Garden Lights

Last Monday, we commemorated Labor Day here in the US. This day is the unofficial end of summer. Boohoo! But that won't stop me from enjoying my time outdoors -- not until I feel autumn's chill.

Today, we're making a project for an outdoor party.

We're using a bunch of these empty blah milk cartons

that we've cleaned inside & out.

Using a box cutter, remove some parts of the carton.

Make sure to make an open slot at the bottom.

To cover the printed areas of the carton,

attach some plain or printed paper with a glue stick.

Another option is painting the carton.

Use a paper doily (tulle or lace scraps can work as well)

to cover the open parts of the carton.

Secure doily ends to the carton with glue.

TADA! A romantic garden lantern!

I found these battery operated tea lights at the department store.

Batteries included!

No flame, no fire hazards!

Insert a tea light at the bottom slot.

TADA! It now looks like a real garden light.

Use these as centerpieces on your outdoor dinner table,

to line a pathway or hang these on low tree branches

in your garden (punch a hole on the top of the box &

add a some wire for easy hanging).

Goes to show you that I'm not ready to

say goodbye to summer just yet!

My Picasso

This Picasso painting is called "Femme a la robe rose":

Okay, okay, so I don't own the real thing.

Not even a print. Or a postcard.

This is what I have:

It's a magazine tear sheet that I mounted...

...onto this blah, empty (but clean!) milk carton.

Here she is, sitting on my desk.

And TADA! I added a little drawer at the bottom...

...where I can hide small office necessities.

I may never own a Picasso piece in my lifetime,

but it's fun to pretend that I do.

Take care ya' all!

Got Milk?

Hello Everyone! I'm back from my break and I feel recharged! Thanks for your well wishes, I missed you gals, too.

This week, let's turn these empty milk cartons from

blah to TADA!

The first step is to wash the blah cartons with dish soap & water.

Allow to dry thoroughly.

Once dry, it's time to decorate!

TADA! A cute little bird house!

It's dressed up with scrap gift wrap, an old box for the roof, a real twig for the perch & stickers for the peephole window. My feathered friend, I got from Chinatown (you can get them at the nearest craft store).

Use it to add some cheer to a blank wall.

Or for a more utilitarian purpose, make a hole at the back using

a box cutter to stash your pens & pencils in.

Have a great day!

I'm On My Way Back

I'll Be Back in a Bit

Books for Cooks

Hey, hey it's finally Friday!

This entire week was about my new camera and

the super fun scavenger hunt that I participated in.

I'm now left with a bag of Polaroid-like photos.

Hiding them in a box would be totally blah,

making me cook up some new uses for them.

Here's one of the photos I took.

It was Item #23 on our scavenger list: books or magazines

for sale on the street on a Northbound Avenue.

How specific was that?!!!

TADA! I turned it into a gift tag.

The image is perfect for this second hand cookbook that I found!

No gift wrap necessary -- just a bow & a photo.

Plus a sweet note written at the back.

The photo can eventually be the bookmark!

Have a delicious weekend ya' all!

Can I Have Your Number?

This week, I'm showing off my new camera that

I got for free at a B&H summer event in New York City.

It was a scavenger hunt where we were given a list

of things to photograph around the city.

I had loads of fun & I'm left with loads of photos, too.

I'm figuring out ways to put them to good use.

TADA! I turned them into calling cards

to give to a new acquaintance.

{This number is for demonstration purposes only}

It's also a creative way to promote a business:

take a photo of a cake or a craft and

print information details on a sticker that

you can put in front or at the back.

More tomorrow!

Happy Thoughts

I have this new camera that's almost like a Polaroid,

spitting out a photo {with the lovely white borders}

immediately after taking it.

I have 30 or so prints that I don't want

to just stash away. That would be blah!

So I'm finding some good use for them.

TADA! I turned this one into a teeny-tiny

birthday card to fit a teeny-tiny envelope.

There's some space on the border to write a witty one-liner

and I can enclose a sheet of stationery if I want to

write a longer message.

It will be fun to see my friends' reaction when they look at

this Polaroid photo...so old school but so much fun!

Travel Journals

Yesterday, I told you about my new camera.

After a fun scavenger hunt, I'm left with these photos.

Instead of leaving them in a dark drawer,

let's make them useful!

Have I told you that I love to travel?

I keep these little notebooks for each destination I visit.

Before the trip, I write down places to check out like shops,

restaurants, markets, important phrases, basic etiquette,

cultural activities and unique experiences.

During the trip, it serves as a journal and a scrapbook

where I can stick business cards or found treasures

like a leaf, a ticket to a museum or a bus pass.

The prints taken from my new camera will now find

a place in the pages of my travel journals.

But for now, here's what I'm doing

with the prints that I already have:

I'll use them as labels for the face of each notebook.

It adds some visual interest...

And serves a functional purpose, too!

See you again tomorrow.

My New Camera!

Can I tell you about a truly enjoyable

summer activity I did recently?

Well, it all began here:

B&H is a little piece of heaven for photo & video enthusiasts.

They have an event space where experts conduct free seminars.

Yes, FREE!

From choosing the best camera, to lighting & composition,

to marketing your work. During the summer, they have

photo safaris & scavenger hunts. They lend you a camera and

the group hits the streets of New York City in search of

items to photograph. Prizes await the best photos.

Here's the camera we got to try:

The Fujifilm Instax Mini.

It works like a Polaroid camera (instant film).

We were also given a free cap & T-shirt!

{I love freebies...they're TADA!}

Cameras being handed out...

Plus boxes of film {we each had a total of 40 shots}.

After a short demo, we were given the list of 25 items

we had to find. We had 4 hours to complete the mission.

The output of the camera is this credit card-size photo:

Item #2 on the list: Tourist taking a photo

in Times Square

Item #14: Green park chairs sitting pretty

Item #22: A French Arch with a fountain in NYC

Item #16: An ice cream truck like Mr. Softee

Item #18: A man riding a horse, and getting nowhere

It took us from midtown to downtown on a sweltering day.

I was able to cross out the items in about 2 1/2 hours,

without taking a break -- I really wanted a prize!

But sadly, some folks who were faster and

highly skilled beat me to it {they gave

away B&H gift cards}.

We got to keep the camera though!

And that's a prize in itself.

I also have a stack of photos:

This week, I'll show you how I turn them from blah to TADA!

See you tomorrow, okay?