DIY | Mason Jar Wall Vases

If you are looking to fill some wall space and/or an incredibly easy DIY project, then this one is for you. Have you ever seen this pin? Well, if you follow the link, it takes you to a website that sells these mason jar wall vases. There are also Etsy shops out there that sell them. They can be used for many different things, and I loved them, but I didn't want to buy them if I thought I might be able to make them myself. So, that's what I did.

This was a project I tackled the summer before last. (AKA My Pre-Annie Sloan Days) If I were to do it over again, I would choose different paints, but I love how they turned out, and they are still proudly hung in our home.

What you will need:
*Pine Wood (1x6)
*Sandpaper
*Three mason jars
*Three metal hose clamps (pictured at right, find at hardware store)
*Three of the smallest screws you can find (you don't want them poking out of the back of your pieces of wood)
*Paint
*Paint brushes
*Flowers, or whatever you are planning on putting inside them (pens, toothbrushes, etc.)

Steps to make your very own:
1. Cut pine wood into 10" lengths. Hubs helped me do this with his circular saw. You could probably sweet talk someone at the hardware store to do it for you, too.

2. Use sandpaper to sand down each face, edge, and corner of each piece of wood.

3. Once sanded, paint each piece of wood. You could paint all three the same color or use up to three different colors. I tried this "crackle paint," and it was pretty much useless. Again, I would use Annie Sloan if I were to do it again.
      



      











3. Drill the backs of the metal clamps into wood pieces with the screws.

4. Place the mason jars into the clamps and tighten clamps until very snug. You don't want mason jars falling through the clamps and crashing to your floor, do you?

5. You're done :) I told you it was easy! Now, fill with your choice of... anything!

If you hang them in a bathroom, you can use them as toothbrush (or other bathroom essentials) holders. Or you could keep them in your home office and use them as pen/office supplies holders. I, however, have them hanging on a wall that is only about 12" wide that separates our kitchen from our living room, and I filled them with (fake) hydrangeas. I used to have (fake) tulips in them, but they looked very fake, and that wasn't exactly what I was going for. Here is the finished product...

      

      































     

         

Have you made anything recently?

I'm ready for a new project. 

...which translates into--I'm ready for summer so I have some time for projects!

DIY Tinted Mason Jars

We all have that DIY board on Pinterest, am I right? Well, I am going to DO some of those DIY's and post them on here so we can all see what they look like when regular people do them. No-these projects don't always turn out the way the picture looks, but since you did them yourself, they are perfect. Have you seen the pin of the beautifully tinted mason jars? If not, here it is. Well, it has been in my "Home Sweet Projects" board for a while, and Matt and I went to dinner at some dear friends' home this past weekend and she had some. I told her I was determined to make them. So I did. You should too. If you follow the pin, the tutorial is really great. But, here is my version of a tutorial for your reading pleasure...

What you will need:
*Mason Jars
*Food coloring
*Mod Podge (glossy)
*Dixie cups (or something similar)
*Wax paper

Steps to making your very own:
1. Add food coloring generously to about a tablespoon or less of water, and mix.
2. Add in 2-3 tablespoons of Modge Podge to the mixture, and mix well. I found adding more was better so that the mixture would be thicker.
3. Pour this mixture into the mason jar and rotate the mason jar around so that the mixture hits all parts of the inner-surface of the jar.
4. Repeat these steps for however many jars you are making. (I actually made the blue mixture and used it, then made the red mixture and used it, and then I just mixed the two together for the purple mixture.)
5. Turn jar(s) upside down to dry for about 25 minutes. (I put them on a stack of paper towels.)

6. Place jar(s) upside down on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Put them in the oven on a "warm" setting for another 10 minutes. The lowest degree my oven would go to was 170°, and it was fine.

7. USING OVEN MITS, turn the mason jars over so they are up-right, and leave them in the oven for another 20 minutes (or until the desired look you want). 

8. Take them out of the oven and let them cool. And, you're done :)

My finished products are pictured below. They have streaks, they are imperfect, but aren't we all imperfect? So, here is one DIY done.

         

           




















Have you pinned anything that you have always wanted to do but haven't? Hopefully, this gives some of you a little inspiration to DIY.