Life After Breakfast

The First Craft Camp

2013-05-21T16:20:00.004+08:00

I still can't believe the weekend already happened. Craft Camp was too much fun! Mansy, Isa, Mikko and I spent the weekend in San Narciso, Zambales with 20+ participants making crafts all day, and laughing til our bellies hurt! I loved every single moment, no matter how hot or exhausting! :P All in all, we made about 15 different crafts in 2 days!

The group met up in Katipunan and upon registration, each participant was given a passport/ID which contained all the information needed for camp.

Isa, Mansy, Mikko and I prepping for the activities. That's our humble hut above.

Our hand-painted banner

The participants were grouped into 4 tribes composed of 5 members each, and was led by 1 instructor. The first task was to make a banner which highlighted the tribe names: TaraTahiTawa, GupiTupiChaCha, CuttahCuttahWowWow and TintaPintaWea. In case you didn't notice, the tribe names are all craft-materials inspired!:P

And then we headed to the KampSite for the DIY Watercolor Palette craft.

We used pigment from dried flowers and crushes colored stones, mixed them with gum arabic and honey, and made travel palettes from sculpey in tincans (thanks to Tatin for the palette idea!)

We had a HeyKessy washi tape hanger on site for everyone to use!

And then in the afternoon, we had the Craft Challenge, where the groups were tasked to finish 8 crafts in 2 hours! The winner of the challenge was Mansy's Tribe GupiTupiChacha, and they took home a bag full of craft goodies and materials, and totes from DMC.

I brought my Gocco Printer and each group designed cards and made their own prints.

We also had a DIY Tea Station, where they filled up tea bags with dried and fresh herbs.

There was a Friendship Bracelet station by DMC using a super easy winding technique to help you make bracelets in minutes!Mikko set up a DIY wire rings station, while Isa prepared a DIY journals station.

Using wax and stamps, they made batik bandannas!

Fire in the sky at sunset

Next morning, right after breakfast, my cousin Ate Ria taught everyone how to braid hair. We started off with yarn to learn the rope and fishtail braid, and then paired up with other participants to learn the other types of braids.

Thanks to Goody for providing the campers with Ouchless elastics and hairpins!

Waterfall, crown, and reverse french braid

Group instax!

I led everyone out to the beach and taught them how to make leather card cases. We punched, tooled, and sewed under the summer sun, and at lunch, no one wanted to get up to eat! :P

Left: burning patterns on the leather. Right: the finished piece.

In the afternoon, Rizza the Pompom Queen taught everyone how to make perfect pompoms and add them to necklaces.

We had halo-halo for merienda

and taro chips from Pipino! :)

And when all the crafting for the weekend was done, Mikko brought out her tools and taught different nail art techniques.

And then the wild jumping happened!

Thanks to everyone who joined the first ever Craft Camp! I hope you all had fun! Thanks also to our guest teachers, Ate Ria, Rizza, and Noelle, to my assistant Bevs, and of course, Mansy, Mikko and Isa! :)

We're still super stoked about the camp, so we set a date for the next one!

Craft Camp 2

August 16-17

(Venue TBA)

Save the date, and click HERE if you'd like to pre-sign up for the camp! :)

In the meantime, you can join these upcoming workshops in

Watercolor, Calligraphy, and Creative Journaling.

See you at the crafternoons! :)

Mother's Day Tea Party

2013-05-12T09:25:00.002+08:00

Happy Mother's Day to all Mums! :P

We had a pre-Mother's Day Tea party last week at TWG in Resorts World.

My cousins Ate Ria, Rizza, and Noelle arrived carrying bags loaded with fresh flower centerpieces and paper flowers for each setting. I calligraphied everyone's names for the placecards. (Craftiness runs in the family, hehe.)

The Saluds: Amelia Salud and Winter Salud, named after our Lola.

Some photo op chaos courtesy of my nephews and nieces: Kai, Amelia, Winter and Hoops

Amelia likes Tito PJ! Cos he has a flower in his ear. Haha :P

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom!! :) I love you!

Tea Party Time!!

It was a late lunch for me, so I had this wonderful vegetarian lasagna and some cold Morrocan mint tea.

The Moms and the kids.

And here's the plate of macarons that we were able to salvage from the boys and babies!

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms, especially to my mama-in-law who's in LA right now! :)

E&E's Crafty Wedding in Batanes

2013-05-10T15:05:00.003+08:00

Over a week ago, PJ and I flew to Batanes for Euge & Em's wedding. It was a foggy morning, but we were blessed with perfect weather all throughout the weekend.

Monogram and doodles that I made for the couple

The day before the wedding, the whole group had dinner during sunset at the lighthouse. Afterwards, we headed back to Fundacion Pacita for a craft marathon to prepare as much as we could before the wedding day.

The couple's favorite quote served as wall art in Fundacion's dining hall. PJ hand-wrote the A3 sized posters using letraset markers, and we made borders around them using HeyKessy washi tape! (Thanks to the crew: Dar, Jean, Jaz, Ann and Meg for working on the washi!)

