A Message in a (Parchment Paper) Bottle

Hello, hello!

Today I am inspired by this greeting card that I saw at a store:

It's a message in a bottle...TADA!

The bottle is made from acetate (stiff plastic) and is filled with tiny strips of paper printed with "thank you." Isn't it cute?

Here are a few versions I made:

My bottle is made of parchment paper that I rescued from some food packaging. First, I cut out two identical bottle shapes. On one sheet, I glued on the words magic (made with rubber stamps and an ink pad), confetti hearts, glitter confetti, and a cork shape (cut out from brown paper). I sandwiched this with the second bottle shape, using white glue to keep it in place. 

The bottle is attached on blue card stock with a random coat of metallic paint. Inside the card, I wrote the message, "May your days be filled with magic!"

This second version follows the same steps as above and this time, I use affirmations like "Trust," "Inspire" and "Believe." It's a thoughtful card to give a friend who is going through some uncertainty.

Finally, this bottle is filled with wishes and the message inside says, "May all your wishes come true!"

And that is how I turned some paper remnants from blah to TADA!

*****

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Love Stamps

As a lover of handwritten cards and snail mail,  I am also a big fan of postage stamps. I love them so much that even when they are used and cancelled, I cut them out of the envelope and incorporate them in crafting and more crafting...TADA!

Did you know that every year, the United States Postal Service comes out with a new design for the LOVE Stamp? Here are the most recent ones:

via USPS designed by Antonio Alcala/Keith Haring

via USPS designed by Katie Kirk

via USPS designed by Ethel Kessler/Chris Buzelli

Aren't they the cutest? It's such a good excuse to support the post office and to bring a smile to someone's mailbox.

Not too long ago, I attended a virtual event hosted by the National Postal Museum. 

They had a presentation about Love Stamps. Just look at the many designs created over the years!

Check this one out, inspired by the Love sculpture created by Robert Indiana. 

Artist Katie Kirk, who designed this Love Stamp and these winter woodland animal postage stamps, talked about her design process. She even did a short demo on her digital illustration.

It's simple but very effective -- the love bird and the love letter...TADA! 

Here is a quick history of the Love Stamp: "a stamp made for lovers, so our letters may stand out among all others." *Swoon*

As part of the session, we got to design our own Love Stamps. Here's what I made:

My design uses a ribbon to spell LOVE and a visual of a gift tied up in a bow -- because cards in the mail give me the feeling like I'm opening a special gift...TADA!

I used watercolor paper, a mechanical pencil, and colored pencils. I had a lot of fun!

The next time you receive snail mail, make sure to admire the stamp!

May the little things like these bring you joy, or as I love to say, turn blah to TADA!

*****

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Postcards made from Cardboard Boxes

Hello everyone!

I love to repurpose materials that I find around the house and transform them from blah to TADA!

These were originally food boxes. Shaping them into birds and decorating them with acrylic paint gives them new life as greeting cards or classroom decor...TADA!

This little booklet is made of junk mail envelopes, dressed up with scrapbook paper and rubber stamps...TADA!

These envelopes are fashioned out of brown paper bags and the liners are magazine pages...TADA!

So you see, we can start crafting with items that we already have on hand. All we need is some imagination. Let's see how we can re-imagine these:

They are cardboard boxes and I think you'll agree that they look quite blah. 

But when we add a few coats of paint, they look more presentable.

Trim them into rectangles and they become postcards...TADA!

Here are several ways I gave them a new look: 

Adding some paint splatters and gluing on some hand-drawn fodder flowers make these postcards extra cheerful!

Apart from hand-painted fodder flowers, hand lettering, and handmade confetti, I used floral gift wrap tissue to decorate these postcards...TADA! 

Quotes and words of encouragement done in hand lettering or calligraphy can easily turn these blank postcards from blah to TADA!

And these postcards are made extra colorful using paint, rubber stamps, and flowers drawn with a pointed nib pen...TADA!  

That is how I turned cardboard boxes from blah to TADA!

*****

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Origami Dolls and Angels

I'm pleased to see you today!

Last week, I showed you how to make these origami dolls:

They are made from gift wrap tissue and cardboard following this origami doll tutorial. I used a black Sharpie to draw the face and white glue to keep the folds from unravelling and to attach the accessories (ex. belt, heart).  

Today, I'm going to show you some clever uses for these origami dolls.

