And It Was All Yellow

Happy Monday! How's the weather where you are? It's been terribly cold here, like 2 degrees Fahrenheit cold! There's no other way to survive but to bundle up and think happy thoughts.

My happy thoughts? An island getaway, picnic in the park, a backyard barbecue, a bouquet of sunflowers, banana pudding, and sweet tea.  

Clearly these are all things I associate with warm, sunny days.

As I summon the sunshine, I have the theme of YELLOW in mind. This week, I'll have three blah to TADA! ideas to share with you. Let's begin with this craft:

Here's a box that was once home for chocolate covered raisins. 

It's made of birch veneer, raw and unfinished.

I think a little painting is in order.

I put on several layers of this cheerful yellow, allowing the paint to dry in between coats.

I also painted the inside of the box.

I'm using it to wrap a present. Instead of a ribbon, a colorful strip of fabric scrap.

Then I top it off with this laser cut bird. I'm still undecided whether to paint the bird or not. What do you think?

A whole new look for an old blah box. TADA!

Pouches Galore

Happy Monday! One of my favorite ways to organize my things is to use pouches. I'm always on the lookout for cute ones in different sizes. If the price is right, I buy. But here are some that I'd like to DIY:

Using a plain canvas pouch, I can add inked block prints to make No.1.

Or I can use stencils to spell out a statement or favorite quote just like No.2. 

With photo fabric paper, I can add an inspiring photo on a pouch, similar to No. 3. And possibly transform some vintage fabric into something useful like No. 4.

Tomorrow, I have a tutorial for an easy to make pouch, so please stop by. 
See you then!

Resources:

Banana Republic zipper bag
bananarepublic.gap.com

Madewell blue purse
madewell.com

Bags case
etsy.com

Kate Spade zipper pencil case
macys.com

Naughty or Nice?

I'm experimenting with different looks to update
this old, blah evening bag:

It just didn't seem to look current.

Add a black chain, pink tulle & accent with a
black ribbon...TADA! It's a brand new bag!

Does it remind you of playful lingerie or a graceful ballerina?

Add a sleek wrap-dress (image from Banana Republic)
and you've got a perfect match!

The Bake Sale

I hope you all had a terrific weekend! 

There was a bake sale at church a few Sundays ago and this got me dreaming up of some blah to TADA! ideas. I've never participated in a bake sale before, so let's consider this as a brainstorming session.

image via Real Simple

Bake sales are organised to raise funds for different groups like churches, schools and charities. 

The merchandise are usually sweet items that are baked at home and are donated by the bakers. These are commonly sold by the piece (ex. cookies or a slice of pie), but can also be sold as a whole (ex. one entire pie or whole loaf of banana bread). 

The prices are very friendly and the profits raised go to the group or charity. 

Sometimes, people don't necessarily want to buy for reasons like diet or food allergies, but they still want to support the cause. That's why it's good to have a donation jar on hand.

 blah: a clean deli container

 TADA!: instant donation jar

Plastic is ideal because it won't break when coins are donated. 

 But of course, I had to embellish, right?

Now won't this get some attention

and encourage gracious giving?

See you back tomorrow for more

bake sale suggestions!