A Terrarium How-To

This week's post is something new I learned.

I found it so TADA! that I had to share.

Again we go back to my favorite store, Anthropologie,

where they had two workshops for Earth Day 2011.

The first was "Crafting with Cork" and

the other, "Terrarium How To".

Jojo Agatep was our terrarium-guru.

He has a background in the medical & insurance

field, but he decided to follow his passion of

combining nature and art.

And with jaw-dropping results!

Here are samples of his work:

Gorgeous right?!

Jojo is the creative arm of The Slug and the Squirrel,

a dreamy studio stationed in Philadelphia.

You can get these one-of-a-kind creations

through their shop or on Etsy.

But you can also make one of your own!

Here's what you'll need:

A clean glass vessel {a good way to turn old jars, bottles &

vases from blah to TADA!}, a cover to fit the vessel

opening and some river stones or garden rocks.

You'll also need small plants {with the roots intact}

and moss.

You may add sand, pebbles and drift wood {sourced

from the park or the beach}.

On the right are some of Jojo's tools of the trade,

but no need to invest in these. Reuse old household

items like spoons and screwdrivers.

Step 1: Think of composition and scale.

To add height to your terrarium,

use twigs or drift wood.

Jojo recommends holding the container in

one hand as you build, rather than

having it sit on a surface.

Step 2: Add the rocks, pebbles or sand.

Move around or push into place

with a pencil.

Step 3: Add the plants, tucking the roots

in between the rocks and wood with

the aid of long tweezers or a pencil.

Use the "less is more" principle here.

Step 4: Add water using a spray bottle.

Take it easy on the spritzing -- you

just want to add enough moisture,

not a pool of water.

Let this sit uncovered overnight.

Step 5: Once you are pleased with how

your terrarium looks, put on the lid.

Jojo makes a permanent seal by

attaching the lid to the vessel with

silicone glue similar to this; hot glue

is another alternative.

The beauty of closed terrariums like this one

is that they are a self-sustained environment.

They hardly need any watering or maintenance.

The workshop was hands-on so we got to

make our own and bring it home.

Here's the terrarium I made.

TADA!

Roller Coaster

We made it to the end of the week and

I myself can't wait to start the weekend.

But before I do, here is a final idea

to turn old cork from blah to TADA!

Here are coasters my husband owned when he

was a bachelor. We still use them for everyday,

but when we have friends over, we break out

the leather ones or the ones made of glass

that we received as presents. {Not really

to show off, but when else would

we use them, right?}

I thought these coasters made of cork

were becoming too blah.

So with a needle and some yarn,

I turned them into TADA!

I think these are ready for sun-shiny weather

and outdoor meals.

Oh by the way, here's another TADA! idea

for blah wine corks:

Roll excess thread or yarn around each cork and

put these in a box. For current sewing projects,

use the end as a pin cushion. This keeps

needles sharp and also prevents accidents.

Happy weekend folks and to all the moms

out there -- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

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!