calej d'art

Feminized Frame

2012-01-28T11:23:00.000+08:00

Last December, a very good friend of mine gifted me with a frame and some pictures. The frame didn't match my room so I thought I'd pretty it up a bit. I'm sure my friend wouldn't mind.

I gathered together:

my glue gun with glue stick
cloth scissors
ruler
scrap cloth
ballpen
ribbon and rikrak (optional)

Step 1: Lay the cloth right side down and put the picture frame on top. Cut the scrap cloth in a size about an inch to half inch larger than your picture frame. You need to check it goes all the way around so it depends on the size of what you have. Also pick cloth that will be thick enough so the design of the picture frame underneath won't be seen through.

Step 2: With a ballpen, mark a small box inside, making sure it has the same measurement from the picture frame sides so you won't lack cloth to cover it.

Step 3: Cut away the middle portion and excess sides (if any).

Step 4: Dab some glue on one corner...

... and fold like so (below). Do this for all 4 corners.

Step 5: Now you need to fold all the sides and try to do this as neatly as possible. Check the front from time to time to check if there are any creases you need to smooth.

When everything is glued onto the picture frame, it will look like this. Hopefully yours looks neater than mine.

Step 6: This is for those of you who want to pretty it up some more. Glue some thin ribbon onto the edges to cover any wrinkles.

Step 7: Cover the inside edge with rikrak and you're done!

Here's the frame that totally matches my room now. It's a picture of me and my good friend Norie!

I hope you enjoyed crafting with me.

Saturday Stumbles

DIY Valentine Box

2012-01-23T17:20:00.000+08:00

Valentine's day will be here soon and it's never too early to prepare a special treat for your special someone.

Here's a project full of heart and earth-friendship.

It's a box made of cloth scraps and an old toothpaste box. It's fun and easy to make. It took me longer to un-plug the glue than to finish everything.

Good thing for me, I store away anything that might come handy in the future. I had a bagful of pink and lavender hued cloth scraps.

I patronize local brands so I go for Hapee toothpaste (not a paid advert;)

All you need:

old cardboard (from toothpaste box or anywhere)
cloth scraps (preferably with valentine colors)
ruler
pencil
scissors (1 for paper and if you have another 1 for cloth)
white glue
red duct tape
ribbon in matching color as your cloth pieces

How to:

1. Prepare the cardboard for cutting. With your pencil, mark on the middle section some boxes. My toothpaste box had the thinnest sections in widths of 4.25 cm so I marked them in equal widths to make perfect squares.

2. Keep making the boxes until you have something like a cross. 4 boxes lengthwise and 1 each on the side of the second middle box.

3. Cut your scrap cloth in the exact same sizes as the box squares. Iron out the creases before cutting. Look how pretty they all look bunched together.

4. Glue the cloth to the cardboard cross one by one and making sure it's neatly done. This will be the outer portion of your box.

5. Stick duct tape to the other side. This will be the side inside the box.

6. Punch 2 holes on the side notches...

... so you can place the ribbon like this.

7. Tie and put some goodies like some red kisses inside.

Your loved one will surely enjoy receiving something you made with much love and care.

Enjoy each moment of life!

http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/

Miracles Happen

2012-01-21T21:01:00.000+08:00

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Do you believe in miracles? I do and I am believing in faith that miracles will happen for me and my family this year. What do you want to believe and what do you hope for?

I made this cat today and it carries a message for you who are reading it. Yes miracles happen. They happen everyday really. There are big miracles and small miracles.

When I was little I used to go in and out of the hospital every month because I've had an asthma attack. Once I get a cold, it progresses to a hospital stay, no fail. The nurses would even say "Brave girl!" when they put the dextrose on my arm because I didn't get scared. I was so used to it.

But one day, my mother's heart swelled up and spilled over with faith she got from going to a prayer meeting. I felt the sniffles coming on and told her. She prayed over me for a while and afterwards said with conviction "You will go to school tomorrow." I didn't really believe it.

True enough, I did go to school the next day, and I've never had an asthma attack ever. I always remember this when I hug our cat so tightly, knowing that God healed me so I could enjoy life and share that miracles happen everyday to so many of us.

Thinking of my one word for 2012 as a {Faith Dare}from Faith Barista blog, I thought of the word "Encourage" because I want to do it this year.

I am the type of person who when faced with a blank paper with a dot on it, I'd focus on the dot and try my best to erase it rather than marvel at the predominantly clean page. Hopefully 2012 brings a change to all that and make me see more of the white than the black in life.

What's your one word?

Blessings!

Win a Framed Portrait!

2012-01-13T20:07:00.000+08:00

If you've never heard of the Sartorialist, then you're missing a lot of great photography and fashion.

Now you have the chance to win your own framed Sartorialist-styled sketches by none other than award-winning graphic designer and one of Channel News Asia's Asians of the Year Robert Alejandro (also my brother *beaming with pride*).

See more of his sartorialist sketches here. http://robertalejandro.lens.ph/the-sartorialist-sketches/

Winners get to send their full length photograph (it can be someone else as well).

All you need to do is to say "papemelroti" (easy peasey right?)

Here's how to say it right - - -

To join, send the link to your video or audio recording on Youtube (or elsewhere) and papemelroti will pick the best most creative one! E-mail the link to info@papemelroti .com

For those who don't know what papemelroti is, it's my most favorite ever gift shop in the world. Oh and I work there too! Check out www.papemelroti.com and see why.

Kindly do not send them the videos via e-mail as it will clog their system. Contest ends March 1, 2012.

This contest is open worldwide! They'll e-mail the winner and also announce it on their shop's e-Newsletter and Facebook so watch out for that. *Winners must reply within 5 days.

So, time to find your microphone.

DIY Recycling Old Calendars

2012-01-11T13:47:00.000+08:00

Woohoooo 2011 is gone and 2012 is here!

Welcome to this new year and goodbye to our old calendars. But hold on, don't trash these just yet. They can still be made into so many new things. Let's see...

This old calendar -

Here are some projects:

Start with the calendar backing like this -

Most calendars have a sturdy backing and particularly for this project, I used a calendar from the bank which had a stand in the bottom.

Then you will need some magazines that you can tear the pages of. Fold a page (accordion style) into 1/2 inch x length of magazine page and when you have the folded strips, roll them into different sizes like so -

- and then you can already glue onto the calendar backing to make this pretty picture frame!

Another project is a calendar clock.

You might have an inexpensive clock lying around which you've gotten tired of.

Bore a hole through the calendar enough to put the clock parts in. Get the clock mechanism and position on the calendar. You may use Number Rubber Stamps for the hours or you can use old buttons instead and position around the hands (like a regular clock). Decorate with cloth triangles at the corners to add interest.

Another project you can make is a collage "book" or cover for a journal. Get some pretty paper sheets. Music notation is especially nice to use. Tear them with your hands to make that nice torn effect rather than cutting with the scissors. Glue lightly across to cover the backing. You can add a picture or two (like the cat picture) and decorate with rubber stamps (again!).

Another nice thing to turn your calendar into is a Blessings Bulletin Board. Cover the backing with nice patterned paper (giftwrapper, wallpaper, cloth) and print out the word "Blessings" on cartolina. Cut the cartolina around and paste onto the board.

