So many things to do with mason jars!

So many things to do with mason jars!  As I look for how to make a specific project with them, I find more and more ideas for things to do.  Who knew?

Love putting these jars with flowers around the house, giving it a nice spring and summer look.

I also like my newest creations that my hubby inspired me to make - a patriotic, flag set of jars with lights in them.  Great for a table centerpiece, especially out on the patio table with all the Memorial Day and Fourth of July parties coming up!

Here's what I did on my dining room table

Plus you can put in a nice colorful potpourri and put a crochet doily on top...

Or just add a collection of buttons! 

Enjoy coming up with many more simple ideas.  They can be used for anything!

Looking with a new eye...

Another addiction - making old new, and then old again!  LOL!

I have always loved walking into antique shops, indoor flea markets, and thrift stores and finding diamonds in the rough.  Now I look with a new eye - what can I make new, and then make it look old again?  I am really into the Shabby Chic/ Farmhouse Chic look, and I am grabbing up inexpensive furniture and décor items and refinishing and distressing them, and I am loving it!  I am just having trouble parting with the things I am redoing and wish I could keep them all for my own home...  Like my newest one...  An adorable chalkboard shelf with a painted apples tile...

This one had old beat up orangy colored wood before I refinished it.  Now I have told my husband that if it doesn't sell by the middle of June it will go in my kitchen!  How cute would it be to write a to do list, or events going on that week, or your current favorite Scripture verse, or a little note to your kids?  I've even included a little painted jar to hold chalk! 

Making old new, then distressing to look old again.  My newest obsession.  Trying new hobbies has really been a blast for me - you never know what you can do, and will LOVE, until you try it!

Never buy Swiffer Duster refills again!

I am learning that I get the most satisfaction out of making things for the home, whether it be a crochet blanket, or refinishing furniture.  I also really like making and sharing about useful items that can save you money!

Like these.  You will never have to buy those Swiffer refills again. 

I have been using a ribbed crochet Swiffer duster cover made from acrylic yarn that can be thrown right in the washer when I am done using it, then putting another one on to use next time (sometimes that next time is an hour later with my boys and their messes!).  Switching between 2 of them, I don't need to buy another refill, ever.  I also have used my Thieves cleaner spray from Young Living on floor spots and spills and cleaning it up using this crochet cloth.  Now that's useful!

I will be adding these on my Etsy shop, selling them in groups of 2. 

DIY Country Shelves!

I found an amazing way to make what I will never have enough of in my house - shelves.  They are simple and inexpensive to make; they just take a little time and effort.  And I love how they are turning out.  What are they?
Pallet shelves!
Here's how to make them:
Step 1 -  Retrieve a pallet from the many areas around town where businesses lay them out for people to have for free!

Step 2 - Cut the pallet.  You can make 2 shelves from each pallet, one from each end.  For my first shelves I enlisted my hubbies help, though he is teaching me to do this part myself too.  You then need to remove a board from the middle and use it as a bottom to your shelf. 

Step 3- Sand it till it's smooth.  You will be amazed how nice it looks after a good sanding. 

Step 4- Stain or paint it.  I choose to paint mine white, though for variety when I am selling these (yes you can order one from me~ though they are too heavy to ship if you can meet and pick it up I can make one for you!) I will stain them as well. 

Step 5 - Distress it or finish it.  I love the distressed look, so after painting mine I sanded it again to give it that old vintage country look.  If you have stained it, you would want to put a nice coat of varnish on it now. 

Step 6 - Fill it up, hang it up, and enjoy!  I am still working on this step, as it is a heavy shelf and I will need help finding studs and using wall anchors to put it up.  But I am liking playing around with the possibilities of what to put on it! 

Upcycle! Redo! Refinish!

I have learned that upcycling and refinishing is one of my favorite things!  I am loving finding things around my house and just figuring out new ways that I can use them and redo them to make them what I want.  This used to have a mediocre pic of a farmhouse and trees on it, and it was cute but not exactly my taste.  But painted the colors I love for my kitchen and added the F and it's like brand new.  I am having so much fun doing this and this hopefully (when I am done refinishing and upcycling things and my furniture I already have) will help my home be so much more reflective of my taste and a more cohesive style! 

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

In the past, I have not been a very adventurous cook.  In the last few years though, I have gotten much braver, and had a little more fun cooking.  I am a nut for Italian dishes, so one of the things I really wanted to conquer was making my own spaghetti sauce.  I know myself though, and I do not have the time and patience it takes to stir a pot on the stove for hours on end.  So I decided to come up with a recipe that could be made in my crockpot.  I also included my love of Young Living Essential Oils!  They give it a wonderfully more robust flavor than just the dried herbs I was originally using, or even the fresh herbs I tried.

And it turned out fabulous!

It was really best when I used the canned tomatoes we had from our garden, but since I don't always have that option, this was the next best thing...

Also amazing with Young Living's Taste Of Italy Essential Oil, 1-2 drops