Ice Pops

It's all about cool & sweet this week when we turned plain old ice cream from blah to Tada!

Here's another idea using a recipe adapted from Gourmet magazine:

We'll turn vanilla ice cream into Strawberry-Vanilla Swirled Frozen Pops!

Here's what we'll need:
1 lb strawberries, hulled & halved
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 pints vanilla ice cream, room temperature
12 (1/3 cup) ice pop molds or 12 paper cups and 12 wooden sticks

Here's what we need to do: Mash strawberries in a large bowl with a potato masher or fork. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Add in the vanilla ice cream and mix just enough to combine.

Spoon the mixture into molds or cups -- I used an ice cube tray.

Add the wooden sticks & return to the freezer until firm.

Tada! Pink popsicles with bits of juicy strawberries.
Go ahead and indulge!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Are you Vanilla or Are you Chocolate?

If you can't decide, then why not be both?

This week on my blog, we're adding some Tada! to ice cream.

Scoop some vanilla ice cream on a parchment paper-lined tray. Allow the scoops to firm up in the freezer. As the ice cream freezes, melt some chocolate (milk or dark chocolate...it's all up to you) in a double boiler & allow to cool slightly.

Take out the ice cream from the freezer and pour the chocolate sauce on top using a ladle. Return to the freezer when the ice cream begins to melt or, if you work fast, when all the ice cream balls have been coated in chocolate. Freeze again to let both ice cream and chocolate to harden.

Tada! Vanilla ice cream enrobed in chocolate.
Can anything be more mouth-watering than that?

Little Icy Umbrellas

When summertime rolls in, I have this habit of hoarding fruits like berries, peaches and cantaloupes. And why not? They are at their sweetest and they're so cheap! I eat them for breakfast, some I freeze for later use and I also turn them into smoothies (add milk or yogurt to your choice of fruit and whiz in a blender):

Then I figured, what if I freeze this smoothie?

I poured them into tiny tart pans. You can do the same using little paper cups, sauce containers or mini muffin tins, then put them in the freezer.

After about 20 minutes, take the tins out of the freezer and insert some popsicle sticks. The smoothie will be firm enough to hold the sticks in place. Return to the freezer to fully solidify.

To unmold, dip the tin in hot water & apply some force to loosen.

Tada! A healthy snack using the season's best harvest.

I really like how they resemble small umbrellas.

Hope to see you again tomorrow!

I Scream for Ice Cream

Happy new week everybody!

I looked through my freezer this weekend and I found some neglected ice cream. Gasp! I know, I have no excuse for ignoring this heavenly dessert, but if sweets like lemon meringue pie, strawberry shortcake and banana pudding find their way to your fridge, you would forgive me if I allowed the ice cream to "chill" for a while.

So this week on my blog, I'm serving up some icy treats that turn plain ice cream from blah to Tada!

Ice cream + cookies

Tada! Ice cream sandwich!

It's an easy snack that both adults & kids will love.
See you tomorrow for another icy cold idea!

Punch & Bind

One lovely reader recently asked for help to transform her blah business card holder into a Tada!. And that's how the blah to Tada! challenge was born. If you need some Tada! solutions using everyday blah items, send me an e-mail and I'll try my best to help you out.

Maybe you also need help organizing your thick wad of business cards that you've collected recently? Here's a crafty idea:

Blah: Sheets of cardboard & an old J. Crew catalogue.

You'll need these materials, too: pencil, ruler, a pair of scissors,
puncher, glue, a computer/printer & a big binder ring.

Step 1: Measure the cardboard to the size of a standard business card and add a half-inch allowance to its height (portrait orientation).

Step 2: Cut the cardboard. Once cut, you must have a total of 26 cards corresponding to each letter of the alphabet.

Step 3: Punch a hole on the upper left side of each piece of cardboard.

Now the fun part!

Step 4: Decorate each piece of cardboard. I opted for a "summer" look using bathing suits cut out from a J. Crew catalogue. You can choose whatever theme you fancy -- shoes, bags, flowers, food, cartoon characters...

Step 5: Print out letters from the computer & stick one letter on each piece of cardboard.

Step 6: Take out your business cards and punch each at the top left corner (make sure not to punch out important details like phone numbers & e-mail addresses). Rotate the business card if necessary.

Step 7: Insert the decorated cardboard sheets and business cards (now organized alphabetically) onto the binder ring.

Tada! Not your usual business card holder
but clean & compact just the same!

Note: You can easily add or remove a card by sliding the binder ring opening to the corresponding letter. Unlock the binder ring and attach or detach a card. Lock the binder ring once again.

Wishing you a Happy Tada! weekend!

Cards in Jars

Well hello there! This week, I'm on my first ever blah to Tada! challenge. Marti sent me an e-mail requesting for ideas on how to better organize her business cards. It had to be easy and must be made of recycled goodies. I hope I haven't failed her so far!

Here's a new idea that makes use of old jelly jars & salsa bottles.

Sleek business card holders in three simple steps:

Step 1: Scrub the jars so they're squeaky clean & don't smell of food.
Dry them well.
Step 2: Label the bottles in alphabetical fashion: A to E, F to J, etc. or create categories based on the business cards you have: new acquaintances, business partners, favorite restaurants, etc.
Step 3: Add in your business cards and display the bottles on your desk or office shelf.

Tada! Clean, clear & no clutter!

Box Up Your Business Cards

We're thinking of easy, eco-friendly solutions to organize business cards, and I've got another idea for you:

Not quite a blah because of the pretty print,
but if a stationery box is all out of cards & envelopes,
all that's left is a plain & empty box.

Unless you re-use it of course!

I put some dividers in the box (using cardboard covered with floral-print paper) that stay standing with the help of hot glue on the bottom & sides of the cardboard.

I labeled the dividers using my handwriting on pink paper. The groupings are based on the similarities of the business cards I have: old friends, new friends, food & drink, crafters (I frequent craft fairs!), medical & legal, and etc. for those cards that don't quite fit into a category.

If you're planning a wedding, you can have caterers, printers, musicians, photographers and guests as your categories. If you're looking for a job, I suggest these labels: headhunters, references, dream job and send thank yous to.

Go ahead and concoct your own categories.
Don't limit yourself to alphabetizing your business cards.

There you have it -- cute and organized.
Two of my favorite words!

See you tomorrow for another idea!