Industrial-Style Mason Jar Vase Tutorial

Folks, as this week draws closer to an end, I'm getting more and more excited about heading to the beach for some fun and family time.  But I'm also feeling a little overwhelmed with all that I have to get done before we leave Saturday.  Of course, all the laundry has to be done so we don't go nekkid the whole week.  I don't like to come home to a dirty house, so I'll need to do a little cleaning too.  The Hub and Bub both need new swim trunks and I have a lot of food to buy and pack.  Trust me, fighting all the tourists at the one nearby grocery store is not something I look forward to, so this year we're bringing everything we can with us.  And of course, I need to schedule some posts to run while I'm gone so y'all don't miss me too much! ;)

But, as promised, today I have a tutorial for you on how to make Mason jar vases.  I love these because they're kind of rustic and industrial looking.  The best part is, they're SUPER easy to make.  Here's what you'll need:

Mason jar - any size you want
Stainless steel fasteners (found in the plumbing dept. of your local home improvement store)
5 1/2" x 7" piece of wood or wood cut to size for your jar
Paint or stain for wood if you choose
Hammer
Small nails or screws
Flat head screwdriver or drill
Eye hooks
Wire and/or twine

So, you start with your piece of wood.  I painted mine with CeCe Caldwell's Simply White chalk paint and then used some dark wax to age it.



I used really small nails to secure the fastener to the board.  You could use screws here, but I didn't have any small enough on hand, so I went with the nails and they worked just fine.

I got six of these these awesome Ball Mason jars at Wally World for about $10.  This green is so pretty. They also have them available in blue, but I think you have to order them from their website.  I haven't seen them in stores lately.  Of course, best case scenario would be to use an antique blue mason jar if you have one.  I heart the old ones...

Place the jar inside the fastener, slide the fastener together and tighten the screw with a flat head screw driver.  I actually ended up using my cordless drill and it worked great.

Screw two eye hooks into top of board to attach wire or twine for hanging.  If you didn't want to do the wire or twine, you could always place a picture hanger on the back

Here's one using twine as a hanger.  The green eye hooks came off of something else and I thought they were the perfect shade to go with the green jar.

And now, just because I love y'all...a bonus project!

I made this one as well, with just a little twist on the original.  I got these faceted jars at Goodwill and thought they'd be cute painted.  I used my favorite color, American Paint Company's Liberty, and sanded them lightly.  This board is 6" x 12".  I wrapped the burlap around the board and stapled it to the back.  Cute, yes?  I love it!  I hung it in the hall bath to hold the Bub's stuff that is usually laying all over the counter.  We'll see how long he uses it.

These little vases can be used for so many things - flowers, herbs, silverware, utensils, makeup brushes, paint brushes, pens - the list goes on and on.  Next time, I think I'll use some old barn boards to make these, just to give it a little more rustic appeal.  What do y'all think?  Let me know in the comments and have a fabulous day!

Toodles,

DIY Laundry Sign and Free Graphic

Afternoon, folks!  I'm a little late getting this post up and going today, but better late than never, right?  I only got a little work done on the laundry room this weekend. The Hub wasn't feeling well and couldn't help me get the cabinet painting finished - they're really high and I can't reach the top so I'll have to have his help.  I did get the doors painted and ready to be put up though.  I'm so impatient too when a project is this close to completion - it PAINS me to have to wait!

Anyways...I got one of the signs made that I plan to use.  The big one didn't work out, so it's back to the drawing board on that one, but this little cutie was easy peasy:

I just printed the graphic out onto some pretty scrapbook paper and placed it in this picture frame that I got for 10 cents at our local Rescue Mission.  Man, I love that place!  The frame was already the exact distressed/pickled finish that I wanted, so it literally took me about 30 seconds to put this together once I got it sized to fit.  See? Easy Peasy!  Now, for your viewing pleasure, I am providing the graphic so you can have one to look at of your very own!  Ain't I sweet?  Awww, stop it! 

