Interested in learning about basic art elements, techniques, and how to use materials and tools like pastels, watercolor, colored pencils, etc?

Join us for a summer art workshop this April – May 2009 at Mindgym, Inc!

• Draw, paint, & express yourself through art
• Get personalized coaching of your works from artist Mr. Mar Bongalon
• Meet new friends and post your art in your own exhibit

Who can join? 7 years-old and up art enthusiasts!

Maximum of 10 students per class

For 10 sessions, inclusive of art materials, pay only P3,500.

Art classes will be held at La Casa Mia, 219 J.P. Rizal Street, Project 4, Quezon City (near Katipunan Avenue and Cubao). ]]> http://www.amomandmore.com/arts-crafts/summer-art-workshop/feed/ 2 http://www.amomandmore.com/arts-crafts/my-new-wardrobe-from-second-hand-ukay-ukay-shops/ http://www.amomandmore.com/arts-crafts/my-new-wardrobe-from-second-hand-ukay-ukay-shops/#comments Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:43:50 +0000 A Mom and More beginning lifebudgetdaughterfashionmomrecycling http://amomandmore.com/arts-crafts/my-new-wardrobe-from-second-hand-ukay-ukay-shops/ My kids want a fashionista mom. They want me to look cool and youngish (even at 50), wear clothes which blend with what they wear (not those tailored from a distant past) and censor my appearance when we go out (probably so they won’t be embarrassed that they have an old hag with them).

Without a stable job, no discretionary funds and a long list of want-to-haves and payables – thanks to UK shops, I can be in fashion without robbing a bank or closing my savings account. Truly, second-hand shops support current fashion and lifestyle trends of: going retro, recycling and customizing.

Look at the new wardrobe I’ve built out of my trips to UK shops with Aei.

Mom in red

Through all these years, red remains my favorite, so here’s a collection of reds and lighter shades of red: pink, old rose, fuchsia blouses, skirts and sweaters – to usher in good luck, sustain my passion and create productive energy as I turn 50.

A little dose of green and blue

I don’t know why green has never been my color while younger sister Annie, an architect, loved greens all the way and youngest sister Arlene, an artist-entrepreneur, was all for the blues. To spice up my wardrobe, I’ve chosen some bit of greens and blues (which I have always labeled as masculine colors ) and whites to give some calming effect to my dominantly red personality.

Denims for all seasons

When I retired from the corporate world, I only had a single pair of denim pants (a stretch, button-up skinny jeans in fashion in the 1980s-90s). I have always worn dresses and skirts which fit my stature and physique. As a passage marker, I thought of donning on denim pants and skirts which I initially found stiff and uncomfortable compared to the cotton and silk I used to wear at work. Now, with UK shops, I can be as cool, smart, comfy and chic with the variety of blends, textures, shades, styles and accessories that designers have created out of the durable and timeless denim. Here are some great denim finds which can fade away beautifully with me over time.

I have worn a lot of UK finds to special occasions and often, I am asked who sews my clothes for me. I reply: they’re ready-made but personally embellished by me. I smile inside, feeling proud of having made good fashion choices, as Aei winks an eye or brushes my elbow.

My relatives and friends will never really think and know that my wardrobe comes from the second-hand stores, and not the USA or UK, unless I tell them. Shhh …

For me and my daughter Aei, going to second hand shops has an extra benefit — it is a good bonding time for us since we are both thrifty (or rather, we have a small disposable income nowadays), prefer unique, one-of-a-kind clothes; not brand-conscious (unlike the men in my family); patient enough to rummage through an array of (sometimes) dusty and smelly clothes; and care less for wearing hand-me-downs from whoever.

In the 1970s (my high school years) I never experienced buying and using clothes from second hand stores like Eloy’s. My mom frowned upon using segunda mano and relief goods from the USA since she was afraid that the clothes might come from a sick or dead person and negative energy or bad luck may be passed on to us. Thus, to be able to wear stylish clothes on a shoestring budget, mom encouraged us to recycle and sew our own clothes out of her retazos (scrap cloth) or else, rip off gently worn, outmoded dresses and recycle them into new ones.

It was in 1989 that I experienced buying and using second hand items. Then, I bought and used winter jackets, kitchen utensils, lamps and furniture from second-hand stores as a government scholar to USA — to budget the limited stipend I got for school and living expenses. During this brief stay in the USA, I frequented Goodwill stores, flea markets and yard/garage sales where I bought very cheap antique home decors which still adorn our home through this time. Shopping in these bargain stores served as my pastime and antidote to homesickness (for the two toddlers I left in Manila). This experience also paved the way for my interest in ebay trading, initially to rid of my idle stuff and overstocked purchases.

For over a decade hence (since I was earning enough), I skipped going to thrift shops and just bought from the malls during sale season. However, 3 years ago, Aei re-introduced me to local second-hand shops called ukay-ukay (UK) or wagwagan meaning dig and shake, respectively. She developed a fondness for these UK shops, her supplier of almost new leather boots, rare bags, unique clothes and branded castoffs at 1/10 their cost in the malls. My son followed suit as he found a favorite Japan anime store from which he got original pre-owned plushies, mini resin collectibles, unique trading cards and posters.

Over the years, shopping for second-hand clothes has developed into an art trip for Aei and me. We have learned to scrutinize details on the items for sale, to take our time in spotting a treasure out of some junk, and to squeeze our creativity in reconstructing used clothes to suit our fancy.

Today, our unscheduled visit to a UK shop has proven to be an essential part of Aei’s therapy for her toe callus surgery – a diversion which helped her re-focus her mind away from the pain on her toe which to date still has an open hole the size of a Philippines peso coin. Believe me, her toe didn’t ache as we shopped for almost two hours while she writhed in pain with just a slight toe bump when we are at home.

From today’s ukay-ukay shopping, after haggling with the store owner, Aei and I happily went home with two plastic bags containing six skirts, seven tops and a new sweater all for 680 pesos – that’s less than the cost of a single F & H shirt for my son.

Do you also like to shop and save on seconds? Or, would you like to give it a try soon?

I’ll let you sneak at my new wardrobe from UK next post. Shhhh …