Place this board beside post-it pads so that when you have a blessing you don't want to forget, you can paste it onto the board! A good idea is to make one board for every month of the year. I'm sure you won't have much space left for all the blessings that will come your way!

If you'd like, you can also make this old calendar into a new calendar!!!

Use some white paint or gouache to paint over the backing so it will have a nice painted effect. Even if the page has written content, the paint will make it "blank" again. Print out the 2012 months using online calendar services like this.

Lots of notes and reminders on your desk?

Get some cork...

and do the Calendar Corkboard!

You can buy cork at bookstores. Attach using glue.

The calendar pages don't have to go to waste either. Just some folding and cutting and then voila! They're envelopes already! To make your folding nice, use a rounded pen at the edges so it's a nice clean fold.

Hope you enjoyed the many ways you can recycle calendars. I'm sure you can add some more!

Free Favicons

2011-12-30T21:24:00.002+08:00

Hello dears,

I feel just wonderful today because a loved one's operation went so smoothly. Thank you Lord! I feel like giving away something for the new year~!

Here are some free favicons! You may use them for your blogs or websites, personal or commercial.

If you aren't familiar with what these are, just look above to the top of my blog and you'll notice a cute yellow cat beside "calej d'art" - - - that's a favicon.

To save these onto your blog, just right click and "Save as" into any name you like. Then go to your blog dashboard then go to "Layout" and then click on the "Edit" in the Favicon section. You just need to upload any of these cute images so your blog url won't be so lonely up there.

Hope you like these!

*If you can put a link to me on your blog it would be deeply deeply appreciated. If not, it's okay as well. It's a gift without strings.

All the best for 2012!

click here for link

Last Minute Giftwrapping

2011-12-24T11:09:00.003+08:00

Ok, no time to run to the store for some wrapping? Grab these items and get wrappin'!

Brown Paper Bag
Newspaper
Plastic Bags
String
Twine
Old eraser
Stamp Pad
Scissors
Old lace
Old calling cards
Rubber Stamps
Cutter
Glue or Paste
(You won't need all of these)

What you do is wrap your gift up in brown paper bag paper then add a dash of newspaper.
Sprinkle with embellishments.
Use the back of yer ole calling card as the gift tag.
I carved out an angel from an old eraser and used it as a stamp. It helps that the Books for Less bookstore calling card I found (of a defunct branch) is also made of recycled paper so it matches my eco-friendly look.

You can use old bits of lace to decorate the somewhat plain wrapping of just brown and newsprint and just attach with bits of glue.

So here are the finished products. The principle here is not to throw anything that can still be used later on. I'm giving you a timely reminder to keep all the ribbons and paper that you will be getting this Christmas to re-using later on.

The gift on the upper right has a plastic bag ribbon. I just cut up a plastic bag into 3 pcs of 1" width strips (and whatever length your paper bag is). I then braided them for a cool ribbon effect. Sorry I forgot to get a close up! Tedious but nice.

The blue tie on the lower left is rope that I untangled for a nice fringed effect. The lower right gift has a red bow from an old cut up piece of clothing that I liked.

Wishing you the best Christmas ever! If you want to make this season more meaningful, give to those who need it most! Click here to help our countrymen who've been recently having a very rough Christmas.

Haven't got a gift for me yet? Oh just comment and it will make my Christmas! ;)

click here

The Magic that is Christmas

2011-12-23T21:29:00.003+08:00

Every year I feel like I'm getting younger, inside I mean. I am rediscovering the magic that is Christmas. I don't know what it is but even when the year isn't free of its cares and tragedies (storm Sendong in particular), I am happy. Quietly and calmly happy.

Here's my wish for you...

This year's advent season has me meditating on Zachariah and how his doubt made him speechless. Rather, the angel rendered him thus so. Do I sometimes doubt that everything will come together in the end? Do I sometimes doubt that God will do a miracle long prayed for? Does God know what He's doing? I must admit, doubts can sneak in. But the important thing is this. God still fulfills His miracle anyway. Zachariah's long standing wish for a son was fulfilled despite his lapse in trusting God's faithfulness.

I thought of how faith changes everything. How Mary's and Joseph's plans were all changed because they believed. Here's my twist on the nativity with a lot of patterns since I recently bought this neat pattern maker.

Here's another one I made with a more traditional feel.
*You may use these images for online greetings and such. Personal use only and if you can link back to me it will be much appreciated!

May this Christmas season ever fill you with more faith, more hope, more love! He is the Reason for it all. He is Emmanuel, God with us.

Let's keep faith in His promises as "He who began the good work in you will be faithful to complete it" (Philippians 1:6)

*A little appeal: This Christmas if you can volunteer, give or pray for the Typhoon Sendong victims in the Philippines, please do your share. Their Christmas is a tough one this year. Click here for more info on Sendong.

Papemelroti Giveaway

2011-12-05T20:31:00.001+08:00

Christmas is a time of giving and it's an opportune time to let you know that Papemelroti (my favorite shop of course) is giving away three of their newest pieces to three lucky winners!

You could win this Aviary Medal Bracelet.

or this

Periwinkle Dream Flight Bracelet

or last but not the least a

Bird's Nest Leather Cuff

These pieces are made by my sister Meldy. She is one talented jewelry designer. She also sculpts, sews, cooks, and is now a proud foster mama! Visit her blog here

It's so easy to join!

Just go on over to this page and post a comment saying what product of Papemelroti's you like best. Then we will raffle off the names come January. It's easy peasy. Oh did I mention that this contest is open to anyone on planet earth. Aliens can't join this time (too expensive to send).

I hope you all win! And I hope you are enjoying every minute of this season! Bless you! :)

Paper Roll Wreathe

2011-10-26T14:56:00.020+08:00

Stop, don't throw that away! Make something new and help the environment as well by not adding to the tons of waste materials in landfills.

There are countless ways to recycle the cardboard from a tissue roll.

For this project you need:

bathroom paper rolls (around 15 or so depending on the size of your wreathe)

scissors

glue gun and sticks

memo clips

box carton

pencil

a round bowl or plate

string or twine

To Do:

Cut the paper roll following the spiral line around.

Curl and roll into a rose, folding in or outside along the way to keep the bud from getting lost inside.

Glue gun at the center and at the back (take care not to show the glue in front of the rose). The back doesn't have to be beautiful. See...
Set aside to dry. Use memo clips to hold together. Make the other roses in the same way.
Make the base of the wreathe by holding down the round plate or bowl on a piece of box carton. Mark the outline with a pencil. You will now have a round pencil mark which you can use as the base of the wreathe.
Estimate about 2 inches all around from the pencil outline and make a circle inside so you can 2 concentric circles. Cut it out.
Tie the twine or string around the top of the wreathe base for the hanger.
Glue gun the roses all around on to the base and make sure you are covering the box carton. Let dry.
Hang up on your door and enjoy.

Variation: You may want to spray paint the wreathe white or silver. Put a ribbon at the bottom.

Today's Advice

2011-10-24T20:09:00.004+08:00

Won't you take a little time out today to think and see how your life is going in the grand scheme of things?

Do you stand tall in facing the adversities that pepper the daily grind?

