A Handmade Affair

J and I have hosted several parties and get-togethers over the years. Our first was a Christmas/Reunion Party with our co-teachers at AMA. I have surprised him with a birthday party once. For my 28^th birthday, we threw a Paris-themed brunch. With the arrival of our little Queen B, major milestones were celebrated with chosen family and friends. In all of these celebrations, there would always be some DIY components.

In the Christmas/Reunion Party, we made some garlands made of blue and silver foil as it was our color scheme. For J’s surprise birthday party, I made some props for the DIY photobooth. In my Paris-themed birthday brunch, we made cupcake toppers that double as place cards. All of our little Queen B’s celebrations are full of DIYs, from the party invitations to banners and to our giveaways.  

In my opinion, these homemade trinkets make a celebration more welcoming, warm, and personal. It is one way for me to tell our guests that we are delighted with their presence. It has a therapeutic aspect for me too. But, admittedly, DIY endeavours can be tiring and time consuming. It took me a week to finish our little Queen B’s birthday banners since I was only able to do it during her nap times. Not everyone has the time, energy, and the creative juices to pull off these DIY projects.

This must be the reason why there are now many party suppliers offering their handmade products to give your celebrations that DIY and personal vibe. And the people from Ampersand Collective and Robinsons Residences gathered them in A Handmade Affair Crafty Celebrations and Wedding Expo held last August 2021, 2016 at Bridgetowne Tent in Libis, Quezon City.

There were more than 30 booths in the Expo offering an assortment of products and services that will make your event a definite success. Here are the ones that really caught my attention: 

Flowers by Rosabella - a complete flower shop for all your floral needs. Their booth instantly caught my eye the moment we entered Bridgetowne Tent. It was so beautiful!

Pottly N Tubby - a children's boutique inspired by the owner''s life in Australia. I love that teepee! I have been asking J for months now to make one for our little Queen B. Maybe he'll buy one as our Christmas gift to our darling baby, instead. *Crossing my fingers! 

Fly Bandit - one of the brands Bicspoke carries. Their products will make wonderful gifts for one's wedding party. 

Cool Girls Club -  is a lifestyle brand by Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Dans Bermejo. The brand features quirky, youthful and girl-positive designs throughout a variety of fun of products.

I would choose a cafe over an open bar in a party. Coffee is a perfect accompaniment to a dessert buffet, don't you agree? 

Vitrum's Upcycled and Crafts

Z Bar - a mobile bar by Zaz Events. 

Street food in a party? Why not! Guests will enjoy piercing those balls with their sticks and dipping them into a variety of sauces. This is another concept by Zaz Events. 

Beautiful table setting by Boqueria Lifestyle Market. 

Cubs Toddler Shoes

Custom-made jewelry to celebrate special occasions by Dandy Ona. 

Indigo Baby

Felt Soph Fun's handmade felt products will be perfect as giveaways for your kid's birthday party. 

Print Cafe

Little Luli

Little Luli's pretty felt crown headbands. 

Some exhibitors also offer free activities for the attendees of the Expo like this Decorate Your Own Crown by Little Luli. 

Here is our little Queen B modelling her handmade crown. 

La Pomme originally sells whimsical fabric objects. They have now extended their product line to Decorate-A-Plush kits and even party packages. Our little Queen B kept coming back to their booth to play with Thing One as seen on the table. La Pomme was also one of the exhibitors that offered free activities but, sadly, we did not get to attend it. 

A petting zoo in a party? Kids will definitely love that! Barnyard Friends on Wheels offer that service and they brought their cute and docile farm animals with them at the event. 

Georgina is wary of the animals at first and refuse to be inside the pen so we let her look at the animals for a while. 

Those are called Silkies. They are a breed of chickens named after their plumage which feels like silk and satin.  I think I would like one as a pet. 

She did touch the chick but, unfortunately, we weren't able to catch that moment with the camera.  

As I have mentioned in this post, we attended this Expo because I won a Basic Calligraphy Workshop by Print Café. Aside from the various exhibits, several workshops were also held at the event which aims to help attendees to create their own DIY projects.

There were also several prizes from the exhibitors that were raffled off. We were actually hoping for the Misibis Bay Overnight Stay for two but we are still elated when J won a Whitening Treatment from Suaviss Lab White which he still haven’t availed. I promise to write a review on it as soon as J avails it.

It was an educational and inspiring afternoon for our family. Educational as I get to know the basics of calligraphy. It is always nice to learn a new skill. It was also educational for our little Queen B as she gets to observe some animals like chickens and rabbits. She is very wary of them at first but I’m glad that she eventually overcame it. Hopefully, we’ll get more chances to expose her to animals and teach her how to properly handle and take care of them.

It was inspirational as I acquire several notes to keep in mind on the next celebration I’ll be arranging.  It was also extremely inspiring as these exhibitors just started with ideas. They then turn their ideas into products and services. Now, they are financially benefitting from their handmade creations. My mind is always full of ideas. I hope someday I’ll get that courage to take those ideas and transform them into reality. There is a saying “Do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life”.

How about you? Do you have any hidden talents or skills you want to someday profit from? Share them in the comments section and let us encourage one another.

#xoxo