The One About Joujoux

When I first started teaching preschool, there weren't a lot of instructional materials available that were of good quality.  I remember the first teaching material I made then was a felt jacket with a letter "J" patch (J for jacket).  I had sewn it using our old sewing machine (it was de-padyak pa!  I still love that oldie, though, and had my mom swear never to dispose of it.) and I punched holes on it so it could be a lacing activity tool.

When I developed a deep love for making beautiful things, I would find myself browsing websites for toy and learning materials projects.  I had a long list of To-Makes which is still long, by the way, but I would always promise myself to getting around to making them.  

It could be the serendipitous marriage of my job as a teacher and my passion for crafting that led to the preference for toys and learning materials that are well-created and of great value.  Toys that are open-ended and provide hours of endless entertainment.  Toys that children love so much that they treasure them until they reach adulthood and pass them onto their offspring.

Hence, the birth a new "baby" for me and my husband -- Joujoux Playthings & Teachables.  Joujoux is French for toys and it is a very lean startup born out of love for well-crafted toys and educational materials.  We are starting off with the felt food sets that were sold last November at the Cebu International School Bazaar but we already have a lost of ideas brewing in mind for the next products.

Manila-based people can finally get their hands on these lovelies on February 28, 2015 at 3rd Mom Pop Up at Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street.  Apart from the playthings, we'll also have our tunic dresses, kimonos, and a few wrap skirts to sell (our next clothing collection is in production!!!).  The clothes are still under the Little Miss Pinay Crafter label.

And so, here's to love for teaching and the handmade goodness that transpires from it.  Here's to Joujoux, to the old-school kind of entertainment it brings, to its educational value, and to treasured memories that it will bring forth to the young.

The One About the Valentine Candy Huggers

It's Valentine's Day!  Yesterday in school when my students and I were gathered for Meeting Time and updating the calendar, we talked a bit about this celebration.  Not a lot of them had plans because as one of them put it, "There really aren't a lot of stuff for kids to do on Valentine's.  It's really more for adults."  While there is a grain of truth to that, there's no reason for any of them not to feel the love!

A few days ago, I managed to carve out some time to make these Valentine candy huggers for my students.  Oh, how I missed crafting with paper!  I got the idea from Lia Griffith and it was so easy to put together!

What can be more perfect than candies hugged by sweet animal paws?  Enjoy this lovely day and be kind, lovelies. :)

LMPC Reads: The Forest Feast

Perhaps nothing can be more calming, alluring, and relaxing than finding a pocket of free time, curling up with a good book, and sipping a steaming cup of tea or coffee (well, except for the occasional massage).  For a hobby crafter like me (I still cringe with embarrassment when I come across people who think I'm sort of expert), craft and recipe tomes make up a large part of my literary repertoire.  For as much as reading can be exhilarating on its own especially for an introvert like me, it is also amazingly rewarding to make something as a takeaway from an inspiring book.

I thought it'd be lovely to start a new series on this little virtual bubble of mine where I would share my current and not-so-current reading selections and the craft project or recipe that I made and tried from them.  :)

To kick off this series, enter The Forest Feast.  I purchased the book several months ago.  Admittedly, I have never heard of the blog until I came across pictures of the cookbook that flooded my Instagram feed.  At first, I was attracted to the visual imagery:  beautiful watercolored recipes and typography.  Then I saw snippets of the cookbook recipes and fell in love with the four-to-five-at-most-ingredients recipes.  Not only that, the recipes were vegetarian which was especially convenient since I have recently begun implementing a Meatless Dinner Night once a week in our household.  So the cookbook was literally a treasure trove of ideas for that.

I was meaning to make this Asparagus Tart from the book but the night I was supposed to make it, I realized I did not have asparagus on hand so I used plump tomato slices instead.  The layers of Brie cheese, pesto, and tomatoes made it seem like eating a healthy pizza!

On another night, I made the Accordion Zucchini.  So easy to make and yet it wowed my husband on how fresh and tasty it was.

