Oh craft!

Here’s a preview of some of the earrings that I delivered today in Pipino for this Saturday’s Craft Soiree event: (Click on each picture to enlarge.)

I got an email from Alessa Lanot last Monday and I swear, my heart skipped a beat! I am an Alessa Lanot fangirl, kaya nakakagulat at nakakatuwa at the same time na makakuha ng email mula sa kanya. Wheeee! I had to deliver twenty pairs of earrings before May 4 nga lang to be part of the craft exchange, so for two nights, yan ang pinagpuyatan ko. I made three pairs on the first night, I really couldn’t make anything dahil na rin siguro sa pagod. Kagabi, naigapang ko ang seventeen pairs! Yahoo!

♥ Dyosaimma

PS: I’ve never really had a “success story” when it comes to making earrings. I guess I’ve never really taken this hobby seriously. Pampawala lang ng stress, ganon. Forgive me for being this thrilled for this little project, which I hope will be the first of many, many exciting things. Wheeee!

Weekend!

For the first time ever, I am home alone. Hindi pa nakakauwi sila Mama so present tense pa rin yan ha. In fairness, fun pala! Take home work, done! That’s just the first of many things I was able to do for the past forty eight hours.

Nakalkal ko na naman yung beads and findings’ box ko at nakapagtapon ng kung anu-anong hindi ko naman na gagamitin. Pagiging basurera talaga ang calling ko sa buhay. Ang dami kong nakatagong papel at labels. Beads tsaka findings na lang natira ngayon. Wheeee!

Naalala ko ring marami akong beads na naghihintay para maisoot. Yan, perfect for summer: colorful wooden bead necklace, red glass necklace, purple mega pendant, glass earrings and Year of the Dragon charm necklace.

I have no left over laundry! Hahaha. First time yatang mangyari sa akin ‘to. Wheeee! Masarap maglaba ngayong summer kasi mainit, so ang sarap ng feeling ng nababasa. Tsaka pag nagsampay ka sa umaga, tuyo na lahat ng damit mo before dinner time.

Say hello to half of my version of rosemary chicken with chili. It’s like the adult version of Tokyo Cafe’s chicken stew, na ang tawag ko ay adobo ng sosyal. Basically, para syang chicken adobo without the vinegar and laurel leaves. Add some rosemary leaves and sliced siling labuyo. Isang pirasong sili lang ginamit ko though, kasi I didn’t eat it with rice and it was just an experiment. Putting a lot of garlic helps with the taste BTW. Go, try!

I also spent the weekend with Barney, Robin, Lily, Marshall and Ted! Amazingggggg. Natapos ko yung seasons one to four. Hihihihi. At Friday pa ko huling nagsuklay. May long weekend hangover pa ko!

♥ Dyosaimma

To cut corners, I got myself a…

…new toy!!

Wheeee! I got myself (again) one of those printers that you’d see in internet cafes. I don’t really consider this one as a legit move so I’d be closer to my dream business, which is an artsy-fartsy print shop. Actually hindi lang print shop ang gusto ko, ang nasa isip ko is everything crafty! Dream nga eh, edi dapat highest level diba. Anyway, I spend a lot on inks so I figured, might as well buy this type of printer. The warranty for the unit is void already though, kasi kakahuyin ng technician yan to have the CIS (continuous ink system) installed. I’m also not after really gorgeous prints kasi puro documents lang naman ang ipiprint ko mostly–worksheets, handouts and the like. I’ll be working with my own program/flow of lessons this summer at masarap gumawa ng worksheets pag maraming ink! (I’m so sorry my dear students, but you’ll thank me one day for this. Tough love, baby.)

I’m thinking about putting a sign outside our house that says, “PRINTING STARTS AT P3.00 PER PAGE.” Oha oha. Wala pa namang nagpapaprint sa street namin eh, pwede ko sigurong kalabanin yun. If I can print 100 pages at P3 each, bawi ko na yung P3000 na ginastos ko for my toy.

Halata bang matindi pangangailangan ko at entrepreneurial mindset naman ngayon ang theme ko? Oh well. Moolah, moolah, where are you? I promise I won’t let you go that easily next time.

