For some reason, so many shops carry the same theme as ours... that of snowflakes. Our theme is a little diversified because I put a wreathe around the snowflake and it resembled a parol.
Walking around the malls, you'd find that Starbucks, Mango, Crabtree and Evelyn have this same look this year. I wonder why all the brainwaves have been pointing to the same direction.
To be in solidarity, I made some snowflakes today and hung them all around our home. I didn't put up the usual age-old decor that we have for the tree but rather put up paper snowflakes as well. Here I put them above our dining table.
My sister had the same idea but jazzed up her snowflakes by spraying silver over them and adding pictures. Neat idea!
The family just came back from an enjoyable 3 days at the beach. My brother in law Charlie was wondering why of all things to do, I was fiddling with beads and chains while my 2 other sisters were making artist trading cards.
I guess it just goes to show that our fulfillment comes through the work of our hands! I made quite simple pieces this time. They reflect the casual style I like, almost bohemian really. I've been trying to make more asymmetrical ones that convey a sense of randomness.I cannot make this piece again since I can't find the middle bead anywhere I look. The stone is quite expensive so it's really the centerpiece of them all. The funny thing about the earrings is that shortly after I finished a pair, the one got lost. After a long time looking for it and even asking St. Anthony to help me pray I find it, it was found by my sister who was cleaning up the house before we left. As I was taking a picture of it, the pair was lost again so my other "heart" is again nowhere to be found! Curious thing isn't it? This was the first necklace I made and my mother and sisters liked it. We might replicate this and sell in the shop. I made a nice matching bracelet and pair of earrings to go with it. It looks quite nice even with simple inexpensive beads and components.
The only splash of color I made was with this piece. It reminds me of Murano glass that can easily be found in Venice. It's so enchanting and playful. Here's another matching set that really goes well with any type of look.
Here's my attempt at having a double chain look that is so popular nowadays. It's still a simple piece held together by a very thin cord but the assortment of beads that do not repeat is made all the more special with the single plain chain I added. This is one of my favorites from the whole bunch. I used to like silver on everything but now I go for the vintage look this copper wire brings. I don't know where I found these wooden beads that don't let your wire through the middle. I like the fact that you can get an assortment of beads in one string and just see where the mix takes you!
In my trip to Detroit last month, I was just awestruck at one man's way of expressing his life change. I'm not sure what this place is called but it's pure art and it has a strong message.A man torn by drugs and alcohol finds a way out and as difficult as this transformation is, shares it with those who are still in its clutches. In the heart of the inner city where homelessness, prostitution, addiction and crime is rampant, is a "living space museum".Putting together scraps of metal and wood, he made homes into giant dramatic works of art.
Our guide to this strange drive through was missionary and songwriter Ed Conlin who is a lay brother from Servants of the Word. His life is dedicated to help rebuild the lives of the people of Detroit who have "lost their way". This is the first time I've seen street art this huge. It's quite powerful the way it is. My apologies for some of the pictures being so blurry. I wish I could have had more time to really look through them all but we had to rush to our next destination.
To continue our tour of the old Manila, here is a General Elwell Stephen Otis in 1898. He was the one leading the U.S. army during the Battle of Manila. Otis's response when Emilio Aguinaldo tried to stop the war by sending an emissary to General Otis to appeal for an end to the fighting in the Battle of Manila was, "fighting, having begun, must go on to the grim end.". We now turn to a more domestic scene. Two daughters help their mother wash clothes by balancing on a block of wood!
A fairytale sight was Luneta Park in the 1900s with ladies in dresses up to the ground and huge buildings in the horizon.
This is Pasig in the 1900s when the river was still clean. Today the Pasig river is still scarred from the traumas of the war. It is said that all of what was left of Manila when it was burned down by the Japanese and bombed by the Americans, they shoved into the Pasig river. Bodies and buildings were piled on top of each other and the river was never the same again.
Sampaloc, Manila does not have a nipa hut anymore. Concrete structures have long ago replaced these charming little huts.
The San Sebastian Church, shown here is the only all-steel church in Asia. It is near Hidalgo St. The church has a Gothic style and has been here since 1621.
Unfortunately, this tram has long been extinct replaced by buses and jeepneys littered all over the city.
Finally here is Malacañang when it had no need of a gate or guards. I hope you enjoyed our little adventures here!
Manila is my city. It is a bustling, vibrant city and much like the Big Apple, it never sleeps! During the 1800-1900s it was the place to be and had the highest standard of living! Here are some glimpses of vintage Manila! Binondo used to look this way like a rural community! It is now one of the busiest commercial places in Manila where a lot of stores are and not a square meter of space is vacant. Escolta Street, 1884, had European architecture adapted to the Philippine climate. People dressed up quite elegantly on the streets and I suppose the weather was not as humid otherwise attired with long sleeves and maria claras, fainting would have been rampant. In the late 1800s, the gate to Intramuros still looks as it does now. We have kept the kalesas going for the tourists only now there is a golf course surrounding the gate. Here is the gate to Fort Santiago. It curiously holds up a Freemason symbol. What is that all about? Incidentally, this is where my hero uncle has been laid to rest. He was beheaded along with others who wrote insurgent material against the Japanese government. You rock Uncle Dever Alejandro!
I'll post more Vintage Manila when I have more time.
Life is too short not to make art! I am so happy that the internet was discovered during my generation and that it's just evolving so much so that I enjoy expressing myself through it.
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