The 100 Day Project Round-up Part Two

Welcome back! I just completed "The 100 Day Project", an exercise in creativity, commitment, and discipline. I chose the project, "100 Days of Crafts and Confections" that I documented on Instagram.

Yesterday, I showed you what I made for Weeks 1 to 10. Here's what I did for Days 51 to 100:

Week 11 (May 24 to 28): This week, I drew inspiration from other artists participating in the 100 Day Challenge. I used their projects as prompts. These are my versions of "100 Days of Shoes", "100 Days of Hands", "100 Days of Blue", "100 Days of Shopping Lists", and "100 Days of Cardboard Collage"

Week 12 (May 29 to June 2): Another experiment with pyrography/wood burning, gift wrapping using my wood-burned tag, a watercolor for National Doughnut Day, a pressed flower pendant, and a "Mama Bear" made out of felt

Week 13 (June 3 to 7): A sketch to signal the arrival of peonies, a watercolor inspired by an evening at the ballet, origami hearts (which I use as bookmarks), my first attempt at mandala making, and a flower made out of giftwrap/pink tissue

Week 14 (June 8 to 12): I baked a batch of popovers with a side of strawberry cream cheese, "Throwback Thursday" was a sketch of old school gadgets, a brush calligraphy quote, a sketch of my buddies from childhood dance class, and giving life to an old matchbox (it's now a greeting card!)

Week 15 (June 13 to 17): I made chocolate sables using a piggy-shaped cookie cutter, another watercolor inspired by nature, a mermaid sketch using a ballpen and a supermarket flyer, ribbon remnants turned into page flags, and adding color to the cover of a notebook

Week 16 (June 18 to 22): A portrait sketch using my non-dominant hand, a coloring postcard, a watercolor painting of kiwis, pressed flowers on gift tags, and "Papa Bear" made from felt

Week 17 (June 23 to 27): I made my own tassel earrings, gift tags with pompom noses on clown drawings, banana dulce de leche pies, a winged-creatures collage, and a watercolor of my favorite dresses when I was little

Week 18 (June 28 to July 2): Mini greeting cards made from scrapbook paper and flower stamps, white chocolate bonbons, flower stamps and watercolor, a hydrangea sketch (announcing summer's arrival), and a coloring page that reminds me of a magic carpet

Week 19 (July 3 to 7): A watercolor of mums inspired by a trip to the New York Botanical Gardens; I made my own vanilla extract using this recipe; I packaged it in a recycled bottle, decorated it with baker's twine and a hand-written label; I made a farmer's bounty sketch, and practiced my brush calligraphy (the caption to this photo is: "If Plan A didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters")

Week 20 (July 8 to 12):  A brown paper package tied up with string (and embellished with stickers), practicing my brush calligraphy with the quote, "Mistakes are proof that we a trying", Baby Bear to complete the "The Three Bears", a collage made by painting over washi tape and peeling these off when the paint was dry, and a sprinkles cake to celebrate Day 100...TADA!

For everyone who participated in #the100DayProject, congratulations! And to everyone who joined me everyday, thank you! Your comments and "likes" gave me fuel to finish.

I hope this inspires eveyone to keep making things.

Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

Hi there! I came across a cookbook that I truly, truly love.  It's called "Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love".

It's written by a lovely couple, Cheryl and Griffith Day.

The recipes here are based on the goodies they serve at their bakery in Savannah, Georgia, also called "Back in the Day Bakery". It looks like that neighborhood spot where everyone likes to hang out. I can't wait to visit someday!

And with the name alone, you know that you'll be well fed and the flavors will just bring you back to your childhood.

Now back to the cookbook:

The illustrations inside are darling.

The choice of colors are also very uplifting.

The food styling is fun and approachable.

And there are many recipes I wanted to get my hands on.

This! This recipe for Banoffee Pie (short for Banana and Toffee) was a sure winner. 

It's made of a graham cracker crumb crust with a filling of dulce de leche, bananas and cream, then topped with chocolate. What's not to love?

I've made several versions of this and it's been received with a lot of enthusiasm. An easy go-to dessert is always TADA!

If you can stop by tomorrow, I'll show you some crafts from the cookbook. See you then. 

Treats for Sharing

I love to bake! I'll bake something whenever I have the chance or if some bananas need rescuing.

I'm always up for trying a new banana bread recipe.

