Click on the picture to be taken to the clip board

Turns out I’m brilliant.

Who knew?

Certainly not me.

I’ll own up to smart …

concede to inventive …

humbly accept creative …

But brilliant?

Yeah, that one eludes me.

You see, the folks at Hometalk asked me to collect my favorite mason jar projects on a clip board.

And I thought sure.  Sure, I can do that.

And then they said they’d create a graphic for that clip board and asked if I’d share it on my blog.

And I thought sure.  Sure, I can do that.

And then they sent me the graphic (the one up above) and it’s labeled “brilliant” …

and since the clip board incudes my projects too …

you can see where I’m going with this,right …

I can only infer that I must be brilliant too.

Right?

And, contrary to popular belief, I’m not the only one whipping up brilliant mason jar projects.  There are many others  making amazing mason jar crafts. Which is why you need to leave here right now ~ and click here ~ to check out those 40+ brilliant mason jar projects …

… technically, the board has 41 ideas.

But I’ll keep adding more …

P.S.  If you’re not familiar with Hometalk can I suggest you become familiar with them.  Pronto.  It’s a cool resource.  You can post pictures of your projects.  You can ask questions.  You can create clip boards to save inspirational rooms and projects and ideas.  You don’t have to have a blog to participate …

… oh, and you can find me on Hometalk here …

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* Tatertots & Jello *  Funky Junk Interiors *

Chalkboard paint.

Do you love it?

… or do you hate it?

Are you sooooooooooo over all those chalkboard paint projects?

Like you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a chalkboard painted flower pot …

or door …

or awesome chalkboard calendar made from and old window over it?

Because you know what?  At the risk of sounding so two-thousand-and-five, I’m not.

In fact, I’m crazy about chalkboard paint.  In all it’s forms.  Okay, both its forms.  Paint and spray paint.  Because there’s a place for both in my world …

and my home.

I’m over the moon that I can take a cheap paper stock Christmas gift tag and transform it into a thing of beauty …

… a cool chalkboard tag with just few squirts of chalkboard spray paint.

Amen.   The transformative power of chalkboard paint is a thing to behold …

and something this diy’er holds close to her heart.

And I love chalkboard paint so much that I’ve created a gallery featuring all of my very own chalkboard paint projects; you can find it here …

And this throwback, two-thousand-and-five, off-trend chalkboard paint lover will absolutely be adding to this project gallery.

And soon.

Hmmm … I wonder how a mason jar would look spray painted with chalkboard paint. 

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I remember when ombre came into style the first time around.  And I have to admit that it’s taken me some time to wrap my head around its comeback …

I mean, who can blame me?  I’m a product of the 70’s.  The very same decade that is not known for its fashion or style highs.  Just the lows.  Lots and lots of lows in various hues of brown, orange, and apple green …

* Shudder *

So I hung around on the sidelines while others went crazy with the ombre projects.   Walls and furniture and vases and lamps and cakes.

Wait a minute … did I just say cakes?  Yup, someone even made an ombre cake.  And it is A.MAZE.ING!

So when it came to stocking the Etsy shop with painted and distressed mason jars, I thought it might be fitting to create an ombre line …

… in shades of blue.

They were pretty simple to make.  I just started with blue paint and painted one jar with the undiluted color.  Then I added some white and painted the second jar.  Added more white, painted the third jar.  For the final jar, I started with white and added just a drop of blue.

Then I sealed them with this product to protect them from scratches.

And I’m happy to report that I just sold a set of these blue ombre mason jars.  But don’t worry.  The shop has been restocked …

I’m beginning to think this new mason jar business venture might actually work out …

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Now that the cards have been opened and read …

brunches consumed …

fresh cut flowers arranged in a pretty vases …

and kisses kissed and hugs hugged, I thought the time might be right … primed, even … to reveal our secret.

Our super secret superpower mom secret …

Yes, we moms have superpowers.  And, no, they don’t include running faster than a speeding bullet.  Or leaping tall buildings in a single bound.  Or summoning the power of the sea.  Heck, we don’t even have a cool car to drive …

can you say minivan? …

and don’t get me started on the lack of a super fancy monogrammed and bedazzled cape to wear as we perform our feats of greatness!

But we do possess a seriously powerful superpower.  A superpower the entire Marvel Comics catalogue of characters ~ past, present, and future ~ can only wish they could possess in their wildest of dreams …

Forgiveness and Forgetfulness.

And, yes, I can hear your snarky thoughts attributing the forgetfulness to early onset Alzheimer’s.  But bear with me …

I mean, just think about it.  Don’t moms possess an unending supply of forgiveness for their children?  No matter what they do.  No matter how crazy they drive us.  No matter their grades in school.  No matter who they date.  No matter how much we may not agree.  At the end of the day, we forgive.  Without question.  Without doubt.  We can never turn our backs on our children.  They are as much a physical part of our being today as they were during those nine months we carried them.  An indelible bond that can never be broken.

