Memories of Europe

How are you doing today?

If you've been tuning in, I've been making necklaces

that remind me of my travels.

Blah: old necklaces & loose beads.

Tada!: a shiny, happy multi-layer necklace

that looks brand new and reminds me of

crystals & chandeliers found in the

palaces of Europe.

I think I can hear this necklace sparkle.

See you tomorrow!

Memories of France

All this week, I'm creating new necklaces out of my

old necklaces and my inspiration: travel.

Blah: a long necklace that I bought from a

street vendor in New York City.

With a pair of pliers, I can reconfigure it

to create a new look.

Tada!: a pearl necklace that's more streamlined & formal.

It reminds me a lot of Marie Antoinette, of stylish

French women and Chanel:

When I get tired of the all-pearl look,

I can add other beads to update the

necklace once again.

Have a great day!

Memories of Puerto Rico

Thanks for stopping by today!

I've got another necklace idea inspired by travel.

When I make jewelry, I like to organize my

materials in empty egg cartons. I group

beads that I think might work together.

Blah -- beads from old necklaces & a

pendant I purchased in Puerto Rico.

Tada! -- a long, single-strand necklace

that highlights the beauty of the pendant!

Souvenir Necklaces

Where have you traveled lately?

I like to travel & I like keeping souvenirs ranging

from fridge magnets to inexpensive art.

I also like to make my own souvenirs that

don't scream, "I bought this in Rome" or

"I found this in San Francisco".

Some souvenirs are subtle but tell a story.

Remember this necklace?

It's a simple chain with different beads -- each

bead reminding me of a place I've visited.

This week, I'm making more of these necklaces.

They allow me to travel without having to hop on a plane!

Today's blah: these tiny people charms.

They're really earrings. I bought them in Brazil

but the shopkeeper said they were made in Peru.

They remind me of what I love about Latin America:

warm, friendly & hardworking people with very

colorful cultures and cuisines.

Here's how I turned them into a Tada!:

Instead of wearing them on my earlobes,

I attached them to a gold chain.

I added small gold hearts and pendants

that work as open lockets, too!

More tomorrow!

Festive & Fragrant

Hey, hey, it's Friday.

Happy first day of October also!

We've been prettifying fabric softener sheets

all this week, and I've got one last idea:

Blah: used dryer sheets

Tada! Festive party decorations inspired

by these Mexican paper flags:

Image via wide open spaces

A pair of scissors is all you need to make

these random cut-outs.

{I wanted to add colors to it but the ingredients in

the dryer sheet kept from absorbing my chosen dye.}

And because these sheets are still fragrant even

after use, your party space will be

smelling good, too.

Have a great, great weekend!

Scent Sachet

Happy Thursday!

I can't believe it's the last day of

September already.

All this week, we're giving fabric softener

sheets a make-over.

What starts as a blah...

Can instantly made into a Tada!

It's now a scent sachet!

Embroider one side with a pretty design,

stitch the ends but leave a small opening.

Then add some luscious lavender buds,

close the open end & add a ribbon.

Hang it in the closet, stuff it in a

drawer or suitcase for

clothes that smell scent-sational!

A Bridal Hairpiece

When I do the laundry, I like to use fabric softener sheets to

keep clothes, towels & sheets soft and smelling fresh longer.

After, I'm left with a sad sheet like this:

A used dryer sheet. Blah.

Well, it's time to turn it into a Tada!

Cut two small strips.

Stack the strips and fold together.

Sew a running stitch on the folded end

and pull the thread to make a ruffle.

Sew on pearls & crystals, add some tulle and

attach to a comb with hot glue.

Now you've got a pretty comb for the

bride or her attendants.

Tada!

Belt in Bloom

If you use fabric softener sheets like me, you're

usually left with limp sheets like these

after doing the laundry:

Blah.

Tada! Turn it into a flower!

Make a few more flowers & sew them on a piece of ribbon.

Use it as a belt.

Or as a headband.

Or to embellish a present.

Or as a floral curtain when you

make several strands.

Wasn't that fun?

Fabric Softener Sheets

It's a brand new week and a brand new blah to Tada! project.

This week, it's all about fabric softener sheets.

Do you use these when you do your laundry?

Just put a sheet in the clothes dryer together

with freshly washed clothes.

They leave clothes & linen soft and fragrant!

Instead of throwing these away after use,

let's do a little recycling!

Tada! A cute envelope made by

sewing the sides & trimming an edge.

Insert an equally cute card {store-bought or handmade}

and attach to a gift or vase of flowers

for a buddy's birthday.

See you tomorrow!

Plastic Yarn

The weekend has finally arrived!

This week, we transformed plastic bags from blah to Tada!

And today, I have another idea for you that will take us

to some of my favorite places in New York City.

Our first stop: The American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan.

Some museums blow you away with their extensive collection

and others leave you scratching your head and saying

to yourself, "That's art?"

Well, I particularly like the Folk Art Museum for

the reason that everyday objects are elevated

to art. Objects that you can make yourself

and secretly, you can call yourself an artist!

Take this colorful circle rug for example.

It's made out of plastic bags!

To be more specific, empty Wonderbread bags!

The artist made yarn out of blah plastic bags & wove it into a rug!

In fact, a lot of crafters use this -- plastic yarn or "plarn",

in lieu of regular yarn to crochet or knit into something

fabulous & useful.

Tada! An adorable bag made out of plarn.

Here's another bag using different stitches.

I learned how to make this craft early this year

at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn.

I have to admit, though, that my bag isn't finished

yet {I'm a novice at crochet, still making

a lot of mistakes, eeep!}.

The bags here are all made by the talented Claire Baker,

who was also our teacher that day.

You can find the tutorial here.

Have a happy weekend!

A Barrage of Buntings

Whenever you're out shopping, a plastic bag takes the trip

back home with you (unless your purchases are packed

in a paper bag or you take your own cloth bag).

Well, there must be other uses for plastic bags

than just lining a garbage can with it, right?

If it starts as a blah...

Turn it into a Tada! -- beautiful buntings

for your next celebration!

They're easy to make: (1) Make a triangle pattern on cardboard.

(2) Trace the pattern on the plastic with a pencil or marker.

(3) Cut the plastic, and (4) Connect the triangles by running

these through the sewing machine.

Limit your hue or use a many colorful plastic bags as you like!

Buddy for a Rainy Day

When it's raining hard, isn't a bag like this

a godsend when you need to go indoors

with a wet umbrella in tow?

Sadly, not all establishments like shops or

banks give this away.

Why wait for a free bag, when you

can carry one that you already have

from your shopping trips?

But let's turn this blah plastic bag into

something even more Tada!

I made a smaller bag out of the bag

{enough to fit a small folding umbrella}

and sealed the ends by sewing.

Then I added a button & elastic closure.

That way, it can easily be rolled up and the

button closure can keep it from unfurling.

Tada!

This bag will go wherever your umbrella goes.

No more rain puddles at your trail.