I love to read. But somehow, that love was set aside for more practical things (things that concern earning money that is). The affair is not over though and it only took one book to rekindle the flame: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

It was a nice book that made me feel warm and fuzzy all over because it brought back memories of adolescence–the search for meaning and identity, the too-young-to-be-an-adult-too-old-to-be-a-child confusion , the thrill of first love. It reminded me of summer days that I wish I had and of people I wish I had known.

But most importantly, it made me realized how much I missed reading books. And so, even if I have too many things in my hands now, I resolved to read at least one book a month. One book a month–I think that’s enough to keep the love from dying.

One book a month–because I have other things to do. Like accessories. I had time to do a few so here, I’m showing them to you again:

Makes me want to open shop.

After fancying a new bag, I’m currently longing for a new pair of shoes, ballerina flats in particular. But unlike a new bag, I think this one is a necessity so I’m more likely to make the purchase. I really want to give my feet a treat–something stylish but comfortable–because for the longest time, they endured blisters and torture from my other shoes that hurt a lot when worn for long periods. So for weeks now, I’ve been salivating over Crocs flats. I know they are a bit costly (I can probably buy 3 pairs of shoes for the price of a pair of Crocs flats) but I’m willing to pay the price knowing that my feet won’t ache even if I spend the whole day walking. But I just don’t have the time and enough will to go to the nearest Crocs retailer yet (which is still very far from my place).

But then last Sunday, while hubby and I were strolling at a local shopping mall, we wandered casually at the shoe section and there, something caught my attention: those cute, colorful, jelly flats from Grendha. They look so adorable and immediately, I grabbed a shoe and tried it on. It was too big for me so I asked for the smallest size, a size 5 (33/34). But my heart sank because the smallest is still one size too big for my teeny-weeny foot. Despite this, I lingered for a while, hoping something–other than sandals and flip flops–would be small enough to fit my foot. Unfortunately, none did.

They’re perfect–lovely, casual and comfortable for half the price of Crocs flats. Too bad, they don’t have my size but I’m not giving up yet. Maybe a shoe cushion or something will fix the problem. I’ve used some of those in my other shoes that are slightly bigger than my size. I just need to go back there and bring one to see if it can do the trick. And I really hope it will.

For now, I’m sharing you the styles that I gaped at. I am no Imelda Marcos but I perfectly understand why women go crazy about shoes. I haven’t gotten over how cute these looked on my foot.

Do you like them too? Check them out at Endless.com

I used to be a bag lover. Actually, I still am. But since I started working online, I haven’t bought myself a new one yet. I’m always hesitating because I really don’t go out as often as before and I feel that bags are more like a luxury than a necessity for me now. All my previous bags were just collecting dusts in the closet so I had to give them away because I rarely use them.

But sometimes, I think of retiring my old canvas tote bag. It served me years already, and for the last couple of years, it’s the only bag that I used wherever I go.  Although, I haven’t really decided when will I make that purchase. The tote bag is old, but not worn-out old and I still love using it. Or maybe it’s because I haven’t found an apt replacement yet. Something as functional and as versatile and will fit my current lifestyle, which is pretty much stay-at-home with occasional trips to the mall.

So if I do buy a new bag, what will it be?

Hmm, I have a preference for satchels and totes, especially white-colored ones or those with very striking colors. Leather or canvas, it doesn’t matter as long as it looks sturdy and don’t get dirty fast. I love bags with characters, and if I were to choose, these will definitely top my lists. I’m just not sure if they can play the all-around bag role. But they are really beautiful.

I suddenly miss shopping for bags.

Rampage Krista Top Handle Tote in White

Jessica Simpson Escape Satchel in Vanilla

Jessica Simpson Gin Lane Tote in Glazed Kiwi

Etienne Aigner Adelaide Hobo in Apricot

Steve Madden BCouture Satchel in White

Steven by Steve Madden Seamingly Beautiful Satchel in Denim

Cole Haan Saddle Small Soft Satchel in Ivory

Steve Madden French Martini Satchel in Cobalt

Steven by Steve Madden BSadi Cross-Body Satchel in Purple

Cole Haan Village Soft Triple Zip in Gunmetal

Cole Haan Phoebe Mini Three-Zip Satchel in Woodbury

I only have 2 accessories for the 3rd installment because I’d like to save the best for last. I wish I had made them months earlier, 8 months to be exact so I was able to use them for my wedding. My neck looked bare during that day because I wasn’t able to finish a DIY project that was supposed to adorn it (and I didn’t get myself a fancy necklace). So you could say that finishing this set is a frustration–my “could-have-been” wedding accessories.

Necklace:

Bracelet:

That concludes my first batch of beaded accessories. I don’t consider them ‘sale-able’ yet because I still have to refine some skills, especially in making the ‘eye’. But practice does make it better and easier overtime.

