20 March 2009

Cooking Class

Mis-en-place (meez ahn plahs) is a French culinary term that means "everything in its place" or preparing tools & pre-measuring ingredients before actual cooking begins. It's a smart way of doing things...what a bummer it would be if half-way through cooking I find out that I only have 1/2 cup of milk when I need 1 cup or if the minced garlic is already browning in the pan but the other ingredients haven't been sliced yet! I can taste the bitterness of the burnt garlic already.

While I'm far from being a French chef, I like to use their kitchen tricks & techniques like the mis-en-place. I use small plastic bowls for both liquid & dry ingredients but I realized that I can use this plastic Bento Box (Japanese lunch box), too!

Once a blah, now a Tada!:


Whether for a soup or stir-fry, these veggies are ready (washed and chopped in uniform sizes) to dive into the pot.


Even if cooking won't take place until evening or later in the week, some ingredients can already be prepared beforehand, stored in the Bento Box, covered with the lid and stored in the fridge until ready to use!

May you have an exciting weekend ahead!

19 March 2009

Potluck Pal

When a party invitation indicates "potluck", go ahead and tell your host that you're in charge of appetizers!

Re-use this plastic Bento Box (lunch box) from a recent Japanese take-out dinner, wave your magic chopsticks and say "Tada!"...

Serve a variety of nibbles like chips, nuts, pistachios, dried fruit, cookies and crackers. Add some cheese or a yummy dip to keep your fellow guests happy. The box comes with a cover, making it easy to transport to any party and easily keeps left-overs (if there are any!).

18 March 2009

Scrapbook Central

This week we're coming up with ways to recycle a plastic Bento Box (a compartmentalized box used to serve Japanese restaurant meals). Before tossing it into the garbage bin, consider turning this blah into a Tada!:

Turn it into "scrapbook central", the hippest hang-out for all your scrapbooking (or crafting) supplies such as stamps, punches, brads, stickers, ribbon, glue, scissors, pens and glitter sticks. Take another one of these boxes to keep photos, caption sheets printed from a computer and quotes cut from a magazine so you're ready to assemble a page when you find the time. The box comes with a lid so it's easy to close, stack on top of each other and store in a drawer or cabinet.

If all your supplies are neatly organized and you can see all the tools you can work with, inspiration is never far behind!


17 March 2009

Kiddie Crafts

Here's another idea to turn a blah plastic Bento Box (Japanese lunch box) into a Tada!:

The compartments are perfect to hold materials for kiddie crafts like these fish-shaped foam boards, smaller foam pieces to decorate the fish and wiggly eyes for a sea-themed afternoon of crafting! Replace with other shapes and materials like stickers and pompoms to occupy little hands on a play date or a rainy day. Use this box to teach them to sort colors and shapes, too.

See you tomorrow for another recycling idea!

16 March 2009

Bento Box

If you've ever eaten at a Japanese restaurant, you'll be familiar with the BENTO BOX. It's a beautiful box made of lacquer with Japanese designs painted on it like flowers and fans. It arrives on your table sometimes with its cover on and served on a tray, giving a feeling that you've been presented with a gift. When you open it, it's your entire meal carefully and beautifully arranged!

Another characteristic of the Bento Box is its many compartments, segregating the protein form the carb, fruits, veg and dipping sauces. It has dividers so food don't touch each other. Not that it's a bad thing, but you don't want the sauce seeping into the rice now, would you?

You'll also find Bento Boxes at Japanese fast food restaurants where plastic replaces lacquer. Some of these boxes can even be microwaved for take-away orders. One day, I did just that after craving for a tasty Japanese lunch. My tummy was basking in Japanese heaven but I was left with this blah:

A plastic Bento Box that I cleaned inside & out and turned into:

Tada!...an organizer my jewelry-making hobby!
The compartments neatly hold beads & pearls grouped by type & color. It even has space for necessities like wire, a wire cutter, scissors & string. Then I put on the box cover when I'm not beading so the beads stay in place even if the box gets knocked over.

Have a good & productive week everyone!

