Party in a Tube

Hey, hey, happy Friday!

Today, I'm turning this empty paper towel roll from blah to TADA!

First I dressed it up with some snazzy paper.

Then I covered the bottom with a paper circle.

I manufactured a good amount of confetti with a craft punch and colored paper.

I filled the paper tube with the confetti...all the way to the top.

Then I covered this opening with another paper circle.

The paper wrapping on the tube and circles on both ends are easily attached with glue.

And look what we have -- a confetti stick! TADA! 

A fun idea: make a bunch of these for a surprise party or for a wedding.

Instruct guests to rip off one end of the tube.

Then, at the count of three, with a flick of the wrist overhead, an explosion confetti!

For more confetti inspiration, check this out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gift Enclosed

I hope your week has been off to a great start. Today, another crafty confetti project.

I'm rescuing this blah from the trip to the trash bin.

It's a plastic box that once housed a set of letterpress holiday cards. Now that it's empty, it's a perfect display case. Think of all the possible things to put inside!

I'm covering one side with card stock in a polka-dot print.

This is what it looks like now...TADA!

And here's what happens next:

I wrapped a miniature present {ex. a piece of delicate jewelry} and made tons and tons of confetti from construction paper and a craft punch. 

Then I stuffed these inside the plastic box. See how the confetti covers the gift?

If the box is shaken, the gift is revealed!

Time for a little Washi tape action {in a matching polka-dot, of course}! Tape at the seams will keep any confetti from escaping, apart from upping the cuteness factor.

Write who it's for {personalizing goes a long way!}.

And maybe a little hint to knock her party socks off.

A shower of confetti is all part of the surprise. Isn't that TADA!?

See you on Friday!

Confetti, Confetti

Hello dear friends!

This week, I have three posts for you and our theme is CONFETTI. Its name and meaning conjure color and festivity, don't you agree?

I was inspired by this tiny package I saw at one of my visits to Anthropologie. The product write-up makes it even more desirable: a small packet of hand picked confetti for when even the smallest victories need to be acknowledged. 

That in itself is blah to TADA!, no?

I decided, maybe, I can make my own version. Here goes:

This empty plastic bag was once packaging for some gift labels. It's clear and has an adhesive flap. It's blah. But I wanted to give it another chance.

So I added some printed card stock cut to size to fit the plastic bag.

Add a few teaspoons of glitter...

And some vintage sequins.

A shiny, merry mix of happiness in a bag. TADA!

And why not scribble down some wise words that tie in to the sparkly contents?

It's now a thoughtful gift for a friend who's applying for a job, going on an audition, or making a big deal presentation. 

It just may be the little push that she needs.

And every time she sees it, her day will turn from blah to TADA!

See you on Wednesday for another confetti project.

From Russia with Love

Happy new week everyone! Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? The events have been exciting and inspiring at the same time. The games are being held in Russia which reminded me of the popular handcrafted souvenir that comes from there, the Matryoshka Dolls.

via russiangift

They are these nesting wooden dolls, each one carved and painted by hand. I remember playing with these when I was a child. My parents got one as a gift. I just loved how there was a doll within a doll within a doll! A whole collection in one neat package.

These dolls are so iconic, I wasn't surprised they were a jump-off point to many crafts that I found on Etsy. Here are my favorites:

via handz

An attractive poster with a play on words.

via yoltdesigns

A kitchen towel that's pretty and practical.

via Millionbells

A cute tea cozy.

via myrubberstamp

A set of rubber stamps that can be mixed and matched.

via valsartstudio

Charming felted dolls.

via osprojects

A set of useful pouches.

via dearvioleta

And a delightful necklace.

Aren't they adorable? I read this TADA! story about Matryoshka dolls, click on this link of you'd like to read it, too.

Have a fun week!

Craft a Work of Heart

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! What are your plans today? Leading up to this day of hearts, I decided to share the love with some crafting. I made a few cards for the Etsy Special Delivery Project.

And just last Tuesday, I headed over to West Elm Broadway for a good cause.

I stopped in to decorate some paper hearts. You see, West Elm has this dream of making the longest paper heart chain. And for each heart made, $1 will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. All the more reason to craft, right?

Tables were set up within the store. So many people came to decorate some hearts.

Everyone was engrossed with their projects.

We had complimentary snacks.

And all the art supplies we needed.

All we had to do was to jazz up this heart.

Here are some of the ones I proudly made:

I made a total of 10 hearts. That's instantly $10 for St. Jude's! I'm pretty sure each person decorated more than one heart. Woohoo!

I'm digging the shadows from this punched-out paper...it's love multiplied!

This is what the paper heart chain will look like. Hearts from West Elm's branches will be collected, strung together,and put up at the hospital, which will no doubt cheer up the patients and caregivers there. I think that's blah to TADA!

Have a great weekend!