31 October 2011

Happy Halloween!


It's Halloween!
Are you or your kids dressing up today?
I'll be a pirate tonight -- a TADA! costume I've
assembled with blah items from my closet.
I came across these creative costumes
made by recycling things at home:

A hot air balloon made of an old box
and paper bags

A Lego piece made from a big empty box
and small round boxes

A fish bowl made from plastic bags & paper

A gumball machine made from a plastic
bag and cardboard

A snow globe made from a plastic bag,
card board and cotton balls/fiber fill

These TADA! ideas are all from

I wish you a SPOOK-tacular day!

28 October 2011

Jack O' Lantern


Happy Friday!
Today, I have another
blah to TADA! transformation
for Halloween.

At this time of year, pumpkin carving
is a favorite activity.
But if you don't have the time,
you can still play with pumpkins
without all the work.

blah: an orange plastic bag
{tissue for gift wrap can also be used}

Stuff it with scrap paper, gather
the ends and tie them together.
Then give him a face using a
permanent marker.

TADA! A fun & festive tabletop decoration.

I wish you all a nice weekend!

27 October 2011

Halloween Candy


Are you a fan of Halloween?
Do you go all out with the costumes &
decorations or pay little attention,
leaving it to the kids to relish?

Why not take Halloween to your office?
Don't worry, I don't mean arriving in
full costume!

I suggest taking candy for
your co-workers.

blah: a empty food container

Just clean the container and stick on some eyes.
These "eyes" came from magazines or you can
draw your own...happy eyes, scary eyes...
just to say, "Someone's watching".

Then fill the jar with candy!

Another idea is using paper cut-outs.

Even if it's busy, busy, busy at the
office, everyone can still stop for
some Halloween sweets.
TADA!

26 October 2011

A Monster on my Desk


It's all about quick & easy Halloween
decorations on my blog this week.

Today, we're using this:

A blah, empty tissue box.

See what happens when we add some
paper & cardboard cut-outs...

We made a scary monster!

Add some candy and situate it on
a table or desk.

Won't it be fun to see if kids and adults
dare to put their hand inside?

Enjoy your day!

25 October 2011

Costume Party


We're getting ready for Halloween,
and all this week we're making
easy blah to TADA! decorations.

blah: stuffed animals picked up from
different parts of the house

Why not dress them up
for Halloween too?

Meet COW-nt Dracula

Here's Bear the Bandit...

And the Chick Witch!

These costumes were made with an
old black t-shirt and felt scraps.
TADA!


24 October 2011

Easy Halloween Decorations


Hi Everyone & happy Monday!
Do you celebrate Halloween?

I like the grandeur of Halloween.
I participate by handing out treats to
costumed kids in our apartment
building and watching the Village
Halloween Parade in New York City.

With Halloween around the corner,
I'm sharing some easy decorating
ideas that go from blah to TADA!

blah: empty soda & iced tea bottles

Add some labels printed from the
Martha Stewart website.

Glue on the labels and add
some ghoulish green liquid
{water & food color}.



Line these up on a window sill, shelf or mantle.

Or use them on pitchers and carafes
for your party drinks...just how
TADA!

21 October 2011

Larger than Life


Since we're on the topic of recycling boxes,
I thought this was a good time to share
some super cool sculptures. They
are store window displays at the
Nike shop in Soho, New York City.

Standing at least 6 feet tall, this
creature is one big basketball fanatic.

Here's the back view -- see how he's
spinning the ball?

Can you believe that this is made
entirely out of shoe boxes?

Here's another one made of
black & white shoe boxes.

They were created by talented artist
Christophe Roberts...which he started
because he had so many Nike
shoe boxes in his closet.

Check-out this video on how he puts
sculptures like these together.

Awesome right?
Have an enjoyable weekend!

20 October 2011

Collapsible Box


Hi there! Thanks for dropping in today.
Yesterday, I turned a blah produce sack
into a TADA! container.

Today, I have another idea using the
same produce sack.

Trim the sack to a rectangle and
remove any labels.

Cut it into 4 smaller rectangles.

Put them side by side to form a cube.
Then pin the meeting edges together.

Connect the pinned edges using
a sewing machine or hand-stitching.
With a big needle & yarn, I made a
blanket stitch on the tops & edges.

If you have an extra sack, make a
square for the bottom
{use a plastic bag or a piece of
cloth as an alternative} and
stitch this to the sides.

Remove the pins and TADA!
you just made a cute
collapsible box!

Use it for pencils, pens & markers...

...and other art materials.

Have a colorful day!

19 October 2011

A Sack that doesn't Suck


If you've visited my blog before, you know
how many times I've recycled produce sacks.
I've turned them into flowers, hairpieces and

What do you know? I have a few more
to transform from blah to TADA!

Step 1: Cut into a rectangle & remove
the plastic labels.

Step 2: Tape the edges with printed or solid-colored
packing tape. You might need to reinforce
the stickiness-factor with hot glue.

Step 3: Gather the edges so that the flat sack
lifts up to become a box. Attach the meeting
edges with hot glue.

Use binder clips to keep the edges in place
as the glue dries.

Remove the binder clips and TADA!
you've got a box!

I'll use it as a station for garlic...

...or for those nifty coffee pods.

Or a place where snacks can hang out
until they're gobbled up by the family.
TADA!