LAUNDRY

Drop Your Drawers Here

My source for the hand was The Graphics Fairy.  They have a great selection of all kinds of vintage graphics and clip art, all for free.  F to the R to the E-E people!!  So this little sign is adorable in my new laundry room.  And did I mention - I actually enjoyed doing laundry in there this weekend?  It's so nice to have a place to sort and fold.  Whatever makes doing laundry a more tolerable task works for me!  How about you - are you a laundry junkie or a laundry avoid-er?

Toodles,

A Last Minute Laundry Room Project

Hey y'all - Happy Friday!  Hope you've all had a great week.  I've been so busy trying to get lots of inventory built up for when we move into our booth space at Key City Antique Mall and Shops.  Even I'm surprised at how much I've gotten accomplished because I'm usually such a procrastinator - I create better when I'm under pressure or on a deadline.  And I managed to get a lot done despite the last minute laundry room project we tackled last Saturday.

So here's how this story goes....about three months ago, the Hub saw a little sketch I had done of an idea I had for the laundry room and he really liked it, but that was the last mention that was made of it.  I still had it in the back of mind though as something I'd like to do eventually.  Well, last Saturday, the Hub woke up and declared "Today is the day we re-do the laundry room!" - just like that, out of the blue!  Now I'm no fool - I know when he offers to help me with a project, I'd better jump on it before he changes his mind!  So off we went to look for the materials we needed....

Here's the only before picture I could find of my laundry room and of course, it's a bad one.  I guess I just don't regularly snap pics of the dumping ground it had become - go figure?  And as usual, I forgot to take any pictures until we were nearly done painting and rearranging.  But here it is in some of it's mustard-colored glory...

Not much detail, I know...sorry.  But look how cute those fat kitties are!  The room was painted a color that came from the Oops bin at Home Depot.  All of my laundry and household supplies were crammed on the shelves of the baker's rack and it also served as the cat's feeding station.  We have to keep the food up high enough that the dogs can't get to it or they will devour every morsel.  My washer and dryer were stacked on the other side, making for a very tight fit.  It was pretty ugly and like I said, a dumping ground for everything my family couldn't shove anywhere else.  It's not completely finished yet, but I just couldn't wait to show it off!

First, we purchased paint, stain, two unfinished wall cabinets, and a hollow door from Home Depot.  Hollow door, you ask? Why yes - it will make a wonderful countertop since we're doing this on less than a shoestring budget and it only cost $28.00!  Plus, the counter needed to be 33" to cover the appliances and standard counters are only 25 or so inches.  I started by painting over the mustard yellow with the color Rain Wash from Behr. We unstacked the washer and dryer and placed the door on top after I stained it a lovely shade of gray.  I wasn't sure how the stain color would look, but it turned out exactly like I wanted and I love the color with the blue walls. Hanging the cabinets was a challenge because of something to do with the studs - still not sure what the Hub's issue was, but he got it done with the Bub's help.  The cabinets were $75.00 each, the door was dirt cheap, and the only other things I bought were the jars for the laundry pods and Oxyclean and that adorable laundry basket from Home Goods.  All in all, it cost us about $207.00 to do this little makeover and I think it looks pretty good!

So without further adieu...what do you think so far?

Umm, disregard the laundry detergent and cookbooks...the cabinets will get painted this weekend and the doors put on.  I'm not about to have open cabinets in here!  I will be on the lookout for more attractive containers for the pet food - maybe some tin buckets from IKEA.  This still has to be the cat's feeding station and they are having a harder time hauling their fat selves up because it's higher than the old baker's rack. Oh well, they need the exercise, right?  

There are still a few little decorative touches left to do, like the cutest laundry room signs that I'm making. The washboard is a really old one that I've had for a long time. The white tin holds fabric softener sheets and of course, I have to have a little bowl for all the spare change I find - Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers! Also, the tiny lamp is an awesome little night light.  We're thinking about removing the doors altogether now that it's going to look so lovely.  I know I'm going to love having this surface to fold clothes on too and I've warned my family that this is NOT going to be their catch-all spot!  You don't have that problem at your house, do you?  I didn't think so :)...

Have a great weekend, my sweet readers, and stay tuned for final pictures of the project!

