Alphabet City

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

I don't know if you noticed, but we've seen the use

of the alphabet as a quirky design element.

Take these for example, found at

Anthropologie and Pottery Barn:

Letters made out of fabric, mirror, wire & wood.

They're fun to spell out names, initials or

favorite words.

Inspired by this idea, I'm turning these old wine corks...

...from blah to...

...TADA!

Simply connect the wine corks together

using hot glue and allow to dry for a

few minutes.

Make one letter or more and use as an

accent on a desk or wall.

Have a great day!

Wall Art

Hello & happy Wednesday!

This week, it's all about cork.

I know you've opened more than a bottle

of wine and wondered what you could do with

the cork instead of just throwing it away

{what a blah}.

Well, each wine bottle you open is related

to a happy gathering. Why not save the

corks as a collection?

TADA! Make your own wall art by

filling a shadow box with your collection.

Here's what it looks like up close.

You can make your wall art as big {or as small}

as your cork collection.

By the way, I wish I could say I made these,

but I didn't. These works of art can be found

in New York City's Chelsea Market.

Crafting with Cork

For Earth Day, the Rockefeller Center Anthropologie store

in New York City had these pretty windows {more here}:

Thousands and thousands of old wine corks were used.

Aside from just drawing visual interest,

Anthropologie also wanted to create awareness

that cork is a champion for the environment.

Cork is 100% natural, renewable, recyclable and

biodegradable. It also curbs climate change by

restraining 9 grams of carbon dioxide.

Hooray for cork, right?!

As part of their Earth Day efforts, the store also

had workshops like "Crafting with Cork".

I eagerly signed up!

Here are some members of the store's display team who

headed the workshop. Nature is one of their sources of

inspiration and they use a lot of recycled items for

their window displays. Don't they have the coolest job?

We assembled in one corner of the store...

...and witnessed how cork can turn from

blah to TADA!

We were each given a paper bag with filled with little

disks made out of cork {old wine corks sliced with a

blade}. Each paper bag was sealed using a needle.

To start off the project, we were also given these

little cork circles {made from 6 disks sewn together}.

We were free to choose thread color and

different colored cork disks {dyed with Rit}.

Thimbles were also on hand to help us

get the threaded needle into the cork.

Most of us got so involved with our project.

We made more cork circles and connected these

together with needle & thread to create anything

from a coaster to a trivet!

Here's what I made.

Not quite a heart-shaped trivet, but I've included

the vintage year of some wines {ex. 2006, 2007, 2008};

these years being memorable travel years for me.

You can do the same by saving the wine corks

of the year you graduated, were married,

had a baby, had a promotion or other

years that you consider TADA!

Pop the Cork!

Happy Monday Everyone!

I'm sure many of you have marked special occasions

with a bottle of wine or Champagne.

When the bottles are empty, they're easy to recycle.

But what about the cork?

One option is to drop these off at a cork collection box

in supermarkets (like Whole Foods) or wine shops,

an effort by the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance.

This non-profit environmental organization is also

committed to zero carbon foot print, thus in-store

drop off (instead of shipping) is encouraged.

Another option is to use these corks for crafting.

Let me show you how with a trip to

my favorite store:

For the entire month of April, many Anthropologie branches used

cork as part of their window display to show off cork's

versatility and also to celebrate Earth Day.

And that's one of the reasons why I love this store!

Recycling is at their very core.

Cascading cork.

Cork linked together as strands & chains.

Swags of cork.

Bending towers of cork.

This reminds me of a fisherman's net or a flying carpet.

Balls made out of cork.

More than 30,000 pieces of cork were used to create

these displays, can you imagine?!

Once the window displays are broken down, all these cork

will be returned to the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance

for their Cork ReHarvest program. These will no longer

be used for new wine bottles, but will be ground up

to be used for other cork products (ex. floor tiles).

Tomorrow, another crafting idea with the

help of the Anthropologie display team.

See you then!

Today is THE Day!

When I was a little girl, I remember watching

the wedding of Lady Diana to Prince Charles.

Fast forward to 2011, I'm now watching

their son, Prince William, get married

to Catherine Middleton.

Sigh. I love weddings and I love fantasy

weddings even more.

I'll be flipping channels to see how

different shows cover this big event,

and I'll be doing so with some girl friends.

Each one of us, wearing handmade hats!

Hats made in blah to TADA! fashion of course.

I bought these millinery feathers some time ago.

Alone, they're a bit blah.

But put them together and add some sparkle.

Then sew on a clip or comb.

TADA! A sophisticated fascinator to help me pretend

I'm a guest at the Royal Wedding.

Here's to romance and to happily ever after.

Have a gorgeous weekend!

Hats On!

A matrimonial union is happening tomorrow

and it will be the wedding of the year.

Prince William & Kate Middleton are getting married.

Such a beautiful couple, you just want to send

them off with good wishes & a lifetime of bliss.

The whole world will be watching on TV

including myself and some gal pals.

And we'll be dressed for the occasion,

with frilly dresses & hats on our heads.

Here's another hat I crafted:

blah: an old headband, a feather & some scrap tulle

Assemble with hot glue, needle & thread and...

TADA! A headpiece that's sure to turn heads!

A Party Hat

This week, I'm busy making hats.

You see, I'm getting ready for the wedding of

Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

I'm not invited to the wedding, but I thought

a viewing party would be fun.

Complete with hats for everyone!

Here's what I'm using:

blah: a produce sack that once held lemons

Turn it into a bow, add a beaded brooch and

attach to a headband with a glue gun.

TADA! A fancy hat made from a produce sack!