Time for a Picnic!

It's Friday and I bet you're gearing up for the Fourth of July! I have a fun and environment-friendly idea for you if you're planning a picnic this weekend.

Here's the blah: a collection of mismatched cloth table napkins.

I found them at shops like Target & Anthropologie for less than $2.00 each. But they didn't have a buddy or were separated from their napkin family. I bought them anyway because of the cute prints.

Here's the Tada!: Napkins in prints that spell S-U-M-M-E-R. Now is the season to take them out, match them up with colorful melamine plates and reusable utensils to create picnic kits!

Simply put the plate in the center of the napkin.

Wrap the napkin around the plate and knot the edges.

Add the utensils and make another knot to secure them in place.

Make enough settings for all the guests at the picnic.
The napkins can also double as placemats!

Just add your favorite picnic food & drink and you're ready to go!

Make sure to take two extra bags -- one for trash and the other for soiled plates & utensils that you can put in the dishwasher when you get home. This guarantees an enjoyable picnic and a happy mother earth!

Happy Fourth of July & Happy Weekend!

Present Perfect

I hope you'll agree with me that handkerchiefs are lovely vintage treasures. You may have some hiding in your closet and there are many waiting to be purchased at flea markets and thrift stores. In the past two weeks, I've shown you how you can play around with these hankies and today I've got another idea for you.

We'll use these to package a few presents!

Put your gift in the center of the hankie.

Wrap the gift by neatly folding the edges and making a tight knot.
No need for scissors, tape or ribbon!

Embellish as you please!
Here, I added a rose-print button.

Or put on some bling like this brooch that compliments
the color of the handkerchief.

Complete the present with a gift enclosure and

some cheerful wishes.
Now you've got a pretty present inside & out!
Plus gift wrap that can be used all over again.

One for Me & One For You

I'm going ga-ga over vintage handkerchiefs and today, I'll turn this little floral number from blah to Tada!

Just fold it in half and cut it into two triangles.

Sew a long piece of ribbon over the cut edge to prevent fraying.

Tada! Two bandanas made from one hankie!

I'll be keeping one and sending the other to my best friend who lives far away. We can wear it all summer long! Wouldn't it be cute, too, if Mom and daughter wore them at the same time?

Tray, tray chic!

We're taking these vintage handkerchiefs out of the closet and making them part of the everyday.

How can you not with prints pretty as these?

Just like yesterday's project, we'll put one of our favorite hankies inside a frame.

But this time, we're turning the frame into a useful tray!

More Hanky Panky

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you had a nice & sunny weekend.

Last week, we played around with some vintage handkerchiefs that any blushing bride can use at her wedding. I hope you gals who aren't brides-to-be didn't feel left out. Good news! This week on blah to Tada!, we'll get into some more hanky panky...the wholesome kind of course!

I have this stack of floral handkerchiefs sitting inside my sock drawer. In a not so distant past, every lady carried one and I bet, if these hankies could talk, they'd be muttering, "Bring us back in style!"

Part of that stack is this handkerchief I got from a pink & green swap. Isn't it pretty? The pink rose really grabs your attention.

I love it so much, I think it's worthy to be framed.
It brightens up my desk, giving me the feeling of having
a vase of flowers!

Heirloom Hankies

Horay it's Friday! Let me cap wedding week with a final blah to Tada! transformation dedicated to the bride and all her best friends.

Here's the blah...an old handkerchief.

Here's the Tada!...an old handkerchief, but one that's personal & sentimental.

It's meant for best friends to share and pass on.

Each lady's name and wedding date are written (or embroidered) on the handkerchief.

It marks that special day when she was a bride.

Then it's passed on to the next bride!

This has all the elements a bride needs for her wedding day:

Something OLD: the handkerchief
Something NEW: the NEW bride's name & wedding date
Something BORROWED: the handkerchief that's passed on
among friends
Something BLUE: the embroidery thread

The current bride keeps it in her care until a new engagement is announced. It can be presented to the bride-to-be at the engagement party or bridal shower.

This handkerchief can also be a wonderful heirloom piece from mother to daughter or shared among sisters.

Who says new wedding traditions can't be created?

Have a Tada! weekend everyone!

A Bride's Buddy

Planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful things a woman can go through. Too many lists to make & cross out, so many details to think about. So to all the brides out there, I'm offering to you this vintage handkerchief...

Not to wipe those tears away, though!
We're turning it from blah...

...to Tada! -- it's now a bridal pouch!

Just fold the handkerchief in half, then in thirds.

Sew the edges and add a button with an elastic loop to the flap.

The blushing bride can use this to carry the important things
she will need for her big day like
tissues & blotting paper (no shiny faces!).

Add a small bottle of cologne, a compact, lipstick and a sewing kit.

Let the maid of honor hang on to this -- she'll be there with you
for touch ups and small emergencies.

Here's wishing you a wedding that's truly Tada!