No gift wrap challenge #2: Note paper set

This set of floral sticky note paper already had such a pretty pattern, it almost didn't require gift wrapping at all. Almost, because the center of the cardboard container was printed with a label. But if we go back to the guiding principle that wrapping simply hides the gift from the recipient, then all that was needed was to hide the label.

I chose a piece of washi (Japanese paper) in a pattern and color that echoed that of the note paper, and cut it with deckle-edged scissors to a size that would just hide the label. I didn't want to glue it directly onto the box, so I cut a piece of translucent paper the same height as the small box and glued the washi onto it. I could just slip the sheet—which, happily, could also serve as the gift tag—inside the resealable plastic bag. It looked empty and off-balance after I wrote the greeting and our names, so I added the natural fiber paper seashell and string embellishment to balance everything off.

No gift wrap challenge #1: Tees

Last December, I received a gift that included tips on how to live greener in the new year. One of the tips was about doing with less packaging. Since I've been using cloth shopping bags for years already, I thought of it in terms of gift packaging. I already re-purpose shopping bags, old calendars, and outdated office print-outs into gift wrappers. The next challenge for me is, can I do away with gift wrapping?

If you think about it, wrapping simply hides the gift from the recipient and adds the simple pleasure of anticipation. I don't think I can do away with wrapping completely, but I realize that there are some objects that don't need to be wrapped to maintain the element of surprise. I'll document the results here, of course, and this is the first.
  A tee is a tee is a tee. I figure that it's really the design on the T-shirt that's important to hide, so I just folded and tightly rolled the tee, completely hiding the print in front, and tied it with three kinds of ribbons—all reused—in different widths. Since the shirt tag was blank at the back, I used it as the gift tag, just putting a sticker on it before writing the greeting. I tied the tag onto the shirt with the narrowest ribbon.

Roll 'em

I love gift packaging, but I also find it very wasteful when they're just thrown away after the gift is opened. So I always try to reuse gift bags and ribbons. To store used ribbons—and stretch them out at the same time, without having to iron them—I roll them around the cardboard cores of toilet paper.  Depending on the width of the ribbon, each core can accommodate one to five ribbons.
  I anchor one end with a small piece of adhesive tape onto the cardboard then start stretching and rolling. The other end needs another piece of adhesive tape, of course. A word of warning: resist the temptation to roll the ribbon perfectly parallel to itself and to its neighbors. The point here is to store the ribbons neatly for reuse—and quickly enough so it doesn't feel like too much of a chore that you end up just throwing them away because keeping them is a bother.

I also keep cords, string, and yarn, but they don't require stretching, so I just loop them then tie them into very loose knots.
  The ribbon rolls are carefully stacked when I store them, but the loops of cord get carelessly tossed into one box.

Patchwork gift bags

If you're like me, you have a gazillion paper shopping bags at home. I now carry my own reusable shopping bags and always turn down store bags, but I think I've accumulated enough through the years to open my own store. Taking a cue from one of my treasured finds, a bayong covered in scrap fabric by What If Handmade, I decided to reuse the shopping bags as gift bags by covering them in scrap gift wrapping paper.


Between the smaller wall calendar bags and these bigger shopping bags, I won't have to buy gift bags for a long, long time.

Say NO! to SM

I've been an SM girl for as long as I can remember. I love the convenience of shopping for almost everything in one place, and the fact that I can choose from a wide range of prices and quality. I love that BDO branches in the malls have weekend banking and long weekday hours. I love that both my BDO account and my SM purchases give me reward points, and that I can buy anything from their stores with them.

But you know what they say about former lovers being the worst enemies.

SM does not care that it razes trees and farm land for its malls. It doesn't care that people around them lose their livelihoods. It doesn't care that it puts its employees and residents at risk when they build on unstable and dangerous land.

I've decided that I do not want to continue financing the unconscionable and irresponsible activities of SM. Shopping in their stores stops right now, and I will be closing my BDO accounts and changing my credit card within the next few weeks.

The thing is, I'm just one person and what I'm going to do won't even be an ant bite for this behemoth. Will you boycott all SM companies with me?

This lists all the SM companies and affiliates I know. If I've missed any, please write the name of the company in the comments and I'll add it to the list.