And maybe it’s our uncanny knack to forget things ~ painful things ~ that helps with all that never-ending supply of forgiveness.

Let’s start with the obvious.  Childbirth.  We willingly ~ eagerly, even ~ pursue pregnancy.  Knowing full well that that little person we will grow inside ourselves will need to come out.  Somehow.  Some way.

And sure, we all have our childbirth tales.  We can recount the facts.  But somehow we’re able to erase the memory of the pain.  Because if we couldn’t ~ if we didn’t possess that mom superpower of forgetfulness ~ there would be waaaaaaaaaay more only kids in this world …

… just saying.

And when I look back now on those times when the kids were little … those times that seemed so challenging in the moment … I can’t quite summon those feelings of frustration.  Or the tears.  Theirs … and mine.

Once again, that mom superpower of forgetfulness kicks in.  Letting us let go of all the want-to-bang-your-head-against-the-wall crazy.  And only remembering the fun.  The accomplishments.  The school performances that broke our hearts.  The hugs. The cuddles.  The sweet smell of baby breath …

Yes.  Our super secret mom superpowers are truly a power to behold …

In fact, I think I may need to make myself a cape.  Out of drop cloth, of course …

P.S.  A Happy Mother’s Day {a day late} to all my fellow superhero moms!

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 * Between Naps on the Porch * Savvy Southern Style *

A few weeks ago, one of my Facebook friends posted a link to an article entitled, Women over 50 are invisible.  Sadly, as a woman who is staring down 50, it resonated with how I’ve been feeling of late.  So much so that I can’t seem to shake the author’s words …

“Invisibility is different (from aging). It’s the feeling you are no longer vital or important or noticeable to others, a constant nagging pain you can neither avoid nor forget. It hits you in areas where you feel most vulnerable–a loss of attractiveness and sex appeal, the end of fertility, a glimpse of a slow, lingering decline.”

The author’s first moment of feeling invisible happened quietly.  While riding the bus.  Mine was not nearly  ~ nor mercifully ~ as silent …

Now let me preface my first invisible encounter with the reality that I know what I look like.  I know the lines.  The wrinkles.  The gray hairs.  I don’t shy away from the mirror.

But it’s one thing to see those lines, wrinkles, and gray hairs reflected back at you in a mirror.  It’s quite another to see it reflected back at you in the eyes of five 20-something males.  Young men enjoying a perfect St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.  Responsible young men traveling from bar to bar via taxi.  On the prowl for like-minded 20-something girls who, too, were enjoying – and imbibing in – the day’s festivities.

I’m in my car with my daughter.  Stopped at a traffic light.  The cab filled with those five young 20-something males pulls up in the left lane.  I glance to the left.  At the same time, ten eyes eagerly glance to the right …

and five 20-something young men issue a collective “WHOA …”

Ouch.

That “whoa” has been followed by a year where store clerks no longer look at my face to approve a liquor purchase.  Where an x-ray is no longer preceded with “can you be pregnant?”  Where Old Navy employees who once followed me around the store no longer inquire if they can help.

I can barely flag one down …

But the descent into invisibility is not just outward appearances.  Inside menopause is wreaking it’s own quiet havoc.  It’s so much more than hot flashes, brittle bones, and mood swings.  A choice has been taken away.  A fundamental function of being female is no longer fundamental.  Granted, I had no intention of having a late life birth.  But that was always my choice.  And nature has taken that choice away. With it comes a sense of sadness …

and loss.

It would be easy to just blame others … and society … for my invisibility.  But that wouldn’t be fair …

or completely true.

You see, I shoulder my fair share of the blame.  I often drape that cloak of invisibility across my shoulders when I leave the house.  Errands take me from point A to point B with little or no eye contact in-between.  My make-up-less face and oversized sweatshirt screams “don’t look at me.”   And “you can’t see me” as I hide in plain sight.

And hiding in plain sight has become more of the rule and less of the exception these days.

So this evening – in the time between when I started and when I finished this post – I ran to the grocery store. Only this time, I styled my hair.  Brushed on some mascara. And blush.  Dabbed some lip gloss on my lips …

and conducted my own little unscientific social experiment.

At the grocery store, I looked up.  I made eye contact.

I engaged.

And you know what?  I was visible.  Highly visible.

The recipient of “hellos” and smiles and “have a good night’s” as I left …

and that left me with a feeling of hope.

I don’t have to settle for invisibility.

