I love me a mason jar! How about you? They are so versatile, so useful and look great too. You can fill them with things, use them to drink out of, paint them, the possibilities are endless. Last time I made vases for my Easter tulips. Today I'm sharing my latest organizing project. We had a cupboard like most people with spices and baking essentials. It always looked a bit messy even though I had bought some plastic containers a while back for the main things we used. My husband is the main cook in our house, thank goodness everyone says! He loves it and has a bit of a spice addiction! So I decided to pick up some mason jars and get sorting. of course once I started I couldn't stop and we needed more than one box of 12! My mother in law also donated some vintage large jars to the cause.
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Every year at Easter I make a DIY gift to take to our Easter dinner celebrations. This year is no exception and I thought I would share it quickly before we head out to hunt for chocolate and eat too much surrounded by family. I love to give fresh flowers and present them in different ways. One of favourite vases is a mason jar. You can buy new ones as I did this time or find great vintage ones at flea markets. auctions or special little shops like one of my local picks Tin Barn Market in Almonte. They come in all sizes and even different colours. The clear glass are more common but blue and green ones pop up occasionally. Sites like Pinterest are full of ideas and ways to decorate and use them. I was inspired by some of them but just added my own twist with supplies I had at home. I found some left over burlap coffee sacks (used in covering a chair- see Coffee Bag DIY.) Jute string. yellow string (from Lamp makeover) and some metal trinkets from card making. First step cut a piece of burlap to wrap around jar, using glue gun to attach ends. Next I used the yellow string to wrap around the burlap, finishing up with the jute string threaded through the metal detail and tied it around. Vase is finished and ready to fill with matching tulips! Next to complete the gift giving I made some coordinating cards using some ready made blank cards, scraps of paper, jute string and a stamp. Simple but meaningful is always my style. Wishing you all a very Happy Easter if you celebrate, or just a beautiful Spring day in the sunshine. Find joy in the little things just like my cards say...........
Last post I showed you my love for coffee shops and their great ideas. I saw something at one of my new finds recently and it inspired me to do a quick project to make something useful that I needed anyway. At The Ministry of Coffee they used pipes in a creative way. Take a look at their cafe menus. Great idea using pieces of piping and rolls of brown paper to display the day's menu. A quick date with my husband at Home Depot to pick up some supplies. Attach pipe parts together and then using short screws attach under the kitchen cabinetry. The shorter screws were so that they didn't go through too far and damage inside. Cut the wooden dowel to fit between the two connections and add your paper towel. To change the roll simply turn one of the elbows and loosen to allow the rod to pop out. Quick and easy not too expensive. Not really cheaper than buying a holder but more satisfying. Remember you can re-purpose pretty much anything. Look around for your next idea. I am . . . . . . . .
As my friends and family may have noticed I love to visit new coffee shops. I'm a huge fan of coffee shop design. I have made it one of my missions in life to find the best and take hundreds of pictures and drive everyone crazy when they are out with me! So now you know my dirty little coffee stained secret, I thought I would share with you some of the ones I've stopped by. I love unique and quirky places with an industrial feel to them. The more reclaimed wood and metal the better. Industrial design and great cappuccino's in one place. One of my favourites Art Is In bakery in Ottawa. Great giant chalkboards, concrete floors. Warehouse style. Reclaimed wood wall. Great use of old pallets. Recycle and re-use. Found at Equator Coffee in Almonte. Cast iron base with aged wood top at Cafe Morala in the Glebe. Bridgehead Roastery brick, steel and concrete space with perfect industrial seating. Dark Horse Espresso on Queen Street in Toronto. Pipes, distressed wood, steel and insulator style lighting. Character by the bucket! Chalkboard and patina aged gilt frame, barn board at Breadbyus in Hintonburg. The Ministry of Coffee on Elgin,downtown Ottawa has wood cladding countertops,industrial stools and diy bench with milk crates and planks. So finally if you are like me ( obsessed!) with the decor of coffee shops,restaurants,stores,movies and so on why not take a second look or a photo or ten and let them inspire your home. Check in next time for a quick project I did based on inspiration from one of these cool.coffee shops. . . . . . . .
Tonight I have a quick and very easy makeover to share with you. In my kitchen I have a glass fronted cabinet which holds my best dishes and wine glasses. After painting them grey recently I realized this cabinet needed an extra something. I wanted to bring in some colour or pattern on the back of the shelves. I considered painting them but thought I would paper them instead. Wallpaper and wrapping paper were options but today after a lunchtime outing to Michael's I went for scrapbook paper which incidentally was on sale 5 sheets for $1! I bought 20 and a roll of double sided tape at 50% off with a coupon. Next I cut the sheets to fit the back of the cupboard and attached them with pieces of the tape. In about half an hour with a few distractions like the tv and a bowl of ice cream I ended up with my personalized display cabinet. Check it out! Take a plain kitchen cupboard Pick up some scrapbook paper and double sided tape Cut paper to fit and attach to cabinet with tape. Yellow chevron back drop All backed up and ready to go. . . . . . . .
