Oh, hello blog! (long post!)

Its been more than a year since I last posted here. Ever since I came back from the States, life has been B.U.S.Y. I must admit, Facebook and Instagram provided an easier venue to post status and photos. But there is something about blogging that makes it different from the two - I can write whatever I want, in a more personal way just like a journal/diary. I don't have to think about how many likes I get...just plain ol' "journal writing" for me to look back someday I have record of a time in my life.
Anyway, here's a rundown of the happenings from Sept. 2012 - present. (I have poor memory so I am just writing here the most I can remember! LOL!)

• September 2012 - hang out most of the time in Washington, DC frequenting Anthropologie (lots of eye-candy and inspiration here!), Urban Outfitters, Gap, Paper Source, Papyrus - most of the shops in Georgetown! I didn't shop much but mostly feasted my eyes on colors, patterns and designs to keep me inspired (but my brother has been picking up a lot of boxes from Amazon and Joann's 2-3x a week!) I've been hooked to Instagram and gained new crafter friends that I look forward to meeting as soon as I get back to the Philippines.

• October 2012 - Back to home base. Joined a craft fair in Manila and finally showcased my Collage wallets and passport jackets. They were almost sold out and I got featured (along with other crafters) on TV5 segment for gifts for Christmas. I joined Craft MNL's Etsy Party and met fellow handmade crafters I "met" in Instagram. A few weeks after that, I joined a Craft Soiree in QC. It was a different kind of high to spend a day with fellow crafters - not necessarily paper crafters - but all sorts.

• November 2012 - Joined Hey Kessy's Washi Party in QC. It was FUN! Met some more fellow crafters and we spent the day indulging ourselves with washi tapes! Yes, we are members of WTA - Washi Tapes Anonymous!

• December 2012 - I tried to finish orders for my Collage wallets and passport jackets and invitations by the 2nd week so I can reserve the last 2 weeks for my family. I just want to enjoy the Christmas season with my family and friends. Lots of eating (as we, Filipinos, love to eat!) and chatting. I hosted our annual Christmas party with red, black & white theme and lots of DIY crafts like buntings, placemats (with our daughters as little helpers in stamping) and washi-fied paper cups, paper plates and wooden spoons and forks. We decided to serve only "healthy" foods and veer away from the usual "fatty & high-calorie dishes". Shrimp garlic pesto, baked salmon, fresh fruits, not-necessarily-healthy-but-oh-so-yummy fish sticks and infused water. Friends from the US and Australia "joined" us for photo-op via Facetime. :) On the family side, we drove down to a resort in near Taal Lake for some bonding moments with the kids.

• January 2013 - Did a lot of crafting - sweet reunion with my stamps and ink pads! Made some postcards. My washi tape collection grew to 116 rolls (exclusive of the duplicate designs) in a span of 4 months and that earned my place in Philippine Daily Inquirer's article on washi tapes. I joined some fellow addicts, este, crafters during the photo shoot.

• February 2013 - Joined the Condura Skyway Marathon again. This is our 2nd year and this time, hubby decided to fly in from Singapore to join me and my son for the weekend. We ran 6K this time (level-up from last year's 3K) We decided to book a room in a nearby hotel to avoid the hassle of securing a parking space on the day of the event. Actually, we booked there for the buffet breakfast for 2, haha! Monday after the marathon, hubby and I were just 3 hours flight apart on our way to Singapore. I'll be spending 3 weeks with him eating out at our favorite restaurants, go scrapbook supplies shopping, run and I, will be meeting up with former colleagues and crafter friends.

• March 2013 - A week after I came home from Sg, my parents arrived from the US for a 1 month vacation. I've been driving almost everyday for them so my crafting took a backseat. Its our birth month, too, so a lot of eating and reunion with friends filled this happy month. :) I managed to squeeze in a Macaron Class at Enderun, too! But I guess I have to put off baking this until I tweak the recipe to a lesser-sweet one.