The wedding venue/dining hall on a regular day:And ta-dah! Here it is after we pimped it up with craftiness! :P

(We removed all the chairs in the dining hall and had them replaced with colorful chairs that matched the sunset theme of the wedding.)

The wedding cake was brought in all the way from Manila and had the doodled monogram in sunset hues. We picked fresh flowers from the garden and used them to decorate the table.

On the morning of the wedding day, I put my game/craft-face on and assembled 9 boutonnieres and 9 fan corsages. Flowers are so abundant in Batanes, and we had these picked off the roadside.

The woven fans are made locally in Batanes. Instead of wrist or pin corsages, I made these for the ladies on the entourage.

Em had their monogram embroidered on all the table napkins. In the center of the plate is a bottle of M&M's. Jean did the watercolor & calligraphy on all the bottle stickers! Team effort! ;)

Chef Edward of Pino prepared a delicious and gorgeous wedding lunch. On the left is salad with flowers (my special veg serving, because all other salads had chicharon, haha), and the cheese platter which was served after the meal. Yup, those are cranberries over cookie butter! Yum!

For the giveaways, I made a Souvenir Stamp Station, which Dar helped set up.

Guests could choose their blank notecard sets and make their own prints using the stamps I made. Here are some of the cards I made:

Congrats and best wishes to the lovely couple: E&E! :)

May 2013 Printable Calendar + May Crafternoons!

2013-05-02T07:53:00.003+08:00

It's been a whirlwind of a week! I'm finally back (and staying put for a while!) from Boracay, Zambales, and Batanes! And as soon as I arrived, I drove off with the women in the family for lunch in Tagaytay. All the traveling + absence of internet connection made this blog a bit sad with the same post displayed for over a week. Waah! Sorry to everyone who kept coming back for the sign up form for the May Crafternoons. Please read on for more workshop details.

May is going to be theeeee craftiest month yet; we've got craft events not just on weekends, but on weekdays as well!

There's Craft Camp on May 18 & 19, which is an overnight camp in Zambales. I posted about this before, but can no longer accept participants because all slots have been filled up already. We've got 15 new crafts to make, plus as DIY skateboard workshop! Camp will be held at Crystal Beach in Zambales. Sooo excited to make crafts by the beach! :)

We've got another run of watercolor workshops for kids.

It'll be held in iAcademy which is right on Ayala Ave.

WATERCOLOR 1 & 2 * CALLIGRAPHY * CREATIVE JOURNALINGCheck out the awesome work of my last watercolor level ONE class! I am so amazed with their work and creativity! If you've been wanting to join a crafternoon, but are shy, please don't worry! Almost all of the participants are really beginners and have very little experience with the crafts. The modules are really tailor made for beginners. When I first announced that they were going to be painting birds for the final activity, everyone whined and complained, thinking that it was going to be too hard. But look at what they all accomplished! :)

CREATIVE JOURNALINGTogether with Teacher Isa Silva, we'll be doing a leather bookbinding + creative journaling workshop. Wherever I go, I have at least a notebook and pen in my bag. If I can't watercolor, then I'll doodle! :P At this workshop, we'll be teaching journal making (perfect binding + diy leather book case) and we'll all be making our own visual diaries.

To join the May workshops, please fill up this form and reserve your slots.

And of course, here's the May 2013 calendar to map out all these crafty events! :P Being surrounded by nature for the past two weeks, I was inspired by all the summer foliage in the places I went to.

Download the May 2013 Printable Calendar here.

Rainbow Beach

2013-04-25T08:30:00.003+08:00

I spent the past week in Boracay with our Hilario clan (31 in our party!), but in spite of our huge number, it was a pretty relaxing trip.

Aloha! :)

We were there for my Tita Florian's 60th birthday celebration, and we dressed up the beachfront in neon, with glowsticks and pompoms, sparklers and sweets. The birthday cupcake tower was made of the famous calamansi muffins from Real Coffee, each one topped with washi flags.Rizza's neon bracelet stack + buko juice valet

I had a rubber stamping session with Flow as well! (Photo credit: Noelle Hilario)

On Sunday morning, we all hopped on a boat that took us to Puka Beach.

The last time I was on Puka beach, it was so windy and the sand was so harsh against my skin. This time, the waters were calm, so we lay down our lagus and hung out there for a while.I searched the sand for the colors of the rainbow! This is what my nephew Hoops and I found, and I arranged the shells in r-o-y-g-i-b-v order (with the neutrals in one corner! haha)

Just before we left the beach, the bats gave us a sky show and flew over us to get to the top of the mountain.

FLOW with us in Boracay!

2013-04-17T07:53:00.002+08:00

Lifestyle Network's Summer Soul, Havaianas and Aura Athletica present

Flow:SurfYogaSamba Summer Retreat!

