Wishful Packages

I found a few paper bags from my stash of blahs:

This one's from Trader Joe's and in the attempt of

reusing, reducing and recycling, I'm transforming

the bag into small packages instead of buying

gift wrapper & gift bags for the holidays.

What was once blah...

...is now TADA!

All I did was cut the bag into smaller rectangles,

fold these into envelopes and glued

three edges together.

I left the top open to tuck in the gift.

Then, I'll seal it with tape, a note & a ribbon.

I'm quite sure that whoever receives

it will appreciate that I'm having

a truly green Christmas!

Paper Bags Turned Into Gift Wrap

Happy Monday! In 2009, I created this post where I challenged myself to recycle a paper bag from Whole Foods.

Well, I'm at it again! Why waste a paper bag when you know someone slaved away over the graphic design, the approval, the printing and the delivery to each and every store? {So much work all for a bag!}

This week, let me show you how we

can break down these bags from

Whole Foods & Trader Joe's.

blah: a paper bag

{got to love the pops of color}

Select a section of the bag that's

attention-grabbing.

Cut, fold, assemble & paste, and

this is what happens:

TADA!: An envelope with a handle!

I would use it to wrap a gift card to a restaurant

or a small present for a food-loving friend.

More tomorrow!

Crafting a Blanket

How are you my dears?

Do you recognize this Peanuts character popularized by Charles Schulz? He's Linus and he's known for carrying a security blanket. See how much comfort he's getting by snuggling his blanket and sucking his thumb? So cute.

Linus is the inspiration for Project Linus, an organization that provides "security through blankets", where handmade blankets are distributed to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages ranging from zero to 18.

Maybe you'd like to make a blanket for a child?

All blanket styles are welcome: quilts, tied comforters, fleece blankets, crocheted or knitted afghans or receiving blankets in child-friendly colors. As long as they are new, handmade, washable and come from smoke-free environments.

For more information, you can check the Project Linus website, join or start a chapter in your area and spread a little love through blankets.

I hope you found my list of crafting for a cause helpful. If you know of other groups with the same mission, I'd love to hear about it. Meanwhile, I wish you a restful weekend!

Stitch and Craft

There are different reasons why we craft. Whether we do it as a hobby or as a business, we find joy while making something with our hands and a have a sense of fulfillment when we finish. Some of us craft to help others just like Craft Hope. It's a group of crafters headed by Jade Sims who make handmade gifts for those who need them.

The most recent project the group completed

was turning blah pairs of socks...

...into TADA! sock monkeys!

{photo c/o Craft Hope}

These sock monkeys will go to children who lost their homes in the Texas wildfires. Their past projects include dresses made out of pillowcases sent to an orphanage in Mexico, dolls made for orphans in Nicaragua and baby blankets for newborns in India.

I thought this concept was mind blowing... a humble craft that brings hope across the world! If you browse their pictures, you'll see how many kind crafters enthusiastically take part.

They've completed their projects for 2011 but I think we should be involved next year! If you're interested, keep checking the Craft Hope website or Facebook page, look under "Current Projects", leave a comment and start crafting...because I know that the dolls that we sewed, the hats we crocheted and the quilts that we assembled will change a child's life.

Crafting a Card

One of the things I like to make are greeting cards. They are fun to do and even more fun to give away. Here are some I've made in the past year from blah materials:

made from scraps of felt

created from old magazine pages

handmade using salt dough and old make-up

If you also fancy making greeting cards, may I encourage you to make some for a few seniors? I came across the organization called DOROT at a the Winter's Eve event in New York City last year. A table was set up at the shops at Columbus Circle and everyone was encouraged to decorate a card. I was very pleased to make one, if only to cheer up an elderly brother/sister. I later found out that DOROT encourages volunteerism and they have a greeting card program throughout they year. If you are interested, you'll find the guidelines here. If you can't find the time this holiday season, maybe you can make some next year {birthday cards will be gladly accepted}. Once you've made the card/s, you can mail them with a volunteer return form {download it from here} to:

DOROT

Attn: Card Making Project

171 West 85th Street

New York, NY 10024

Just imagine the smiles that will result from the cards you make!

Crafting a Cake

Hi there everyone!

