20 January 2011

Easy Gift Boxes


Today, I still have gift wrapping on my mind.
As the New Year begins, I want to
simplify & recycle -- less clutter at home,
less trash in the world.
Here's a beautiful magazine.

Made with beautiful paper.
But a stack has been hanging around
my living room, gathering dust.

Time for some blah to TADA!

I turned them into little gift boxes.
TADA!

I used an existing box as a template to make
the bottom and the lid.

I made different sizes.
All that's needed is a gift to be put inside.

You can add some color with markers,
paint and magazine cut-outs, too.

Hope you liked today's craft!

19 January 2011

Paper Bows


So nice of you to stop by today!

I've got another idea to turn this
old, blah magazine into a Tada!:

The pages of this magazine are thicker
than a regular glossy.

So I took a black marker & drew a bow on the page.

Then I cut around it.

TADA! I used it in place of a 3-D bow
as a finishing touch to a present!

A small ribbon with multiple bows for a tiny gift.

Or a bigger bow for a hefty present.
The possibilities are endless!


18 January 2011

Mags to Tags


For all of you living in the US, I hope you had a fun long weekend (we commemorated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. yesterday). This week, I'm finding new use for these magazines I've been keeping since 2008:

The Edible Magazines are published all over the US,
Canada and some parts of Europe.
They promote healthy & sustainable living.

I like the thick paper they use and
the vibrant photographs -- perfect for
crafting once all the articles
have been devoured.

I whipped out one of my favorite tools,
the circle punch. It's the same one I
used for this craft & this craft.

Tada!
Instant gift tags made simply by punching
around a photo from the magazine.

This set has a farm-like feel with the
animals, fruits and barn photos.

The photo circles were attached to a plain
cardboard circle using a glue stick.
This serves as a sturdy backing & a place
to write a thoughtful message.

Punch a small hole at the top and add a
piece of twine, cord or ribbon.

Tada! Another version using the
printed page with a border of
punched-out daisies.

See you tomorrow!

17 January 2011

Magazine Make-over


Happy Monday Lovelies!

When the New Year comes around, I like to get rid of clutter. Easier said than done for a pack rat like me. I like to save things for their sentimental value and for opportunities to turn blah into TADA! Take for example these magazines:

I have different versions from Edible Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn, even San Francisco & Marin and Wine Country. These "Edibles" are beautifully produced magazines that shines the spotlight on the local food movement: buy/eat food grown in your town or city.

The photos are engaging {I have the urge to lick the page!}, the articles are insightful and the paper used is thick with a matte finish.

So instead of awarding them to the paper recycling bin, here's what I did:

I used some old, blah cardboard boxes...

And these crafty tools to turn the
magazine pages into:

Terrific and TADA! postcards!

I punched out leaves & flowers and printed
some sincere wishes:





I even decorated the back of the card {natural board}
to add some whimsy:


These will be my official greeting cards for 2011!
Eco-chic, don't you think?

14 January 2011

Creative, Inc.


Happy Friday!
Here's another book on my reading list this year:

I'm a freelance writer and I know quite a few freelancers myself -- food stylists, photographers, graphic designers, TV commercial producers. Whether it's the career you're in or considering the jump, I think Creative, Inc. is a superb manual to know what you're doing right and determine how you can do things better.

It's authored by Meg Mateo Ilasco who wrote Craft, Inc. and Crafting a Meaningful Home and Joy Deengdeelert Cho of the lovely blog Oh Joy.

I thanked my lucky stars that I could make it to their
NYC book tour.

The venue: Michele Varian's shop in SOHO.

It was a packed event!

We got to check out Michele's gorgeous goods.

Pretty, pretty buntings.

Sweet things & overflowing wine.

I got to meet Meg & Joy!

Both of them signed my book.
What a thrill!

Have an exciting weekend!

13 January 2011

Color on a Wintry Day


The snow fell again, covering the neighborhood in a layer of powder. I love snow. I love winter, too. But I'm not too fond of the cold weather. To deal with this "situation", I switch on some happy thoughts -- flip flops, summer dresses and flowers. It's a good thing I've got this new book I bought over the holidays:

It contains 25 festive and easy crafts to
keep one occupied, especially when
stuck indoors on a snowy day.

Paper+Cup is the baby of Truman and Minhee Cho
who also own Paper+Cup Design, makers of stationery.
Too bad I missed the book signing event.

And because I have my thoughts on flowers
and all things related to warmer weather,
I decided to make this flower gift tag.

I'm recycling red tissue paper {from a Christmas present}.

Cut a rectangle and fold it in half.

Cut out some petals.

Roll it up into a tight coil & attach it to a
piece of wire with some tape.

Wrap a strip of green paper to cover the
wire {use some glue} and add a leaf,
where you can write your message.

TADA! An instant flower to keep or give away.

This is cheering me up already!

12 January 2011

Meeting Miss Bakerella


Thanks for stopping by! Because it's a new year, I have a list of new books to read and projects to try. Here is my book of the day:

It's written by one of my favorite bloggers, Bakerella.
She makes the cutest treats, throws really fun contests
and is such a nice gal -- no wonder she's gaining
all this success! Clap, clap, clap!

Here she is, Angie Dudley, also known as Bakerella.

I met her at her book signing event in New York City.
She makes these adorable cake pops:


And without sticks, they're called cake balls.
These were served at the event {take note of
the edible silver & gold paint}:

One is chocolate and the other, red velvet.
Yummy bites of joy!

I had to make these myself!
I used a boxed cake mix & ready-to-spread frosting
{No shame in that! Bakerella even encourages it},
plus some dark and white chocolate chips hanging
out in the pantry.

TADA! My black & white cake bites!

Scrumptious vanilla cake inside a chocolate shell.
I can't wait to make the character cake pops!
Oh la la!