Another Use for an Old Belt

Hi there! For the past two weeks, I've been making these:

Sleek leather key chains.

They were both made from this belt that was so overused, it snapped into two. 

After two projects, there's still some leather left over. It's a gift that keeps on giving!

I used the remainder to update this pencil roll. 

It originally had a black elastic tie to keep it from unravelling. This belt (quickly sewed on with needle and thread) provides a more edgy look.

I made three different things from one old belt...TADA!

How To: A Leather Keychain

Hey, hey, Happy Monday!

Last week, I told you about this favorite belt of mine that broke. 

But all was not lost. I bought a new belt and made a keychain out of my old belt.

There's a bit more leather left over -- enough to make another keychain. 

All that's needed are a jewelry end cap, a jump ring, a metal key ring, hot glue, and a pair of scissors.

Trim the leather to your desired length.

Make the ends meet and stick them together with hot glue.

Apply more glue to the edges and attach this to the end cap.

Now we've made a handsome leather loop.

Place the jump ring on the end cap.

And hook this on a key ring.

A quick and easy leather craft...TADA!

There's a masculine and feminine version...double TADA!

Old Belt, New Life

I like to bring new life to old objects. I think eveyone, and everything, deserves a second chance.

Today, my willing subject is this belt:

It was an inexpensive find that I used many times as a cute accessory and to hold up troussers that were a little too big for me.

At some point, my default belt hole just got bigger and bigger, and broke beyond repair. Sigh.

Here's how I turned this blah into a TADA!:

I made it into a key chain! 

Let me show you how I did it.

I knotted some embroidery floss in the middle of my metal snap hook.

Then I cut a piece of my broken belt and placed it on the metal snap hook.

I used hot glue to stick both sides together. Notice that I sandwiched the embroidery floss in between the leather.

I used a binder clip to keep the leather in place while the glue dried. Then I strung on some wooden beads (these were rescued from an old necklace) onto the string.

I made a long tassel out of more embroidery floss.

Then added this at the end of the key chain, looping it through the end of the string, taking the end of the string all the way back through the beads, to where the last bead meets the leather. Then I made several tight knots and snipped off the remaining string.

Then take off the binder clip as the final step.

This key chain is also useful as a bag charm or a zipper pull. TADA!

How to Tie A Scarf

One of the TADAs of spring are lighter jackets and the many opportunities to wear a spring scarf.

I have many of these light-weight scarves. Some of them were thoughtful gifts and the others are inexpensive purchases -- I can't seem to resist the lively prints and colors!

I have a go-to way to wear this accessory but I figured I must diversify. Of the many tutorials on how to tie a scarf, I was quite impressed with the techniques in this video. Pretty simple but a new look for each one.

How about you? How do you like to wear your scarves?

Happy Mother's Day

There is a quote that goes, "A Mother is like a flower, each one beautiful and unique."

To all our dear Mothers, may you all have a relaxing day today. Happy Mother's Day!

Mom and Me

Mother's Day is on Sunday and if you don't have a little token for that wonderful Mom in your life, I'd like to share this idea.

It's a craft inspiration I saw at a store.

It's a "Mom and Me" activity jar...TADA! 

Inside are little cards listing some memory-making activities.  

It's easy to replicate using an empty jar and cardstock/scrapbook paper.

This is something fun that's not exclusive for mommies and their little kids. Adult children and their moms or mom-in-law, a grandma, a favorite aunt, a godmother, or female best friends deserve this jar, too!

Pretty Flowers

Just a photo for today:

A gentle reminder that life is fast, fleeting, and precious.

A Paper Vase

Hi everyone! It's so nice to see you today!

On a trip to the Museum of Modern Art gift shop, I spotted these vases. They are made of paper! Well, not really. There's an actual vase inside and the outer covering is like a jacket which is made of paper.

I think it's a smart inspiration for crafting. The actual vase can be a bottle or jar, and the "jacket" can be made of paper scraps like printed scrapbook paper or gift wrapper. Or stick with plain paper with cut-outs made using a hole punch, craft punches or an X-acto knife.

I think it would be a nice accent for a desk or line them up on the table for your next dinner party. TADA!

