Happy Days Are Coming!

Soon my dear friends.....soon :-)

Bits and Pieces about - Wire, Running and Life

I am happy to share with everyone that soon there will be new designs to be posted. I have made a few new pieces about a month ago now and its just that until now I do not know how to take good photos of them. Bad me! Hubby is still so busy with work and it would be unfair if I will deprive him of his resting time just to take pictures. I know someday I have to learn photography but then again I have a wonderful partner who takes awesome photos. I think I'll just stick with playing with wire and leave the photography job for him.

Also this week marks my 11th week half marathon training. Yes, I am training to finish a Pikermi this coming August. Finishing it would be my best birthday gift ever. I hope to do it in less than 3 hours and no more than 3hrs 15min. Finishing the race before I turn 41 would be a dream come true. It would also ensure that I would be able to finish a full marathon by March of next year in under 8 hours. Im keeping my fingers crossed and fervently praying that I would not be encountering so many injuries in this journey. Shifting to barefoot running during training is a bad move but it was a decision I freely made, so even though my training days are making me crazy, I do not mind just as long as there won't be major injuries along the way.

About two weeks ago Hubby and I celebrated our 10th year of togetherness. Ten years seems so short. Looking back, I would not have it any better. I love the life we created, most of all I love the person I am spending the rest of my life with. We are looking forward to many more ten years ahead.

"Flores the Mayo" (Flowers of May)

Its May and its flower month once again. The month of May marks the beginning of the rainy season. After a long dry season we can expect rains to begin pouring, with it flowers begin to bloom overnight. And being a Catholic country we celebrate the beneficial rains by praising the Blessed Virgin. Town folk gather the colorful flowers to decorate the Parish Church altars and aisles. They bundle the blooms in exotic arrangements for the many different festivities all together referred to as the "Flores De Mayo" (Flowers of May).

And to signify this Month, flowers will be overflowing in my work station and shared to you as soon as possible. Also, later this month marks my 10th year wedding anniversary - another special occasion for more flowers. Yey!

Time to smell the roses!

Inspiration Feature: Star Eloriaga-Tito

Music. Photography. Psoriasis

I am Star, 27 years old, a music production graduate, loves photography and a psoriatic patient.

I came from a musically inclined family that influenced me to love music... from playing drums to a being a frustrated violinist… I ended up being a sound engineer, worked for 3 years in a recording studio and did some post production projects: audio visual production, tv and radio ads.

I was young and enjoying life to the fullest when my health suddenly turned bad and had a series of flare ups, debilitating me to perform my duties in the studio. It became very frustrating for me because I had to leave the job that I wanted since the day I studied music production.

Photography came to me by faith. At first, it was fun for me to take pictures from my first digicams, Fujifilm and Canon Ixus. Then I became hungry to take better photos by praying for a DSLR camera. Then by God’s grace, I acquired my first DSLR camera, a Canon 400D.

Since then I ventured into a world that opened my eyes to see the beauty of my surroundings… from catching the sunsets to simply capturing different emotions.

Photography also became my outlet while recovering from my lesions… to see God’s beautiful creation made me realize that there’s still hope and beauty amidst the sufferings and pains that I was going through. I feel blessed to have Mark (my hubby) during those trying times to boost my self confidence and also my faith in God.

Having psoriasis is not an easy disease to deal with, it will drain you physically, emotionally and spiritually. And I thank my family and Mark for keeping my faith alive and believing that healing is coming my way.

I am currently on this cleansing diet and I must say God is truly our Healer. On its 3rd week, I can see the dramatic change on my skin, from 90% covered to almost normal skin.

Isaiah 53:4

“Surely He has borne our griefs [sicknesses] and carried our sorrows [pains]...”

Thank you for sharing your story with me Star. You have triumphed above the challenges of Psoriasis and have emerged to be a very good photographer. Through your story, I hope that other Psoriasis patients take inspiration to go beyond our disease and accept that it will be always be a part of our lives. God gave you the talent for capturing what He created through your photography, continue doing so Star, you are really one blessed gal.

Good luck dear!

Flower Collection Now Available

Flowers signify a lot of meaning, mostly it is always to convey what we feel. Each flower color has also a meaningful story behind its color. It is this reason why each individual is very particular with the flower and color they choose for a bouquet, for floral arrangements and for flower jewelries.

But whatever the color is, the real meaning still lies on what you feel towards the person who gave the flowers to you. The color may add to the beauty of the arrangement, but at the end of the day, only your heart will know what the true meaning of the color of flower you received is.

So come and browse the Collection and choose the best flower color that suits you or your love ones!

