Red Black Mason Jar

A few months ago I started painting and distressing old mason jars. This is the lastest technique I tried.

• Mason Jars in the size of your choice
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Cotton ball
• Hot water
• Paint Brush
• 80 grit sandpaper
• Chalk Based Paint 
• Paste wax or Clear spray paint

You would be surprised how much natural oils are in our hands.The jar must be completely free of oil, grit, dust or soap build-up. A single fingerprint can cause paint to not adhere properly to your jar.
Saturate a cotton ball and rub the entire outside of the mason jar, including the rim and the bottom. Immediately rinse the outside of the jar with very hot water and let air dry.

Remember, the painting doesn’t need to be perfect. One thin coat on the exterior. Let dry completely. Then add a second coat and let it dry for twenty-four hours. 

Now for some fun - using a small piece of 80 grit sandpaper, start sanding all of the raised edges around the mason jar including the rim. And then a couple of spots to give the appearance of being worn.

I use black chalk paint and a foam brush. I generally use a regular brush I like that finish much better.

2 coats black paint I allowed 24 hours to dry then added 2 coats of red and another 24 hours to dry.

It's 4 coats of paint!  So be careful sanding don't rub to hard or you will see glass and not black paint.

I decided to use this as a soap dispenser - so rather than use a wax I used a satin clear coat. It's a little shiner but will stand up to water. Then purchased a pump in satin chrome.

A gray and white - 1 coat of gray and 1 coat of white - with a matte spray finish.

I'm going to try the red and black again, but next time 1 coat of black paint and 2 thin coats of red then dark wax on the lettering and a clear wax for the final finish. I may try using the new spray chalk paint!!

Jasmine and Vanilla Lotion BBW Retired

I absolutely love Bath & Body Works Jasmine Vanilla lotion. The body lotion is lightweight and absorbs almost instantly into my skin. I use it after my shower it has a very uplifting scent and it lingers around for 7-8 hours. It is ultra-creamy, nourishing body lotion and formulated to give skin long-lasting moisture while an aromatherapy blend of natural ingredients and essential oils benefits body, mind & mood. 
Several years ago my husband used to buy out the store at Christmas. I had to stop him as I was running out of room too store. (yes, I'm a lucky girl)
My supply is running low and I'm down to just 2 shelves. Many of these lotions I don't care for the scent but on occasion, I use them.

Now that I'm down to 1/4 of the bottle in my search for my all-time favorite lotion online I found now that it has been 'retired.'


I did find some still available - Holy Cow check the prices.

Then I thought now what? I'm looking for something comparable in scent and creaminess. I ordered Jasmine and Vanilla essential oils to see if I can mix together and get something close to the scent. Then I'll try to find a creamy lotion without a scent already available. I don't want to get into making my own lotion.

My favorite perfume was Charles of the Ritz (by Charles of the Ritz)

also 'retired' more than a decade ago. Once is a while I find a bottle online. I made the mistake of buying one and I learned that scents degrade over time. This was very expensive when first produced and now because it's vintage it is out of control. Don't be fooled - vintage perfume 'stinks.'



Another fun favorite of mine and not to expensive for daytime
was Masumi (by Coty) also 'retired.' A cologne not perfume.

Sometime in the 90's it was just gone from the shelves. Again, don't be fooled into buying 'vintage' cologne.







And finally, my current favorite - a gal's gotta' move on is Obsession (by Calvin Klein) perfume and I do mean the perfume but it's very hard to find.

You can purchase Obsession women Eau De Parfum Spray - it's watered down. You can buy knockoffs and they are not bad - but not the same.  

Maybe someday I'll try the scentmasters - they copy vintage perfumes. But for now I'm going to work on my Jasmine Vanilla lotion.

Stay tuned - I'll update if my idea works out - or not. 

Vintage Advertising DIY Wall Art

Several years ago they razed the build that abutted this building. This awesome hand-painted 1950ish advertising was revealed.  So, of course, I took many pictures and turned it a project.

I cropped this picture and did a little photo editing.  I purchased a black frame with a white matte and glass insert - from Walmart.

I now have this hanging in my living room. It's got that industrial modern look. And I love it.
I really love the cost - the frame was on sale and included the matte for $9.99.

Feel free to use this photo - It's mine and not copyrighted. 1600 X 1200 pixels so you can scale down. I have 11X17 frame 8X10 photo. Printed on Kodak gloss photo paper. 
Let the ink completely dry before placing in the frame. I waited patiently for 2 hours!!!

Can LED Tube Cause A Fire?

Luckily, I was home.