• SM Malls
• SM Department Store
• SM Supermarket
• SM Hypermart
• SaveMore
• Makro
• Science Discovery Center
• SM Residences
• M Place
• Hamilo Coast – Pico de Loro
• Tagaytay Highlands
• Taal Vista Hotel
• SMX Convention Center
• Banco de Oro
• China Bank
• Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu
• Toy Kingdom
• Watsons Personal Care
• Baby Company
• Our Home
• Sports Central
• Ace Hardware
• Homeworld
• Kultura Pilipino
• Forever 21
• Uniqlo
• Prime Spots Inc.

Sturdy little things

Back in 2010, I wrote that I use old wall calendars as drawer liners. Though not quite card stock, the paper of these calendars is thick and, therefore, very strong; except for a good wiping every now and then, I haven't had to change them since. Which means that I now have two years' worth of calendar paper.

I was at a loss on what to do with them, then I realized that, because their photos and artwork are really pretty, I can make them into small gift bags.


[Just for the record, the ribbon is also reused from old gifts and the gift tag is an old business card of mine with outdated information. The foam sticker is new but is part of the gift of a friend who knows what I like doing in my spare time.]

If you don't know how to make your own gift bags yet, I found instructions on mairuru's blog (text and still photos) and a video on YouTube.

Of course, the other side looks kind of funny.

At least my friends will know that I'm trying to help Mother Earth even in small ways, and that they're a part of it.

Magic green powder

I started getting gray and white hair when I was only in my twenties, and I started coloring my hair when I was thirty. Everything was fine until six years ago when I decided to get a temporary tattoo during a beach trip. The "henna" applied by the artist turned out to be black henna, which has synthetic dyes containing PPD (para-Phenylenediamine). This direct application of PPD on my skin caused a severe allergy; my upper arm swelled, the tattoo design blistered and it was hellishly itchy! PPD sensitivity is lifelong, which means that I am now forever allergic to anything that contains PPD (and other similar chemicals besides). Unfortunately for me, most commercial hair dyes, whether home- or salon-applied, contain PPD.

Stubborn girl that I am, the experience didn't stop me from continuing to color my hair with commercial hair dyes for several years. The coloring is supposed to stay on the hair for only ten minutes, there was little direct contact with my skin, and I only had to color my hair three to four times a year. But through the years, the allergy progressively worsened until I finally decided to stop coloring last year.

Then last month, a poorly-trained waitress handed me a friend's senior citizen card just because I was the only one at our table with white hair.

I don't think I'm particularly vain, but even that was a little too much for me.

So I decided to color my hair again, but this time with 100% pure henna. I figured, it's been used as a dye since antiquity and we should know by now if it causes adverse reactions, right? And I've never heard of anyone having an allergy to henna.

That was two weeks ago and, so far, everything seems to be good. My scalp didn't itch and the henna didn't cause an inflammation of the skin on my nape. The coverage isn't quite what I prefer and it seems to wash out faster than commercial hair coloring, but hey, my skin seems to be happy and I'm sure Mother Earth is too. So, as long as no one hands me another senior citizen card until it's really mine, I will be satisfied.

Baubles, bangles & beads

Ever since college, I've always loved big, chunky beaded jewelry. I'm kind of limited to necklaces nowadays because I've developed allergies to earrings that aren't real gold or silver, and keyboarding is tough while wearing big bracelets, but whether they're earrings, bracelets or necklaces, one thing is certain: they're always difficult to organize neatly. Traditional jewelry boxes are made for fine pieces; their necklace hooks are small and fragile, and the compartments for bracelets are too shallow. I've tried using plastic boxes with multiple layers, laying down necklaces flat in them, but no matter how carefully they're laid down, they eventually end up getting all tangled up.

I finally found a good solution with the My Closet brand of closet organizers sold in one of our local department stores. Made specifically for clothes, they come in different styles, from coat bags and shoe pockets to under-bed storage bags. The ones I use for my chunky bracelets and necklaces are those advertised as hosiery bags. The twelve-pocket design is perfect for most of my baubles. The pockets are flat and are 3 x 4 inches in size. But for my chunkier-than-usual pieces, only the organizer with six expandable pockets will do—it can accommodate my favorite and very thick multi-strand wooden bead necklace. I also love the fact that the pockets are made of clear plastic; one glance and I know what to reach for.



I like how they keep everything neatly organized, so much so that I've started using them for other things, like brushes and hair accessories. I may never use them for hosiery, but who knows.

The Universal Prayer

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end,
I praise you as my constant helper,
and call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom,
correct me with your justice,
comfort me with your mercy,
protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you;
my words: to have you for their theme;
my actions: to reflect my love for you;
my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.