Thank You STEP UP

I cannot be more thrilled than today! Who would imagine that I would be getting a sort of "free" craft show table for the Art Fest this coming Saturday! Ms. Sandy, one of the organizers of S.T.E.P. U.P just gave me a call to tell me the good news. I only have to pay for the registration fee of Php 100 and that whole table is mine. So that means - more space = more trinkets to show = more people to meet and mingle with = happy times! What more could a bazarista ask for?

Summer Fair Art Fest 2011

This will be my first time to join a S.T.E.P. U.P. event and I'm hoping that this will be the start of something good for us.

Lets all have a day full of surprises, enjoyment, and entertainment! See you there!

2011 Crystal Bead Series

The Crystal Bead Series is a mixture of different kinds and sizes of crystal beads used as centerpiece of a necklace. The series will mainly focus on the small to the smaller bunch of crystal beads. It aims to draw out how beautiful and intricate jewelry pieces could emerge out of a simple, plain and small bead.

Every piece is handcrafted and handwoven. Materials in this series will mostly consists of enameled copper wire and artistic copper wire with the crystal beads. For the series' initial offering - The Pink Crystal Collection!

*** Pink Crystal Collection - Wanda (2 inches long including bail)

*** Pink Crystal Collection - Twisted Frame (1.4 inches long including bail)


*** Pink Crystal Collection - Smiley (1 inch long and 1 inch wide)


*** Pink Crystal Collection - Siren (1.8 inches long including bail)


*** Pink Crystal Collection - Nucleus (1.7 inches long)


*** Pink Crystal Collection - Helix (2 inches long including bail)


*** Pink Crystal Collection - Butterfly (1.2 inches long including bail with 1 inch wing span)

*** Pink Crystal Collection - Basket (1.5 inches long including bail)


Enjoy the collection as there will be more surprises coming.

More to Come Soon

There were a lot of things that went through my plate the past few weeks, some were manageable, some were nerve wracking while some almost made me cry. Though through those moments I never forgot to find a homely environment with my beads and wire. I was able to make a few pieces here and there and I felt so relaxed and ready to gear up for another hitch. One more handicap and soon I will be able to post new materials in the blog.

Stay tuned for new, small, light pink, and flowery pieces!

Inspiration Feature: Jonas Diego

For my first inspiration feature, I am very glad to share with the story of a very good friend and the person who made my very elegant banner, Jonas Diego.

"I’ve been drawing as far as I can remember but not really because I was oozing with talent.

I had a very bad case of asthma when I was very young. The slightest bit of exertion would see me wheezing trying to catch my breath. So, while the rest of the neighborhood kids would run around and do stuff that kids do, I was frequently indoors warned to keep my physical exertions to a minimum lest I induce an attack.

Thus I occupied myself by reading (I actually learned to read and draw before I went to school thank to Sesame Street) and drawing. My mom would bring me a copy of Funny Komix every Wednesday and my grandmother was more than happy to provide me with all the scratch paper and pencils that I wanted. I was copying all the colorful characters to be found between its pages and pretty soon I was making up my own.

I never thought I could make a career out of it however. I was led to believe that art was just a hobby to occupy my down time before I went off to college to become something else that was more stable.

During college, chancing upon a comic book with some pretty amazing art, I was surprised when a classmate pointed out that the artist was a Filipino and said that he knew the guy. Thus I was introduced to now good friend Gerry Alanguilan who was kind enough to meet a guy he didn’t know from Adam.

Through him I learned that making comic books can be a serious job and one can actually make a living out of it.

“People get paid to do this!?”

Up until that time, I thought artists just made comic books for fun like I did.

That chance meeting inspired me to create my first “serious” comics, The Book of John. I sold all of the copies for all three issues, which was pretty amazing now that I think about it because there was no place to sell them back then. There were no conventions and no stores would accept consignment of photocopied comics.

Most people learned about my comic through word of mouth and bought copies directly from me or through a common friend. Those were heady days for me.

That experience galvanized my resolve that, even though I’m not sure if I had talent and imagination enough to make it in the comic book field, I would at least give it a try so as not to regret not even attempting the adventure later.

Artists I look up to:
Adam Hughes, Tom Grummet, and Kelley Jones.

Person with the most impact on me, art-wise:
Gerry Alanguilan for turning me to the Dark Side.

Tips for improving:
Practice. It's a cliche but practice does make perfect.

Inspiring others:
I try to maintain a low profile so if ever I do serve as inspiration to others I'd have to say that I probably do it more by example than anything else.