♥ Dyosaimma

Playing with the ELF eyeshadow palette on a holiday

Me and my sister spent our midweek holiday playing with these:

I got the ELF eyeshadow palette over the weekend for a discounted price (20% off). I’m no pro with make up, but I’d have to say that the ELF palette is a nice toy for starters. The price is pretty steep, considering that it’s just a toy, but I was too scared to get one of those unbranded make up palettes that can be easily ordered online. I was walking on a footbridge one time and I saw a vendor with the exact eyeshadow palette that I always see online kasi. Pwede pa ngang palagyan ng brand dun sa footbridge vendor eh, kaya naghanap ako ng ibang options. (But that’s just me, likas akong maarte.)

No pictures of the eyeshadow combinations though. I was to giddy to play with my eyes. Chos.

Anyway, as I’ve said, the ELF eyeshadow palette is good enough for starters. It has really nice colors and it’s very easy to blend. It’s not as pigmented as other brands available in the market, so you’ll have to put on more powder if you want darker shadow.

As for our make up brushes, we were really happy with the Japonesque brushes that we got. Pero I’ll probably buy cheapo ones to play with. I heard that Marionnaud brushes are good enough (for the price). I’m also going to raid Landmark next weekend to get more brushes. I’m enjoying this eyeshadow crazy phase so far. Hihihihi.

♥ Dyosaimma

Because I’m poor, I made my own camera case. Poverty makes a person creative and persistent.

I’ve always wanted to buy one of these for my camera, Baby Gaga:

Pero dahil namamahalan ako, wala ring nangyayari. Baby Gaga already has a really nice bag. Kaya lang because of all the padding, DSLR bags are always bulky so it’s a bit of a hassle to bring sometimes, especially when I don’t have a car, o pag tinatamad ako. Kaya gusto kong bilhan ng neoprene case si Gaga.

Yesterday, we went to the Japan Home Center where almost everything costs P88 (may ibang P66). I bought a laptop sleeve for my old Toshiba laptop there at natuwa naman ako sa nabili ko. Well, for P88 naman kasi, wala ng room para maging choosy. So I had this idea na pwede kong sirain yung laptop sleeve dun so I could use the material for Gaga’s case. Yan ang napapala ko sa pagiging imaginative at ambisyosa.

Project Bahay ni Gaga is sooooo on. I couldn’t really bear shelling out more than a thousand pesos for a case with so little fabric, so pinagtsagaan ko na lang talaga. For those who wish to do the same, you will need the following: a laptop sleeve, or any padded material, scissors, ruler or tape measure, pen for marking, cutting mat, sewing machine and guts. As in hardcore lakas ng loob dapat ha. Hindi kasi pwedeng hindi ka pursigido sa ginagawa mo. Hahahaha. Sorry, sabaw.

This is how Gaga’s little house looks like:

Hindi ko pa alam kung paano ko isasara yung top part at wala pa akong material for the edges, but it fits Gaga, so pwede na rin. Diba nga, beggars cannot be choosers. The case is not perfect pero at least wala na yung urge na bimili ng neoprene case. Again, beggars cannot be choosers. Wala akong pera so wala akong reason para mag-inarte.

All in all, I spent P88 for the laptop sleeve na minassacre ko. It took me about two hours to get the whole thing done. One hour ko kasi inisip kung paano ko gagawin yung case. This is the story of how I made Gaga her new case:

1) I got one of those laptop sleeves from Japan Home Center. Not the cloth kind ha, pero yung padding talaga. Tinastas ko yung tahi sa sides.
2) I had to cut two rectangles that I used for the back part of the camera. The smaller rectangle is for the base.
3-4) These were the tricky parts, kasi di ko ma-imagine nung una kung papano ko tatahiin so I’d be able to form a box. Isa-isang tahi per side.
5) I secured the edges by sewing the sections together where it should be folded. O basta parang i-lo-lock yung tupi para tumayo yung camera case. While I was doing this, natuwa ako kasi medyo nagmumukha ng case yung project ko.
6) I had to cut another rectangle for the front part of the camera. I attached it to the existing open box that I’ve already made. Yan medyo may form na!

