Playing with Books

Happy new week everybody!

Today, I'd like to share with you a

lovely book that I discovered.

It's "Playing with Books" by Jason Thompson

who learned the art of bookbinding by accident.

He did not only fall in love with the process,

he fell in love with the person who taught him!

They are now married and own Rag & Bone

Bindery in Rhode Island.

In this book, instead of teaching us how to

make a book, he provides ideas on how

upcycle, deconstruct and re-imagine

books that we no longer want.

I've seen this flower on different blogs & I've always

wanted to make one. Well, this book provides the

instructions!

I found a blah book from a library sale.

It was a good thing it was old and

my small donation made me less

guilty to tear it up & use it to craft.

Go ahead and use a book you no longer

read or need.

Ready to make a Kusudama flower?

You'll need 5 book pages.

Cut each page into 6" x 6" squares.

Fold 1: Fold the square into a triangle.

Fold 2: Fold the two creased corners down to

create a smaller square.

Fold 3: Fold the two triangular flaps in half.

Fold 4: Open the flaps up, then re-fold them flat,

so that the inner crease you made in Fold 3 falls

to the outside.

Fold 5: Fold the tips upwards.

Fold 6: Fold the triangular flaps in half inward.

Fold 7: Make the ends meet & secure with glue.

Use a binder clip to hold the ends together

as the glue dries.

Repeat with the remaining 4 paper squares.

Once you have the 5 petals, glue the ends

together. Again, use a binder clip to hold

them in place while the glue dries.

TADA!

According to the book, Japanese Kusudama were

used like incense or potpurri to dispel evil spirits

or disease. These days, they are used as gifts or

decorations.

Attach a nice note and leave it on your partner or

roommate's bedside table. Or leave one on

a coworker's desk for her birthday.

I think that's thoughtful and TADA!

Blue Ribbon Special

Well hello there!

I have another plastic bag make-over

for you today and I'm using this blue beauty.

Cut off the handles so you are left

with a rectangle.

Now make some strips. These are

approximately 1" (width) x 17" (height).

Then cut these in half, approximately

1" (width) x 8.5" (height).

Then fold each strip into a figure-eight,

secure with staples where the ends meet.

Here's a different angle -- they look

like a canoe. You'll need to make four

of these.

Stack them on top of each other in crisscross fashion.

Attach each layer with double-sided tape

or hot glue.

Top it off with a barrel-shape made of the

same material. Now you have a ribbon

similar to the ones you can get at a store.

Then add double-sided tape at the bottom.

I think I need to start making a lot of these

so I'm ready to wrap for the holidays!

Why buy ribbon when you can make your own

using colorful plastic bags?

May you have a rip-roaring weekend!

Plastic Confetti

Have you been liking our blah to TADA!

transformations this week?

What started out as plastic bags...

...ended up a gift toppers that can be used

over and over again.

Why would you want to throw these away anyway?

All this cutting, twisting and flower making

has left me with plastic remnants.

What you might see as trash, I look at as a

potential for another blah to TADA!

Cut these up into itty-bitty pieces and turn

them into confetti!

Then glue the confetti onto a plain paper bag.

{I drew the heart shape using a bottle

of all purpose glue, filled in the spaces

with more glue and gently added the

confetti, making sure there were no

bald spots}.

An easy & fun project that anyone can do!

Today's blah to TADA! transformation

was inspired by this photo:

via Tokketok

I wish you a fun & colorful day!

DIY Blooms

This week, we're dressing up presents

with flowers made out of plastic bags.

This way, we don't need to buy ribbons &

we get to recycle too. Plus the gifts

turn out quite appealing, I have to say.

blah: an orange plastic bag

Draw a few circles on the bag.

Cut out the circles and if you want,

make a ruffle on the edges.

Make a few circles out of cardboard.

These are about one inch in diameter.

Punch a hole in the center.

Layer 5 plastic circles on top of each other, then form

them into a cone. Insert the end of the cone into the

hole of the cardboard circle.

Staple the plastic ends onto the cardboard circle.

Reinforce with hot glue.

Flip them over and fluff up the petals.

TADA! You made carnations!

With hot glue, attach the carnation to a clothespin.

You'll see that there are cheerful words

written on the clothespins.

This is all you need to add pizzazz to a simple package.

This can be used by the recipient

for future gift giving. Or just add a

magnet at the back of the clothespin &

it becomes a fridge magnet/note holder!

TADA!

A Corsage for your Package

I take my own tote bag on shopping trips but

I still have plastic bags at home. I use them to

line our garbage cans...I know, there has to be

a more environment-friendly solution to this.

I set aside the most colorful ones.

They're awesome to turn

from blah to TADA!

This week, I'm turning them into

decorations for presents, like so:

Aren't they lovely?

Here's how you can make them at home:

Aside from the bags, you'll also need some cardboard

{I'm re-using these empty ribbon spools}, a stapler,

hot glue and scissors.

Fold each bag to make about a one-inch strip.

Staple one end to the cardboard and

twist the plastic bag into a coil.

As you do this, attach the underside

of the plastic to the cardboard using

a glue gun.

Here's what the coil will look like.

Repeat the process with another

plastic bag.

Now you have two!

If you still have space on the cardboard, add

another one or a few more coils or "flowers".

I think three is a good number.

{I had to trim the last plastic bag for it to fit}.

Add some leaves & some beads and trim any

cardboard that sticks out.

Then attach this to a wooden clothespin.

{I got a whole bag from the dollar store}.

Clip it like a corsage to brown paper packages,

to elevate them instantly from blah to TADA!