25 August 2014

A Gift for the Girls

Hello lovelies! I'm a fan of cheerful prints, especially lively prints on paper.

That's the reason I fell in love with this paper pack on my trip to the craft store. I bought it without a specific project in mind.

These are just some of the designs. Are you drooling already? 

Today, I'm using the mason jar print. I'm personalizing each jar with a name. To do this, rubber stamps and and an ink pad really do come in handy.

Then, I cut around each jar.

I also make some heart shapes from pages of an old book, this time with a craft punch.

I glue on these elements on favor bags.

I'll be using these to wrap little presents to give away when I get together with my girls.

As a finishing touch, I made a bow with some colorful yarn. Isn't that blah to TADA!?

Have a beautiful week everyone!

20 August 2014

A Sweet Portrait

Hello there! Here's another crafty idea from my visit to Dylan's Candy Bar:

The woman behind the confectionery store, Dylan Lauren, her portrait made out of jelly beans! Isn't it cool? 

A few links that you might also like:

How to make a portrait out of candy
A portrait made from chocolate
Portraits made from jelly beans
Portraits crafted from chewing gum
Sculptures created with pink gum 

See you all next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Candy Cake

Thanks for coming over today!

I've been sharing some highlights from my trip to Dylan's Candy Bar. It's such a happy and inspiring shop. Within the store, there are lots of party and crafty ideas. This one has got to be my favorite:

A cake made out of candy!

Here's a more elaborate one with no less than 4 tiers in pretty pastel shades.

I'll be borrowing this idea and maybe create one for a friend's upcoming milestone birthday. Instead of the usual cake, I can make this using her favorite candy.  For a blah to TADA! spin, I'll use an empty box (to build a square or rectangular cake) as the base and attach the candy using all purpose glue.

I hope these photos have sparked ideas for your future celebrations! 



19 August 2014

Dylan's Candy Bar

Yesterday, I gave you a little tease about a happy place I recently visited. It's located in Manhattan's Upper East Side with a few more branches across the US. 

It's called Dylan's Candy Bar!

Candy, color, and cuteness are three words I can use to sum up this store. 

Sweets in every shade and size possible.

Empty canisters that customers can use to fill with candy. I think these make a sweet souvenir or gift for friends that relay the message, "I thought of you on my trip to New York".

Merchandise for those who can't have candy.

And these adorable pillows for a child's bedroom which can be taken on a road trip.

I like to look for my name in the personalized candy section. Can you find yours? 

A bit of candy nostalgia in one corner of the store.

It brings the older generation back to their days as boys and girls. 

There are many other sweets for sale like fudge and chocolate-dipped fruit.

There's a cafe on the top floor for a midday snack and a room for party rentals.

What's not to love about a photo booth (with props, too)?

This larger than life gumball machine makes anyone (young and young at heart) a giddy kid at a candy store! 

If you can, please stop by tomorrow for a candy craft idea.

18 August 2014

Candy Heaven

How was your weekend folks? Mine was both relaxing (sleeping in and dining out), productive (crossing out a handful of items off my "To Do" list), and staying connected (chatting on the phone with my parents, my mom-in-law and a cousin who live far, far away). 

Just a little peek at what's in store on the blog this week:


Any guesses? Let's see if you're correct when you stop by tomorrow. Have a great day!

11 August 2014

Block Printing Basics

Hello friends! Have you ever tried making your own rubber stamps? It's a fun craft and today, I'll show you how.

I learned it at the Brooklyn Brainery where they offer multi-disciplinary topics from crafting to cooking and presentation skills to walking tours of New York City. They promise accessible education at affordable prices.

This is their classroom in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

I had signed up for a stamp making class, otherwise known as block printing. Our teacher was the lovely Jessica Lee Kaufman.

All the materials were provided. This includes a wooden work station, EZ carve (pink rubber printing block), and carving tools.

The carving tool, when unscrewed, opens to reveal an assortment of tips.

Here are the basic rules of block printing: 
  • Carve away from you (because the carving tips are sharp)
  • Shallow dives (use a light hand when carving; the image Jessica gives is a bird gently touching the ocean surface when it takes a drink)
  • Fingers behind tool (because again, the tips are sharp) 


We first learned how to attach a tip on the carving tool and screw on to tighten (a quick tip: "righty tighty" or turn right to tighten and "lefty loosey" or turn left to loosen). Then we tried our hand at carving by making lines using different tips.

Once we got the hang of it, we were on our way to making our own rubber stamps. I based my design on the flowers from this greeting card. I first made a sketch on paper.

Then I transferred the design to the EZ carve. I flipped the paper (the drawing is now face to face with the EZ carve) and I forcefully shaded the back of the paper with a pencil.

See, the image is now on the EZ carve!

Then I carved the rubber around and inside the design so that in the end, the flowers appear to be raised. Notice that these are very shallow cuts on the surface.

Now it's time to test the stamp. They provided these screen printing inks.

I chose black ink and placed half a spoonful onto a masonite surface. Then I spread the paint using a brayer

Use the brayer in both directions to get an even coat of paint. If you hear the brayer making a zipper sound, the paint should be ready. 

Apply the paint-filled brayer onto the stamp. Make sure to spread this on top of the design with pressure and in different directions.

Test the rubber stamp by flipping it onto a piece of scrap paper. Add some weight with the palm of your hands.

Here's what it looks like. 

I'll use it to add a personal touch to blank stationery and blah packages. TADA!

Here are some of my classmates. I think they'll agree, we were pretty pleased with the block prints each of us made!

06 August 2014

Lavender on my Stationery

Yesterday, I told you about my day trip to a farm called Pleasant Valley Lavender.

I'm head-over-heels in love with the lavender bouquet that I got to pick myself.

And because I know their life is quick, I'm preserving their beauty through photographs. 

I also like to use them as a muse to dress up some blah stationery.

First a little sketch on the card stock...

And on the envelope flap.

Then some watercolor.

A memory of a summer day at the lavender farm that I can share with my friends. I can even add some dried lavender buds inside the envelopes for a hint of fragrance. TADA!