• April 2013 - After my parents left for the US, I met up with 2 friends in Manila. One for lunch and one in the afternoon. I haven't seen them for years! It was so good to reconnect with them - never-ending chats and ideas. A few days after, I got sick. This usually happens to me after a month of driving for my parents. As soon as I recovered, I signed up at the nearby gym. This is another DARE for me - with the excess pounds I gained after months of eating out (and lesser runs), I just have to do it NOW. I tell you, its NOT EASY but its all WORTH IT. Started eating right and I can see the benefits. I feel lighter and have more energy which is what I actually needed for the next 6 weeks of driving (again!) and going with the kids for their summer classes. In addition to that, I had to work on a pending order for my handmade collage passport jackets and wallets (which is a LOT! #thankful) for an Australian client. April has seen us attending the Balik-Bukid Country Fair - it was our first time and it was F.U.N.! We even won in the Family Category for the Mud Dash Run! :)

• May 2013 - Loui's taekwondo class has been extended! So is my driving! :) But its ok. I'm proud of her. So many times we asked her if this is the one she really likes to pursue and she proved it. She earned her blue belt and even scored points against a brown belter! I resumed my crafting adventures and this time made a wish box for a friend's client to be used on her 50th birthday. It was something I haven't made and I'm glad they liked it. I've been going to the gym regularly now and my body has adjusted to the routines - TRX, spinning, Zumba, weight training and plyometrics. I've always wanted to paint but I was not confident enough since I didn't have any formal art class so I enrolled in an online art class called "Daring Adventures in Paint" by Mati Rose. It was fun. I learned how to just let go of the fears and inhibitions and just paint! Hubby came home for a 2-week vacation and that meant frequent eating out! We booked at a hotel in Tagaytay for some bonding moments with the kids (and more eating! waaahhh!!!)

• June 2013 - A week after hubby left, it was my time to leave for Singapore again. Sort of a "vacation" for me after 3 months of driving and killing myself at the gym (lol!). But before I left, I had to make sure the kids' school stuff are in ready. This year was kinda different - I taught the kids how to cover their books with plastic - something I've been doing by myself for the past 7 years. I guess I'll be in semi-retirement soon. ;) We celebrated Loui's birthday with her taekwondo classmates. And the books I'm currently reading, I had to pick just a few since I expect to bring home a lot of stuff I left in Sg. It was heartbreaking for me to leave my washi tapes, books and stamps for a month! haha! Looking forward to Central Thai for their veggie spring rolls, pineapple rice and lemon chicken; organic pasta and meatballs from Ikea (our neighbor!) and teriyaki chicken chop in aglio olio pasta at Hot Tomato and rosti and pizza at Marchè. And not to miss is our favorite shrimps at Glutton's Bay. Also, this time, we went to see Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands. I finally gave in and got myself an iPad mini. Now blogging comes easy (easy daw o! haha! I'm actually typing this post on my laptop!) Of course, I can't leave Singapore without a new set of pens, washi tapes, stencils, books and scrapbooking stuff! :)

• July 2013 - Started the month learning Wordpress. I've been meaning to move my blog to a self-hosted Wordpress site since it offers more flexibility when it comes to design and functionality. Plus, I'll be working on my supplier's website...really excited about this coz I know this will be a great help in their marketing efforts. I stopped going to the gym but continued with my diet and running...I just don't have the time right now since I will be leaving for a trip down south for a week to gather stuff for the website and do some product development as well. It was a fun trip! Managed to run uphill with friends and then took a dip at the clear river. It was my first time and I was just glad that I did it. After swimming, we had freshly-picked buko juice. Oh, i love this place! Got stranded at the airport for 18 hours due to bad weather condition. Thankful for my iPad and power bank for they kept me sane throughout my entire stay. I came home with a box full of lansones from my friend. I've never eaten lansones this much in my entire life! Yummy! But not everything was fun this month....I had asthma attack after a I came home and that kept me from working for a couple of days. At least, I'm thankful that I don't need to be confined in a hospital this time. A week after, my former bride client who became a very close friend of mine came home for a vacation. We, together with our common friend, went to see Side A Band live at 19 East. Wow! Its been 21 years since I last saw Joey G. sing but his voice has not changed a bit. Galing!