Join use as we celebrate summer in full FLOW

at Philippine's most famous tropical island...Boracay!

Save the date and book your tickets to the island

for April 18-21 for 4 days and 3 nights of summer bliss at Boracay Terraces Resort.

For the first time, Flow:SurfYogaSamba will be teaming up with Paolo Soler of Philippine Surfing Academy for surf lessons at the wave pool of Crown Regency and Bri Manglapus, a certified yoga teacher to teach Yoga for Surfers.

Relax your body in a restorative and therapeutic Yin Yoga session with Flow's resident yogi, Monica Eleazar-Manzano.

Dance and drum to Brazilian beats with Samba School Imperatriz Filipinense led by with Denise Gonzales-Bernardo and batucada drum director, Toni Bernardo.

Bring out your inner artist at the Rubberstamp Crafternoon Workshop with Alessandra Lanot or spin and move with the flow at the Poi Workshop led by Paolo Soler.

The Flow:SurfYogaSamba founders are advocates for health and wellness. Denise Gonzales-Bernardo, Monica Manzano and Noelle Hilario will conduct a green smoothie, juicing and live foods workshop.

Plus all participants will get VIP access to Lifestyle Network's Summer Soul's sunset cocktail party on the beach!

FLOW SurfYogaSamba Summer Retreat is presented by the Lifestyle Network, Summer Soul, Havaianas, Aura Athletica and our friends from Boracay Terraces Resort, Panda Sunglasses, Belo Essentials SunExpert, Breville, Lagu, Nyogi, Rawlicious Green Smoothies, Strip, Browhaus, Philippine Surfing Academy, Imperatriz Filipinense, Life After Breakfast and our media sponsors, Travel Leisure Magazine and My Life On Board.

Summer-in-the-City Faves

2013-04-15T09:14:00.001+08:00

I never imagined summertime to be this crazy, but here I am holding workshops and crafternoons at least four times a week, leaving me with only three days for a working weekend (which falls oddly on a Tuesday-Wednesday). Hello, blog, I've missed you! Here's a random list of some of my summer-in-the-city favorites.

Brown Brogues. I purchased this wonderful pair online and find myself living in them everyday.

Pipino's vegan chocolate cake. Is this too narcissistic? Haha. It's my current fave dessert, and learned over our family lunch yesterday that kids love it, too!

Nuts for nuts. I was running some mall errands and chanced upon a kiosk that sells all sorts of nuts. I love the idea of making your own mix, and went for almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts and dried cranberries. Perfect snack!

Olive-scented oil and perfume...among other things. From Oryspa and My Goodie Bag.

Teaching kids. I'm having so much fun giving them art activities to learn from and play with, and I'm always amazed with the things that they create!

Doodling orbs. When everything gets to busy inside my head, I like getting lost in the motion of drawing these flowers.

Pinching clay. I learned pottery for the first time about a month ago, and got my first pieces yesterday! In the middle is a paint palette, and the band-aid looking thing is a calligraphy pen stand. I think I like pinching and slabbing more than going on the wheel! :P

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Travel Diary: Batanes

2013-04-07T10:32:00.003+08:00

Their airport is probably the most peaceful one I've been to. With only one flight into Basco (which turns around back to Manila right after it arrives), the airport is only busy in the early hours of the day.This was our view on our drive to the hometel. Of course we asked our driver to stop so that we could take photos :P

Later in the day, we visited Fundacion Pacita, where E&E's wedding will be held. It was a long afternoon of wedding planning, and we tried to get as many tasks done in our quick trip.I was a bit starstruck when I met their gardener Richard.

I am in love his manicured gardens!

Tukon Chapel

The next morning, after some of Em's church errands, we stumbled upon the tourist center, and the lady in charge of the place had two of her interns accompany us as we walked around town to shop for souvenirs. I spotted some interested things along the way:A local art gallery

Love the blush and peach colors (with mixed prints!) of this old lady walking the streets.

Also, there are flowers everywhere. Even the most humble homes are dotted with spring color on their front porches.

Colorful wooden double-doors

Woven handicrafts

Painted type on found wood Breathtaking sights

The famous lighthouse and boulder beach

And the end of another day, doodled.

Spring Stationery + New Watercolor Workshops this April

2013-04-02T10:35:00.000+08:00

Spent the first day of the month with my favorite painting materials:

Sakura Koi 24-color palette, Ecoline drawing ink, and a 005 micron pen

I also brought out my unused watercolor set from the traditional Chinese art store in Hong Kong. I love the rich, deep shades! Also in the kit is a waterbrush that's perfect for travel, and a black brush pen. Anything that's easy to lug around gets extra points from me! :P

I kind of just went crazy with the underpainting, glazing, and overlaying doodles. :P

This summer, Mikko, Isa and I will be teaching watercolor & crafts to kids at FullyBooked! I'm excited to introduce the medium that I love the most to the kiddos. There are only limited slots available for each class, so make sure you sign up right away. :) Classes are open to kids 3 to 12 years old.

