All Boxed Up

Hello Everyone! Thanks for coming over today. This week, it's all about turning boxes from blah to TADA!

If you buy in bulk, you'll be familiar with blah boxes
like this one.

Wrap it in your favorite gift wrap and
TADA! -- a storage box that's
functional & decorative.

You'll find this in my office. I'll let junk mail hang out here for awhile before I turn them into TADAs! or feed them to the shredder...got to keep our identity safe.

Have a lovely day & see you again tomorrow!

Pins & Needles

Happy Friday lovelies!

This entire week, we turned this shirt
from blah to TADA!

Here's another transformation using
the fabric remnants:

It's now a needle notebook!

Sew the fabric & some felt together.
Use this notebook to safely store pins & needles.

And because the was still fabric left...

I made headbands!

You'll find the tutorial here.

Have a fun-filled weekend!

A Bib for Baby

Why throw away an old shirt when you can
transform it from blah...

...to TADA!

A young child will always need a new bib,
and this one's handmade by mom!

Decorate with a ribbon & iron-on transfer.

Bon appetit!

Judge A Book By its Cover

There are some items of clothing that are hard to part with.
Take for instance this blue & white striped shirt
oozing with cuteness:

Since I can no longer wear it,
I'll turn it from blah to...

TADA! I used it to cover a plain notebook.
It's now a jazzed-up journal filled
with juicy ideas!

Bags of Jewels

I've worn this shirt so many times over the years. I've stopped because it has shrunk. I'm going to blame the dryer for this, because I will never admit that I gained weight :-)

I can't toss it away; so I'll turn it from blah to...

Tada! It's now a tiny pouch.

A pouch to store jewelry.

It's perfect for traveling!

Hot Stuff

Hi there Everyone!

Our blah to TADA! make-over candidate this week
is this blue & white shirt.

I cut up part of the sleeve and...

TADA! -- it's still a sleeve but this one's for a to-go cup. It will keep your fingers safe from the hot coffee that seems to be seeping through the paper.

I made it using several layers: cloth at the bottom, foam in the middle and the blue & white stripe fabric on top. The more layers, the more protected your fingers will be! I stitched the layers together and the edges can be linked with elastic tape, Velcro tape or a button.

Keep it in your bag to be used over & over again
for your daily coffee rituals.

Take Me Away

We've reached the end of the week and I've got
more ideas to turn scrap paper into bookmarks.

Blah: reminders of a trip taken long ago.

TADA!: make your old ticket more useful!

TADA!: a souvenir napkin to mark a page.

TADA!: a museum badge to remind you
where you left off.

TADA!: an old boarding pass to tell you
where you are in the story.

TADA!: let your books take a whiff of
your favorite bakery.

{This bookmark was created by trimming the paper
bag and inserting it into a plastic ID sleeve}

Books can take you to new places.
Travel bookmarks can bring you back
to places you've been to.

Have a great weekend!

Lucky Labels

Do you get these labels/tags when you buy yourself
a new pair of jeans, shirt or bag?

Keep them useful and turn them from
blah to TADA!

Jazz them up with punched out paper
or abstract embroidery.

Tada! You've got yourself a set of bookmarks!

Mail Make-Over

Digital books are the rage these days. I think they're a genius idea but I still prefer leafing through paper and sniffing a brand new book. It's a simple joy of mine. I'm proud to say I take care of my books. No dog ears -- just bookmarks. And all this week, I'm making them myself!

I'm using these catalogs I got in the mail.

TADA! I get to save these inviting images by turning
the pages into bookmarks.

I think this mailer has a fabulous print.

Just cut a section and TADA! -- instant bookmark!

I love the floral prints on this perfume insert (the ones
you get in a magazine; just open & sample a perfume).

Fold it up, cut the unnecessary ends and TADA!,
another one to add to your collection.

Aren't you drawn to the modern
elements of this catalog cover?

I was and by now, you know what it did to it!
Bookmark!

D-I-Y Bookmarks

This week on my blog, I'm turning excess paper
from blah to TADA!

I'm using this bag again today.

Yesterday, I cut out the spoon graphic and
turned it into a bookmark.

Today, I'm using the back side (blank) of the bag, together with
these subscription inserts tumbling out from magazines.

I folded the subscription cards & wrapped the brown paper
around it. Then I added a sticker, punched a hole and
finished it off with some yarn.

TADA! I've got some blank bookmarks.

Use these for a kiddie party activity.
With some pens & stickers, it serves as a
canvas for creative little hands and it
doubles as a party favor, too.

Bookmark Bonanza

Sometimes, I feel like there is so much paper in my life -- paper bags, catalogs, junk mail and ticket stubs. And you know that throwing them out is not my first option. To turn them from blah to TADA!, my go-to idea is to turn them into bookmarks.

This has got to be one of the cutest
paper bags out there.

So I took my favorite graphic from the
bag (the spoon!) and made it into a bookmark.

I cut it out and mounted it on cardboard.

TADA! It does a great job marking pages in
my favorite cookbooks!

Bag in Bloom

It's finally Friday! Please tell me you all had a wonderful week?

I hope you're excited to see the final look
on this blah bag.

{cue drum roll}

TADA! This bag is blooming!

I simply sewed on black rose petals (got them from Tinsel Trading Company in New York City) for added drama.

I can't wait to use it for my next formal event.

But why wait when I can use my blooming clutch
to dress up an everyday dress like this one?
(image from Old Navy)

Have a weekend worth celebrating!