Stamps, Postcards and Deco/Washi Tape

Being a newbie at the programming industry, I have been spending a lot of time working. Recently, however, I've been trying to manage my time and my work better so I was happy to be able to do a couple of things not related to work.

I carved stamps from the erasers that I bought months ago. 

I carved them on the dates indicated. Unfortunately, I ran out of erasers so I was not able to carry on.

What's wrong with this?

Yep, this is the first attempt for the August28 stamp. I did this while taking a short break from work. I was too excited to carve something (and perhaps a bit absent-minded too) that I forgot to reverse my design haha. I only realized the big mistake when I was about to reach for the stamp pad to test the stamp out. Anyway, it was good practice.

Now, snail mail. For a couple of months, I haven't been able to send mail! I had taken a break from Postcrossing. However, I cannot totally dismiss the whole snail mail hobby. It's not just about collecting postcards from all over. I really just love the whole idea of snail mail whether incoming or outgoing. Last week and this week, I was able to send postcards again.

Postcards from Kamakura and Tokyo

And here's my modest deco tape collection so far. I should make a separate post for these. They deserve such. Anyway, today I made a little craft project-- the washi tape-covered notebook at the left of this photo where I plan to put super random thoughts, lists and random lettering/calligraphy. Watch out for them!

10A Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair

Sunday afternoon was spent with my crafty AME orgmates Ate Raine, Ate Yvette and Charm in 10A Alabama's Arts and Crafts Fair. I'm glad that Ate Raine invited us to go. Otherwise I would have gone alone (which may not be as fun). I'm also glad that I was able to spend time with friends without having to worry about immediate work and school deadlines. :)

Here are some photos from my phone. I'm sorry for the bad quality. I forgot to bring my camera!

Here's my orgmate, Mel. She's a graduate of Visual Communications in UP CFA. She makes customized notebooks with pretty hand-painted covers! Check out her stuff here: https://www.facebook.com/papercanvas

The furniture and the chinaware are for sale too

Now that I think about it, I didn't buy handmade products in 10A Alabama. I just bought tools and materials for my crafts. You see, when I know that I can make something, I don't buy it. I try to create it myself. I know I sound like a total cheapskate but I really don't mind haha. (I know a lot of people, especially AME orgmates, who share the same philosophy: don't buy it if you can make it.)

However, don't get me wrong; I do buy handmade products too but only when it's worth the price and/or it's something that I cannot create.

Here's my haul that day (clockwise from top left):

• alphabet stamp set (PhP400) from a stall in 10A Alabama whose contact details I wasn't able to get
• woodcarving tools for stamp-carving (PhP168) from National Book Store
• a bunch of postcards for Postcrossing, from National Book Store
• erasers for stamp-carving
• X-Acto knife spare blades
• washi tape (PhP100 each) from Hey Kessy in 10A Alabama (Finally, airmail stripe washi tape! This one has been on my wishlist for some time now.)
• a postcard and a sticker, freebies from Hey Kessy
• Eiffel tower with postmark stamp (PhP99) from Sitting Pretty in 10A Alabama

What are the carving tools, spare blades and erasers for? Well, Ate Raine, Ate Yvette, Charm and I saw handmade stamped postcards and handmade rubber stamps being sold at 10A Alabama. We liked them but we didn't buy any (I did buy rubber stamps but not handmade ones) because they're expensive (as most handmade things are) and we thought we can make stamps too. I also saw Bored and Crafty Meream's post about her handmade stamp a few days prior which inspired me to make my own. That's why after 10A Alabama, we went to National Book Store in Gateway to buy carving tools and erasers!

That night, I could not resist trying out my new tools so I went and carved away.

My first handmade stamp: very far from perfect but doesn't look too bad to me

I'll post about my stamp-carving adventures in the next post! I'm also excited to see how my friends' stamps turned out. :)