DIY Projects

Proud to say I’ve tried some DIY projects over the years. I’ve started with cross-stitching, simple designs at first but a bit complicated later on. At first I used the usual 14-count Aida cloth but graduated with 20-count. So small for my defective eyes back then. I gave some framed pieces to close friends, four are on our wall, some unframed ones and a few left undone. I have several skein threads left but I am not sure where I kept them. The unfinished and unframed projects were rolled in a plastic tube so they won’t fade and get dirty.

When I got tired of cross-stitching, I tried candle making even reusing some left-over candles in our cabinet.My brother Noel sent me a candle thermometer. Nissa helped me source raw materials in Divisoria. I had a lot of scents for all the jelly candles I made. I even bought a dozen shotglasses for it. Wicks can be bought by the yard and I also bought some candle molder. I didn’t try tapered candles though because they needed a peg board to dip the candles.

Right now, I am on my fourth Print by Number project. The longer it takes, the more complicated it gets. I  gave them all a title, the first one A Man With Flowers On His Head, the second one I called Giraffe, the third is the Lighthouse. I thought of naming the fourth By the Sea but I think Seascape sounds better. What do you think?

So far although cross-stitching and painting need a lot of concentration and are both hard to do, I guess the former is harder.  When you make a mistake even on a single stitch, the whole design would be destroyed while in painting, you can paint it over when it dries. The smallest numbers are the hardest because when you are not careful, they overlap.

Who knows, I might try diamond painting one of these days as Nissa suggested. As long as my eyes are still good to see small figures, it’s okay. I let them rest frequently.

I almost forgot that for a while (that’s about a year) I did rosaries too and gifted most of them to friends who visited me. Nissa is more of the arts and craft maker in the family. She did her own cords when she got married using various designs of swarovski crystals. She made rosaries too which she gave as mementos to all her secondary sponsors. When Nate was born, I gifted her with a jade rosary that I made along with a short prayer included in the rosary box, prayer for Nate and for her to get well soon. She delivered via CS.

I opted to use the prompt WordPress posted today, it is a little easier when you can’t think of a good content to write about.

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Finding Hidden Treasures

There is nothing much to do in this rainy Wednesday morning.  Sometimes, you just get bored with so much time in your hands. Waking up early really has its advantage because you get to finish daily household chores early too. This morning, I decided to tackle the contents of Nissa’s cabinet  which was left as it was since she got married November of 2011. We have floor-to-ceiling cabinets in our bedrooms so you can just imagine the amount of things left there most of which are old clothes which she didn’t bring with her, personal effects, stationeries,  arts and crafts kits, and various  toiletries some of which were not opened yet. I disposed all of the facial creams, lotions, shampoo bottles and some used make-up which she left behind.  Despite all these junks I found some treasures though while cleaning.

One is  a cellphone holder still in its original box in purple color. I always call Nissa a purple girl since it is her favorite color. When she got married, all her accessories were done in three shades of purple.  Now I have a nice holder for my cellphones. I am sure she would just smile when she sees this. She is a hoarder of sentimental things like I am. Would you believe that I still have two shoe boxes of letters from friends from way back?  I am digressing again. To make the story short, I found another item that I’ve been looking for since  typhoon Ondoy and that was four years ago.  It’s a candle thermometer which my brother sent me when I was into candle-making.

This candle book is a gift from Josef and I learned so much from it.

When I left the bank (I availed of an early optional retirement) fourteen years ago, I was in a quandary on what to do. I had so much time in my hands so I enrolled in some arts and crafts course  including candle-making. I sourced raw materials from as far as Divisoria market and bought lots of shut glasses for my jelly candle.  Back in those days,  you can make  candles in any scent you want. I was thrilled to try chocolate, bubblegum, vanilla  and peppermint scents to name a few. I  ended up giving them as gifts to friends and relatives. Nissa’s art kit consists of several crimping scissors, paper-cutter, stamp pads for designing stationeries, beads in different colors (for making bracelets, earrings, rosaries etc.), cutters, beading wires, pens in different colors,  and ribbons. She said she misses doing crafts and she has no time now.

I remember those cross-stitches  I did  before but was not able to have them framed.  I am into rosary-making now and give them as gifts to friends. Maybe one of these days,  I will try candle-making again. It would be nice to prime wicks, find lovely molders and wax fragrance and wax dyes too.  Maybe when I’m done with my fascination for baking cookies, bars and simple cakes, when I am done reading all those books on my TBR list, I will try other crafts.

How’s your morning? Is it also rainy in your area?

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Wishes Do Come True

I am just a simple soul really.  I find happiness in simple things like a new bloom, a smile and laughter of a child, a happy- ending story on TV, and yes, I am ecstatic when it comes to the printed word. My love of reading has not waned  after all these years. Never mind that I change reading glasses every two or three years, never mind that sometimes, I sleep still clutching a book in my hands, being a bit OC because I have to cover a book first before I start reading and no dog ears please, I have several bookmarks in stock precisely for new ones.

Last new year’s eve, my youngest brother and I were talking on the phone and he told me that he will send me  a Kindle, that oh so cool wireless reading device from Amazon which could hold up to 1,500 book titles. How wonderful perhaps to carry your own library with you wherever you go?  So I asked myself, will I ever adjust to reading an e-book ?  A few days ago, I posted my wish list for 2010 and one of my friends Tobbie, sent me a PDF copy of The Pillars of the Earth.  I started reading online, a few chapters everyday, but I find it a little kind of strange not holding a real book in my hands.  Just imagine a 991 pages , 100% zoomed in of course, for my poor eyes but still you can only read so much in one day.

My son  went to Bestsellers yesterday and he bought me a copy of  The Pillars of the Earth.  Wow, you can just imagine my smile and he embraced me and said, “I have another surprise”, and when I looked into the bag, I saw  this wonderful, wonderful book entitled Candle Creations,” a contemporary guide to making and using the most elegant element of home decoration – the candle”.  I simply love it.  I love the smell of new books.  They have that scent that says fun, learning, adventure. Years ago, my former boss at BPI taught me how to make candles.  She owns a craft store now called Craftworld.  How I love the aromatic scent of bubblegum, orange, lavander, vanilla, raspberry, cinnamon, coconut and even chocolate. There are so many variety of fragrances you can choose from and you could blend your candles with different colors. There are a few materials which you will need in making candles and the hobby is so rewarding.

One of these days, when I am well enough to source for supplies, I will try candle making again. And it’s one down my wish list.  Wishes do come true, right?

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