Easter Ain't Just for Kids

It's Thursday and still there are more ideas on how to re-use the egg carton. I'm gearing up for a Sunday brunch and even if there are no children on the guest list, I think we adults can be kids again with Easter eggs and surprises.

I'm turning this blah plastic egg container into another
fun & easy centerpiece.

By simply removing the lid, opening it up and filling it with Easter treats like chocolate eggs, Skittles and M&Ms, I've got a centerpiece that guests can help themselves to!

I also included Easter eggs that I colored & decorated myself. The number of eggs correspond to the number of guests. At the party, I'll have each guest pick an egg and look, there will be a surprise inside:

Inspired by the fortune cookie, I printed out Easter quotes for each egg. I think everyone will welcome a few inspiring words like Alice Freeman Palmer's "For I remember it is Easter morn, and life and love and peace are all new born."

If you're a little generous, another alternative is to give out prizes like, "Congratulations, you won a Barnes & Noble gift card" or other little gifts like a bar of chocolate or a bottle of beer. Here's wishing you an Easter that's blooming with peace, hope and a lot of cheap thrills that's simply Tada!

L'il Devil

Whether it's Easter or not, most of us will find eggs inside our fridge. Once the eggs have been used up, it's bye-bye to the container. This week on blah to Tada!, we're finding new uses for the egg carton. I'm crediting today's tip to Rachael Ray. She mentioned it in a past episode of "30 Minute Meals" and every brilliant idea has to be shared, right?

Let's say you're going to a potluck party or a picnic. Why not bring deviled eggs?

Use your favorite recipe and put the filling into the cooked whites using a nifty piping bag
(a resealable bag snipped at the corner works well, too).

Transport the l'il deviled eggs to the party using a plastic egg container like this.

It helps maintain freshness and keeps the eggs from moving around.
Isn't that clever?

See you tomorrow for another Tada! idea.

Eggs-tra Storage

On my blog this week, egg cartons have checked-in for a blah to Tada! make-over.
They do function as easy containers for seasonal storage:

I know that these cartons will keep my Christmas ornaments (especially those made of glass) safe and secure until I'm ready to decorate for the holidays. Packaging tape keep the boxes from opening and a label instantly tells me what's inside.

Please stop by tomorrow for another eggs-citing blah to Tada! idea!

Egg-stra Special Cartons

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend! Easter is right around the corner and appropriately enough I chose egg cartons for this week's blah to Tada! transformation.

Today's blah...

...is Easter Sunday's Tada!

To make the base:

• Cut off the top part of the egg carton.
• Cut the base in half so you'll end up with two bases that will cradle 6 vases each.
  
• Make sure to "curve" the pointy edges of the carton with a pair of scissors.
  

To make the vases:

• Make a hole (about 1 inch in diameter) on one end of a raw egg. Transfer the contents to a bowl. You may chose to use these right away or save them for later by placing them in a resealable bag (you can separate the yolks from the whites depending on how you'll use them in your recipes) and label them (ex. 3 yolks) before storing them in the freezer.
• Wash the empty egg shells in warm water and allow to dry.
• Fill the egg shells half-way with water and place these on the egg carton.
• Tuck flowers (stems trimmed) and leaves into the vase.
  

This makes a darling centerpiece for your Easter brunch
that's eco-friendly, too!

An Unexpected Transformation

Thank God it's Friday! I hope you survived the week successfully crossing out a lot of items on your To Do List. I sure did and recycling is one of my priorities. As an end to "Caps and Covers" week, I'll show you how I turned this margarine lid from a blah to a Tada!

First, I cut off the rim to achieve a flat circle. Then I took out my leaf-shape paper punchers and punched away! The lid was thin enough for the puncher to "bite into" but some force is definitely needed.

Using a safety pin (a needle works too), I made a hole on one end of each leaf.

Tada! I made earrings from a lid of a margarine tub!
Go ahead and personalize yours with different puncher shapes, beads & findings.

Have a spectacular Tada! weekend everyone!

Plastic to Fantastic

Today I will turn these blah plastic lids (from take-out containers) to a Tada! coaster.

Note: You'll need 2 lids to make one coaster

Step 1: Clean the lids & keep them spotless by wiping the surface
with rubbing alcohol.

Step 2: Cut off the rim using a pair of scissors so you're left
with two flat plastic disks.

Step 3: Choose a design -- I picked the initials of my family members.
You can easily do this on the computer (use your favorite font),
print them out and cut each letter at the outlines.

Step 4: Attach the letter/design at the center of one of the disks using
white glue & allow to dry.

Step 5: Sandwich the design with the other disk and seal the edges by holding them against a flame (a taper candle works well). Don't let the plastic touch the flame -- the heat will slowly melt the edges making the top & bottom disks to stick together. Allow to cool and put a weight on it (ex. a stack of books).

Tada!...you've got a cute coaster for your cold drinks
(hot coffee or tea mugs can warp the plastic).

Other ways to personalize your coaster: family photos, kids' artworks
or small notes & quotes.

Tab to Fab!

We're giving beverage caps & covers a make-over this week and today's star is the pull tab found on top of soda cans. How on earth can we recycle this you ask? Well, a recent trip to the New York Botanical Garden gift shop made me a believer that pretty things can be made out of pull tabs.

A clutch made of pull tabs

A belt made of pull tabs

A modern-looking brooch made of pull tabs

Decorate your wrist with this chunky bracelet made out of pull tabs

Dangling earrings also made out of pull tabs

These are a product of San Francisco-based Escama Studio who collaborate with Brazilian cooperatives specializing in the craft, "crochet with tabs". Now when your items are sold at New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Store and have been featured in many international magazines, that's a big deal! Fans can't get enough of these works of art and that's a good thing: more demand equals less litter equals more jobs for Brazilian women equals a better life for their family! Not only that, they can add "artist" to their credentials because they autograph the tag of each piece that they make. Definitely a blah to Tada success story!

If you're not the crafty type, you can still donate your pull tab collection here.