Halloo, I’m back. This site was down again all weekend so I finally left Affordablehost, my home for five years, for the it – seems – to – me more reliable Axishost. You can read about — and possibly learn from — why I did so on this page.

***
My Arn turned, umm, another year wiser last weekend! 😉 How did we celebrate it? Why with food, food, and more food of course. See the phlog for more pics.

I got him a dress watch and the first season of the 1970s series The Incredible Hulk on DVD and I’ve been watching along, which is a first since I usually get him DVDs for his birthdays¹ but I don’t last long watching them. I didn’t think I’d actually get hooked on Hulk since I never got to watch it when I was young² but it’s very engaging and the way it’s produced makes the situations look so real — bellbottoms, sideburns notwithstanding.

***

Hanging out and spending time with good friends has become extremely difficult now that everyone’s always busy nowadays. Thankfully though, most of us were able to sync our schedules these past couple of weeks. Again, more pics in the phlog.

***
Check it out, the great komikero himself, Gerry Alanguilan made a short video featuring an interview with Arn in time for his birthday, no less. Thanks “cousin” Gerry! 😉

You can view — and learn from — all his videos here.

***
By the way, for those of you looking to find extraordinary works to experience, I made a list of graphic novels that are big in heart — basically, stories that made me fall in love with the medium of graphic storytelling. These exemplify what I think has just the right mix of narrative and pretty pictures: not too artsy that the stories don’t make sense anymore, and not too wordy or high falutin that there’s no room to appreciate the story and illustrations. Let me know what you think. 🙂

1. Last year it was The Alien Quadrilogy, the other year it was Flash Gordon and Battlestar Galactica, and the year before it was the collector’s edition of 2001: A Space Odyssey.[ back]
2. Wonder Woman and The Bionic Woman being whom I considered superheroes[ back]

Encouraged by a sudden increase in sales in my Cafepress shops¹, I decided to open a few more last week. Four are wedding-related since (1) I’m immersed in the industry hence it’s the easiest to make designs for; and (2) guess what, 80% of my sales are coming from the bridal shop².

iDo shirts for the iPod-loving couple! (Hello, Carlo and Nina 😉 )

“Always a bridesmaid, finally a bride” tees for the been-waiting-for-mr.-right bride.

***
And because I didn’t want to totally sell out, I made “Tsinelas (flip-flops) Addict” and “Bayong (basket bags) Addict” tees and knick-knacks as the second part of my Pinoy series.

You can see all the other new shops here³.

***
My Arn recently received a really nice email from Jasper Lloyd Tan of Cagayan de Oro-based Christian pop-rock band Thoughts and Notions⁴. Jasper says that (Arn’s book) After Eden inspired him so much that he wrote a song about it called “Earthbound Angel”⁵

Excerpt:
I could choose to soar above the skies
And be one with the flight of angels
But I am here in this world for one purpose
To be with you and be your guide
And be your earthbound angel.

Band info and streaming audio here.

1. Most of the buyers are US-based. I have a feeling it must be because school is about to start and everyone wants new shirts to wear. Alright![ back]
2. Plus according to Cafepress’ newswire, the “weddings” tag is among the most sought after, well well well![ back]
3. You won’t believe it but Arn has shops of his own too, and his products sell even faster than any of mine! He wants to keep them secret for now but someday I’ll share the links with you. 😉[ back]
4. They play music in the tradition of Jars of Clay and Sixpence None the Richer.[ back]
5. I was really touched when I learned about it — I’m sure you can tell how proud I am of my husband’s work and I know how much he’s inspired his readers but inspiring someone to write a song with a wonderful message, now that’s a first.[ back]

Anyone who has the time and patience to make anything handmade is definitely a hero in my book, and as some of you know, I’ve been posting about everything-DIY for years¹ so I thought, ok, for once I’ll show (and not just tell).
Project #1: Purse organizer

A 2003 issue of Real Simple² featured a Purseket, an organizer that you can transfer from bag to bag and I thought “what a brilliant idea!” since I, just like every other girl, switch bags whenever the mood strikes me. (And I hate being out on the road and then realizing that oops, my license is in my other bag!)³ It looked fairly easy to make too so I rummaged for unused fabric and proceeded to make my own version… tadah!

There’s a pocket for everything I need when I go out: my cellphone, palm pilot, wallet, license holder, hairbrush, powder compact/tissue/blotting paper, and pen. The best thing is that it can conform to any size bag.

Here’s how to do it, it’s as easy as 1-2-3!
You will need two sheets of fabric (any kind but ideally, the stiffer, the better⁴), approximately 25″ x 6″; needle and thread; and velcro fasteners.

Get the measurements of each of the items you want to put inside the pockets.

Plot the layout and then cut the fabric to size, doubling the height so it can be folded over. Baste to hold the folds in place. Make two of these sheets and then form pockets by stitching them together along the lines according to your measurements.

Stick velcro fasteners along the edges and voila, you now have your very own purseket-a-like.

***

I also did some spring cleaning and found an old pair of jeans that I don’t wear anymore⁵ so I fashioned it into a vest for our dear little kitty.

It’s a bit crude since I got too lazy to hem the edges but Abbas seems to like it anyway.⁶ The red satin ribbon “belt” is from a gift we received last Christmas and the button is from one of Arn’s old shirts.

***

And finally, I also want to share with you my humble attempt at graphic storytelling — in fact it’s so far been my only attempt. The comic appeared in Ramon de Veyra‘s Hey Comics! anthology that came out in 2004. Um… hope you like it. 🙂

(It’s only 3-pages long, click here.)

1. Maybe even before the term DIY caught on locally[ back]
2. One of my all-time favorite magazines — I hound Booksale outlets for back issues at least once a month. 😀[ back]
3. It’s actually happened to me a couple of times. When it does, I just drive ever-so-carefully and pray that I don’t run into violations.[ back]
4. Mine’s kinda flimsy as you can see, but hey, it does its job.[ back]
5. Well, they don’t fit anymore, sigh. Besides, it’s baston.[ back]
6. Abbas: “Lies! All lies!”[ back]