Stamp-a-Message

Hi there! Here's another find from the 

Kate's Paperie warehouse sale:

It's a Word Stamp Kit. 

From the original price of $22.00, 

I got it for only $2.00!

Inside the tin case is a large ink pad and a handle made 

of wood on one side, metal on the other. 

Here are rubber stamps of travel-related words.

The goal is to make up phrases using these words.

The back side of the rubber stamps are magnetized

so they attach to the metal side of the handle,

making stamping easier.

Use it for making labels or telling stories on scrapbooks. 

But hey, let's step out of the box and do some

blah to TADA!

blah: a cloth pouch once used as packaging

Let's make it TADA! by adding a cheerful message.

Compose a note using the magnetic words and 

experiment on a lay-out.

Attach the the stamps to the handle, apply a generous

amount of pigment from the ink pad and stamp away.

TADA! A thoughtful gift that you can fill with 

handy snacks and other travel necessities. 

Paper Napkins

Happy Wednesday dear friends!

The Kate's Paperie warehouse sale was 

one big paper party.  

They had paper napkins in many wonderful prints.

I don't usually buy napkins like these because

they're too pretty for one-time use.

But I had to make an exception.

I bought a pack of these floral-print cocktail napkins.

They're made by the fabulous Cath Kidston and

they were only $1.00 a pack!

They match my favorite tea pot.

And having them is a good excuse to have 

an afternoon tea party.

I can even use them to wrap presents.

No tape needed. A luscious ribbon is enough.

TADA!

Doesn't this put a smile on your face?

Waxing Romantic

I really love bargains and one of my recent ones

is this wax stamp seal:

 I paid $1.00 for it and it was brand new!
I have yet to buy some sealing wax but I couldn't 
wait to use it, so I'm trying out everyday 
blah things like crayons.

Then I thought, "Why not try candles?"

Or what about birthday candles that are 

waiting to be tossed out?

Here's a package ready to be spruced up.

Some ribbon, a candle and wax seal stamp can help 

turn this blah package into...

...TADA!

Candles will melt in a lighter shade compared to

crayons and the impression left won't be that deep.
But I think it's still TADA!

Set in Wax

Howdy Everyone! Lots of craft ideas lined up for the week. I'll share with you more TADA! items purchased from the Kate's Paperie warehouse sale. I know, I have more...I hope you're not sick of them yet. 

I got a wax seal stamp with my initial, something that I always wanted to have. It was a sweet deal at only $1.00!

Once upon a time, wax seals were used to assure the privacy of letters. If the seal was broken, it had already been read or tampered with.

The original seals were simply melted beeswax, but later on, seals with family crests were impressed on the wax. This way, forgery was avoided, the recipient knew who the letter was from, and the crest gave insight as to the status or personality of the sender. That's why seals were destroyed when its owner passed away.   

I didn't have any sealing wax on hand, but this was a good opportunity to do some blah to TADA! by using old crayons.

I melted the wax with a utility lighter, but as a safer alternative, a glue gun may be used

 {just follow these steps}.

Let the wax/melted crayon drip on the envelope flap and let it cool for a few seconds. Then press on the seal and hold it for a few seconds.

TADA!

The color of the wax also had meaning. Red was used for business correspondence and black indicated mourning.

By using melted crayon, you have a rainbow of colors 

at your finger tips that say "fun" and "festive".

These days, wax seals only serve a decorative purpose. However, the message "this letter is extra special" still comes across.

Leather and Studs

Hey, hey, hello Friday!

Did you enjoy the shopping trip this week?

If you're ever in New York City, stop by Kate's Paperie and pick up a souvenir. It doesn't need to have a "New York" logo on it. A leather journal, a fancy pen or a box of note cards are useful objects to remember your trip by. 

But if you want a terrific discount, maybe a trip to their warehouse sale could be squeezed into your agenda? This season's sale ends today at their New Jersey office. For future sales, visit their website or be part of the mailing list.

Hunting through the bins has given me much pleasure. Even if I decided on a $20 budget, I came out with an armload of goodies! I've found books, stationery and stuff for arts & crafts. 

I bought this heavy duty awl. It's used for making holes for easier sewing. The wooden ball rests in the palm of your hand for a comfortable grip and the ice pick-like edge makes  holes even in thick material like book pages, heavy cardboard and leather.

Originally selling for $13.50, I got mine for only $2.00!

I was inspired by this piece of jewelry and

luckily found some blah materials 

in my stash. 

I made holes on the leather strip using the awl.

A ruler helped me make even spaces 

between holes.  

Then I sewed the silver beads onto the 

leather strip with a needle & thread.

As a finishing touch, attach clasps to the ends. 

TADA! My very own beaded wrap bracelet! 

Wear it alone...

...or stacked with other bracelets from 

your collection.

Please have an exhilarating weekend! 

Royal Mail

One of my favorite paper shops in New York City is Kate's Paperie. Because I signed up on their mailing list, I found out about their warehouse sale events. I've been to several and I keep coming back. Why? Great merchandise at low, low prices.

There's an on-going warehouse sale this week {last day is tomorrow} at their New Jersey office {40 Rockwood Place, Englewood, NJ 07631}. I'm telling you not because I'm getting anything for this. This is a free plug! Let's face it, times are hard and paper goods can be expensive {that's why I often make my own}, but you'll get good bargains here. This is too TADA! and not sharing it with you would be blah.

Here are two packs of blank single-page cards. They're made of card stock with matching glassine envelopes. There are a dozen cards in each pack and I got them for $1.00 each {they would fetch up to $10.00 without the discount}.

One pack contains red zigzag-edge... 

 ...and gray scalloped-edge cards.

They're beautiful as is but isn't 

embellishment a cool idea?

Remember the bag of scrap? 

I've got a few more unused pieces:

Tiny gold decorations. I'm not sure what

they would be used for. 

 A band leader hat, sombrero & sword.

 Crowns & the eagle from the 

U.S. Presidential seal.  

I attached these to the cards with white glue.

Here's what they look like now:

I wonder if President Obama would 

use this. LOL!

Stationery fit for a king. 

Perfect for an upcoming fiesta. 

Chivalry {and thoughtfulness} isn't dead.

If I may say so myself, these cards just 

turned from blah to TADA!