Tea Bag Envelope Transformation

I'm pleased to see you today!

Tea is one of my favorite beverages and the packaging they come in have made a starring role in many of my crafts. From recipe box, storage tins, gift box and gift tags, there are many ways to turn them from blah to TADA!

Some teas come in teabag envelopes like these. What a shame to just throw them away.

I covered up the labels with a few coats of white paint.

Here's what they look like after drying. I like that there's a faint hint of its past life.

I'm using cling stamps and an ink pad to decorate the teabag envelopes.

How could I not use the teapot stamp?

I love it as a repeating pattern, too.

A swirly soft serve ice cream? Yes please!

We could leave this as is or add some hues using colored pencils.

Here's another set of cling stamps with a romantic theme.

I suggest to stamp off-center or in layers and see what patterns you come up with. 

I'm all for the shabby chic look:

There are many things you can do with these teabag envelopes: for letter writing, scrapbooking, packaging...the possibilities are endless. I even used them in last week's Self-Love junk journal!

Insert small cards and use them as love notes.

Or use them to hold good wishes with the gifts that you plan to give.

And that is how I turned empty teabag envelopes from blah to TADA! 

If you want more crafty recycling ideas, please subscribe here. 

Last Summer Hurrah

Hello everyone!

I'd like to honor a woman of strength and courage, Queen Elizabeth II:

via CNN

I'm not British and I never saw her in person, but I feel a sense of loss. She's the only monarch I grew up to know, I always paused when I saw her on TV, I watched several documentaries and even "The Crown" to learn about her life story. And what a story it was -- a 70 year reign! Thank you for your service, Ma'am. I can only echo what one British man said when he paid his respects to the Queen: "Rest in peace and rise in glory."

*****

This Thursday, September 22, is the first day of Autumn. How has summer flown by so quickly? Sharing with you some photos that turned my summer from "blah to TADA!"

1. The taste of summer:

Eating lobster rolls and clam chowder

Homemade Caprese Salad with Proscuitto

Checking out new pastry shops like
Machine Shop in Philadelphia, 
Tatte Bakery in Boston, and
Kingston Bread & Bar in New York.

Trying new ice cream flavors at Jeni's,
Il Laboratorio del Gelato,
Matcha Cafe' Maiko, and Dairy Queen.

2. Going on new adventures:

Weekends at our favorite beach

Visiting the Presidential Libraries of John F. Kennedy and 
Franklin D. Roosevelt. There's a special passport that gets
a stamp for every new one I visit.
Can't wait to see the rest!

Bounty at the many farm stands & farmer's markets!

3. Getting lost in fun summer reads:

Cooking from a variety of cookbooks like
Korean American, Snackable Bakes,
A Table, and Colombiana.

Riveting novels including those by Lucy Foley
(she creates characters that one can get so invested in!)

I also read newly released picture books like
"Holding On" by Sophia N. Lee & Isabel Roxas.
It's about memories made between
a grandmother and her granddaughter.
I wrote a book review on Positively Filipino.

4. Doing something creative everyday:

Filling my sketchbooks with watercolor drawings.

Designing my own stationery & sending snail mail...TADA!

I hope you had an exciting summer, too. Here's to the new season and what's ahead!

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A Sketchbook Practice: "Draw Your Day for Kids" by Samantha Dion Baker

Hi there!

Today, I'm featuring the book, "Draw Your Day for Kids" by Samantha Dion Baker. It's a reliable resource if you are just starting a sketchbook practice or already have a full-fledged one which I'm trying to do. 

 

I borrowed this one from the library and even if it's a book for kids, I like how the process of "how to sketch and paint your amazing life" is made simple. Keeping a journal is proof that we showed up daily and there are many ways to maintain one, not just the kind filled with written thoughts. 

"When we think of a journal, we usually think of just writing, but this book is all about keeping a visual journal filled with drawings that you create to show the things you do, see, and eat during your days. Drawing your daily life helps you learn so much about yourself and the world around you. From the biggest events, like getting braces, to the smallest stuff, like tasting a new food for the first time, tracking it all in one place is so much fun." - SMD                                                                                            

To start we'll need the following materials:

A sketchbook, pencils, a plastic eraser, sharpener, fine-line pens, colored pencils, crayons, markers, a watercolor palette, paint brushes or waterbrushes, a glue stick and a small pair of scissors. These will all go into your artist's tool kit and it can be anything from a canvas pouch, pencil case or empty box that you can take with you when the sketching mood arises. 

