Easy Gift Boxes

Today, I still have gift wrapping on my mind.

As the New Year begins, I want to

simplify & recycle -- less clutter at home,

less trash in the world.

Here's a beautiful magazine.

Made with beautiful paper.

But a stack has been hanging around

my living room, gathering dust.

Time for some blah to TADA!

I turned them into little gift boxes.

TADA!

I used an existing box as a template to make

the bottom and the lid.

I made different sizes.

All that's needed is a gift to be put inside.

You can add some color with markers,

paint and magazine cut-outs, too.

Hope you liked today's craft!

Paper Bows

So nice of you to stop by today!

I've got another idea to turn this

old, blah magazine into a Tada!:

The pages of this magazine are thicker

than a regular glossy.

So I took a black marker & drew a bow on the page.

Then I cut around it.

TADA! I used it in place of a 3-D bow

as a finishing touch to a present!

A small ribbon with multiple bows for a tiny gift.

Or a bigger bow for a hefty present.

The possibilities are endless!

Mags to Tags

For all of you living in the US, I hope you had a fun long weekend (we commemorated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. yesterday). This week, I'm finding new use for these magazines I've been keeping since 2008:

The Edible Magazines are published all over the US,

Canada and some parts of Europe.

They promote healthy & sustainable living.

I like the thick paper they use and

the vibrant photographs -- perfect for

crafting once all the articles

have been devoured.

I whipped out one of my favorite tools,

the circle punch. It's the same one I

used for this craft & this craft.

Tada!

Instant gift tags made simply by punching

around a photo from the magazine.

This set has a farm-like feel with the

animals, fruits and barn photos.

The photo circles were attached to a plain

cardboard circle using a glue stick.

This serves as a sturdy backing & a place

to write a thoughtful message.

Punch a small hole at the top and add a

piece of twine, cord or ribbon.

Tada! Another version using the

printed page with a border of

punched-out daisies.

See you tomorrow!

Magazine Make-over

Happy Monday Lovelies!

When the New Year comes around, I like to get rid of clutter. Easier said than done for a pack rat like me. I like to save things for their sentimental value and for opportunities to turn blah into TADA! Take for example these magazines:

I have different versions from Edible Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn, even San Francisco & Marin and Wine Country. These "Edibles" are beautifully produced magazines that shines the spotlight on the local food movement: buy/eat food grown in your town or city.

The photos are engaging {I have the urge to lick the page!}, the articles are insightful and the paper used is thick with a matte finish.

So instead of awarding them to the paper recycling bin, here's what I did:

I used some old, blah cardboard boxes...

And these crafty tools to turn the

magazine pages into:

Terrific and TADA! postcards!

I punched out leaves & flowers and printed

some sincere wishes:

I even decorated the back of the card {natural board}

to add some whimsy:

These will be my official greeting cards for 2011!

Eco-chic, don't you think?

Creative, Inc.

Happy Friday!

Here's another book on my reading list this year:

I'm a freelance writer and I know quite a few freelancers myself -- food stylists, photographers, graphic designers, TV commercial producers. Whether it's the career you're in or considering the jump, I think Creative, Inc. is a superb manual to know what you're doing right and determine how you can do things better.

It's authored by Meg Mateo Ilasco who wrote Craft, Inc. and Crafting a Meaningful Home and Joy Deengdeelert Cho of the lovely blog Oh Joy.

I thanked my lucky stars that I could make it to their

NYC book tour.

The venue: Michele Varian's shop in SOHO.

It was a packed event!

We got to check out Michele's gorgeous goods.

Pretty, pretty buntings.

Sweet things & overflowing wine.

I got to meet Meg & Joy!

Both of them signed my book.

What a thrill!

Have an exciting weekend!

Color on a Wintry Day

The snow fell again, covering the neighborhood in a layer of powder. I love snow. I love winter, too. But I'm not too fond of the cold weather. To deal with this "situation", I switch on some happy thoughts -- flip flops, summer dresses and flowers. It's a good thing I've got this new book I bought over the holidays:

It contains 25 festive and easy crafts to

keep one occupied, especially when

stuck indoors on a snowy day.

Paper+Cup is the baby of Truman and Minhee Cho

who also own Paper+Cup Design, makers of stationery.

Too bad I missed the book signing event.

And because I have my thoughts on flowers

and all things related to warmer weather,

I decided to make this flower gift tag.

I'm recycling red tissue paper {from a Christmas present}.

Cut a rectangle and fold it in half.

Cut out some petals.

Roll it up into a tight coil & attach it to a

piece of wire with some tape.

Wrap a strip of green paper to cover the

wire {use some glue} and add a leaf,

where you can write your message.

TADA! An instant flower to keep or give away.

This is cheering me up already!

Meeting Miss Bakerella

Thanks for stopping by! Because it's a new year, I have a list of new books to read and projects to try. Here is my book of the day:

It's written by one of my favorite bloggers, Bakerella.

She makes the cutest treats, throws really fun contests

and is such a nice gal -- no wonder she's gaining

all this success! Clap, clap, clap!

Here she is, Angie Dudley, also known as Bakerella.

I met her at her book signing event in New York City.

She makes these adorable cake pops:

And without sticks, they're called cake balls.

These were served at the event {take note of

the edible silver & gold paint}:

One is chocolate and the other, red velvet.

Yummy bites of joy!

I had to make these myself!

I used a boxed cake mix & ready-to-spread frosting

{No shame in that! Bakerella even encourages it},

plus some dark and white chocolate chips hanging

out in the pantry.

TADA! My black & white cake bites!

Scrumptious vanilla cake inside a chocolate shell.

I can't wait to make the character cake pops!

Oh la la!