My Little America backpack

For the style traveller who prefers that his/her stuff speaks for her given lifestyle, the Herschel, Little America says a lot about the adventurous, relaxed, classic and artistic side of you.

Designed and inspired with the good sport of hunting, Little America’s strong poly fabric built is patterned with hounds and horses. It’s different and refreshing mix of phthalo green and mustard yellow would make backpack lovers stare at it from afar. Strong holing light brown leather buckles are conveniently done in magnetic strap closures.

All these details, I am loving! The bag itself is complete eye candy but what I love most about it is how efficient and relatively safe it is. It houses a thick, fully padded/ fleece lined 13″ laptop compartment (perfect for the always on-the-go . It’s sewn at least 2 inches off the bottom of the bag.

Rucksack style closure for it’s main pocket.

Red striped lining that sets it apart from other backpack designs.

Music-lover friendly with an earphone hole on the right side. Perfect on the road and want to chill with your fave tunes.

Thick padding for back support.

Please visit www.herschelsupply.com and check out their designer crafts on pouches, bags and wallets.

All photographs taken with a Canon 350D. Credits to Bratpack, Lomography and Papemelroti.

Flight Fighter Fashion

As leather and classic bags goes, nothing beats leather unlike what my friend Dave Hardy had shared. From his days of British air force service, and his multiple adventures comes a very heavy-duty bag that truly caught my attention. A Wotancraft sat before me when we met at Starbucks. It’s fine chipping tells a lot as each has been through more that one of Dave’s many travels.

Made to last and fight off elements, the Wotancraft Atelier bag has a water proof pouch and shock resistant system to make sure that whatever is inside stays intact. Truly, the old bags are made better in their own nostalgic way.

I can tell how much Dave treasures this piece. A Royal Air Force patch was sewn inside, conveniently showing when he pulls down the front pocket. It was automatic. And shouldn’t it be when only a handful of skillful men was assigned to guard the queen?

Both Dave and his leather treasure are living legacies, quietly sitting in the corner of Starbucks, as simple as ever, not knowing that this man had his share of stories in the jungles. Stories of true adventures like elephants during a bike drive with the kids or even the flights he himself drove to while serving his country. It was at least 3 hours of just talking about his life and mine, and indeed the stories are the ones you’d truly wanna hear. And every step of the way, I’m pretty sure the Wotancraft bag was with him. A friendship build on the brand, a lasting living reminder you can hold on to.

Cool Kids : Polymer creations!

Back when I was a kid, Playdoe was the pillar of all kiddie toys. It was the an age where the 80’s was reaching it’s end and toy makers had to touch children’s “creative” sides before we all went “megabites” and “pixel count” on finger pressing colored arcade games.

Playdoe for me is what my mother calls, a “prize” when I finally memorized our national oath. I was never too keen with details so mom had to keep me interested one way or another. I’d be excited cause I can see her hiding something behind her back. Oh the joy of expecting that soft mold of color in my finger tips. I was very much hyped but was taken aback by the fact that mother had given me what looked like a white colored one. I guess it was on sale since the neons and primary colors were all the rage. I smiled non the less and opened the small plastic cup of what look like retailed soggy flour. But Playdoe is Playdoe, so I played with my flour and three days after, they were all gone. When you do a batch of cookies with them it is most likely to happen.

Years after, I studied Fine Arts and was in a sculpting class. We were required to mold a bust figure and make out our own David. Of course mine looked like something the cat dragged in, but that’s another story.

Then there was Polymer clay. I was excited for the fact that it required cooking to harden. But I’ve never gotten around it and just worked my ass off with my photography and design. Then I was introduced to Cool Kids.

As it turned out, I was just too busy to do my own mold but was very fascinated with the little clay creations I’ve been seeing online. It was enough for me to see them.

Year’s after, a friend of mine was asking for help to shoot some of her sister’s hand made jewelry and I was ecstatic to see that each were made in ( yes, it is so obvious in this turn-about ) Polymer clay!

The Cool Kids creators Iris Jill Ybañez and Abby Santiago have the digits to mold each little piece into wearables for your eccentric mood!

So let’s say you’ll be having hot-dogs and eggs for breakfast, you can also mean an entirely different idea!

