Sharing a photo essay on the story behind Gifts and Graces' premium Retazo Collection. These special bags are made by disadvantaged women sewers in Pandacan, Manila, and Boni, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. Special thanks to George Moya who conceptualized the photo essay with us, took the beautiful photos, and helped us with the copy. Hope you enjoy it and support this beautiful collection that changes lives.

Retazo collection photo essay from Love Gregorie

Happy New Year!

This year Zuellig chose G&G's upcycled origami stars to adorn their Christmas tree. The tree, designed by Ito Kish, featured star and snowflake ornaments in red, plum, and silver. Several ornaments were also hanging from velvet ribbons in the Zuellig lobby and stars were added to the wreath.

The stars were made by craftsmen in Pandacan, Manila. Given that the new Zuellig building is LEEDS certified, we think its a great fit with G&G.

We hope you had a green holiday this year and may we all live more sustainably in 2014.
Happy New Year!

The T'boli Craft of Brass Casting

Gifts and Graces is proud to be supporting the T'bolis of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. G&G Executive Director Greg Perez first met one of the tribe's leaders Nadeth Ofong at the Social Enterprise Management Training Program of Fundacion Codespa and University of Asia and the Pacific where she and Nadeth were fellow scholars.

We are happy to be part of the effort to share their story, contribute to their livelihood and share their heritage. Last month, Nadeth shared with us their special method of brass casting. While we don't divulge all the details here, we wanted to share part of the story behind the making of the T'boli's beautiful brass items.

1. Prepare the materials

• Yellow brass from scrap material sourced from junk shops
• Beeswax
• Charcoal
• Clay soil with rice hulls
• Cooking/melting pot

2. Prepare the beeswax by melting it, rolling it, and designing it. Note that this is where the intricate designs come in.

3. Prepare the mold by pounding the clay soil with rice hulls, covering the mold with this mixture, melting the wax, leaving the mold out to dry in the sun, and drying it over fire

4. Next, melt the brass in a traditional blower, pour the melted brass into the mold, then allow to cool in a water bath.

5. Break the mold and voila you have your brass bell!

6. Cut and clean the bells. The final stage is cleaning the bells with calamansi

Here are some of the beautiful items made from brass. A brass man, brass bells in regular design and man and women designs, the brass bell with beads from The Learning Center to make our bell charm, and brass pendants which we use with woven retaso for a special line of clutches

Not in the collage is a set of four brass napkin rings in an elegant T'nalak box, bangles, and jewelry made from braided cloth strips and a brass ring. But we can share these in another blog post. 

Here's a photo of Nadeth with her daughter Bon with Fernando Regalado and Jhun Jhun Gementiza of G&G and Mike Panghilason of Heidi's Crafts (weavers of the clutch in the photo) at our Partner's Dinner this year held at the Herald Suites.

Finally, here is a link to further reading on the T'bolis and a link to an online article on loqal.ph

http://lakesebuphilippines.blogspot.com/p/tiboli-tribe.html

http://loqal.ph/home-and-living/2010/08/09/t%E2%80%99boli-women-weave-history-culture-in-t%E2%80%99nalak-cloth/

If you'd like more information or you'd like to order and support this cause, we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at info@giftsandgraces.com or marketing@giftsandgraces.com

G&G in Metro Society November Issue

This month, G&G is featured in Metro Society in an article aptly titled "Shopping for the Soul"

G&G Executive Director Greg Perez says "I think the time of thinking of only ourselves is up. We are now more responsible and accountable for each other. We can't just say 'I don't care if this (product) comes from a sweatshop.' That's not the way to live anymore. Being discerning consumers benefits all of us."

The article features great shots of our best-selling newspaper bags, T'boli bell charm, bags from the Retazo Collection made from scrap upholstery fabric, a black chest from Potrero, one of our retaso teddy bears, this one in fatigue-colored brocade, and a sneak preview of our elegant day-to-night necklaces made from scrap fabric embellished with an etched brass ring.

To read the full article, pick up a copy of Metro Society's November issue today. We're on page 225.

Gifts and Graces in Philippine Crafts Section Robinson's Department Store Galleria

G&G handcrafted products are now available at the Philippine Crafts section on the ground floor of Robinson's Galleria Department Store. 

Whether buying a gift for yourself or someone you care about, make an impression with any of our products made by marginalized craftsmen and artisans from all over the country. 



 
We have reusable canvas bags, pillows made from scrap upholstery fabric, our best-selling brass bells and bell harms, and our unique newspaper bags.

Shown here are the mini bahay kubos made from directory pages by the women in CIW.

The original green house, the bahay kubo is a traditional Philippine house constructed with natural materials like banded nipa, cogon and bamboo. It is designed to adapt to the tropical climate of the country and is a triumph of human ingenuity and resourcefulness over the elements. Its name originated from the Filipino word, bahay and the Spanish word, cubo due to its cubic shape. It can still be found in rural and coastal areas. This replica made out of phonebook pages was made by women of CIW

 We also have small impulse items that make great tokens - coin purses and shoe key chains made from T'nalak, agate charms made by special needs individuals, bags made from junk food wrappers, lizard key chains, and coin purses made from woven scrap strips of cloth.





