#TogetherWeLetter Days 04-10: Keeping up!

Here's my day 04-10 of #togetherweletter lettering challenge I joined for this month. I've been seeing progress with my writing and even add some doodles on some, but still struggling with a few alphabets.

Also, I ran out of paper while I was in Cebu so I did my day 06, 07, and 08 all at once when I got back here in Bohol. But what's good is I get to use the watercolor that I've been dreading to try since the challenge started. It was good, but of course, I still need to practice more on watercolor techniques.

Here they are, enjoy!

Day 04 - Inspire

"Beautiful minds, inspire others."

Day 05 - Brush Pen

The pen I used here is ZIG Clean Color Real Brush in Light Blue. The first and only brush pen I got from the brand. It's a really nice pen. I need more of this!!! ^_^

Day 06 - Rain

Day 07 - Celebrate

Love the buntings! 

Day 08 - Season

Day 09 - Pencil

Supposedly, it should be easy to work with pencils, but then it took me longer to finish this piece compared with the others. And yeah, I need to practice on shading!

Day 10 - Study

"Study hard. Do good and the good life will follow."

See more of my work on Instagram, @aine.garcia @niaandbella.

**03.29.18 Update: I recently changed my IG username. You can now find me at @niaandbella. Thank you!**

Thank you!

Freshly Made Everyday

Greenwich Pizza is every family's favorite. We always get giddy whenever we see that "g" in a red and green signage. But as years passed by, there were changes - from their menu up to their store's interior. And seeing bricks and retro-ish typography inside this local pizzeria is so refreshing. I like it, to be honest! It's very homey.

#TogetherWeLetter Days 01-03: Let's do it!!!

It's been a while since I joined a lettering challenge over at Instagram - which I didn't even make it through the first week. I admit, I was a bit intimidated by wonderful pro and newbie calligraphers that made me decide to retreat.
After a few months of practicing, armed with lettering weapons (I only have a few ^_^), I once again joined a lettering challenge. This time, I'm determined to finish 'til the end. It's a great way to practice my lettering skills and a great way to discover other talented calligraphers around the world.
Amongst the number of challenges I found, I chose to join the one that was hosted by amazing calligraphers @lissletters and @renmadecalligraphy. They're hosting #TogetherWeLetter over at @togetherweletter, where you can find the monthly prompts and their favorites from all the participants. The challenge is a bit different from the first one I used to join. Here, with the daily prompts given, it's up to you on how you interpret that word. Which I liked better, because I get to decide on what to write and how I'll write it.

Here are my first three days of the challenge.

Day 01 - Smile

Day 02 - Grow

This quote is perfect for my growing little girl! *smile*

Day 03 - Positive Vibes

This one's my favorite!!! The quote, the lighting, and everything! Taken on broad daylight. I just love this! ♥

What do you think? Not bad, I guess. Besides, practice makes perfect right?! ^_^

And if you're interested to join the fun and practice your lettering skills too, head over at @togetherweletter and check our their April lettering challenge.
See more of my work on my Instagram, @aine.garcia @niaandbella.

**03.29.18 Update: I recently changed my IG username. You can now find me at @niaandbella. Thank you!**

See yah! ^_^

Large Layered Fabric Flowers - Bouquet Batch

One of the first fabric flowers I made was a layered singed flower. I made a few of these in white, peach, and red and they came out beautifully that I made another set for the CHA collection. Then I concentrated on different designs.

Until such day that I needed to create another set of layered fabric flowers for two of my fabric bouquet projects last year. Since I'm new to fabric bouquets without really knowing the number of flowers that can be used, I produced more than what was needed - there were a few extra pieces left with me. Not knowing what to do with them, I asked my friend to try selling them. To my surprise, they were sold out even before I shipped it to her! Which makes me think of including this type of flowers on my next release.

So what's the difference from the first batch and my bouquet batch?

The first few batches only used 1 kind of fabric. The sizes offered were 1.5 and 2.5 inches in diameter. They were smaller but just right for my client's craft projects.