We've replaced every light bulb in our home with new LED bulbs. They are brighter, use less wattage and yes, I have seen my electric bill it's a lot lower.

We have a basement full of 4-foot fluorescent tubes and were waiting for the prices to drop. Last week Lowes had a sale - so we replaced every tube. I still don't like the look but it's a dropped ceiling in the basement and I don't want to replace the entire ceiling. As to lighting the way they are great, it's a whole lot brighter.

I had just come home from work and went to the basement to throw a load of clothes in the washer when I heard a crackling sound - kinda' like when you slowly open a bottle of soda you dropped. I'm standing there with my head spinning -WTH is that?  I look up and see a small amount of smoke emitting from the glass panel covering the tubes and then I smell it. Electrical fire! No panic, I call my son down because I'm not sure exactly what happened. Then it starts again. Just a puff but enough to send me running and shut the lights off. We do a little investigating and are happy there is no fire - just a really bad smell and we can see the burnt plastic tube. The tube is all plastic, not glass.

Around this time my husband comes home and investigates - he removes the tube. And is quite angry. They are brand new tubes, he replaced all himself. Since this just happened we will be returning that tube back to Lowes. The tubes themselves do not get hot as the CFL, halogen or incandescent bulbs. High quality LED bulbs produce light at significantly lower running temperatures than traditional or “previous generation” bulbs. Traditional 'tungsten' bulbs use a filament to heat up, which loses lots of power through heat emissions. Furthermore, LEDs do not generate heat as infrared radiation like incandescent bulbs. But they can still potentially cause an electrical fire and totally fry the ballast.


The outcome could have been worse had I not been standing directly under that light fixture. We have a rule now - don't leave the lights on in the basement unless someone is down there.

My Christmas Attic Creations

I was up in the attic a few days ago looking for my Christmas tablecloth - which of course I could not find. And why I have started cleaning the attic and throwing stuff out - 1 bag a week is all I can do. I found a bag old silk flowers and a grapevine swag. This stuff was from the 80's.

Of course, I didn't throw it out!!!

These flowers were all in great condition and so pretty.
I dug out my old vintage mason jars - real vintage that I had distressed and was intending to sell. I did a quick arrangement. And now I have a true vintage Christmas decoration.

And here's the 1980's grapevine swag - recycled.

Just a little hot glue and I love this!  Oh, and that nail holding this piece up is real cooper -also found in the attic.

And I'm still looking for that tablecloth.

Hollow Core Door Makeover

Yup, I have those cheap ugly flat panel hollow doors. And the worst part is the shellac/varnish. We sanded and sanded and then we painted.

And they look good, but kinda' boring and they still look like hollow core doors.
So I headed to the internet - and google how to improve this look. Because I just knew someone hated hollow core door as much as I do.
Here's a small selection of what I found.

Credit Pretty Handy Girl

I like the beadboard but it's too country for me.

Credit Home Talk

I really like the after - but I'm thinking there would be issues with the hinges. I don't want to have to change or adjust or rig anything.

This might be the one - but still too fancy. I'm looking for simple, clean lines


And then I found this!!! Moulding Kits

Luxe Architectural

I don't really need a kit - I can go to my local home improvement store and by the molding... but if the price is right!!!

Right after the holidays - then next project.

Credit Thrifty Artsy Girl

Gifts for Him - Candles

When it comes to creating cozy home environments I love candles and burn them often. This is a perfect gift for him!!

Handcrafted in Maine using the highest quality wax and the finest fragrance oils available. Their Candle Collections offer a range of fragrances and styles. Discover a complete selection of fragrances and styles to meet your home decorating and personal needs.

Leather Bound – is a rich warm and exotic scent. This fragrance will bring you to another place – soft leather, a grand library layered with opulence.

Fragrance notes of bamboo Leaf, oak, brushed suede, vanilla Bourbon
Pure, rich, Gray vibrantly colored food-grade paraffin wax fragranced by the world's finest scented oils
Village Candle pioneered dual wick technology provides greater, consistent fragrance release, longer burn time and even wax burn with less soot
Premium glass jar provides up to 105 hours of burn time
Every scented jar candle is designed, sourced, poured and tested at Village Candle to ensure the highest Quality (Made in Maine, USA)

Pumpkin Bread  – Do you love the smell of Pumpkin Bread baking in the oven? Then this one is for you! It is a made-from-scratch pumpkin bread with fresh ginger and spices that will fill your home with a luscious scent without using your oven!

Spiced Noir - In this delicious fragrance, Autumn spices compliment cedar and blend into this one of a kind scent explosion.

Check them out Village Candles you won't be sorry. I know my husband loves Leather Bound.