With an assortment of designs, you’ll find something that will fit your favorite, your wardrobe and your personality!

It’s for those artsy gals and guys out there who likes hand-made-one-of-a-kind goodies made loud and proud pinoy! These also make cute gifts!

Not only did she make these one inch wonders but her folks also help her stitch up some canvas bags and are now for purchase online via Facebook. You can look her up and leave her a message! 😀 Cheers to so much talent!

Shots taken in natural lighting with a Canon 350D with my Sexy A’s!

De-stressing with a Donut : New Portrait

Four months of intense photo editing and catalog designing, sitting down in one place and not getting enough sunlight can really exhaust you in some way. You don’t even know the details so I’ll spare you and just present the ever awesome shots Mona did for me to break away from all that work-tension. You see, I’ve been taking pictures for almost eight years now and I’m never really sure how to pose if I was the one in front of the camera with someone else shooting. We decided to make it look a bit more candid / raw type of shoot. We also took a donut break ( thank you Erica for bringing Krispy Kreme! ) and came out with these nice B&W snaps.

Taken by Monarica Mandapat with a Canon 350D. Post processed colors were done on Photoshop by me.

Taking the picture takers : I need a breather!

It’s been three months since our major project. Sometimes when you’re focused on something, you tend to want to veer away from it. You have to at least space out, jump from that bubble and see it like Neil Armstrong from the moon. In other words…I’m taking a break.

I don’t take breaks like most people do. Regular rest is lounging on the sofa, feet up and remote on hand, watching prime time shows or movies on HBO. But breaks also take up time. So I’m spending mine productively. If you don’t get what I’m saying, it’s high time you find a hobby.

After some stretches and a few back cracks, a friend and I decided to take some “fun photos“. Luckily there is a small collection of film cameras (evidently from the seventies) collecting dust on a friend’s high shelf.

Oh happiness! It was a Yashica FX-3 and a Kodak Colorburst 250.

It was at around 5:00 pm when we started  The sun was low and the camera’s pictures were graining like crazy. After a while we sat down and chatted about general things in life, ate carb strings and a whole bread and packed everything up.

Back to work!

At least for an hour you get to appreciate things that were once taking memories. I’m not sure what these cameras took, but they sure were fun subjects to shoot! Oh the turn around!

Shoots taken with a Canon 350D and a Canon 450D.

Satchmi : Good Ol’ Days Are Here Again

Father would play music on his black turn table back when I was still a wee lass. My first ever memory of us living with my grandparents was this big black disk, spinning on a rectangular box. A pin was placed on top of it and I’d watch as it circles around, the record cover in dad’s hand. I was on the floor watching his appreciation for music. Now I think I got my tastes from him cause at a very young age, sweet tunes were always present specially during mornings. Up until now, as I write this, he is downstairs, playing his Christmas songs. But gone are the days of the huge vinyls played via metal wicks. But not all of them.

Joining my friend Yna for a little Christmas shopping with her sister and mother, there is this huge Christmas bazaar called Shop @ The Fort where all these amazing items were for sale. Though one booth in particular took me back to the times were I first remembered ever appreciating music.

Lined in all awe were these records, not off old titles but new ones like Adele’s 21 and The Killer’s Sam’s Town and a dozen more titles were placed inside a fruit-box. A beautiful Motorino leather black turn table was on display. (check it out here: https://satchmi.com/Product/372/motorino)

Satchmi was to blame for this wonderful revival of 20th century titles in a classic musical medium. Excuse my term but seeing these in a bazaar full of foreign goods, these old-school products was rather orgasmic in visual and in experience!

Not too far were classic SLR cameras made into Ipod docking stations.

Neckties in designs and colors that really caught my eye. They were all originally made and were not found anywhere else.

Me Dusa plastic pressed hand bags of different hues were also lined up.

Rings and Necklaces in variety, crafted in such attitude that you’d love to buy them if you fancy cupcakes with wings, ram skulls, and others that looks like ancient talismans.

Fragrances in small bottles each hand made and is 100% vegan. Nice one!