Latest and upcoming projects:
Two upcoming graphic novels: School of Hard Knocks and Stories from Barangay Eternity.
The KOMIKSTRIP 2011: UPLB's very own Comic Book Convention"

Now you see why I had him make my banner!

Thank you Jon for sharing your story, you ROCK!

What's in store for 2011?

Its a day late but....Happy New Year Everyone!

The holidays are over and its time to get back on my creative chair and wear my creative hat.

There are a lot of things on my mind that I would like to carry out this year. First on the list is to share a monthly "Inspiration Feature" on my artist friends. I am so blessed to have a couple of friends who engage in different art mediums and I would like you to know them. See how they express themselves through their art, where they get inspiration, who influences them and how they stimulate others to fire up their artistic self.

Second is to devote more time to learn and harness my skills with handling wire. There are a lot of things that can be made with wire, I would probably be concentration on making pendants for now. I am now dipping my luck with wire wrapping and wire weaving. As of this time I have created quite a few pieces, one of which I have just shared in my last entry.

Third is to join shows/bazaars that require formal application and screening. That way I would know where my craft stands. I think it is good practice to know how my craft will fair with others...not for competition but to know if I still need to learn and practice more. Having a bad day is normal but having a bad creation is awful.

Lastly, I hope to share my story and few knowledge with other budding jewelry artist. Honing our craft is not at all easy especially when we do not have other people to inspire us. I was very blessed to have mentors like Mabelle Rubia (traditional scrapbooking and seed beading), my cousin Lia Arellano (basic beading). Like them I hope to influence one artist in my lifetime.

Lets see how my 2011 be like.

My Way of Giving Back

Since its Christmas season and gift giving time, I wondered what I could possibly give back to this business venture I went into. Though I started late, business has been very good to me, I did not encounter any problems or delays in everything that I set my mind into.

I made sure that I put a small part of who I am in every design that I make. Most of which is seen in the colors I choose to combine. Bright and cheerful colors makes a lot of difference in my world.

Also, I did not forget the people who helped me start the business and the people I met along the way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Christmas to all!

Thank You Friends

Since I started my own business officially latter part of September, I have been busy most days. I buried myself with creating beautiful pieces for my clients at the same time engaging with making the business very visible over the net. Overtime I have discovered a lot in my jewelry making skills and have been very excited to carry out new design ideas. I felt like an overhauled engine - with ideas swimming in my mind and an enthusiasm to go for the gold so to speak.

But my dream of getting better at my craft would not be realized without the help of friends.

Thank you so much Alby for believing in my talent. You have been a great source of inspiration and a boost when I have doubts and feel insecure. Looking forward to joining your dream team soon!

Thank you so much dear cousin Meg for inviting me to join you at the IRRI bazaar. I had so much fun and never dreamed of meeting other jewelry artists. My work was so much appreciated and generated a lot of orders. Till our next gig!

I do believe that God gave each and everyone of us special talents, talents we have to tap into and harness. Yet no matter how we utilize our talents, we have to recognize that we cannot do it alone. We need people to help us draw out those gifts. I am so glad to be in the company of people who understands and helps me grow.

IRRI Bazaar - Update

The bazaar at IRRI hosted by SINop (Society of IRRI Non-Research Professionals) was always well attended. This year's beneficiary is an orphanage also in Los Banos Laguna.

This is my first official solo bazaar for the year. I was invited by a cousin who used to work at IRRI. I had a great time chatting with buyers and mingling with other concessionaires. I met a lot of artist sellers. One seller was showcasing her handmade paper beads, another showed different swarovski crystal jewelry creations, one was selling all pearl accessories, a group of expat wives exhibited their glass bead jewelries, another seller featured her all seed bead jewelry collection. There were a lot of jewelry artist in the show but surprisingly all of us have our own medium to exhibit. I believe there was no air of competition among jewelry artists present. Everyone had their share of ohhs and ahhs. A first among the many shows I have participated in the past. I hope to be in the company of different artists who try to excel in their chosen craft as I am more inspired to do good and improve my own.

The day ended with a bang still, my cousin and I have finished loading our stuff in her car when a few women approached us and requested to see our goods. We gladly opened our boxes again and made sales in the car. How cool was that!

IRRI Bazaar

My collection will be showcased at IRRI on November 17, 2010 for their annual bazaar. Lots of amazing stuff awaits you. I would also like to invite you to be the first to take a peek at what is in store for 2011.

See you there!

2010 Collection: Copper Bracelets

As I have shared with you with my previous posts, I love working with both aluminum and copper wires. Maybe you have observed that they come in pairs. And since I have released my aluminum bracelets about a month ago, you can now enjoy my copper bracelet collection here.

