Fit for a Tea Party

Here is today's blah:

Pretty plates, a candle stick, salt & pepper shakers.

I found these in my kitchen waiting,

waiting, waiting to be used.

Well I told them, "Today's your lucky day!"

I'm giving them a blah to TADA! transformation.

And super glue was all I needed.

TADA! A gorgeous cake stand if I should

say so myself.

Let's add another layer, using an empty shaker &

a medium-sized plate.

Apply super glue in between & let dry.

Ready for another layer?

Why not?

TADA! A multi-tier dessert stand that

will be your excuse for a tea party!

Whether it's home-baked goodies or

bakery-bought treats, this stand will welcome

each sugar-dusted confection with open arms!

Sweet Endings

Don't you enjoy it when food is displayed

in a pretty way? I believe that we eat

with our eyes first and what we see

helps tremendously in the whole

dining experience.

That's why I love it when a cake

is served on a cake stand.

It's not done all the time, but

when it is, it makes me smile.

I'm making a few cake stands

this week and just because there's

"cake" in the name, doesn't mean

it can't be used for other things.

Blah: single piece China (made in England & Japan)

that I found on separate trips at the

Salvation Army thrift shop.

Just attach them together with super glue...

TADA! A mini cake stand!

Use this to serve chocolates or biscuits -- the ones

that go well with after dinner coffee or tea.

I promise you, your guests will have

smiles on their faces!

Cookies for Company

Thank you for coming over today!

This week, I'm neck-deep into making my own

cake stands. I just find these adorable &

extra points if they're home made.

Here's an easy one using glass & ceramic:

You may have a bunch of unused plates, a glass jar

or a votive holder in your cupboards.

Individually, they may lack

personality -- a little bit blah.

But pair them together...

...they become TADA!

With the help of some super glue,

they are now elevated plates that

command attention.

Use them to display cookies & sweets

for your next gathering.

Bon appetit!

Do It Yourself Cake Stands

Hey, hey, it's Monday!

I hope you're already starting the week

with a spring in your step.

I've seen a lot of these pretty D.I. Y. cake stands

in blogs and magazines:

via the sassy pepper

via the giver's log

via your home based mom

I found them too irresistible, I had to

make some myself!

So I gathered up several pieces that

could potentially become a cute cake stand.

You'll see the many options all this week on my blog,

starting with this:

I got both the plate & the goblet at

a thrift store for $1.00 each.

Clean them well, then glue together

with some super glue.

Allow to dry for several hours.

TADA! A mini cake stand!

Instead of using it for food, use it for this:

A place to store your favorite accessories.

Here's another version:

The bowl is also from the thrift store and the

candle holder is from Ikea.

Glue together. Let dry.

And TADA! Another container for your baubles:

Super handy if you're a ring collector like me.

Put these on your dresser...they make your little

space look like a boutique. They act as a

fun alternative to this jewelry organizer too.

May you all have a productive week!

Secret Stash

Happy Friday!

All this week, I found inspirations all over the web

on how to recycle old books.

Today, I'm back at the craft table to give

you my take on turning a forlorn book

from blah to TADA!

Blah: an old hardbound book

Blah: an old box

Step 1: Detach the pages from the hard cover

using a quick slice with a box cutter.

Step 2: Remove any existing tabs from the box with scissors.

Step 3: Save the inside front & back cover of the book --

they're usually blank. Also detach these from the

hard cover with scissors.

Step 4: Use the blank pages from the book to cover

the sides of the box so you hide any print or letters.

Use glue & allow to dry.

Step 5: At this point, attach some lace or ribbon to the box

using hot glue. This will serve as a closing mechanism.

Step 6: Center the box inside the hardbound cover

and attach (top & bottom) with hot glue.

TADA! What was a sad book & an empty box

is now a sensational storage solution!

Fill it with your treasures like jewels

or secret vices like chocolate.

If you stack it with your other books,

no one will ever know where you

hide your secret stash!

Have a fun weekend!

Wall of Words

Whether you own a lot of books or like perusing

the shelves of used bookshops:

Here's a project that can turn

blah books into a TADA! environment.

Pages from books are turned into wall paper:

image via Cactus Creek Daily

image via Apartment Therapy

image via Anthology Magazine

image via Canadian House & Home

image via Canadian House & Home

image via Canadian House & Home

These rooms are so dreamy, don't you think?

Enjoy your day!

Classic Tees

Giving old books a make-over...

that's the mission on my blog this week.

How many of your books are hanging out on a shelf {or worse,

sitting in a lonely box}, waiting for some attention?

Alright, I'm guilty, too.

I saw these awesome t-shirts.

They're sold at The Strand Bookstore:

The Classics as t-shirt designs.

What a great idea!

I'd like to turn my favorite books as a child into t-shirts like these. Or maybe make t-shirts for friends using their all-time favorite book! Maybe print them on iron-on transfer paper and apply them to a blank shirt with a hot iron. I haven't tried, though -- afraid of any intellectual property rights that I might step on.

Now, keeping your beloved tome close to you has a whole new meaning.

Fashion by the Book

While I was exploring one of Brooklyn's pretty neighborhoods,

I found these on somebody's stoop:

I wasn't quite sure if the owner left these books free for the picking. I browsed but didn't take any because I didn't know if there existed a book-taking etiquette.

Wherever you are, there are books that need new owners, and sometimes, new life. I'll show you how to turn your blah books into TADA! with a few ideas I found on-line.

Check out Academy-award winner Natalie Portman's bag:

image courtesy of the LA Times

It looks like she's carrying a book to

her Black Swan movie premiere.

It's actually a clutch!

image courtesy of Green Charm Press

Here's another title.

image courtesy of The Fashion Police.net

And two more.

All created by French designer,

Olympia Le-Tan.

image courtesy of Kate Spade.com

American designer Kate Spade

has some lovely versions, too.

If you want to turn your old, blah book into

a TADA! clutch, check out See Kate Sew's tutorial.

Old Books

Happy new week everyone!

I've been going through my bookshelf, putting aside the books that I'll forever keep and books that I'm ready to part with. I'm planning to donate these for others to enjoy. In this exercise, I've been thinking about books in general and how e-readers are slowly replacing books. Sigh. It makes me sad.

Books that are still in good shape need to be shared. Books that are missing some pages, well...that's a blah waiting to be a TADA!

This week, I'll be sharing some ideas on how to reuse books. They aren't my ideas but I assure you that by Friday, I'll do some crafty recycling, okay?

Today's idea came from the brilliant mind of {Oprah's} interior designer Nate Berkus:

image via The Nate Show

TADA! A coffee table made of books & a tray.

image via The Nate Show

TADA! A desk created from two stacks

of books and a piece of glass.

Talk about space saving & versatile.

Genius, right?