To get us started, let's warm up with a few drawing exercises:

We can make lines, circles and scribbles.

We can practice drawing light and shadow. This can be achieved by shading techniques like crosshatching (lines in the same direction) or stippling (dots) to add depth and shadows to the sketch. The drawing can remain this way or can be finished with color (make sure the fine-liner pen you use is waterproof). 

We can try out "blind contour drawing" or drawing the subject without looking at your paper, sketching only the outlines and avoiding lifting your pencil off the page.

Here are a few prompts to help us draw our day: Daily Rituals, Your Mood, the Weather, Nature, Animals, Everyday Activities and Items, Special Events, Travel, Home, Food and Drink, and People.

And speaking of drawing people, I love this guide on how to draw faces and bodies:

Now, it's time to put all of these elements together. Let me show you the pages that I made:

This one is all about food and drink. The coffee and the pastries are the heroes of the page and I used the negative space to write out a description. I experimented with different kinds of lettering, too.

This is a combination of nature and weather highlighting a spring day on the Boston Harbor. Samantha suggests, "Think of your page like a photograph; use the edges of the page."

This page details a day at the shore during the Fourth of July. I was able to check off some items on my "Summer List" like eating really yummy barbecue, having some ice cream, collecting sea shells and spending the day at the beach.

Wasn't that fun? A few parting thoughts from the book:

Samantha says, "Creating an illustrated journal is a practice you can continue your whole life, from age eight to eighty." All we have to do is start...no matter what age we are. 

And that is how I turned a blank sketchbook page from blah to TADA!

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Uses for a Cast Iron Skillet

Hi there! 

I was rummaging through my kitchen cupboards and found this: 

It's a tiny cast iron skillet. It was a holiday gift, a set that included a bag of cookie mix. I find it so cute! I can use it to serve "dessert for two" or a "dish for one" like a small pizza.  

In many families, cast iron skillets are treasured and passed down from generation to generation. They only get better with age and are a very good investment. These can easily be purchased in home stores and flea markets. For them to last many lifetimes, they have to be cared for: they have to be seasoned to achieve a non-stick surface and cleaned properly to avoid rust. 

I want to use my mini cast iron skillet as often as I can to maintain its condition. Here are some of the things I made:

Chocolate chip cookie a la mode - when I make cookies, I scoop them into balls. Half I bake and the other half I freeze. That way we don't eat too many cookies in one sitting, and if I need something sweet later on, I know there's some in the freezer. All I do is take what I need (in this case, one cookie), thaw it and bake it directly on the cast iron skillet. Then I serve it in the same skillet still warm (placed on a trivet so it doesn't burn the dining table) with a scoop of ice cream. And maybe sprinkles. And chocolate sauce. TADA! 

Dutch Baby Pancake - A Dutch Baby is crepe/pancake baked in the oven so that it puffs up into a cloud but deflates when it reaches room temperature. It makes a delightful breakfast and I like eating it with a squeeze of lemon and maple syrup. TADA!

Pumpkin Pie - the recipe I used yielded extra pie filling which allowed me to make this personal pie...TADA!

Corn Bread - this recipe for corny corn bread are baked in muffin pans. There was some extra batter left so I baked the rest in this skillet.

It's a perfect side to a bowl of chili that we love to make during the winter months. 

These are just some of the ways I turn a forgotten cast iron skillet from blah to TADA!

Please share more suggestions on what I can make with this cast iron skillet and if you'd like to be part of my mailing list, please subscribe here. 

Happy Day of Hearts

Instead of making Valentine's Day all about romantic love, let's celebrate all forms of love! Why not go out on a date with your parents or grandparents? Get in touch with a friend you haven't seen for a while and catch up over coffee and cake? Or spend some time with a nephew or niece, godson or goddaughter and take them out for pizza and ice cream. You'll make a new memory together and turn an ordinary day from blah to TADA!  

The 100 Day Project Round-up Part One

Can I just say "Whew" and "Wow" at the same time? I just completed "The 100 Day Project"! It's both a relief and a proud moment.

