A Craft Gathering

I met Mansy at Alessa's craft soiree two years ago. She was already running her online store Hey Kessy for maybe about a year then. Fast forward to today, her online store has its brick-and-mortar version along E. Abada in Katipunan. She gave me and Mikko a sneak peek a few weeks ago and I already knew how amazing it would look after all the finishing touches have been made. Apart from the store, she also opened her studio—open for craft workshops and exhibits.

Last week, she invited some friends to celebrate the shop's opening. Couldn't have been happier to spend my Sunday with like-minded peeps.

Check out the washi wall art! Super easy to do, but looks super cute, too! I want to do this on my bedroom door.

Mikko and Ninna picked me up early in the morning for Mikko's pressed flowers workshop (she's having another one next weekend, so head to her website to find out more details and register). I sat in the back with Mansy and did my own thing.

After a quick lunch break with Mikko and Ninna, we walked back to the studio and it was already set up for the craft gathering. Check out the papercut nameplates handpainted by Mansy. She also gave us rosemary to take home. Super in love with that jellyfish-flowerpot papercut piece in the background. Crazy detail on it!

Each of us had this on our side of the table. Tea from Tea Tox, hand sanitizer and mosquito repellant from A Vanilla Story, and the cutest "I'd Rather Be Crafting" stickers. There was also a paper bag with...

...clay plates ready to be decorated! Was really excited for this because I've been wanting to paint my own plates after buying a few pieces from Mansy's collection.

Used watered down acrylic paint and letter stamps on my plates. The smallest one was for swapping at the end of the afternoon.

My beautiful mess. Scroll down to see how ultra talented the rest of the guests were! 

All in all a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We had some refreshments after before we called it a day.

Thanks for having us, Mansy. And congratulations again on opening your lovely store. Till our next craft date!

Hey Kessy is located at 71B E. Abada St., Loyola Heights, QC. Store hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11am - 1pm, 2pm - 7pm.

Snapshot: What I've Been Up To Lately

My niece is growing faster and faster, and I'm just grateful for the few moments we get to spend with her. We took her to Ocean Park on a holiday and while it was actually my dad who got a kick out of the Oceanarium, I was so happy to see this munchkin giggling and walking around the place. I still can't believe she's already walking! Next thing you know, she's talking.

Got to attend the #DesignHerStory conference, where Marla was a speaker. Absolutely loved being able to spend an afternoon with such inspiring women. These gatherings need to happen more often!

Currently in love with my hand embroidered Bensimon sneakers. Thinking of still adding a few more details to it in the future, but for now, I'm quite happy with how my favorite French phrase of the moment (LOL) turned out. Love looking down at my feet and being reminded that "it's always the right time."

One of my favorite things to make is Chocolate Turtle Pie. It's so simple: a graham crust, chocolate caramel cream, and pecans, and yet tastes so rich. Love making it for family and friends!

What about you? What have you been up to lately? Let's catch up.

Same but different

There are billions of people in the world and no two are the same. Isn't that amazing? You are made from the same cloth: flesh, skin, bone, but you couldn't be more different from each other. And every day, you meet people who challenge you, make you think, keep you on your toes, and sometimes, inspire you to become an even better you.

Weekly / 07.20.2014

Music Monday

Ever since I read this article, I've been on a Garden State sound trip. Zach Braff's new movie Wish I Was Here also has a pretty awesome soundtrack.


Tasty Tuesday

Still thinking about the paella negra with aioli from this year's Yummy Eats. I clearly did not think my day through. After a couple of hours sampling food at the Metrotent (I didn't even get to make it to half of the list!), I had lunch with my college besties, which stretched on to merienda of coffee, macarons, and cheesecake. Eep. My excuse? PMS. Hahaha! It's always my excuse.

Wishful Wednesday

Hoping that I get to see the songs from Jason Mraz's latest album performed live. Maybe he'll swing by again? (:

Thoughtful Thursday

I've been trying to get back into craftier things these days. Luckily some friends indulge in my feeble attempts at typography and watercolor. Some illustrations I was commissioned to do a few months ago are about to be published in a book very soon. And I'm currently working on something fun for friends. Can't wait to see how it'll all come together! I'm happy to have discovered that a hobby is actually worthy enough to be seen by others. Hehe.

Fashion Friday

Got a pair of joggers on sale from Dorothy Perkins after catching a screening of She's Dating the Gangster with my friends from the office. Which, by the way, was not half bad. I truly feel that Kathryn Bernardo is Sarah Geronimo, junior (and I love Sarah G!). Little known fact: the seed of this movie was planted at one of our monthly reports. Haha! Crazy how it has snowballed into what it is now. CRAY! Also: the movie was totally a '90s throwback, making me reminisce about see-through beepers (didn't you have one of those, too?) and DMs (wish I kept my brown ones!). I am officially old.

