Twelve Little Journals

Happy Thursday Everyone! I've been sharing some ideas on how to reuse 2009 calendars.

Instead of tossing this away, we'll turn this blah...

...into a Tada!

I cut out the "month" from the calendar and
glued them on the cover of these
little blank notebooks (I got them at Muji).

I assigned a date on each page of the notebook
by gluing the "dates" from the old calendar.

I did the same on all pages of the journal,
depending on how many days each month has.

Now I can personalize the journal based
on how I'd like to use it; for example:
(1) daily schedule for appointments
(2) headings like "A.M" & "P.M." or
"Morning", "Noon" & "Night"
(3) leave it blank for quotes, ideas,
gratitude & doodles

I made 12 notebooks for each month of the year.
Now I can't wait to fill up each one!

This One's for the Cook

This week on my blog, I'm breathing new life into last year's calendars.

I'll turn this blah 2009 tabletop calendar into a Tada!

Once the month by month pages are removed,
all you have left is this sturdy tent-like structure.

Simply dress it up with some scraps of colorful paper,
add some clips (these came from old ID tags) and...

...Tada! It's now a recipe card holder!

Keep it on your kitchen counter as an easy reference.
It also leaves you with an extra hand to measure,
mix and taste.

Happy Cooking!

Instant Art

In this age where you can find a calendar on your computer or mobile phone, I still choose to display a wall calendar. There's something about the blank white spaces waiting to be filled with an appointment or important reminder. It's also my excuse to purchase one if I don't get one as a present. My 2009 calendar was all about London and its landmarks. I loved all the photos that were revealed as the year progressed, and now that 2009 is over, I don't think I want to throw the calendar away.

So I'm turning this blah...

... into a Tada!

I cut my favorite images from the calendar and placed them in a simple frame. The photo above is the British Museum. I really like the glass ceiling that lets the sunshine in.

Here's another iconic British symbol -- the double decker bus. I love the blazing red color that brings back memories of afternoons exploring the city.

I just had to frame this one, too!

Hang the framed images gallery-style on an empty wall in your home or office. Whether it's the vibrant villas of Italy, black & white images of Paris, brilliant sunsets or adorable kittens, these will make any wall speak volumes.

Calendar Girl

One of my New Year rituals is to install a fresh wall calendar. While it's time to say goodbye to 2009, that doesn't necessarily mean that the old calendar ends up in the trash.

I'm turning this 2009 calendar from blah...

... to Tada!

A page from the calendar works perfectly as gift wrap
for small to medium sized presents.

No tags needed...just mark the recipient's birthday
as a red letter day & add a sweet little note.

May you all start the first week of the New Year with a high note!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year, may you
see beauty in the little things,
smell sweet success,
hear fantastic news,
taste thrilling adventures and
touch someone's life!

If your 2009 was blah, I hope 2010 will be Tada!

Time for "You"

It's New Year's Eve tonight and I want to wish you all a bubbly, sparkly and memorable evening! As the new year beckons, I hope you will find ways to...

Life does becomes hectic but I do hope that you will have more time for yourself and for all things that matter most to you.

A Season of Hope

Thanks for stopping by today! There are no craft projects this week, just a few Tada! wishes that I want to send out to you for 2010.

This photo was taken in Brooklyn, New York. Even if the photo is a little dark, I know it's a street we all want to live in: Hope Street. This year was quite a challenging one for many of us and we all want things to get better. I wish you hope that the best things are yet to come!

Lots of Love

Hi there and thanks for stopping by! This week, instead of crafting, I'm sending you off with a few wishes and I hope you'll carry them with you in the new year.

Today, I wish you lots of love! Love that is freely expressed by family & friends. A romantic kind of love that arrives at your doorstep. A deep love for what you do, whether it's a job, a commitment or something you're passionately doing without asking for anything in return. I hope you will feel loved and be able to give love away!

Year End Wishes

Happy Monday Everyone! There will be no crafting this week, I'm afraid. I'd like to take it easy and look back on the year that's about to end. The first thing that comes to mind is:

One of the highlights of my year was starting this blog! I want to say THANKS to you, my dear visitors & regular readers! THANKS for your time, interest and for cheering me on with your comments. I certainly hope you'll continue to visit me when the new year arrives.