13 March 2009

Inspiration on a String

How did we blah to Tada! this week?
We turned plastic name tags into things that add organization into our life -- luggage tags on Monday, door signs on Tuesday, a coupon/receipt organizer on Wednesday and a bus/subway pass holder on Thursday. Today we say goodbye to the plastic sleeve and focus on the clips. A forceful tug releases the clip from the plastic sleeve. If you have lots of clips (at least 3), then you can make this:

An instant inspiration board!
It's easy to make: just sew the clips on to a long piece of ribbon &
make a loop on one end so you can hang it from any room or office wall.


Use it to display postcards or birthday cards, photos, pages torn from a magazine, favorite quotes, notes and reminders...anything that will keep you inspired and happy!

This is my final entry to this month's ReadyMade Magazine MacGyver Challenge.

I wish you all a fun-filled Tada! weekend!

12 March 2009

A Commuter's Delight

Readymade Magazine's MacGyver section dared me to revamp this blah (plastic name tag) into a Tada!

I summoned what little fashion accessory-making skills I have & picked up some leather scraps from a fabric store.

If MacGyver fancies a Swiss Army Knife, then a glue gun is my weapon of choice. Throw in a pair of scissors and a needle & thread to complete my arsenal.

I worked my design around the "flaps" of the pre-cut leather. I attached one flap onto the other piece using my trusty glue gun.

When flipped over, it looks like a folding case!

I removed the metals clips from two plastic name tags
and glued one on each piece of leather. The glue gun will come in handy again, but be very careful because the hot glue can melt the plastic. Another alternative is to use crazy glue.

Then, I inserted a pretty patterned paper on each of the plastic sleeves to hide the glue marks.

Using a template, I traced floral patterns on the remaining piece of leather & cut them out.

I glued on the different sized-flowers on the face of the case...with a glue gun, of course!

I put snap-on buttons (velcro would work well, too) so I can close it.

And look what I've made!

It's a cute case to store my bus pass...no need to take it out of my wallet. All I need is to flash the pass. Subway cards are also welcome to make this their home!

11 March 2009

This one's for the coupon-lovers!

I love using coupons! I get a kick out of saving some dollars, especially these days. Every Sunday, you'll find me on the couch looking through coupons & supermarket fliers inserted in the newspaper. I stuff the coupons into my bag and they wait there until my trip to the store. They're very patient, these coupons, because many times I can't go to the store right away. The just hang-out but they get crumpled especially since they share the space with keys, pens and all the other things in my bag.

So I came up with a solution using two of these name tags:


And this old lanyard:



Turning two blahs into one fabulous Tada!:



It's a coupon and receipt holder!

Here's how I made it:

(1) Remove clips from plastic sleeves [I just used some force]. There will be holes in the plastic & that's totally okay. If you need to, you may reinforce the holes using a hole punch or a pen. (2) Insert a key ring [recycled from an old key chain] into both holes. (3) Trim the lanyard or cord into about half its original size [leaving the hook attachment on one end] and secure it to the key ring by making a knot. (4) Use one sleeve to keep coupons and the other sleeve to keep receipts or store discount cards.


Hook it onto a zipper handle in your bag, adding another level of organization!

This coupon & receipt holder is my third entry to this month's MacGyver Challenge over at ReadyMade Magazine. It might win me a year's subscription & a T-shirt...how cool is that?

See you tomorrow for another name tag transformation!

10 March 2009

I Saw the Sign

Our featured blah this week is the name tag, this plastic fella with a metal clip that's a personalized freebie in every meeting & conference we are sent to attend. I got the inspiration to turn this blah into a Tada! from this month's issue of ReadyMade Magazine, specifically in the MacGyver section. It challenges everyday people like us to convert a humble object into a thing of beauty using our creative super powers. Wearing my mask & cape (homemade, of course!), I respond to the call of duty...

Once a name tag, now a door sign!

It's proudly made of recycled materials like cardboard & a catalogue cover, put together using a pair of scissors & glue. It's attached to the door using double-stick tape and the sign can easily be switched into a new one: "The Doctor is Out", "Meeting in Progress", "Do Not Disturb", "Will Return After 1:00 PM", depending on whose office it is. Simply insert a new sheet into the slot.

