Bags of Delight

Another example of the ingenuity of the Filipina is her ability to convert rough raw materials from nature into practical objects of everyday use. Here are some pictures of bags made from locally grown abaca, jute, bancuan, raffia, cotton twine and karagumoy materials.

Rochelle is making a selection of more than 40 different styles and colours and helping to support her family as well as enjoying her creative talents which include design and skillful handicraft production. If you want to see more of her selection, dont forget to write and ask for a quotation and for pictures of the complete range of available designs. Albay province in the central Luzon area is the location of her workshop.

Buying bags for multiple use is one way of saving the environment from the vast amounts of plastic bags which have become typically part of our everyday shopping habits and who could resist having a bag so unique and special as part of their shopping accoutrements?

Beauty in Marble

About a days journey from the Luzon area to one of the many beautiful islands off the east coast of the Philippines is the base of a small company which specialises in making beauty in marble.

From small handicrafts such as dolphins and elephants to giant life size statues of animals. At the moment you can see at their workshop a wide variety of exquisite sculptures, to suit almost every pocket and every need. Bathroom fixtures, kitchen utensils, decorative ornaments and even cremation urns - you name it and they will make it. Here are some pictures from their assortment. What they cannot make is probably not worth making.

There is an innate purity in marble and though not all of their pieces is totally hand made they are all hand crafted, some with machine tools to assist them. There is also no limit to the imagination and as well as producing lifesize models of Buddha and Korean priests - they supply the Korean market with these and many other of their marble creations, they also make a dolphin that is almost 2 metres high.

Hidden Virtues

Not far from where I live is a small workshop where I found almost by accident a thriving and very industrious business producing hand made jewelry. Passing by the area you would have no idea that in the yard behind unimposing metal gates was a small company employing only some six or seven personnel, all busily engaged in creating works of art designed by the owner herself.

I was surprised by the extremely professional manner in which Mayan was building up a very impressive portfolio of new work on a regular basis. She designs new items almost every week. She has been in business for only three years and already her experience has produced a wide variety of beautiful jewelry including bracelets, hair pieces, earrings and many others, jewelry that you can wear for formal as well as casual wear, at home or even barefoot sandal jewelry to wear on the beach where you can display feet adorned with attractively made and practical fashions.

Here are just a few of the many designs that she makes with her personally selected staff who create replicas each and every time. As well as selling her collections locally within the Philippines, Mayan has already started selling to small scale buyers in the USA and Canada.