Recycling Jars Into Glittery Accessories

This is nothing new by any means, but I finally got around to purchasing some Washi tape and having my share of the fun.

I like to save my used glass jars for future purposes instead of just tossing them in the recycling bin.  It does become a slight hoarding-type problem when they build up (and sometimes I just have to learn to let go and toss them into the recycling,) but that's why I like to find any reason I can to re-purpose them.

I was already using a couple to contain the writing utensils on our desk.  I knew they needed a little spiffing up, but I hadn't really gotten to that yet.

Until I found this super pretty gold glitter Washi tape in the dollar section at Target.

I love how much this upgrades a plain glass jar compared to how amazingly simple and quick (and cheap) this little craft is.  A little glitter goes a long way!

I started out by using a cotton ball doused in rubbing alcohol to wipe down the sides of the jars where I would stick the tape.  This was just an extra precaution to make sure it sticks good and none of my greasy finger prints are in the way.

Then I just wrapped the tape around the jar to see how much length I would need and cut.  Remove the backing and stick it around the jar wherever you please!  Make sure you keep it level all the way around, if you're going for the even look.  It is very forgiving so I was able to lift it back up a bit and re-place it if it started to look a bit wobbly.

I also put some around this little acrylic box that I keep my paper clips in.  It's just the container that I saved from buying push pins, but it looks so intentional when I dress it up with the Washi tape.  These are great little boxes to save.  They look good anywhere and keep your tiny things organized.  I would even like to save a few for jewelry storage.

I tried a slightly different technique with the tape here.  I didn't cut it beforehand.  I just peeled the backing off as I went and stuck it all the way around.  When I got to where I started, I overlapped the tape a bit and then just sliced down the overlapped part with my craft knife.

Both ways worked just as well, but overlapping and then using my craft knife made for slightly cleaner cut edges where the two ends meet.

Ta-Da!  Matching set.

I added some glitter to my makeup brush jar as well.  This time I decided to go for a slightly different look by cutting the Washi tape into unequal portions and sticking them on my jar spaced apart.

I did try using a bit of tape to keep it from moving around while I used my craft knife and ruler to cut it into thin strips, but it ended up doing more harm than good.  The tape didn't seem to want to move as much as I had anticipated and when I removed the tape, it took off some of the gold coloring leaving silvery glitter.  So that was pretty much pointless.

It's cool with me, but next time I would skip taping it down.

   

I love how it turned out!

Ah, I love a good upgrade...

Especially when it only costs me $1.

Now I'm off to go hunt down more crap to cover in glittery tape.

Trash to Treasure

Isn't this a gorgeous little box shelf??

You wouldn't believe that it started out as a banged up drawer to some long-forgotten, unknown piece of furniture.

Oh, and that it has been sitting on the dining room floor shoved under the pew collecting animal hair and bags of old silverware.

What?  You would believe that?  Okay, I see we're getting to know eachother...

My Life Just Got A Bit Fancier

As you know by now, I've been keeping something from you.

You wanna know what slows me down?  Blog pictures.  I haven't yet found a great editing routine that works for me, but I'll keep at it!

So here's the something:

 (And in case you were wondering about me, I do let sleeping dogs lie.)

Let me just start out by saying that I scored this beauty at the Restore for a whopping $4.  Yeah...seriously.  I found it soon after I walked in and clutched it with white knuckles until I was done browsing the rest of the store.  Just be patient and keep going back to places and searching.  I promise you will eventually get lucky with lighting, especially if you're looking beyond appearances and willing to put in a little elbow grease.

But here's how it all had to start out:

First things first, I used blue painters tape to cover the tops of the "candles" where the bulbs would screw in.  Don't want to get paint in there!

Then I proceeded with a spray painted coat of Rustoleum's gray primer and three coats of their hammered copper.

When I got ready to wire this baby to the ceiling is when I realized that I had to rewire the base (not each of the individual arms, thank goodness) because the chain/cord wasn't quite long enough to be swagged over my table.

I wanted it to have enough slack to swag over and hang down about 30-32" from the table top (as is standard, according to my Google research.)  I went to Home Depot and picked up about 5 feet of black chain and standard lamp cord, both of which they sell in bulk from huge rolls of the stuff.  The lamp cord was, I believe, 18 gauge and brown in color.

For some insight into how tedious this was here are the pictures I took along the way to make sure I put it back together properly!

Once I got it all put back together with brand new wire and chain, Shaun helped me wire and mount it to the ceiling.  He really is a lovely man when he tries.  All that was left then was screwing in the ceiling hook so that it could be swagged over the table...

You guys, I have gotten to type 'swag' so many times in this post.  Success.