And for the teens & adults, I've opened up a new class for Watercolor Level 1! There's a bit of a price increase because I've changed suppliers, but this time, I'll also be including a watercolor sketch pad in the kit. Perfect for summer travels! :)

Download: April 2013 Printable Calendar

2013-03-27T14:37:00.003+08:00

Inspiration is everywhere, and my favorite way to search for it is simply by looking up at the sky. It's no secret: I love clouds. In creativity class back in college, I once proposed that the heart sign for love should be replaced by a cloud. "Because being in love is a heavenly fluffy feeling." I remember my teacher's note on the corner of my homework, where he wrote "You're pushing it. :P" Haha!

I left all my crafty things at home today, in hopes of forcing myself to work on the computer, so I only have a pen, a notebook, and my canvas totebag with me right now. But that doesn't stop me from coming up with a printable calendar on the last work day of the month (especially for those of you in the office)! So many last minute things to be done today, I know. Pretty skies and a blank slate for April might just be the thing to help you think clearly and plan for the next month.

Download the April 2013 Printable Calendar here.

A Week of Making (and Learning)

2013-03-25T12:15:00.002+08:00

It all started with HeyKessy's (Mansy's) papercutting workshop. Until I got there, I didn't realize how excited I was to be a student again. After over 12 crafternoons from January to March this year (and over 220 students!!), this was a welcome break for me. The workshop was held at Sweet Ecstasy in CubaoX, and after the workshop, Mansy, Paul, Mikko and I had early dinner at Bellini's, where I finished this lace-y papercut below.

The next day, the three M's (Mansy, Macy and Mikko) and I met up for breakfast + crafting + exciting new projects. I brought out my felting wool and needles and started to make letters. Now, this is my first felting project, and probably my last because I think I inhaled too much fiber, and felt like it was up my throat for a few days (and I don't even have asthma). I don't think I'm felting ever again. Haha. Who wants my felting wool?

In the afternoon, we had a Rubber-cut Workshop, and 30 participants joined us at Pino Malingap. This was a new kind of workshop because we stamped on totebags and scarves, and each participant got a VersaCraft stamp pad for fabric.

The scarves are a gauzy type of fabric from Vigan, which I sourced from ANTHILL.We're having another Rubber-cut Stamps + Fabric workshop on May 4, and there are a few slots left! Click on this link to sign up.

Then, using my tools for stamp-making, I carved on some wooden boards. It's tricky, but I had fun experimenting with a new material. Maybe I'll try carving a pattern for print next time.

I also made an envelope template for my friends E&E's wedding invitations. They're only printing 40 invites for their intimate destination wedding, so hand-cutting everything is the most economical solution. I made a pattern using the graphics that Em's friend made for the invitation (which are the shapes of the islands in Batanes), and used it to line the envelopes. On the upper right side of the photo is my cutting diagram for both the envelope and the liner.

PJ and I collaborate on the wall art of Pino, and for the function room in the Jupiter branch, I made these mix-and-match robot stamps for the wall.

(The robot character is consistent in the Pino doodles.)

Stamped on large canvas with drip neon paint.

PJ did his signature doodle work on canvas. "Under-drawn" are his comic strip characters Rugby & JR, topped with a quote dedicated to me! :P Other girls have songs and poems written for them...I get jokes! Follow PJ and his funny instagram thread: @PJLanot

The Crafts and Creativity Workshop is another husband & wife collaboration of ours. This time, we went corporate and taught the packaging creatives at San Miguel Yamamura. They were such a fun bunch, and we really enjoyed spending our day with them. PJ gave his motivational talks and life planning workshop, while I taught crafts and talked about how to be creative anytime, anywhere.

Saturday lunch consisted of this child on the table. Haha, I'm kidding! This is my niece Winter, and some quick lettering of her name in pencil while waiting for our food to arrive.After lunch, we headed to Cornerstone Pottery Farm to play with clay, and plan for the Crafty Field Trip! March is about to end, and I'm glad that I'm still living out my 2013 promises to myself to LEARN new things and to MAKE something creative every day. :)

Hope you all have a blessed holy week!

We're Going on a CRAFTY FIELD TRIP!

2013-03-24T09:59:00.003+08:00

Woodworking and Pottery have been on my crafty bucket list for way too long. To finally make some of my crafty dreams come true, I thought it would be a great idea to hold an out-of-town crafternoon, and for us to learn new crafts together!

Only 14 slots available! Register below to join:

My Favorite Breakfasts

2013-03-18T07:29:00.001+08:00

Once I realized that my most productive work hours are in the morning, I became obsessed about waking up early. I've always been an early sleeper since I was a kid (my family and closest friends know that bedtime for me is at 10pm, or earlier if I can help it!:P). In result, I wake up super early, as some of you who have received 5am emails from me may have noticed. The thing is, I can wake up early, but can't really function without breakfast. This is basically the reason why my blog is called Life After Breakfast -- my life really only begins after the most important meal of the day.