Wala na sa picture, pero I also cut squares to cover the part where the lens will go. Then gumupit ako ng isa pang rectangle that’s big enough to cover the top part of the camera (from the shutter part to the other end), take note na medyo may allowance dapat kasi mataba yung flash.

Hahahahaha feeling expert, nagibigay pa ng tutorial. Hihihihi. Ang chaka ng case ni Gaga at malayo sa thousand-peso cases na nabibili, pero pwede na, happy na ko. Wala na yung urge na bumili ng mahal na bahay ni Gaga that’s not too bulky so I can bring my camera more.

♥ Dyosaimma

Paper wallets project

One of my bosses sent me a text this evening and so I was reminded of the fact that the break that I am enjoying right now won’t last long. I’m kind of getting bored too anyway, but hey, nobody’s complaining.

After promptly replying to the text that I got, I checked our ref and saw that there were still a couple of cans of light beer left. Kaya nag-bonding kami ng paborito kong santo–si San Miguel! The thing is, whenever I drink beer, I morph into this extraordinary human being who likes to do accomplish things. Real things. (Yes, I have actually gone to class before, after downing a few cans of beer. It was one of the most stupid things I’ve done but it was fun.)

Kaya ayan, malakas ang bulong ni San Miguel. At makati ang kamay ko so I Googled “paper wallets” at ayun, naligaw na ako sa forums and blogs. Ang ending? Ito:

One of my students showed me his paper wallet months ago and I thought, “Kaya kong gumawa nyan.” YAN!! Hahaha. In fairness, madali lang pala. The wallets are pretty sturdy and can hold a lot. (Cards and bills.) If you want to make your own paper wallets, this is the best tutorial available online.

It’s best to practice with bond paper first para hindi sayang ang papel. Mas ok kung scratch, but make sure that its at least 80 gsm. Pag mas manipis kasi mas madaling mapunit. It can be pretty frustrating at first, pero masaya. I have students who are really good at doodling (they’re siblings), ayan may gift na ko sa kanila for Christmas.

Gagawa rin ako ng iba pang wallet, baka sakaling magically magkaron ng laman eh. Diba. Para mapressure ang perang lumapit sa akin.

Tomorrow I’ll be having a little field trip. Yun nga lang hindi pa namin alam kung saan kami pupunta. Oh that’s the fun part.

♥ Dyosaimma

Today, I altered my own jeans. Hihi.

I’m still enjoying my break and this is one of those rare afternoons that I’m home. Tirik ang araw sa labas at nasa loob ako ng bahay. Walang himala!! Wala lang kasi akong pera.

I was supposed to have my jeans altered today but when I asked how much the shop is charging for each pair, they told me na P120. Per pair. So dahil three pairs ang ipapaputol ko, P360 yun. And because I am poor, I decided that I can alter my jeans myself. I’m not a seamstress pero medyo marunong naman akong manahi. Yun nga lang mukhang gawa ng bata. So after I went to the bank (dahil minalas ako kahapon sa BPI Family Savings West Ave branch), derecho na ko sa bahay. Para manahi. Ha! Ha! Shit.

I was actually scared to start my project so I gave myself an hour to think. Tapos naisip ko, “What the hell, tahiin na yan!” Kung masira man, edi lesson learned. Kung hindi, edi maganda! Tsaka naisip ko, damit ko rin naman yun so keri lang kung ano man ang end product.

This was how my workstation looked like as I started with my project:

I was (am still) downloading episodes of New Girl so I had the laptop on. The light beer is for the guts to cut my jeans. Tapos naubos na pala yung tailor’s chalk namin so I used real chalk. I will wash my jeans before wearing them naman, so walang pangamba.

I’m slightly overweight (because there is too much bitterness in my heart CHOS). At hindi na rin ako tumangkad since 2001, kaya lahat ng pants ko kailangang putulan. Someday makakabili rin ako ng jeans na hindi ko na kelangang putulan, dahil swak na yung size sa haba. I fiddled around my jeans first and then I pinned the length that I preferred for each pair. It wasn’t that hard actually, siguro kasi meydo may advantage na ko because of the sewing machine that I used.