Do you reward yourself with breaks each day or push yourself to the limit?

Are you focused on achieving and sometimes lose focus on friendships?

Do you believe that God is watching over you or think He's looking in the other direction?

Are you afraid of small changes? or big ones? Are you brave enough to try something new?

Hope you like my bits and pieces of thought today blended into my photographs. It's meant to disturb you a little but not a lot. Just enough to make mental notes of little life changes you want to make. Consider these today's advice for you. Bless you!

Yoghurt Pop-Up Card

2011-10-21T18:43:00.008+08:00

A good friend of mine does such lovely desserts. That's why we call her the dessert diva. She piles cupcake after cupcake, frost over fruit, cookie after crumble in an artful way that deserves another blog post by itself.

So on her birthday we decided to honor her with which dessert we thought she would be. One said she was Strawberry Shortcake. One said Tiramisu. Another the italian Panna Cotta. No one could beat mine though (in healthiness)... Yoghurt Froz!

This took about half an hour to assemble. It's a colorful card you can adapt to almost any kind of dessert or shape even. I'm sure you'll do it better than I did since mine overshot the card so I had to extend the card by adding a bit of paper (that looked nicer as a design element).

By the way if you're feeling a little bit hungry for sweets hop on over to Pink Sugar Kitchen (my friend Tricia's baking machine). http://pinksugarkitchen.atspace.com/

*Incidentally, I made her cutesy sugary sweet website! (which I hope you'll like) :)

Getting Lost in Spain

2011-09-06T22:18:00.016+08:00

I must apologize for my long hiatus. I was fulfilling a dream to travel to faraway Spain, Morocco and Greece! It was 40 glorious backpacking days with a date with 2 million people in between.

It was my first time in Spain and I had only my tattered souvenir fan from childhood as a first

impression.

Armed with my rusty Spanish and 4 loyal friends, we landed first in Barcelona. Our place was right smack in the middle of Las Ramblas, perfect! I marveled at the breathtaking architecture, and was specially enchanted by the old Boqueria.

I instantly took to taking pictures of details. I wish I could stop and stare longer but we couldn't spare the time.

Even the people were interesting to watch... I wanted to take a picture every 2 minutes!

More of my adventures to come...

Letter to My Father

2011-06-16T20:57:00.015+08:00

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for being the only one who said you'd want to watch 3-D King Kong with me when I was little. Thank you for taking me to the fair afterwards and riding the horror train with me, while shielding me from the man in the gorilla suit.

Thank you for spending those unforgettable Sunday mornings with pre-teen me and letting me play with your army tanks and singing with Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis and me. Thank you for never failing to fix things for me. Broken lamps, bathtub and the leaking loo, cabinet, the fantabulous thing in the basement (will make another post about this one) and more recently my doorknob. Thank you for being the McGyver in the family and never tiring of helping me find a battery, fuse, wrench, or loose screw (literally and figuratively).
Thank you for teaching me to love learning. You taught me to be a forever student of life. One is never too old to discover. You have taught many others this gift and they have made a living out of it.
Thank you for bringing history to life through your stories of the war. Thank you for bringing the present to me by being my radio, telling me what is happening in the world before anyone else. Thank you for bringing excitement to the future by the new projects you have yet to show us.

Most of all thank you Daddy for always making us laugh until our tummies ache! You're always "game" on Games Night and half the fun is just watching your expressions!

Thank you Daddy for being who you are in my life. Don't ever change! Stay as wonderful as you are! Happy Father's Day!

*I hope you like my gift wrapped in brown paper decorated with Papemelroti and Tim Holtz stamps. Thank you to Lucky Palm for the vintage photograph and Vintage Catnip for the border.

2011-06-12T16:12:00.005+08:00

Today is a special day for 3 reasons. First, it is our country's 113th Independence Day. We celebrate the freedom that Philippine heroes Apolinario Mabini, Gregorio del Pilar and Emilio Jacinto have won for us Filipinos.

More so we commemorate Dr. Jose Rizal, our peace-loving national hero on his 150th birth anniversary. His life was marked by personal sacrifice to ignite the Filipino's passion for independence. The third event today is the birthday of the Christian church. The beginning of Pentecost. "Pente" means "50" marking the 50th day of Passover. We've had 50 days of Easter, more than Lent's 40.

It is a deeply significant freedom that Christ won for us that day as He sent a mighty wind over the timid, anxious apostles and transformed them into bold warriors defending the cross and eloquent preachers of His life and Word.

His Holy Spirit now dwells within our hearts for those of us who believe and from Him we draw the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. He gave us a 7 in 1 deal on a permanently free promo offer!

Whenever we feel unsure, we can draw upon these gifts that reside in our heart and know that we are never alone.

We are truly blessed with abundance!

"Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance." - Matthew 13:12

I've been following the Lord since I was 16 years old and I've been extremely blessed at every turn. Sometimes I think I've seen everything, and have reached the ultimate limit to God's generosity. But this Pentecost, Christ promises even more abundance than I have ever known.There is more that He desires for us. He is not yet finished. For those that love Him, He has an overwhelming urge to give like a high-powered waterfall that never ends.

My sister Patsy gave a Creative Journaling session yesterday and this is what I made. I only used a permanent marker and a silver gel pen. We only had about half an hour to finish our journal entries.

It's really a big scribble but it's something to remind me of a truth that I must never forget. That there is no limit to what God can do in our lives and today all we have to do is to accept all He offers us and say "Yes Lord I want even more"!!!

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him." - 1 Corinthians 2:9

Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair

2011-05-17T08:37:00.005+08:00

What an interesting weekend fair I participated in with my sister Patsy and very good friend (and crafter herself) Sylvia G.

Knowing about it only about 3 weeks earlier, we thought, bought, produced products in a frenzy. May sister made pretty collage paintings, Sylvia made beaded watches and I made Earth Friendship bracelets made of upcycled plastic shopping bags.This was a weekend of many firsts. First time for me to participate and showcase these bracelets I made (to the world), first launch of this venue (and my first time to be here), first time my sister exhibited her paintings and Sylvia her bead thongs and watches. It was also my first time to sell my homemade lavender perfume.First it was an outdoor fair but when we heard the thunder sounds, we were instructed to move inside Resurreccion, the host house of this event. Resurreccion gives new life to possibly worn down common household items into new lovable things to cherish. This is where I first saw a computer monitor shell made into a lamp shade. Ingenious and fun!

Local artisans sold jewelry, stationery, paintings, hand-painted accessories, postcards, noteclips, curio items, pottery, even doggy clothing! Robert Alejandro, my brother has his own room filled with his work. My favorite pieces were the surprise matchboxes.
Jetro Rafael of Van Gogh is Bipolar Restaurant cooked up a storm in his mad lab and made our tummies happy with his healthy Pasta Salad, solidly yummy Potatoes and organic iced tea.
The first item to be sold was Patsy's painting of the woman who touched Jesus' hem and was healed. The flowers were her prayers going up to heaven. I really loved this piece of art as well. If it were in white pale muted tones I would have snatched it myself (since my room is in that theme). It's the painting on the utmost left side with woman's profile.So far as I know this is the first of its kind and probably the first of many more art fairs. I heard this might happen every month or every year. We'll see. Such a nice way to inspire and spark creativity in our country!

