An Easter Wish

Hi Everyone! No crafting today...just a few Tada! images from my neighborhood that announce spring's arrival.

May you have a solemn Good Friday.
May you be blessed with hope & new beginnings
that Easter Sunday brings.
Happy Easter!

Easter Ain't Just for Kids

It's Thursday and still there are more ideas on how to re-use the egg carton. I'm gearing up for a Sunday brunch and even if there are no children on the guest list, I think we adults can be kids again with Easter eggs and surprises.

I'm turning this blah plastic egg container into another
fun & easy centerpiece.

By simply removing the lid, opening it up and filling it with Easter treats like chocolate eggs, Skittles and M&Ms, I've got a centerpiece that guests can help themselves to!

I also included Easter eggs that I colored & decorated myself. The number of eggs correspond to the number of guests. At the party, I'll have each guest pick an egg and look, there will be a surprise inside:

Inspired by the fortune cookie, I printed out Easter quotes for each egg. I think everyone will welcome a few inspiring words like Alice Freeman Palmer's "For I remember it is Easter morn, and life and love and peace are all new born."

If you're a little generous, another alternative is to give out prizes like, "Congratulations, you won a Barnes & Noble gift card" or other little gifts like a bar of chocolate or a bottle of beer. Here's wishing you an Easter that's blooming with peace, hope and a lot of cheap thrills that's simply Tada!

L'il Devil

Whether it's Easter or not, most of us will find eggs inside our fridge. Once the eggs have been used up, it's bye-bye to the container. This week on blah to Tada!, we're finding new uses for the egg carton. I'm crediting today's tip to Rachael Ray. She mentioned it in a past episode of "30 Minute Meals" and every brilliant idea has to be shared, right?

Let's say you're going to a potluck party or a picnic. Why not bring deviled eggs?

Use your favorite recipe and put the filling into the cooked whites using a nifty piping bag
(a resealable bag snipped at the corner works well, too).

Transport the l'il deviled eggs to the party using a plastic egg container like this.

It helps maintain freshness and keeps the eggs from moving around.
Isn't that clever?

See you tomorrow for another Tada! idea.

Eggs-tra Storage

On my blog this week, egg cartons have checked-in for a blah to Tada! make-over.
They do function as easy containers for seasonal storage:

I know that these cartons will keep my Christmas ornaments (especially those made of glass) safe and secure until I'm ready to decorate for the holidays. Packaging tape keep the boxes from opening and a label instantly tells me what's inside.

Please stop by tomorrow for another eggs-citing blah to Tada! idea!

Egg-stra Special Cartons

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend! Easter is right around the corner and appropriately enough I chose egg cartons for this week's blah to Tada! transformation.

Today's blah...

...is Easter Sunday's Tada!

To make the base:

• Cut off the top part of the egg carton.
• Cut the base in half so you'll end up with two bases that will cradle 6 vases each.
  
• Make sure to "curve" the pointy edges of the carton with a pair of scissors.
  

To make the vases:

• Make a hole (about 1 inch in diameter) on one end of a raw egg. Transfer the contents to a bowl. You may chose to use these right away or save them for later by placing them in a resealable bag (you can separate the yolks from the whites depending on how you'll use them in your recipes) and label them (ex. 3 yolks) before storing them in the freezer.
• Wash the empty egg shells in warm water and allow to dry.
• Fill the egg shells half-way with water and place these on the egg carton.
• Tuck flowers (stems trimmed) and leaves into the vase.
  

This makes a darling centerpiece for your Easter brunch
that's eco-friendly, too!

An Unexpected Transformation

Thank God it's Friday! I hope you survived the week successfully crossing out a lot of items on your To Do List. I sure did and recycling is one of my priorities. As an end to "Caps and Covers" week, I'll show you how I turned this margarine lid from a blah to a Tada!

First, I cut off the rim to achieve a flat circle. Then I took out my leaf-shape paper punchers and punched away! The lid was thin enough for the puncher to "bite into" but some force is definitely needed.

Using a safety pin (a needle works too), I made a hole on one end of each leaf.

Tada! I made earrings from a lid of a margarine tub!
Go ahead and personalize yours with different puncher shapes, beads & findings.

Have a spectacular Tada! weekend everyone!

Plastic to Fantastic

Today I will turn these blah plastic lids (from take-out containers) to a Tada! coaster.

Note: You'll need 2 lids to make one coaster

Step 1: Clean the lids & keep them spotless by wiping the surface
with rubbing alcohol.

Step 2: Cut off the rim using a pair of scissors so you're left
with two flat plastic disks.

Step 3: Choose a design -- I picked the initials of my family members.
You can easily do this on the computer (use your favorite font),
print them out and cut each letter at the outlines.

Step 4: Attach the letter/design at the center of one of the disks using
white glue & allow to dry.

Step 5: Sandwich the design with the other disk and seal the edges by holding them against a flame (a taper candle works well). Don't let the plastic touch the flame -- the heat will slowly melt the edges making the top & bottom disks to stick together. Allow to cool and put a weight on it (ex. a stack of books).

Tada!...you've got a cute coaster for your cold drinks
(hot coffee or tea mugs can warp the plastic).

Other ways to personalize your coaster: family photos, kids' artworks
or small notes & quotes.

Tab to Fab!

We're giving beverage caps & covers a make-over this week and today's star is the pull tab found on top of soda cans. How on earth can we recycle this you ask? Well, a recent trip to the New York Botanical Garden gift shop made me a believer that pretty things can be made out of pull tabs.