I'm not quite sure if today really is National Breakfast Day, or if a certain fastfood chain just invented it. But who cares?! Any reason to celebrate my most favorite meal sounds good to me! Since Posterous is shutting down, I thought of re-posting my first blog entry for the BDJ blog circle here. In honor of "National Breakfast Day", here are my favorite morning meals, doodled and watercolored.

I start the day with a glass of warm water with lemon. I don't drink coffee, but this wakes me up and gets my energy running just as well. We all know lemon to be sour, but when absorbed by the body, it has alkalizing properties. You can even add a dash of cayenne pepper to this drink to boost metabolism.

The more color you have on your plate, the more balanced nutrition you get. Keep this in mind when you create your own meals. This tofu scramble is an alternative to an omelette: instead of eggs, you've got tofu with turmeric and dark leafy greens for your protein. Sautée them with some garlic, onions, and tomatoes, and you're good to go!

Who doesn't love pancakes? I mash in some fresh fruit like bananas, strawberries, or mangoes into the batter, and top the rest with fruit. To make healthier syrup, dilute some coconut sugar with a drop of hot water.

Now before you say anything, let me just tell you that drinking green smoothies is the easiest way to incorporate raw greens into your diet. And trust me, they taste wonderful! Start by pulse-blending the greens with some coconut water (less water = thicker smoothie), and then add a banana, some fresh pineapple, berries, prunes or dates to sweeten the shake naturally.

I love papayas! Lucky for me, we have a papaya tree in our backyard. I like eating this fresh, or sometimes, drizzling some yogurt over it.

Check your Asian food section in the supermarket, and next time, grab some somen noodles. These are super thin, and made from wheat. I first tried this at a hotel buffet for breakfast, and fell in love with the milky taste. I toss it in some sesame-ginger sauce and top it off with spring onions and dried seaweed. You can also add fresh tofu to go with it!

The perfect breakfast for rainy mornings: Champorado! I use brown or red rice for this, with locally made 100% cacao tablea, and add a shot of almond or hazelnut milk when it's done.

When I eat on my work desk (on hectic work days), this is my favorite thing to make for breakfast: a bowl of hot oats, sprinkled with chia seeds and cinnamon powder.

When I'm in a hurry to leave for early morning errands, I usually just toast some bread and fill it with soynut butter. Of course you can use peanut butter for this as well. Bananas are loaded with potassium, which helps the body retain less of the sodium in salty-sweet combinations such as this.

I love breakfast so much that our wedding was a morning wedding, with an overflowing breakfast buffet! (Thanks to my non-morning person husband for making that breakfast wedding dream come true.) I sometimes wish we could do an early bird craft workshop with yummy breakfast for morning people! Are there any other morning people out there who love to make crafts? ...Hello??? ...Anybody there? ....*crickets*.... (hahaha okay that was stupid :P) Anyway, if you think this is a good idea, drop me an e-mail, and maybe I can organize something for fellow crafty morning peeps! :P

Watercolored Wedding Invitations: Marty & Ana

2013-03-15T07:22:00.000+08:00

Yay, another watercolored wedding invitation suite! I just sent these invitations to the couple, and I can't get over their beautiful navy+mustard+silver color palette. Envelope liners are LOVE. I am never designing a wedding invitation again without an envelope liner. Haha :P

Ana wanted a chevron print, so I watercolored a couple of designs.

I ended up using the one on the right.

And then I went on to watercolor their names and the date (which was initially used for the save-the-date). I am lazy, and don't use pencils when I do watercolor, and this is one method that I will teach at the coming watercolor level2 crafternoon ;)

For the monogram, I experimented with liquid mask and used an old rigger paintbrush to do paint the m+a. And then I washed over it using a wet-on-wet technique (my fave!)

I'm happy the couple decided to go for an accordion style invitation because it really goes well with the chevron theme.

I incorporated the tiny chevron pattern into the Bridal Party page,

and used one of my watercolored fonts (Officine Sans) for the headers.

And the one thing I always look forward to when designing invitations is the map! This one was a simple watercolor sketch with more of the watercolored type.

Finished the invites off with simple calligraphy

using mustard acrylic ink on the navy envelopes.

Watercolored Succulents

2013-03-13T08:02:00.000+08:00

I usually have a list of things I want and plan to watercolor. Succulents have been part of the list for a long time now, and I only really needed to sit down and actually do it.

I used a rigger brush for a relatively large succulent so it took me a while to finish the first one (I should've use a bigger brush). Then, over lunch with Gin, I finished a few more drawings.

And then I scanned the paintings and made patterns with them. Now I want to turn it into wallpaper! Or bedsheets! Or notebook covers! I think the pattern turned out real pretty, don't you think? ;)

And because this was an exercise in color for me, I painted them in these actual colors, and didn't alter it in Photoshop. All I did digitally was layer the succulents on top of each other.