Thank you to my brother Robert and sister Patsy for the pictures! Thank you Sylvia for being there the whole time! Congratulations Alabama!

Resurreccion is at 10-A Alabama St., New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines

Visit Robert's Sketching Backpacker Blog at http://thesketchingbackpacker.blogspot.com/
Visit Patsy's Heartworks Blog at http://patsypat.blogspot.com/

New Life

2011-04-24T21:08:00.007+08:00

The tomb is empty! Our hearts are full! May the great joy and triumph of this Easter season be with you now and always! Happy Easter everyone!

This year I was tasked by our community to design the stage for the Holy Week Triduum liturgy and my heart went pitter patter as I contemplated on the year's theme from Psalm 16.

It is a great honor for me to be chosen for this task as more than a thousand people will be seeing it and it will either help them or distract them on these holy days.

As I thought more and more about it, my mind fixed on trees and a verse from Psalm 1, one of my favorites, came to mind, "Blessed is he who delights in God's law... He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

This year is a call to greater fruitfulness in my life so I felt I just had to put a tree in there somewhere. The thing is, I've never really seen trees associated with Lent and Easter so it was all up in the air until my sister Peggy who has been designing the stage areas for years now told me she also thought of a tree concept for a future stage concept.

Nevertheless I still made choices for the organizers and let them decide. Here was my first design...which due to constraints, could not be accommodated. I so grudgingly let go of the grunge textures I wanted to use :)Next, were the succeeding day's themes, which initially, only needed a few revisions. Here's the design onstage...The stage turned out this way...
This was my first time to conceptualize an altar of repose and I thought of it as one of the trees in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was apprehended by the soldiers. Have you ever thought about how Jesus' passion started in a garden and ended in the garden tomb? I've been thinking a lot about it and wondering what God's purpose was for doing that.Could it be that the garden symbolizes Eden where the first man Adam fell away from God through sin? Could it be that Jesus is the new "Adam" who has restored us back to God the Father's original plan of being a family with us after all?

This season must be a season for me to learn humility and letting go since a few days before the celebrations began, there came about a need to change the theme of one of the days. Instead of the tree with roots, this was the new graphic...
Here's the actual stage...*Thank you to John Rich Villas for the stage shots! Click here for his pro portfolio.

The time came for the liturgical celebrations and seeing the images I drew warmed my heart. I'm not really sure if they helped anyone else to focus more deeply.

All I can say is that when the Gloria was sung and all of the community started singing praises and thanksgiving with loud shouts of joy I felt the victory of Christ's resurrection! Bells and trumpets sounded, resounding clapping all around and exultant songs rang through the whole place. God was surely present in our celebration.

It was also a wonderful thing for our community to have guests from Union Church. It is a first for us Catholics to welcome the members of their Protestant church and be one with them in praise and worship! Indeed may we be one!

He is risen! Let us rejoice knowing that He walks with us today, not just thousands of years ago but today, here and now He is continually drawing us closer and closer to His love! Alleluia!

OWOH 2011 Wins

2011-03-19T14:59:00.010+08:00

In this year's OWOH I've been blessed to win 2 prizes from across the oceans!The first masterpiece to arrive was truly awesome!
I'm so very honored to receive one of Rosie Schirrmeister's art work from Germany. Her blog is here.
I've never seen an ATC book before so this is really special. It's so beautiful and brightly colored with provocative laminated ATCs inside. I don't know how she made the images, if it's drawn, printed or stamped on because they are all so evenly black.The back page is my favorite. It says "There exists a place within each of us that holds the secre to transmuting the normal and boring into unique ecstatic frenetically chaotic beauty. What is the landscape of my being?" and "embrace imperfections" at the bottom.Yes this surely got me into thinking as I've never before about the landscape of my being. If ever, I'd say it would be filled with trees beside streams of living water from my favorite Psalm 1 (and for sure cats are darting all about it!)

She also gave me a handmade postcard with a picture of an angel-like intellectual being melded into a sun background. Thank you so much Rosie!
The next prize arrived at almost the same time. It was from Tatting Goddess herself Gina Brummett from Indiana, USA. Her blog is here. When I received these intricately made tatting earrings, I was wearing something yellow so everyone said it matched and that it arrived at just the right moment! Don't you love it when those kind of things happen?
Along with the pair of earrings was a delicate pink tatting bookmark that seems too exquisite to use!

They're so beautiful up close, trust me. Gina you are so talented and luckily for me, generous too!
Thank you ever so much for yet another wonderful OWOH experience Lisa Swifka! I now have so many more sites to follow (and discover) and very much look forward to the new event next year!

Blessed Sunday everyone!

Braided Beads

2011-03-19T14:37:00.007+08:00

How are you all? I'm hoping you're right smack in the middle of a lovely day. I am. I'm resting from usually jam-packed weekends with back to back appointments.I had some time this morning to fiddle around with bits of beads and strips of recycled material (this can be anything really, leather, plastic, cloth). Here's what I made. First came the anklet. It's waterproof yey!Then came my fave piece, something I call the purple paradise bracelet. I love these little beads that I purchased in an assortment all tied up together in a beads shop.
By this time I was totally hooked! I thought how would it look if I added paper beads that I made previously. The color scheme could be improved I know but I only worked with what I had.I was pretty sleepy by the time I was finishing up my last (quite simple) piece which has 4 instead of 3 strips to braid. A very addicting craft project that would be a lovely memento to give to a friend. Something of a variation on the Friendship Bracelet. Indeed all our lives are intertwined in some way and we have the gift to share the joy as well of sorrows of others.*My heart goes out to Japan nowadays and pray for the rebuilding of their devastated cities. May we all do what we can to lend them a helping hand.

Be blessed!

One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-30T20:13:00.018+08:00

Hello and welcome everyone to calej d'art. I'm calej, the resident artist and I hope you will enjoy your stop here during the worldwide tour on your OWOH adventure!

♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫ Congratulations to Cathy, my newest dear friend from Tennessee, who makes beautiful collage art! Her blog can be found here. ♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who joined my raffle! I wish I could give each of you these prizes to share the love! Each of your comments have warmed my heart and have blessed me ever sooo much. From the bottom of my heart thank you and please do come back again and visit from time to time. Remember that OWOH has made us all forever friends!

♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫•♥•♫

This is just a blog of all my artistic outputs whether it's something ordinary that I turned into something useful, photographs, drawings or something I find beautiful that I would like to share with all of you. I'm from one of the 7,100 sunny islands of the Philippines! How's the weather over there?
If you're new to Liza Swifka's OWOH, click here to find out all about it. I'm glad you joined this year because it is actually the very last one (teary eyed!). OWOH actually introduced me to the world of blog candy and ever since I've been extremely blessed to win a good number of delightful prizes over the years.

Now onto my prize! The lucky winner (whom I will pick through a random number generator) will win... tadah.... a vintage clip set, a necklace, a ring and... a bracelet with designs by none other than myself woopeeee!

Here are some of the pictures of these goodies...
Vintage Musical Note Clips could be yours. This is for those who have a lot of music in their hearts or for those who need more of that!

