Lo and behold we are now on Season 3 of Enhanced Community Quarantine here in Manila, and as far as I have read about the Covid-19 situation here in our country, our average case per day ranks up at 150! All the more reasons we have to take care of ourselves, and stay at home!

With the additional time spent at home, we have more time to discover new activities and revisit some old habits, which is perfect because the coloring book series now has a volume 2!

If you still can, please do!

I mean, just look at these pretty ladies! Alex did a fantastic job, indeed!

The biggest challenge for me in creating these artworks would be the weapons. For Princess Bubblegum x Chibimoon, I drew a Moon stick which was actually used by Sailormoon, and not Chibiusa hahaha OOPSIE! As for D.Va, I drew her Light Gun, rather than opting for a pistol that Jill Valentine would have used in the Resident Evil games.

MOON HEALING ESCALATAION ATTACKKKKK!

NERF THIS!

Enjoy adding more color to your life!

Love Always,

Nicole💓

If you were to tell me that I'll be teaching a workshop from months back, I'd probably respond with a...

Ows

... I would definitely not believe it. This is not because I am shy, or terrified of talking in front of people, but it's just that I don't think I am a master of my own craft. With that mindset, I figured I am not the best candidate to teach younglings about polymer clay or calligraphy.

HOWEVER, given that the universe has it's tricky way of playing you, I ended up giving in, then tried reaching out to well-known crafting communities in the Philippines.


CraftMNL is a community of artists, makers, creators. and many more, who provides an outlet for their co-artists, makers, creators, and many more to learn, teach, and basically appreciate art. With that, they actually host a bunch of workshops in different areas of art, for all ages- which makes it perfect for me to reach out for them for a collab.

It's nice that they were able to recognize me as soon as I sent them a proposal email, not because Class Act Ph is a big shot, but because they are also the brains behind Makers' Market, which on the other hand is a collaborative team who puts out bazaars that sell only handmade local goods. Last November, I had a tiny shelf laid out at a Makers' showcase, where I was able to sell some of Class Act Ph creations. I think with that, it was easy to persuade them in giving me a shot.

Exact depiction on how the agreement went between me and craft mnl

But of course, not all things went swimmingly well, despite having all the preps done, no one registered for my workshop with them *cue sad music*

Exact depiction of my feels

I guess I wasn't able to market it properly, or that people are just not that interested with unicorns? Hahaha! Oh well, rather than cry over it, I just learned better not to see this as a discouragement to push for a workshop, so I moved on...

It is completely understandable to not want to try out for another one after a failed attempt, but hey I am not called, 'matigas ang ulo' by my parents for nothing! Hahaha! So, I partnered with The Craft Central to put together a workshop at Ayala Vertis North 🤗

For those who are not yet acquainted with The Craft Central how dare you , a quick intro would be : It is a magical consignment store full of craftsy and artsy stuff, like calligraphy tools, fun stickers, and even succulent holders. Given that it's a safe haven for people who loves art, it comes no surprise that they also host workshops with different artists and makers, to further encourage people to try out a new hobby- despite having 0% skillzzz or talent in art.

Going back to the workshop, unlike with my failed attempt with CraftMNL, I got participants for my workshop at Ayala Vertis North!

Totally unrelatable to the topic, but hey cute gif 👏

My unicorn bebe

Elise's unicorn bb with an eksaheradang horn

Ana's masterpiece 💕👏

Aiza's pabibong Bangwinkon Unicorn

The husband and wife, Mark and Eunisse's work. Don't worry, di pa yan tapos hahahaha 👏👏👏👏☝

I love you po

Kute forevermore💕👍😚

Just when I thought Heaven is only located in Fukuoka, particularly Yamamoto Bumpodo, imagine my kokoro when I discovered the 5 story worth of Art items in Sekaido!

With special participation of Jhude's cap.

Prior to going to Tokyo, I have already researched, and even allotted quite an amount for my trip to Sekaido. Basing on how much I have spent in Yamamoto Bumpodo last August (hi, Copic Markers), I braced myself with the high possibility of losing my control over my credit card!

Me.ME

So first things first, where is Sekaido? From what I have researched, they have different branches all over Tokyo, but their main one is in Shinjuku. As I have mentioned above, it has 5 floors sprawling with different Art items, from pens to paints, clays to wood, papers to nibs and even frames! They have everything! I want to buy everything!

But since I was travelling then with a big group, I wasn't given the luxury to stay there the whole day, instead I had only 10 minutes to fully explore, and figure out what I wanted to buy (in the last minute, I decided to keep my options open haha). Anyhoo, let me just share with you all the photos I took during my speedy shopping spree!

PEEEEENS GALORE!

MARKERSSS!

Way more affordable than the ones sold here!

I got one!

OOODLES OF PAINTS!

Nibs galore!

Washis!

The following photos made my heart skip a bit, only to break it after *cue Adele*

POLYMER CLAAAAYS!

Soooooo, here are some notes, little quips, and things I think people who would like to go to Sekaido should know:

1. Allot a budget for it! I swear, if you are like me, who wouldn't think twice choosing to go hungry over getting a new paintbrush, it will be painful if you go there with an empty wallet! So, save up!

2. Allot at least an hour or 2 when you go here! There's 5 floors full of heavenly delights in every corner, it would be a shame if you won't be able to see all of its glory! Also, if you have more time, you'll be able to compare prices, and brands!

3. The nibs sold here are waaaaaay less expensive than the ones sold here in Manila. Though, there are still those that costs a lot, but c'mon, where can you see nibs as inexpensive at Php 30+ in Manila? NOWHERE! SO BUY SO MANY NIBS, I TELL YAH!

4. I wasn't able to see any Copics during my visit, and I'm not sure if they don't have Copics or if they are stowed away in a fancy cabinet somewhere in the store. But I doubt that they are stored anywhere that is not within the reach of customers, because brands such as Holbein and Sennelier are readily available for people to check out.

5. The queues can be quite long. Have patience, my friend.

6. They accept credit card payment! But I opt for my Yens instead.

7. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance! They are very friendly, and will go out of their way to help you- even if 70% of the time you'll get lost in translation.

8. They have different brands of polymer clays, and even air dry ones, but they are soooooo expensive. I don't know why, since I was expecting the Modena ones to be less expensive in Japan, but it's the same price as the ones sold online here in The Philippines. As for a 50g Staedtler clay, they go for 400+ Yen, or around Php200+! That's expensive, ok?! I ended up not buying any clay that day *cue more sad songs, louder!*. Might as well just ask my older sister to buy me clays in Michael's or Jo-ann's when she goes to NYC soon.

And lastly...


9. Yup guys, pay your items on its designated floor. You can't pay for all the stuff  you got when you go back down to the ground floor.

I am proud to say that I did not blow my budget, and was only able to spend a max of 3000 yen! Although, to be honest I allotted 10,000 yen for this trip, but since I only have 10 minutes to wander, I just got things that look sparkly... and yes, no Copic Markers *cue Adele again*

Pasok Adele!

Will share my loot in my next post *wink*

Love Always,

Nicole