The Land of Lego

I hope you had a nice weekend my dears. This week, it's all about one of my favorite childhood toys: LEGO!

via controlling craziness

I think Lego is such a wonderful toy for older children. Plain, blah bricks become TADA! with a little bit of imagination. Growing up, I loved building a lot of Lego houses using the white windows with green shutters,  a white door, and I even landscaped with pine trees and flowers. My houses were usually bungalows, sometimes with a swimming pool, but never one of this kind:

These look like the brownstones you would see in Manhattan. My 7-year old self would never have dreamed of this on my own. This is just one of the masterpieces you'd find at the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center, New York:

Check out this sign.

 It's made entirely of little Lego people!

They are painted in single colors and 

attached to a large Lego mat. 

I wonder what the population of this sign is?

Here's a witty take on an iconic statue... 

...Atlas on 5th Avenue {Rockefeller Center}.

Lego's version of the "Wisdom" panel on 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Rockefeller Center is always bustling and this is the 

Lego version, ice skating rink included! 

I love this Volkswagen Campervan, especially the doors

and checkerboard tiles inside!  

For you Star Wars fanatics -- the mighty Death Star. 

 Chewbacca and a few Stormtroopers 

 Ah, Darth Vader.

For Harry Potter fans, there's a whole Lego collection for you! 

Albus Dumbledore 

 Harry Potter

Lord Voldemort

My, my, Lego is such a classic toy spanning generations...I think that's TADA!

Gingerbread Houses

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving celebration. The Christmas season is upon us and many of you may be crossing out your gift lists this super shopping weekend, or staying home to begin decorating.

If you fancy something crafty with the kids, here's an idea:

Make your own gingerbread houses! Instead of the cookie and candy kind, make some that will last for years to come. And throw in some recycling by using blah cardboard like empty cereal or tissue boxes. Paint them, glue them together, embellish with stickers and paper cutouts, then shower with glitter.

Here are a few more:

 Make one.

 Or two.

Or an entire village. 

Put these on the table in the foyer or atop a mantle.

Have each child make her/his own. 

Or make one for your tree or one
to wrap presents.

Have an exciting weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

We're celebrating Thanksgiving in the US today. 

I want to wish you all a "Happy Thanksgiving" and take a moment for some of the things I am very grateful for:

• For good health and the ability to wake up to a brand new day, everyday.
• For safety and warmth during Hurricane Sandy -- we lost power for one week, and even if we had the inconvenience of no hot water for showering or a heater for cold evenings, or the frills of life like cable and internet, I'm blessed to have a home to go back to.
• For the kindness of strangers, especially those who continue to volunteer to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
• For the opportunity to share ideas and small steps to help the environment through this blog.
• For all the visitors and regular readers of my blog who inspire me to turn blah to TADA! 

A Home for Pins & Needles

Thank you for visiting me today! Here's another photo for a potential blah to TADA! craft project:

I found these rainbow pin cushions at Grey's Fabric and Notions. They make fun wall/door decorations or maybe a tree ornament, too, if you're not a sewing enthusiast.

This is a good way to turn scrap fabrics or old t-shirts that are blah into something TADA! Find a similar tutorial here.

Postal Memories

One photo is all it takes for a light bulb moment to happen. That's why I like to hang out on Pinterest and Instagram -- they're a treasure-trove of visual ideas!

Today's photo of the day is something I found at Boston's SoWA Vintage Market:  

It's a memory box with a postal theme. The elements: the door of an apartment mailbox, a skeleton key to open the mailbox, a postal stamp, and an airmail envelope with the apartment's address. 

I love it for sentimental reasons -- it celebrates your first home as a single adult, a couple that moved in together or got married. It's an artsy reminder of independence and happy memories made within four walls. 

Now I don't suggest that you tear down your mailbox for this blah to TADA! project. Instead, you can use a photo or watercolor painting of your building or house. Another option is to recreate the numbers of your address with vintage brass numerals. Also, find a map of your town and include this your memory box.

    

Just Photos

Hi there! Do you agree with me that looking at photos can spark some inspiration for crafty projects? I like to take a lot of pictures, wherever I am, because I know I'll find use for them in the future.

