Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Happy Monday Lovelies!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

It's no shame that I'm a fan of Chinese take-out.

At the bottom of the bag, you'll find packets of sauce

{need to turn these from blah to Tada!}

and the popular fortune cookie.

I always keep these strips of paper with the "fortune"

and I've even shared my good fortune to other folks.

Well, I have a few more "fortunes" to share

because just hiding them in a drawer is blah.

Tada! Make cake decorations out of them

by attaching them to a toothpick.

The birthday boy or girl gets to blow

the candles and everyone gets to

eat cake with fortunes to match!

Double Tada!

Memories of Asia

On my blog this week, it's all about travel souvenirs.

Souvenirs that you can wear but don't call out

the city where it's from.

They're souvenir necklaces that I made myself!

Blah: necklaces from a market in Thailand that

I bought almost a decade ago.

Tada! I gave them a new dimension by

joining them together with a silver chain.

These remind me of Thailand's gorgeous

beaches and fabulous shopping!

Have a great weekend and if you're

travelling, don't forget to pick up

a little souvenir!

Memories of Europe

How are you doing today?

If you've been tuning in, I've been making necklaces

that remind me of my travels.

Blah: old necklaces & loose beads.

Tada!: a shiny, happy multi-layer necklace

that looks brand new and reminds me of

crystals & chandeliers found in the

palaces of Europe.

I think I can hear this necklace sparkle.

See you tomorrow!

Memories of France

All this week, I'm creating new necklaces out of my

old necklaces and my inspiration: travel.

Blah: a long necklace that I bought from a

street vendor in New York City.

With a pair of pliers, I can reconfigure it

to create a new look.

Tada!: a pearl necklace that's more streamlined & formal.

It reminds me a lot of Marie Antoinette, of stylish

French women and Chanel:

When I get tired of the all-pearl look,

I can add other beads to update the

necklace once again.

Have a great day!

Memories of Puerto Rico

Thanks for stopping by today!

I've got another necklace idea inspired by travel.

When I make jewelry, I like to organize my

materials in empty egg cartons. I group

beads that I think might work together.

Blah -- beads from old necklaces & a

pendant I purchased in Puerto Rico.

Tada! -- a long, single-strand necklace

that highlights the beauty of the pendant!

Souvenir Necklaces

Where have you traveled lately?

I like to travel & I like keeping souvenirs ranging

from fridge magnets to inexpensive art.

I also like to make my own souvenirs that

don't scream, "I bought this in Rome" or

"I found this in San Francisco".

Some souvenirs are subtle but tell a story.

Remember this necklace?

It's a simple chain with different beads -- each

bead reminding me of a place I've visited.

This week, I'm making more of these necklaces.

They allow me to travel without having to hop on a plane!

Today's blah: these tiny people charms.

They're really earrings. I bought them in Brazil

but the shopkeeper said they were made in Peru.

They remind me of what I love about Latin America:

warm, friendly & hardworking people with very

colorful cultures and cuisines.

Here's how I turned them into a Tada!:

Instead of wearing them on my earlobes,

I attached them to a gold chain.

I added small gold hearts and pendants

that work as open lockets, too!

More tomorrow!

Festive & Fragrant

Hey, hey, it's Friday.

Happy first day of October also!

We've been prettifying fabric softener sheets

all this week, and I've got one last idea:

Blah: used dryer sheets

Tada! Festive party decorations inspired

by these Mexican paper flags:

Image via wide open spaces

A pair of scissors is all you need to make

these random cut-outs.

{I wanted to add colors to it but the ingredients in

the dryer sheet kept from absorbing my chosen dye.}

And because these sheets are still fragrant even

after use, your party space will be

smelling good, too.

Have a great, great weekend!