I Saw the Sign

Our featured blah this week is the name tag, this plastic fella with a metal clip that's a personalized freebie in every meeting & conference we are sent to attend. I got the inspiration to turn this blah into a Tada! from this month's issue of ReadyMade Magazine, specifically in the MacGyver section. It challenges everyday people like us to convert a humble object into a thing of beauty using our creative super powers. Wearing my mask & cape (homemade, of course!), I respond to the call of duty...

Once a name tag, now a door sign!

It's proudly made of recycled materials like cardboard & a catalogue cover, put together using a pair of scissors & glue. It's attached to the door using double-stick tape and the sign can easily be switched into a new one: "The Doctor is Out", "Meeting in Progress", "Do Not Disturb", "Will Return After 1:00 PM", depending on whose office it is. Simply insert a new sheet into the slot.

It can be used at home as well -- for a baby's room which he or she can keep until the teenage years. Don't the phrases "Keep Out", "Enter at Your Own Risk", "Only Cool People Allowed" bring you back to those days of drama?

See you tomorrow for another Tada!.

ReadyMade MacGyver Challenge

ReadyMade Magazine is one clever manual bursting at the seams with D-I-Y projects and brilliant ideas. Even craft-shy folks will discover a thing or two after soaking in pages dispensing tidbits about technology, books, food, photography or interior design. Once you put it down, you'll say to yourself, "I want to make something!"

One of my favorite sections has got to be the back page called the MacGyver. For those who are too young to remember, it's named in honor of the lead character in the TV show MacGyver popular in the 80's. Angus Macgyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson) was this hunky secret agent whose greatest strength was his resourcefulness. He got out of intense situations (ex. trapped inside a locked truck that's about to explode) using found objects like a paperclip or stopped the bad guys using a bomb made out of chewing gum. So if people call you "MacGyver", take it as a compliment because it means you can make something out of nothing!

In every issue of ReadyMade, there's a MacGyver challenge where readers are given an everyday item or what we call in this blog a BLAH (ex. pots & pans) to transform into a totally new object, or what we call a TADA! (ex. chandelier).

The next challenge is to find new uses for the NAMETAG (clip-on plastic sleeves or IDs with lanyards) and I'm putting my gameface on!

Everyday this week, I'll show you how I turn this blah (nametag) into a Tada!.

By simply printing out a name badge and trimming the cord...

...the ID tag is now a luggage tag!

The plastic sleeve protects the info sheet from getting wet and whatever turns & tumbles that happen on the baggage carousel. Personalize as you wish -- colored paper & a bright ribbon (instead of a cord) so you can spot your suitcase from miles away.

Here's another version of the ID tag. Once a blah...

...now a Tada!

The travel expects recommend putting a label inside your bag in case the luggage tag gets lost. This nifty ID tag rises to occasion with its safety pin-back & sturdy plastic. Just add a neat print out of your information (include your contact details), attach and you're on your way!

Have a great week ahead & see you all tomorrow!

Vita-MINTS!

It's finally the weekend and if you're planning a little getaway, don't forget to take tiny mint containers with you. Pack one with mints (your fellow travelers will appreciate fresh breath) and save an empty one for a few days worth of vitamins.

Mark the tin accordingly to avoid confusion.
Make a label in an instant using sticker paper & a black pen.

Fill the tin with vitamins you take on a daily basis & keep it in your carry-on bag.
No need to pack bulky bottles & you'll remain healthy during the trip.

Here's wishing you a fun, festive & Tada! weekend!

Secret Stash

How can we re-use this empty peppermint tin?

Once a blah, now a TADA!:

Simply attach a sheet with a fun print to the face of the tin using adhesive then fill it with anything & everything you want:

This decorated mint tin is a perfect place to stash a collection of costume jewelry.

Whether at home, work or on vacations, a sewing kit always comes in handy especially for tears and loose buttons.

Corral hair accessories like clips & elastics in your jazzed-up mint tin.

Use it to keep lipstick, blush & cologne. It's small enough to fit your evening purse.

Finally, the mint tin can house a small first aid kit for travel or an office drawer.

Pocketful of Spices

I really like these Wrigley's Doublemint Mints. They're tiny white capsules that heroically bid bye-bye to bad breath & the mint flavor is not too strong to make one wince. Sadly, I can't find this brand anymore. What a BLAH. I'm left with their casings that I've turned into a Tada!:

S is for Salt and P is for Pepper...what a dynamic duo they make together!

Keep these little shakers in the office drawer so you can take them out when lunch needs some seasoning. They come in handy, too for packed lunches & picnics.

C is for Chili...chili flakes or chili powder, it's totally up to you.
Just a little dash to spice up a cafeteria or airplane meal.

Tictac Tricks

What happens when mint containers no longer hold mints?

Well, they're still containers! Use them to hold small crafting supplies like beads, sequins, buttons & glitter.

For the D-I-Y fellas, use them in your tool box to keep nails & screws organized.
For the office, use them to keep paperclips & tacks in place.
How's that for micro-management?

Got Mint?

Which do you prefer: mints or gum? I would choose the former because it does the job of keeping your breath fresh (or keeping you awake at a long meeting) and you can do it oh-so subtly. Just let the mint glide around your mouth as it releases its minty-fresh action and then it melts into oblivion. Gum is less discreet with all the chewing involved and the ceremony required to get rid of it -- wrap it in paper and toss it in the trash. Well, that's how I would do it but there are certainly many folks who just leave their gum on the sidewalk. What a major BLAH especially if it ends up on your shoes! Okay, so I got that off my chest.

I love mints and I always have some in my bag. I'm an equal-opportunity mint enthusiast, willing to try the many brands available so I've amassed quite a few mint containers. And while we treat an empty mint tin like this as a blah:

It can actually be transformed into a Tada!...

By covering the mint tin in polka-dot print sticker paper, it's now a cute dispenser for coffee sweetener that you can take wherever you travel. How sweet is that?