09 September 2011

The WRITE Thing to Do


Hooray, hooray, it's Friday!
Have you been enjoying all the John Derian
inspiration this week?

If he'd offer tours to his workshop, I'd
be the first in line!

Anyway, one of the designs he likes to
use are handwritten letters:

Tissue paper to wrap gifts
{some sections were marked with a X...the "delete"
button wasn't invented yet!}

A pretty glass plate

A nostalgic placemat
{your go signal to read other people's mail!}


With this in mind, shall we do
a blah to TADA! make-over?

blah: an empty ice cream tub
{cleaned with soap & water and allowed to dry}

blah: old magazine & catalog pages

When you put them together using
scissors, glue & a layer of Mod Podge,
here's what happens:

TADA! A classy container with hints of the
type-written & handwritten word, plus
an arresting insect for a pop of color.

Would you like to add some handles?

Just punch a few holes and add some rope,
ribbon or twine; knot the ends.

Use it organize your work space.
TADA!

Have a lovely weekend!

08 September 2011

A Blue Bird to Call My Own


It's all about John Derian-inspired TADAs this week.

One of the designs he likes to use are birds:




These appear on his plates & paperweights.

Well, I think I have to try this out
with this blah:

Similar to yesterday, I'm using a glass
salad plate.

I found this pretty picture from a magazine.
Just right for the "bird" theme, right?

A few tools and printed paper circles.

Attach the bird design on the under side of
the plate with all purpose glue.
Gently smooth out any creases.
Let dry for several minutes.

Attach the paper circles the same way.

Here's a closer look.

Display it on a wall or use it to hold jewelry.
Wasn't that TADA!?

07 September 2011

Monogrammed Dish


One of the cute things I found at John Derian's shop
are these initial plates:

They're made of glass.

The plates are also available in symbols
like the ampersand, exclamation point
and question mark.

I'm using this as a peg to turn this blah
into a TADA!:

A dessert plate I purchased at a thrift shop.

Punch a few letters from a magazine.

Attach the letter on the underside of the plate
with white glue and TADA!, a cheap and cheerful
version of the John Derian initial plate!



Add any letter you want and keep it for yourself
or turn it into a hostess present:

Just throw in a few bars of hand-milled soaps or
a chunky candle.
TADA!

06 September 2011

Paperweights


Yesterday, I told you about this genius of a fellow
named John Derian, a decorative artist &
entrepreneur.

His forte is decoupage and among the pieces
he makes that I'm definitely drawn to
are his glass paperweights:




images courtesy of J.Crew

Pretty right?
Well, I thought I'd try my hand at making these.
Instead of glass, I'm using this:

A garden stone, a river rock...the name changes depending
on where you find it.
Blah if I say so myself.

I got this butterfly in a magazine.
All I had to do was cut around it.

Then I attached it to the rock {after it was cleaned}
with Mod Podge or regular white glue.
Apply the glue under & over the butterfly
for a matte finish. Gently smooth out with
your fingers to remove creases or air bubbles.

TADA! My very own paperweight!

I use it to hold down paper napkins
during a fun picnic or barbecue.

See you again tomorrow for another idea!

05 September 2011

Inspiration: John Derian


Hello there! Today, I'm going to take you to
a jewel box of a store in New York City.

It's called John Derian Company Inc. and
is named after the designer who owns it.

You've probably heard his name before.
John Derian is primarily a decoupage artist,
cutting & pasting paper to create something
beautiful & utilitarian at the same time.

A few years ago, he even made
a special line for Target.

He actually has two shops located
just steps away from each other.

The first store front is located on #6 East 2nd Street
(between Bowery & 2nd Avenue). Doesn't it resemble
a home with patio furniture outside?

Inside, it's like a bungalow in Massachusetts, bright, airy
and filled with curiosities. There is a good amount of
antiques, home decor, paper goods, books and of course
Mr. Derian's decoupage creations - trays, plates, vases,
paperweights and coasters made from a
collection of vintage paper.

The second store is on #10 East 2nd Street and feels like a
global bazaar. It's packed with furniture, carpets, poufs,
pillows, linen, bags, pouches and clothing like
cotton onesies and colorful kaftans.

This is the kind of shop where you can
find a gift for that person who has everything.
The shop where you can spend some time when
you're in no hurry & then feel inspired when
you finally leave.

With that said, our blah to TADA!
projects this week will be
John Derian-inspired.

See you tomorrow!

02 September 2011

Just Some Snacks


How quickly this week went by!

Before I say farewell to my beach trip,
I've got to show you one more thing that
I packed in my floral beach tote.

I took along some snacks packed in a plastic container
I saved from a Chinese take-out dinner.

Let's see...there's fruit, crackers & some chips.
I take my own water too. The beach has a
concession stand and a few restaurants nearby
but when sprawled on the sand, getting a tan,
hearing the waves & reading a good book,
it's a blah to leave this heavenly spot.

Have a spectacular weekend!

01 September 2011

Say Cheese!


I hope you are having an awesome day!
I certainly am. I'm taking a little
vacation from crafting this week.

Inside my beach bag, I didn't forget to pack...

A few cameras! These are Lomography cameras that
still rely on film. Bright, sunny days are the best time
use them. One's a Supersampler & the other's a Fisheye.
Waiting for the film to get developed may be
a little blah but who knows? The images
that come out can be totally TADA!

Need to capture summer before it's over.
Bye now!