I’m the one who hold the cards to make myself be seen …

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I had hoped to report that my “wear pants with a zipper” diet has been huge success …

That the pounds are just melting away …

that I’ve rediscovered my waist …

that I’ve dropped a pants size …

And that I’ve shedded {autocorrect wants me to say shredded, which works too} my shields of oversized hoodies and sweaters …

emerging slim and trim and ready for swimsuit season.

* Sigh *

But I cannot deceive you, my blog readers and blog friends.  I had a strong two-week run, following by ~ well ~ a week of weakness.  As in a weakness for cookie dough ice cream.  And chips.  And white chunk macadamia nut cookies …

So I’m back in my paint-splattered yoga pants trying to get my “wear pants with a zipper” diet plan back on track.  Starting with the creation of a Weight Watchers 7-point stuffed shell recipe:

Weight Watchers Stuffed Shells

{7 points per serving; Serving size is 4 stuffed shells}

2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded fat-free Mozzarella cheese

1/8 cups Egg Beaters egg substitute

1 Tbsp fresh oregano (dried works too)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp table salt

24 uncooked jumbo shells

3 cups canned tomato sauce

Directions:

Cook shells according to package instructions.  Drain and douse with cold water.  Let drain/dry. Mix cheeses (Ricotta, Mozzarella & Parmesan) with Egg Beaters.  Add in garlic, black pepper, oregano.  Ladle sauce in bottom of pan.  Using a teaspoon, spoon cheese into dry, cooled shell.  I used a heaping teaspoon full for each.  Ladle remaining sauce on top …

… and cover with tin foil; cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Remember, for these to be “wear pants with zipper” friendly, you can only eat four shells at a time.  It’s all about portion control …

Here’s hoping my next diet update ~ and recipe ~ comes with some good news …

and that I write it while wearing pants with a zipper.

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I asked …

… and you answered.

All 70 of you …

* Wow *

Seventy comments in the comments thread!  Really?

I’m shocked.  I’m in awe.  And, most importantly, I’m truly ~ and deeply ~ grateful!  I wish I could hug each and every one of you.  So here’s my virtual hug …

And you were honest.  Brutally so, just like I asked you to be …

And while I recognize ~ and it was confirmed ~ that so many of you that stop by here are crafty types, you recognize that not everyone else is …

So why not?  You asked me.

You threw my question back at me and asked why not just go for it and give it a try?  Go ahead and stock some of those painted and distressed mason jars in the Etsy shop.

So I did.  You can see them right here …

And I’ve also expanded my repertoire to include a metallic line.  Spray painted in silver …

and gold …

So I hope you’ll help me spread the word.  I do custom orders too ….

and just in time for wedding season.

If you’re looking for more mason jar projects, check out my gallery here …

Here’s the Pinterest pin that inspired this project …

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 * Savvy Southern Style * Bower Power * Red Bird Blue * Sparkle Meets Pop * Young House Love * Stone Gable * Common Ground * Crafty Scrappy Happy * Serenity Now * Funky Junk Interiors * i heart naptime * The DIY Showoff *  The First Year Blog * Between Naps on the Porch * Today’s Creative Blog *  A Stroll Through Life * Craftberry Bush * Tatertots & Jello *

It dawned on me recently that I’ve never really shared how my blog name came about.  I mean, on the surface it appears to be self-explanatory …

… you know, with me and some paint …

But when you dig deeper, there’s just so much more to the story.

Because it really started with me deciding it was time to paint the kitchen …

… and that decision set in motion a series of unforeseen and unplanned events.

You see, our kitchen was builder’s grade circa 1990’s.  Complete with honey oak cabinets and hunter green counter tops.  And for close to 15 years, I mistakenly thought making over the kitchen was an all or nothing thing.  An all or nothing thing that would cost anywhere from $25,000 – $50,000 …

So I had resigned myself to the fact that a new kitchen was far, far off in the distance …

sometime after the kids graduated from college …

or after Mike and I won the lottery …

But I knew of the power of paint.  And how I could give the kitchen a whole new look with a new coat of paint.  And how I could do this project all by myself.  On a tight budget.

So up went the paint samples. Blues.  Grays.  Beiges.  Greiges.

But no matter what color I put up on the walls, they just made the ugly oak cabinets look even uglier…

… and more orange.  Not exactly the change I was going for …

So I made an executive decision.  The cabinets would be painted too.  That’s right.  A much bigger job, but one I was willing to take on myself …

…. only problem?  No matter what color I wanted to paint the cabinets, it would clash with the hunter green counter tops.

So the counter tops needed to change too.  Which found me at Home Depot in my favorite, most visited section: The kitchen design center.

Oh the hours I’ve spent strolling through those mini kitchen set ups … touching backsplashes … open and closing drawers and doors … thumbing through cabinet door samples … dreaming of my dream kitchen ….

