Eric Cachero is a visual artist whose body of work consists of paintings, sketches, graphics and other commercial design works.

My initial encounter of Eric’s work wasn’t through an art gallery.  On the contrary, it was via the wall photos/profile pics of a couple of mutual friends in Facebook.  And those led me to his album full of line art like the ones below.

(click the image to see more)

To me, the images looked like the headshots seen along the bylines of newspaper columnists. So impressed that I sent Eric a private message to ask if he’d be willing to do the same for soon-to-weds who may be interested to have their portraits done by him.  I figured some couples may want to have their line drawings printed on their wedding invite or in their souvenir mug or something.

For a simple sketch such as those above, it cost P1,500/person (plus P500/additional person). Aside from a soft copy/digital output, he’ll also hand a 12 x 15 hard copy in Giclee prints.  All he needs is a clear and high resolution photograph of the subject. He can produce the artwork in a matter of days after client’s approval.

By the way, in the course of our correspondence, Eric told he’ll draw me. That got me excited! We haven’t met, and simply based the sketch in one of my photo is FB.  I must say, he did a pretty amazing job with accurate facial hair and all.  Now, my FB profile proudly displays one of his artworks. 

Checkout Eric Cachero’s FB profile to see some of the linear artworks he has done. You can send him a private message from there or you can contact is mobile number: 0918.916.2895.

(via gmanews.tv) Fashion designer Rajo Laurel is not only known for his romantic and feminine gowns and dresses. His cobweb dress was recently featured on the cover of international fashion bible Women’s Wear Daily on February 9 (he did the same cobweb technique for Rica Peralejo’s wedding gown overlay as seen here - J&B).

Rajo’s impeccable fashion sense extends to other things — such as sheets, cakes, and mattresses. Now, he turns his eye for the exquisite to jewelry, partnering with Iloilo-based F&C Jewelry to create ten wedding bands that are almost works of art. “We sell love, just like him,” said F&C’s Marissa Florete Gorriceta.

(see the other ring designs in Rajo’s blog)

Wedding rings symbolize eternity and commitment. The practice of wearing one’s wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand stems from the Greek belief that the vena amoris or “vein of love” ran from the heart to the tip of the ring finger. Today, couples exchange rings to signify their eternal commitment to each other. In the Philippines, classic, traditional designs are still favored while white gold is becoming the trend.

“Designing jewelry is something natural to me,” said Laurel, whose grandmother taught him how to design jewelry when she would let him play with her loose stones as a child. “What was difficult was designing something that would last a lifetime.”

But Laurel succeeded, coming up with designs like Triad, 14-karat tri-color gold rings that, according to a feng shui master, is auspicious this year of the Tiger. Then there’s Code, which is inspired by the Morse Code. Rouched, on the other hand, takes inspiration from rouching, a sewing technique where fabric is gathered in a repeating pattern. There are also white gold rings with diamonds that spell out a message of love.

“It’s based on the way I make dresses,” Laurel explained. “I like this ring because it’s masculine and feminine at the same time.”

According to Marjorie Florete of F&C, “Jewelry is still viewed as an investment, one that can be passed on to the next generation.”

With the Rajo Laurel collection, this is certainly the case.

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related news item:

• Put a ring on it | Business World

There’s a new limousine in town that you can rent for your wedding!

It’s not another Benz nor a Lincoln Town Car. This time, it’s a stretched white bimmer, baby!  Checkout the interiors.

(click image for a bigger display)

Rental rate of this BMW limo within Metro Manila starts at P15k for the first three hours and 3k per additional hour. Out-of-town rate is P20k for 3 hours and 5k per hour thereafter. The owner says he’s willing to make a custom package depending on the destination and venue.

Rental amenities include a privacy glass, four TV monitors, dvd player, an iPod dock, a karaoke system, 220v power supply, wine buckets, cup holders, a sunroof, and a suited driver.

Here’s a video to better appreciate this car.

For bookings and queries, call or text King Limosines at 0918.907.4123.

Krisel & Noel Izar are former W@Wies who recently ventured into business they called  Graphizar Designs.  They design wedding invites and monograms, but what caught my attention are the caricatures they do for soon-to-wed couples.

In their site, it says that a couple’s caricature only costs P1,000 which includes a pencil sketch and a color draft both for approval before final output in .jpg or any format. If you want an invite layout with the couple’s caricature, that’s just P1,200.  Needless to say, the rates are applicable as of this posting and are subject to change. 

Checkout samples of their work.

Ever heard of  Bio Dove Balloons?

These are different from conventional balloons.  It’s white, bird-shaped, and flies much slower compared to their rubber counterparts. Oh, and they’re made of 100% biodegradable materials.  This will make both animal rights activists and environmentalists happy.

This product is made exclusively by UK-based Sky Lanterns, another ‘flying innovation’ we’ve featured here before.

So the question now is will these be available in the Philippines?

The answer is YES!

Weddings by Victoria, thru it’s holding company Velpat Corp., has recently been awarded by Sky Lanterns Ltd.  the exclusive rights to distribute the original, UK-patented quality standard Sky Lanterns and Bio Dove Balloons in our country.

We’ve been told that these are now available in Wedding Library branches and Dragon Fireworks outlets. 

More info about the Bio Dove Balloons here.