I’ll post my next batch accessories as soon as I’ve finished a few (and hopefully, with instructions next time.)

I didn’t want to cramp my the first post with too many photos so I decided to break the first batch of my beaded accessories into 3 parts. And this is my 2nd installment. If the 1st installment were accessory sets, this time I have stand-alone’s (although some can be paired).

Again, I’d love to know your thoughts, so please make use of the comment field below.

Necklace:

Earrings:

Bracelet:

As promised, here’s the first batch of my first ever beaded accessories (in 3 installments).

While making them, I realized that as many as my materials seem, I still need to buy some more. And that I should make a list before I head back to Quiapo. I’ve been there twice only to find out, after I got home, that I forgot to buy some items that I made a mental note of.

“You should have a plan”, my hubby always say, “Don’t do or buy something on impulse.”

That’s me. When I buy materials, I buy them because they look beautiful to me. I’ll just figure out what to do with them later, which is when I will realize that I cannot execute the design I have in mind because I lack some materials.

Admittedly, I haven’t totally gotten rid of the impulsive shopper in me, especially when I’m shopping for beads. One of my current obsessions is to have every sample of every bead I can find in Quiapo. But that’s a little close to impossible because I don’t have the budget for that right now. So I better be wise with my next purchase, otherwise I’ll end up with a bunch of materials I can’t use right away.

But the good thing with beading is that there isn’t really a wrong material to someone who has creativity and resourcefulness. Although sometimes, it’s a lot easier and the product looks much better if you have everything you need rather than when you improvise.

Anyway, enough of the talk. Here are my beaded accessories. Excuse some unsharp photos because I didn’t use a proper camera to shoot them. But I’d be thrilled to know what you think about them, so please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

More to come on the 2nd and 3rd installments so do check back.

I’ve been dilly-dallying for the longest time on whether or not I should start the hobby of making beaded accessories. Do I actually have the time, having a full time work and about a gazillion other things that I want to do?

Well, it doesn’t matter now because after two trips to Villalobos St.–the ultimate beads and accessories hub in Quiapo, Manila, I am now fully-loaded with bead supplies. I will have to make time for this hobby and hopefully, I can create pieces that are good enough to sell so I can make money with it as well.

My collection is still incomplete but it’s a start. I took advantage of the recent storm and almost-a-week of brownout to finish a few accessories. I’ll share them with you later. I’m itching to make a new one. Hopefully, I’ll find time before the week ends.

Oh, I’m so excited about this!

]]> http://sweetsimplejoys.com/craft-diy/ive-got-supplies/feed/ 0 http://sweetsimplejoys.com/breaking-news/this-is-it-pancit/ http://sweetsimplejoys.com/breaking-news/this-is-it-pancit/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:49:05 +0000 shinta http://sweetsimplejoys.com/?p=1934

For more than a year, this blog had experienced an identity crisis. It went from being a personal blog to a wedding blog to a freelancing blog. But now, I decided to revert to the original plan–the initial idea that I had in mind when I purchased this domain. That was to make this a craft/lifestyle blog.

The desire to create is an innate passion that I had in me eversince I can remember. I always had this love affair with anything that stoke my creativity (whether it is writing poems, making crafts, taking photos, designing a card, etc). And that old flame was rekindled when I got married early this year. I realized, while preparing for our wedding, that it was the perfect time to unleash the creative in me, because wedding is the best occasion for DIY crafts.

I had so many ideas in my head and I feared that I wouldn’t have enough time to execute them all. Unfortunately, I did run out of time and had a few DIY projects that did not make it to our wedding day. But hey, it’s not like wedding is the only time that I can create. And while I may no longer have the need for these DIY projects, I still have the desire to make and share them with you.

Hence, I am now relaunching SweetSimpleJoys–a blog about crafting and creating beautiful things with my own hands. A blog that I can be passionate about, because after all, I will be blogging about my passion.

This is it, pansit!

Judging from the number of times I updated this blog’s theme without posting new content, you could tell that I’m up to something. And indeed I am. The plan is to go back to the original plan–the original purpose for which SweetSimpleJoys was intended–a lifestyle/craft/creative pursuit blog. So overtime, all the freelance related posts here will be deleted to give way to more appropriate entries. But wait, there’s more! I am not going to totally abandon writing about being a freelancer. In fact, a new blog–DailyOnlineWork–is currently brewing here. I just narrowed the niche to a more specific topic–blogging about my experiences and learnings as a virtual assistant, as oppose to blogging about online freelancing in general. Who knows, some posts here might be resurrected there. So if you still want to follow my online freelancing adventures, head on to DailyOnlineWork.

In the meantime, I’m still gathering materials for the rebirth of SweetSimpleJoys. Hopefully, it’ll be soon!

Up now on the wedding blog:

Check out the complete instruction on how to do this DIY hair vine.