After an hour, I had these:

Three pairs of jeans, done!! I can actually make tiny bags from these. I used to make tiny cases back in high school from scrap materials. Actually kung anong mapag-tripan. Isa sa mga cute na projects ko nun eh yung cellphone pouch na Marithe Francois Girbaud ang print. Kasi may pouch ka pag bumili ka ng wallet dun, so mina-massacre ko yung pouch para makagawa ng cellphone case. Siguro over the weekend I can use these to make something cute. Practice na rin yun. Para hindi na laitin ni Mama ang tahi ko. Hahahaha.

I saved P360 today! At hindi na ko magtutupi ng pants. I would like to thank Mama for her sewing machine and for her skills na naipasa nya sa akin, kahit latak lang talaga ang nakuha ko. (Magaling manahi si Mama eh. Nakakahiyang tabihan.) I also would like to thank my EPP teachers sa St. Mary’s from grades 4 to 6. Do kids nowadays still get to do sewing projects? Call me old school, pero nagagamit kasi in real life stuff yung mga ganong skills, lalo na pag walang pera. Hahahaha.

♥ Dyosaimma

The doodle notebook project

It’ll be one of my student’s birthday this Sunday so I’ve decided to make a notebook for her. Hihi. Krisis eh. Kelangan maging resourceful at creative. The only thing that I had to buy was the paper that I’d use as the leaves of the notebook. My student loves to doodle (and she’s really good at it) so I bought vellum boards.

I cut the vellum boards crosswise first so I’d have a total of twenty sheets for the notebook.

My favorite part is this one! Hihi. Ang magbutas ng papel. (Thank you Fellowes Star 150 binder.)

I used a printed paper for the cover. To make the covers sturdy, I taped it to a board tapos nag-punch na rin ako ng holes. Manual ang pag-secure ko ng springs, wala kasi ako ng wire machine. Keri naman.

Masyado lang malaki yung springs ko! Hahaha. At ang konti ng paper. But yahoooooo! May notebook na akong panregalo sa student ko! Hihihihi.

The vellum boards cost around P20. Effort and thought: priceless. Hihihihi.

Ano ang silver lining ng pagiging poor? Nalalabas ang creativity, resourcefulness at thoughtfulness ng isang tao.

♥ Dyosaimma

I challenged myself to keep my desk “tidy” for a week. Oh dear.

Please do not judge me because my desk was this messy last Saturday morning, September 3.

I cleaned it up and I could not believe that my desk became this tidy after thirty minutes:

Nakakaloka. Keri ko palang maglinis ng desk. Yan medyo ginanahan ako magtrabaho dahil sa linis ng desk ko. (Don’t judge!!)

So I sort of challenged myself to maintain a tidy desk. Operative word is challenged. I took pictures! Syempre sineryoso ko yung challenge sa sarili ko. If I can’t be my own cheerleader then I’d have no one left! Hahahaha.

Tuesday, September 6.

Friday, September 9.

O diba. Keri naman. Hindi rin masyadong magulo yung desk ko kasi busy this week. So no time para magkalat. Hihihihi. Walang time para mangalikot ng mga bagay na hindi naman dapat kalikutin. Yan alam ko na gagawin para umayos ang desk. Hihihihi.

♥ Dyosaimma

 

Oh hello there, my pink running shoes.

This is one of those mornings when I decide to act more stupid than usual. Last year, I invested in a pair of pink running shoes that’s perfect for my flat feet. It was very stupid for me to throw that much money for a pair of shoes that I know I won’t be using that often, but it so happened that I’ve been waiting for this certain pair for months to finally come to Manila. So. There.

And this morning, I remembered how poor I felt after buying the shoes. UGH. So I decided to try to reunite with it.

A few hours after running a few laps around the basketball court, my calves are crying. And my legs are telling me how big of an asshole I am for running. Oh well. I’ll probably have to do this again more often, running, I mean, just so my calves and my thighs and my legs will get used to the whole thing. You know, running.

♥ Dyosaimma