It never ceases to amaze me, how a spark of good intentions could summon up the generosity of strangers towards a common cause. A few months ago, we were rattled out of our pandemic-induced hibernation with one photograph.

Of course, we knew that our fellow Filipinos were starving, but the lot of us didn’t know what to do. It took the initiative of one woman to fire up our imagination, launching hundreds of community pantries around the country.

Kaleidoscope, the 55-postcard book produced by Common Room PH in partnership with local artists, is of the same mold, full of good intentions with the hope for a better future.

I have always been a fan of Common Room. When they opened their first store in Katipunan, I could hardly contain my excitement. I love anything handmade; it’s like hope in a pretty package. And Common Room was brimming with hope. Artists and makers flocked to it because finally, they had found a home.

Whenever I’d pass a Common Room store, I had to scoot inside and get something, or shall we say somethings. Hehehe. I have a collection of their witty stickers somewhere in my room, those which I have not stuck on notebooks and laptops.

But like any retail store, Common Room was struck hard by the pandemic. I cried watching this video of the founding sisters, Roma and Maan Agsalud, when they decided to kiss their Katipunan store goodbye.

It makes my blood boil that most small and medium enterprises were left to their own devices to mitigate the effects of the pandemic because of bad governance, but that’s another story.

What I love about the sisters is that they kept on fighting, and in the process redefined the physical space of Common Room into the virtual space of #CommonRoomPH. It’s a feat what they have accomplished in a year, crafting a virtual home for their makers and giving us mere mortals a chance to know their artists and makers a little better through their YouTube channel.

But the part that this Tita who likes surfing for stuff to shop and add to cart the most is Kaleidoscope: A Collection of Cards for the Hopeful. Each card is a representation of life on lockdown by a Filipino artist, giving us different perspectives.

They’ve only shown a sneak peek of the the postcard book, but video interviews of some of the participating artists were particularly heartwarming.

All of the artists contributed their works for free as it is the objective of Kaleidoscope to raise funds for their fellow artists and makers.

And so last Saturday, I woke up early to catch the launch of Kaleidoscope. With persistence, I was able to snag a copy which was to come with all sorts of freebies. The other makers wanted to share in the activity, giving the sisters more than enough stuff to give away! It was good vibes all around!

In closing, I leave you with more snaps from Common Room, showing the reason why they chose to name the postcard book, Kaleidoscope. As it turns out, they were inspired by the song of Francis M, a crush from my high school days, and how you can just twirl your world around this way or that to get a different perspective.

There is hope, always! 🙂

P.S. There are still copies of the limited edition Kaleidoscope. Grab it here.