Life is truly beautiful don't you think? I made this design to remind us all how wonderful this life is. Wear it and be mindful of it too. It also has a crochet and metal flower along with it but sorry it wasn't seen in the picture. That must be a surprise for sure!
The winner will get to pick one design from these Bubble Rings! These sure make me happy just looking at them!

Last but not least is my forever friends bracelet. When this comes to you, you'll know you'll have a forever friend in me! Sorry it's cheesy!

To go see the other blogs and get a chance to win their goodies, click here

Blessings and enjoy your OWOH experience!

I Won! I Won!

2011-01-16T16:39:00.004+08:00

Today is the Feast of the Sto. Niño (Holy Child) and it is but fitting for me to post this very delightful retro child-themed journal. It was made by Heather Robinson from Canada! She is the heart and mind behind Creative Solace a crafty artsy blog! Isn't she fabulous?She sent me a note last May 2010 about my winning this blog prize but I only got to post this now because up to now I have not replaced my digital camera. I'm thinking of getting a Canon S90 or a DSLR (but that is so bulky)! For now I just borrow from my sister. Which is why I was able to post this night shot of my winning journal!

I hope I am able to make a decision soon about what camera to purchase as my trip to document World Youth Day looms nearer and nearer every day!

Have a blessed day! :)

Christmas Presents

2011-01-09T19:43:00.002+08:00

I know my post is way too late but I still want to celebrate my Christmas presents.

This is the first one I want to blog about. It is a parol designed by ATD foundation volunteers as a livelihood project. Looking at it closely reveals they used beautiful patterned tissue as patchwork material for the parol. You cannot find this type of parol anywhere else in Manila. I proudly hang it on my wall. Oh it's a gift for myself.

Here's my next featured gift. It's actually the box of a necklace my brother got for me. It's the first thing ever that I have that is from the South of France (discovered from his travels). My brother made an exquisite collage with a little cat bead from Greece! I just love cats! He really knows me!

Stationery Covers

2010-12-12T09:35:00.007+08:00

Here's what I'll be giving my friends this Christmas! Before I send them on their way, I wanted to "keep them with me forever" (or as long as this blog is in existence!).

I used recycled materials for this project. Scrap cloth, cardboard, buttons, ribbons and old stationery I have lying about.

I cut out some cardboard out of old boxes (from the grocery or from packaging) and then cut a folder shaped size enough to hold my pad or notebook. I left about half an inch margin around. Then I scored it for neat and easy folding.

I then made a similar "folder" for the inside. Then I covered the outer portion with cloth (like you do when wrapping notebooks with plastic for school). Then I did the same thing for the other "folder". Afterwhich (is that a word?) I glued it all together!

Oh I almost forgot, before gluing it together, I slipped in the ribbon for securing it later or the garter inside (if it's a notebook). Embellishing it is the fun part. I used cloth flowers, picture frames etc.

Do you like it?

Art Heart & Healing Self Portrait

2010-11-08T20:57:00.004+08:00

It's a real joy to join this online art workshop entitled Art, Heart & Healing. Artist Tamara Laporte teaches different methods she uses to create such beautiful pieces. Everyone there is just awesome! Participants work is fresh and fun and unrestrained expression. Support and admiration abounds.

I created this affirming self-portrait though I must admit she doesn't look an inch like me but bah who cares right? Her eyes are green while my eyes are brown. Her hair is brown while mine is darker brown but this is the she I thought I'd make and I'm pretty happy with her.
If you'd like to join the workshop it's not too late *ever* as Tam has posted the videos indefinitely. Click here to learn, get inspired and even heal! :)

Messages in a Bottle

2010-09-27T18:29:00.004+08:00

A very good friend of mine celebrates her public commitment to our Christian Community! To welcome her and honor her, we made little notes on how we see God working in her life and how she is such a blessing to us. I put it in a glass jar, covered it with tea stained lace and ribbons with fabric flowers that I made the night before the event. I also asked people to send their greetings (all last minute!) and they sent theirs promptly. They're so cooperative! I calligraphed the messages onto the beige textured paper. My friend Mavi (that's her name) said she loved it! That is a nice reward indeed!

Birthday Blessings

2010-09-25T11:58:00.007+08:00

I'd like to feature my sister Patsy's artwork here in celebration of my birthday this month!

I thank God for the happy surprise I had the morning of my special day. Three of my closest friends came by and bought me a healthy breakfast. Whole wheat bread, cranberry juice, soy milk, fruits, granola bars and whole lot of loving! Thanks dearest friends!

She made this not knowing it was going to land with me! Wow what a surprise! It's entitled a Pocketful of Miracles. You can visit her blog at Heartworks She makes such wonderful things and she's also so supportive of my blogging! Thanks Patsy! :)

Acrobat

2010-09-19T11:25:00.005+08:00

Life is like an acrobat. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down.

I was with some ten or so moms the other day talking about children, raising them, earning some money while you're at it. They were all good moms whose dreams were mostly to see their kids through school. College seemed a distant reality for them.

In many ways these moms are jugglers, tightrope walkers and lion tamers in their own right. They juggle responsibilities, try to get on the good side of their tired husbands and tame their riotous, at times, wild children.

I feel quite privileged to have the chance to listen to their concerns and try to help in whatever way I can. Looking at their lives, it could have easily been my own, depending on where you are born, where you land in life.

At this stage in our life histories, we have all been brought together by God for a purpose. To what end, I can only guess, just like the acrobat.

Hope you enjoy this week's ramblings as part of my Illustration Friday's entry. Please let me know how something about your life's circus!

Proverbs: Illustration Friday

2010-09-15T22:03:00.003+08:00

This is my first ever submission to this awesome fun site Illustration Friday. I must admit this is a pretty late entry and might not even be considered but I'll just go ahead and try anyway.

Have any of you submitted drawings there?

Proverbs 23:7 is one of the scripture passages that I've been reflecting on a lot lately. It emphasizes how powerful our thoughts are!

Imagine yourself as beautiful, intelligent, kind, caring and loving and you will be all these things!

But the opposite is true as well. Think yourself ugly, dumb, yadiyadiya and you will be all these things too!
Better think good thoughts then!

Well did I get in?

The Filipina

2010-09-14T18:53:00.003+08:00

I am a proud Filipina. I am a Pinay, part of a great people.

This is a tribute to one of the most long-suffering of all women. She is a superwoman. She does everything she can for those she loves. She is a hard worker. She is gentle and soft spoken.

Many things may get the Filipina down. Oftentimes she is faced with struggles she has no control over, a time vacuuming traffic jam, unforgiving heat, woes with the powers that be and lines at the lady's loo. But the Filipina smiles everything off and flips her long silky straight hair. Off she goes gliding confidently to the future, a bright future.

Kindness is King

2010-09-03T20:58:00.005+08:00

Today I was a recipient of kindness. Someone gave me a name. Someone answered my request. Someone said thank you.
So many people smiled at me today. A car stopped so I drive ahead.

Someone helped me find a phone number. A receptionist chatted with me to pass the time. A kind woman listened to my story and assured me of a brighter three days ahead. Someone didn't reprimand me (even when I deserved it). A lady told me I looked pretty when I felt so flawed.

