The Last Day of 2013

Please bear with me. It's the last day of the year! ;)

The Year End Post

2013 was indeed a challenging year to me. Life was throwing lemons at me, and it was giving me options on what to do with them. Do I make a lemonade? Do I get salt and a small cup of tequila? Do I leave the lemons behind and do nothing with them? Decision making was not an easy task, and I'm glad that my family and friends and God were there to help me, to comfort me, to make me feel that I am not alone. The lessons I learned from my experiences, they will forever stay in my heart.

The Philippines had her fair share of ups and downs too. Calamities like the earthquake and typhoon Yolanda had visited the country and what they left behind brought tears to people around the world. Despite what happened, the Filipinos showed the world that giving up is definitely not an option. Filipinos may have all the reasons to be sad, depressed, (insert all the negative things that you can think of) but they chose to move forward instead. Even the strongest earthquake or typhoon will not let the Filipino spirit down.

In a few hours, the journey to 2014 begins. Some of us have started packing for the huge trip of our lives, and are ready to jump in the doors of the Year of the Horse. Some of us cannot wait to experience the awesome adventures that await them. Sounds exciting, yes? ;)

Just like Saab Magalona, I have started packing all the good memories that I will bring with me as I start my journey in the coming year. Inside my bag, I have also kept positivity, determination, humility, courageousness, and all the positive things to make this trip more worthwhile. My game face is on, and I am ready.

How about you, are you ready? :)

P.S. Thank you, God, for all the blessings You have given me, my family, and the people around me. :)

The Creative Juice

This is my third year making personalized Christmas gift wrappers. It all started when I decided to become resourceful and creative when it comes to gift wrapping so I could save money. Instead of buying wrappers, I looked for materials at home which could be good substitutes (for a wrapper). On my first year, I got hooked on making snow flakes and thank goodness my friends, colleagues, and family loved it. ;) Since then, I always make it a point that every year, I make personalized Christmas gift wrappers to make the recipients feel that they are special. Naks!

For this year, I got inspired by the two creative people I know, Ms. Alessandra Lanot and Bianca Regala. Well, I haven't met Ms. Alessandra Lanot but I visit her blog often because she makes one-of-a-kind crafts. She can turn a simple object to an extraordinary one. Who would have thought that an eraser can be carved and turned into a stamp? I admire her for being so creative! Ms. Lanot can make simple things look elegant by the touch of her hands. It would be an honor to meet her someday. Bianca, on the other hand, is my school mate in college. We know each other personally as we belong to the same department, College of Education, at De La Salle University. Just like Ms. Lanot, Bianca is very much into arts and crafts. Recently, she has taken a step to the next level as she shared her talent and passion to others by making kids and kids at heart happy at parties. You may check out her works on Instagram. :)    

The other week, Bianca posted a photo of her latest rubber stamps: gingerbread man, candy canes, and Christmas trees.I've always wanted to carve erasers but I didn't have much time. I took the chance on the start of our Christmas vacation and started carving erasers. My mom has a lot of craft papers so I asked her if I could have some. :)) The only things I bought were the stamp pads. The erasers have been with me since summer.

 

Got everything I need from my supplies! Thank you National Bookstore and to my other sponsors (a.k.a family and friends). Hihi.

Here's a preview of my Christmas wrapper. There was no available brown stamp pad that's why I used the multi-colored one for my gingerbread man. Anyway, I liked how it turned out. It required a lot of work, but I enjoyed stamping on the craft paper. It took me three hours, by the way. I used 2 and a half rolls of craft paper.

For the ribbons, I used green strips of corrugated paper and twisted red Japanese paper. Got my washi tapes from my friend Hazel to stick the ribbon in place. Also, I didn't print new cards this year. I used the remaining specialty paper that I have and cut its edges using craft scissors. The messages were hand written. See, it's from the bottom of my heart talaga! :p 

I posted the second picture on Instagram and tagged Ms. Lanot. After a while, when I checked my Instagram, I was so surprised and got so kilig when I read a message from her: She even liked the photo!

I was fangirling the whole time! Haaay. Now, I'm more inspired to carve erasers. My friend Mau and I are planning to have a stamp party soon. ;)

The Greeting

Christmas is not all about having new clothes and receiving gifts. It's the time of the year when we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus. It's okay if you don't have new clothes or new gadgets this Christmas. As long as you are with your family and loved ones and you put Jesus in the center of your lives, Christmas will definitely be much merrier. ;)

May you all have a meaningful Christmas. :)

 

It's Time to Give Back

Last night, I rummaged through my closet and looked for clothes that no longer fit me or slightly used. While folding these clothes, I just realized that each one of them has been with me in my most memorable moments. The t-shirts have witnessed my "pagsusunog ng kilay days" in the library or at SJ walk and made me feel comfortable way back in college. The collared tops kept me company in our reporting, interview, and school observation days. The pairs of pants, on the other hand, have been with me through thick and thin,since my gradeschool and highschool days.

To my dear clothes, thank you for everything! Make new memories with your future owners as well, okay? :)