Salt Dough Pendants

I am so glad you were able to stop by today!

The genesis of this craft came when I found these tools in my baking bin:

They are miniature cookie cutters and embossing sheets.  

They are traditionally used for making cookies or fondant shapes for cakes. 

I wanted to make something more long lasting so I thought about salt dough. I've worked with salt dough in the past to make this, this, and this.

Salt dough is an easy recipe: In a bowl, add 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup water. If you like, add a light tint using 4 drops of food color. Mix them together until it forms a dough. If it's too sticky, mix in more flour, a teaspoon at a time.

When not in use, it's best to store the salt dough in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.

Put the dough on a board and flatten it with a rolling pin, about 1/4 inch thick.

This is an optional step. I'm doing it because I have these embossing sheets. I placed the sheet on the dough (embossed side facing the dough) and used a rolling pin to add some even pressure. 

The dough now has an imprint...TADA!

Make a few butterflies and dragonflies using the cookie cutters.

Using an off-set spatula, transfer these to a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Poke a prominent hole on top using a toothpick. Make sure the hole goes all the way through so it doesn't close while baking.  

Bake these for two hours in a oven set at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Here's what the butterfly looks like after it's been baked and cooled (I'm not sure where the little dots came from).

Add a jump ring through the hole and attach it to a bracelet (this one is made of stretchy cord and assorted beads).

Here's what the dragonfly looks like after it's been baked.

Doesn't it bring more life to this bracelet? 

I also made a flower using a cookie cutter.

Here's the flower after some time in the oven.  

I added it to a bracelet made of semi-precious stones.

We can also make some beads out of salt dough scraps. Just roll them into marbles.

Poke a hole through using the end of a paintbrush or skewer.

Bake this in the oven for 2 hours (oven set at 200 degrees Fahrenheit).

After baking, they look like these.

I used one bead as an accent to this pink bracelet...TADA!

I hope this project has gotten you excited to work with salt dough!

Personalizing Plain Cards

Today I've got a quick craft idea to share.

I found these cards and envelopes on clearance and I bought them instantly because it was such a good deal!

They're cute as is but I wanted to make them look less generic. 

I still have these chipboard letters left from a previous project. 

TADA! By simply adding a letter (the initial of the recipient) to each card, they now feel more personal and well thought-out.  

An easy paper craft that turns blah to TADA!

Treasures from the Trash: A TV Stand

In our apartment building, there's a compactor room where we put our trash and recyclables. Sometimes, my neighbors leave furniture there.

Here's what I found on one occasion: a TV stand!

It was in good shape and I would've taken it home if I had some space to spare.

Then I would turn it from blah to TADA!  Let me borrow some images from Pinterest to show you how:

via Pinterest

I would wrap wood around the TV stand to give it a rustic look.

via Pinterest

This one's wrapped in wood, too, but with an added back panel to hang the TV. I like it!

via Pinterest

Maybe I can paint it in a uniform shade and add some legs to make it look more classic.

I'll also explore adding doors for hidden storage:

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

I can also turn it into another kind of furniture:

via Pinterest

Like a pillow-top bench with built-in shoe storage...TADA!

via Pinterest

I can also paint it in a fun color, attach some casters, and use it as an arts and crafts shelf...TADA!

Thanks for dreaming with me!

Postcard Pen Pals

A few years back, I was reading this memoir about Alice Waters who is a chef, food activist and founder of Chez Panisse: 

via Penguin Random House

In the book she says:

"I've always loved postcards, both sending them and getting them. I really believe that the right picture on a postcard tells it all. Plus you don't have to write too much on the back! I felt I could write a few lines, and the picture on the front could convey everything I couldn't express. I have boxes and boxes of postcards I've collected over the years -- I buy them and send them off wherever I go but always come home with way more than I can send. And even in the places where I stay when I'm traveling, I'll take postcards I find and prop them up on shelves of the hotel room, in places that need a little temporary decoration and beauty. It's an inexpensive way to make a room beautiful." - Alice Waters 

I loved this particular piece of information because I could relate! Looking for postcards is still one of the things I do when I find myself in a new city.

I search for them in souvenir shops, drug stores...even thrift shops. And I buy more than I send out. 

In a previous post, I wrote about curating a set of postcards that I sent to friends for their birthdays. The blank postcards came from my collection. I wrote wishes on the back with specific memories with that friend (ex. the summer we went dolphin watching or took an international trip together).

When my parents were still alive, I sent them a postcard from every place I visited. My Dad was always excited to tell me that they received it. This is one of the many things I truly miss now that they are no longer around. I lost my pen pals.

But I found a new one!

She's Kim, my six year old niece. She lives in the Philippines and when I last saw her, we played a hiding game. She would hide under the dinner table after we all had our meal and I would say, "Where's Kim?" Then she would appear and I would tell her, "There you are! I thought you disappeared." And she would say, "I disappeared to Paris" or "I disappeared to Bangkok" or "I disappeared to Antwerp". For a six year old, her list of cities are quite impressive!

Now that we're far away (I live in the U.S.), I hope to continue bonding with her and keep her interested in geography, adventure, and travel. So I sent her this package. Inside are a map of the United States, a bunch of stickers, and a letter saying we are now pen pals.

Every month, I'll send her a postcard from a different State (all from the stash I've collected over the years). When she gets the postcard, she has to look at the map and find the State where the postcard came from and mark that part of the map with a sticker.

I hope this improves her reading and spelling skills, appreciation for geography, and patience (because she has to wait for the next postcard), all while having fun (Ooohhh! A matching game! With stickers!).

Here are the postcards I've mailed to her so far:

New York 

California

Maryland

Connecticut

Washington, D.C.

Massachusetts

I can't wait to look at the sticker-filled map the next time I see her. And that means I have to visit new States when it's safer for all of us to travel. That way, I can send her more postcards.

I hope we get to pursue this activity for the years to come (maybe she'll send me postcards, too) and we can eventually graduate to a world map. 

Living far away may be "blah" but sending and receiving postcards will always be "TADA!"

How about you? How do you keep long distance relationships alive? Please share!

Dad's Day

Hooray to all the hard working and loving Dads! If you still have a dad, tell him you love him and spend the day with him. Enjoy this day, Dads!

Earrings with Bows

Today, it's all about jewelry! I love making my own jewelry using just about anything: handmade clay, beads and tassels, empty miniature bottles, and even paper bag handles. 

I was really inspired by these earrings that are easy to replicate. Why buy when we can D.I.Y.? 

I found some gold hoop earrings that are pretty to wear as is. But adding something simple as ribbon can change it's look entirely. 

I choose a thin ribbon and cut a total of four strips, each one measuring 8 to 10 inches (this will depend on the diameter of your earrings). 

Wrap one strip tightly on one side of the hoop, leaving a tail and knotting the end on to itself to keep the ribbon from unraveling.   

Do the same on the other side of the hoop using a new strip of ribbon.

Make the tails meet at the center and knot them together.

Then, make a bow.

Repeat on the other hoop using the remaining two strips of ribbon.

Presenting a new look for these old hoops...TADA!