A drugstore salesman helped me find everything I needed. A security guard pointed out the salt. Someone cooked for us a recipe I looked up. My mom sheltered me with her big umbrella. A friend said she would pray for me. Another friend said I should pamper myself. A kind priest waited patiently for us. He listened, encouraged, advised and blessed us.

There is so much kindness in each day if only we have have the eyes to see it.

Some fabulous giveaways!

2010-08-17T21:06:00.005+08:00

If you're like me, a giveaway win is such an encouragement to join other giveaways! Well I just won a surprise prize from Purplecat's Corner! Her paintings are some kind of wonderful and so gorgeous, you'll surely be a follower.

This week, I joined these fabulous giveaways!

Let's Ink it Up is offering some darling stamps from Kathryn Myhre to simply go gaga over! Visit Kathryn's site at KLM Digital Designs and Clear Stamps too!

Such a generous giveaway awaits at L O L O. Her site has reached 300 followers already! Congratulations Lori!

These are international giveaways! Weee! :)

My Little Nature Book

2010-07-22T20:46:00.005+08:00

My parents never cease to amaze me. I came home with a copy of my newly published book(let) about Nature and showed it to them. I underestimated their reaction of delight, appreciation and imagine that... pride!

They kept on asking where I got the talent and I reminded them of both their fathers who are writers! My mom's dad is the Father of Visayan literature or so an article I read once said. My father's dad on the other hand was the first Methodist bishop in the country and was a prolific writer.

Not that this little book qualifies as a "book" book. It's a tribute to one of the caretakers of my childhood ... Mother Nature.

When I was young I would often explore the neighboring fields of grass and trees. At the time, our neighborhood was filled with empty land since our family was one of the first "settlers". I would while away my time in our garden (as big a space as our home).

I used to think that our garden was such a waste due to its size. But as I grew older I saw the wisdom of my parent's ways in keeping all that greenery around us. I loved discovering what was under rocks and habitually climbed trees (without my mother knowing!). Nature indeed, or God through the grass, butterflies and flowers took good care of me.

My moments swinging amidst the birds, grasshoppers and bees were moments of pure tranquility. I was a in a world all my own and I treasured it.

My book is a bit of a journey to that place again meaning to share it to the young (and not so young) of today. Many kids spend most of their waking moments in front of the computer or ipod without realizing how much they miss.

Each page contains an activity you can do outdoors, whimsical illustrations and an inspiring quote. I'm wondering if a copy of this has been sold yet... I'll check tomorrow. It's printed on 100% unbleached earth-friendly kraft paper.

Here's wishing that you will experience as well the irreplaceable joy that Nature brings. Bless you!

Impossible Dreams

2010-07-20T20:53:00.004+08:00

All of us have seemingly impossible dreams that reside in the deepest most treasured corners of our hearts. We may speak of it or hold it secret but they are there without a doubt. We are sometimes tempted to hide them away so as not to be disappointed.

But dreams are there to be dreamed and we must call them forth and keep trudging along towards them. Dreams are seeds of the impossible that need to be nurtured and waited on for a full harvest at an unknown hour.

Here's to your dream and to the steps you take to come closer to them. There is a book that says "When God puts a dream in your heart, anything is possible". That I believe is true!

"If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to your mountain, "MOVE!" and it WILL move... and NOTHING will be impossible for you!" - Matthew 17:20

Power Statements

2010-07-15T21:17:00.006+08:00

I get much encouragement from scripture. There is something in me that instantly gets warmed and strengthened whenever these power packed verses come into mind. Consequently, I want to constantly be reminded of them throughout my day.I've made these simple scripture designs for my phone and would be delighted to share them with you. They are for your personal use free of charge. Just drop me a little comment if you plan to use them.I made a little change in this verse. Hope the Lord won't mind...
My phone is a Nokia 5310XpressMusic and it has a rather large screen which is perfect for daily reminders. If you wish I can resize them for you. Just give me your phone's window size.
To use, simply right click on the image and save to your computer. Then you can use a cable or bluetooth to transfer the image to your mobile phone.
Let me know if you find these useful and I might have the energy to do some more. Bless you!

I Goth my Prize!

2010-07-08T18:45:00.005+08:00

Have you ever seen Fairy Dust in your life? Well thanks to faerydustpixy now I have! ;)
Faerydust owns Coffin Critters, carrying whimsical art for the goth at heart. My prize for joining her May giveaway arrived in the mail and it was so much more than I expected. Of course yes the faery dust captured in a vial necklace arrived...But wow (!!!) now I have some metal feather earrings from nitebirds and an interesting keychaing from Gossamer Graphics made out of molded plastic. Very very pretty!
You must be wondering why my pictures are very odd. It's because my digital camera's macro mode got stuck and everything I take has to be super close up! I think it's quite odd but it's still a picture!
While shooting these things out in the lawn, our new cat Goldie kept getting in the way! She kept on looking into the lens, blocking the view, stepping on the loot and all the while meowing loudly! That's Goldie!
Congratulations to meeee!!! Thank you dear Faerydust!

Diva I Doodled

2010-06-25T12:31:00.004+08:00

You know how sometimes you just have to doodle? This time I doodled away on the back of my shipping receipt.

Sometimes you just have to doodle and you don't have any decent paper on you. This piece of paper was for a package I sent to a province called Samar.
I think this lady looks like the sensible type who would cut her hair when the weather gets too hot and would wear comfortable shoes and clothes no matter what era they came from.

Her dress has a retro pattern but it's kind of groovy. I hope you like her. I call her the diva I doodled.

Thinking Contemplating Reflecting

2010-06-23T18:50:00.002+08:00

I've been thinking... and thinking... and thinking... It's really not hard to do. It's one of my pastimes, it may be yours too.

Numerous studies prove that thinking is a skill that some lose and some perfect through time and through the correct usage of the brain.

I have not perfected the art of thinking though. I can imagine my dendrites growing leaves whenever I learn something new and I savor the thought so that it lingers on the trees of my memories.

Les Fleur et Porchette

2010-05-15T14:11:00.004+08:00

Excuse my lousy french for "Flowers at our Porch". It's such an inspiration to step out of our home every morning and be greeted by the happy flowers outside. They all seem to like greeting everyone so cheerfully just by their beauty!
It's ever so right for me to honor them with a post all to themselves. It's not a common thing to have ever so bright and bountiful flowers in abundant chorus. It's something I'm deeply grateful for. Finding out their names, here they are...

Free Blog Backgrounds!

2010-05-11T20:55:00.009+08:00

Easily have a whole new blog look by picking from my 3 free backgrounds!

How to do it?
1. Just go to "Customize" at the upper right hand corner of your blog.
2. Pick "Pick a New Template".3. Choose "minima".
4. Go to "Edit HTML" and then scroll down and look for this part ...(highlighted)
5. Replace the URL of the background with these URLs (just cut and paste)...

Free background URLs:

Dream Denim
http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu247/calej/Vintage%20Shop/Site%20Themes/denimdream.jpg?t=1273583084

Musical
http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu247/calej/Vintage%20Shop/Site%20Themes/musical.jpg?t=1273583138

Stripey
http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu247/calej/Vintage%20Shop/Site%20Themes/bk_stripe_pink.jpg?t=1273582401

6. Preview and save if okay with you!

Enjoy your new blog's look!