Every once in a while I take a trip to Value Village, one of our local thrift shops. I might be looking for something in particular or like yesterday I tagged along with a friend and picked up a few random items not planned at all. It can be a great source for large and small pieces for a DIY project or a craft and you don't need a extravagant budget. You don't always find something to your taste but it's definitely worth a look. You may just be inspired to do something creative. My fellow Craftoholic and friend Lisa was looking for a large ornate frame to make a chalkboard but no luck, however we have in the past got quite a collection of great frames ready to spray paint. Yesterday she found a jug ready for a ceramic paint project. I picked a couple of jugs for lemonade on those lazy summer days I am assured will come again! Also a simple bottle for water which I attached a chalkboard label to. I have noticed the trend for these bottles in many restaurants and coffee shops lately. Altogether I spent about $10. and had a quality time with a friend. well worth it I say! Why not take a look in your local thrift stores or at a nearby garage sale or auction. Find a treasure in someone else's junk!
A while back I saw a great little cabin in Country Living magazine. The owners had created an interesting and inviting home for their family in a compact space doing all kinds of DIY projects. One of these was faux soapstone counter tops using chalkboard paint sealed with paste wax. I loved the idea and of course wanted to try it! The only difference was mine are existing laminate counters and they custom built theirs out of plywood. Check out the link to their blog and see all their ideas in practice. http://www.assortmentblog.com/assortment/2013/05/becoming-home-a-kitchen-tour.html Here is their cute family kitchen complete with chalkboard counter tops.
In the beginning there was this........ Ending up with this........ When I was done I loved the look so much I decided to paint our ugly green marble tile in front of the fireplace too. The domino DIY effect. It's a well known phenomenon. My kitchen has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last few months all using paint on the cabinetry,the tile and now the counters. All thanks to Benjamin Moore products I picked up easily from work at (Sanctuary Paint and Decor) No I'm not paid for advertising!! I just love the products. Wink! Wink! One last look at my lovely new counter tops.... What do you think? Will you try it?
On Friday I was shopping in downtown Ottawa with my daughter at Urban Outfitters and as I do every time I go in there , I look at the cool use of plywood around the store. They have built all the fitting rooms using this inexpensive versatile product, there are walls, seating,doors all made from this full grained building material. I decided this time to show you the joy of plywood and it's many uses! I have been thinking of using it as a counter top or an art piece. In our basement we did make a craft table using a slab and some table legs from IKEA. Tell me what you think,have you used it in an interesting and creative way? Plywood at Urban Outfitters in Ottawa- love the shapes and the textured graining.Upcoming project with plywood to come soon. . . . . . . . . . .Last week I picked up a coil of rope and I did a quick DIY project with it to share with you today. Quick and easy, taking inexpensive glass vases from Value Village for only 99 cents, made over with a $5 rope. I used my handy dandy glue gun and slowly wound the rope around. Making sure each section was glued on close together covering the glass. One vase I completely covered and the second I just added a rope base to. I like the final results especially with the touch of Spring tulips in them. There is only so much snow and winter even a Canadian can stand! MY ROPE VASE - SIMPLE STEPS. . . . . .ROPE D.I.Y'SQuick cute candle holderGreat sailors knot ornament or doorstop Rope wrapped lightshade on glass lamp - rough with the smooth Great stacked rope shelf diyCluster of coiled rope bowls. Useful and interestingStay tuned. . . . . . Be InspiredOne of the best places for diy and craft inspiration is believe it or not the hardware store! A favourite of mine is an institution in "Little Italy" here in Ottawa called "Preston Hardware" Yesterday I was out with my kids at a local coffee spot called "Simply Biscotti" for awesome dessert. Kids by the way are 17 and 20 not really kids but you know once a parent always a parent! I dragged them along to the hardware mecca on the hunt for some rope for a crafty project. Anything you want or need for renovations, repairs, gardening and so on you can find there with the knowledgeable, experienced staff. I saw a few great things that made the creative juices start flowing. Expect future projects to be shared! Take a quick look at what I found and some ideas for how to use them. Copper piping make perfect hooks- hang it up in style.Chain reaction- Comes in all colours and sizes.Rope creations - pick a colour, any colour?Favourite pick yellow cage industrial work light.Finally how about your very own hard hat to renovate or diy in style and colour!
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