The overall brand concept is what caught me. Each creation were tagged or labeled as to who (their respected artist) and from what country each originated from. One perfume was made by an artist named S.Anthem from the US while another, Pavel Sidorenko from Estonia reinvented vinyl records into clocks of famous icons.

If your trip is as the same as mine, drop by at their booth at Shop @ the Fort in Bonifacio High. See Satchmi, the curators of functional luxury. http://www.facebook.com/Satchmi

Literally highlighted. Old kid bike ride?

The neon colors of our study markers. Seems ages ago when I last used these on my books. And funny how I’ve only noticed that this dominated my look on one particular sunny bike ride. And one that drove me back into a time where drinking pop while listening to a boom box was rad!

It ain’t neon but the strong vertical reds dominated both my sweet wheels and my outfit. It was unintentional, but funny the least.

This Black Sheep top was in an old kid’s 80’s fade. Red stripes were of course, a signature of one childhood icon…hey wait, “Where’s Wally?!” (Seems Kimchi took an interest)

As I looked down at my shoes, the same patterns emerged via my laces. Comfy sneaks by Spice Fashion.

And since we’re talking about childhood icon’s, who’d ever forget Betty Boop and her big “power puff” eyes?  Although unbranded and was bought off a small shop, still this timepiece is classic!

Who’d ever forget them bottle cap collections? Pepsi still seems to be a side street favorite compared to it’s top predecessor. This little thing however is an item I bought off in an Ukay-ukay that sells old toys. Seems Pepsi took a marketing turn to feature their bottle cap designs and make them button pins in Japan.

So a time warp bike ride? A girl can still make believe right? 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside a Swiss pocket watch

Rummaging through my father’s collection of old and discarded things is a Swiss pocket watch. Scratched with a broken glass, I took it out entirely to make sure that no shards will get through any skin. The seconds hand was missing and the digits incomplete, faded from use.

The details of the back were nicely embossed.

And of course inside was the littlest battery I’ve ever seen!  I wonder what other treasure my father keeps tucked away?

Handmade leather crafts anyone? Amazing shoes and bags by Glenmore

Old souls are said to collide in a life time. This meeting however was not of dusty records and past events but of a modern music I was surprised to hear. It was a regular weekend down at Metro walk. I have accompanied my best friend on her usual eyelash extension trips when I decided to go shop searching for anything interesting. Indeed from the farthest corner was a white-bricked shoe store. I was quickly taken by what I saw and slowly made my way inside.

The mood was quickly set. There were classic pieces on the opposite side of the wall, which reminded me of my father’s old bottle collection. It felt a lot like the sixties with its perfect chandelier and old school chime clock on the shelf.

 To my surprise came the unexpected music.  It was a track from The Camerawalls, an indie band I’ve been listening to live and on record for the past years. Only a few would come across this music. So I stayed, looked around the many bags and shoes lined on every corner. The shop owner, Adam, asked if there was anything I wanted, then I said, only simply to confirm, “What song are you playing?”

It got off from there. Glenmore shoes, as I later found out, is a leather goods store that started back in the 1960’s. What’s more is that this was a family business. With its years on it, it was more of a tradition. The best part for me was the idea that their pieces are hand made.

See the details on this baby! Hand made to last a lifetime! Visit Glenmore and see more of their amazing footwear, bags, belts / leather goods. If you get lucky, you might just meet the very guy who created these!

Crafted and customized for the buyer by hard working hands. If you’re looking for something different, not off the market, really sturdy pieces and customized at that, give Glenmore a visit. There’s one shop on the 2^nd floor of Metro walk that truly out shined the rest. 

visit them at http://www.glenmoreshoes.com

Vintage! The essence of life

Two awesome discoveries down at SM Accessories Fairview! A Tony and Sons Vintage Car Service pouch and a Vintage! The Essence of Life key ring. Yes they are all literally old school both in look and in branding!

Tony and Sons printed in silk-screened brown against a nice demin texture with a nice bronze clip and synthetic leather hand strap.

The Key ring has the same hand strap but lighter in color with a number of bronze key clips and a cute little alarm clock for added detail! It also has this orange circle that says Miss 100 degrees. Hmm…never really got to why it said that but it’s still a good design! And besides, it’s a nice and stylish way to keep keys organized!