blah to TADA!

07 December 2009

A Card to Wish You Good Cheer

Hi and thanks for visiting me today! I hope you had a terrific weekend...I sure did with some craft fairs and my first holiday party.

You may be thinking of greeting cards and some of you may even be ready to send yours out. Here's a greeting card idea I did a couple of months back. Remember the handmade hello? I received a lot of comments from that project, I thought I'd make a new twist for this season.

We'll need an empty ribbon spool & an old paper bag.
(Left-over from gift wrapping & take-out dinners)

We'll also need scissors, glue, colorful paper and
a decorative puncher.

Type up a letter to a dear friend and print it out.

Another version is a list of wishes for the coming year.

Using a pair of scissors, cut out what you've printed, making sure it's the size of the ribbon that was once on the spool. This will be the new "ribbon".

Attach the edges together with glue.

Decorate the empty ribbon spool with paper in a fun design.

Add your friend's name (ex. Dear Rachelle) and
a little intro (This Christmas I wish you...).

Then add the "ribbon" that you made. Glue the inner end to the empty spool, wind the "ribbon" around and attach a small sticker or piece of tape at the outer end to keep it from raveling.

Make an envelope from the brown paper bag.

Make it pretty!

Sign the greeting card, address the envelope and
mail it to your favorite friends.

A blah to Tada! idea that's unique & thoughtful!

04 December 2009

Cardboard Cut-Outs

How quickly another week has passed! The giant Christmas tree in New York City's Rockefeller Center has been lit and the holiday spirit is in the air. Decking our homes with the colors of the season need not be expensive. With simple materials and a little bit of elbow grease, we can make our very own ornaments!

Here's a cardboard box that's a blah...but observe how we can turn it into a Tada!

Take out your cookie cutters and trace the shape on the cardboard using a pencil.

You can opt to make freehand drawings if you have the skill.

Cut around the shape and punch a hole on top. You can begin decorating at this point...enlist the kids to help you! Let them color with markers, add stickers, buttons & sequins.

But hey, if you have the glue & glitter, now's the time to use them!

Apply the glue in sections & sprinkle on the glitter until you've covered the whole ornament. Finish with a bow that works as a hanging device, too.

And because I already had the cardboard & ribbon on hand, I only paid for the glitter (about $3.00 for a 2 oz. bottle, which looked untouched after the project). Woohoo! Don't you just love crafts like this?

Have a happy TADA! weekend!

03 December 2009

Cheery Chirps for Christmas

It's all about ornaments for the tree on my blog this week and if you've seen my previous entries, you'll see that I'm using everyday objects like a charm from an old chandelier, a small picture frame and a cheesecake box.

Today, this is what I'm turning into a Tada! -- a little bird that was once a decoration on a gift. Cute, right? By gluing it on a clip (from the office supply or hardware store) and clipping it on a branch...

...It's now part of my tree!

Birds like this are available in craft stores. You may also experiment with insects like butterflies, dragonflies and bugs...add some glitter and see them sparkle!

02 December 2009

Holiday House

It was just Thanksgiving last week and I was thankful for an abundant table. I was even more thankful for a dessert table overflowing with pies, cakes, mousse, pudding and cheesecake! There were a lot of left-overs which the guests got to take home. There were also left-over boxes like this one:

I found the orange & white stripes adorable so I thought, "Why not turn this blah into a Tada!?"

The bottom and sides were free of any logos...perfect for crafting! After cleaning off the icing, measuring, cutting, gluing and decorating...

Tada! I've got a colorful cardboard house to hang on my tree!

01 December 2009

Holiday Photos

Happy Tuesday Everyone! On my blog this week, it's all about Christmas tree ornaments.

Today, we're turning this simple picture frame from blah to Tada!

Simply attach a sumptuous ribbon in your favorite color using hot glue and insert a favorite photo of your family, children, best friend or pet.

Tada! An ornament that's perfectly personal!
It makes for a unique gift or stocking stuffer, too!

30 November 2009

Christmas Ornaments

A happy Monday to all of you! I hope you had a fun & fabulous Thanksgiving. I sure did and was too exhausted to even post an entry last Friday. Sorry about that! I'll make up for it this week with some Christmas ideas -- specifically tree ornaments.

Do you remember the bag of scrap? You've seen how I turned the "scrap" into accessories like a necklace, cuff and a hair clip. But there was one particular item that I did not touch...

It's the loose crystals from an old chandelier (found on lower right of the photo).

By attaching it to a piece of wire, dressed up with beads and a ribbon, the blah is now a TADA! I think it adds an elegant touch to any Christmas tree.

Please drop by again tomorrow for another idea!

26 November 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, it's Thanksgiving in the U.S. and it's a wonderful day to reflect and give thanks to every blessing & every challenge that arrived on our doorstep. Whether or not Thanksgiving is celebrated in your part of the world, I'd like to encourage you to say "thanks" more often.

One tradition I'm thankful for is the Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City.

There are bands and performers.

There are larger than life balloons!

There are characters from our youth (aren't they cute?).

And the show ends with the arrival of Santa & Mrs. Claus!

I'd like to wish you & yours a TADA! THANKSGIVING!
May there be abundance on your table and
joy in your heart -- always!

25 November 2009

Berry Simple Flower Arrangement

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow and many of us will be preparing a lovely meal and opening our homes to family & friends. I think it's always a nice gesture to have some flowers to dress up the dining table. Depending on where you are, flowers can be quite expensive. So I like to add a little bit of fruit to the mix.

Like these cranberries! Traditionally they are made into juice or dried cranberries for year-round consumption, but they are popular come Thanksgiving as a side to roast turkey. It's cooked down to make cranberry sauce. You can get cranberries at a good price at this time of year so I'll buy an extra bag...

...then put some in a jar or clear vase.

Then I'll add some flowers.
Tada! a bright & bold arrangement for a dining or coffee table.

You may also place some cranberries in a bottle (this used to hold maple syrup), add a single rose and put this arrangement in the guest room or bath. It will instantly make any room ready for a party!

Thanks for visiting me today!

24 November 2009

Table Topper

We're celebrating Thanksgiving in the US this Thursday! It's synonymous to a feast that includes roast turkey, delectable sides like green bean casserole, candied yams and mashed potatoes, and lots of pies. Apart from the food preparation, decorating the table is a Tada! that I look forward to. But I don't like spending a lot.

I look at what's in season -- these are abundant and you can get them for a very good price.

Just add flowers & candles and TADA!...
a centerpiece that's fresh and fantastic!

23 November 2009

A Thanksgiving Centerpiece

It's the last week of November and part of me let out a gasp, "Where did the year go? Didn't 2009 just start and now it's about to end!" But part of me is excited too because the last week of November also marks Thanksgiving in the U.S.! Thanksgiving is this Thursday! This week on my blog, I'll be sharing some ideas on how to decorate your Thanksgiving table. It need not be expensive or complicated.

All we need are a few blahs such as these.

And these.

And Tada!
An instant centerpiece made from supermarket finds!

20 November 2009

Thanksgiving Friday

If you've visited before, you know that I've saved the Fridays of November for "Thanksgiving Friday". And I'd like to begin by thanking Nicolette of Simply Colette for this lovely award that she passed on to me: