A Glimpse of Project Life

Last weekend, I was invited to attend a workshop by Life Documented Manila - a little team of scrapbook lovers that sell super cute craft  products and share everything you need to know about completing your own album. I met 2/3 of their team at the #DesignHerStory conference some time last year.

That moment is quite hard to forget because, well, I had been following LDM for a while already so, when I saw them I got starstruck pleasantly surprised. I ran over there with a little too much excitement and introduced myself and apparently, they were also followers of Details Ink. The other participants simply walked past us as we fan-girl-ed over each other. Haha! 

Months later, I attended my first Project Life workshop under them and left, completely satisfied and just thrilled to continue the work I started there. Let me tell you all about it. Hihihi.

Wait, no.

Let me show you!

:)

We were asked to bring our own 4x6 photos but, they basically gave us everything else, including: 120+ printed cards and a 6x8 Project Life Album. They offered something called a "Craft Buffet", an entire table filled with stamps, stickers, washi tape, papers, inks that we were allowed to use during the session! I died. Hahaha. I was so overwhelmed with the choices, that I might have stood there and stared for over a minute...

See, I used to collect all these supplies too. I would hoard pens, and scrap book embellishments, and although I'd hardly use them, - because I was saving them for a special occasion that never came - just having them in my big box made me such a happy kid. Haha! And when I actually did have the time, I'd make things. Lots of things. I'd make super detailed, hand crafted birthday letters for friends, Christmas cards or whatnot but, my main use for those hoarded items was to decorate my yearly hand-made planner. Haha! I miss that. There's barely any time to fill up a store-bought planner nowadays. :(

My old planners look like scrap books. 

Some people may think it's way too cheesy or that it's a total waste of time and money but, I disagree. Completely. When I look back at those planners, I see tiny details of my life at that time and seeing it makes me remember. And that is why I love doing this. 

It's because I never ever want to forget.

That's one of my fears, actually.

I don't want to forget the things my high school friends and I would do during breaks, the people I'd run to when I hated life, what I really felt during prom night, and even that break through I had while in the bathroom. 

I want to remember everything.

That's why I thing stuff like this is so important.

That's why I keep a journal.

That's why I take my planner way too seriously, haha.

And that's why I really, really love Project Life.

Or documenting life in general.

Huhuhu Thank you Becky Higgins! <3

When I started my album, I couldn't decide on a specific theme. I never finished scrapbooks in the past because it was quite difficult to fill all the pages with "My 13th Birthday" or any one event. So, I thought of making a super general theme: something I could continue where I left off without worrying about consistency or flow...

My Project Life album is now my Happy Book.
Hihihi.

Am I the most boring person alive? Huhu.

But, yeah! It legit made me happy though.

I want to fill it up with moments of all kinds and I'd be able to look through it when I hate life and realize that I actually love it. Haha. In the workshop, I learned not to be so afraid to write on my pictures. So, I did. A lot. Haha.

I included the stories that those photos came with. Like in this one above, there was a mudslide in Mt. Batulao when I brother and I were up there so, we literally reveled in the dirt. We took are shoes off and slid down the hills, the way we used to when we were kids. Afterwards, we were dirty. It was gross. We looked gross. Haha! But we were so, so happy. :)

The photos above were taken on another adventure I had with Timo. This time, we went to Singapore. The photo below was taken when we met a few ladies at Little India who did our Henna Tattoos and told us all about the area. 

Simple moments like those are the ones I'd want to remember, actually. Good conversations, days and places that made me feel peace... stuff like that.

Another thing I like about attending workshops is that I feel so distant from my world. Generally, I love being in places when I don't really know anyone and no one really knows me. There's a little freedom in that. Strangely, it's in those cases where I'm more confident to talk to people.

I really love talking to strangers. Haha.

Anyway, my table mates were two new mommies! They seemed like they were very good friends. It was so cute. They were so excited about documenting the growth of their new kids. And I feel like I saw my future self... Hahaha. Because to be honest, I really feel like I'm gonna be the best mommy in the world. (haha sorry but, I'm really not joking because I really feel like that is my true calling haha okay goodbye)

I think I did an okay job as a Project Life beginner. Now the challenge is gonna be finding time to sit down and continue what I started and hopefully, finishing it. :)

Life Documented Manila is holds workshops regularly! You should check their site! Hihihi.

Thank you, LDM, for having me and for reigniting my love for this beautiful form of art!

Love,

#HappyKara

:)

This Week's Happy Thing : Kinfolk Magazine

I like clean - looking things.

Black and white.

Pastel colors.

Neutral colors.

Wood.

Cream.

(Details Ink is an exception. That is my style.)
(That's how I draw on a normal day and nope, I don't get it either.)
(Haha.)

Anyway, last year at some beautiful shop at Singapore, I came across a magazine called Kinfolk and basically fell in love with it right there and then. It was and is the cleanest magazine I have ever seen. Haha!

Really. Clean is the word my mind has permanently associated it with.

Unintentionally, I promise.

As I flipped through the pages, I was happy to have fallen in love even more - not only with the pictures and overall aesthetics of the magazine but, with its substantial content.

I was never really a fan of magazines. Ever.

And that's because I always felt like it lacked something.

(Substance. I realized that most magazines have no substance.)

So.

If you want to read about something real...

Like real people.

with real passions,

real struggles.
and real stories.

If you want to learn about beauty...

And, I mean, true beauty.

Like the beauty of sleeping in.

Or having a day gone totally wrong.

Or taking a day off to escape life.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that...

if you aren't into Top Tens, What's Hots and What's Nots,

if it isn't your goal in life to look like a celebrity,

 if you're a cheesy i - love - life type of person.

if you like simple and clean looking things,

if you like hiding from people and staying in,

and if you're anything like me,

I think you'll like this magazine.

:)

(Thank you to my Kris Kringle Mommy, Rejean Tee, for your beautiful Christmas gift!)

It's All About the Planner ft. The Daykeeper 2015 Journal

(Disclaimer. I am not a photographer. For this feature, however, I really pretended to be one. Hahaha!)
(Ang ganda kasi talaga.)
(And I've decided to blog more about the random #happythings)

Last month, I met two girls at the Carousel Carvan Pop Up at The Urban Food Collective in Alabang. They were two tables away from the Details Ink booth and during one of the bazaar "down times" - you know, those lulls wherein suddenly there are absolutely no people in the area/ those times when shop owners go around and get to know the neighbors - I stopped by and said hi.

"What are you guys selling", I asked.

One eagerly replied by saying "We sell Daykeeper Journals",

And her proud friend interrupted with "She made them!"

To be honest, I only heard of this journal from the Instagram posts of artsy people and some bloggers but, I had never seen it until then. And oh my gosh, I fell in love. I don't know how many times I went back and forth from my store to theirs just to flip through it. Again and again, I did so. I was contemplating whether or not I deserved to splurge that day.

For me or someone else?

Do I deserve this?

Was I good this year?

Will I use it well and make it worth it?

Those thoughts really popped into my head while looking through it... and well, I had ended up spending Php 950.00 for a wonderful 2015 planner which I ended up giving to myself for Christmas. Hihi.

I deserve this.

I deserve this.

I deserve this.

( I had to convince myself for weeks.)

Anyway, for those of you who are still looking for a 2015 planner... I think it's not too late! These planners are sold at Heima but, if I'm not mistaken, you can order straight from them. Just check @thedaykeeper on Instagram or on Facebook!

It was designed by Kat San Juan and as seen throughout the pages, she's a photographer and wedding videographer. See, the pictures in this planner were all taken during her travels, all over the world. I guess she used The Daykeeper as a means to inspire people to lead beautiful lives as well. Huhu. Saya.

The planner provides two pages per week. An actually date book on one side and a space to write the "Things That Made Me Smile Today" on the other. I ended up using one side as a journal type of thing. Bullets and lists on one side and words and doodles on the other, for me.