I want to do what you ask of me:
in the way you ask,
for as long as you ask,
because you ask it.

Lord, enlighten my understanding,
strengthen my will,
purify my heart,
and make me holy.

Help me to repent of my past sins
and to resist temptation in the future.
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses
and to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
and see myself as I really am:
a pilgrim in this world,
a Christian called to respect and love
all whose lives I touch,
those in authority over me
or those under my authority,
my friends and my enemies.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,
greed by generosity,
apathy by fervor.
Help me to forget myself
and reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning,
courageous in taking risks.
Make me patient in suffering,
unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer,
temperate in food and drink,
diligent in my work,
firm in my good intentions.

Let my conscience be clear,
my conduct without fault,
my speech blameless,
my life well-ordered.

Put me on guard against my human weaknesses.
Let me cherish your love for me,
keep your law,
and come at last to your salvation.

Teach me to realize that this world is passing,
that my true future is the happiness of heaven,
that life on earth is short,
and the life to come eternal.

Help me to prepare for death
with a proper fear of judgment,
but a greater trust in your goodness.
Lead me safely through death
to the endless joy of heaven.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ Attributed to Pope Clement XI (23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721)

A Marinduque fisherman begins his night fishing as the sun starts to set.

Marinduque, 17 April 2010

Hanging on for dear life

When I saw the Cupmen in a Japanese website, I just had to ask my sister in Tokyo to buy some for me. If there ever was a most useful useless gadget, this has got to be it. A plastic man whose job is to keep the paper-foil cover of instant ramen noodles down. He turns white when the noodles are heating up and goes back to his original color when it cools down. Isn't he just too cute?


The Cupman in my office gets a workout every now and then during emergencies, but the one at home is probably bored out of his skull. Maybe I should just hang him on my computer monitor.

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I don't know whether to scream or cry

I just saw a video prepared by the Ateneo School of Government about its many projects. It was a public relations tool, but never mind about that. What hit me hard—very hard—was a segment of the video showing one of their faculty during a lecture. He said that it is estimated that 30% of the annual Philippine national budget is lost to corruption.

Right now, that's 300 billion pesos!!!

The agricultural and infrastructure damage of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng combined was 15 billion, a measly 5% of the money that ended up in the pockets of our corrupt politicians.

In the meantime:

• 30% of Filipinos live below the poverty line.
• We are experiencing rotating brownouts now because our power generating capability is too low. So low that when one power plant gives up, we're incapacitated.
• An average of 20 typhoons enter the Philippines every year. Yet we are never prepared for the damages that they cause.
• Every three years or so, we experience the El Niño phenomenon, but again, we are never prepared for its effects. The water in Luzon's dams have already reached critical levels and summer has just begun.
• It's impossible to make an actual count, but a study which gathered data from charity organizations and the Department of Social Welfare and Development estimates that there are more than 100,000 street homeless in Metro Manila alone. And I don't think that figure includes those who live in makeshift shanties all over the metro.
  

I can go on forever with a list of problems that 300 billion pesos annually can alleviate or solve outright.

Suddenly, I am inarticulate. I do not have enough strong swear words to say how I feel about this government.

Make it pretty

I prefer using liquid hand soap for several reasons. One, there's nothing to get soft and mushy with frequent use. Two, I can dispense just the right amount of soap I need so there's no waste. And three, I don't have to worry about the person before me not rinsing the bar of gunk and stuff that can get stuck on it.

The only problem with liquid soap is the dispenser that they come in. It's such a waste to throw them away when they're empty. Aside from being still perfectly usable (unless it gets broken for some reason), they're usually made of plastic which isn't biodegradable. So I've taken to reusing them.

But first, I try to make them a little prettier. I remove the labels then use scrapbooking plastic and foil stickers to decorate the body all around. Unlike paper stickers, these won't rub off when they get wet, which makes them ideal for the project.

But now, I have a different kind of problem. Unless our stores begin selling liquid soap refills, I'm going to have more dispensers than I know what to do with.

Art marks

As I promised in my previous post, here's an idea for how to recycle the artwork and photographs of smaller desk calendars.


The easiest is to turn them into bookmarks. The handiest width for bookmarks is about two inches so that usually means having to crop the artwork first. In cropping, try to follow the photographer's Rule of Thirds (click the link for a tutorial). Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule; in cropping my 2008 desk calendar (these photos are from the middle of last year), I was limited by the height of the images. This is how I decided to crop two of the paintings; many of the sheets gave me two bookmarks rather than one.