Share this freebie set to others by posting my "Free Blog Backgrounds" image and linking it to this page! Bless you!

Link to the image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qk0r5vDqO4Y/S-4-7JpWWzI/AAAAAAAAAZw/a4oSKqbpi2A/s1600/free+blog+link.jpg

Link to this post: http://calej.blogspot.com/2010/05/free-blog-backgrounds.html

Never stop creating! :)

Wearable Art

2010-05-11T18:45:00.003+08:00

Artists like me love wearable art. It gives the designer a chance to showcase his work with a walking "gallery". At the same time, it also makes the one wearing the piece feel like she is making a fashion statement.This is my wearable art, a collage glazed onto a metal backing and hung on creme leather cord for all to see. Simple yet an expression of what I felt at one point in time. Wearable art rocks!

A Thing for Rings

2010-05-11T18:28:00.004+08:00

I go crazy over rings some times, mysteriously drawn to trying it on my finger. I find it quite tragic if it is too large or too small! That is why I have excitedly turned to making rings for myself.Bought a metal ring mold to shape the rings perfectly into my size 6!
Simply put I'm learning the art of ring making. It's tricky, it's new, it's fun, it's puzzling, it's such beautiful work! I mean even if it's not perfected, I still love my work! That's important I think.
The beads I used are from old pieces broken up and made into new ones or from bead shops here and there.
Tools are essential I've found and I need to learn more. I'm wondering if there is a site I can find more information about perfecting this craft, need to google it in the future.

Wallpaper Project

2010-05-11T18:08:00.005+08:00

Free days are simply heavenly! I had absolutely nothing on my schedule book and it made me giddy to think which project I wanted to do first!Since we have a surplus of wallpaper stock, I decided to think of different ways I can make use of it. Looking around me, I was struck by the oldish look of my Ikea digital clock. The yellow color looked cloudy and it didn't match the pale tones of my room.

It used to look like this... (image by Uselog)

But after I wallpapered it, here's how it looks!
I particularly like the lace I used as it is not too common to find around.

Next thing that didn't match on my desk was another old item that has been with me for years. It is a metal canister I keep non-writing ballpens in. What will I do with those? Oh you never know...

Here is the metal canister with the cloth covered magnets I won from OWOH! Aren't they delicious enough to eat!
I also covered up the back of one shelf with wallpaper but it didn't really match the color of the shelf since it was dark brown so I didn't post it! It doesn't bring much joy! I will have to look for more ways to use wallpaper. Got any ideas? :)

Victoria

2010-04-30T20:21:00.005+08:00

I love women with a positive attitude. They see the bright side of everything. It's not an effort for them to speak confidently and optimistically about anything.

When I was little, I used to draw a lot of women and write down stories about where they live, what they do and their personalities. I miss this pastime of mine and thought I'd bring it back today. I was thinking of posting my old illustrations but finding them will take some doing.This is Victoria. She is a noble and truly Victorian woman. Every time she speaks, the air becomes a little cooler, the flowers bloom rather than wilt, the sun shines all the brighter and the birds sing songs a bit sweeter. Her words empower and encourage.

She likes gardening and feeding the neighboring birds with seeds (though she knows that is spoiling them).

She is rich with the virtues of humility and modesty. She weeps at others' misfortunes. She keeps believing in her heart that she will find good things in the people of today. Have you met someone like Victoria?

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."- Prov 31:10-31

A New Look for Papemelroti Online

2010-04-21T21:49:00.004+08:00

Since I was 7 years old, I was already working for our family business and fortunately I stuck it through since this job is the best! I didn't always feel this way, as all teenagers feel the need to stretch their wings and discover new horizons. But by fate, destiny or pure fortuitousness, I am one of the artists at a local chain of specialty gift shops called "Papemelroti".

It's quite an unusual name for a shop I know but that's what happens when a narcissistic streak hits some young 'uns. I was nowhere near coherent being a toddler when they decided to name the shop after the first syllables of the children, from eldest to youngest.

Therefore the names Pa-tsy, Pe-ggy, Mel-dy, Ro-bert and then Ti-na became the ingredients for the Italian sounding but very Filipino store "Papemelroti" (stress on the "mel").

Today I revamped the main pages of our website and it took some doing. If you browse around you'll see that only the links from the main page have been updated so there's still about 500 pages to work through aaaah!!!

Website authoring is such a fulfilling task if only I could have doubled, tripled time to work on it! Alas I still have to fill orders, design new paper bags and prepare for Father's Day displays! That's how advanced my schedule is. It isn't even Mother's day but I'm already thinking about Father's!

Here's what I made today... the front page...It has somewhat of a vintage feel or at least that's what I'd like to think!

Here's a sample of the inside pages...It looks less cluttered (hopefully) and has a better focal point.

The funny thing is, when I got home, my brother, who is also a designer, gave me webpage designs for the site as well, oops! This proves to me that we have similar brain wave functions so as to work on the exact same thing on the exact same day!

Ah well, that's the beauty of web publishing though, I can change the 550 pages tomorrow to the new design (oh really?) but first... sleep!

Simple Joys

2010-04-18T19:06:00.005+08:00

Waking up to the sounds of birds chirping at your window...

Spending a few quiet moments in prayer...

Realizing you have absolutely nothing to "have to do" that whole day...

Eating cilantro with singkamas (turnips) and calamansi (a type of lemon)...

Laughing and listening to family stories...

Having a restful nap...

Making this little piece of art... Life is so full of simple joys we can forget to be thankful for.

What was your simple joy today?

My New Painting

2010-04-04T11:15:00.005+08:00

I want to introduce you to my new painting. I acquired this a little before the Holy Week as a gift from my sister Patsy. Isn't it nice?Its theme is a quiet, restful scene somewhere in the mediterranean. Whenever I look at it, I see a faraway land that seems so peaceful, so calm.

At the same time, I remember the artist and others like him who are in a very different situation than the idyllic setting in his painting.

The artist, known by the "Melwyn" signature on the bottom righthand side of the painting is actually one of the talented inmates of the Quezon City jail. His real name is Edwin and "Melwyn" is a combination of his and his wife's names. This is one of the paintings he sold in last month's exhibit held right inside the jail.

The QC jail is something of an oddity if you picture jails with bars, hallways and guards. It has no bars and when you visit, the crowds of prisoners will surround you. A jail that has a capacity for a thousand inmates now hold 8,000. Only a privileged few who can pay have their own cells and they oftentimes sleep standing up like sardines in a can. Food is scarce. One still needed money to survive inside. Those who didn't have any outside help would sometimes go crazy. There is no privacy even for taking showers to prevent suicides.

When we visited the art exhibit, we were "toured" around by the artist inmates themselves. There are always so happy to receive visitors and we were treated like VIPs.

Many of the inmates are innocent of the crimes they are accused of but have been waiting for their day in court for many many years.

In such an inhumane and uncomfortable existence, the inmates held this event to raise funds for better facilities and for those who have not had any visitors for years, those who have been abandoned by their families.

This is actually the 3rd time they've held this event. It was such an amazing feat for them to draw images of nature, life and wholeness, when they were in a place of discouragement, despair and darkness. Still there were themes about violence, addiction and crime, quite a natural thing for them to paint about.

