In my beaded world, I am guided by 4 musts that I value: 1) must be CREATIVE! 2) must have a flare for uniqueness! 3) must innovate! and, 4) must value clients!

I have long ago admitted that the math and science departments were absolutely not my cups of tea! Having to go through these subjects in school were like putting myself in prison and thus, strongly desiring to break free. With all my strength and effort, I survived without having failed either subjects. There was no other choice anyway. Besides, I still deal with these 2 every so often.

I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be that person behind the scenes in an advertising or broadcasting world. New ideas, unique events are my "highs". Thus, I began my career with the Advertising and Promotions group of a Makati-based mall. I've done all types of events from concerts of local and foreign artists . . . to foreign acts . . . to theatrical plays . . . to pocket performances . . . to fans days . . . and to even mounting a big pool right smack at the middle of the mall. It was a good 12 years of my career life.

Then I moved on. I am now in the midst of creating a more fulfilled life by building on my passions. Creativity is what keeps me going. It has kept me sane throughout my past encounters with stress and it has now become my buddy in this rejuvenated journey. I firmly believe that each one of us has a creative bone in our body. Some are lucky enough for having discovered it at an early stage in life. I discovered mine when I left the Ad & Promo world.

Creativity comes in various forms. Mine is through designing and creating bead necklaces. I've had no formal training in bead-making. It just bloomed one day. In terms of design, all I knew was I wanted my collection to be unique, one-of-a-kind and limited. I have no qualms with mass production. However, I have opted to produce in limited quantities since each piece is delicately handcrafted by yours truly. Each collection has a story to tell which reflects my highs in life.

I love nature (the Flora collection) ... I am inspired by colors (Chalk collection) ... I never lose hope and always look at the bright side of life (Tala collection) . . . I play and have fun to unwind (Beaded Cloth collection) ... I explore the bountiful possibilities (Laso & Butones collections) ...

In my 3 years of designing and creating bead necklaces, I have come to realize that creativity never stops. Though lull moments will once-in-awhile strike, I have learned how to control myself from being overwhelmed with panic. What I do now is to calmly absorb the moment, sit back, relax and breath DEEP! Surprisingly, it will on its own make a very significant and impactful comeback.

None of my pieces in a collection look exactly the same. It may hardly be noticed but each one has its own unique feature. What is it? Well, that's my S-E-C-R-E-T! As I earlier said, I value uniqueness! I adore variety ... otherwise, I get bored.

Beading completes my social being =) In my many times of joining bazaars, I have met a lot of folks who patronize my product or just simply have a get-to-know-you chat. I have built a relatively small yet loyal clientele. But before anybody else, the most important client in this venture is ME! Everytime I design and create a piece, I ask myself . . .

Will I wear this piece? . . .

Will I love it? and keep it? . . .

Will it make me feel good? and most importantly, beautiful =) . . .

Never did I ask - Will it sell? I have received my share of good feedbacks addressing my listed questions. Each of us have our own unique taste. We associate ourselves with the many "wonders" that amaze our minds & hearts. Clients see and claim that my creations are pretty, creative, artistic.

But . . . I have come across a few who saw these products beyond its superficial being.

I have started this passion to fulfill my creative longing and it will always remain this way.

A String of Purple Hearts

I wonder what it is with the color PURPLE. In fact, it is a color which do not belong to my top 10 favorites. But let me share with you a string of purple stories and hopefully by the end of this note, I'll know.

AFTER A HALF-DAY SATURDAY BIKE RIDE, my husband came home with a surprise . . . a bunch of weed-looking plants with purple flowers and a swarm of red ants! I stood still . . . tried hard to act surprised while dissecting in my mind how strange it was. With my puzzled face, my husband patiently explained that it was indeed a weed called Purple Hearts. I was totally lost! Then he continued his story. . .While biking along the grassy, muddy slopes of Cavite, he stopped when he came across a patch of purple weeds and closely looked at it. He plucked a bunch and rushed home. He then said to me, "Look closely at the flower. The flower is shaped like a heart." I ended up giving him a hug. This happened a week after Valentines Day.

CAN YOU MAKE ME A NECKLACE WITH A TOUCH OF PURPLE? That's what my friend asked me while I was going through a pile of mail 2 months ago. I hesitated but did not want to reject. Since she was a dear friend, I decided to tell her that purple is a color which I consider a challenge. But I did it. A few days after, my friend finally saw the necklace with a deep purple round glass bead. She was absolutely ecstatic. I then found out that she intended to give the necklace to her Mom who adores the color purple. She believed that having a touch of purple-colored bead pendant close to her Mom's heart will surely make each day special.

WHILE GETTING READY FOR AN AFTERNOON MOVIE DATE WITH A FORMER OFFICEMATE (a new found activity of "early retirees"), I made a mental note of giving her a turquoise color bead cloth necklace. As I was about to leave, a thought occurred . . . "is turquoise her color?". I changed my choice from turquoise to PURPLE.