After cutting all of the sheets, I punch a single hole near the top and add a ribbon (or yarn). As much as I can, I try to match the colors in the images, but since I only work with what I have on hand (and many of these ribbons are scraps from the packaging of gifts given to us), it's not always possible. My all-purpose ribbon for those instances is a narrow, gold gauze ribbon.


If you have no need for so many bookmarks, then just give them away to family, friends and colleagues who you know to be avid readers. Even consider giving them to your local library, with instructions to give one each to the next several people who take out books. You'll be making some people happy and you would have done a small part in helping reduce environmental waste.

Artsy drawers

It's the first day of the new year and if you're like me, you have several 2009 calendars to dispose of. Before chucking them all in the garbage or recycling bins, first see if you can re-use them.

Calendars of all sizes made of paper stock (not cardboard), as long as one side is blank and the paper is not too thin that the print shows through, can be used as note/memo paper. Just cut them into squares or rectangles in the size of your choice. This is best done with a paper cutter or an X-acto knife with a steel ruler and cutting mat; but lacking either, scissors will do, though it will take longer.

The bigger wall calendars that are made of card stock, especially the ones with paintings, photographs and illustrations, make for great drawer and cabinet liners. I use them everywhere, from clothes drawers and the closet we use to store toiletry products to our kitchen cabinets.


Lay the loose sheets down on the drawer bottom, making sure that each piece overlaps with the others. When you are satisfied with both the coverage and the placement of your favorite designs, keep the sheets together with adhesive tape. Pay special attention to the corners—you don't want to accidentally tear the sheet out while getting something near the bottom of the drawer.

These liners may not be as pretty as the big drawer liners you can buy at home centers, but they're more eco-friendly and much sturdier, being able to withstand several years' use as long as there are no accidental spills from food and bath products. And chances are, you will always have replacement sheets every year at no extra cost.

Next, how to re-use smaller card stock desk calendars.

Inexpensive ornament

More than any other Christmas decoration, I love Christmas trees the best. Especially those that are heavily laden with ornaments. We have a word in Tagalog that describes it perfectly: busog. It really means 'a full stomach,' both the feeling and how it gets distended when you've eaten a lot. Through the years, I've accumulated all sorts of ornaments to try to get our tree as busog as it can get. Aside from ornaments that are hung on branches, I've bought garlands to string around it (though I didn't use them this year) and glittery flowers to put on top of boughs. Thanks to a friend of mine and her Christmas tree, I discovered another ornament perfect for filling in spaces between branches. And it's DIY so it's also very inexpensive. All you need is that wide ribbon with wire at the edges so they can be shaped and those little ornaments on thin wires. Cut and cross the ribbon, wrap the wired ornament, and voilà!


A 10-yard roll of ribbon gave me 16 ornaments. To see how I used it on our tree, click here. Although I made them specifically for the tree, you can also use this simple ribbon trick to accessorize gifts, for Christmas or any other occasion.

He's home!

My husband's back from the Mildura Writers' Festival. I took the afternoon off from work so I could be home when he arrived. I'm happy. And I can finally sleep well again.

He took this photo of the Mildura Weir on the Murray River. We're both city born and bred, and this is absolutely lovely to us.

Not happy at home

As I'm writing this, my husband is in a plane on his way to Melbourne to participate in the Mildura Writers' Festival. He will be back on Tuesday, July 21.


In our thirteen years of marriage, this is only the second time that we will be apart for more than three days.

I feel almost edible

• Coconut scalp care cream
• Brazil Nut intensive hair treatment
• Beer shampoo
• Lemon and Honey bath soap
• Cucumber and Avocado facial scrub
  
• Raspberry and Pear body lotion
• Orange cologne

The blessings of Easter

Despite being the middle of summer here in the Philippines, it's been raining almost every afternoon these past two weeks. A happy result of this is that I've discovered more flowers blooming in our garden. Of course, like the other flowers I've posted before, I have no idea what their names are. But whatever they are, I think they're such wonderful blessings especially for this season.

Spiky. I'm just glad this is soft and small.

Red clusters. Tiny, tiny flowerets growing in clusters. The leaves are round, thick and waxy and remind me of jojoba somehow.

Pale lavender. Orchid, definitely an orchid. But what kind?

Spring skirt. It looks like a lady wearing one of those frilly skirts that seem to be in season this spring.

Happy Easter, everyone!