• August 2013 - Busy month! Worked on invitation orders while doing the website but I am #thankful. Hubby came home for a long weekend and we booked in another hotel for a much needed break. After he left, back to work which means Wordpress, Photoshop, printing and assembling of invitations. In the midst of busy-ness around here, I still find time to be with friends once in a while and I've been spending a day/week at Starbucks bringing my work with me. Its my way of finding my center and gathering my thoughts. I call it "a date with myself". :) Though I haven't been back to the gym, I've been running regularly 3-4x a week at 5K. This month, me and my BFF's had a mini reunion with our friend whom we haven't seen for 20 years! Typhoon Maring left some parts of my town devastated and under water. We were blessed enough to be spared but others were not as lucky. In this time of great need, I've seen how we, Filipinos, are ready to extend help to those who need it most.

• One last note, I DARED myself to finally join the rally #MillionPeopleMarch. I was not able to join the EDSA Revolution back in 1986 coz I was just 11 years old. But this time, I have to. I am fed up with all the corruption happening in my country and its time to take stand. And I am glad I did it.

I will soon be migrating to Wordpress and this blog will be transferred to a new domain. Hopefully it will be up by 2nd week of September 2013 (not 2014!). The blog header is a sneak peek of what to expect in my new website - a collection of all my loves, my passion. Hope to see you there soon!

Shop is NOW OPEN!

After checking out handmade online shops and even trying to put up a self-hosted online shop (my OC-ness kicked in and I wanted my own design of the entire set!), I still went back to good ol' Etsy! Its good for now for a number of reasons: established online portal for handmade sellers; secure payment via Paypal and easier to upload my products.

Take a peek at my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/aireescreates

I'll be adding more wallets and other handmade products soon. Kindly bear with me. Thank you for supporting handmade artisans like me. :)

Setting Up Shop Soon!!!

I used to have an Etsy shop but I wasn't able to maintain it for years because I wanted to focus on my handmade invitation business and family life. And besides, our mailing system in the Philippines back then was a pain in the neck, lots of red tape, sad to say but I think it has improved quite a bit and I can see more and more Flipino online sellers.

One of my goals for 2012 is to revive my Etsy shop but I am also looking into other venues like Big Cartel or my very own online shop. I've been out of the loop for quite some time in Etsy and I think I need to "review again" hence, its been quiet up here.

But in my collage wallet area, mojo is still up and I've been making them every week. I just haven't posted them up yet since I am in the midst of thinking where to sell them online. Anyway, here are 2 of my creations I made 2 weeks ago.

Collage Wallet #11 - Eiffel

Here's the close-up:

Collage Wallet #12 - Postmarks

Close-up:

To all who expressed their interest to buy my collage wallets, I will let you know as soon as my shop is up. Soon! Thanks for your patience. :)

Happy Weekend!

I spent the day reading a very good book in the nearby library I discovered today. Then I found this quote and decided to write it on my Starbucks journal and played with my Smash tape. I placed it on the week that I'll be home soon and I can't help but feel excited, re-energized and happy! I think it is much more effective to lift my spirits up than my last trip at Michael's. ;)

Have a great weekend!

Collage Wallet #10: Love in the Midst of Chaos

A few weeks ago, I was on an emotional roller coaster ride. I was hurt, angry, depressed and my self-esteem is at its lowest. Back home, its very easy to just get out and maybe talk to my closest friends but where I am right now, its not easy. To help myself, I pulled out my papers and wallets to create some designs. I didn't know why these images of hearts kept on popping in my mind. I am angry, yes. But why hearts?!? I began to think if I'm "bipolar"?!?!

