Saturday, February 21, 2015

never mind if aspirational, patriotic naman

between shoes and bags, i like shoes better. hard to explain. that's just the way it is.

thus, i rarely buy bags (not that i buy a lot of shoes either hehe). as with many other items in my wardrobe, many of my bags were simply gifted to me. on the very rare occasion that i buy a bag, it is invariably at the flea market. hello, hello magay!

then i serendipitously came across this website.

the tannery manila is a Filipino bag-making family. they've been at it for a hundred years. and i love their bags.




these bags aren't exactly what you would call mura. the price ranges from 5k to 8k. but they are leather, and the quality looks good. they must be handmade seeing as the company is a small artisanal operation. i love these too:




and these as well:





between these The Tannery Manila bags and similarly priced western branded bags, i will definitely go for these ones. i bet that the western-brand products using similar material will be priced three, five, ten times more. 

oh well. necesita buska raket. para pwede kumpra. :)

  
 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

the tragic tale of a treasure trove (a.k.a. the story of bling)


once upon a time....

i found myself with a lot of time to spare and a lot of scrap beads (aka, tira tira or retaso). i started stringing some into a bracelet, with a totally random design. i loved it! i made another one and another and still another one until i conceitedly thought to myself: "these are really cool bracelets! i am sure others will like it and want to buy it!" so i made a hundred (!). 








































but you know what? people didn't buy. i've sold give or take 500 pieces of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc since i started frantically (maniacally, obsessive-compulsively) making them in 2009. 

and that's not counting the bookmarks and other....stuff.



but these bracelets. 

these lovely, quirky, whimsical, organic, cutiepie bracelets. nobody wanted them. i would display them at the store and people ignored them! what is wrong with people? why can't they see what i can see??


 
































now i have a mountain of bracelets only i, it would seem, appreciate.



what to do with them?

well, wear them myself, of course.

last weekend i placed a handful in a row on a cork board, together with my default watch and ring so that i will not forget to wear one each time i go out.













for people who love me and will take pity on my tragic tale and offer to buy. sorry guys, i am no longer selling. #tampomode.



thanks though. i know you love me.