So this week, it's about a single photo a day, starting with this one:

It's a wooden box that's blah. With minimal elbow grease, it's been transformed to a display case for handmade jewelry...TADA!

I spotted this at a booth in Boston's SoWA open market last month. I love its simplicity and functionality. The owner didn't even bother to paint the box -- chipped paint on the outside and the inside is left raw. I liked how the owner added these wooden rows, making use of yard/meter sticks from the hardware store. They're cut to fit the box and attached to it using small nails. A line of tiny holes are drilled at the bottom to hang the dangle-y earrings. Also, a hinge was attached to keep the box open.

I think this is a great idea to organize your personal jewelry at home, or for you crafty folks ready to sell your masterpieces for the holidays. Have a productive day everyone!
     

Pucci-Inspired

Happy Friday friends!

A final make-over for brown paper bags

that are looking a little blah.

Today, I'm using a design that's quite iconic:

These are prints by Emilio Pucci. They're geometric and vibrant.

Now, let's work on the paper bag:

Start with a pencil sketch.

Then assign some color {I used watercolors}.

Here's the blah to TADA! reveal:

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Have a sensational weekend!

Metallic Prints

Well, hello there! This week, it's all about DIY gift bags. They're made of blah brown paper bags, and with just some paint, they become TADA!

Today, this paper bag's up for a transformation.

My inspiration -- these metallic prints by Oh Joy available here.

Another good source of designs/patterns are books from the library.

I covered the brand name with a metallic pen.

Then I added more elements using the same

pen and some silver paint.

TADA! Same paper bag but with a new look.

Put a gift inside {wrapped in metallic tissue}...

...and this bag is ready for festive fun!

A Lot Like Liberty of London

I have accumulated a stack of brown paper bags from shopping and food take-out. As long as they are clean, I flatten them and keep them in case I need to wrap gifts. I like to dress up the bags in my own blah to TADA! magic using markers or paint.

   Today, I'm using the floral prints that Liberty of London is famous for as a design peg.

I recreate the design by sketching.

Then I add some color.

I'm sticking to pinks...

...and white.

And a little bit of green.

You'll notice that I staggered the position
of the flowers instead of keeping them
close together.

A hand-painted bag to wrap a present
for a perfect friend...TADA!

Pointy-lism

Over the summer, I was able to visit a few museums. I discovered new techniques that I might be able to apply to future blah to TADA! projects. One technique that I became fascinated with was this painting by Korean artist, Lee Gilwoo, which was on exhibit in the Saatchi Gallery in London. 

Here's a sample of one of his paintings. It's a portrait made of dots, achieved by burning Hanji {a kind of Korean Paper} with the use of incense and a soldering iron. I love that the result has so much depth and texture.

I won't be burning anything for art's sake. Instead, I thought of a DIY printing technique so I can turn a blah paper bag into something TADA!

Here's what we'll need: a brown paper bag, 

a rubber band and a set of markers.

Secure the markers into a bundle using the rubber band.

Uncap the markers one by one and level off

the bottoms {by tapping them on a surface} 

so all the tips are aligned.

Press this down onto the paper bag.

Do this all over the bag, on all the sides, if you want.

Overlap the pattern or keep them far apart.

It beats filling the whole blank space 

individually with a single marker.

A confetti-like design...

...blah to TADA!

Paper Bag Projects

Happy Monday! Now that we're gearing up for the holidays, I'm thinking about gift wrapping. Paper bags are a quick go-to solution for me, especially when travelling. When packing, I cushion the gift {ex. hostess present} in a few layers of clothing in my suitcase, and I can easily include a paper bag {with tissue enclosure and greeting card} folded flat.

I usually have a stack of brown paper bags in a closet somewhere, waiting for their turn for a blah to TADA! make-over. Now, their moment has arrived. This week, it's all about paper bag projects on my blog.

I'm using Cath Kidston's polka-dot collection as the design element. 

 I draw random circles on the paper bag with the aid 

of a coin and pencil.

I fill in the circles with watercolor.  

I let the paint dry and do the same on the 

other side. 

TADA! A simple solution to an otherwise 

blah paper bag. 

The fun of this is that you can experiment 

with different colors and circle sizes. 

Have a lovely day!