Challenging Arts & Crafts

Vases, Bouquets & Floral arrangements - Part1

I made about a hundred of floral arrangements last year, 90 % of which was

made up of wildflowers I found, picked, searched, from the meadows or

fields where we walk Lily, the chihuahua ( mom in-law´s princess) everyday.

The rest of the flowers came from my garden particularly David Austin´s

yellow rose bush that gets more than a hundred buds each season.

As I love arranging flowers, I also love to take photos of each boquet and

floral arrangement that I did using various vases that I collect.

Most of the vases I used were hand-downs from hubby´s family and

some were found in flea markets.

The metal vase was a gift.. It used to be part of a shelled artillery

that was found after the WW II and was recycled artfully, surface pounded

so this design would come out.

This arrangement is a sum of petite wildflowers gathered from a field nearby.

And so because roses were abundant, I´ve had so many arrangements made for
my home. From Spring to mid summer, the blooms are there year after year.

A part 2 of this flower blog will follow with a lot more images

Hope you enjoyed the arrangements, so see you soon!

xoxo, Mercy

a crochet-skirt for me

I first saw Judy on a FB Group page intended for our High School batchmates to connect with each other some 5 years ago. She actually belonged to another class and since that FB page was set-up, we got to know each other better as years passed. I also found out that we have one thing in common and that is ...the love for crocheting.

She is an expert in this craft for she turned her hobby into a small business. She is based in Olongapo City ( Philippines) which is about 3-4 hours away by car or bus from Manila.. Thanks to the social media, we are connected at all times, sometimes chatting in the wee hours, LOL!

I have been talking to Judy about how I love the skirt I saw she was wearing one time... I found out that she made it for herself and I asked her if she could make one for me. She promptly said yes and that she would take the time to buy the materials so it ´ll be finished before I come to Manila.

Materials used for this skirt are all 100 % cotton.

I was actually scheduled to visit my family in Manila and planned to make a big party to celebrate Mom´s 88th birthday. But then, Mom passed-away untimely just before New Year.... that probably gave Judy stress for I had to atttend Mom´s funeral and would like to bring the skirt when I returned to Venna. Poor Judy I thought....

And then, she finished it by the way except for the lining which I have to do myself. Gladly, all materials were given to me so I could make the lining upon returning home.

I love the stitches Judy used for this skirt... it´s so fresh and airy to wear, the perfect skirt for summer!

And I can´t wait for summer to come ....

I´ll surely enjoy wearing this! I love reading your comments. Thank you for visiting!

xoxo,

Mercy

Divisoria - a crafter´s paradise

Hello everyone!

I´ve been absent in the blogging world for a couple of months due to the

tragedies that struck my family in the last half of 2015.

My brother died in August, then mom was hospitalized in September

and had a 50/50 life chance...She was bed ridden because of her hips and other illness. She recovered though and came home. Mom and I Skype-talked 3 days before she passed... and we were planning to celebrate her 88th birthday this July. But, she left this world unexpectedly in her sleep on Wednesday morning of December 30, 2015.

Though a sad beginning of a New Year, we were relieved though knowing that

she didn´t have pain or sufferings for she passed-away peacefully....God bless her soul!

photo source: Google.com

One of my plans whenever I visit Manila is to shop for craft materials in Divisoria. And so when my mom´s interment was done, I agreed with my friend Judy that we meet there and shop around for yarns and other craft materials.

Judy was a high school batchmate and is a crochet enthusiast whom I haven´t seen for more than 40 years. We planned this meeting so many times and it now came into a reality though at a sad circumstance. With her were crafter friends who are also business-minded ladies.

From L to R : Judy, Me, Lorna and Catherine

Judy is an expert in crocheting... she accepts orders and sells her patterns

at Ravelry. See her works on her page at More than just Crafts

With me is Lorna, an expert in bag making and other crafts. She gets private orders from the US through her sister who lives there and she gets her materials for her crafts in Divisoria.

Lorna´s bag sample

Cathy

Cathy dyes her yarns personally and she accepts orders from around the world. She can be contacted on FB at crochetbiz

Cathy´s yarns

Divisoria

The (spanish) word "divisoria" means a dividing line or wall... The market developed by itself and probably goes back to early 1900 when the chinese merchants in Manila started to trade their goods and created a market for all products whether fresh or dry... Chinese merchants, traders , workers lived in the adjacent Chinatown. The street of Ongpin became sort of the center of the Chinatown where rich chinese businessmen opened their shops for rich clients. Nowadays, Ongpin is as busy as ever.

Divisoria on the other hand, developed into a huge bazar or flea market of goods coming from everywhere in the Philippines as well as from China. The malls 168 and 999 are truly a mecca for bargain hunters, wholesalers, retailers, etc. You will find everything you want at a fraction of a cost and the dealers are mostly chinese.

Photo source : google.com ....More Divisoria pics here

I often came here during my college days, it is very near the University belt. I would simply look around the fabric stalls in the old buildings in the 70´s... Now, there are malls that cater to all your needs. You can really have a great deal especially if you buy at wholesale prices.

image source : google.com

I hauled my fabrics... these Coats 100% Cotton yarn below cost only 110 Pesos per box (2 Euros/2.30 USD) plus other bag materials shown in the following images are really a bargain.

If I would have the space in my luggage, I would have bought double the materials. All of us were simply happy that we have accomplished to buy the things we needed. The next time, I would send my haul by mail to Europe.

Happy Wednesday to all!!!

xoxo,

Mercy