But this time, I was an actual customer.  Picking out a White Zeuss Silestone counter top.  On a super special sale.  With a free new under mount sink thrown in …

And when my very own personal Home Depot kitchen consultant asked me if my kitchen cabinets were level … because they would not install the counter tops if it wasn’t … I emphatically shook my head yes.  Yes.  Yes, of course my kitchen is level!

My kitchen isn’t level.

So in came my contractor/friend to help level the base cabinets.

And while were were pulling off that hunter green laminate counter top, why not tear off that ugly generic white tile backsplash and put up something new …

So my little “I’m going to paint the kitchen walls”  idea steamrolled into painted cabinets … and a new counter top … and a new under mount sink … and a new sink basin cabinet … and a new faucet … and a  new dishwasher … and a new microwave …. and a new glass tile back-splash … and a new light fixture …

and a contractor, a plumber, and an electrician.

* Phew *

And that, my friends, is how it all started with paint came to be …

… and, in hindsight, I should’ve probably called the blog “it all started with the kitchen.”

Now if you think making over your kitchen is an all or nothing $25,000-50,000 investment, let me assure you ~ from personal experience ~ that it doesn’t have to be.  And if you’re looking for some budget friendly kitchen remodel ideas, check out the video below to see why Home Depot should be your go-to kitchen remodel place …

 P.S.  You can find out more about my kitchen remodel by clicking here …

P.P.S.  Would you think I’m crazy because I plan to make over my kitchen again.  Hopefully soon.  With more paint on the cabinets.  Going with something lighter.  Like white up top and blue/gray down below.  And maybe some new, chunkier mouldings on top …

and a chalkboard wall …

and open shelving …

and a new base cabinet with a butcher block top under those open shelves in place of an underused table that just takes up space and is a dumping ground for random stuff …

It’s been a long week, right?  Felt like it would never end.  And here in Chicago it was a week filled with highs (can you say 80+ degree weather) and lows (can you say minus 40 degree weather) …

But the weekend has arrived.  And we all survived.

* Phew *

And whether you’ve been dealing with deadlines at work, or crazy end-of-year kid schedules …

…or a combination of both …

… it’s time to sit back.  Relax.  And enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet to yourself before the house wakes up.

So pour yourself another cup of coffee.  Or, if you’re like me, tea.  And spend some of that alone time with your online friends.

I promise we’ll be quiet.

No screaming.  No demands.  No deadlines.  And definitely no fixing breakfast …

And if you’re looking for some light {and quiet} reading to go along with that coffee ~ or tea ~ look no further.  While you were dealing with deadlines at work and carting the kids to and fro to soccer and dance class, I was busy compiling my many varied and various mason projects into a gallery.  That’s right.  All in one place.  Where you can peruse – and click through – with just one click.  By clicking here …

And if that’s not enough for you …

… if you’re a glutton for even more mason jar ideas …

… then you can check out some Pinterest boards devoted to all things mason jars.  Like this one.  And this one …

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your morning coffee ~ or tea ~ with me.  Warmest wishes for a fabulous weekend!

 Uh oh.  Did I just hear the sound of someone stirring ….?

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 * i heart naptime * Between Naps on the Porch * Funky Junk Interiors *

If you’ve hung around here for awhile, you know that I can’t be trusted with living things.

Well, living things with roots.  The kind that live in dirt.  I’m okay with kids and pets.  Both of which have managed to survive — and even thrive — in my care.

But plants?  Yeah, we don’t see eye-to-eye.  All that needing water thing trips me up.

So, I’ve had to resort to fake flora and fauna.  In the past, the fake stuff was plastic and “silk” (read: not silk) flowers.  But I’m over that look.

It’s so 2001 …

Most recently, I’ve turned my attention to paper flowers.  Just like those tissue paper flowers we learned how to make in grammar school art class …

1. Start with 6-8 sheets of tissue paper (depending on thickness of the tissue paper) and cutinto 5 x 7 rectangles.  Stack them up and accordion fold (using a 3/4” fold).

2. Once accordion is fold complete, wrap wire around the center.  I used picture frame wire.  Cut ends of tissue paper into half circles.  You could also cut points.

3.  Very gently start pulling up each layer to the center.  Start on one side of the wire.  Then proceed to the other side.

4.  Attach to stem (I found my in the flower section at the craft store) and cover with florist tape.

And now you, too, can have a bouquet of colorful tissue paper flowers.

A bouquet that, ironically, can be destroyed with water …

Before you leave, make sure you check out my mason jar project gallery here …

And you can see how I made those faux milk glass vases from dollar store vases here …

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* Tatertots & Jello *  Between Naps on the Porch * Bower Power * Red Bird Blue * Sparkle Meets Pop * Young House Love * i heart naptime *  Under the Table & Dreaming * Today’s Creative Blog * The Shabby Creek Cottage * CraftBerry Bush *