With this collection, I dubbed my hand with a bit of chainmaille, specifically the byzantine chain. Making the byzantine chain took a lot of time and perseverance. It was not an easy task, that is why I was so happy when I was able to finish not only one but two. With the byzantine chains in hand, I also tried my luck with making charms out of beads. I would like to label them as beads with a twist. They brought color, cheerfulness, and gaga to an all copper colored chain. I also played with different crazy designs I could create with copper wire to complete my first ever Copper Bracelet Collection.

Come and visit me at flickr. Enjoy!

2010 Collection: Aluminum Earrings

The first project I made using large wire gauges are earrings. They are fun and easy to make. I also do not consume a lot if and when I encounter difficulties that warrant me to just disregard that particular piece. Yup, I made a lot of mistakes in the past, most of which was marring the wire and eventually throwing it away.

Now, every time I make earrings, I compare them with having a vacation. I do not tire myself too much with one piece and can move on to another in just a few minutes. Gratification is instant! That's one reason I love making them. Also, I consider them as one of my best sellers in bazaars and commissioned work. They make good one of a kind souvenirs during debuts and all girl parties. I just did that when I turned a year older about two months ago. My friends loved them and wore them the minute they opened their gifts of appreciation.

To share with you my inspiration/s with making earrings....well everything I see around my room is an inspiration. I do my earring work in front of the television, on a Crime and Investigation channel. Don't ask me why but I had fun doing them =) You can view them here.

2010 Collection: Copper wire Earrings

Feel free to browse some of my 2010 Collection: Copper Wire Earrings at my flickr account. These earrings are made with non tarnish copper wire and is very lightweight. Many of my clients attest that they do not notice they are wearing earrings when they wore these.

My inspiration with making these are circles. From my wigjig tool to anything round found in my room inspired me with these collection. Even the triangle earring has rounded edges!

These designs are one of a kind and they make such a good conversation piece. Some are made with plain copper wire, some are wrapped and one was made with seed beads. Its a good piece to give as gifts or souvenirs or an addition to your growing earring collection. So grab a pair now and see for yourselves. Enjoy!

2010 Collection: Aluminum Bracelets

Finally my 2010 Collection: Aluminum Bracelets are now showcased at flickr. I had a lot of fun working with aluminum wire since it is the second wire medium I fell in love with. Of course the first one being copper wire. Heehee

Since I started beading and joining bazaars I have always been fascinated with charms. And since I love wearing bracelets, I figure, why not include bracelets with charms in my product line. At first, I used to gravitate with metal clay charms and assemble different designs in one bracelet, this style appealed to mostly teenage gals as they themselves choose the charms under the "make your own charm bracelet" scheme I had. Now that I want to concentrate with wire, I discovered that I will be able to awake more of my creative self if I will make my own charm bracelet from scratch. Hence the wonderful journey towards charm bracelet nirvana.

There were a lot of inspirations making the bracelets, but most often than not I get them when I'm watching anything that involves crime and investigation. I do not how and why, but I do. Good thing with this project, as often as I can, I do not and will not replicate anything that I do but with the lovely and lightweight charm bracelets, I could easily do the whole thing in just over 30mins. As I have said earlier, they are lightweight, handmade, made of aluminum wire, easily cleaned (after using clean it with a soft cloth) and very affordable. Didn't I tell you it sells like hotcakes!

2010 Collection

I have been quite busy the last few days. I have all this ideas swimming in my head waiting to be carried out. At the top of my long list is to be able to make a lot of wire + bead bobby pins. Now, if you'll gonna ask me, why make something with bobby pins? Well, its because of these bobby pins that I first fell in love with wire.

I think it was the year 2004 or 2005 if I'm not mistaken. A good friend, Mabel Santiago-Rubia sent an invite for a beading class. Outcome of which is to be used as charms for scrapbook pages. There were 8 women who signed up and were all eager to make butterflies and dragonflies. The materials that were handed out contained wire (in different colors),beads (seed beads) and bobby pins. It took about 4 hours for the whole class to make a bobby pin butterfly, a hanging dragonfly, and a butterfly decorated card. I was never a wire lover but after the class I went on hunting for wires in all colors and in all sizes to use as charms for my scrapbook pages. But I never made anything with the wires that I had, so much so that I never made a scrapbook page with a wire + bead charm on it. Now, who would have thought that I would turn out to love wire and beads? And who would have thought that I would be excited as to embark on a new business venture out of wire + beads?

In appreciation to the tutorial of my good friend, I have posted my 2010 collection at flickr highlighted by my bobby pins.

Enjoy!