Arm Candy

Creating new watches out of old watches is 

my blog's theme this week.

I've taken out the sad leather straps from these watches. 

I'm making another version of yesterday's cuff-inspired watch. I'm using a watch face, elastic cord, and these colorful beads.

TADA! Here's what it looks like after I assembled it. 

Here's the back side. 

Wear it with jeans or with a dress, and when someone compliments it, proudly say, "I made it!"

Charm for the Arm

I hope you are having a fabulous week, everyone!

 I'm turning old watches from blah to TADA! 

Today, I'm using elastic string and a bunch of 

beads to give a lift to this blah watch face. 

TADA! A cute cuff that's also a watch. 

A two-in-one special!    

Here's what it looks like at the back. 

To make one, insert a piece of elastic on the watch (on that little bar where leather straps are attached). Make several tight knots on the elastic and string on the beads. Determine how tight you want the cuff to be by measuring the elastic on your wrist. Connect the tail of the elastic to the other end of the watch and make several tight knots. Make as many rows of beads as you'd like.

Even if you wear this alone, it's enough to accessorize 

an outfit and add a punch of color. 

Let the Hours Dangle

Thanks for visiting me today! This week is all about transforming our forlorn time pieces. You know you have them. They're there lurking in the deepest part of your dresser. Take them out. Maybe all they need is a battery change. Then you can wear them again. That's blah to TADA!

For my personal stash, they need new leather straps, apart from fresh batteries. These watches aren't at all expensive so I can be a little more experimental. Like this one for instance:

The straps of this watch were a Gucci wanna-be: green, red and green stripes. Well, maybe a change of image is in order.

Behind its tough exterior is a frilly princess. Some crystal-like beads in jewel tones, perhaps? 

 Then add a long silver chain.

You can wear it around your neck and it can tell time! Isn't that TADA!?

Lots of Time

Happy Monday! And to all of us living in the U.S., 

a Happy Memorial Day!

Look what I found in one of my drawers -- a bunch of watches. If they could translate to more time for you and me, wouldn't that be TADA!? Sadly, they don't. The batteries need to be replaced, and the straps have turned ratty, fading and chipping because of, what else, time.  So let's see how we can give each one new life.

 blah: a silver watch that I wore during my university 

years. It once had a brown braided leather strap.

TADA!: I added the watch face as one of the charms 

on this dangly bracelet. 

I love me an adorable charm bracelet, as seen in this post, this post and this one. A charm bracelet is a fun accessory and it now serves a purpose by providing me with the time.

It works as a conversation starter, too. I can tell you that each charm represents the things I love: imagination (unicorn), nature (leaves and flowers), passion (hearts), and safety (home).  

And because I found some inexpensive letter charms, I used them to spell out my name (or use the initials of your family members as an alternative). All the charms (including the watch face) were attached to the chain with jump rings and a pair of pliers. Have a nice day everyone!

Metal Labels

Hello and Happy Friday! As you know by now, I like to rescue even the ugliest of boxes. Just imagine when I come across beautiful ones!

Like these for instance. The one on top was a stationery box and the one on the bottom, a gift box from Victoria Secret. I adore the happy pink palette. They're made of hard cardboard, making them ideal candidates for blah to TADA! 

Not that they need a major make-over, just an accessory.

I found this at Staples.

A pack contains 6 adhesive metallic bookplates with corresponding paper inserts. They're simple to use, just attach:

TADA! Don't they look pretty AND smart?

You can fill them with odds and ends and 

instantly know what's inside.

Have an incredible weekend!

Inside the Closet

Sometimes, I think about my dream home and one of the rooms in it is a walk-in closet. Wouldn't you want one, too? Not that I have a huge wardrobe or a massive shoe collection; storage space is always welcome. Today, let me show you one walk-in closet that I covet.

via Time Out New York

It's owned by Mary Alice Stephenson, a fashion and beauty expert who's also a mom, and ambassador to the "Make a Wish Foundation."

via Time Out New York

Step inside her closet...TADA! It's an extra room in her Brooklyn brownstone home.

via Time Out New York

Apart from her sumptuous dresses embellished with beads, feathers, and prints...

via Time Out New York

It also houses her stilettos...

via Time Out New York

 And bags and clutches...

via Time Out New York

Plus her collection of sunglasses (it's representative of high and low picks from Balenciaga to Kmart).

via Time Out New York

There's a storage island with velvet-lined drawers that, when pulled-out, reveal the jewelry that she's been collecting over the years. OMG!

via Time Out New York

One of the reasons why I love Miss Stephenson's closet so much is how it's organized -- you can see everything, making it easy to get dressed everyday.

via Time Out New York

There are shelves that display framed black and white prints and fashion books that are both purposeful and pretty. 

Notice the blue boxes with black bows? They're Lanvin boxes. Aren't they lovely, all stacked together? They're the inspiration for today's blah to TADA! transformation. 

 blah: an empty cardboard box

 Make a lid with another piece of cardboard.

Attach the lid to one side of the box with packaging tape. You can then cover this with paper or cloth. But I still had some left-over picnic mat "fabric" from yesterday's project, so I used the same material to cover the box (attach with hot glue):

TADA! -- a homemade storage box for accessories.

It ain't Lanvin, nor is it part of Mary Alice Stephenson's closet, but I can line it in velvet, and it can hold all my favorite stuff that makes me squeal, "TADA!" 

Storage Solution

Do you like to shop on-line?

If you do, maybe a box like this one looks familiar. To turn it from blah to TADA!, I would collapse it and store it in a closet. When it's time to send a package, I take the box out of hiding, and re-use it for mailing.

 But today, I have another idea. I'm turning this box into a cute storage solution.

Here's another blah that I'm using for my project. It's a picnic mat that has been used and abused, on grass and on sand. It's seen better days. Right now, it's ripped at the seams.

I could send it to early retirement, but hey, it deserves a little TADA! time. So I've cut it up into strips.

 I'll treat it like fabric and wrap it around my box.

 Attach the trimmed mat to the box with hot glue.

 Looking good already.

 I added an inner lining made from a dish cloth, 

sewn at the edges. TADA!

 Who would guess that this was once a blah packaging box?

I'm ready to use this box in different ways:

• Kitchen: to organize deli containers & matching lids
• Bathroom: to hold rolls of toilet paper or hair primping supplies (ex. hair dryer, curling iron, hair brushes, hair spray, headbands)
• Closet: to keep small items like socks, scarves or winter gloves together
• Laundry: a place to temporarily store items that need mending
• Office: an "in box" to hold mail that needs attention

Now that I have many uses for this box, I think I'll make a few more!

Party in a Box

This week, I'm turning empty boxes from blah to TADA!

Today, I'm shining the spotlight on this flat box with a plastic lid. It once contained holiday gift tags from Ikea. Now that it's empty, it's looking blah. But not for long!

It's now a birthday box. TADA!

I made a label from paper cut-outs and rubber stamps. I attached this to the clear box cover with glue. I also covered the inside of the box with a stripe-print paper. 

 I filled the box with a few supplies that a birthday 

party can't do without.

 A festive noisemaker, some balloons, confetti, 

and a birthday candle.

I also made a miniature bunting using string and shapes punched out from old security envelopes. TADA!

This birthday box can be mailed to a dear friend as an interactive gift or greeting card.

 If you're feeling extra generous, throw in a cupcake, too.

Then the recipient can set this up on his/her office desk for well-deserved VIP treatment!