A Handmade Gift

Yesterday, I showed you what I received from a swap hosted by Sarah...wonderful pink & green things from awesome crafter and my swap partner Becky! But here's one more thing that came in the package:

This is how Becky turned a blah into a Tada!

She makes sculptures from found objects like this old fork. As you can see, she magically aged the fork, bent the tines and decorated it with pretty baubles. I have to ask her what she named this piece. My nickname for it is "Royal Sun Flower"...can you see the crown on its head? I'm a proud owner of one of Becky's masterpieces! Isn't that cool? You can see more of her work here.

It's always special to give and receive a gift that's handmade. It's not about how much it costs but the time, effort and care put into making that perfect gift. So today, I'll show you how to make a present that's simple to create even for the craft-challenged.

Clothespins remind me of simpler times when washing machines were not yet in vogue, when clothes were hung out to dry and sunshine performed the role of natural fabric softener. Times have changed and it seems like we have very little need for these clothespins. Still readily available at supermarkets and dollar stores, many crafters are transforming these wooden babies into Tadas!

Inspired by photos I've seen in Blogland, here's how I turned a blah into a Tada!:

By attaching a strip of ribbon on one side using a glue gun, what was then a clothespin is now a fun paper clip!

Use it to organize cards, letters and notes.

Add some labels like "urgent", "file", "to do" for things like bills & lists.

Once you're done, throw some in a little jar and give it to a friend.
No occasion necessary..."just because" is just fine.