{ Krafted } My very own wax seals!

There are some of us, who are "old souls" who get excited over things that remind you of the good things people saw, heard, felt or used in the past. You've probably heard of wax seals. They are tiny circular flat objects made of wax the size of a one peso coin. In the past, they were used to seal letters and would bear the family crest or emblem of the sender. They are still made today more of an accessory for aesthetic purposes than functional. But you have to admit — they are classic, elegant and would make lovely additions to traditional mail and these days, it can be added to invitations, packaging and other craft projects.

Sealing envelopes with wax is easy but it takes a bit more time to produce (compared to how we seal envelopes these days). You need a few important supplies — the wax, source of heat (candle) to melt the wax and a stamp — the stamp being the most expensive of these.

What makes the seals so close to people's hearts is the fact that it's representative of its owner or sender. The appeal of wax seals is from the fact that you see your name, or alphabets of your initials ora a family crest when you send out something – anything that says it's from you. Very much like signing it before sending it out.

I went looking for resources because I was definitely wanted to design my own. I will tell you now, and I think you already know it, that it's not cheap to have a wax seal stamp custom-made. But the crafty person that I am, I had to give it a shot and satisfy the curiosity.

I drafted options. I didn't want it to be too specific (due to the cost), so I decided on designs that other people can use. And I wanted it to be in calligraphy because I'm big on personal touch. My final designs were inspired by countless pins saved to my Pinterest boards... all those amazing work and photography always gets me excited and craving for more.

So far, my wax seals are:

1. with love 25mm
2. handmade 25mm
3. thank you 30mm
4. Krafted "K" logo for personal branding needs

Here they are!

Expecting { Ling and Anton }

This has been a long-awaited blessing for Ling and Anton. Soon they will be welcoming a bouncing baby boy. Ling and I know each other through a common friend and have seen each other occasionally in events and gatherings in the past. It was only this warm but nice Saturday afternoon that I got to sit and talk with her and her hubby ever since we were introduced.

This maternity shoot allowed for us a chance to chat about her anticipating a child and a few stories about the world of weddings and event photography. A friend of mine was with us that afternoon who is also a mom, which was great because it was a perfect time for them to exchange stories of motherhood and anticipating the journey of caring for a child.

Ling and Anton are not used to having photo sessions and they told me they chose not to have a pre-wedding shoot. I thought of giving them a little bit of those couple moments along with intimate shots with Ling's beautiful baby bump. They were willing to go an extra mile for the photos but I kept it safe and relaxed because I wanted them to be comfortable and not feel shy or awkward. This was a very low-key session, no fuss at all. Actually just the way I liked it.

We wrapped up after an hour. We spent the rest of the afternoon over pizza and pasta, enjoying the sand in our feet and the breeze under a shade. We're sending warm congrats to both and we look forward to meeting this baby boy, praying for a safe delivery for Ling!

Handpainted Woven Bags

I'm getting back to painting some plain native bags I purchased from the holidays. Aside from the usual roses, I'm trying out sunflowers and some white petal flowers for some variety. The small shoulder bags are wonderful and cute but they're not always available in local shops. So I looked for other types and found these lovely clutch bags from Subida.

I love that they're quite roomy and I like the fact that they came in other colors aside from the natural one. The weave patterns are great and they add more texture to the color and design that I added. Another cute find is the round hand bag which I also have kept one for myself because it's my favorite from all of them! And I don't have a lot so each bag is special and unique.

Here I also share the other bags I painted and sold over the holidays. I'm so happy with these because they came out pretty! The bag texture makes the designs look different, in a good way. They went so well with florals and leaves!

If you want to see how I painted them, I have a post about it and was able to film while painting. You can view it here.

Loose Watercolor Florals Workshop - Dumaguete

I'm happy to finally open this workshop for registration. I started my watercolor journey painting loose flowers and leaves and it has truly helped my calligraphy gain more followers. Florals are wonderful elements to add to calligraphy simply because they add more colors and visual interest to your artwork. Loose florals can be added to so many projects and unlimited ideas can arise from knowing how to do it! It's so versatile, yes! Painting loose flowers is really easy and even those who have little or no experience in painting will be able to do it!

My workshops will be in small groups which will be best for each participant's learning. I'm posting three time slots for starters. If anyone in Dumaguete is interested, you can send me a message online through my social media channels above or you comment on this post on Facebook.

Small Victories - Painting on Ukelele

This project started out as an entry to a contest turned collaboration project sponsored by Inspiredby.ph in which I was invited to participate, to paint a calligraphy design on a ukelele. The theme was "Reasons we love the Philippines" and I chose the theme of the beach for obvious reasons.

I painted on two ukeleles, one of a simple artwork, bird's eye view of beaches and another includes calligraphy design with Filipino words of beach scenery.

The "drone" view of the beach artwork is inspired by the palette knife paintings of Sally West. For the calligraphy piece are words written in Filipino that remind us of the ideal beach scenes.

I take you through my process of painting through these photos.

This was my initial draft.

Acrylic paints and gold mica ink

a new canvas!

