A Barrage of Buntings

Whenever you're out shopping, a plastic bag takes the trip

back home with you (unless your purchases are packed

in a paper bag or you take your own cloth bag).

Well, there must be other uses for plastic bags

than just lining a garbage can with it, right?

If it starts as a blah...

Turn it into a Tada! -- beautiful buntings

for your next celebration!

They're easy to make: (1) Make a triangle pattern on cardboard.

(2) Trace the pattern on the plastic with a pencil or marker.

(3) Cut the plastic, and (4) Connect the triangles by running

these through the sewing machine.

Limit your hue or use a many colorful plastic bags as you like!

Buddy for a Rainy Day

When it's raining hard, isn't a bag like this

a godsend when you need to go indoors

with a wet umbrella in tow?

Sadly, not all establishments like shops or

banks give this away.

Why wait for a free bag, when you

can carry one that you already have

from your shopping trips?

But let's turn this blah plastic bag into

something even more Tada!

I made a smaller bag out of the bag

{enough to fit a small folding umbrella}

and sealed the ends by sewing.

Then I added a button & elastic closure.

That way, it can easily be rolled up and the

button closure can keep it from unfurling.

Tada!

This bag will go wherever your umbrella goes.

No more rain puddles at your trail.

Floral Accent

Very nice to see you today!

We all know what a threat plastic bags are to our environment.

While it will take some time to eliminate them entirely,

maybe we can turn them into something pretty

instead of just throwing them away when

we no longer need them.

This blah plastic bag,

and this blah plastic bag will get a

make-over today.

Tada! The orange bag is now a flower!

I cut the bag into petals. I gathered one end, tightly wrapped some

thread around & knotted it to make the bag look more like a petal.

I did this to all the petals, sewed them together and fluffed

them up for a 3-dimensional look.

The green bag had this pretty design.

{The books are stacked together to look like a leaf.}

So I cut around it, and...

Tada! The flower and leaves make the

perfect finishing touch to a plain box.

Instant gift wrap when you have

no ribbon or wrapper available!

Challenge: Plastic Bags

Happy Monday everyone!

This week, I'm up for a challenge!

It's a response to an e-mail from Susie:

Hi there! You inspire me so much and I love the fact that we're helping our environment at the same time. A few ideas I would appreciate your creativity on: (1) Old jeans/denim and (2) plastic grocery-type bags. That latter one - plastic - is so detrimental to our environment, I'm really ashamed I still have them once in a while but when I do, I'd like to know what I could re-purpose them for.

Thanks Susie! I've recycled denim here, here and here.

So this week, let's see how we can turn

plastic bags from...

blah...

...to TADA! The plastic bag is now a lei!

It's easy to make: Cut the bag (at least two bags) into strips

and string on a threaded needle in the middle of the strip.

Bunch up the strips and sew the ends together

once you have the desired length.

Give it to your little hula girl.

Or wear at a luau party.

Or turn it into an instant Halloween

costume with a floral dress and a

flower in your hair.

Have a great week!

Paper Chains

Hooray it's Friday!

All this week, we made stuff that we can use

for any party -- using these blah toilet paper rolls.

Here's one more idea:

With scissors, make small rings out of the roll.

Paint the rings in your desired color

and attach them together with a glue gun.

TADA! A new take on paper chains to decorate your party space.

Have a glorious weekend everyone!

A Sweet Menu

Happy Thursday!

Today, I've got another party idea for you.

Let's begin with the blah: empty toilet paper rolls.

By trimming it down, adding a coat of paint,

and making one inch slits on the sides,

...it's now a menu holder.

Tada!

It can also work as a seating card or programme

holder for formal events like weddings.

Have a nice day!

A Lip-smacking Bouquet

"Congratulations!" Isn't that such a happy word?

Be it a promotion, a new job, graduation, a new baby,

a new home or your child getting good grades, saying

"Congratulations" to someone conveys that you share

his or her joy and are proud of their success.

Give them an extra pat on the back with an easy-to-make gift.

With very simple materials, turn blah toilet paper rolls into...

TADA! A cute container to hold

any kind of bouquet.

Like a mini bouquet of lollipops!

Sweet yet unexpected.

It's a simple but heartfelt way to celebrate.

Dinnertime Decor

It's party time on my blog this week with festive ideas galore!

While you may no longer need these blah, empty toilet paper rolls,

they will come in handy during your next dinner party.

A snip here, a snip there...

TADA! Instant napkin ring!

The "petals" were attached together with hot glue.

I kept the natural look for this one.

But you can paint it depending on the mood that you're going for.

Fool your guests to think that these are made of pewter until

you reply, "Oh, I made those out of toilet paper rolls!"

For sure, a conversation piece & a little toilet humor (pun intended)

to make your guests relax.

Happy eating!

Party Time!

I've always liked planning parties and every little aspect involved -- food, music and decorations. I haven't planned any as of late, but I'm listing a few ideas for all of you who are throwing a party any time soon. And today's inspiration:

What?! Toilet paper?

Well, empty toilet paper rolls to be exact.

This week's blah.

Today's TADA! -- a party favor!

Stuff the empty roll with nostalgic stickers, noise makers,

comic strips, confetti and little toys.

Wrap some colorful tissue over it, twist the ends and

tie with string.

It's a token, similar to British Party Crackers,

guaranteed to make your guests smile.

See you tomorrow!

Sail Away

Before I dive into the weekend, I have another

idea on how to give new life to this empty dairy carton:

Blah.

Tada!

It's a toy boat and it can float, baby!

I cut an opening on one side and used chopsticks & an old map

for the sail, secured in place with hot glue.

The curved edges of the boat are made from cut-outs from

another milk carton {to keep it water resistant},

also attached with a glue gun.

Have the kids decorate it with permanent markers

before its maiden voyage.

Have a sun-shiny weekend!

Lovely Lantern

Milk containers are the star of this week's

blah to TADA! make-over.

Even if the family has consumed the contents for

cereal or coffee, there's still hope for the carton.

Clean & dry it well before using it for crafting.

Detach the top & bottom using a box cutter.

Make openings at the sides

(I used a half-inch border all around).

Glue on some colored tissue paper,

knot on some string, and...

TADA! A lively paper lantern!

Use alone or with a chorus of other lanterns and

add some festive fun to your favorite spaces,

whether indoors or out.

See you tomorrow!