What was your favorite birthday memory as a child? I always remember birthday cakes, making a wish and blowing candles. It made me feel special when family and friends surrounded me at the table and sang me "Happy Birthday to you." I love birthday cakes, no matter how old the birthday celebrator is.

That's one of the reasons I learned how to bake cakes. I even took a cake decorating class last year.

Here's the first cake I ever decorated. I need a little more practice. It's a good skill to have and a homemade cake is always TADA!, don't you think?

And since we're focusing on crafting for a cause this week, let me tell you about Sweet Blessings. It's a non-profit organization that hopes to provide a happy birthday for children aged 5 to 14 living in poverty or going through life-threatening illnesses. The kind folks behind Sweet Blessings do this by making birthday cakes for these kids. Here's a sample:

They're not the grocery store-bought cakes as you can see. They're fun, colorful, multi-tiered and made of fondant! A cake that will surely make a child's birthday extra, extra special. And you know what? These cakes are made, decorated and delivered by volunteers! Hooray for that!

Now if only I lived in the area {they're based in Lexington, Kentucky}, I would gladly help out. Maybe this can serve as an inspiration for you to do something similar in the city that you live in -- at a hospital, an orphanage or school. But if you're generous, you can make a donation to Sweet Blessings, too.

May you have a wonderful day!

Crafting for a Cause

Happy new week everyone!

It's officially the start of the holiday season and I'm thinking you're crossing off names on your gift list and starting to decorate your homes.

I'm not sure if crafting is on your To Do list, unless you're making presents to give away or selling them at craft fairs. It's a super busy season after all.

But what if it's crafting for a cause? Would you find time to do it? This week, I'll give you a few options to give some love away during the holidays.

Would you like to craft a letter?

Write a letter to Santa Claus & help make

wishes come true.

With childlike faith and wonder, write Santa a letter, put it in an envelope addressed to Santa At The North Pole. Put a stamp on it and take it to a Macy's Department Store in your town.

Look for the big red mailbox and drop in your letter. Macy's will count all the letters in the mailbox and for each letter received, they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation {up to $1,000,000!}. Then, the letters will be delivered to the Post Office for mailing to Santa.

Together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe!

Make this a family activity...who knows, Santa may just grant your wish for being an awfully good girl/boy! That's definitely TADA!

Thank You Friday

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you many, many more reasons

to say "Thanks".

Have a happy shopping weekend!

Giving Thanks

We are celebrating Thanksgiving and next to Christmas, Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday. I like it because I get to participate: watching the life-size balloons at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, preparing Thanksgiving dinner {even if I'm just a guest at the party} and saying a prayer of thanks for life's provisions. How many of these things do you do when Labor Day or Memorial Day comes around? At Thanksgiving, I feel truly engaged.

"Thank You" is one of the best things anyone can ever hear and even say. That's why I'm starting a tradition of sending a thank you letter to a random person who has turned my life from blah to TADA!.

I've dipped my hand in my greeting card box and selected these Thank You cards. I already delivered them to two special people: Nurse Monika and Nurse Anne Marie. You see, I had a medical procedure in October. Don't worry, nothing life-threatening. I'm blessed to say that the procedure went well and I'm in good health. Hooray! But that was a scary period for me, filling me with anxiety. Monika and Anne Marie were kind, gentle, enthusiastic. They made me feel safe and reassured me that I was going to be alright. Isn't that what anyone needs when one is afraid? Plus they were very busy. They could have easily ignored me or taken a business-like stance, but they didn't. I just had to say THANK YOU to them and I said so in my Thank You cards.

Many people do their jobs 100% but don't get any appreciation at all. If they made your day easier and did so cheerfully, why not say THANK YOU? It's not hard at all. Thanksgiving Day is the perfect day to do it.

I hope to make this THANK YOU CARD a yearly tradition, as often as I can {not just on Thanksgiving}.

To all of you, dear readers, THANK YOU for being the TADA! to my blog and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hostess Presents

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow and we've been invited to a cousin's house to feast on turkey, side dishes too many to count on your fingers, and of course sinful dessert! Now, when you're invited to a party, it's always TADA! to bring a hostess present, be it a bottle of wine, a sweet treat or a vase of flowers. I'm sharing a few more ideas for the parties you'll be attending now that the holidays are here.

For a couple who love to entertain...

