Friday, February 13

Snail Mail PH

In 2014, I did a lot of fun things. I had a dish garden exhibit with my friend Karen, I facilitated some workshops,  Moonpools and Caterpillars came to Manila and we watched and danced at their concert, I went to Korea with my family, I came up with new products for Gawani Femi, I gained new friends and I lost a few pounds (not really, haha).

It was a great year and I am thankful for all the blessings. I am thankful for all the people who made my 2014 more awesome. So instead of writing a new year's resolution, I wrote snail mails to thank them. It was eons ago since the last time I sent a letter via post office. This activity was very exciting for me.

I've been hoarding washi tapes, paper tapes, fabric tapes, all kinds of tapes! It was about time to start using ‘em. Handmade. Handwritten.
I made cards and wrote "It's the little things" on the cover.

I love snail mail!!!  There is something charming, sweet and personal about writting a letter and sending it thru the regular postal service rather than the usual e-mail.  So I decided to give this lost art another go.

I took my time writing these letters because I really wanted them to be more intimate. I didn’t want them to read like automated notices. I tried my best to write them from the heart. For weeks, I enjoyed going to work early early...staying in coffee shops...penning my gratitude on paper... I enjoyed it immensely. It was a good way to start a positive day.  Not to mention the opportunity to have an excuse for a second breakfast! Lol!

Then off I went to the Ortigas Center Post Office. It's a short walk from our office.

The first thing I noticed was the pile of letters. Hundreds of letters stacked in one corner of the post office! It was just there out in the open.  I had an urge to grab a handful to see what would happen, but decided against it. For a moment, I was skeptical. Would my letters reach my friends or end up in the mysterious island of lost things? I set aside my doubts and sent my letters anyway. 30+ letters... not sure if they'll ever reach their destination...


Look at that mailbox! Vintage!


Snail mail on the way! (fingers crossed). If you want to send a good old-fashioned letter, all you have to do is buy some stamps and paste it on the upper right cornerof the envelope (postcards usually have a square to indicate where the stamp goes). Most of my letters are for areas in and around Metro Manila. The lady at the counter asked me to put only one P10 stamp. For other areas she asked me to buy extra stamps. I added two P1 stamps to the letters headed for Rizal and Laguna.  Not bad, still very cheap diba? After attaching the stamps, I gave the letters to the lady in-charge and that’s it!
Look at those pretty stamps! I love ‘em! I even bought extra for my stamp collection.

Did my snail mails make it through? OH YEAH! I was surpised! A day after I sent a stack of gratitude letters, one of my friends informed me that he already received the letter.
Well, my friend’s address is in Pasig,  the same city where the post office I went to is located. But still, I didn’t expect it to be that fast! My friends in Quezon City got theirs 3-4 days after I sent it. Some of them, from other cities, received it after a week or two. Some of them still haven't. I guess it varies from city to city.

To sum up my snail-mailing  adventure - It was fun! My faith in PhilPost is renewed!
There's still a lot of room for improvement. I they had better facilities, a more organized system, more info at their office and website. For convenience, I wish we could have mail boxes scattered in the metro. We could buy stamps in advance and just drop-off letters with stamps. I wish we could have more post offices per city.

I will continue to write snail mails. If you want to try this, please do. If more people use the local postal service,  the dying art of letter writing may yet still thrive in the small corner of our digital world. Send good vibes thru snail mail!  Support PhilPost!
So get a pen and paper now, write and visit your local post office soon.

 Mwahugs!


Tuesday, October 14

SEWshi

I'm a crazy crafter. I hoard all sorts of craft materials and tools. I jump form one craft to another.

There was a time when I went gaga over bento making. I would go to different branches of Japanese stores here in Manila and buy bento boxes, sushi moulds, cutters and other tools that would create cute food. I would wake up at 5am to prepare my bento box.
Here's what I did.



Now I'm shifting again to a different craft. My current fixation is my Sewshi, a sushi playset for kids and kids at heart. I started making sushi out of felt when my friend asked me to make a set for her daughter. I had too much fun making it...
...and playing with it.


For a more interesting pretend play, I made a menu and I made some parts detachable so they can mix-and-match and assemble the nigiri. Nigiri is a specific type of sushi comprised by a slice of raw fish over pressed vinegared rice. 
Each SEWshi set is wrapped in furoshiki, a Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to transport clothes, gifts and other goods. It's eco-friendly too!


If you want to have your own SEWshi Playset, just send me a private message on my facebook page.

Friday, August 15

MEDIA

PRINT:
Manila Bulletin, "Made with Love" / April 4, 2014
View Magazine, "Succulent Dish Garden workshop" / March 2014
Working Mom Magazine, "Handmade Revolution" / September 2013
Malaya Business Insight, "It Pays to be Cute" / July 15, 2013
GFC Magazine (Japan Edition), "Online Selling" / March 2013
Craft Time Magazine, "10a Alabama: A Crafting Fair" / May 2012

TV:
Kabuhayang Swak na Swak / November 2012
Net25 "Tribe" Show / August 2012
Myx TV, "Wer U At" / October 2010


ONLINE  SITES/MAGAZINES:
WhenInManila.com, "Clay Planter Workshop" / August 2014     
CraftMNL.com, "Maker Profiles" / May 2014
Katha Magazine, "Crafterpreneur" / March 2014  
Coconuts Manila, "Workshop: Make Your Own Succulent Dish Garden" / May 2014 
Spot.ph "10 Things We're Loving Now" / April 2014 
Loqal.ph, "Show Your Quirky Side" / Aug 2013
Malaya.com.ph, "It pays to be cute" /  July 2013
Abs-CBNnews.com/Lifestyle "Unique Handmade Gifts from 10aAlabama" / November 2012


BLOGS:
GooglyGooeys.com, "Handmade Weekend at the 10aAlabama" / August 2014
Superwomom.net, "Crafternoon Party" , May 2014
TheHappyLab.com "Handmade Finds at 10aAlabama Arts & Crafts Fair" / April 2014 
ThePinkDoormat.blogspot.com, "Good Finds at 10aAlabama", July 2013
Bettinabacani.com, "10a Alabama Arts & Crafts Fair", July 2013
Thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com, "Saturdate Agenda" July 2013
TheHappyLab.com.ph "Owl Fever", April 2013
DollhouseDiary.com, "10a Alabama Arts & Crafts Fair" , November 2012
HandyDandyStudio.wordpress.com, "10a Alabama" , November 2012
ArtistMadhouse.com "Bunch of Craft", July 2012
Hoshilandia.com, November 2011
NomadManager.com, "10a Alabama Arts & Crafts Fair" /  November 2011





Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...