers because I've been collecting them for quite some time now, hehe. Wala lang...I just like the looking at the layout and design maybe someday they might be useful. :)

A week passed by and I haven't done my collage because I was thinking why... why in the world I want to create a collage using Starbucks® fliers eh I'm not even a coffee drinker! Though, I love Starbucks® because it is where my friends and I share stories of our lives, it is my "sanctuary" when I need some time alone to organize my thoughts, it is where my kids, hubby and I share some weekend breakfasts together - so many wonderful memories! But still, I kept asking myself why.

Then came along Bo Sanchez' weekly message...it was about the story of the carrot, egg and coffee bean. When I saw it, I knew I already read the same article shared by a friend some years back. I even remembered (o ha! no memory gap! hehe!) that I posted it on my blog. After reading it again, I knew the reason why Starbucks®...why coffee bean. It will serve as my constant reminder that I should be a coffee bean in this life. I don't have to be a coffee connoisseur exactly, but to be like what the coffee bean becomes after going through the heat (struggles, problems, difficulties in life) and that is, to release my sweetest aroma (to become the best that I can be) after all that I've been through.

May we all be COFFEE BEANS! :)

Sneak Peak

I've been kinda sluggish for the past 3 days. I guess the heat of the summer is kicking in and many times during the day I find myself dreaming and planning where to go and what activities to do. :) Aaahhh, beach, watermelon smoothie (sans the seeds ha!), ocean breeze...this is the life! haha!
Now back to reality...
Here's a sneak peak of the invites I just finished designing and will be working in the coming days. I still have upload the ones I already finished and delivered though.

 

(1) Square invitation in summer color of fuschia & yellow green with a Filipiniana touch; (2) Eco-friendly invitation with real pine tree twig accent reflects the couple's simple yet elegant theme of their wedding;  (3) This is a first for me - working on black & fuschia combination but proved to be really cute - a reflection of the couple's personality.

I finally finished updating the inventory file. And while I was working on it, plenty of ideas & designs start to pop in my head I can't wait to work on them! But for now, I have to deal with boxes of samples lying around in my office for sorting & updating. Argh, the to-do's never end but then I'm not the type of person who will be happy doing nothing (ADHD haha!). :)

On learning SEO and stuff...

I'm trying to learn SEO (search engine optimization) the for the past week since I am planning to update my website (www.handcraftedexpressions.com). I heard about SEO and meta tags but never really got to know the technical part of those terms. While browsing, I came across several websites that featured me and my work. I was surprised because I was not aware of some of them! I am thankful nevertheless because the writers took time in writing and posting my work and that gives me some mileage in Google searches. :) And for that, I am grateful to all of them. Thank you!


Shiela is a budding writer. She just texted me last year asking me if its ok to have my business featured on her website. Of course, that would be great. Thank you, Shiela! :)

Website: The Golden Apple

Ajay's Writing on the Wall 

Annalyn is a former client of mine. I just saw her blog entry a few days ago while browsing and I was surprised that she posted her invitation among her other wedding suppliers. Thanks, Annalyn!

She even had her article published on a newspaper!

The PlanetEye Traveler

Marianne, a Filipina blogger & prolific writer whom I met online emailed me last year if she could write an article about my work. Of course, I said, by all means. :) Thanks, Marianne.

Jemps & Jason's Eco-Chic Wedding

I admire this couple whom I worked with last year. They proved that anyone can have a memorable & chic wedding without harming the environment much more inspiring us and to quote them "Every green choice makes a difference - no matter how small!" Just reading the article about their green steps towards an eco-chic wedding is so inspiring you would want to sign up to Greenpeace! :) Congratulations, Jason & Jemps! Thank you!

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Lastly,  I just learned from my husband that there was an online version of the Business Friday article about me. I *heart* this one because it captured everything that is me and to think it was just a serendipitous meeting with Madonna, the writer. The one I posted almost 3 years ago was a scanned image. Thank you, Madonna.

Masigasig Magazine
Ms. Prime S. and I met when we shoot the video of Kumikitang Kabuhayan years ago. Then she went on to become the editor for Masigasig Magazine of Globe Telecom. Thanks, Prime! 

I am just a small business owner. I cannot afford to have paid advertisements/write-ups on the magazines & newspaper. Its my passion that fuels me to stay in the business. Its more than the money and I thank these people who saw that passion in me and took time to acknowledge it and they do it for free! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!
Now, who says nothing is free in this world?