And the one I made is from this book. A healthier alternative is a good option, don't you think? 

The white sugar is reduced in favor of overly ripe bananas. They give a deep, caramel flavor. Each bite was moist and the walnuts added the right crunch.

What's the use of baking if it isn't shared?

With the help of some paper bags...

And some hand-stamped labels...

Slices of banana bread became ready for gifting.

Don't forget to write what's inside.

I bet these will turn my friends' day from blah to TADA!

Pouches Galore

Happy Monday! One of my favorite ways to organize my things is to use pouches. I'm always on the lookout for cute ones in different sizes. If the price is right, I buy. But here are some that I'd like to DIY:

Using a plain canvas pouch, I can add inked block prints to make No.1.

Or I can use stencils to spell out a statement or favorite quote just like No.2. 

With photo fabric paper, I can add an inspiring photo on a pouch, similar to No. 3. And possibly transform some vintage fabric into something useful like No. 4.

Tomorrow, I have a tutorial for an easy to make pouch, so please stop by. 
See you then!

Resources:

Banana Republic zipper bag
bananarepublic.gap.com

Madewell blue purse
madewell.com

Bags case
etsy.com

Kate Spade zipper pencil case
macys.com

And It Was All Yellow

Happy Monday! How's the weather where you are? It's been terribly cold here, like 2 degrees Fahrenheit cold! There's no other way to survive but to bundle up and think happy thoughts.

My happy thoughts? An island getaway, picnic in the park, a backyard barbecue, a bouquet of sunflowers, banana pudding, and sweet tea.  

Clearly these are all things I associate with warm, sunny days.

As I summon the sunshine, I have the theme of YELLOW in mind. This week, I'll have three blah to TADA! ideas to share with you. Let's begin with this craft:

Here's a box that was once home for chocolate covered raisins. 

It's made of birch veneer, raw and unfinished.

I think a little painting is in order.

I put on several layers of this cheerful yellow, allowing the paint to dry in between coats.

I also painted the inside of the box.

I'm using it to wrap a present. Instead of a ribbon, a colorful strip of fabric scrap.

Then I top it off with this laser cut bird. I'm still undecided whether to paint the bird or not. What do you think?

A whole new look for an old blah box. TADA!

Blossom Bowl

If you look in our cupboards, you'll see that my husband and I like white dinnerware. Our dishes, platters and mugs are all white. Similar to how they do it in restaurants, we want our plates to be a canvas for appetizing-looking and delicious-tasting meals. 

White is also easy to replace in case we break a piece. And even if they're mismatched {as long as they're white}, there's a sense of harmony on the dining table.   

Here's the white bowl we use for everything from breakfast to dessert. Honestly, sometimes, I feel it's quite blah. Especially if I'm eating by my lonesome.

When I came across this bowl at a homeware store, it was love at first sight.

I was drawn to it because of the cherry blossom print. I think cherry blossoms are TADA! They represent new beginnings, the changing of the seasons, the quick passing of time, and that it's necessary to stop and admire the flowers sometimes. 

I bought this bowl without hesitation and it has officially become my breakfast bowl.

I use it for oatmeal {there's some apples, cinnamon and raisins in there}. 

I use it for a fresh fruit salad with a slice of banana bread on the side. 

I've also used it as a noodle or rice bowl for a solo lunch or dinner.

This bowl is a simple joy that turns my busy day from blah to TADA! 

The Bake Sale

I hope you all had a terrific weekend! 

There was a bake sale at church a few Sundays ago and this got me dreaming up of some blah to TADA! ideas. I've never participated in a bake sale before, so let's consider this as a brainstorming session.

image via Real Simple

Bake sales are organised to raise funds for different groups like churches, schools and charities. 

The merchandise are usually sweet items that are baked at home and are donated by the bakers. These are commonly sold by the piece (ex. cookies or a slice of pie), but can also be sold as a whole (ex. one entire pie or whole loaf of banana bread). 

The prices are very friendly and the profits raised go to the group or charity. 

Sometimes, people don't necessarily want to buy for reasons like diet or food allergies, but they still want to support the cause. That's why it's good to have a donation jar on hand.

 blah: a clean deli container

 TADA!: instant donation jar

Plastic is ideal because it won't break when coins are donated. 

 But of course, I had to embellish, right?

Now won't this get some attention

and encourage gracious giving?

See you back tomorrow for more

bake sale suggestions!