I wish all of you many, many more reasons to say THANKS!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Day and today I'm sharing some photos taken during the Martha Stewart Craft Fair held in New York City. At the same time, I want to wish you a Christmas that's...

Sweet

Colorful

Shiny

Filled with music

and extra-ordinary!

Have a truly Tada! Christmas!

Christmas Clutch

Hello and thank you for stopping by! Are your gifts wrapped and waiting under the Christmas tree or are you still shopping and wrapping like a mad woman? If you said yes to the latter, I've got an easy gift wrap solution for you.

Reassess those bags from all the shopping you've done
and turn a blah into a Tada!

Once a plastic sack, now a gift bag!

I intentionally made it to look like an evening clutch, cutting the top part of the bag and folding it over (then sealed with tape). It can contain a shawl or shirt for my very good gal pals.

The ribbon "brooch" is fashioned from the handles plus strips from the part that I had cut off. These are held together by staples and more tape.

This makes gift packaging faster, more fashionable and you get to recycle, too!

Fancy Boxes

Gift wrapping is a pleasure for a lot of people. But when you have to wrap too many gifts before the stroke of midnight, the pleasure turns into pain. So I've got a suggestion:

Save these blah food boxes, cut off the box top and
wrap the box in festive paper.

Tada! You've got yourself a fabulous gift container!

Because it's essentially a box, it works well for odd-shaped gifts. The ribbon handles makes the gift easy to carry. Make these gift boxes throughout the year for birthdays and Christmas so that gift wrapping will always be a pleasure!

Bake and Take

When Christmas comes around, a lot of us don our aprons, baking sheets and transform our kitchens into cookie factories! Here's a gift that clearly says "handmade with love" -- baked goods!

This Christmas, instead of not so eco-friendly packaging (ex. Styrofoam plates & disposable plastic), why not use containers that can be used even after the holidays are over? I'm thinking canning jars, biscuit tins or reusable plastic food containers like this:

I purchased these from Ikea -- three containers for on $1.99!

I cleaned the containers before lining them with this napkin
(doilies or parchment paper can be used, too).

Then I filled it with homemade brownies!

I put on the cover (don't you love this shade of blue?!) and
decorated with a tree ornament.

Three gifts in one -- the brownies, container and ornament!

You may also add a copy of the recipe and a greeting card to
complete the package.

Happy baking!

Gift Wrapping Ideas

Happy Monday Everyone! Last minute shopping and wrapping presents are occupying most of our time these days...Christmas is just a few winks away! This week, I'll be sharing some gift packaging ideas that are not only pretty for the recipients but pretty for Mother Earth, too!

Today's blah...these empty pint-size ice cream containers.

Tada! Washed clean and wrapped with colorful paper!
Finish off with a ribbon handle...

... or a delicate tassel.

Fill it with candies. Or stuff it with small gifts like cologne, warm socks and handmade jewelry. Then use this exceptional gift box again!

A Great Gift Bag

Hooray it's Friday! Can you believe that it'll be Christmas next Friday? Today, we'll end the week with a final paper bag project.

Today's blah...a plain paper bag.

Here's another blah...a printed paper bag.

Here's the Tada!...an all-occasion gift bag!

I transferred the handles from the printed paper bag to the plain paper bag (attached with hot glue) and decorated it with a cut-out whale (or whatever character you like). The whale is made of scrapbook paper (gift wrap remnants may be used too) and the whale's eye came from the bag of scrap. Alternatively, you can use a button or adhesive googly eyes if you have them.

Now this bag is ready of any celebration! Have a fun weekend lovelies!

Stamp of Approval

Happy Thursday! Today I have another paper bag project that's easy to do with the kids.

This paper bag contained some Chinese take-out from the other night. It didn't have any greasy stains on it so why not turn it into a Tada!?

Time to take out the rubber stamps & ink pad and stamp away!

Tada! Just by cutting around the image & punching a hole,
you have yourself a Christmas-themed gift tag.

An intricate stamp produces this gift tag
that you can use for any present.

Experiment with different ink colors and stamp designs for one of a kind gift tags that you can't buy in any store.