Quiapo and T-shirt necklaces

August is when life seems to slow down, probably a result of the ongoing strong rains and widespread floods.  So on rare  August days when the sun is up, I immediately grab and run to my favorite bead street in Quiapo. I've been running low on cords and tiny accent beads.

 

    

Even with trashy flood remnants scattered around Quiapo, I enjoyed my trip and had bought a lot of pretty finds that were not part of my original list. Nothing new. I am usually this way. I buy whatever catches my eye, and thus, end up overspending.  Ugh!

Raw and undone Floral Ceramic Beads and Mother and Child Medals. 

I had intended to hold another garage sale this month.  However, bad weather can absolutely put life on hold.  Ergo, I cancelled and opted to handover my sale stuff to flood victims instead.  Unfortunately, old shirts were scrapped from the list since these have been previously cut and converted into something like these :)

Courtesy of www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

Courtesy of www.beadinggem.com

I am addicted to making and wearing T-shirt necklaces these days.  A really cool and creative way of recycling t-shirts which I had thought of as junk.  One of these days, I will share photos of my necklaces with you.  But in the meantime, here's an easy  tutorial video which had gotten me inspired and hyped up. No use of glue nor stitching involved :)

Yesterday at Quiapo

I woke at 5:15AM, on a Saturday! 

I was excited to have J. Bond  accompany me on my bead splurge at Quiapo yesterday morning.  He had no choice but to come along and help carry the goods.  My right hand, and now all the way to my shoulder, could no longer afford to carry nor hold on to a heavy load.  The same goes for beading, controlled and very limited.  Obviously, the discomfort I feel especially at night comes from too much beading, carrying huge bags and working on the computer with bad posture (lying down).   So, I'm in the process of correcting these long practiced bad habits.

In my countless trips to Quiapo, yesterday was J. Bond's 3rd time to come along. The first time happened here.  We got lost.  The 2nd, he chose to stay and wait within the confines of our airconditioned car. He claimed parking was difficult.  Yesterday, he followed my usual way.  Take the public transportation and walk slow.  My way leads me to discover more.

Like these comfy cloth shoes.  I'm into anything floral these days, even if summer is officially over.

And, these funny spelled "magic" lipsticks. Colorless, but when applied, the lips turn red.

Now, here comes J. Bond's official duty.  To help carry two huge IKEA bags containing these...

...and handle with extra care my newly discovered  Parasitic Twins (as described once again by J. Bond)...

J. Bond said he had fun, except for the nasty scents that came his way. But I'm glad to hear that since we'll surely be back soon via my way.  A big thanks for the help. 

In his not so pleased look while at the LRT. Hahaha!

Flood Go Away. I'm going to Quiapo next day.

This is what J. Bond passed through on his way home Monday night ....

What usually takes a 45-minute travel from work to home (inclusive of traffic), took 3 hours because of floods brought by the strong rain early that night.     Of course, J. Bond arrived home pissed.

Yet, I was oblivious to such occurrence as I was too engrossed on the ongoing drama at Mara's wake ---scene after scene heated arguments, supported by heart wrenching face slapping, culminating to non-stop crying.  Then, a miracle happened just last night.  Mara rose from the dead.  Fans are rejoicing most especially me.   *Haha!  As expected in Filipino Telenovelas! But, I confess I am addicted to it. 

  

Despite my attempt to speed up the sympathetic finally-your-home hug and immediately return to watching Mara Clara, I missed the latter part of that night's episode.  The photos of the flood shown by J. Bond as soon as he arrived home entailed me to bump-off the show and re-think of next day's Quiapo trip instead.  There was no way I would commute to Quiapo in this flood, I thought.  A rainy day would  not be  a hindrance to make a trip to Quiapo.  I'm well-prepared and geared-up for rain, including that gooey garbage I always accidentally step on in Quiapo.  But with flood, I definitely won't manage.

In the morning,  luck was on my side.  Great! The sun was up.  The flood gone.  And so, I went.  Not for beads.  But for a toy bird.

Obviously, I became  hooked on birds after my encounter with a pigeon and ducks during Monday morning's Bahay Kubo medical mission. But, I prefer the colorful-toy-kind rather than the real chirpy flying ones. *Haha.  With Generikid coming soon, purpose of this first for the year Quiapo trip  was to buy  a bunch of multi-colored toy birds that first crossed my path in one of my bead splurging visits last year.  These birds are one of our colorful prizes for the participating kids, but  I'm thinking of live chicks too.

This bird flies high by the way.  As the lady in the photo demonstrates, wind the winding stem found near the head of the bird.  Then, let go.  On another note, I am amazed with the background images of this photo - kalesa, jeepney, colorful balloons of the street vendor and, Mang Inasal.  It has captured the symbolic images that are only found in Manila, Philippines =)

See!  It really does fly high.  I tried flying one at home and damaged it after so many attempts.  I need MORE practice.

 My loot for the Generikids!  I'm excited.  Soar high!!!

Dirty Keds

Another bazaar is coming soon, so yesterday was Quiapo day.  It was sunny, rainy, then really MUDDY...

Here you go, the muddy souvenir from Quiapo stamped on my 12-year old Keds.  Ugh!!!

En Route to Quiapo

One thing I am thankful for is the invention and existence of the Metro Railway Transit (MRT) and Light Railway Transit (LRT).

Otherwise, I could have been stuck with this ...

Yikes!!! This was yesterday.  It's like this every single day.  Traffic!!! Not so worth it to bring a car. 

So when en route to Quiapo, I take the MRT, then the LRT.  Really fast!  J. Bond drops me off at the MRT-Ayala Station.  Traverse my way towards Edsa Station.  Then, I switch trains from the MRT to the LRT.

A photo of the LRT tracks.  See, no traffic.  Lol!

Buildings I see when in the LRT.  The 3rd building was where I spent my "young" summers doing either swimming or dancing bayanihan.  Lola Liling used to teach here.

Carriedo Station, my stop.   I'm not sure how many stations Carriedo is from Edsa Station.  But printed at the back of the LRT card is the detailed route.  So slim chance of missing your station.  Besides, big signages are displayed in each station aside from the in-train announcement.

View of the street where I am headed towards to from the LRT-Carriedo Station.  At the end of this road is Quiapo Church.

Yes, they call this a street where vendors and shoppers do their day til night multiple transactions.  Try bring a car and let's see what happens.  Dare, anyone?  Lol.

Accessories, Clothes, Luggages, Bags, Fruits, Houseware.  Name it, they've got it.  All found along the street.

Took a photo because of the colors.  Lol.

I almost bought a bunny.  But I wasn't too sure if "pets" were allowed inside the MRT and LRT =(

Quick stop at Quiapo Church.

 The reason why I was in Quiapo yesterday.  Time to replenish a few? beading materials.  Behind me is Quiapo Church.  Or a better landmark is Mercury Drugstore, the one with the humongous TV screen on its  facade.

I have long patronized Kyla Accessories due to their beautiful selection of glass beads which they sell at a cheaper price compared to neighboring stores.  But yesterday's visit left me emptyhanded.  For some reason, they have changed their line to mostly plastic beads =(

See the strings of cords on the bottom left of the photo.  Those are mine! I buy them in rolls from Sonny's House of Beads or Pot of Gem.

Yes, these bead stores are barricaded by vendors selling food or plasticwares.  Here you see the vendor-covered store front of Wellmanson, the most popular store along this bead street.  Wellmanson has been talked about and featured in various fashion/business magazines, blogs, and many more.  They carry a wide array of beads and beading materials.

Pendants sold at Wellmanson.  But I think, they're a bit more pricey.

The buying is not over yet.  I  have just made a  mark in my calendar to return two weeks from now.  Busy gearing up for the Christmas shopping battle =) -- Woodrose Family Bazaar on October 16-17, 2010 and delivery of exclusive bead works at Sonya's Garden's Country Store. Busy. Busy. Busy.  Til then ...

September '07 issue of ENTREPRENEUR

A few months before my wedding in February 2006, handcrafted bead necklaces were what I wanted to give as souvenirs to female guests.  I thought of making and giving this...

With the limited time, the tedious preparation, the lack of know-how and the clueless thought on where to source materials, I ended with potted mums.  It took a few months after I settled in my new home that I finally began my new-found romance with beads.

The romance began with re-arranging existing necklaces that I have not used for so long.  I went through a self-taught, trial and error process, since I intentionally made no plan of attending any professional bead training.  It took a short time to get the hang of it.  This I attribute to my passion for beads and eagerness to quickly learn. 

In my eagerness, I discovered mall-based shops that sold the beads I needed.  Visits started with one day a week which later on evolved to five days a week.  With my almost every single day visit and yet faced with the same bead choices, I grew bored.  I scouted for new options from all possible avenues until I came across the September 2007 issue of ENTREPRENEUR magazine.

I was ecstatic and grateful to Entrepreneur for sharing relevant information that I searched for. With this magazine in my bag,  J. Bond and I braved the overcrowded and messy streets of Quiapo one Saturday morning. 

I wrote about Quiapo in this BLOG.

  

 

I used this map found in the same issue as my guide for directions to Villalobos Street -- the "bead" street in Quiapo.  We were well-geared for the battle and found it relatively easy until we made a wrong turn.  It could have been a breeze if streets were de-clogged from the clutter.  But it is the clutter that defines the soul of Quiapo. 

We finally found the street after having asked a dozen times for directions from street vendors.  As soon as I stepped foot on Villalobos, I knew I was in la-la-la bead land! 

Villalobos St. is a small thoroughfare that extends all the way to the sprawling Quinta Market.  Many of the shops in this extremely busy street sell anything and everything you need to set up a fashion accessories business.  The products they carry include plastic and glass beads, hooks, jewelry locks, leather necklace, cords, metal wire, and even pouches and boxes where you can keep the bead necklaces that you have made ... Entrepreneur. September 2007 issue. Bargains in Quiapo

The arch seen in the photo marks the start of Villalobos Street which faces the main entrance of Quiapo Church. On its left is Mercury Drugstore. Thought of sharing with you a few landmarks in case you plan to drop by.

I frequent this place up to this day even with a more expanded list of bead suppliers found here and abroad.  I have grown accustomed with almost all of the shops, stalls and vendors. In my frequent visits, I have learned by heart the different routes to get to Villalobos Street.  I no longer make a wrong turn. 

The information I gathered in 2007 led me to become an avid reader of Entrepreneur.  I regularly refer to this magazine for information and new opportunities.  It has also been a source of INSPIRATION to budding entrepreneur dreamers like me and most especially my husband J. Bond.

It is also noteworthy to mention that it is because of this article featured in Entrepreneur's December 2008 issue .....

 

... that J. Bond discovered the "Pharmacy". 

We launched the grand opening of our GENERIKA DRUGSTORE -MOLINO 3 BRANCH  on July 11, 2009.

Grand Launch of Generika Molino, July 11, 2009. 
From left:  Mr. Teodoro Ferrer, J. Bond, Me, Lani Mercado-Revilla, Mayor Strike Revilla

Thanks Entrepreneur!