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 

Tinker Thursday || Mother’s Day Rose Bouquet

Happy Thursday my little Tinkers! Welcome to my first “official” post for Tinker Thursday :) This week, I wanted to share my experience of baking and assembling a Mother’s Day Rose Bouquet, inspired by the lovely and talented Rosanna Pansino of Nerdy Nummies. 

I wanted to do something special and unique for Mother’s Day for all the mother figures in my life (of course, including my amazing and wonderful and beautiful and did I mention amazing mommy), and when I saw this video, I knew I had to give that rose bouquet a try! 

Of course, this DIY project did not come without challenges. One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was my lack of time and availability to dedicate to this project. In addition to working full-time, I am an evening MBA student, so you can already imagine how scarce my time is in general. Pair that up with final projects and research papers being due the first few weeks in May and, well… You can see where I’m going with this.

The demands of both work and school got the best of me and I essentially gave up on this project before I even got started. It wasn’t until after Mother’s Day Mass where I decided to go ahead and give this project a try. It was the least I could do to show my mom, aunties, and grandmother that I appreciate all their love and support and thank them for raising me and molding me into the woman I am today.

If I thought I didn’t have time to do this project the days leading to Mother’s Day, I definitely did not have a lot of time to start this project hours before our small Mother’s Day gathering at my grandmother’s house. So naturally, I had to take shortcuts in the form of boxed cake mix and ready-made/colored icing. Use your favorite cake recipe and icing mix if you have the time to do so. Personally, I think homemade is always the way to go :)

Side note: Luckily, I live near a shopping complex that houses both a Target and Michaels, so I was able to save time in purchasing all my items. Take advantage of the mobile coupons from Michaels! If you’re buying multiple items, see if you can ask a friend or loved one to come with you so they can make a purchase as well. Utilize all the ways you can save money! 

-What You'll Need-

For the cupcakes:

• Boxed Cake Mix and the ingredients needed to prepare (You can’t go wrong with Funfetti) -OR- Your favorite cake recipe
• Icing
• Food coloring (Whatever you want the color of your roses to be)
• Green cupcake liners 
• Mixing Bowl and Mixing Apparatus (I got mine from World Market) 
• I used a Batter Dispenser, but this is optional 
• Cupcake Tray 
• Icing Bag 
• Wilton 2D Icing Tip to make the rose petals

For the Bouquet:

• Flower Pot 
• Styrofoam Ball that fits in your Flower Pot 
• Matching Green Tissue Paper
• Toothpicks
• Decorative Ribbon (Optional)

-What You Need to Do-

Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Preheat the oven to the recommended settings and bake for the recommended amount of time.

 

While you’re waiting for your cupcakes to bake, go ahead and start arranging your flower pot by placing empty cupcake liners (I used the other colors that came in the set I purchased) around the styrofoam ball and sticking a toothpick in, leaving about half or one-third of the toothpick sticking out. I tried to keep them about a half-inch to an inch apart, but honestly, just see what looks right. There is really no “right” or “wrong” during this step. Just be sure to leave enough space for you to place tissue paper in between.

The most difficult part of this project was getting the tissue paper to stay put! I don’t know how Ro did it, she made it seem so effortless (but then again, don’t all YouTubers? haha). I cut them into small squares, just like the video shows, but I just struggled. Every time I felt as if the tissue paper was secure, it would somehow warp and fall off the styrofoam ball. 

Anyway, this is how mine turned out after a few different arrangements.

Remember to let your cupcakes cool before you start putting icing on them! This is probably the number one mistake people make when trying to replicate a YouTube video or Pinterest post. The warmth of the cupcake will obviously melt the icing, causing everything to look like a big, goopy mess. I know, I know, you’ve come this far, and you’re short on time! Trust me, this rest period is crucial. I usually clean up my mess during this rest period. It keeps my hands busy and my momentum going.

Once your cupcakes have cooled, you can start to create the rose designs with your icing. I neglected to photograph this part of the process, but the video has a very in-depth tutorial on how to get that perfect petal-like finish.

My roses did not turn out as beautiful as Ro’s, but I think I did a pretty decent job. What do you think? :)

You’re going to hate me for saying this, but once you’ve completed your beautiful cupcake works of art, you have to let your cupcakes cool down in the fridge for a while. I know! I keep making you wait! Allowing the cupcakes to cool in the fridge will help solidify your rose design, not to mention make it easier to stab the bottom of them with those toothpicks you so thoughtfully laid out. No one wants a slumping rose in their beautiful bouquet. I recommend leaving them in there for at least 15-20 minutes, more if you can afford to.

All right, now comes the fun part: putting your masterpiece together! Remove the cupcake liner placeholders and carefully place your cupcake roses in their place. If you have extra hands in the room, they can hold the flowerpot in place while you work your magic. 

And there you have it! A wonderful cupcake rose bouquet! Mine is definitely not perfect, but I was happy that I put my doubts and fears aside and just tried. All my family members loved seeing the bouquet, so much they did not want to eat it! I eventually convinced them to enjoy the cupcakes (after a million photos and picture messages, of course), and we had a happy Mother’s Day, indeed.

Let me know if you decide to give this project a try! I know it’s not my original project, but I would still want to see and hear about your experiences!

Level of Difficulty: 7/10; mainly due to the assembling of the bouquet and how tedious it is

What I would do different next time: Don’t put it off until the last minute :) You can prep everything in this tutorial pretty well in advanced, and leave the final assembly to the day of. 

Would I attempt this project again? Definitely! It is such a cute and thoughtful gift!

That's it for this week's Tinker Thursday! Have any projects you would like for me to try? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll make sure to document my experience just for you. Thank you so much for reading my post. You are a beautiful baby unicorn. I'll be back in two weeks with another fun project!

xoxo, Rox