And yeah, then it stayed hanging in the middle of the room for a full week while Shaun "rested his arms."

But now it looks like this!

Perfection.  :)

Visualizing My Dining Room in a New Hue

No project here today!  Although I'm working on a few different ones as we speak...

Just a little friendly chit chat.  I'm getting that painting itch again and I need somebody to confide in and well, let's face it, my blog has nowhere to hide.

And any how Shaun doesn't wanna hear it.  He prefers it when I just work my magic on the house while he's at work.  He wants no part of my DIY and crafting!  Unless I start decoupaging space ships or something.

It's quite a bold move, but I'm dreaming of a fresh coat of black paint in my dining room.

A bold color choice like this is not something I take lightly, as it could go very wrong.  Like in a my-high-school-bedroom, red walls/black ceiling sort of way.  Which was cool in high school, but a little too bold for 26 year-old Betty.  I'm looking for something a bit more sophisticated these days.  Something lacking in the band poster department.  I wanted to take this color for a little test drive even before picking up any test pots.
Enter: Sherwin-Williams Paint Color Visualizer.

They have a few cool color tools and this was my first attempt at using one.  Fun and easy to use (and no they aren't paying me to say that.)  I'm a sucker for 'before and afters.'

My dining room now:

This is a fairly recent picture of my dining room.  You get the idea.  It's currently painted in Behr's "Silver Screen," but I'm growing tired of the dull gray color.  I love my beautiful wood furniture and I just don't think it's very complimentary.

Now try this on for size:

My beautiful heirlooms seem to pop right off the wall now.  They look so much richer with the dark backdrop and my well-loved wood floor is beautiful again!  The color is "Black Magic" and I'm totally sold on it.  I think that, being a cool-toned neutral, it compliments the orange tone of my wood pieces perfectly.

On a side note, isn't my ceiling looking a bit dingy?  I think a fresh coat of soft white paint is past due.  Add that to the list.  As well as finding a new rug.  I'd love something more graphic.  Hell, why not just make a quick mood board?!

Doesn't it just all look so magical...?  I'm forever obsessing over the gold flatware.

This is my ideal endpoint for what I want my dining room to be.  Already have the Kina Lillet, wood-mounted wall hooks, brass task lamp to replace the oversized lamp on the piano, and the chandelier.  (Haven't shared that one with you yet, but I promise I'll post it soon!  I re-wired and painted a thrifted chandelier similar to the one pictured.)

I still need to add in some comfy pillows or cushions to my church pew and some more art.  I really like this "Hello Darling" print from Sugar Paper.  $50 for a small print is a little rich for my blood, but a DIY version may be in order.

Need to do some brainstorming about what to hang where those tired coconut baskets are.  They've gotta go.  I was thinking something earthy like a hanging terrarium..?

I'm finding this dining room more and more impossible to resist, so as soon as I find a spare day...

Thanks for reading!

Kitchen DIY: Homemade Yogurt

DIY doesn't strictly apply to things like making your own jewelry or getting creative with some nailhead trim.  (See what I did there?  I linked you to a couple pretty amazing little DIYs.  You're welcome!)

It doesn't have to mean getting out the power tools.

I really get a kick out of making all sorts of things from scratch.  And I don't know about you, but scoring a great deal on anything is an unmatched adrenaline rush.  That's why when I stumbled on the idea of making my own yogurt for a fraction of the price, I went for it.  I spent a lot of time researching the process on the good ol' internets.  I found a lot of great information on different blogs and websites from people sharing their own trial and error advice.

One of those blogs was Bacon in my Pocket.  Ma Bacon sums it all up!  Choosing to make the plain yogurt (I always get plain greek yogurt and add flavor later with honey, granola, fruit, etc.) I followed her procedure exactly and it was a success.

The only differences:

• I used full fat milk.
• I used a 5.3 oz. cup of Chobani plain greek yogurt as my starter yogurt.
• I left mine to incubate for the full 10 hours.

It came out perfectly thick and delicious.  As somebody who loves their yogurt, I couldn't be happier with the results.  I use it for sooooo many things; a substitute in many recipes (Shaun says these are his favorite pancakes now) and eating it for a light dessert with some honey and granola.  Which makes it all the better that it only cost me $3.28 for 4 quarts as opposed to the $22.76 I would spend for the same amount at the store!

This is definitely a diy that I will continue doing.  It's too easy not to if you have the time, why not?  I'm also a control freak and knowing exactly how, where, and with what my food is made is very appealing to me.  

I'm pretty impressed.  Never thought I'd be growing up and making my own yogurt and all.  Think you'll try this?