Tea with Me

Thank you for stopping by today! As promised yesterday, we'll have British-themed crafts this week in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebration.

Afternoon tea is a British tradition I've come to love. It's the whole formal set-up of tea pots, cups, saucers, tea caddies, and tiny spoons. The sugar and the cream. The three-tiered stands of finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets.  

This picture is from a lovely afternoon at London's The Orangery a few years ago...indeed, it was a unique travel experience! 

Sometimes, I try to recreate the experience at home. By myself or with a few girlfriends. The tea paraphernalia I own are TADA! finds from flea markets. The loose tea leaves are little treats I pick up when I'm out shopping and stumble upon a store specializing in tea. When I have a few extra hours, I'll make the baked goods from scratch.

A cup of tea is a daily ritual and because, like you, my days are frenetic, it's all too common that I use a regular mug and pull out a tea sachet instead of the elaborate tea set. After the tea has warmed and wakened me, I'm often left with these:

blah: empty tea envelopes 

 Here's what they look like when you flip them.

And here's what I did to transform them 

from blah to TADA!:

 TADA! I made mini envelopes!

I decorated the front and back sides of the tea sachets with magazine cut-outs. I'm using bees, butterflies and flowers for this collection. Have a look:

I think it's a gorgeous way to rescue tea envelopes from the trash.

Tomorrow, I'll show you how I use them. 

See you then! 

A Royal Party

Happy Monday friends! Britain is having a party for Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

via The Diamond Jubilee

She's celebrating her Diamond Jubilee -- that's 60 years on the throne, baby! At 86 years old, doesn't she look fabulous?

AP Photo by Tim Hales, via ABC 7

Yesterday, I spent part of my day watching Day 2 of the four-day event on television. There was a flotilla pageant on the River Thames. More than 1,000 boats of different shapes and sizes (from kayaks to sailboats from all over the world) sailed down the river led by the Gloriana, a gold leaf-trimmed barge powered by rowers. 

AP Photo by Dylan Martinez, via ABC 7

The Royals rode aboard the Spirit of Chartwell. A separate belfry barge's cargo was a chorus of pealing bells, and another carried the London Philharmonic Orchestra that played during the whole journey.

AP Photo by Matt Dunham , via ABC 7

Look at all the revelers -- they stayed even if it rained. Had I been in London, I think I'd want to be part of this historic event, too.

AP Photo by Scott Heppell, via ABC 7

Many shops sold memorabilia, babies born on this day were anointed "Jubilee babies", and artists captured the day by painting on their canvases atop a bridge as the flotilla glided by. What a spectacle!

This week, we'll craft with something that's truly part of the British culture. I'll see you tomorrow for some blah to TADA!, okay?

Ribbons for the Wrist

It's finally Friday...yipee! The sun will be out (compared to the rainy first half of the week) and I can't wait to bask in beautiful weather. But before I bid you a happy weekend, here's a final idea to turn old watches from blah to TADA! 

blah: a collection of old watches, 

beat-up straps removed 

TADA!: Replace the old strap with a ribbon 

in your favorite shade. 

The cool thing about this is you can change the straps as often as you want -- just experiment with different kinds of ribbon. 

Make the ribbon extra long so you can loop it around your wrist several times.  

Make a knot and bow to keep it in place. 

Maybe use some lace? 

It's very lady like. 

It may be a little frilly, but try wearing it to contrast a rock and roll outfit. 

I hope my crafts this week have left you inspired. I wish you all a relaxing weekend!

Arm Candy

Creating new watches out of old watches is 

my blog's theme this week.

I've taken out the sad leather straps from these watches. 

I'm making another version of yesterday's cuff-inspired watch. I'm using a watch face, elastic cord, and these colorful beads.

TADA! Here's what it looks like after I assembled it. 

Here's the back side. 

Wear it with jeans or with a dress, and when someone compliments it, proudly say, "I made it!"

Charm for the Arm

I hope you are having a fabulous week, everyone!

 I'm turning old watches from blah to TADA! 

Today, I'm using elastic string and a bunch of 

beads to give a lift to this blah watch face. 

TADA! A cute cuff that's also a watch. 

A two-in-one special!    

Here's what it looks like at the back. 

To make one, insert a piece of elastic on the watch (on that little bar where leather straps are attached). Make several tight knots on the elastic and string on the beads. Determine how tight you want the cuff to be by measuring the elastic on your wrist. Connect the tail of the elastic to the other end of the watch and make several tight knots. Make as many rows of beads as you'd like.

Even if you wear this alone, it's enough to accessorize 

an outfit and add a punch of color. 

Let the Hours Dangle

Thanks for visiting me today! This week is all about transforming our forlorn time pieces. You know you have them. They're there lurking in the deepest part of your dresser. Take them out. Maybe all they need is a battery change. Then you can wear them again. That's blah to TADA!

For my personal stash, they need new leather straps, apart from fresh batteries. These watches aren't at all expensive so I can be a little more experimental. Like this one for instance:

The straps of this watch were a Gucci wanna-be: green, red and green stripes. Well, maybe a change of image is in order.

Behind its tough exterior is a frilly princess. Some crystal-like beads in jewel tones, perhaps? 

 Then add a long silver chain.

You can wear it around your neck and it can tell time! Isn't that TADA!?

Lots of Time

Happy Monday! And to all of us living in the U.S., 

a Happy Memorial Day!

Look what I found in one of my drawers -- a bunch of watches. If they could translate to more time for you and me, wouldn't that be TADA!? Sadly, they don't. The batteries need to be replaced, and the straps have turned ratty, fading and chipping because of, what else, time.  So let's see how we can give each one new life.

 blah: a silver watch that I wore during my university 

years. It once had a brown braided leather strap.

TADA!: I added the watch face as one of the charms 

on this dangly bracelet. 

I love me an adorable charm bracelet, as seen in this post, this post and this one. A charm bracelet is a fun accessory and it now serves a purpose by providing me with the time.

It works as a conversation starter, too. I can tell you that each charm represents the things I love: imagination (unicorn), nature (leaves and flowers), passion (hearts), and safety (home).  

And because I found some inexpensive letter charms, I used them to spell out my name (or use the initials of your family members as an alternative). All the charms (including the watch face) were attached to the chain with jump rings and a pair of pliers. Have a nice day everyone!