Last Sunday, I realized that watercolor is still my favorite thing to teach, so I've opened a new crafternoon specially for those who have already taken the first watercolor workshop with me.

Click here to sign up! :)

New Class: Creativity + Watercolor Crafternoon - Level 2

2013-03-13T08:01:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, I hosted another watercolor crafternoon for beginners.

Watercolored stickers for name tags

Each participant was given their own Sakura Koi watercolor palettes. We painted flowers!

There were some kiddos who joined in with their mommies.

Tatin's blooms

And the rest of the class' works. Everyone did a wonderful job!

Class photo!

After teaching over 10 Watercolor crafternoons (ten?!?!?), I think it's time to level up! :P

I'm opening a class for Creativity + Level 2 Watercolor Crafternoon for those who have already taken the first watercolor workshop. We'll have talks on creativity + creative exercises, plus new watercolor techniques that can help develop your skills further.

Workshop fee is P1000 inclusive of workshop kit. Bring your own watercolor palette (from the first workshop), or purchase the Sakura Koi Watercolor set (18-color travel palette with waterbrush) for P700. These Sakura palettes are what I use--I'm so sad that they're discontinuing its production. I still have a few left for this workshop, but don't know what I'm going to do when they run out. Waah! (haha, drama!) But seriously, this *may* be the last time I can include the Sakura Koi palettes in the workshops. They're as obsolete as polaroid films...So expensive online!

Sunday7: The Most Perfect Oatmeal Berry Cookies Evahhhh

2013-03-10T08:36:00.003+08:00

Today's Sunday7 is a recipe for the best Oatmeal Berry Cookies

that you can make in 7 easy steps.

I was inspired by this delicious FruittiNutti berry mix sent to me by TasteCentral. While waiting for PJ to come home from Saturday work, I decided to whip up some cookies. Haha, so stepford! :P

Below are some of the ingredients I used. The cookies are made with organic ingredients, with dairy and egg substitutes. This recipe is suuuper easy. I think I made them in 20 minutes, tops, and that's already including baking time!

ONE

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

For vegan desserts, I like using a convection oven.

TWO

Get two bowls and mix wet and dry ingredients separately.

Wet bowl: 1 cup coco sugar + 1 cup olive or canola oil + 1/2 tsp vanilla + 4 tbls chia gel

(Chia gel is made by soaking 1 part chia seeds to 7 parts water.

Chia is the egg-replacer, while the oil is the butter replacer.)

THREE

Dry bowl: 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 1/4 cup instant oats + 1/2 tsp baking soda +

3/4 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt

(You could substitute the whole wheat flour and oats with gluten-free options)

FOUR

Add dry ingredients to wet, 1 cup at a time.

(Make sure you mix all ingredients in each bowl before combining bowls!)

FIVE

Add 1/4 cup of chopped dried berries. You can also add nuts into the mix.

SIX

Roll into balls and flatten them out a bit.

Remember that these cookies are dairy and egg free,

meaning they won't expand too much when baked.

SEVEN

Bake for 8 minutes, rotating the pan/baking sheet at the halfway mark.

Bake for 8 minutes, no more, no less!!!

As tempting as they are to eat at once, you need to let the cookies cool down to room temperature, because otherwise, they'll just crumble in your hands. I like refrigerating the cookies once they've cooled down because they'll keep their form, but still be chewy once you bite into them.

Enjoy your Sunday! :)

Kapok Craft

2013-03-09T08:01:00.000+08:00

Since I posted a photo of the kapok tree on instagram a couple of days ago, I learned that a lot of people have fond memories of using the cotton fiber from the kapok fruit for crafts. It was, however, my first encounter with the tree and its fruit the other day when I visited the GK Enchanted Farm with my cousins and Bea Gomez of GK. She randomly pointed out the tree, and even climbed up the tree, but the fruit was too high. My cousin Ralph and I took turns throwing his sneaker, trying to hit the dried up fruit, and finally, one fell down. Bea cracked it open, and I ooh-ed and aah-ed for a good 5 minutes on the ground. So amazing!

The Kapok Tree

It may look skinny, but this long thing packs A LOT of fiber inside! I filled almost 4 cups (loosely) with the fiber from just one fruit.

Kapok is tropical silk cotton. The cotton fiber is traditionally used to fill pillows, mattresses, and maybe even plush toys.

At first, I tried felting the kapok fiber, but I learned (the hard and prickly way) that felting works best with synthetic fibers. Natural strands like kapok break easily and don't stay together even when poked with the felting needle from all the angles. I slept on it, and the next morning, decided to do this:

Handmade Paper from Kapok Fiber!

This was a trial recipe, and I think it can still be improved. It worked, though, which is why I'm posting it. First thing I did was separate the fibers from the seeds. That takes quite a while, and it is best done while watching no-brainer shows on tv.

