Flowers: Pressed and Framed

Nice to be with you today!

I love flowers! They have always been a muse for my work. From card making, wreath assembly, floral arranging, embroidery, block printing, and gift wrapping, there's usually some kind of floral element present. 

That is why when the springtime months come around, I'm out in the park gathering fresh flowers. One of my favorites is this fragrant lilac bush.

I keep them in a plastic container to maintain their shape until I get home.

Then I position them between sheets of scrap paper and cardboard then place them in a flower press (an old book works just as well but you may need to weigh this down with a heavier book).

After two weeks, I check on my flowers to see if all moisture has evaporated... 

...and that they are flat.

There are certainly many applications for these pressed flowers like cards and jewelry. Today, I am going to frame them. I want to use the different flowers that I collected.

Lay them out on dark colored paper and once satisfied, apply a small amount of acid-free glue at the back of each flower with a small paintbrush.  Lightly press the flowers onto the paper.

Allow the glue to dry for several hours.

Then I put this in an old frame...TADA! This is a nice way to remember a season that has passed.  It also makes a beautiful gift allowing these pressed flowers to last for years to come.

Instead of just letting the flowers wither, I turned them from "blah to TADA!" 

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New Life for an Old Doormat

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

We have a throw-away culture. It's easy and it's convenient. I'm training myself to be thoughtful about my purchases so that they can be reused a million times. And if these items are teetering on the end of its purpose, maybe there's a way to give it new life? This is what I call "blah to TADA!"

Take this doormat for example. I got it on clearance and I use it on the balcony doorstep. We only really use the balcony in warmer months so this doesn't get a lot of foot traffic. It's a washable doormat so the color (vibrant green stripes) has faded over time. 

Here are the materials I used: paint brush, fabric paint, tape (I used packing tape because I didn't have painter's tape), and newspaper.

I wanted to re-do the stripes, this time in black and the existing white. Here I am taping some sections. Apply the tape from top to bottom and rub it on the fabric. That way the paint won't seep in.

I painted the stripes using about three to four coats of paint. This really depends on how dark you want the shade to be. 

Let it dry for a few days.

Then peel off the tape. There are some flaws, I know, but I'm pretty pleased that my tired doormat has been given a face lift.

It remains utilitarian for the years to come. 

That's how I turned an old doormat from blah to TADA! 

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A Homemade Gift Bag

Hey there! 

When wrapping presents, I rely heavily on gift bags because it's time-saving. Just put the gift inside, top with colorful tissue, seal the opening with tape, and attach a gift tag with handwritten wishes. The gift bag is also very forgiving no matter the shape of the gift. If the gift bag remains in good condition after it's opened, it can be used to wrap a new present...TADA! 

I used to buy these gift bags...you know, the ones with the cute designs? But now I make them using recycled wrapping paper, empty shopping bags, plastic bags or brown paper bags, and empty food boxes or tissue boxes. Why buy, when we can D.I.Y.? 

I have a "how can I repurpose this?" mentality. Take this for example: once all the chocolate chip cookies were consumed, I didn't have the heart to throw away the packaging. Instead, I turned it from "blah" to "TADA!"

All I did was cover up the branding with paint. I chose a shade closest to the existing vibrant green of the original packaging. It only took me two coats of paint (with some drying time in between).

I made some balloons out of a paper punch and scrap paper.

Then I glued the balloons to the bag. Some balloons were raised for added dimension -- I used foam adhesive circles to achieve that.

Then I drew some string using a black pen.

I added a little tag with a fun salutation.

I should really celebrate because I instantly made a gift bag with materials that I already had on hand...TADA!

Just add a gift and personalize with a card. We didn't even need tape because of the built-in wire closure mechanism of the bag. 

It is my greatest hope that this gift bag will be used over and over again!

Thank you for your visit and please celebrate the simple joys that come your way this week. If you'd like more of these crafty blog posts sent directly to your inbox, please subscribe here.

Wreaths from Oatmeal Lids

I am so glad you're here!

Do you like oatmeal? It's a staple in our pantry and we like to eat it for breakfast in the form of overnight oats. I also like it as an ingredient in baked goods -- as a topping for homemade bread, an oat crumble for cobbler, or as oatmeal cookies.

The recipe on the back of the lid is an old reliable. 

I try to buy the oatmeal in bulk (from the warehouse club) and decant it an empty oatmeal container. For a time, I've had several empty oatmeal containers so I challenged myself to turn them from blah to TADA! 