I started cutting the cute red paper into hearts freehand. No drawing, no pattern. Just freehand cutting. And this is the result.

As I take another look at my finished work, I realized no matter how angry, hurt and depressed I am, I am still capable of loving. In fact, I still love te same person who made me feel this way. Then things become clearer in my mind...I began to understand better and accept some things I cannot change and acceptance without resentment is harder to practice but it is essential to a relationship.

On a lighter note, I feel better now. Still finding myself falling in love with the same person after 15 years! :) Wishing you all love, love, love everyday of ypur lives! Happy weekend.

Collage Wallet #9: "It's the Little Things"

Thanks, Vanessa! 

One of the best things that happened during my short stint at Made With Love, a scrapbook store in Singapore, was I made new friends at work. We were all passionate about scrapbooking and we understand each other when we palpitate on the sight of boxes of New Arrivals every Wednesday afternoon! :) One of 2 fellow Filipino co-workers I've made friends with at work is Vanessa. A very talented scrapper who always wins in online contests especially in the Prima Flowers challenge every month! Apart from her amazing talent is her positive outlook in life. She taught me how to always think that we have $$ even if our wallets don't tell (blame it to the 40% off promos at work!) that because that is how you attract abundance. Last summer, she gave me this stamp for my birthday.

Fast forward to July 3, while I was gathering papers for me next collage paper wallet, I came across the phrase "It's the little things" in one of the paper sheets. Another reminder for me, maybe, not to be overwhelmed by what I thought to be larger-than-life issues but to cherish the little things I have been blessed with. I've always believed that God sends us these gentle reminders when we need them most. We may not always realize them at once but surely they are not just coincidences. I hope that through this design, whoever will own this will be reminded what my friend taught me. :)

Collage Paper Wallet #8 - Pink + Teal and of Possibilities

Aside from vintage travel designs, I find myself drawn to English garden-designed papers lately. I love Webster's Pages papers that I was inspired to make a collage design out of them. During the process, the phrase "Be open to possibilities" struck me. My one little word for 2012 is actually POSSIBILITIES. I guess the Universe is reminding me to believe in the possibilities of my dreams.

Sometimes life's happenings has their way of sucking out the joy in us and we become closed doors to all the possibilities that the Universe can give us. This statement reminds us that every day is a new day, a new beginning and no matter what happened in the past, as long as we stay open, we allow the Universe to work in our lives in the best way possible.

Paris in My Mind & Tribute to Hey Kessy

This is my 7th Paper Wallet Design...whoohoo!!! :)

I've been dreaming of going to Paris and the rest of Europe for years now. I bought stickers, papers, stamps - everything Europe for my vision board. It may not happen this year but I will make it happen in my lifetime! :) Hello, Universe!!!

So to put my stamps in use, I decided to incorporate them into my wallet design and Hey Kessy washi tapes. By the way, Hey Kessy is my source for washi addiction in the Philippines, lol! ;) They have nice and affordable collection of washi tapes and their projects are enough to make you fall in love (and make you buy, haha!) these pretty tapes!

Collage Paper Wallet #6: Missing Loui....

I was on a roll in making the collages...I need to do this to keep me sane. I miss my children very much. Everyday seems to be a lost opportunity for me to spend time with them. But this is just temporary, I know. Though we keep in touch throughout the day, thanks to Facetime, iMessage, Photo Stream and emails, being physically with them doing things together like biking, walking with our Lab, Smirnoff, making assignments, baking or just watching TV together, is a lot different.

While going through my papers, I found myself drawn to these colors and I kept on thinking about my daughter, Loui. I don't know why...maybe I am looking forward to spending time with her, do girly stuff like shopping, watching movies, eat waffles and create art.

So here it is...a design I made with Loui in my thoughts and I'm sharing this with you.

Inside: Holds 4 cards and a paper bills

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!