blah to TADA!

11 January 2010

Branded Bags

Hello and Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. It's been pretty cold where I live so I tried to stay under the covers and enjoyed some hot tea & warm soup. But today I'm up and about, ready for a fun week of crafting! With my title "Branded Bags", the names Louis Vuitton and Chanel may have crossed your mind. Sorry folks, I'm talking about these kinds of brands:

The bags splashed with company logos that you get as a freebie on airlines or conferences. As you can see, I have quite a collection! We'll turn these blahs into Tadas! this week.

This is a pouch from an American Airlines flight. I like that it's bright red and the logo is pretty discreet.

I simply covered the old logo with a patch (I chose a nautical theme).

Tada! Nobody would suspect that I got this bag for free!

I can use it for kids' art materials. Or to store phone chargers & adapters when I travel.

Have an awesome week ahead!

08 January 2010

Special Occasions

Let me cap "Calendar Week" with another blah to Tada! idea.

I'm not only using one calendar...

...I'm using two kinds to make a brand new calendar:

Tada! A birthday/anniversary calendar
that I can use each & every year.

I used the tent-style calendar as the base and covered the pages with construction paper. From the wall calendar, I cut out the months & dates then glued these on the blank page. I embellished further with magazine cut-outs.

Then I filled in the dates with my loved ones' birthdays & anniversaries. This special occasion calendar sits beside my current calendar so I'll never forget to greet these important people a "Happy Birthday" or "Happy Anniversary".

I added a pocket at the back of the calendar to hold greeting cards, envelopes & stamps that I can send out a few weeks before the special date. While it's easy to send a text or an e-mail, nothing melts the heart like a hand written-sealed with a kiss-postman delivered birthday card!

Have a happy Tada! weekend!

07 January 2010

Twelve Little Journals

Happy Thursday Everyone! I've been sharing some ideas on how to reuse 2009 calendars.

Instead of tossing this away, we'll turn this blah...

...into a Tada!

I cut out the "month" from the calendar and
glued them on the cover of these
little blank notebooks (I got them at Muji).

I assigned a date on each page of the notebook
by gluing the "dates" from the old calendar.

I did the same on all pages of the journal,
depending on how many days each month has.

Now I can personalize the journal based
on how I'd like to use it; for example:
(1) daily schedule for appointments
(2) headings like "A.M" & "P.M." or
"Morning", "Noon" & "Night"
(3) leave it blank for quotes, ideas,
gratitude & doodles

I made 12 notebooks for each month of the year.
Now I can't wait to fill up each one!

06 January 2010

This One's for the Cook

This week on my blog, I'm breathing new life into last year's calendars.

I'll turn this blah 2009 tabletop calendar into a Tada!

Once the month by month pages are removed,
all you have left is this sturdy tent-like structure.

Simply dress it up with some scraps of colorful paper,
add some clips (these came from old ID tags) and...

...Tada! It's now a recipe card holder!

Keep it on your kitchen counter as an easy reference.
It also leaves you with an extra hand to measure,
mix and taste.

Happy Cooking!

05 January 2010

Instant Art

In this age where you can find a calendar on your computer or mobile phone, I still choose to display a wall calendar. There's something about the blank white spaces waiting to be filled with an appointment or important reminder. It's also my excuse to purchase one if I don't get one as a present. My 2009 calendar was all about London and its landmarks. I loved all the photos that were revealed as the year progressed, and now that 2009 is over, I don't think I want to throw the calendar away.

So I'm turning this blah...

... into a Tada!

I cut my favorite images from the calendar and placed them in a simple frame. The photo above is the British Museum. I really like the glass ceiling that lets the sunshine in.

Here's another iconic British symbol -- the double decker bus. I love the blazing red color that brings back memories of afternoons exploring the city.

I just had to frame this one, too!

Hang the framed images gallery-style on an empty wall in your home or office. Whether it's the vibrant villas of Italy, black & white images of Paris, brilliant sunsets or adorable kittens, these will make any wall speak volumes.

04 January 2010

Calendar Girl

One of my New Year rituals is to install a fresh wall calendar. While it's time to say goodbye to 2009, that doesn't necessarily mean that the old calendar ends up in the trash.

I'm turning this 2009 calendar from blah...

... to Tada!

A page from the calendar works perfectly as gift wrap
for small to medium sized presents.

No tags needed...just mark the recipient's birthday
as a red letter day & add a sweet little note.

May you all start the first week of the New Year with a high note!