Combing Through Catalogs

I hope you had a stress-free weekend

my dear friends!

Do you get mailers & catalogs in

your mailbox? Here in the U.S.,

we receive quite a few peddling

anything from clothes, shoes,

accessories, toys & furniture.

I like to leaf through them

because many of them are very

well produced...you know what I

mean -- there's a concept, styling

and a story unfolding as you flip

each page.

The J. Crew catalog is one of those

ones I look forward to.

The pages are filled with ideas

on how to put clothes together

in a unique way.

It's also a good source

of blah to TADA! inspiration.

Take a look at these bangles

by Lulu Frost for J.Crew.

Won't they be the perfect

finishing touch to a cute outfit?

Well, let's try making something similar.

blah: plain plastic bangles

Add a few embellishments by attaching

with hot glue. TADA!

Certainly not as luxe as Lulu Frost's...

...but a cheap & cheerful transformation

nonetheless!

For the Book Worm

Hooray it's Friday!

This week was all about

light fixtures that you can

use as muses if you plan to

make your own.

Today's TADA! is for

all of you who love books...

...but may have upgraded to an E-reader or tablet.

What to do with all those books?

Turn them into a TADA! light sculpture

like this one from West Elm

{I don't think it's for sale; but the

pendant lamps are}.

Have a shiny, happy weekend!

Light in a Box

I'm pretty sure a lot of you have this at home:

blah: cardboard boxes

You can certainly use them for storage

once the contents have been removed.

But some genius came up with this:

He {or she} made hanging lights and sold them

in stores!

It's made of layers of cardboard,

dowels, wood on both ends and

a basic light kit.

This is a blah to TADA! project

I'd like to make one day.

I saw these at Anthropologie & CB2.

Who knows, the designer might

be counting his/her fortune

right now!

Enjoy your Thursday :)

Illuminated Fashion

Hi there! I discovered some light fixtures

at some of my favorite shops.

I took pictures and I'm sharing

them all this week.

Today, it's all about

clothes that's seen better days.

blah: old denim

TADA!: Swags of braided denim with

strategically-placed spotlights.

It's a canopy of blue!

Here's another idea:

blah: a forgotten shirt

TADA!: an old shirt is re-worked to

spruce up a hanging lamp

{notice the buttons?}

It's a smart way to use a shirt

that's got sentimental value but you

don't necessarily want to wear.

I stumbled upon these at Anthropologie!

Not Just for Laundry

This week, I'm featuring some shop displays

that work as light fixtures, works of art

and possible inspirations for your

own blah to TADA!

blah: plain wooden clothespins

TADA!: a chandelier made of clothespins!

The clothespins were dipped in varying

shades of blue dye.

I wonder how many hundreds

there are!

I found this at an Anthropologie store.

Don't you just love their overly creative

interiors {apart from their darling

merchandise}?

Bright Inspiration

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you had a nice weekend.

In my part of the world, we felt the

first chill of autumn. I have to say,

I have some mixed feelings about

saying goodbye to summer but of

course welcoming a new season

ain't so bad.

Anyway, this week, it's all about

inspiration. Instead of crafting,

I'll show off a few TADA! light

fixtures I've seen recently that

I found so cool, I just had to share.

blah: old glassware

TADA!: an awesome installation

that brightens a space and

calls you to look up

I spotted this at the Urban Outfitters

flagship store on Fifth Avenue

in New York City.

Wow right?!

Books as Art

Happy Friday my dear friends!

This week, I featured crafts from this

book, by this author who also has

an inspiring blog.

Jason Thompson, the author, has this to say

{and it's one of my favorite lines}

about old & forgotten books:

Is there a purpose for some of these

unwanted books? Answering this question

leads us to artists, designers, and artisans

who appreciate books in a uniquely different

way. Although the fundamental parts of a

book might consist of pages and covers,

the artist's eye sees something more: raw

materials to create unique objects far

removed from the book form. To these

artists, books are resources to rearrange,

recycle, and re-imagine into

functional and decorative objects.

Apart from crafty ideas, the book also

highlights work by different artists.

If you think old books are blah,

take a look at these pieces and

I guarantee, you'll say "TADA!"

by Betty Pepper

by Betty Pepper

by Laura Cahill

by Laura Cahill

by Jill Sylvia

by Jill Sylvia

by Brian Dettmer

by Georgia Russell

by Su Blackwell

by Su Blackwell

by Su Blackwell

by Robert The

by Robert The

Aren't these mind-blowing?

Oh the possibility of books!

Here's to a great weekend!

A Pyramid for Presents

I've been rifling through the pages of James

Thompson's book "Playing with Books"

and I've been busy trying out the crafts.

I like them -- they're blah to TADA!

in nature.

Aged, neglected books are taken apart and are

made into something more useful & beautiful.

Like the author, I felt like a villain

destroying a book. He says, "It felt wrong

to cannibalize the essence of a book for its

elemental parts. But after playing with

unwanted and forgotten books, this feeling

eventually passed. There are a lot of books

out there -- don't be afraid to exorcise their

bookish essence for other creative ends."

These words somehow made me feel better.

So I'll proceed by making some cute

gift packaging.

We'll need pages from a blah book.

We'll also need some cardboard {this was an empty

pasta box}. Make a square base {this is 2" x 2"}

and 4 triangles that will be used as the sides.

The size of the triangle's base must match

the square base {should also be 2"}.

Keep this principle in mind if you're

making a bigger or smaller pyramid.

Assemble the box by sticking the sides

to the base with tape.

Wrap the cardboard using your book pages.

{You can wrap them in sections, as long

as the seams are inside the box.}

Punch holes about 1/2" from the tips

of the triangles and lace some cute

ribbon through them to hold the

box together.

Then tuck in a specially-chosen gift inside.

TADA!

Handmade Envelopes

Hi there! If you're a new visitor to my blog, I'd

like to say welcome. And if you're a regular

reader, I want to say thank you. Your

presence & comments encourages

me to blog regularly & think up of

more blah to TADA! ideas.

This week, I'm destroying an old book.

I know, it's cruel. I don't really do it on

a normal basis. I take good care of

my books, I promise.

But if you have unwanted books, you

can give them to a friend, donate them

to charity or use them for crafting.

Which is what this book encourages.

Its pages contain easy crafts &

many inspiring artists' work like

paper sculptures & installation.

One simple & practical project

are envelopes made of

book pages:

You'll need pages torn from a book,

a small envelope to be used as a

template, a pencil, scissors & glue.

Trace the shape of the envelope on the book page &

cut it out. Glue the two edges to form an envelope.

Embellish with magazine cut-outs or stickers.

Add a section in which to write the

recipient's name {and address}.

I used pink & white stripe tissue

left over from this TADA!

Use it for small notes or packaging for gift cards.

They're handmade and handy!