1. Soak the fibers in water. Get your hand in there and ruffle the fibers with your fingers. Some unwanted dark plant fibers may come loose during this process, and remove them when you can. Remove 90% of the water from the bowl, leaving behind just enough water to cover the fibers.

2. Add starch, one tablespoon at a time until the fibers feel paste-y. Mix it in with your fingers.

3. You need a screen with bigger holes for faster results, but this silkscreen frame was all I had. I squeezed out the excess water and flattened it using a rolling pin.

4. You can air dry it overnight, but if you're impatient like me, you can also bake the paper. Haha! I stuffed it in the oven for 15 minutes at 190 degrees C.

And here's the finished product!

I trimmed off the ends to clean up the uneven edges, and the little hand-carved birdie (purchased from Silahis store) seems to like it! The paper turned out thick, but light, and can probably be used to make notebook covers. Will try to make more next time, and add some dried flowers leaves from the backyard. Yay, paper-making success! :)

Doodle to Stamp: E&E's Save-The-Dates

2013-03-08T10:04:00.002+08:00

My friends E & E are getting married in Batanes this summer, and I couldn't be more excited for them! For their save the date, Em gave me a letter format, which inspired me to create a handwritten save-the-date. I wanted to make it feel more personal, and to show that it would really be an intimate wedding.

Over brunch of hazelnut hot chocolate and arugula on toast, we talked about relationships and marriage, and caught up with each other after a very long time.

And then as we were talking about the wedding preps, I started carving their doodled monogram, using my new woodpecker carving tool. It has a super tiny nib, and it took me forever (or at least until after my 3rd meeting for the day) to finish a 13 x 6 cm slab of eraser.Will use these to print on Thank You cards, as a gift for the couple.

Happy Friday! :)

Design to Travel, Travel to Design

2013-03-05T15:53:00.000+08:00

I don't consciously count the number of times I travel in a year (and I know there are people with "itchier feet" than mine), but I make it a point to get out of the city at least once a month. It is when I am far away from home when I can allow myself to dream, and be inspired.

I design (work) so that I can earn money to travel,

and I travel so that I can find new inspiration to design.

I'll probably keep this on loop all throughout my life.

My most recent trip was to Macau with my family. Today, I'm sharing with you a brief photo diary of that weekend, together with some of my thoughts on traveling as a designer/creative.

Do keep a map in your bag, but take it out only when you want to get back home. Walk and roam your surrounding areas, and observe the normal day-to-day things that go around. What makes this place different from what you are used to? See the patterns, see what breaks away from pattern. Get lost, think, write, draw. It is in learning your limits that you get to know yourself a little bit better.

PJ always says "I don't spend on travel; I invest." It's good mindset to have so you're sure to make the most out of your trip. Wake up early, do as much as you can, and eat your way around the best plates in the city. Don't ever regret a single penny you spend. Just as Katy Perry said, "No regrets, just...:P

Walking around your vicinity will open you up to the way the place moves. Eat where the locals eat, shop where they shop, and take public transportation. It will be a challenge, especially in a non-English speaking country, but the experience will surely be memorable and worth it.

As a creative, it is your responsibility to absorb as much as you can of the world.Take photos of the city's graphics and architecture, and observe the local design style.

Lastly, remember to be 100% present in every moment.

If you work in a creative industry, I cannot stress how important it is to travel to new places regularly. You need to feed and pack your mind with awesome and beautiful things, to the point when you can no longer contain it. Then, you head back home, to your work desk, and churn out only beautiful, inspired work. ;)

Oh, and traveling doesn't have to be expensive! A trip to the museum, to a new neighborhood, or even just reading a novel, will do these same things for you. :)

Arts&Crafts will save the world

2013-03-03T11:57:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, one of the participants at the calligraphy crafternoon said out loud, "Wow, this really teaches you to be patient." I couldn't agree more. Doing things by hand teaches you to be more tolerant, more forgiving, more focused--a few traits that the world needs more of these days. It instills these values to a child, and reaffirms them to adults. To be able to finish a piece from start to finish makes you feel capable, grateful, blessed.

I had been meaning to put these words on paper for quite some time now. I finally did it, this morning, as I was inspired by the book I'm currently reading. I watercolored an "engraved" typeface and slapped it on wood texture.

While searching for a book on basket-weaving (something that I want to learn this year), I chanced upon this old book "Philippine Creative Handicrafts". The book was first published in 1952, and this is its 6th printing. (Sorry, but I don't know where else you can find it, as I got the last copy in an old bookshop in Manila.)

Here's the list of what's in the book:

I love the dedication page.

"When the hands are occupied with the creation of something useful and attractive, there is no cause for the breeding of discontent, boredome, petty worry, fear, or jealousy." Read the preface and allow the author to tell you more reasons why crafting and creating is important.

