2016 is the year for everything handmade

Let 2016 be the year for everything handmade!

They said we must claim it - and so, i just did!

Here's my 2016 wishlist for everyone into handmade:

1. That handmade be equated to good quality work

(photo credits to aftcra.com)

2. That more Filipinos learn to appreciate the talent, time and effort put into each piece by buying at fair market price.

3. That being a crafts person or artisan allows us to earn enough for it to be our main source of livelihood and not just a side job

(image lifted from google)

4. That each crafter learns his or her value as an artist and price their works accordingly

(image lifted from google)

5. That every crafter learns to respect the works of fellow crafters.

(photo taken from google)

6. That crafters from different media continue to hone their craft & be able to elevate their works to meet international standards

7. That more Filipino works be recognized & be able to break into the international scene.

(photo taken from google)

8. That government finally puts into action all plans to truly support micro industries.

(photo taken from google)

Big dreams, big hopes - I know! But definitely reachable & attainable! So, atta guys! Let's all buckle down to work! See you all in 2016!

Personalized Wedding Unity Coins

So, I decided to make my Christmas day extra special by starting to blog again. I know that may sound a wee bit weird to some. But for working moms like me, this is one of those rare days when the online shop is not abuzz with messages & I have a long weekend to look forward to.

Because December now has the most weddings being held in the Philippines nowadays, I thought I'd feature our personalized wedding unity coins. These coins are also referred to us arrhae or arras.

For a little background on arrhae's, I searched Google & found this on Wikipedia: The thirteen wedding unity coins symbolize Jesus and the twelve apostles. The exchange of the coins represent the groom's promise to provide for his family, and the bride's trust in his ability to do so.

From , one can find a more extensive explanation. Apart from the symbolism mentioned in Wikipedia, this site also says that the number 13 represents Christ and his 12 apostles. Another popular belief is that the thirteen coins represent the 12 lunar cycles of a year, and the thirteenth coin symbolizes the couple's honeymoon.

Having unity coins is a long held tradition in Filipino weddings & is definitely here to stay. When a friend suggested we do a personalized version of the coins, we just thought it was such a great idea!

We initially did the classic unity coins with the symbols & the name for each on one side of the coin & the couples names or initials & wedding date on the other side of the coin.

Later on, we got requests for a travel themed unity coin set where one side of the coin had the more famous landmark in a particular city or country. Couples would usually list the cities or countries where they have traveled together or those on their list of places to visit.

Both designs can be done in either polished brass, for those who want a shiny gold look to it or in antiqued brass for a vintage look.

For this year, we hope to do more designs. We're hoping to do a victorian theme, a shabby chic theme and I forgot for now what else we have discussed. Should you have your own ideas or peg pics, feel free to PM us on our FB page.