Today I'm linking to:

http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/

http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2014/07/welcome-to-184th-masterpiece-monday-and.html

Toodles,

Trash Talk

Howdy folks!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I had a lot to do to get cleaned up from the mess I left getting ready for the Farmer's Market Craft Fair.  The sale last weekend went VERY well - I sold almost everything I had!  Seriously.  Aside from a couple of chalkboards, everything I had left fit into two small laundry baskets.  So I was back out to the thrift stores and yard sales looking for more treasures to transform :).  In addition to the those searches, I picked up this "trashy" little dresser off of Craigslist...

And by "trashy", I mean it was in pretty rough shape.  My Dad went with me to pick it up and our conversation went like this: He said, "It looks like something you'd pick out of the garbage".  And I was all like, "I know, I LOVE it!!".  And then he was all, "You're weird.  But if you like it...".  Yes, it was painted a boring gray, was missing some hardware and the track for the middle drawer, but it's exactly what I was looking for.  I guess it just goes to show you - one man's "trash" is his little girl's "treasure"!

We have a student living with us for a couple of months this summer and this will be the perfect small dresser for her clothes.  So I set out Saturday to make it fabulous with some white chalk paint and antiquing wax.  I bought some new knobs for the top drawer and rigged up a fix for the drawer slide.  I think it turned out great and I absolutely ADORE it!  See what you think...







I love the rustic green top.  It looks a lot brighter than it is in the picture above, it's really a soft sage-y green and actually looks great in the blue spare bedroom.  The roughness of it kinda makes it feminine and masculine at the same time.  Bonus - it fit perfectly in the ONE spot I had for it!  If it turns out later that I don't need it or have a place for it, I can sell it or send it off with the Bub to a future college apartment. But I'm pretty sure I'm keeping it :).

Speaking of the Bub, his end of the year band banquet was Tuesday night and I'm super proud to announce that he was presented with the "Blond Bombshell" award.  What a tremendous honor.  Just kidding - the kids give each other silly awards at this thing and I guess that was the best they could come up with!  He's made quite the transformation this year as far as his fashion sense and clothing style.  Finally, no more South Park t-shirts and cargo shorts - he now dresses very nicely and looks so handsome every day.  And now with his blond hair and recent sun tan, I guess he does look like a blond bombshell - to the girls anyway!  But on a serious note, what I'm really super proud of is that he has been chosen as one of two Drum Majors for the marching band next year.  He is SOOOO excited.  Since he's decided on Music Education as his career path, I think it's going to be a great opportunity for him to get some leadership experience.  As for myself, I may have some great news to share later this week or early next week.  Here's a hint...I may be going RETAIL!!

Tell me about your latest "trashy" treasure in the comments - I'd love to hear all about it!

Today I'm linking to the following parties:
http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2014/06/welcome-to-179th-masterpiece-monday-and.html
http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2014/06/before-and-after-wednesday-week-18.html

Toodles,

Craiglist Diamond in the Rough

I love Craigslist. I mean I LURV it! I'm on it at least a few times a week just looking at what's for sale. A while back, our Master BR was in desperate need of a facelift and I couldn't decide if I wanted to buy a new headboard or build an upholstered one myself. Well, that decision was made for me as soon as I saw this beauty on Craigslist for $25. Yes, I said $25!! It is HUGE, so my Dad and the Bub had to haul it home for me. It needed a little work, but I knew I could make it gorgeous with a coat of chalk paint and a sanding block. It turned out fantastic and it's my proudest project so far. Take a look at this amazing transformation...

Here's a close up of the detail on the headboard after one coat of paint

The finished product waiting in the garage for the Hub and the Bub to bring it inside

Looking gorgeous in the bedroom

And...Ginger approves!








I could not for the life of me get the before picture of the headboard to load, but it was a dark cherry color. Even the teenage Bub commented on how much he likes it - that's a great compliment coming from a 15 year old boy! The Hub was pretty impressed too. And I a absolutely thrilled with it!

Have you transformed something beautiful for your home? Tell me about it in the comments - I'd love to hear all about it. Thanks for taking a look - see you again soon!

Toodles,