 Baked but still juicy zucchini with paper-thin garlic slices and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese

The book is filled with 100 simple vegetarian recipes and is divided into categories:  Appetizers, Cocktails, Salads, Vegetable Dishes, and Sweets.  Soon enough, I shall make the Garlic Knots, Strawberry Salsa, Polka Dot Foccacia, Eggplant Tacos, Corn & Caulifower Tacos, and (hopefully) the Challah.  And with the beautiful layout, I don't think I'll ever get tired referring to this cookbook again and again and again.  It is, after, a feast for the eyes as well.

Wednesday Nugget

This quote will get me through this year. :)

Little Miss Pinay Crafter Makes: Kimonos

And so my tunics were posted for sale just before 2014 came to an end.  To kick off 2015, I am posting kimono cardigans that give off the same city-resort vibe as the tunics.  They come in vibrant prints, making them the perfect throw-on-and-go sartorial piece.  

Each is priced at Php 650 and comes in free size (fits small to large frames).

Watercolors

Flora in purple

Dainty Florals 1

 Dainty Florals 2

Flora in green

Xantee

For orders and inquiries, shoot me an email at wickedcrafts2012@gmail.com :)

Little Miss Pinay Crafter: Name that Tunic

My last post shared my experience at the Cebu International School Christmas Bazaar 2014.  I sold tunics, kimonos, and wrap skirts.  After a couple of weeks, they are finally live online for online claimants!  

Well, the tunic dresses for now, at least.  I put them under the banner collection "Name that Tunic."  Haha!

They're all made from cotton-blend fabric so they're super buttery soft on the skin!

 A stunning black tunic sprinkled with white stars (a refreshing take on white polka dots) spliced with red trimming

 A floral piece of navy, green, and pink spliced with pink trimming.  Sweet without being overly saccharine.

 A citrus take on florals spliced with white trimming

 Dainty pink florals spliced with pink trimming

 A lovely floral piece spliced with dark green trimming

 An interesting combination of blue with minute white dots made zesty with apple green trimming

A floral red and blue piece with red trimmming

Each tunic retails for only Php 1050!  

Free size.  Fits small to medium frames.

Shoulder:  16 inches

Bust:  39 inches

Hips:  42 inches

Length:  33 inches

For inquiries, shoot me a PM or email me at wickedcrafts2012@gmail.com

The One About Taking a Leap (CIS Bazaar 2014)

If you follow my Instagram or Facebook account, you'd know immediately why this blog had been neglected for some time now.  When I started this craft and lifestyle blog, its main purpose was to simply be able to document all my inspired projects and creative pursuits.  I figured the blog was also a way to continually push me to tap into my creative side from time to time.  For years, people close to me have expressed admiration for my work and nudged me to try selling them.  I put them off for various reasons:  not enough time, not enough capital, etc.  However, during one of my solitude moments - when I'd think and ponder best - I visualized the kind of life I desired.  A passionate creative individual living a creative independent life.  I simply had to pursue it.  To this day, that vision continues to drive me and is the reason for taking the entrepreneurial plunge.

I had to stop making excuses and start making things happen.

So that's exactly what I did.  The idea for selling my stuff was born last summer.  Since I had two months off from work, my time was spent doing research, making samples, and sourcing materials.  I came up with a minimum viable product (wrap skirts) which received good feedback from people.  After that, I came up with a small line of clothing articles.  The whole time I was planning this, I knew there was only one place I wanted to start selling at -- Cebu.

So - again - that's exactly what I did (or where I went).  The months leading to the Cebu International School Christmas Bazaar was a frenzy of rejecting, tweaking, and approving samples, fabric sourcing, sewing, budgeting, more sewing -- it was crazy!  But I was very happy and inspired.

So last week, I debuted my products at the bazaar and the experience was nothing short of wonderful.  I had people checking out my stuff, purchasing them, asking if I had an online shop, taking a calling card.

I sold kimonos, tunic dresses, and wrap skirts in new prints.  And my handmade toys.  Fun!

If there's one takeaway from my trip to Cebu, it's that to trust in the magic of beginnings.  It may be scary and risky, but it's also worth it.  Plus, it gives you the motivation to keep moving forward and permit the magic to take you to further heights.

Cheers to new beginnings!