The 100 Day Project is a free, yearly global art project that anyone can participate in. It had participants choose an action and do it for 100 days like "100 Days of Shoes" or "100 Days of Flowers". The other rule was to document it on Instagram with the tag #the100dayproject and your chosen hashtag (ex. #100days of shoes). 

I chose to do "100 Days of Crafts and Confections". Here is a recap of the projects I completed:

Week 1 (April 4 - 9): Blackout poetry, bounce calligraphy, earring making, baking a chocolate cake, a watercolor inspired by the orchid show

Week 2 (April 10 - 14): An entry in my travel journal, a pompom zipper pull, a bookmark made from Washi tape, blackout poetry, an Easter greeting card

  

Week  3 (April 15 - 19): Playing with sun prints, a bunny ear headband, ribbon rose hair clips, updating an old necklace with a tassel, a spring-inspired painting

Week 4 (April 20 - 24): My take on mangoes with sticky rice (my favorite Thai dessert), homemade macarons with pistachio ice cream, mini pain au chocolat, gift tags made with white pen on black sticker paper, pressing flowers

Week 5 (April 25 - 29): A leather tassel, a pair of earrings, art inspired by cherry blossoms

Week 6 (April 30 - May 4): Blackout poetry, a paper airplane using an old map, bookplates, a vanilla pound cake using my newly-acquired loaf pan, an entry in my travel journal

Week 7 (May 5 - 9): a pendant made from a pressed flower, lemon poppyseed bread, watercolor flowers, and a trinket tray made from ovenbake clay

Week 8 (May 10 - 14): more bounce calligraphy, experiments with wood burning tools and beechwood tags, a greeting card, brownies from Dorie Greenspan's "Dorie's Cookies" book, a page from a coloring book 

Week 9 (May 15 - 19): a watercolor inspired by the irises growing outdoors, blackout poetry, handmade silver earrings, carving a stamp, inking my stamp on stationery

Week 10 (May 20 - 24): blackout poetry, papercutting, a coloring session (using illustrations on a paperbag), folding paper boats from old bill envelopes, turning a Metrocard subway/bus pass into a notebook (just add scrap paper!)...TADA!

Tomorrow, I'll share what I did for Weeks 11-20. See ya!

Book Launch: Oh Joy! 60 Ways to Create and Give Joy

So yesterday, I mentioned that I attended a fun book launch. It had all these festive and fabulous elements, I have to share the details with you!

Joy Cho of the popular blog Oh Joy came out with a new book. She's a graphic artist, product designer for brands like Target and The Land of Nod, a certified foodie, a wife and mother to two adorable little girls.

She's an author of several inspiring books for the creative entrepreneur but this new book is all about crafts to make and give. It's right up my alley!

The party was at West Elm in New York City. The store, closed early for this private event, was decked out in style. Look at these shiny balloons!

There was a DJ.

A Champagne bar.

And frozen treats from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.

I chose a combination of salty caramel and chocolate ice cream. Then I topped it with Oreo-tasting "black gravel". 

This gorgeous floral backdrop and table covered in colorful contact paper were all based on ideas from the book.

And the highlight of the night was having Joy sign our books. 

She was kind enough to chat with everyone.

Yes, everyone who bought the book and stood in line!

It was one great party, indeed.

Tomorrow, I'll try out a project from the book. Stay tuned!

Apple Picking

Happy Monday lovelies!

When Autumn rolls in, a road trip is in order. It's one of the fun ways to see nature's beautiful colors.

And since we were on the road anyway, we stopped by an orchard to go apple picking.

It was a cool and comfortable day to be outdoors. 

Rows upon rows of apple trees. Visitors are welcome to picnic underneath them.

Part of the thrill is looking for the apples.

Apples hang low...

And some are too high up.

Inevitably, many apples fall on the ground.
 

Vibrant and freshly picked. 

It's an activity that the whole family will greatly enjoy.

Here is our haul. 

There's also a country store on the premises selling bottles of pickles, preserves and honey, plus gifts and souvenirs. There's also a little snack shack with after-apple-picking treats like pizza, ice cream and cider doughnuts.

All this week, I'll show you how I turn these apples from blah to TADA!