...a bouquet of chopsticks they can use for an

Asian-themed party!

I got this set from a trip to Bangkok a few years back.

Whenever you travel, it's always a good idea to take

home unique souvenirs like this that can be used

as presents, favors or prizes.

Here's a better look at the wooden chopsticks,

with pouches made of fancy fabric and

elephant accents.

Another beautiful and useful gift

is a throw:

Pick a color that your host adores

and have it monogrammed if the

shop allows it.

Throws come in handy as an accent to

a chair or couch, and can easily pulled

over when reading or watching TV.

And finally, every home needs

a set of coasters:

These ones are made of linen and

are personalized with the recipient's

family initials.

Don't forget to take a gift when you're

invited to a party. It's definitely the

polite thing to do!

A Pretty Pie Topper

For Thanksgiving, I'm planning to bake a pie. Possibly pumpkin since I've never made one before and it's one of the traditional pies you'll find on the Thanksgiving table. In the past, we served store bought and they were really good. This year, we'll try a homemade one. Mmmm.

I have all the ingredients and I've got my trusted pie plate which I use when making quiches and graham crust pies. I've also been thinking of how to decorate it.

Maybe use mini leaf-shaped cookie cutters

like this one from Martha Stewart?

Instead of covering the top, I'll keep

the leaves on the edges.

Another version using scalloped circle

cutters, also from Martha Stewart.

Pumpkin pies don't have a lattice top

but I'll remember this modern lattice

when making an apple pie

or berry tart in the future.

But here's another idea I'm leaning towards:

It's a fun & festive pie topper made from skewers,

ribbon, paper, cut-outs and alphabet pasta!

Hooray Jordan for creating this.

I like what it says, too:

Have a grateful heart

Be conscious of your treasures

Definitely TADA! in my book!

Centerpiece Ideas for Thanksgiving

I hope your weekend was divine!

This Thursday, we're celebrating Thanksgiving here in the U.S., a holiday marked with a gathering of family and friends, one that may involve travel, hours of preparing a hearty turkey dinner and personal traditions like watching the spectacular Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, here is a round-up of easy centerpieces to add a festive touch to your table. They make use of old jars & bottles that are quite blah, but with a little magic, they become TADA!

Fill old bottles with assorted floral bouquets; even if the flowers are from the corner deli or supermarket, when the same varieties are clustered together, the look is elevated! This idea is from the girls at Sunday Suppers.

Jordan, over at Oh Happy Day, created these personalized vases that can be used as seating cards at a wedding or place cards at a dinner party. What's even more special is that guests can take these home!

Check out this easy way to brighten up glass votive holders just by adding dry corn kernels. A lovely concept by Amanda Joy of Joy Ever After.

I'm in love with this D-I-Y chandelier made of flowers, candles, jars and twine. So dreamy on a summer night outdoors and still romantic when placed indoors on Thanksgiving night. Found this on the BZ Events blog.

Here's another version that's hung on a blank wall, discovered in the Ruffled blog. Match the flowers to the season like autumn leaves, red roses and orange mums for fall. You can fill the bottles with some acorns and twigs, too.

As you've seen in these examples, making a centerpiece or floral arrangement need not be blah, hard or fussy when entertaining for the holidays.

Block Printing

I hope you're having a good Friday!

This week was all about blah to TADA!

crafts inspired by this book:

If you haven't had the chance to check it out, you might want to go to the library or order yourself a copy. You'll enjoy the house tours and DIY projects that you can implement in your home to make it even more vibrant and comfortable.

Today, these are my pegs:

A block-printed duvet by Kate Pruitt; the block

print "stamp" is made from scrap cardboard

Stamped fabric curtains by Clara Klein; this

"stamp" is made of craft foam

Instead of rummaging for materials in

my craft bin, I've sought the vegetable

bin in fridge instead.

We'll use some lettuce!

We normally cut off the bottom and just throw it away.

But if you take a look, it has a pretty pattern.

Use this as the "stamp" and dip it in a shallow

puddle of paint.

Here it is on paper -- doesn't it look

like a blushing rose?

Use it as a recurring pattern on paper bags.

Now, a blah paper bag is a TADA!

A neat idea for the holidays!

Experiment with other fruits or vegetables,

as well as colors of paint.

Have a superb weekend!