A Last Minute Halloween Costume

It's the end of October...how quickly time flies!

Do you have any Halloween parties lined up? Maybe you already have a costume. Something that you just bought or one that you've worn in the past?

But if you're needing a costume at the last minute, let me help you. Just look in your closet and be creative.

We're going Hawaiian! Start with a floral dress and a straw hat.

Or a tropical top and shorts...

Or you can go plaid, too!

If you have a ukulele or guitar, use them as part of your costume. I don't have any instruments so I made some using empty cardboard boxes and paint. A little crafty "blah to TADA!" doesn't hurt. 

Then complete the look with a store-bought garland or a lei made from a colored plastic bag. You can find the tutorial here. 

An instant Halloween costume...TADA! 

Have a memorable Halloween filled with treats and tricks!

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How To Wrap Gifts Without Tape

Hi there! 

Can you wrap gifts without using tape?

Yes you can! I've tried it several times:

I used a scarf and made a bundle by knotting the ends together. The Japanese call this technique Furoshiki. 

I used paper and mesh and tied the ends with ribbon to make this gift look like a giant piece of candy.

This gift was intended not to be fully wrapped. It's a reusable mug and I kept the eco-friendly theme by using a decorated cardboard coffee sleeve that's "wrapped around" the mug...TADA!

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The reason behind this no-tape gift wrapping challenge is that gift wrap can't be recycled unless you remove any tape that's left on the wrapper.  

Or maybe we ran out of tape just as we were about to wrap a gift. 

To prevent all of that hassle, why not avoid the tape altogether?

Here's a crafty solution I came up with:

They're really just embellished clothespins but they perform double duty: it secures the gift wrap and it works as a gift topper...TADA! 

Curious how I made them? Here's how:

Gather some wooden clothespins.

Find your preferred color of acrylic paint and a paintbrush.

Paint the clothespins with several coats and allow to dry for several hours. 

Now it's time to make the bow:

I used mesh because this is what I had on hand. But you can use ribbon or fabric scraps. Make them as big or as small or as fluffy as you want.

Here are my little mesh bows...TADA!

Attach the bows on the clothespin with a glue gun and let the glue dry for a few minutes.

Now for the accents! You can add buttons, beads, or pompoms.

Secure in place with more hot glue and let the glue dry.

Isn't it cute?

I use it to close the top of gift bags. It also holds the card in place and the bow completes the look. No need for tape whatsoever!

This is a gift bag that I made from recycled wrapping paper. I was able to give it a second life and make it pretty with my clothespin and a handmade tag.

My cousin packaged a gift in this paper bag. I was able to reuse the bag and the next recipients can keep reusing the bag and the clothespin...TADA!

Let's aim for sustainable gift wrapping if we can and please recycle gift wrap responsibly. You can find more information here.  

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Forest Bathing Through the Seasons

Hi there! 

Have you ever heard of the term "forest bathing"?

I first learned about it in a book called "Kintsugi Wellness (The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit)" by Candice Kumai. Miss Kumai defines it this way:

"In Japan, the practice of walking slowly through the woods, taking time to contemplate, is known as forest bathing (shinrin yoku). Breathing fresh oxygen into your body, inhaling the natural oils released from the trees, and being able to touch, smell, and see something outside of your situation will help to open up a lot of channels that may have been closed off to you. It will open your mind to looking at things from a different vantage point." 

And since stumbling upon this term, I have come across many new books on the subject of shinrin yoku and the healing powers of communing with nature. 

A walk outdoors is certainly something that I love doing all year round. 

In the spring, my heart makes a somersault when I start seeing the flowers. 

Fresh blooms with the backdrop of a clear, blue sky...TADA!

The joy of sunshine and shadows. 

I am always at awe with the miracle of spring! 

When the daffodils are out, I know spring is in full swing. These are watercolor cut-outs that I painted and turned into a spring arrangement...TADA!

In the summer, I try to stay outdoors as much as I can. A walk in Central Park is good exercise and there's always something new to discover. 

A small park just beneath the Brooklyn Bridge -- not really a forest but being surrounded with trees feels like a refuge from the crowd. 

Waking around the tree-lined streets of Brooklyn is always TADA! The branches form a canopy that shield you from the sun. 

I always like to pick summer flowers and press them in a flower press or inside heavy books. It makes me happy when I accidentally find them between pages. 

In autumn, a short hike is peaceful and invigorating at the same time. 

The crunch of dry leaves...

...the cool weather, and the changing colors wakens up the senses.

Here I am feeling small against nature's glory. 

I picked up some leaves and acorns from my autumn walk and I made this watercolor painting...TADA!

In the winter, there are no leaves, no color.  

But we'll always find signs of life.   

We just need to keep walking and exploring until we become whole again.

This odd-shaped rock is one of my winter souvenirs. I drew some snow-covered pine trees on it...TADA!

If you're feeling stressed, anxious, or sad, why not try forest bathing? I promise you, it'll turn your day from blah to TADA!

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A New Painted Tin

Hi friends!

Oh tin containers! How much do I love thee?

Let me count the ways:

I turned an empty lip balm tin into a cute holder for pins or paper clips...TADA!

I transformed an empty cookie tin to hold sewing supplies...TADA!

I wrapped an empty tea tin with floral paper to store candy...TADA!

An empty mint tin is now a travel watercolor palette...TADA!

This is another tea tin that I painted and made into a recipe box...TADA!

I gave an empty popcorn tin new life as a recycling bin...TADA!

And here I am again, with a new tin to work on:

This was once home to Colombian coffee. 

I painted it in a deep black and let it dry for a few hours.

With a white pencil, I sketched some poppies and cosmos flowers. 

I chose a palette of orange and pink acrylic paint.

Then I painted the flowers, allowing the paint to dry before adding another layer.

I now present, my floral tin container:

I'll use it to wrap a present. That way, the recipient can reuse the can when it's her turn to give a gift. 

These are just some of the fun ways to turn empty tin containers from "blah to TADA!"

Enjoy the rest of your week and please subscribe here if you don't want to miss my future blog posts.