Outgoing Mail: Letters for our Men and Women of Service

 One of my favorite things to do is to write letters, even letters to strangers! 

I'm a member of The World Needs More Love Letters, a global organization combining the power of social media with the art of letter writing to handwrite and mail love letters to people in need around the world.

One of the letter requests was from the American Legion Auxiliary in Virginia. It says: "One of the many programs we have is sending care packages to our active duty men and women serving overseas. We send them all over the world such as Iraq, Australia, Italy, Germany, Kuwait, Kenya, South Africa, and many other countries. One of the most important things that we include in these packages are letters of encouragement and support. These letters are treasured as these soldiers are away from their family and friends for extended periods of time. The soldiers read and re-read these letters all the time and many have said that they are the favorite part of the care packages. Our letter bin is getting a little dusty and maybe you'd like to help us write letters to our soldiers."

How could anyone say no to that? Cheering up our service members with a simple letter and turning their day from blah to TADA! is such a simple task. I got to work instantly. 

I wanted to enclose a small card that the recipient can easily refer to. I chose a dove because of what it symbolizes (peace, hope, freedom, transformation, and kindness to others during difficult transitions). I made it by tracing a dove-shaped cookie cutter on yellow cardstock and cutting around it with scissors.   

It's the same cookie cutter I used to make this peace dove ornament...TADA! Note: It's okay to use cookie cutters for other purposes too.  

Once I had several dove cutouts, I used watercolors for the details. 

I used a limited palette and made a variety of lines, ruffles, and florals to decorate each dove...TADA!

At the back of each dove, I wrote some words to uplift our men and women of service. 

For the letters, I made my own stationery...TADA! This is just regular copy paper and the blue border is watercolor. 

I also made matching envelopes...TADA! These are plain white envelopes with a swipe of blue watercolor where the names will be written. 

Just to give you an idea, this is one of the letters I wrote.

I tucked the letter and a dove inside the envelope and sent them on its way. I'm really hoping our service members will know they are valued and that these letters will turn their spirits from blah to TADA!

If you'd like to get involved, you can visit More Love Letters and other organizations such as Support Our Troops. 

*****

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Three Thoughts for May

Welcome to the merry month of May!

A month of warmer weather, flowers in full bloom, and daydreams of slowing down or planning adventures...what's not to love?  May is also a time to celebrate some very important people: 

Here in the U.S., Mother's Day is on May 11. Why not invite your Mom or a special mom in your life to a relaxing activity: a yummy meal, a massage, or a long drive. If your Mom is far away, maybe you'd like to make a Mother's Day card like this one, or this one, or this one. Show them how much you appreciate them with little gestures of kindness. It will turn their day from blah to TADA!

May is also graduation season...TADA! To all the graduates of 2025, congratulations on this milestone. Bravo also to all the parents, family members, and the community that supported you. You all deserve to be celebrated!

In May, we have Memorial Day (last Monday of May). On this day, which is also a holiday, we remember all deceased service men and women. Most towns have parades and in national cemeteries, American flags and flowers are placed on each grave. Personally, I love watching the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS that's filled with heroic stories and uplifting music...it always makes me tear up. 

It's good to pause and remember all who served for their bravery and sacrifice, even if we don't personally know them. And for those who continue to serve, I have a special craft next week that we can do together. It's a little way to say thank you for their service.

Have a memorable May!

Brown Paper Bag Junk Journal

Hey, hey, let's make a junk journal today!

Junk journals are handmade notebooks made from paper remnants, found sheets like old book pages, as well as cardboard and packaging material. They are commonly used as scrapbooks or art journals where each page can be decorated with mixed media to yield unique patterns.

I've made a few junk journals in the past like this one using scrapbook and notebook paper with a cover reminiscent of childhood.

Here's another one made from bill envelopes and was even featured on Strawberry Moon Magazine!

We'll be using brown paper bags. You may have some around from take-out meals or shopping trips. This is just a regular sized brown paper lunch bag.

Fold the paper bag in thirds and cut them at the fold.

 

I secured the open edges together with glue.

Then I folded each page in half. Now they resemble small journals...TADA! They are a blank canvas ready to be embellished. 

Determine what kind of journal this wants to be. I'll use this as a multi-page greeting card, decorated simply with watercolor paint. 

There's a secret inner flap created from the brown paper bag's side gusset. 

I continue the floral and brush lettering theme from the first page.

This is the centerfold. I just painted on more flowers and left the top part empty to write a letter. 

Here's the other secret flap/side gusset painted with a sweet sentiment.

This is what the back of the junk journal looks like.

And that is how I transformed brown paper bags from blah to TADA!

*****

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A Field Trip: Sant Jordi Festival in Barcelona

Today, I'm going to take you on a field trip.

