Re-purpose, Beautify, and Organize! Reusing Jars

Hello Everyone,

Here are a few great ways to re-purpose your jars. I do recycle many of my jars but I also reuse them for food storage and I love mason jars for my homemade juices and smoothies! Read on to see other ways I like to use old jars!

Here they sit with labels intact. Sometimes I like to take them off. In that case, I soak the jars in warm soapy water for an hour and take the labels off  for a more polished look. However, I actually like the look of the labels in some instances :)

All clean and sparkly!

One way to use these old jars is for flowers! I love having flowers around all the time. I have lots of roses in my yard as well as a crazy rosemary bush. Rosemary looks great with flowers and smells absolutely amazing. The aroma of roses and rosemary is very soothing. Speaking of rosemary! I also reuse jars for dried spices.

One other thing I love these old jars for is organization! It is so annoying when I am in a rush and can't find what I need. Glass is great for storage because you can easily see what you need, get to it, and go. In this case I have used the jars for toiletry storage in the bathroom. I also use them for organizing craft items.

I hope this entry was helpful. I will be teaching a workshop in LA June, 14th on another way to re-purpose jars in a crafty way. I will keep you posted on the details of this upcoming event!

Thanks for reading!

New Art Prints!

Hello,

Just wanted to share some new art I have been working on. The process for these is that I create a drawing, scan it in, and digitally color it. I am not sure how many more I will do this way, but it has been a fun process so there may be several more in the series. They are for sale on Etsy if you would like to order one.

Bathed in Flowers - The Mermaid

Deer Girl

Forest Cat

Night Mouse

I have had a lot of fun with these! Hope you enjoy them!

Antique Anatomy End Table

Hello!

During the week saw a DIY post by Mr. Kate. This weekend I decided to make my own table inspired by her original idea.

Below is my version!

What you need for this:

Table, sandpaper, masking tape, mod podge or Aleen's craft glue, paint (I used water based rustoleum in gloss black), polyurethane, burnt sienna acrylic paint (optional), paint brushes (foam are good), and a utility knife

My mom and sister found this little end table at a yard sale for a few dollars. I liked the shape and figured it could just use a little make over.

First of all, I found photos I liked online of old anatomy illustrations and printed them for the top and tore all of the edges.

I actually had to putty some grooves in my table so I would have a flat surface for my photos. Then I sanded the top as well as the entire table since I planned to paint it.

Painting time! I taped off the area where I wanted to place the images.

Once the paint is dry, tape off your painted area. Next put together a basic layout of the photos on the table. I just filled the gaps in with other bits of paper. 

 You are ready to decoupage!

After I was done with laying everything down, I decided I wanted to add some additional "age"and highlight some of the texture by brushing some color in. I used burnt sienna paint diluted into a glaze in some areas and lightly stippled in full strength in other areas. This is totally optional.

Once this is completely dry, seal with polyurethane (water based version). I applied 2 coats.

After fully dry, use the utility knife to trim your edges. Take the tape off and you are finished. Now you have a unique piece for your house!

Thanks for reading!

My Summer Garden

I wanted to post some photos on my summer garden as well as some of the harvests and a couple dishes I made. It has been so rewarding to plant, care for, and watch everything grow. Above all, to get to eat fresh veggies is absolutely amazing!

Humble beginnings!

Getting bigger

The harvest starts!

Kitty likes to help out too!

Veggies and herbs to pair with pasta

 

I see taco salad in my future!

 Mint to garnish homemade banana ice cream!

Tomatoes and herbs! Good to use in a raw lunch!

Homemade green juice with fresh dill, tomato, and guacamole on zucchini! Delish!

Yay! Lots of fresh lemonade and juice!

If you have a little land or even a sunny spot where you can grow in pots a garden is worth so much! I highly recommend starting your own food or just some flowers it is so much fun :)

Thanks for reading!

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

Hello All,

Here is an easy way to make any old pair of shoes or boots you have on hand into a unique statement that is all your own!

I loved these boots but wanted them to go with my style a bit more. I was looking online a saw some shoes with an amazing print and I thought, "Hey I can easily do something similar with nothing but a couple of sharpie pens!"

Below is the process in photos:

As you can see above, I used two sizes of sharpie pens (have two pens of each size on hand in case one runs out of ink) and one color, black (is there any other color? Hehe). You can use what ever colors or motifs fit your personal style. My only suggestion is that you use permanent marking pens. If you are afraid of making mistakes, you can draw out your motif lightly with a washable marker before putting down the permanent ink. 

 This entire project took about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to complete. 

Here are my new boots!

Thanks for reading!