Visit our gondola every now and then to see what's new. These products are also available in Robinson's Ermita and Robinson's Magnolia Department Stores. 

For inquiries on bulk orders kindly email us at info@giftsandgraces.com or call +6327592525.

The Creation of Plaidette, the Assumption Heritage Bear

Plaidette

Last year, Gifts and Graces Board Director and Assumption Alum Marivic Limcaoco approached Gifts and Graces with a proposal for an interesting project - to make a special, heritage bear from gently used Assumption uniforms. 

We were immediately intrigued. G&G had made bears and other soft toys made from denim, upholstery, and other scrap fabric in the past but we could tell that this would be a special project because of the history and heritage of our material - the Assumption plaid skirt. 

 

Making this happen on the Assumption end were Grissel Gomez and Kat Querubin of Assumption San Lorenzo's Basic Education Division Family Council. Gifts and Graces on the other hand tapped Kaibhan Inc, a foundation who works with sewers in Bulacan who had lost their jobs. It took several meetings and prototypes to get Plaidette just right. Here's a photo collage showing the committee at work.

And here's the special tag that comes with every Plaidette to authenticate her.

Plaidette appeals to all Assumption students, whether grade school or high school, plus the alumnae here and abroad.

“Our Assumption values are embodied in Plaidette—reusing resources, providing livelihood, preserving heritage,” says Grissel. “I’m thrilled that she was launched during my last term as president of the Family Council because as an old girl and an Assumption mom, I am a strong believer in bringing honor to the red plaid.

Gifts and Graces is proud to be part of this project. Plaidette is a creative way to honor the Assumption uniform, impacting the environment, the livelihood of the women sewers, and the beneficiaries of the relief operations and medical missions conducted by the BED. 

 

To pledge for a Plaidette, call Regine at 813-6291 or 0917-539-1363.

For more information, please contact:

Grissel Gomez	Family Council President	0917-833-0530	Teachergee2002@yahoo.com
Kat Querubin	Committee Head CSI	0917-891-4540	katquerubin@yahoo.com
Greg Perez	Gifts and Graces	0917-851-2668	info@giftsandgraces.com

 

Searching for the Perfect Gift this Christmas? Fair Trade Gifts 2013

 

Searching for the perfect gift this Christmas? 

 
Buy Fair Trade gifts and help vote for a better world. 





In the Gifts and Graces 2013 Collection, you'll find something for everyone. These handcrafted products made by marginalized craftsmen and artisans from all over the Philippines make great gifts for family, friends, and colleagues. 

These also make great corporate giveaways for Directors, VIPs, and Senior Management. 

For personal and corporate gifts, ask us today how we can help you - from customizing products to packaging your gifts with a personalized tag. Email us at marketing@giftsandgraces.com or call 7592525.

Thanks for your support!

Woven placemats, brass napkin rings, T'nalak key chains add details to your home that speaks of your values.

Our bestselling bell charm made with a brass bell from the T'bolis and a beautiful bead charm by the students of The Learning Center, Inc. (TLC)

These fun items reflect the spirit of the Filipino. Includes jeeps, calesas, and trikes made out of wood, a fun turtle with bobbing head made from bao, and a collection of lovable lola dolls.

Green is the new black. These pillows are made from excess or reject upholstery materials. These eco bags make you look stylish as you shop green. (Bags subject to availability. Harina sailor bag by special order)

These products for the home make great conversation starters. Includes embroidered pillows, nesting baskets from Sorsogon, replica bahay kubos and Ifugao huts made out of directory pages.

Stylish and functional iPad sleeves and pouches woven from scrap fabric

We love this quirky collection for its vibrant colors. Placemats, coasters, and pot holders for your kitchen, monster luggage tags, one-of-a-kind coffee sleeves, and handmade paper journals brings fun to everyday activities.

Handmade paper cards from cogon grass in the new Cityscape Collection. Made by a women's cooperative in Quezon. Yummy scented cupcake candles made by a cooperative of former inmates

Retazo, coming to you soon...

Let’s start the day with a quick quizz. Are you ready? In your opinion, what amount of textile is simply trashed each year? Any idea? Ok, I will help you; we are talking about millions of tons. Still no clue? Every year, 13.1 million tons of textiles are trashed and only 15% of those are recycled, when the half of it is perfectly reusable. If you did not guess it, don’t worry, you’re part of the 78% of the population, unaware of the issue.

And now you are all wondering where is he going towards? What’s the purpose of talking about textiles trashes? Ok, let’s end a part of the suspense and watch the following video.

Yes, Gifts and Graces is cooking something for you, something old and fresh in the same time, something trendy made out of what could be considered outdated. We receive many different and interesting textiles from a generous partner based in the United States. But what to do with it? Throwing it was out of the question. Marge, our designer, together with our partner communities got an idea. 

And what if those scrap fabrics could become fashionable? So Gifts & Graces decided to offer its design input, together with the skills of our talented partners and this is what you get: a whole new line of bags, actual with a touch of vintage. You want to know more about it? Be patient, more exciting news are coming soon, so keep posted.  

Jeremy