#NowPlaying: '90s Girl

Back in the age of Napster, Audio Galaxy, and Kazaa (hahaha), I remember listening to all my faves and downloading my absolute favorite tracks even if I already had cassette tapes and CDs of their songs.



Back in high school, one of my favorite performances ever was when we danced to Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" for the school fair. Garbed in tank tops and the baggiest pants, we channeled baby girl's swag all of 4 and a half minutes after weeks of rehearsing. If I remember right, we watched the music video over and over again so we could copy the steps. Haha! We would eventually do this for other performances like Jordan Knight's "Give It To U," lol.

I missed the '90s so much that I decided to search for some of my favorite tunes on Spotify (love Spotify!). Which one's your favorite?

Currently / 06.14.2014

Been spending a few minutes between work, perusing beautiful blogs that make me miss writing here. Sometimes, there's just too much to do that I just completely forget that I have this little space online that has nothing to do with my everyday job. Allow me to restart this—again.

{ 01 Living in my black faux croc skin slip-ons lately, Topshop; 02 I've been a little lazy in the morning so I just brush on a bit of this True Match skin idealizing BB cream under my eyes and all over my eyes before doing a simple cat eye. It's a shade lighter than my "true match" so it kind of works like a concealer and highlighter for me, L'Oreal; 03 I know the rainy season is here, but I love the subtle glow I get from sweeping a bit of this blush on my cheeks, Happy Skin; 04 I can't wait for Jason Mraz's new record to come out next month! So happy he uploaded a few tracks, Spotify; 05 Starting a new series with one of my faves: Lee Pace, Halt and Catch Fire }

What are your favorites as of late?

My Dear Miranda Iris

It was over a year ago when I first found out about you. Back then, I wasn't sure how I felt about you. More than anything, I was scared. Afraid that things would never be the same once you came into our lives.

But I knew that those changes would somehow be for the better. I didn't know you yet, but I already knew I loved you.

When I first met you I was scared. Afraid that you were still too fragile to handle. You cried and cried until you felt comfortable, until you could feel the warmth of your mommy's skin, until you could hear her heart beat. I knew from then on that you would be my favorite person.

Everyone looks at you with so much love, and I can't blame them. You have brought so much joy into our lives that I cannot even remember why I was so terrified about having to welcome you into our family.

You've shown us how one person can change another completely. Your dad, the one who has been taking care of us all this time, is now responsible for you. And I know in my heart that he is his best version of himself because of you.

I wish for the same things for you, Mira. The same ones I wrote down on that card when you were still in your mommy's tummy.

I pray that the world you grow up in is kind to you. I pray that nothing in this world will ever hurt you.

I hope that you will always be curious. Always look at the things around you with bright eyes and wonder.

I hope you always remember to laugh and be silly.

I hope you always find a reason to smile.

I hope you're never afraid, and that you'll always have the courage to take risks.

I hope you always remember that you are loved.

I can't believe you turn one in a few days. Please don't grow up too fast. Ninang loves you very, very much.

Hello, I'm still here.

I can't believe my last post was four months ago. And this after a promise to take my camera out more so I could actually post more. Ah well, life happens.

I'm back because it's a holiday and I'm on what they call a staycation. Aside from the unbearable heat, I really don't mind staying home. Been able to catch up some shows, which is always a great way to spend a free day!

So what have I been busy with lately? Well, apart from the regular work I do, I've also been working on a couple of books since late last year. And this is how incredibly long ago my last post was: both books are done and out in bookstores!

I actually worked on this early this year with Alessa, Mansy, and Mikko. We shot all the projects in two days with Pat and Stephie, ever the speedy Gonzales, finished the layout so fast that we were done in a little over a month! It was a super fun project to do because the people I worked with were friends.

At first, it felt like a daunting task to come up with so many projects and shoot them all individually. But it can be done!

The second book, which was actually the first project I worked on, took a little longer to produce. It's Mikko's second bracelet book, but our first time working with our AD Tracy. I'm not sure if it was the logistics or if the steps for this project were a little more complicated than The Friendship Bracelet Book, but I'll admit I had a bit of difficulty working on this. It was always a wrong photo or a typo I missed. We couldn't get the packaging right. I could go on and on. But I guess good things come to those who wait (and well, edit to death. Haha!), because I still felt super excited when they finally handed me the final product.

I'm so happy that I get to work on books like these. I get even more excited when I see people actually buy them on try the projects. Here's hoping we never run out of ideas and that people will continue to appreciate what we make. (:

The Candy DIY Book (P175) and Knot About Cords (P250) are available at bookstores and magazine stands nationwide! Hope you can grab a copy when you can. (: