Livin' High and Takin' it Easy

Took me long enough to post about my experience at the Global Pinoy Bazaar this year, but may I just say that it was, “Awesome!” Being one of the exhibitors this year made the experience tiring but I totally enjoyed my two days at the bazaar. I spent a lot of money! About P8,000, actually. And I could have bought more, except that, that was just too much shopping for two days. I spent more than I actually gained, and to tell the truth, I did not gain anything, except all the goods I shopped and an empty wallet. *straight face goes here*

I tried to take as many photos as I could, tried to take photos of all the shops, especially the ones that I liked, but there were just so many booths and there were a lot of people at times that that made that hard. Still, I came home with a good number of photos.

Our Kikayism booth was tiny, it couldn’t hold everything we had, but it was the only space we could afford!

We were selling Pinangga clothing and bags, Supladita clothing and espadrilles, Merkins bikinis, Letterbox t-shirts and Palamuti accessories.

And these were our neighbors, handicrafts:

I had totally wanted to buy that three-legged lamp from Balai Matteo and those floor lamps, because I feel my home is bare and could use some accent, but they were of a unique design, made of high-quality materials, and were thus, not that cheap. I still want it, or maybe something like it. Maybe some other time.

This booth had just about the biggest crowd around it almost all the time. They were selling door hangers for P99 each. Cheap and great as a gift this Christmas to friends and officemates!

We bought a few items from the Travel Essentials booth, and they were quite useful for the past trips. I had totally loved my purchases, and Lia so digs the blue-grey travel blanket.

I also wanted to get some of those scented soya candles from Amber Lights. The Ginger one was especially heavenly!

These frames were lovely and I had wanted to get some too, but they were a bit pricey.

So I ended up just buying a headband from Ya’Lin Handmade Accessories, for P250.

A few steps away was Jet Set and they also had great stuff for travel. Being a little bit on the OC side, I had wanted to get those packing set, for organizing all your things inside your luggage, but they cost almost a P1000. Seriously, if I bought everything that caught my fancy at the bazaar, I could’ve easily spent P20K.

These shoes were absolutely gorgeous, design-wise! Loved them!

And so were these chairs, lamps and other stuff! The designs were  fab!

I needed new swimwear too and Koi had some really nice ones but well, one can only shop so much! I even wanted some rash guards from Swordfish (no picture, it was always filled with people when I came by) but they didn’t have any in my size.

Right by the entrance:

And more handicrafts that I would have bought too, if I didn’t have a toddler who would break them all in a day or so.

Everywhere I look, every which way I turned, I saw stuff I wanted to buy: bags and purses from Fab Manila…

… shoes from Sewn, Happy Feet, Pill, Suelas (no picture),

… and clothes from Jaciendera.

There was also Punch Drunk Panda, whose laptop sleeves I simply adore. I had wanted one for my mac, but they did not have the design I liked in in 13″ anymore. They also have some shoes like the one I bought from Momo Custom Design, from the bazaar light year. Momo was, sadly, absent at this year’s bazaar.

There were a number of exhibitors that I recognize from last year’s bazaar, like Lalaughka (bought a shirt for my niece from them last year) and Ceva Designs (bought some stuff from them this year) and The Ink Squad.

And there were a lot of exhibitors that were unfamiliar to me!

I had absolutely loved the MOMtrepreneur Shop and their goodies, especially this bag, but I wish they had this last year, back when I really needed it. I don’t need it now that my daughter is a little baby no more.

I just think this bag is awesome! Love that it’s leatherette, and thus may be a little bit waterproof, would be easy to clean with a wipe every now and then instead of a total wash, and best of all, it has a lot of pockets!

I had thought of purchasing some really beautiful bangles too from Baubles, Bangles N’ Beads, but I fit a lot of them, and none of them fit just right. They were all too big for my skinny arm. *sad*

Lastly, I bought some bracelets from Lao Design – because it’s owned by people from theater and I think that we should be supportive like that. My partner, PJ Valenciano, who designs accessories, really admired Lao’s work because they were really fine and it was something she could not and didn’t wanna do – work with tiny beads! She says it takes a lot of patience and skill. PJ does her accessories using a different technique, to each his own. *smile*

At the end of the bazaar, I managed to come home with a lips color palette consisting of 8 different shades (a bargain at P1,440 because I have never in my life bought lipstick), two purses, a shoulder bag, a clutch bag, a travel blanket, travel cases, earrings, headband, bracelets, espadrilles, and some presents for people I loved. I could’ve bought more, but I’m not wealthy enough! 😛