13 March 2012

Coffee Sleeves

I've lined up a couple of coffee projects this week. You like coffee, don't you? I think it's TADA! It smells wonderful and is energizing. But there are things left over after consumption, like paper cups or these cardboard sleeves:

These sleeves protect your fingers from the hot liquid
that warm up the paper cup.

I like that they're made of recycled fiber
and are compostable. 

But realistically, we won't carry this around to use 
for our next cup, right? So here's what I
would do to turn 'em from blah to TADA!:

TADA! I decorated it with paper cut-outs!

This one has a cherry blossom theme.
Do you like the 3-D effect?

Polka-dots are cute, too.

Ink and rubber stamps spell out a quirky request.

And here's how I would re-use them:

When giving a reusable mug as a present, I would use this sleeve in lieu of packaging it in gift wrap. I would write my message at the back, the same way baristas write your name when you order a drink.

Or I would "wrap" a bottle of beer in it for a colleague who's had a hard day. TADA!

12 March 2012

A Cup of Coffee

Happy New Week Folks! This week is all about coffee. I'll leave it at that for now. Coffee,
one of the world's favorite beverages, is a TADA! in itself. How can we make it even more TADA!? You'll have to tune in to find out.

Let me start with something I saw recently, which literally stopped me in my tracks. I was cutting through Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street in Manhattan when, at the glass-enclosed base of the Flat Iron building (called the "Prow"), there was an on-going exhibit.

 It was called Hypergraphia: The Cup Drawings

 The artist, Gwyneth Leech, transformed these used, blah coffee cups into...

 ...TADA! works of art

About 800 or so coffee cups with unique hand-drawn designs were hung on fishing string, making for a mesmerizing installation.

What was even cooler? The artist was there! Part of the experience was seeing her fully immersed in cup-drawing, even inviting passers-by to join her inside to draw on a cup or two.

Miss Leech, a painter by profession, began drawing on empty paper cups during meetings in 2007. She didn't have any sketchpads on hand, but she had a coffee cup. Why not?

To amass this collection, this is what she did: 

"I save the cups from the hot drinks I buy and occasionally collect them from other artists with whom I meet for tea or coffee around town. I wash and dry them and record on the bottom the date, place and occasion, as well as the drink that was consumed, thus capturing the social moment just passed."

She also invited people to bring their used cups to the art space, provided they were washed beforehand, no Styrofoam cups were accepted, and the bottom of the cup had to declare the name of the cup donor and the date the beverage was consumed (the cup now had some history!).

I wonder what information she found out and how she'd use them.

Here are a few of my favorites:




"I am a painter living in New York City, always on the lookout for the extraordinary ordinary," is how she describes herself. All I can say is, extraordinary work Miss Leech, truly extraordinary!

You may learn more about Miss Leech through her website, Facebook page and blog.

09 March 2012

Presentation Folder Revamp

This week flew by so quickly, whew!
But let's pause for a bit for some easy crafting:

I found this presentation folder at home. I don't even remember where it's from, but I like how it's sturdy and made of water repellent material.

Inside, you'll find a few pockets to stuff anything from paper, business cards to fabric swatches.

It's in a deep shade of navy and has this logo on the cover. It's looking blah, and you guessed right, time to turn it into a TADA!

I'm using these stencils... 

...as well as these metallic markers. 

First on the agenda is to cover the existing logo by
tracing the stencil design and filling it in with color.

Then randomly repeat the design all over the folder.

TADA! Doesn't it look more fancy?

I added a few more accents using the 
other stencil design.

TADA! This presentation folder is all grown up.

I can't wait to show it off!

I wish you an inspiring weekend!

08 March 2012

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

07 March 2012

Paper Napkins

Happy Wednesday dear friends!

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?

06 March 2012

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!