Travel Journals

Yesterday, I told you about my new camera.

After a fun scavenger hunt, I'm left with these photos.

Instead of leaving them in a dark drawer,

let's make them useful!

Have I told you that I love to travel?

I keep these little notebooks for each destination I visit.

Before the trip, I write down places to check out like shops,

restaurants, markets, important phrases, basic etiquette,

cultural activities and unique experiences.

During the trip, it serves as a journal and a scrapbook

where I can stick business cards or found treasures

like a leaf, a ticket to a museum or a bus pass.

The prints taken from my new camera will now find

a place in the pages of my travel journals.

But for now, here's what I'm doing

with the prints that I already have:

I'll use them as labels for the face of each notebook.

It adds some visual interest...

And serves a functional purpose, too!

See you again tomorrow.

My New Camera!

Can I tell you about a truly enjoyable

summer activity I did recently?

Well, it all began here:

B&H is a little piece of heaven for photo & video enthusiasts.

They have an event space where experts conduct free seminars.

Yes, FREE!

From choosing the best camera, to lighting & composition,

to marketing your work. During the summer, they have

photo safaris & scavenger hunts. They lend you a camera and

the group hits the streets of New York City in search of

items to photograph. Prizes await the best photos.

Here's the camera we got to try:

The Fujifilm Instax Mini.

It works like a Polaroid camera (instant film).

We were also given a free cap & T-shirt!

{I love freebies...they're TADA!}

Cameras being handed out...

Plus boxes of film {we each had a total of 40 shots}.

After a short demo, we were given the list of 25 items

we had to find. We had 4 hours to complete the mission.

The output of the camera is this credit card-size photo:

Item #2 on the list: Tourist taking a photo

in Times Square

Item #14: Green park chairs sitting pretty

Item #22: A French Arch with a fountain in NYC

Item #16: An ice cream truck like Mr. Softee

Item #18: A man riding a horse, and getting nowhere

It took us from midtown to downtown on a sweltering day.

I was able to cross out the items in about 2 1/2 hours,

without taking a break -- I really wanted a prize!

But sadly, some folks who were faster and

highly skilled beat me to it {they gave

away B&H gift cards}.

We got to keep the camera though!

And that's a prize in itself.

I also have a stack of photos:

This week, I'll show you how I turn them from blah to TADA!

See you tomorrow, okay?

Mini Blueberry Pie

Happy Friday!

Here's the final installment of my bottle cap

transformation. You got it -- blah to TADA!

Don't these bottle caps remind you of tiny pie plates?

With this in mind, I made this mini blueberry pie!

It's my attempt at making Whimsy Girl's wee pie.

Check out her tutorial...it's a lot of fun!

Add a magnet at the back & use it on the fridge

to hold recipes for fruit pies.

Or use it to decorate a wrapped gift for

your favorite pie-loving friends.

Have an awesome weekend ya' all!

Arm Candy

How's it going everyone?

I hope your week has been great!

Today, I'm continuing my bottle cap transformation.

Why throw these away when you can

turn them from blah...

...to TADA!

The bottle caps are now bangles!

I made them by covering the bottle caps with fabric.

In fact, they're fabric scraps from an old project.

I strung the covered caps together with elastic string.

Festoon with a ribbon, a button or some beads.

Wear it alone.

Or wear both.

You can even layer it with your

other pieces of jewelry.

See how many people can tell that

your fashionable cuff is really made

out of bottle caps!

Denim & Chains

This week, I'm turning these bottle caps:

From blah...

...to TADA!

I used yesterday's technique of

covering bottle caps with scrap fabric.

Before inserting the bottle cap inside the fabric,

I sewed on silver beads (ex. butterfly & flowers)

to the fabric.

I also attached jump rings by sewing one end

to the top of the fabric & ending

the stitch with some knots.

I also added some silver pendants

for added interest & weight.

It adds some TADA! to a plain silver chain and

the needed TADA! to a simple outfit.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Marvelous Medallions

What's your drink of choice this summer?

Mine's root beer.

Thus the growing bottle cap collection:

But from blah...

I turned them into Tada!

Cute medallions that can be a fun activity

for a play date or a sweet party favor.

Want to make some?

I'll show you how!

Here are the things we'll need: scissors, needle, thread,

clean bottle caps, scrap fabric, felt remnants & hot glue.

Cut the fabric scraps into circles ( about 2 1/2 inches).

Make a running stitch around the fabric.

Gather the ends together by pulling the thread.

Insert the bottle cap inside the fabric before

fully pulling the thread to seal the edges.

Make several neat knots at the end

to keep the thread from unraveling.

Cut the excess thread.

Flip the bottle caps and Tada!,

they look like covered buttons!

Decorate further with designs made from felt remnants

and attach to bottle cap with hot glue.

Make a little loop at the top using

needle & thread.

Insert a piece of ribbon, lace, chain or leather string

through the loop.

Tada! An instant medallion to award to good girls & boys!

A Week of Bottle Caps

Did you have a lovely weekend ladies?

I must say I did. Beautiful, sunny weather

seems to equal a beautiful weekend!

Nothing major really.

A good book, a slice of pie & a root beer

are just the right ingredients.

Root beer has been a treat for me this summer,

leaving me with lots & lots of bottle caps.

I keep the caps in a little zipper bag &

brainstormed how I could turn these

from blah to TADA!

It's funny how the universe whispers

the answers.

A few Fridays ago, I visited the American Folk Art Museum

located in New York City.

What an eye opener -- the works on display

had so much love infused in them from

paintings, to tapestry and even sculpture!

It's a museum for the crafter.

Take a look at this piece:

It's called "Bottle Cap Snake" by Ron Rodriguez.

The plaque beside it says that the artist "combines the

woodcarving skills of his family lineage with a common

practice in folk art: recycling. Transforming material

from its original use to a new one distinguishes many

vernacular objects valued as folk art."

Gasp! I love to recycle! Does that mean

I'm a folk artist?! Hee hee, I can dream, can't I?

Anyway, back to my bottle caps:

So blah.

But now...TADA!

The images are magazine cut-outs and

attached to the inside of the bottle caps with glue.

Magnets are secured at the back end with a glue gun.

Use these for your fridge or a magnetic white board.

Another alternative is putting tacks instead of magnets,

to dress up your cork boards.

More ideas tomorrow!