Collapsible Box

Hi there! Thanks for dropping in today.

Yesterday, I turned a blah produce sack

into a TADA! container.

Today, I have another idea using the

same produce sack.

Trim the sack to a rectangle and

remove any labels.

Cut it into 4 smaller rectangles.

Put them side by side to form a cube.

Then pin the meeting edges together.

Connect the pinned edges using

a sewing machine or hand-stitching.

With a big needle & yarn, I made a

blanket stitch on the tops & edges.

If you have an extra sack, make a

square for the bottom

{use a plastic bag or a piece of

cloth as an alternative} and

stitch this to the sides.

Remove the pins and TADA!

you just made a cute

collapsible box!

Use it for pencils, pens & markers...

...and other art materials.

Have a colorful day!

A Sack that doesn't Suck

If you've visited my blog before, you know

how many times I've recycled produce sacks.

I've turned them into flowers, hairpieces and

even garden lights.

What do you know? I have a few more

to transform from blah to TADA!

Step 1: Cut into a rectangle & remove

the plastic labels.

Step 2: Tape the edges with printed or solid-colored

packing tape. You might need to reinforce

the stickiness-factor with hot glue.

Step 3: Gather the edges so that the flat sack

lifts up to become a box. Attach the meeting

edges with hot glue.

Use binder clips to keep the edges in place

as the glue dries.

Remove the binder clips and TADA!

you've got a box!

I'll use it as a station for garlic...

...or for those nifty coffee pods.

Or a place where snacks can hang out

until they're gobbled up by the family.

TADA!

Food to Go

All this week, I'm recycling different kinds of boxes.

I like to order in every now and then.

I have a habit of keeping the

plastic food containers;

there's even a designated shelf

in my pantry for these.

Sometimes, I feel they're a blah because the shapes

and sizes vary, they don't stack very well.

But I still keep most of them anyway.

When you have a party, they're

very handy to store left-overs.

You can keep some in the fridge,

some in the freezer or send some

to your guests so they don't

have to cook the next day.

You can also give one to your doorman

or someone who helps you out

everyday.

Just add a fork {also collected from

too much take-out}, a napkin

and why not add a drink, too?

TADA!

Won't this idea be TADA!

for the coming holidays like

Thanksgiving & Christmas?

Berry Nice

Did you have a fun weekend my dears?

The weather is cooler here in the East Coast

but the leaves haven't turned into

warm autumn colors yet.

It seems that, like me, they are

still hanging on to summer.

And one of the things I'll miss

about summer are berries.

I think berries are the jewels of summer.

These cartons of fruit got me

so excited to craft.

I'll turn this blah fruit box & blah paper bag

into a TADA! package for a gift.

I painted some strawberries on

one side of the paper bag.

Once the painted design was dry, I tucked

in a gift inside the paper bag.

Then I put the bag in

the fruit box.

Doesn't it look like a carton of strawberries?

Attach a tag with a rubber band or string

{like some farm stands do} and

finish with a beautiful note.

TADA!

Cocktail Ring Lover

Yipee! Yay! It's Friday!

Thank you for checking out my posts.

This week, it was all about catalogs

and how each page carries so

much inspiration.

I found another idea from this catalog.

Can you see it? It's a ring holder.

Yes, it's that white twig-like

object in the center.

Here's a better view.

Well, we can make our own

blah to TADA! version, don't

you think?

blah: a twig & a rock found in the park

Clean with water & allow to dry.

Trim the twig to your desired height.

Then put together with lots of hot glue.

You can paint it all over or

keep it all natural.

TADA! An easy way to

store {and display} your

cocktail ring collection.

Have a terrific weekend everyone!

NYC Souvenir

You've heard it before: you can find

inspiration everywhere.

This week, I'm looking for

inspiration in catalogs that

I get free in the mail.

This shop carries a lot of young and

modern pieces for the home.

They have some cool artwork

like this one:

It's a typical New York scene.

The artist captures the city's energy,

vitality and fast pace.

I'm taking this cue for my

own humble piece of art.

blah: black & white photos I took of New York

City {they've been sitting in a box for ages}

blah: wood backing salvaged from an old picture frame

{the glass broke}

I picked a photo from the pile: the "Imagine"

mosaic, taken in Central Park. It's a tribute

to John Lennon.

It's my favorite because the word

gives you permission to escape to

your version of an ideal world.

The photo and printed paper

{to cover the gaps}

were attached to the wood

with acid-free/photo safe glue.

It's very New York but more subdued

compared to the art it was

inspired by.

Artwork that's handmade.

Artwork that inspires.

TADA!

Decoration Nation

I receive a lot of mailers and catalogs.

I like to peruse them before

banishing them to the recycling bin.

Here's one from a company that sells

its products in storefronts & on-line.

They have a lot of tech & travel stuff so I was quite

surprised that they sell decorations like these.

It's this photo that led me to this

blah to TADA! transformation:

blah: a plastic bag

Make flowers out of the bag

{You'll find the instructions here}.

Attach the flowers to a cardboard circle

with a glue gun.

TADA! A homemade wreath!

Replace the ribbon depending on the season -- silver for

a wedding, pastel for springtime, gingham for summer

and red {green or gold} for the holidays.