Be a maker and save the world! :P

Download: March 2013 Printable Calendar

2013-03-01T15:19:00.001+08:00

Does it count if I'm still fulfilling new year's resolutions from last year? One thing I promised to do was draw more. I carry a travel-sized sketchpad in my bag all the time, and doodle thoughts (that have turned into actual blog posts), random patterns, and any random thing that inspires me to pick up the pen. As dorky as it may sound, on days just like today, I forget the pens (but never the sketch pad!), and find that the only writing materials in my bag are my watercolor set and rigger brushes (Size 00 and 000). So for this calendar, I watercolordoodled something inspired by the Japanese scallop patterns--the ones that I always pick out of a pack of origami paper :P-- together with some watercolored typography. Also, I realized that black is the most untouched pan in my set, so this was the perfect time to mess it up a bit. :P

Download the March 2013 Printable Calendar here.

And not that you already have your calendar, make sure to keep your weekend schedules free for the coming crafternoons this summer! If you promised yourself to make 2013 your craftiest and most creative year ever, then I will try to help you keep that resolution with these new crafternoons and creative weekend retreats. Save the dates & click on the links to sign up!

March 2 & 3

Calligraphy & Creative Life Planning (FULL)

March 10

Watercolor Crafternoon (FULL)

March 16

Mansy's Papercut Workshop

March 17

Rubber-cut Crafternoon: Fabric+Totes+Patterns (FULL)

April 7

Calligraphy & Creative Life Planning with PJ & Alessa (FULL)

April 13

Crafty Field Trip! (FULL)

April 18-21

Crafternoons at Flow SurfYogaSamba in Boracay

April 27

Watercolor Level 1

May 4

Rubber-cut Crafternoon

May 18-19

Craft Camp in Zambales

Please check back as I'll be posting the sign-up details for all summer workshops within the week.

Happy weekend, everyone! :)

Sunday7: Hairtips, Beats and Sidetrips

2013-02-24T09:34:00.002+08:00

ONEAfter a weekend of 3 consecutive workshops, I finally had time to pay the salon a visit for a manipedi session. I decided to have my hair colored as well. I don't think there's any solution to my bleached tips, but the one-color dye evened them out a little bit, or at least made the ombre look more gradual. My colorist was loving how it came out, so he decided to blow out my hair (I guess that's his own way of patting himself on the back, haha). No occasion curls are always a wonderful thing. :)

TWOPJ and I are in Macau for the weekend with my parents and sister. Red-eye flights mean that there are no shuttle buses to take you from the airport to the hotels, so we lined up for a taxi instead. When traveling, always have someone write down your destination in their local language.

THREEWhen traveling, aside from absorbing all the foreign scenery, I like exposing myself to new music. It's these times when I create new playlists for myself.

Here's something new for all of you from The Mystery Lab.

Download and listen to their first single.

iTunes: http://bit.ly/TN3CnX

Amazon: http://amzn.to/UI9xwj

Google Play: http://bit.ly/14TH7RD

last.fm: http://bit.ly/12uQd7L

Spotify: http://spoti.fi/UCf0Vw

Follow The Mystery Lab on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest.

FOURWe couldn't help it!! With HongKong being just a ferry away, PJ and I just HAD to go. It was fun sharing my favorite places in the city with my sister, whose last time there was 7 years ago. We started the day with a huge brunch at Life Cafe on Shelley Street, Soho. Their food always makes me happy.

FIVEI peeked outside the window of the restaurant and spotted this cute salmon-colored building amongst the grays of Hong Kong.

SIXOne of my favorite things to do when I travel is take photos of textures. I'm a pattern freak, don't ask me why! I'm just drawn to repetition, and love beautiful 'backgrounds'.

SEVENI finally chanced upon the evasive XL erasers at Lost and Found/Homeless in HK. They are so expensive, though! HK$195 for one block. But I got one, and will give it a try! Bought a bunch of new craft stuff as well, can't wait to share all of that soon.

Have a happy Sunday! :)

Join the Association of Rubber-cut Stamp Addicts

2013-02-22T18:06:00.003+08:00

Mansy, Isa and I celebrated hearts day with the newest members of the rubber-cut stamp addicts club :P

Join us for the next Rubber-cut Workshop on March 17.

This time, we'll be stamping on Fabric and Totebags!

Layered Koi Stamps + A Koi Show

2013-02-19T10:46:00.000+08:00

For those who have already tried their hand a rubberstamping, explore this:

layered stamps! (with a wash of watercolor underneath)

You start with one drawing and transfer the same image onto two (or more) rubber blocks, and carve out the pieces with "one color per stamp" in mind.

For the koi, I made two stamps: black for the outline & black spots, and orange for the color of the fish. I left out some white spaces in between the stamps for the white base of the fish. I love how the layered stamps create off-registration marks.

I've already made two commissioned koi stamps, and I know that there are people who go absolutely crazy (and pay a fortune!) for these fish. If you're looking for something different to do this weekend, drop by the Philippine National Koi Show on Feb 23 and 24!

Get a chance to meet The A-Team in the flesh! Or should I say, scales? :P