What I like about it is that, well, it looks it popped right out of Tumblr - or like you've got a Pinterest board right in your hands! I'm actually pretty excited for school - for a time when I'll have to right the most horrendous task on such a beautiful page in the planner... it might actually help me get things done! Haha. I guess all of us could use a daily dose of inspiration... from anywhere. So for me, I got it because I really want to inject happy things in my every day life and I know that scheduling exams on a pretty planner might just help me get through it.

I don't know if it's a good thing but, I think the turnout of my year has a lot to do with my planner for that year... and that sounds completely insane, I am totally aware. Hm. But, you know that line by Carrie Bradshaw?

"It's all about the desk. If you pick the right desk, the writing will come."

Or something like that.

Much like... how an artist can't draw well unless, he has his preferred pen and paper. I, for example, cannot doodle at my best unless my pens are Pilot G-Techs or Unipins. Some even need the right paper! Point is, we all have, sometimes borderline irrational, specifications that we deem necessary in order to complete a certain process well. 

In this case, or should I say, in last year's case, my planner and I didn't click so much. It was my first time to actually buy one - since, I usually choose a good notebook and make my own. I just didn't feel it. For some reason. I didn't even complete. it! (And my high school friends will know how much of a crime that is for me) So consequently, it messed up my plans. Hihi.

Yes, my clever, super-rational self is blaming her planner for her messed up year.

Hehez.

Anyway, the only reason I shared that is that I needed to build up on the fact that... I think I click with this planner. <3 Hahaha. Basically, I realized last year that for me, planners play quite a significant role in each year - if I get the right planner, I'll plan the year well. (Hopefully, there are other people our there who feel the same way, haha.) But even if my Daykeeper and I lose that connection mid-year, I'll be fine knowing that I have a Kinfolk-like book right in my bag that I can pick up anytime when I need a lift during the day. Hahaha.

Ok, to be perfectly honest, the only point of this feature is to showcase the fact that Kat San Juan is quite a genius for creating such a simple, inspirational beauty. And yeah, I really just wanted to share that beauty with everyone. So here are my pseudo-photographer shots of #thedaykeeper, listed as reasons why The Daykeeper is the one for me this 2015. <3

It has my favorite color!

There are beautifully laid out photos on random pages.
Tumblr in a planner, basically.

Lots of adventure photos!

Many of the photos include powerful insights and quotes.
Huhu. I love that.

It has such happy add-ons, including:
a letter to yourself to be read at the end of the year,
"field notes from this grand adventure called life",
a manifesto with typography done by Abbey Sy,
a handy kraft pocket at the back,
and 4 pretty black and white post cards.

I also love weekly bible verses, as well as this last one from the book of Esther, which is on the last page, I think. It's one of the verses that really make you want to live more and, you know, *insert cheesy but, true life stuff here.*

Today is January 9, 2015.

I've been working hard in the last week to meet deadlines, finish off projects from last year and also because I want to focus on architecture once school starts. Gotta refuel the fire on that end.

And that's why for the past week, I've been on a personal planning seminar with myself. Haha! So, I'm thankful and excited for this year. My Daykeeper and I will be working very closely, just like old times! Yay!

(It works the opposite way for me: my planners are usually full during school days and blank on my summer days. In other words, they are full when I'm on fire and blank when I am lazy. Last year, it was quite blank... all year - which was quite alarming for me, because I knew deep down that I was just passing through everything and was just totally lazy to be on fire... for anything. If you know what I mean. That laziness is also evident in my grades last sem. Hayz. Not being on fire isn't me - I'm an all-giver, huhu. So, I won't do that again. Hihi, my fingers are crossed for next year!)

Anyway, here's to all our hopes and dreams for the year and to all the resolutions we will probably break next week! Haha. Hope we all stay driven, nonetheless and that we all have just as much fun carrying our plans out as we did while making them. :)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Love,

Kara

PS. Stay tuned for the Details Ink website launch! Finally got my own domain name!! <3
January 31, ok? ok!