Thanks Alvin & Sab...

I've been busy for the past weeks I hardly have time to update my blog. So many on my to-do lists (with "s" since I have a separate list for personal, business, plans -phew!) BUT I cannot let this pass. It just made my day. :)

Hi Airees! Long time. Hope all is well with you and your family. Just want to tell you na you can check out the picture of the invite you made for us at http://www.joelfrancisco.com.ph/blog/. Thanks so much for being part of our special day. Take care always! Sab

Thanks, Sab & Alvin! It was an honour for me to work with you. God bless you always. :) *hugs*

Here's the photo courtesy of Joel Francisco. If only we can get married again, I would love to hire him as our photographer! :)

2009 - The year that was...

Its been quite a long time since I last posted here. A lot of things happened the past year worth blogging here but I just didn't have so much time left to do it. Work (or what I call my passion) and family top the list and 2009 just went by! I didn't even had the time to wrap gifts much more make handmade gifts which I've always wished I would be doing come Christmastime. But even without the my traditional gift-giving among friends, what I really treasured this past Christmas season was spending time with family and friends - high school, college and balikbayan friends. Nothing beats that!

We celebrated Christmas day differently this time - we went picnic! I realized that we've been eating on the same restaurant every Christmas in Tagaytay and yet there's really nothing special in their menu...mas masarap pa lutong bahay! So this year, we decided to go on a picnic! This is the first time that the kids will experience it. It was fun and we had a great time enjoying the simple things - yummy adobo with egg, rice, soda, just lying under the big tree feeling the cool breeze - aahhh, the simply joys of life! We explained to the kids why we decided to go on a picnic - (1) to try something new & different, (2) its more practical (less expensive than dining in a restaurant) and (3) happiness is in the company of your loved ones not necessarily in a mall or fine dining resto or lots of foods on the table that you don't even know how to consume them all much more what to do come new year's eve party!

Work-wise, I can't complain. God has been very generous to me and my staff for continuous projects here and abroad. One of the highlights of the year was an article featuring me and my kids in Good Housekeeping Philippines on the column about Mompreneurs. :) Hopefully I can post pics here soon! I still have to scan it, haha! :)

Another memorable event was I got invited to share my humble beginnings infront of a thousand students from the different colleges & universities in the province of Cavite - The 3rd Cavite Entrepreneurship Students Summit. Believe me - I've always had stage fright and never in my wildest dreams that I would speak infront of a huge crowd. I accepted the invitation before I knew that there would be 1000 of them! I wanted to back out but realizing that this might be the 1st and last time that I would be doing this plus the chance to inspire those students to become entrepreneurs, too, I decided to do it! And thank God for giving me the courage. It was a very fulfilling experience and I am willing to do it one more time! haha! nawili...

On the homefront, kids have been amazing - in school and at home - assuring us that somehow we are right in raising them. We may not have more than what we need but we're happy and I know that God knows what our hearts desire even before we ask Him....

I'll try to post some pics next time. For now, I just wish anybody who's reading my blog a blessed 2010. May we all be safe and healthy. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Been a bad blogger again but with valid reasons:

- Mom went home and stayed with us for almost a month which meant that I am officially her driver! No pun intended. I liked it because we continued our bonding time after I surprised her a 2 months earlier for a visit ;) Went shopping & ate out and just by simply driving along with her we had our long talks from jokes to sentiments to motherly & daughterly advices. Oh, I'm missing her now that she's back to the US.

- After mom left, I had to catch up with work! I'm not complaining though. I love how I am more involved with the production unlike for quite some time I've focused on designing. But this leaves me little time to FB ;) and more so blogging! But I am thankful - for this job I can call - I still love what I do and the heartwarming messages I get from every client after receiving their invites all the more inspire me to pursue my passion!

So now, I don't know when will I post again but I do hope this will not be the last for this year, haha! Have to go work on my speech (?!) for tomorrow's event. Secret muna...I just hope I'll make it good tomorrow. :)

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings! :)

hello blog.

been neglecting my blog for some months now...a lot of things happened - good & bad, happy & sad, exciting & boring, blessing & curse - all sorts! But i just can't find the right words to write here.

I found this quote today and inspired me to play with these colors and maybe start making my "notes to self" everyday IF, that is a BIG IF, I find time to make one. Oh well, it depends on when the inspiration kicks in.

I hope this is a good start for me...