It can be used at home as well -- for a baby's room which he or she can keep until the teenage years. Don't the phrases "Keep Out", "Enter at Your Own Risk", "Only Cool People Allowed" bring you back to those days of drama?

See you tomorrow for another Tada!.

09 March 2009

ReadyMade MacGyver Challenge

ReadyMade Magazine is one clever manual bursting at the seams with D-I-Y projects and brilliant ideas. Even craft-shy folks will discover a thing or two after soaking in pages dispensing tidbits about technology, books, food, photography or interior design. Once you put it down, you'll say to yourself, "I want to make something!"

One of my favorite sections has got to be the back page called the
MacGyver. For those who are too young to remember, it's named in honor of the lead character in the TV show MacGyver popular in the 80's. Angus Macgyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson) was this hunky secret agent whose greatest strength was his resourcefulness. He got out of intense situations (ex. trapped inside a locked truck that's about to explode) using found objects like a paperclip or stopped the bad guys using a bomb made out of chewing gum. So if people call you "MacGyver", take it as a compliment because it means you can make something out of nothing!



In every issue of ReadyMade, there's a MacGyver challenge where readers are given an everyday item or what we call in this blog a BLAH (ex. pots & pans) to transform into a totally new object, or what we call a TADA! (ex. chandelier).

The next challenge
is to find new uses for the NAMETAG (clip-on plastic sleeves or IDs with lanyards) and I'm putting my gameface on!

Everyday this week, I'll show you how I turn this blah (nametag) into a Tada!.

By simply printing out a name badge and trimming the cord...

...the ID tag is now a luggage tag!

The plastic sleeve protects the info sheet from getting wet and whatever turns & tumbles that happen on the baggage carousel. Personalize as you wish -- colored paper & a bright ribbon (instead of a cord) so you can spot your suitcase from miles away.


Here's another version of the ID tag. Once a blah...


...now a Tada!

The travel expects recommend putting a label inside your bag in case the luggage tag gets lost. This nifty ID tag rises to occasion with its safety pin-back & sturdy plastic. Just add a neat print out of your information (include your contact details), attach and you're on your way!

Have a great week ahead & see you all tomorrow!

06 March 2009

Vita-MINTS!

It's finally the weekend and if you're planning a little getaway, don't forget to take tiny mint containers with you. Pack one with mints (your fellow travelers will appreciate fresh breath) and save an empty one for a few days worth of vitamins.

Mark the tin accordingly to avoid confusion.
Make a label in an instant using sticker paper & a black pen.

Fill the tin with vitamins you take on a daily basis & keep it in your carry-on bag.
No need to pack bulky bottles
& you'll remain healthy during the trip.

Here's wishing you a fun, festive & Tada! weekend!

05 March 2009

Secret Stash


How can we re-use this empty peppermint tin?


Once a blah, now a TADA!:

Simply attach a sheet with a fun print to the face of the tin using adhesive then fill it with anything & everything you want:

This decorated mint tin is a perfect place to stash a collection of costume jewelry.

Whether at home, work or on vacations, a sewing kit always comes in handy especially for tears and loose buttons.

Corral hair accessories like clips & elastics in your jazzed-up mint tin.

Use it to keep lipstick, blush & cologne. It's small enough to fit your evening purse.

Finally, the mint tin can house a small first aid kit for travel or an office drawer.

04 March 2009

Pocketful of Spices

I really like these Wrigley's Doublemint Mints. They're tiny white capsules that heroically bid bye-bye to bad breath & the mint flavor is not too strong to make one wince. Sadly, I can't find this brand anymore. What a BLAH. I'm left with their casings that I've turned into a Tada!:

S is for Salt and P is for Pepper...what a dynamic duo they make together!
Keep these little shakers in the office drawer so you can take them out when lunch needs some seasoning. They come in handy, too for packed lunches & picnics.

C is for Chili...chili flakes or chili powder, it's totally up to you.
Just a little dash to
spice up a cafeteria or airplane meal.