Lucille Yambao-Dela Cruz

Hard times make us grateful. I am grateful to the Lord for so many unspoken blessings even for the blessings that come disguised in sadness and hardships.
Grateful for the passion and joy I have striving to be better and more creative in a craft that I know came only from His Almighty spirit.

Aside from making pillows again, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the family and reuniting with friends...sharing a good laugh and creating sweet memories. A few of the many compelling reasons to look forward to a future full of hope and love.

A rainbow will soon emerge amidst these gloomy skies. There's no doubt in my mind that He will grant this in His perfect time.

Hand embroidery was just a hobby to me before. But on November 2019, I hand-sewn a few pillows to give to my seatmate from grade school, Mia Pascual Cenzon . Mia has always been very kind to me and very supportive of my little endeavours. She posted a photo of the pillow on her IG account which led to Ms. Patty Laurel-Filart to reach out to me. I did not expect that someone as famous as Patty would notice my simple creation. Being her fan, I got so thrilled and excited! Her interest on my craft has given me so much happiness and enthusiasm. She inquired about how much the pillows were. I was so elated and told her I would be honoured to make for her kids, Theo and Astrid, free of charge.

That was the turning point of my business. Given the feedback that I got, I was confident that this business would prosper. By December, I had to fulfill a lot of orders so I was only able to send out Theo and Astrid’s pillows in February. I was worried that Patty must have forgotten about it already but a few days after she received the pillows, she posted so many photos of her kids with them matched with lovely captions. I am humbled by her generosity and kindness. This has helped in creating awareness for LULILOU Hand Crafted Keepsakes and I could not be more grateful.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in this endeavour. Thank you, Patty - you are indeed gracious and thoughtful and my admiration for you grew even more. I share this great blessing to all of you. May LULILOU serve as a token of love and thoughtfulness to everyone who has received them. ❤️

The very first Julia pillow I made...very first piece I sold in November, 2019. Little Julia co-sleeps with her parents, her lulilou pillow marks her spot 😊. @ Makati , Manila