Some of my fondest memories are the ones playing outside with friends and family. I remember the lengths my mom would have to go through to get us inside. Way back when, there were no PSPs or Wii's or CDs. And if you did own an Atari or Family Computer, you would still choose to abandon those for a wonderful game or langit-lupa or tagu-taguan.
It's a bit sad and ironic that these days, you have to practically threaten kids to go play outdoors.
We don't play like we used to. It's a shame and the kiddos today don't know what they're missing. So lest we forget, here's a little DIY setup inspired by all those batang kalyes.
Tumbang Preso: This is one of the easiest DIY centerpieces ever.
Egg Aster and Malaysian Mums. I don't know, but the next time your florist dissuades you from using these "cheap" flowers, you just might have to think twice.
Bangka: And when it would rain, we would make paper boats and float them in whatever puddle we could find. Sometimes, we would even hold races. This paper boat was made of half a page of an old magazine we found lying around the office.
Jolen: And who could forget this game. You can use these lovely things to add color to any table spread. Too bad you can't find the ones with the swirl in the middle anymore.
Sipa: This table runner was made of get this, plastic straw! Remember the "tingga" you use when playing sipa? Well, that was our inspiration for this table runner. Check out the DIY tutorial in the next post.
Potato Sack Races: I spent half of my childhood abroad and half here. I remember potato sack races that we would have during spring and how much fun they were. Here, the pattern of the napkin is rather similar to those sacks, though this one was gray and a lot softer.
I guess that's one tip: Don't be too literal when trying to translate themes into details. Subtlety is the key.
When we were kids, you could give us the simplest of things and we could make it into a game.
Today, we've grown up a bit. Give us the simplest of things and we'll turn into something preeeetty.
Larong Kalye doesn't necessarily need to be kiddie. With the right colors, it can actually look pretty chic.
I hope that this post has leaves you with a lightness of heart and fondness of everything DIY.
So we leave you with this blessing of sorts: May the simplest of things bring you the greatest joy.
Photography: Owee Salva (www.oweesalva.com)
Event Styling: Meg Amat of Eve & Company (http://www.eveandcompany.com)
Shot on location at the former Victoria Highschool, Ermin Garcia St., Cubao, Quezon City