Notable to mention are the exquisitely made portraits of the most hardened and tough inmates made by Jopet Tecson. His rendition of their features were so poignant and riveting, I could hardly tear my eyes from them. These, from a young man who never used a paintbrush in his life!

His journey to prison is also one for the books and I believe there is something wondrous happening to his life and to the life of his family.

Do say a prayer for them, will you? A prayer will help them get through this difficult time in their lives.

If you would like to buy their paintings, do let me know. We are planning to showcase their work in a brand new website! Bless you!

Click here for more on the Prison Ministry

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." - Hebrews 13:3

Easter Craft: Botanical Eggs

2010-04-04T07:27:00.006+08:00

To spice up our Easter display, I made some blown eggs decoupaged with botanical images. I got this idea from Martha Stewart's Living magazine! They always have great ideas that are not too hard to do.I tried printing out these botanical images kindly posted by My Sweet Savannah. I used a regular printer which I found out later kind of bleeds a little so you must be careful. Then I used a cutting mat and craft knife to cut the white edges out.
Afterwards, I printed out little Easter phrases like "He has risen!" or "Alleluia!" or "Christ our Light" and then tore them out so they appear a bit jagged. I used decoupage to put these all together! Hurray I now have my Easter egg accents!
My favorite phrase nowadays is "Expect a miracle!" Add a few more together...A little more light please! Hope you enjoyed this Easter craft! Let's make some more!

Easter Joy

2010-04-04T07:13:00.002+08:00

I wonder how it felt to be one of those who saw the empty grave? It must have been so disheartening! But then the thought of my beloved Jesus rising would be unthinkable! But remembering Lazarus, maybe not so!
Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right...
~Phillips Brooks, "An Easter Carol"

To see Jesus alive again, without all the wounds and scars but the pierced hands would just be in the realms of the spirit and not in the physical world! It's just so unimagineable! That's just what He did on this day! He gave us a peak into the heavens where all our imperfections have faded away! Wholeness, fullness, healed spirits!

Celestial spirit that doth roll
The heart's sepulchral stone away,
Be this our resurrection day,
The singing Easter of the soul -
O gentle Master of the Wise,
Teach us to say: "I will arise." ~Richard Le Gallienne

Isn't it marvelous that Jesus' death has taken away our fear of the unknown? He has gone ahead for us and shown us that on the other side He will be there! He has taken away the sting of sin and death and we have overcome all of these thing with Him!
Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. ~Clarence W. Hall

I hope you like my Easter drawings and may your season be filled with celebration and rejoicing!

Happy Easter everyone! Here is wishing you a very blessed season of joy!

Good Friday

2010-04-02T10:32:00.005+08:00

I wanted to share with you my Good Friday morning reflection. It's such a heart-wrenching experience to remember Christ's passion today and to be mindful of the price He paid for our salvation. If only we would not forget this in the business of life.

Sometimes we go through difficulties and trials and ask "why Lord"? But Jesus Himself, in His passion showed us that terrible things that happen, if allowed by God, always have a purpose, though we need to wait in hope and faith that the purpose be made known to us.

Troubles are not given to us by God. They're usually consequences of failings and bad decisions from our own or others' free will.

Seen with eyes of faith, all things work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) and this is seen in the Cross' victory!

From the Christian Seder Meal...
Therefore, it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, extol bless exalt and adore Him Who did all of these miracles for our fathers and for ourselves. He has brought us forth from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to festive day, from darkness to a great light, and from subjection to redemption.
(full prayers here)

Doing the stations of the cross in Lourdes via internet is also helpful in "walking through" the last hours of Jesus' life. Click here

Snippets from the movie "Passion of Christ" are here for us to reflect on as well.

Vintage Shop

2010-03-28T14:45:00.005+08:00

It's fun finding a shop with the old and new residing together amicably. The vintage shop of papemelroti is one of those rare finds in the city where multinational chain brands dominate. Here you'll find some fresh items that are just starting out in the market and some that have been pre-loved and are looking for a second life!

What you'll see...

Cloth button earrings (3 pairs for P100), unusually large but truly fabulous brass rings, chain pendants, flower belts and bags, bright and mix matched bracelets, jewelry, special artsy and evening clothes!

Take a visit using the slideshow below.

The Vintage Shop opened just recently and you can find nice clothes (old and new), jewelry, accessories, caps, hair stuff, and so many interesting little things.

Hope you get a chance to visit!

It's at 91 Roces Ave., QC at the second floor of Papemelroti's main building, Korben Place.

I made rings, I rang

2010-03-28T14:24:00.003+08:00

Wearing my creations gives me great satisfaction. That's why I just had to experiment on making rings. I daresay I'm getting better but have a long way to go.

Here's a roughshod attempt with a ceramic bead and some copper wire. It's cute but still not up to par.

Here's one using one of my glaze pins and some silver wire, mounted on to a plain silver ring.

Despite how big it is, it is quite sturdy and immoveable on the ring. I found out though that the ring I used was quite big and can only fit my thumb.

Maybe it's time for me to give it away.

Whipped up Some Clips

2010-03-28T14:04:00.004+08:00

Craft glue is a joy to use as it works on metal, cloth, wood and of course paper. Here are my glaze creations glued onto wooden clothespins.

These can be used for putting up little reminders all over the house or for hanging clothes to dry (still).

This is my collage drawing of a wide eyed lady with one eye half closed glazed on the bottle cap.

I'm thinking of trading these on Delightful Whimsy's trading site. I don't know if anyone would like them. I was thinking of making a matching set that would go well with stationery.

The trading site is on http://favoritethings.typepad.com/tradingpost/
Why not check it out?

I also used other designs such as music sheets, flower faces, filipiniana woman, and even a graphic version of my face (try to find out where that is)!

I also colored in the clothespin so it's a little bit fancier. Do you like the effect?

A favorite theme of mine is the drama images that we use as gift wrapping paper in the shop. It looks a bit different from our other cute wrappers.

The last image is using that singularly simple combination of red printing on white. These stark contrasts look well with this project. I found that pastels and muted colors didn't come out as well.

I hope you like these! Have a crafty weekend! (I am!)

Dreaming of Crafts

2010-03-26T21:32:00.003+08:00

Last night I was dreaming of crafts! My mind was brimming with ideas and there was too little time to do them all!

It was like a garden a-bloom with all sorts of materials, designs, cuttings, colors and shapes.

My days pass so quickly that the minutes seem to fly into hours seamlessly.

I want to experiment with cloth and dolls but I'm thinking of when when when.

My painting came in today of "The Lady and the Wood". No, it's not the Lady in the Wood, it's the Lady and the Wood.

It's an oil painting of a lady in lavender hues being approached by a tree. The tree is courting the lady because of the threat to the environment. It's painted in a girly fashion and unusually so because it was crafted in the most unlikely of places.

The painter is an inmate in a local jail. I visited their exhibit a few days ago and it was amazing! I felt like I was inside an art gallery and not inside a prison with no bars and chains!

But wait, my picture should be of the painting! It will come soon, maybe in my next blog. For now, I leave you with my bold flowers. The butterfly hovers above giving the petals some love!

Bless you!