Painting Ukelele Exhibit Opening at Flying Fish Hostel

Here is another first for me! I recently participated in a ukelele painting exhibit sponsored by Inspiredby.ph. It was held at Flying Fish Hostel some time one afternoon in February. It was a short and intimate gathering of people, mostly art enthusiasts. There were seven ukeleles with different paintings by different artists on the theme "Reasons we love Philippines." There was singing and ukelele music, short introduction on each artwork and some photo ops with the artists and people behind the event.

This was a dream of Jane, the manager of Inspiredby.ph who worked hard to put this up to spread love for art and music. I was happy to contribute. It was a first for me to be part of an art exhibit of any sort. I took on this project as a personal challenge on my part, of the curiosity to paint on a different object using media I'm still learning to use. A small yet personal victory, I would say. Yay me!

My theme was the concept of the beach which is something I love in this country and how abundant they are in this land. I painted on two ukeleles, one of a simple artwork, bird's eye view of beaches and another includes calligraphy design with Filipino words of beach scenery.

The pieces will be displayed for exhibit and open for sale at Alima Cafe and afterwards at Kri Restuarant. Thirty percent of proceeds will be donated to the Little Children of the Philippines Foundation.

Ukelele artists: Cil Flores, Angelo Delos Santos, Hersley Casero, Calvin Larena, Kat B and Evgeniya Spiridonova

(above photo by Denniz Futalan)

Painting Loose Florals

Here is another simple floral painting of a floral arrangement only using 2-3 colors. This is something I'm practicing on since I am used to using a lot of colors in a bouquet. Here, I'm using my seldom-used filbert brush in painting the petals. It takes some getting used to but for the petals, it seems easier to achieve wider shapes. There's also a speed painting video of this artwork below, if you wish to see the process.

Slow Sundays

I love Dumaguete on Sundays because there are less people out. It's one reason I really like being here, because almost everything you need (the basics) are just 10-15 minutes drive away. But you can definitely choose to go on foot if you are in the mood.

This was how I spent my day one weekend in February, with R's kids, X and A. I don't spend a lot of time with children so it was a little new to me to be mindful of where they are every second we're out of the vehicle.

We go to the public market to get breakfast at the "pa-initan," — the line of stalls that sell puto and tsokolate, bud-bod and homemade peanut butter.

Ukay-ukay is a big deal here

Me and A smile with the puto

Yum!

Temple of Leah

An opportunity to see this temple presented itself to me when I was on a brief visit to Cebu sometime in January. I had very low expectations as I haven't seen or heard of this temple not until a friend suggested we take a side trip there to kill time.
To get there, my friend and I got on a habal-habal ride. After a 45-minute drive we reach the top hill of barangay Busay. For an entrance fee of Php50, you get to see a wonderful overlooking view of the city and perhaps the closest thing we can see of Roman-type architecture in the country. Upon entering the place, a large courtyard with granite floors will greet you, with a small marble fountain at the center. There are a number of Grecian sculptures around the area. There are also a lot of white table umbrellas and red mono block chairs. Those are actually an eyesore when you're taking scenery photos.
The structure was enormous, and for it to be a shrine, it's a very grandiose way of expressing love for someone. It's dedicated to the memory of Leah Albino-Adarna. There are two golden lions on each side of the stairs leading up to the main hall where you'll see the golden statue of Leah. The statue is 9 feet high and on either side are stairs adorned with more detailed mini golden sculptures as well as the presence of a large chandelier.
The place is a refreshing sight from seeing mostly greenery in the area. The view and the breeze in truly nice. Photography would be fun except you'll have to go very early in the morning to avoid the crowd. Otherwise, you'll end up getting frustrated that your photos will never clear up from all the people in the background.
Some photos from my visit.

Abaca Baking Company

One January day, I found myself checking out one of the branches of Abaca Baking Company, a coffee shop with impressive branding and style. I went to the Banilad branch at Crossroads. As much as I love coffee and places that serve them, I don't get to go to a lot of the new trending ones because I don't like traveling to big cities in the country. I like to stay in the Duma area and neighboring towns.
One thing I look out for when I first go inside a coffee place is the feeling I get when I first step inside. If there's this nice coffee aroma, that's a good sign. This one in particular looked promising from the outside. The black and white signage, minimalist black-framed windows and a peek at what's inside. Some yummy pastries parading on the counter. I go in and yes, the smell of coffee greets me and didn't disappoint.
There are a number of abstract art displayed on the walls, main color theme is black and white with elements of ink illustrations, doodles or drawings. It's seen on the pastry liners and paper cups and paper bags. Also cannot be missed on the metal stools and merchandise packaging.
The door of their toilet is black with a charming white doodle of a sleeping fox which I totally love. Tables and chairs are nicely done and naturally distressed (they don't look shiny and new which is great). The white/tan wooden tables were my favorite. They actually made the entire experience better for me, plus seeing the black window beside it. Instagram worthy? YAZ! And I will commend the staff, they have a lot of staff to attend to your needs, are happy and cheerful and really, just looking all happy to serve!
But all this eye candy does not come cheap. Food comes at an expense, steeper than the usual meal. But safe to say, it's also good. I came with a full stomach so that helped me order less. I only had dessert and coffee. But I'm sure you'll love it here especially if you get to taste more of the items in their menu. They have a number of choices not just for coffee and pastry but for heavier meals and snacks. They have twenty branches all across Cebu so you'll never miss it!