In the past, I made the empty oatmeal container into a gift box... 

And even as a headband organizer.

Here is another idea:

This is the oatmeal lid. I cut out the paper portion leaving this plastic ring.

I wrapped some green yarn all around the ring. I knotted the yarn ends and tucked the tails for a neat finish.   

And just like that, I made a basic wreath from an oatmeal lid...TADA!

But what is a wreath without the flowers? Let me present a few options:

Option Number One: flowers that I made with watercolor.

Once dry, I cut around the flowers...

And attached them to the wreath using a glue gun...TADA!

This can easily be hung on a nail or hook to add some bright garden vibes in your space.  

Option Number Two: crochet flowers. 

I made a few crochet leaves, too.

Then I attached the crochet flowers and crochet leaves onto my wreath, also with a glue gun. It does have a shabby chic vibe, don't you think? 

Here's what it looks like hanging on a door...TADA!

By using different craft techniques, we were able transform something meant for the trash into something we'll treasure for a long time. And since Mother's Day is on May 8, maybe you can make something similar for your Mom or a special mother-figure in your life. Your thoughtfulness will turn her day from "blah to TADA!"

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A Party of Pencil Cases

Good day everyone!

One time on Twitter I followed a thread that began with this tweet: "If there are adults out there, who like me, own a pencil case - make contact. You are my people."

The tweet garnered more than 15,000 likes, more than 200 retweets and more than 1,000 responses. Here are my favorite ones:

I could truly relate. I felt very understood. These pencil-case-loving-adults are my tribe! 

So if you could indulge me, I'm showing you the pencil cases that I own.

This skinny pencil case is a souvenir from a trip to London. It has the basics I need: a black marker, a highlighter, a sign pen (for letter writing), a black ballpoint pen, a red ballpoint pen, and a pencil.

This is my pencil case for writing and editing. The little wrestler figurine is my writing totem as I've described here. I got the canvas pouch from Michaels many years ago. 

This pencil case is reminiscent of elementary school. It doesn't have the bells and whistles like a pop-out sharpener or secret compartments but I found it too cute not to take home. I spotted it at a department store in the Philippines.

One side has ballpoint pens, a highlighter and a ruler.

The other side has a Hello Kitty non-sharpening bensia pencil, a glue pen (to seal envelopes or for simple scrapbooking and journalling), a retractable eraser, foldable scissors, and some tape flags. 

This pencil roll (given by a dear friend) holds all my watercolor supplies like brush pens, Micron pens, and pencils.

But sometimes I use this pencil case, too, to hold all the materials I need to create watercolors while traveling. The canvas pouch was also purchased from Michaels many years ago. 

This pencil case is for all my hand lettering supplies. It's really a vanity kit that I repurposed. I like that it has many pockets.

See how much it can carry?

This personalized pencil case (also given by another dear friend) corrals together all my Sharpie pens. 

When I was in high school, I owned something similar to this metal pencil case. 

Instead of pens, I use it for my crochet hooks. 

All these school and office supplies plus materials for arts and crafts may well be an addiction. But they help me create. The pencil cases help keep them neat and organized. I call that "blah to TADA!"  

By the way, if you have pens that no longer write/empty of ink, please recycle them responsibly.

I collect mine in a plastic bag and when I've accumulated a good number, I'll send them here for proper recycling.

Thanks for reading and see you again next week. If you haven't yet, please subscribe here for more "blah to TADA!" ideas straight to your inbox.

Let's Take Care of Mother Earth

Howdy folks!

Earth Day is on April 22. May this date remind us that we should take good care of Mother Earth not just for one day but each and every day. Forest fires, floods, and sharks swimming close to shore are just some examples of how climate change is endangering our home.

We're all in this together and if we each do our share, we'll make Mother Earth safer for years to come. Here are some of the little habits that I promise to do:

These are simple enough to incorporate in my regular routine, they're almost second nature.

A shoutout to companies all over the world that are doing their share for Mother Earth:

LEGO making bricks out of recycled plastic...TADA!

MATTEL's PlayBack program will turn materials from toys that have lived their useful life into recycled materials for new products...TADA!

Plastic bottles are being recycled to make clothes, eye glasses and sunglasses, sneakers, shoes and bags...TADA! 

Also, here are a few more ideas on what we can do for Earth Day that we can practice everyday.

Meanwhile, I'll keep crafting by upcycling cardboard, glass, paper, fabric and other materials that I can turn from "blah to TADA!"

Let's all have a productive week!