Forest Bathing Through the Seasons

Hi there! 

Have you ever heard of the term "forest bathing"?

I first learned about it in a book called "Kintsugi Wellness (The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit)" by Candice Kumai. Miss Kumai defines it this way:

"In Japan, the practice of walking slowly through the woods, taking time to contemplate, is known as forest bathing (shinrin yoku). Breathing fresh oxygen into your body, inhaling the natural oils released from the trees, and being able to touch, smell, and see something outside of your situation will help to open up a lot of channels that may have been closed off to you. It will open your mind to looking at things from a different vantage point." 

And since stumbling upon this term, I have come across many new books on the subject of shinrin yoku and the healing powers of communing with nature. 

A walk outdoors is certainly something that I love doing all year round. 

In the spring, my heart makes a somersault when I start seeing the flowers. 

Fresh blooms with the backdrop of a clear, blue sky...TADA!

The joy of sunshine and shadows. 

I am always at awe with the miracle of spring! 

When the daffodils are out, I know spring is in full swing. These are watercolor cut-outs that I painted and turned into a spring arrangement...TADA!

In the summer, I try to stay outdoors as much as I can. A walk in Central Park is good exercise and there's always something new to discover. 

A small park just beneath the Brooklyn Bridge -- not really a forest but being surrounded with trees feels like a refuge from the crowd. 

Waking around the tree-lined streets of Brooklyn is always TADA! The branches form a canopy that shield you from the sun. 

I always like to pick summer flowers and press them in a flower press or inside heavy books. It makes me happy when I accidentally find them between pages. 

In autumn, a short hike is peaceful and invigorating at the same time. 

The crunch of dry leaves...

...the cool weather, and the changing colors wakens up the senses.

Here I am feeling small against nature's glory. 

I picked up some leaves and acorns from my autumn walk and I made this watercolor painting...TADA!

In the winter, there are no leaves, no color.  

But we'll always find signs of life.   

We just need to keep walking and exploring until we become whole again.

This odd-shaped rock is one of my winter souvenirs. I drew some snow-covered pine trees on it...TADA!

If you're feeling stressed, anxious, or sad, why not try forest bathing? I promise you, it'll turn your day from blah to TADA!

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A New Painted Tin

Hi friends!

Oh tin containers! How much do I love thee?

Let me count the ways:

I turned an empty lip balm tin into a cute holder for pins or paper clips...TADA!

I transformed an empty cookie tin to hold sewing supplies...TADA!

I wrapped an empty tea tin with floral paper to store candy...TADA!

An empty mint tin is now a travel watercolor palette...TADA!

This is another tea tin that I painted and made into a recipe box...TADA!

I gave an empty popcorn tin new life as a recycling bin...TADA!

And here I am again, with a new tin to work on:

This was once home to Colombian coffee. 

I painted it in a deep black and let it dry for a few hours.

With a white pencil, I sketched some poppies and cosmos flowers. 

I chose a palette of orange and pink acrylic paint.

Then I painted the flowers, allowing the paint to dry before adding another layer.

I now present, my floral tin container:

I'll use it to wrap a present. That way, the recipient can reuse the can when it's her turn to give a gift. 

These are just some of the fun ways to turn empty tin containers from "blah to TADA!"

Enjoy the rest of your week and please subscribe here if you don't want to miss my future blog posts.

Crafty Uses for Fabric Remnants

Hey, hey!

If you're a regular visitor to this blog, you know by now that I have difficulty throwing things away. Even the smallest sliver of scrapbook paper, I'll turn into a greeting card or scraps of ribbon, I'll give new life as cake toppers. The same is true for fabric remnants. I'll find a way to turn them from "blah to TADA!"

Let me show you some items I made using fabric left over from other sewing projects:

I turned the fabric into a cushion cover...TADA!

Here's a tiny back pillow made from the smaller fabric. 

And for the smaller fabric remnants, I made them into pencil pouch...TADA! This was also a good exercise for me on how to attach a zipper.

I like how the zipper added a pop of color.

This is now home for my colored pencils.

Then I turned the smaller pieces of fabric into a pin cushion...TADA!  

Here is another kind of pin cushion but with elastic attached so that it can be worn on the wrist just like what the talented tailors, seamstresses, and fashion designers use...TADA!

I also made an elastic bowl cover...TADA! Because it's made of fabric, it can be washed and used multiple times. 

Maybe these crafts have given you ideas on how you can use up your fabric scraps and turn them from "blah to TADA!" 

Have a good week and if you'd like to subscribe to my blog so you get them in your inbox every week, please sign up here.

Sidewalk Furniture: A Bunch of Chairs

Oh New York City! Your streets are filled with treasures! But the word "treasure" is relative, right?

Here are the treasures that I'm talking about:

Free chairs ya'all!

If I had extra storage space like a garage or a basement, all these would have gone home with me. Sigh.

Let's pretend I have them in my possession. I'll show you ways on how I would turn them from blah to TADA!

A little description on these classic chairs: 

                Chair Number 1: French ladder-back chair with rush seating

                Chair Number 2: French cane-back arm chair

Because they are in pretty good condition, I would just clean and polish them and not change anything except for the upholstery.

via Pinterest

I'll keep it simple by using a linen fabric in a light beige or wheat color.

Or I would use French stripe linen and some toile that'll instantly whisk me away to the countryside:

via Miss Mustard Seed

via Pinterest

via Pewter and Sage

via Pinterest

The following chairs don't have the history of the first two but they are functional nonetheless:

I can keep the existing color or paint them in a neutral shade. 

via Knick of Time

But I'll definitely add a seat cushion also in the French stripe fabric.

I would likewise experiment with stenciled grain sack fabric like these ones:

via Reloved Rubbish Blog

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

I hope you liked these ideas that transform old furniture from "blah to TADA!" Maybe you can do the same with yours?

But if you must get rid of your furniture, please do so responsibly to keep them away from the landfill. Consider donating them to worthy causes: Habitat for Humanity ReStore, The Salvation Army, Goodwill or at a thrift shop or charity store near where you live.