A clutch made of pull tabs

A belt made of pull tabs

A modern-looking brooch made of pull tabs

Decorate your wrist with this chunky bracelet made out of pull tabs

Dangling earrings also made out of pull tabs

These are a product of San Francisco-based Escama Studio who collaborate with Brazilian cooperatives specializing in the craft, "crochet with tabs". Now when your items are sold at New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Store and have been featured in many international magazines, that's a big deal! Fans can't get enough of these works of art and that's a good thing: more demand equals less litter equals more jobs for Brazilian women equals a better life for their family! Not only that, they can add "artist" to their credentials because they autograph the tag of each piece that they make. Definitely a blah to Tada success story!

If you're not the crafty type, you can still donate your pull tab collection here.

Pop the Cork...Then Save It!

This blog is all about recycling and the theme for the week is bottle caps & covers. I must admit that I have a habit of keeping a lot of odds & ends...hey, I always see the potential in mundane things! I like being a fairy godmother granting a wish to things destined for the garbage bin. Take these wine corks for instance. Once a blah...

...Forever a Tada!

I crowned the wine cork with beads & baubles using my favorite craft tool -- the glue gun. I use these corks with pizazz to top empty bottles that I can later fill with my favorite drinks, condiments, sauces and dressings. Don't you think they'll look pretty arranged on a shelf?

See you tomorrow for more blah to Tada! ideas!

Caps & Covers

It's a brand new week and even if our lives are busy, busy, busy, I hope that recycling has become part of the daily routine. This week we'll see the transformation of bottle caps and covers from blah to Tada!

Today, instead of the doing the crafting myself, I'll take you on a little journey to show you how other people recycle. Our trip begins in Amsterdam...

...where a bottle cap was left stranded on a sidewalk.
I decided to rescue it as a free souvenir.

"It might be useful one day," I said to myself.

The journey continues in the city of Durban in South Africa where I stumbled upon this store bursting with personality. It's called ART AFRICA selling local crafts, many of them made with recycled objects. Another special thing about the crafts is that the people who made them suffer from poverty or are afflicted with AIDS. For them it's a way to earn some income and provides them with pride and purpose. Look how they've transformed humble bottle caps into refrigerator magnets! I love how they captured unique and colorful scenes from African life.

These small suitcases made from bottle caps (and another from shoe polish tins) are also sold at ART AFRICA. Use it as a purse, a lunch box or for storage.

These are some inspiring ideas I can use for my growing collection of bottle caps that started in Amsterdam! See you all tomorrow!

Sash with Panache

A black cardigan is a basic piece found in the wardrobe of many women. It's an accessory worn to match any outfit and a practical one at that -- keeping one warm in air-conditioned room or on a chilly day. It's also easy to dress up by adding a chunky necklace or colorful brooch.

Another alternative is to use a silk sash, transforming a black blah into a terrific Tada!.

Go ahead and use a sash in your favorite color or print and don't be surprised if colleagues ask, "Is that a new sweater?" or "Where did you get it?". Then you can tell them your tale of achieving "The Look" for less!

Have a happy Tada! weekend!

Ball and Chain

We're gearing up for the fabulous weather that springtime brings and moved the cardigans from the back of the closet to front and center. But admittedly, some cardigans need a little updating like this blah beige number.

I removed the buttons and replaced them with silver chains & beads. I also took the liberty of folding the sleeves, resulting in an edgier and younger look.

You can do the same by re-using an old necklace (cut in two-inch lengths) and beads of your choice (just make sure they are small enough to fit through the buttonholes). Otherwise, a visit to a craft store's jewelry-making section or a specialty bead shop can help you find all the materials you need -- chains, beads, findings, a wire cutter and pliers. Add needle and thread to the list if you don't have any.

With chains on your cardigan, who needs accessories?!
Now that's a what I call a Tada!.

A Girl with Some Pearls

It's the third day of our "spruce-up-your-cardigan" week!

Today we'll do a subtle change by replacing the current clear & plain buttons...

...And swap them out for these pearl-like buttons with gold edging!
(I got them at a fabric store that was closing down...a palm-full of buttons for just $1!)

It's a small change that adds a little sparkle.
Can you hear the cardigan say, "I feel brand new!"?

Cute as a Button

We're playing re-fashionista this week by updating old cardigans.

Buttons are an easy way to change the look of an old garment. It's a good excuse to visit a button shop (I found some in New York City's Fashion District or you can go on-line). A better idea, however, is to dip your hand into your button stash. Yes, you have one! You didn't know? Let me refresh your memory: when you buy a shirt or trousers, they come with extra buttons attached to them in a little bag or sewn on the shirt label. When you gather them together, Tada!: button stash! And so what if they're mismatched:

Sew them on using thread in a contrasting color...

...And a little switcheroo turns a blah into a Tada!

Spring Sweaters

It's officially spring and while the weather outside is still in denial, I've invited my favorite light sweaters to come out of hiding. I find them oh-so reliable when I'm wearing my spring outfits. I'm proud to say I've had them for many years...I'm all for classic dressing!

I wanted to dress up this plain, white cardigan.

I got some inspiration from the colors (pinks & lilacs) of the new season and turned a blah into a Tada!. I simply added a fabric rosette that can easily be made with cloth scraps or ribbon, a needle, some thread and a safety pin.

Stop by tomorrow for another sweet-sweater idea! Happy Monday!