Last week, I started working on the props for our Christmas Production. It's a big deal for the kids so I want the set and the props to look at least presentable and sparkly. I've been helping out on set designs since high school and again, when I taught the first time in that same school. This is the first time in which I'm actually the one doing it myself, along with help from my assistants Zara and Edjee, and the wonderful Mang Louie, head carpenter at IRRI. He truly makes things easy for me.
As of today, the frame for the set pieces are done while some of the props are ready to be painted. I requested for carpentry assistance on Monday. I hope I can show some photos (I know I'm slacking in the documentation department) of these things I'm doing.
Also, tomorrow, I'm going to meet with a mother of a debutante for her daughter's invitations and souvenir mag. The previous agreement, that was three months ago, would be I'd write the articles myself in addition to the layout and design of the magazine that should be finished in, well, five weeks? Ha! I'm Supergirl!
That's why I'm panicking now so I won't panic later on. There's a week and a half difference between the two occasions.
This Schedule is Frightening But Awesome!
Tomorrow is November
... And we feel Christmas in the air, which also smells good. :)
First off, I am no longer accepting orders for Christmas giveaways. It is going to be a very busy month ahead and I won't be able to attend to your requests at this point. I wouldn't want to disappoint you because I accepted orders when I know I won't be able to fulfill them and deliver on time. I am sorry, but I do hope you remember me next year. :)
Starting Wednesday, I'll start working on the set pieces and props for the children's Christmas production, T'was the Night Before Christmas, to be presented on the second week of December. This should be fun!! It will take much of my time and away from my table, which is what's already happening. That saddens me. It's laziness more than anything else. If I want to do my sorely neglected personal projects, I should make, not 'find', time for them.
Anyway, I'll take pictures as I go along. And I hope this lethargy won't get in the way of my posting pictures of these props.
Three Sets
These three sets of Notepad/Penholder combo, Keychain Mini-Albums and Origami Albums were sent this morning as samples.
Manly Invitation
These are the invitations I made for a friend who also happens to be an architect. It's quite new to me, because I'm used to small girls and floral-like invites, but it's a whole lot easier to make. It took quite awhile for us to get to how this would look like but it took only a day to finish 50 of them. I would've wanted a blueprint for the 'plan' but they smell horrible especially if they're going to give these away to people not used to that smell. Besides, tracing paper looks smashing!
Meanwhile, I'm contemplating of ways to package 3 sets of samples to give a client. And I'm currently at the edge of my seat about this contract thing at school. Looks like I really have the job. Yay! for the new Art Consultant. My position isn't called Art Teacher... I'm an Art Consultant. Heee!
Birthday Souvenirs
December last year, my mother saw the notepad-penholder combo in my stash of goodies I'm selling. She just exclaimed, "I want these for Seya's souvenirs!" So, she asked me how much my budget should be sans labor, because a) she's my mother and b) she always volunteered to wash my dishes whenever she comes over. I thought it was a nice trade-off. One of my nieces turned 7 years old yesterday and these were her giveaways at her party today.
I made a slight modification to the notepad design because the flowers that were originally there I made by hand. And I absolutely have no more time to do them over 50 times for these. I thought she'd understand. The non-labor element's quite a good bargaining chip. :)
Oh, the pencils were not included. That's totally her idea and purchase. I just included them in the wrapping.
July Update
Hello everyone! This is not good. This once a month update is almost close to nil but it's such a busy last few weeks but yes, I'm doing good.
The repairs and maintenance activities at the school are almost done. Has to be because school opens on August 5th. The supply room is finally organized and waiting for new supplies to come in as ordered. The Art Room is finally taking shape. The library shelves have been delivered yesterday so probably the librarian is finally organizing the books delivered the last couple of weeks. I might post some before and after pics later on. I hope nobody expects some Nate Berkus makeovers here. We just purged, cleaned and reorganized furniture around.
The papercrafting business is doing really well also. I'm very thankful to have the time to do them despite other things. Other things being other projects outside of the usual things I do and the domestic day-to-day stuff nobody can really escape from.
Ah! And there's something else I want to talk about. I am an architect and was very active professionally until about six years ago and shifted to what I do now. The reason I left the practice is another story altogether but what I want to say is, I was hired by an architectural firm to revise, rewrite and design their company profile. Yay!! They got me because I'm an architect, I know the business so I know what I'm going to write about.
I'm so very excited about this most recent project because as much as I love papercrafting, I also love writing. And I've been craving to write something in a more professional capacity. So, when they called one day and asked if I could, I grabbed the chance. They also put forward a couple more projects for later this year: a brochure for their spa and training center, and souvenirs for their daughter's 18th birthday in December. I'm very, very thankful for this.
2010 has been very, very good to me and my husband, most especially to him. It's been awesomely fantastic so far. I can't thank God enough for such beautiful year so far.
June Update
Hello everyone!
It's been awhile. Personal projects have been on-hold for more than a month now. I have been really busy at school since a couple of weeks before the Moving Up Ceremony. Now it's cleanup time. The amount of rubbish generated in 10 months is astounding! Seven balikbayan boxes of trash... and that's just from the Art Room. I had some repairs and repaint that need to be done so I left it as it is for now. The queue for carpentry work is quite long.
While waiting for that, we tackled the library today. Drew a floor plan to help us rearrange the shelves, and we moved them. We'd still need seven shelves to follow the plan, though. It doesn't matter if we won't fill them up with books now. A library is a library, it will eventually get full. My architectural knowledge need not go to waste. heee!
Next week, the science laboratory and supply inventory. Need to schedule the painting job too. All classrooms need to be repainted as well as the corridor.
All these, and I'm not even an employee of the school. What do I call this job? Building repair supervision and consultancy? What?
