The Envelope Please

I'm not sure if any of you still do this -- have your digital photos printed? I guess very few people do, since pictures can be conveniently stored and viewed on the computer or phone. 

I have a few envelopes left over from when I would go to a shop to have pictures printed, for framing or mailing to loved ones.

I'm using some printed card stock to help me turn these envelopes from blah to TADA!

Here's the front side of envelope #1

The back side

Here's the inside

The front side of envelope #2

The back side

TADA! Good-as-new envelopes ready to be filled with handmade cards and tiny gifts. Have a wonderful day!

Reminders on a Ring

 Paper, I find to be, is quite a common 

blah around our apartment. 

Name it: receipts, junk mail, menus...

...magazine subscription inserts and 

bill envelopes.

But for every blah, there's a TADA! 

 I'm on a mission to save the "blank spaces" 

on each piece of paper I get my hands on.

And I've got my trusty craft punch to help 

me with this dizzying, but satisfying task. 

Old paper bags, empty envelopes

and magazine pages can't escape

the clutches on my craft punch!

Add some holes with a smaller punch.

Round them up in a giant binder ring 

Add a pen {this one's got a nifty handle

that allows it to become a key chain} 

 TADA! It's a notebook on a ring!

Draw on it to while away some time... 

Or use a page as an instant gift tag!

Paper Projects

Happy Monday everyone! This week, it's all about paper and the different ways to make it prettier. 

Today's blah is this binder taken home 

from a seminar. 

There's a footnote at the back panel 

requesting for responsible recycling. 

It would be my pleasure! 

The inside pages include specially printed

dividers, meeting agendas & notes. 

I got myself some printed card 

stock, traditionally used for

making scrapbooks. 

I decorated the cover, spine & back 

with black & white polka dot paper

cut to size. 

I covered the dividers with 3 different 

patterns. A glue stick kept the paper 

in place and I cut around the tabs

with a pair of scissors. 

 This is what the new dividers look like.

TADA!

I'll add some lined paper, plastic pockets

and eventually label the tabs. 

I haven't determined what to use this binder for. If I were a magazine editor, I'd take it with me to the shows at Fashion Week to store invitations and take notes. If I were planning a party, I'd fill it with details like floor & seating plans, menus and photo pegs for table settings and gift bags. If I were an artist, it would be filled with poetry, sketches and ideas for an exhibit or collaboration. I just love the many possibilities! 

Desserts in a Jar

New uses for mason jars -- that's the blah to TADA! transformation this week. When I saw photos of how bakers used these as containers for dessert, I really liked the idea! Mason jars can take really high temperatures (they need to be sterilized before use after all), allowing them to withstand the heat of the oven. Take for example:  

Pie in a jar 

S'mores in a Jar 

Rainbow cake in a jar 

Cheesecake in a jar 

My eyes are the size of saucers and my mouth is watering with all this deliciousness! I wish you all a fabulous weekend! 

Pin Party

Mason jars are a reminder of a simpler time where summer afternoons were spent canning fruits and vegetables for the coming winter. Hard labor my friends -- sterilizing the jars, peeling and cutting the produce, sealing the jars, listening to the lids pop. But what a joy to see them lined up on the shelf, then tasting summer's glory at the peak of winter.

That's what I think of when I see mason jars. I've kept the ones that used to be filled with jellies and pickles because even if they're empty, they're still very useful. 

Here's my version of the famous sewing kit in a jar. It's a brand-spanking new home for my safety pins. You know why? Whenever I'm getting dressed, in a hurry, then suddenly realize I need a safety pin to add some modesty to a low-cut top, secure a skirt when the button has popped out {and there's no time to mend it} -- I'll have to rummage through my sewing kit for that safety pin. So blah! Time's a ticking!

This is where the safety pins hang out. Some straight pins and a travel sewing kit have been invited to the party too. TADA!

Maybe I'll introduce some fashion tape or accessory dots to the gang because you'll never know when you'll need them.

I keep this in the bathroom medicine cabinet to keep it accessible whenever a family member says, "Where are the safety pins?"

Light and Bright

 Howdy Friends! Appreciate that you 

could stop by today. 

Empty mason jars can be practical 

even outside the kitchen.

They can be transformed into

light fixtures: 

Window display at Fishs Edy 

A closer view 

On the ceiling of Haven's Kitchen 

Use bigger jars & replicate these

hanging lamps from West Elm

To make your own, you may find some easy instructions here and here. Have a de-LIGHT-ful day!  

Light My Fire

Do you like mason jars? It's a vessel for storing jams and pickled fruits and veggies that you canned yourself. I have yet to learn the proper way of making my own preserves. In the meantime, I'm using these for crafting. 

blah: a mason jar that once contained

strawberry-rhubarb jam

TADA!: a container for matches

I saw a photo of this on Pinterest and I thought it was brilliant. You put the matches in the jar and add sandpaper to the lid. Just strike a match on the sandpaper to light it! I tried it out but it didn't work.

Maybe because I didn't use strike anywhere matches? I just have these ordinary ones. So here's what I did:

I put all my match sticks inside the jar 

but saved the boxes.

I decorated the lid and attached it in place with glue. I cut out the striking surfaces from the match boxes and glued these on the lid. Then I sealed the lid to the rim with some hot glue. This is necessary because the lid easily detaches from the rim and falls out when the jar is opened.

Just strike to light

Now I have all my matches in one place and storing it in a clear container tells me when I'm running low. Buddy it up with candles {but away from children please} and setting the mood can be ready in an instant. TADA!

Happy Valentine's Day!