Paper Quilling

Hey, hey! Have you heard of the craft "paper quilling?" I first encountered it in the pages of Oprah Magazine. 

via Yulia Brodskaya

Instead of the usual photo, the article had these letters/words rendered in paper quill resulting in a colorful and 3-dimesional effect. I was blown away!  I was even more impressed with the artist behind it, Yulia Brodskaya.

Of late, I've seen a lot of paper quilling by different artists, I just had to try it out.

I sketched my initial -- a simple letter C. I drew some squiggles as a guide for the quills that I'd be adding.  

I bought this kit that included a slotted quilling tool and colorful paper strips from the craft store. All purpose glue, a toothpick, and a pair of scissors were the other tools I used.

The strips measured 5 cm (width) by 38 cm (length) and came in these attractive colors.

You can make your own strips using colorful paper cut with a pair of scissors or an X-acto knife and a self-healing mat. Extra points if you're using paper scraps!

After deciding which colors to use, I started with the outline of the letter C. I put a dab of glue on a smooth and stable surface (bottle cap), dipped my toothpick here, and using the toothpick, applied glue on the edge of the paper strip. I then used some pressure so that the paper strip attached to the sketch.

I continued using other colors.

I just followed the same process, being tidy as I went along.

The slotted tool is useful to make the quills. It has a plastic handle and a needle-like tip that has a slotted opening in the middle.

This catches one edge of the paper strip in place as you twirl the rest of the stip to make circles and other flowy shapes. A pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers might work as an alternative.

I just pried the quills with my fingers to make them bigger and used the slotted tool to coax the paper strip to follow my design.

With an eraser, I removed any visible pencil lines.

Here is my very first paper quill project...TADA!

Hopefully next time, my circles will have less edges, I'll try out more elaborate designs, and work faster.

Have you tried paper quilling? Any tips I should know of? Thanks!

Tips for Letter Writing

Hello everyone! Did you know that April is "National Card and Letter Writing Month"? I understand why it should be celebrated, for a whole month, no less! Letter writing is a dying art.

While rifling through my ever-growing paper stash, I found a leaflet with the heading, "Tips for Letter Writing", which I got from Paper Source. It has some good advice, I have to share them with you:

Express Yourself 

Hand write your letters, your penmanship, no matter how eccentric, is a piece of you. By hand writing your letters and notes, it gives the recipient something special.

Mementos

Enclose a photo your recipient might have forgotten about or has never seen, or perhaps a ticket stub from the play you saw together (special materials can be photocopied, rather than sending the original) or a leaf you picked up while walking with that person. Lining your envelope with gift-wrap from the present you are thanking them for is another favorite.

From the Heart

Write from the heart, tell a story, remind them of your history together, a favorite time. Share one thing about that person that you admire -- everyone loves and needs a compliment.

Coordinate with Style

Choose beautiful paper to write on and a pen you enjoy writing with. Embellish with ribbons, snaps, brads, glitter or hole punches -- the possibilities are endless. Coordinate your postage stamp with your envelope color or the theme of your letter. If you can draw, sketch or doodle, add something from yourself.

Write, Rewrite, Right!

Email has made it easy to jot down a few words, spell check and hit send. But when handwriting a special note, use a scratch pad and draft your letter first. Check spelling and grammar. Know what you are going to say and how you'd like to write it. Save your good stationery or handmade card until you have a clean draft to copy.

Don't let any of the above frighten you. The most inportant thing of all is to just do it.

I hope you found these tips useful. There are a few more here. Happy writing!

Handmade Greeting Cards

One of my greatest pleasures is snail mail! Whether I am at the receiving end or the one sending it, all the steps involved make it worth it. And that includes making the card itself. Here are a few of the cards that I made:

I call this the "Hi" card. The "Hi" is made with wood burning tools and a beechwood tag. The card is an assemblage of scrapbook paper, stickers, and punched-out paper.

This I call the "Shabby Chic" card. It's made of scrapbook paper, glitter, and lace.

This card is personalized and is made of chipboard and stickers.

These are postcards. They come in a little book that contain coloring book pages for adults. I filled in the blanks with watercolor.

This was created with a bunch of stamps and black ink.

These are handmade and heartfelt. TADA!