A cup of coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, with a lot of stories about her recent trip to Vietnam, was what we did right after the movie. She brought me home a lovely embroidered undergarment pouch and a box of Vietnamese 3-in-1 coffee. I absolutely loved the goodies.

I then pulled out from my bag the purple necklace. She said . . . "WOW! I now have something from By Beaded Story and it is the color that I love most." Figures out it is I who loves Turquoise :)

By the way, the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic was an absolute bore :(

MARCH 15, 2009 WAS ABSOLUTELY A PURPLE DAY at the SUNDAY MARKET AT ATC!

The purple day began with 2 young girls (age 10 I guess) looking for a gift for their Tita "I". They first approached my nook adoring the colors of my beads. With girlish whispers and laughter, they suddenly left. Ten minutes after, they returned and acted exactly the same way. This act did not only happen once or twice, it happened so MANY times. On their nth visit, I finally had to ask what they were looking for. Then, I heard a duet . . . "We want to give Tita "I" a purple necklace!" . . . . they finally made a choice and bought their Tita "I" a purple sun-shape pendant! Mission accomplished!

My "suki" for red bead necklaces came to visit in the afternoon. She carefully scrutinized and tried on each and every necklace. She said that my creations made her look and feel pretty. Such a beautiful compliment! After having gone through all the collections, she surprised me by saying . . . "YOU SHOULD DO MORE DESIGNS WITH PURPLE BEADS". Hmm . . . surprising especially coming from a lady in red.

It was nearing 9 o'clock in the evening when my last client arrived . . . my "neighbor" vendor. Closing time gives us chance to have a bit of relaxation and a quick chat with co-vendors. Our discussion was very business in nature. Coming from the mall industry for 12 years, I was able to extract good information which I found very valuable for my events-related venture. Her participation at the Sunday Market is only a sideline and her primary source of livelihood is food related. Then she moved on by saying, "do you have anything purple?" . . . "my bestfriend's favorite color is purple."

After all these encounters with the color purple, I look at it now at a different light. I admit that it still does not hold a place in my top 10. Yet, I am now more than ever willing to work with it. I will work with purple not because of the shade, not because of what I see, but because of what it meant for the "purple" folks I came across in the recent months.

Purple Hearts thrive in the wild. It is indeed a weed. But when looked at closely, the purple flower weed is perfectly shaped like a heart. The surprise I received from my husband was filled with genuine love and with this I believe that the same holds true for the other "purple" folks I wrote in this note.

P.S. the 2 purple collections shown above were featured in http://shopcrazy.com.ph/ , dated March 15, 2009.

Sundays at ATC: March 15 & 22, 2009

I am looking forward once again to spending my Sunday at the Sunday Market at ATC. Not only do I get to promote and sell my bead necklaces, I also get to meet folks from different strokes :) Having a little chit chat with strangers and visiting family and friends definitely make me smile. How can I forget last Sunday's (March 8) folks who are still in my thoughts -

. . . the TEACHER who is on the trail for a red outfit for her soon-to-come reunion with her 30+ years ago students.

. . . DJ Watts who provided "party" & "blast from the past" tunes from opening til closing. With his music, I was introduced to the world of Hed Kandi.

. . . Two FASHIONISTAS who walked back & forth the narrow path of the market and ended up buying a lot of my metallic rings :)

. . . the MORNING CROWD who lights up for pre-owned goodies.

. . . my FORMER MOTHER from the corporate world who returned twice for a multi-dose of chikas.

. . . my FOREVER SUPPORTIVE AUNT who is my number 1 patron.

Oh! I also absolutely look forward to stuffing myself once again with the yummy sausage sold in this affair!

If you have a chance to drop by this Sunday, don't forget to have a little chat with By Beaded Story. . .

The Story of By Beaded Story

The heart is a mosaic of stories . . . filled with stories to share . . . stories to dream about . . . stories that make us laugh or make us cry. I started my adventure with bead necklaces early part of 2006. Amidst the busy swirl of my day-to-day personal and professional life, I longed for a world where I be able to truly express myself freely and proudly call my own. With faith and perhaps luck, it only took a moment's glance and realize that beads were the answer to my prayer.

Beads do come in many forms, colors and shapes. Each bead plays an important role. Lose one, the entire piece falls. I design and tediously hand craft bead necklaces for 3 reasons: One, it fulfills my creative longing. Two, I am simply happy evertyime I bead. And Three, it is my way of sharing a story coming from the heart.

Almost on its 3rd year, By Beaded Story boasts of 6 collections posted below. You may view the collection in detail (inquire/order) at www.bybeadedstory.multiply.com. The collections may also be found at seasonal bazaars and out-of-the-box retail stores. So here it is . . . Sharing with you a few random photos of By Beaded Story's Summer 2009 Collection.

Beaded Cloth. Beads wrapped in cloth and worn like a scarf.

Chalk. "M&M"-like beads, choker style.

Flora Necklaces. Nature-inspired collection.

Tala. Venetian Glass collection.

Laso. Venetian Glass/Indian Glass beads twined by a ribbon.

Butones. The Button Collection.

By Beaded Story