Gift Enclosed

This week, I told you about the Benevolent Postcard Society. Even if you aren't a member, I hope it inspires you to write a postcard on your next holiday or make one for a friend's birthday.

Next week, it will be August and I'll be mailing another postcard. I wonder who it'll be for? But I'm not wondering what postcard I'll be sending out. Wanna see?

Remember this box I made a few weeks ago?

I'm putting my postcard inside!

"What postcard requires a box?", you say?

Well, this one's three-dimensional!

Blah: an empty decorative tin that

used to hold a jar of the most luscious

dulce de leche from Argentina.

It's so cute, I had to find a new use for it!

You can open it two ways.

I printed out a blank vintage postcard.

Then removed the original label from the can

and replaced it with the postcard.

{I'll attach the real one with a more personal

message once I get my pen pal's name}

And I just had to tuck a gift inside:

Tada!: A set of jacks!

Enclosed also are the instructions on

how to play jacks... to refresh her memory

or to teach her how to play if it wasn't

a childhood game for her.

My postcard fits perfectly inside the box.

Who says postcards need to be flat?

I can't wait to mail it!

Please do something fun this weekend.

Enjoy everyone!

Sharing a Cup of Tea

At the start of every month, I have the pleasure

of sending out a postcard to somebody I haven't met,

sometimes from across the world.

In the same month, I find a postcard in my mail box, too!

It's always a pleasant surprise.

It's a commitment we've made as members of the

Benevolent Postcard Society.

When we started out last September, I would send out

postcards from my collection that I bought from

different trips. But when I saw how some members

were being creative by making their own postcards,

I had to step up my game!

I wasn't being competitive.

It was a great excuse to do some blah to TADA!

Here's one of the postcards that I made:

Blah: a gift card envelope from Crate & Barrel.

Blah because it's now empty.

I've maxed out the gift card to get this!

Not wanting to waste the envelope, I gave it

a little make-over.

TADA! I spruced it up with felt & embroidery.

And I enclosed a few tea bags.

Then I wrote a cheerful note & mailed it.

I hope Becky from Canada enjoyed the tea!

Wisdom from Raisins

It's all about postcards on my blog this week.

You see, I'm a member of the Benevolent Postcard Society.

We're this century's version of the pen pal.

In this age of texts, Twitter & Facebook,

it's a rare treat to receive a postcard, greeting card

or handwritten letter your mailbox.

And here's one that I found in my mailbox

a few months ago:

It's from Lori, the brains & muscle behind

the Benevolent Postcard Society.

I had won a contest she hosted!

I still have a high from that win

{I'm not very lucky with these things}

and the magnets are on my fridge door.

Anyway, today I am sharing another postcard I made.

It's not required to make one (store bought will do);

but hey, I needed an excuse for some

blah to TADA!

Blah: empty raisin boxes

Check out the flap.

TADA! -- some words of wisdom.

They made an impact on me, so why not

share them with someone?

So I cut them out and glued them

to a blah postcard.

I hope that whoever receives this will

be reminded of the things that matter.

I decorated the back of the postcard with

magazine cut-outs and will finish with

a short & sweet message.

A Vial of Fortune

Yesterday, I told you about the

Benevolent Postcard Society,

where I am a member.

We keep the art of letter-writing alive.

We meet new friends from all over the world.

We express our creative side.

All through a postcard.

Today, I'll show you one of the postcards I assembled.

It started with these wise words from fortune cookies.

{I'm guilty of regularly ordering Chinese take-out!}

There are some fortunes that I agree with.

There are some that rang true in some points of my life,

for example, "You will travel to new places".

Maybe that's why I collected them.

But it was time to share my good fortune.

So I put them in this vial

{It's originally packaging for a make-up brush

that I just embellished.}

Tada! A vial of good fortune.

Then I wrote a short letter at the back of this

postcard that I got from Hong Kong.

Yes, I had a little "Chinese" theme going on,

even if fortune cookies did not originate in China.

I put these in an envelope and mailed it to Jane

and she kindly sent me this e-mail:

Hi Claire

I got your lovely package in the mail yesterday - thank you!
Such a lovely treat to come home to on a Friday, after a long work week.

That vial of good fortune brought the biggest smile to my face.
Thanks & Happy March!

Jane
xx

Snail mail rocks!

The Benevolent Postcard Society

Hello and Happy Monday!

If you'll notice on the lower right of my blog page,

I have this cute logo:

I'm part of this exclusive group where

we send and receive a postcard every month.

Isn't that a treat?

Amidst all the bills & junk mail in my mailbox,

there will be a postcard lurking there somewhere.

From someone I don't even know!

That always makes me smile.

We started doing this in September 2009

and will continue until September this year.

I relied on my postcard stash, which I've accumulated

through my travels.

But when I saw this flickr photo stream showing

the society's postcards, I thought this

was a great opportunity for some

blah to TADA!

Remember my post a few months back

where I re-purposed an old pair of jeans?

Well, I saved the denim scraps.

I trimmed it, decorated it & attached it to

cardboard using hot glue.

Tada! Instant postcard!

I had enough fabric to make another one.

If you'd like to learn more about

the Benevolent Postcard Society,

check out this link.

See you tomorrow!

Bathed in Silver

If you checked out my blog this week,

you've seen how I transformed old necklaces

into new necklaces.

I have to say, it was a lot of fun!

I still have a few beads left over from the

original batch.

However, I changed their color with

a few coats of silver paint!

Tada! Just add the good-as-new beads to a

silver chain & it's a new necklace!

Here's a closer look.

Using the same paint, I brought color to the smaller beads, too.

I poured some paint into a cup, added the beads,

swirled them around with a skewer & let these

dry on a piece of cardboard.

Once dry, I assembled a new piece

using needle & thread:

Tada!

A brooch works as the closure mechanism &

delivers some contrast & shine.

Here's another necklace, albeit

a simpler one.

Add a favorite pendant like this

pearl ball, your birthstone, an initial

or a religious medal for daily protection.

Have a superb weekend!

Adorn Thy Neck

Like me, you might have some bracelets & necklaces

that you haven't worn for some time.

It's time for a revamp, ladies!

Take the beads off their strings &

keep them in segregated containers

like egg cartons, muffin tins or

ice cube trays.

This helps you see how much you've got

and what colors to work with.

Today, I'm working with

blacks and browns.

TADA! I've assembled odds & ends

to create this bib necklace.

I sewed the beads to a piece of felt & randomly

attached the capiz pendants with hot glue.

The chain is also an old necklace & I can make

it longer or shorter depending on how I tie the ribbon.

TADA! It's a necklace I can wear for a casual or formal event.

Have a nice day everyone!

Let's Wear a Rainbow

This week, I'm creating new necklaces out of old necklaces.

Today's piece is inspired by some that I've seen

at Anthropologie:

I like the layers & flower detail of this one.

This one has such yummy colors!

Now, it's blah to TADA! time!

Using the beads from my old necklaces plus

some loose beads in shades of the ocean,

here's what I came up with:

TADA! A colorful, multi-strand neckpiece!

I made some floral brooches using

more loose beads I got from the

thrift store.

Then I added them to the necklace.

There's a pin at the back of each

brooch that allows me to move

them around this necklace or

to another necklace.

TADA! Make a statement without

saying a word!

See you again tomorrow.