The bouquet batch, on the other hand, were bigger. They measure 3 to 3.5 inches in diameter and I used different kinds and shade of fabrics -- lace, organza, chiffon, etc. They also look fluffier because they have more layers than the first batch.

Now, I'm set to make a new batch of flowers for my next release, I'm definitely going to focus on large layered poppies in different colors. I'm planning on shades of blue, purple, and yellow.

Can't wait to get my hands on the fabrics for this project!

Layered Fabric Flowers {Pink}

Layered Fabric Flowers {Cream}

Layered Fabric Flowers {Gold}

Layered Fabric Flowers {Cappuccino}

Layered Fabric Flowers {Chocolate}

Say Hello to my Cocoiro Pens!

On my short visit to Manila, I asked my friend to meet me up at SM Aura because I wanted to check out two stores there - Living Well and Scribe Writing Essentials. If you're a crafter or calligrapher you know very well that these stores are heaven.

I visited Living Well once when I was still in Manila. It was a really nice store, especially if you're a scrapper - they have tons of materials for scrapbooking! No pens back then, though. So imagine how excited I am when I recently found out that they do now carry some brands of brush pens AND Webster's Pages planners!

Scribe, on the other hand, didn't really caught my attention at first - calligraphy nibs and inks were not my "cup of tea" before. It is only now, where I'm living far from the city, that I rediscovered my love for hand lettering that makes me think of Scribe all the time. 

If my love for lettering were only rekindled while I was still in Manila, I could've brought some before we transferred here. *grin*

So after spending almost 2 hours of coming back and forth from these two stores, I finally have my own ZIG Kuretake Cocoiro Letter Pens. 

I bought all of them at Living Well. Scribe also has Cocoiros, but I found most of the colors I want from Living Well. If only I could get all the colors of the letter pen body, I'll get them all. But I have to constantly remind myself to just get what I REALLY want and need. I still have to be reasonable when buying or else I would end up hoarding! Lol!

So here goes my Cocoiro Team! All from Living Well, SM Aura.

from left - right

ZIG Cocoiro Letter Pen Body {Shell Pink} - Php74.00

ZIG Cocoiro Letter Pen Body {Hoarfrost White} - Php74.00

ZIG Cocoiro Letter Pen Body {Duckegg Blue} - Php74.00

ZIG Cocoiro Letter Pen Refill {Brush in Black} - Php175.00

ZIG Cocoiro Letter Pen Refill {Extra Fine in Sepia} - Php143.00

Total: Php540.00

Zig Cocoiro Letter Pen Body

Shell Pink • Hoarfrost White • Duckegg Blue

Cocoiro body in Duckegg Blue and refill in Extra Fine Sepia

Zig Cocoiro Letter Pen Refills in Extra Fine Sepia & Brush Black

So beautiful! 

Given a chance again to buy more letter pen body, I'd like to have Warm Chestnut and Jet Black to add to the team, plus some refills for each body of course. Hopefully, I'll get to complete my Cocoiro Team someday - 5 beautiful colors of letter pen body with really nice refills. *wink* 

Chill Friday

 This cat is expecting her little kitties anytime soon. ^_^

Testing the Waters with Fabric Bouquet

This is the first fabric bouquet project I've ever been a part of. Me and my friend made a shot of making one for her sister's wedding. It's our first project together and our first time to make one. As agreed, aside from the requested hair piece, I'll make the fabric flowers for the bouquet and she will put all the pieces together. But because of the excitement, I joined the fun.

What I did was I made a flower that somehow resembles Tulip. The colors of the fabric were a mix of cream, pink, and lavender - the bride's choice of colors. I added some sparkly accent on the center of the flower. The handle was wrapped with jute string and the bouquet was surrounded with pink tulle and some lace under. 

Overall, we were amazed how this DIY bouquet came out. We never knew that with simple materials, some creativity, and a dash of imagination we were able to create something that would be a part of a lifetime memory. 

And because of this, I began my fabric bouquet journey.