Tinker Thursday || Patriotic Mason Jars

Hello friends! It's time for another Tinker Thursday! This week, I decided to try my luck at a fun little 4th of July project I found on Pinterest. I made it a little more fun by not actually reading the instructions and just winging it based on the final photos.

I had a big pack of Mason Jars I bought at Costco a while back just chillin in my cabinet, so I figured painting over two of them wouldn't be too heartbreaking. I went to Michael's to grab the material I needed, and went to town.

You will need

Mason Jars

Acrylic paint (for glass surfaces)

Paint brushes or paint sponges

Painter's Tape 

Optional

Star stickers

Decorative flowers

A lot of the 4th of July decor was 60% off at my local Michael's, so I decided to take advantage of the deal and purchased a few extra things :)

I actually completed the blue mason jar first to see if this project would even be feasible, given my skill level. I think it turned out ok, not amazing, but pretty acceptable for a first try :) 

For the blue mason jar, all you have to do is stick star stickers (say that five times fast) all over the jar, and paint over it with blue paint. An alternative method could be to paint the entire jar blue and add white stars after via a star-shaped sponge. The great thing about this particular project is that instructions are only a suggestion for how things can be done. You have the artistic freedom to create whatever you want with your mason jars. I did a basic Stars and Stripes pattern, but if you're able to paint a bald eagle, why not? Mount Rushmore? Go for it! Do you want your jar to be clear with red, white, and blue hearts? No one is going to stop you :) 

The striped jar takes a little more time and effort than the blue stars jar, but it's still relatively simple. As you can see, I've already painted the jar white. This is about two thin coats, but paint however many layers your heart desires. I was going for a bit of a rustic, imperfect feel.

After that completely dries, go ahead and mark off where you want your red paint to go with some painters tape. Make sure there are no bubbles or wonky edges, but if there are, it's ok! Makes it more authentic (I know I definitely messed this step up).

Once your jars are dry, go ahead and decorate it however you want. Below are different suggestions, but again, this project is exclusively yours. I tried flowers, twinkle lights, and even candles. They all look great, in my opinion! 

Level of Difficulty: 2.5/10. I think the most difficult part of this project is figuring out what to do with them after they're done! I personally prefer having flowers in the blue stars one, and a candle or twinkle lights in the sriped jar.

What Would I do Different Next Time? I would definitely look for paint that is specifically for glass. I purchased standard acrylic paint and while it did work, I found it difficult to apply additional layers, even when the first layer was already dry.

Would I do this project again? Definitely! There are different holidays you can do this for. I even saw a halloween one where they made the mason jars Jack-o-Lanterns. Less mess! :)

I hope you enjoyed this quick little DIY inspired by Pinterest! Let me know what you'd like to see next!

As for the future of Tinker Thursday, let me just say, that this blog day is starting to get a little expensive, haha! I think I'm going to have to re-evaluate how I want to go about Tinker Thursday. I definitely want to continue re-creating DIYs, but I might cut it down to a big DIY project once every two months. I have other ideas for the additional days I have to post, such as "Plan With Me" Planner Decorating posts, Dress-it-Yourself fashion-type posts (without stepping into Sharmaine's territory and expertise, of course), and a lot more. I'll see you in two weeks with a new post!

xoxo, Rox 

Motivational Monday || Memorial Day Inspiration

This holiday weekend, many americans took to the roads for nice little (and hopefully relaxing) getaways; I certainly was no exception. It had felt like ages since the last time I embarked on a weekend getaway and the fact that I had Monday off from work, gave me a great excuse to visit northern California for a few days. Besides a beautifully scenic route up highway 101, northern California is also home to some of my favorite people, my twin niece and nephew!

Having the chance to spend some quality auntie-time with these kiddos (whom I like to call "keeblers") is something that I truly value and cherish. At one point on Saturday, after brunch, my sisters, brother, sister in-law and keeblers decided to take a stroll through one of the quaint San Jose neighborhoods. This part of town is home to many little shoppes, boutiques, eateries, and seems to be a place that many families' like taking strolls through, just like us. We even found an old school candy shoppe full of goodies from the olden days and the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory playing in the back. While in the cute little shoppe, I got to thinking about what it must have been like, growing up during the years when Chick-O-Sticks and Candy buttons were popular. And then somehow I began to think about the holiday, which brought me to San Jose in the first place-- Memorial Day.

Many think that Memorial Day is a day to honor those who served in our country's armed forces (past and present). But in actuality, Memorial Day is a day in which we remember and honor those military men and women who have fallen in service to our country. While in the candy shoppe, I thought about the many children throughout the years (who might've enjoyed some of the sweets found in this nostalgic candy shoppe) that might've lived through the wars in our nation's history; those same wars that took so many mothers and fathers before their time. It was here that I began to reflect on what this holiday meant to me.

As a Mexican-American, I understand and am grateful that I live a life that is afforded many freedoms because of the struggles endured by many men and women who serve my country. I am reminded that there are men and women who paid the ultimate price so that I could participate in a society where I can work, vote, be independent, and basically be whatever I want to be. So as I sat to put together today's blog post, I stumbled upon this amazing quote from Thomas Campbell that says: The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree.

Now, if this doesn't convey the essence of Memorial Day, then I don't know what will! The brave men and women who have served and paid the ultimate price are true examples of bravery and service. It is their actions that have planted a seed of gratitude and indebtedness in many of our hearts; a gratitude grows as each year passes that we are able to enjoy our freedom. This Memorial Day I invite you to take a minute to reflect on the sacrifices paid by a few, so that freedom could be enjoyed by many.

Happy Memorial Day! 

Monica