23 years in the making: my craft room and mini library

Sharing this Facebook post here on my blog, originally submitted as my entry to Bee Happy's Weeklies Challenge for August 2025. 

❤️

Grabe pinagdaanan ko sa buhay, kaya pag nakakapagwork ako in this happy place, sobra-sobrang pasasalamat talaga kay Lord. Unti-unting nabuo over two decades. 

Dear fellow crafty mommas, this post is for you. 

"Throughout all this, nagprepray ako kay Lord, please take away this desire, and these dreams in my heart, if crafting is not your plan for me." 

Sorry mala-nobela, pero I got emotional when I was preparing to post the photos, hihi. 

Nasa shoebox lang ang beads ko noong college. Imbis na food or clothes, craft books ang binibili ko. Nauubos allowance kakabili ng beads at books. Kaya naisipan ko magbusiness when I was 17. 

Noong nakapag-work na, maliit na table lang under the stairs. Tapos nakapag-patayo ng shop. Pero I gave up my biz and career when I became a mom.

Nagka-complication when I gave birth, na-50-50 ako sa ospital. Since then, lagi na ako may problem sa health. 

When my daughter was a baby, I was able to create a small craft room in the house we were renting. Pero in 2014, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy. Lost baby #2. 💔 Matagal ang recovery. We had to move houses. Goodbye craft room. 

All my craft stuff were packed in boxes for many years. Nakakadepress. Ang bitter ko, because I felt na napag-iiwanan na ako ng lahat. 

Throughout all this, nagprepray ako kay Lord, "please take away this desire, and these dreams in my heart, if crafting is not your plan for me." 

Over the years, I would do a few events, and make a few orders, but part-time raket lang, because hirap akong pag-sabayin ang business habang nag-aalaga ng bata. I devoted my time and energy to homeschooling my daughter. 

Then I had a cancer scare in 2019. Thank God, the mass they removed was benign! Pero ang tagal ng recovery ko both physically and emotionally. 

The year after that, I finally brought out my beads and clay from their boxes, and started to set up my craft corner. Mostly old furniture, hindi magkakamatch, and super mainit kasi tapat sa araw tapos hindi pwede buksan ang windows. But I loved it so much! Sa isip ko, dizizit, makakapag full time na ako, ang saya! 

But later that year, we had a heterotopic pregnancy, and lost twins. 💔💔 So matagal na recovery ulit. 

Ang daming nangyari, kaya crafting took a backseat talaga all those years. Bihirang-bihira ako makapag-craft. 

Then 3 years ago, my dear husband said on my birthday, gusto niya i-upgrade ang workspace ko. Gusto niya palitan yung mga old tables, yung shelves. Grabe Lord. 🥹 

Unti-unti, he built me the craft room of my dreams. It was more than what I imagined! Lahat ng tables, rolling. So I can customize the configuration. Pati bookcases, tanggalable yung shelves, depende sa height na kailangan ko. 

At dahil yan ang pinakamainit na spot sa buong bahay, finally nalagayan na ng aircon a few months ago. 

I share the space with my daughter, dito kami nag-hohomeschool most of the time. Ang sarap sa feeling na nakakapagwork na ulit ako with my crafts, tapos sa likod ko, nag-aaral siya. 

11 years after namin lumipat ng bahay, 13 years after I became a mom, 23 years after I bought my first craft book with my own money.

So today, every time I get to work in this happy corner, I am reminded of how God is working in our lives. Not because of the material things. But because throughout everything I experienced these past years, God was there. Through the highs and the lows. There really is a season for everything. So kung anong season man nandoon ka ngayon, remember that God is thinking of you and working in your life. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens..." ❤️ 

Praise God!

Bee Happy Weeklies Week 35 : Your favorite crafting place

#beehappyweekliesAug25

#wherecreativityflows