It's really a throwback trip. Same time last year, I was in Barcelona and on my last day there, the city was celebrating the Sant Jordi Festival (April 23). 

via Casa Batllo

Sant Jordi (Saint George) is the patron saint of Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is located. Legend has it that Sant Jordi saved a princess from a dragon. Roses grew on the ground where he slayed the dragon and as an act of chivalry, Sant Jordi offered a rose to the princess.

During the Sant Jordi Festival, its tradition for men to give ladies a rose.  

And the ladies exchange the gesture by giving the men books. But these days, women and men can receive both roses and books (maybe thrown in a cute stuffed dragon, too). It's their version of Valentine's Day!

You'll find book stalls everywhere, even on the streets and in the airport. Bookstores even invite authors for book signing events.

Roses are for sale on street corners, supermarkets, not just flower shops. A wheat stalk typically accompanies the rose and these are wrapped with a ribbon highlighting the colors of La Senyera (the Catalan flag).

Roses in pots are another option.

Even bakeries create special pastries decorated with roses or dragons. 

Popular tourist spots like the Barri Gothic (Gothic Quarter) are decorated with roses. 

Even the balconies of Gaudi's Casa Battlo bloom with roses!

April 23 also happens to be World Book Day, and here in Barcelona, you could really feel it. What a lovely reason to celebrate: books and literature!  

As a souvenir, I got this bookmark (it will last longer than a real rose) and a Spanish version of The Little Prince.   

The rose bookmark is from a darling stationery shop called Papirvm. 

And the book, El Principito, is from the bookstore aptly named Llibreria Sant Jordi.

I hope you enjoyed our trip today and I wish you many travels that turn your life from blah to TADA!

*****

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DIY Easter Basket

Easter is coming up on April 20. In the past, I've made some Easter crafts such as decorating Easter eggs with decoupage and rubber stamps, Easter bunny cake toppers, Easter bunny headbands, and shirts stenciled with Easter rabbits...TADA!

Today, let's make another Easter craft.

Let's turn this empty yogurt container from blah to TADA!

via Pottery Barn 

I'm finding inspiration from these Easter baskets made of fabric. 

via Pottery Barn 

Here are a few more cute Easter baskets ideas. 

I painted the yogurt container with acrylic paint using a medium-sized paint brush. The goal is to cover all the branding and to get a clean, even finish. It'll take about three to five coats, with some drying time in between each coat. 

I found this thick grosgrain ribbon in my stash. It matches the color of the yogurt container.

Cut the ribbon into two strips of equal length and attach these to the painted yogurt container using a glue gun. 

Paint on the bunny's face using white acrylic paint. Don't forget the whiskers and lashes, but you can use googly eyes or pompoms if you have them. 

The ribbon handles look like the bunny's ears!

They serve as sturdy handles, too. All that's left is to fill the basket with Easter eggs or Easter candy.

And that is how I turned an empty yogurt container from blah to TADA!

***

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Five Thoughts for April

Happy April Everyone!

Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to:

1. The Cherry Blossom Trees 

Pink trees are a sight to behold! These trees flower before growing their leaves. In Japan, the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival is called "Sakura" and people travel from near and far to appreciate this brief season by viewing them ("Hanami").

I have yet to visit Japan for this reason, but closer to where I live in the U.S. East Coast, we can visit Branch Brook Park (New Jersey), The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx), The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, or the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC.  

It's a good excuse to slow down and be one with nature, take pictures, and even create some art...TADA!

2. Art Inspired by Spring Blossoms

I've been seeing a lot of spring blossoms in the neighborhood and they inspired me to make these postcards...TADA! They started as watercolor paintings, then I cut them out and glued them to printed card stock. I'll be sending these to my penpals very soon. 

3. Joann Fabric and Craft Store is Closing 😞

The retail chain Joann has filed for bankruptcy and I think it's blah. It wasn't too long ago that A.C. Moore also shuttered its doors. These craft stores are such happy places for me, it makes me sad that they really struggled in the current economic environment. I stopped by two weekends ago to say goodbye.

While most of the merchandise has been wiped out, I was able to find a few items I really needed. Joann was my go-to spot for fabric and sewing supplies. It was bittersweet to step out of the store for the very last time. Thank you for the craft materials and all the memories, Joann! 

4. A Simple Joy

I'm all about finding joy in the everyday and I really try to pay attention: feeling the sunshine and the breeze, receiving a letter from a friend in the mail, having leftovers in the fridge, and little treats like a coffee with pretty latte art (I'm aware that not everyone has this skill). These joys definitely turn my day from blah to TADA!

5. Indie Bookstore Day 

Indie Bookstore Day is celebrated on the last Saturday of April (April 26) and I'm all for it! Let's keep reading new books (or old books) and support the businesses in our neighborhood. Their success is the community's success.

April heralds the start of spring and I wish all of you fresh beginnings!

*****

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