By adding the origami doll to a gift bag, the package transforms from blah to TADA!

The origami doll is glued on to a wooden clothespin. 

It easily clips on, looks very adorable, and can be used over and over again...TADA!

Following the same process, I used a combination of gift wrap tissue and construction paper to make these purple-hued origami dolls.

I turned them into angels by gluing on some wings also made from construction paper...TADA! 

I made a care package for a longtime friend and I just had to include an origami angel. You can see her instantly from inside the clear envelope. 

Here are some items I put inside the care package: a handmade bookmark, a handwritten card, a sheet of stickers, and the origami angel. 

It was my intention to send my friend a guardian angel.

I added this prayer of protection at the back of the origami angel. I hope my friend will be safe wherever she goes. 

These origami angels can also be enclosed in fun snail mail or customer orders if you own an on-line shop.

Thoughtful touches like these can turn packages from blah to TADA!

*****

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Handmade Bookmarks for Little Free Libraries

Howdy, I'm happy you stopped by! 

One of things I love to transform from blah to TADA! are cardboard and scrap paper. With some glue and simple craft materials like washi tape, rubber stamps, and yarn, I am able to make different kinds of bookmarks:

Some bookmarks I keep for myself and the others I include in my snail mail as an extra surprise for dear friends. But there will always be extra bookmarks to share. 

So I put a handful of handmade bookmarks inside a deli container, topped it with a lid and a sticker label saying: Free! Take a bookmark. 

If I find a Little Free Library in neighborhoods that I visit, I make sure to leave a container of bookmarks so that whoever takes a book can take a bookmark, too.

Since I always have cardboard and scrap paper, I'll keep making bookmarks that book lovers can freely help themselves to and keep using for every new book they read...TADA!

Don't you just love crafting and reading?

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Things To Look Forward To

Hello there!

Today, I'm going to share a book that I absolutely love. It's written by Sophie Blackall who is an Australian author and illustrator based in New York. 

I was first introduced to her work in her book, Missed Connections. She illustrated stories she found in the "Missed Connections" postings on Craigslist. It started out as a blog and then became a book! Here's a sample:

"Owl Lady in the Red Dress: We both purchased owl statues today. 

You are the classy looking dame in a red dress. 

I am the mustachioed gentleman. I think we should meet up and 

discuss further wildlife decor." 

I love how Sophie Blackall drew how these people would have looked in real life. She captured the feelings of attraction, regret, and hope -- maybe, these people would meet again after reading the postings.  Wouldn't that be romantic?

Sophie Blackall wrote and illustrated another book for grown-ups called "Something to Look Forward To."  She worked on it during the pandemic with this premise: Everyone needs things to look forward to -- big things and small things, on good days and on bad days; things that will buoy our spirits and make us laugh and help us feel alive. 

 

I think this is her most personal work yet and here are a few of my favorite things that she mentions in the book:

Item Number 2: Coffee
"When I ask people what they look forward to in life, the answer I hear
more than any other is coffee. Coffee is the boost we need to get going --
and to keep going."

Item No. 4: Baking Something for Someone
"We have carpenters working on our barn, and I look forward to baking
them muffins...I've noticed the muffin days are always more productive.
For me, that is."

Item Number 11: Drawing on Eggs
"If you have an egg in your house, you can draw a face on it.
No one will stop you. Then you will look forward to opening the
fridge. You will amuse yourself no end."

Item Number 12: A Cup Of Tea
"If coffee is the boost that propels you into the day, a cup of tea is
the soft landing when you inevitably come back down. Comforting,
reassuring, procrastinating tea. Sometimes the idea of tea will
suffice; it's enough just to put the kettle on."

Item Number 29: Rereading Favorite Bits of a Favorite Book
"There is enormous comfort in beloved, familiar books.
New books are exciting, but in times of need, I turn to old friends.
They're always there when you need them."

Inspired by these thoughts, I made my own list, too:

I look forward to SPRING FLOWERS

I look forward to GOING TO A BOOKSTORE and browsing
each aisle, with extra time at the magazine section

I look forward to WEEKEND BRUNCH

I look forward to SENDING AND RECEIVING SNAIL MAIL

"Things To Look Forward To" by Sophie Blackall is a feel good read and a thoughtful gift for someone going through some challenges. This book might just turn their day from "blah to TADA!"

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