Recent Favorite Things

skating into the sunset

I like to make myself busy, the stay-sane-at-home has made me hop into a lot of pre-occupations. So here are a few things/activities that would probably qualify me as a gold member of the "Busy Bee Society".

Macramé Crafts

It was a short visit to Spotlight that got me into macramé. I was there to buy a cross-stitch kit because I wanted to re-visit my childhood hobby. (I learnt cross-stitch when I was in elementary and Hello Kitty was my first finished cross-stitch art then.) Anyway, I saw this DIY mini plant-hangers macrame kit that was on sale. It looks very interesting so I grabbed one, and there goes my first purchase of macrame kit. The kit included a pamphlet of instructions. When I started making them, it was like a big revelation to me, like a kid who discovered her new favorite candy. I wanted to make more! And thus begin, a new hobby for me.

I bought new cords of different types and different colors from Shoppee and Lazada, ordered wood crafts to make wall hangings, beads for additional design and only to realize I already have a box full of macrame materials. (No regrets though!)

For Christmas, I gave macramé crafts to my friends. I even made an Instagram account for all my creations. Lol My boyfriend's mom also got addicted into macramé because of me. It gives so much joy to me sharing the kind of fulfillment that macramé-making gives me.

Here are some of the crafts I did:

The macramé coasters I made for my friends.

My Nahoa 41" Longboard

It has been exactly a year since I first set my foot on a Longboard. And since then, thankfully I haven't had any major accidents so far, just a few little slips here and there. I remember being so scared even just by standing or balancing. I was so scared to slip that I might get a bruise on my legs. But Max has helped me improve a lot. He taught me how to balance properly, how to push, where to ideally place my feet on the board, how to turn, where to put my weight. And today, cruising with my board had become a natural thing for me. I remember how my legs got swollen after hours of cruising that I was not able to do skate for almost 2 weeks.

My board is actually a gift from Max, and we bought it second hand. I was so eager to have my first board, but the seller didn't have any on-hand stocks so we opted to buy from Carousell. Although second hand, it was fairly new. The seller said he didn't have time to learn hence he's selling it. There were stars in my eyes when I laid my hands on it. Another candy for the kid in me! :)

It's somehow ironic how I started longboarding when everyone's urging to stay-at-home. But to be fair, when I practiced, it's always a balance of safe-distancing and avoiding crowded places.

My plant babies

Just like a lot of people, I am a certified plantita. I surely don't think I have a green thumb as I had a number of plants that died under my care. But still, my plants are my babies. They give me happiness even just by looking at them. Taking care of them is therapeutic, and it requires patience and effort. There was a phase where our weekly dates are going to different plant shops, even exploring more than one shop in a day. (Really thankful to Max for accompanying me and supporting me on this hobby)

Now that we have moved into a new apartment with a balcony to put plants on (yay!), I want to get more plants and probably some herbs to use for cooking. Hopefully, I can take a family photo of all my plant babies soon. They are scattered around the house and I am far too lazy to gather them in one place for a photo-op.

I always feel so kilig whenever I see a new leaf coming from my plants.

I have more plants than these, but I don't have photos of them. Lol

My sewing machine

I have this fond memory of using my Lola's vintage sewing machine back in Batangas, and really enjoying it. The sound that the machine makes is actually music to my ears. Hence, for my 30th birthday, I bought a sewing machine for myself. It is only second hand, but still works well for my needs. So far, as of writing, I have made one dress, one top and repaired/adjusted a lot of my clothes, even Max's clothes. My weekend workstation now consists of a sewing machine, fabric scissors, loose threads, needles, pins, and more threads.

Dishes a la Lorraine

I love how I enjoy cooking a lot. I probably got it from my Papa. This pandemic has actually helped me to explore cooking more. And it's somehow a motivation for me whenever Max likes whatever I cook. I guess, he doesn't have any choice but to eat what I prepared.