According to my very own very unscientific study, gold decor is gaining in popularity. I know a lot of bloggers started to embrace gold over the past few years. Myself included (here and here).

 

But now gold has gone mainstream …

 

tickling the fancy of the masses.

 

I mean, how else to explain the explosion of gold mason jar orders at the Etsy shop in 2015?

 

In December, I spray painted a mere 13 gold jars. But in January? That number jumped to 33!  And if I was good at math I could tell you what percentage increase that was; but, alas, I am not gifted with math skills so no percentages will be calculated.

 

All I know, it’s a pretty big increase. More than doubled. Not quite tripled …

 

but close.

And speaking of mason jars, we had a bit of a glitter issue around here this past week. I’ll go so far as to call it glittergeddon. You can find out more about it at Mason Jar Crafts Love here …

And now for some chip-worthy things that caught my eye this week …

 

My friend Laura reminded me about the HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes. And since I’m on a lucky streak, I had to stop by and enter (here).

 

I also entered the $25 Grand in Your Hand Fixer Upper sweepstakes. To enter, you need to watch the show for a secret code. And I’m secretly hoping that if I win, Chip and Joanna will show up on my front porch to deliver the oversized check. And perhaps give my very own fixer upper a fix.

My friend Debbie shared a beautiful tablescape idea this week. And her photography blew me away. Simply stunning. Magazine worthy! Check it out here …

 

My friend Kim created a painted furniture masterpiece. She is so talented! I love everything about it. The colors. The  The knobs. Oh, and her amazing painting & caring for painted furniture tips are … well … amazing! Check it out here …

 

Speaking of painted furniture, my friend Karen is another master furniture painter. I love so many of her projects, but this dresser made to look like inlay is draw dropping. Seriously. And you seriously have to check it out for yourself  here …

 

On a final note, if you’re looking for some easy, last minute game day entertaining ideas, I’ve shared some tips over at Inspired Home (here).

 

And I’ll leave you on this chilly-snow-is-on-the-way weekend with another one of my guilty-pleasure online addictions: Humans of New York.

Enjoy!

Linda

I still have some remnants of Christmas in … and outside … our home.

 

A Santa head here. A red pillow there.

 

But my biggest .. most shameful … and most visible indiscretion is right outside our front door. For all our neighbors and passerby’s to see …

 

Green garland still adorns the fence. And porch railing. Complete with big, bright red bows.

 

Not to mention the wreath on the door.

 

And when I drive through the neighborhood and see a scattering of others, like I, who are still fully decorated on the outside, I give a little air fist bump of solidarity.

 

Plus, they make me feel better about myself.

 

I mean, at least our lights and tree are down …

At first I justified our lingering Christmas outdoor décor on the weather. I mean, it was just too darn cold that first week of January. Why risk snow bitten fingers and toes?

 

Right?

 

Then the snow came. And who wants to wrestle with snow covered greens? Plus, they looked very sweet covered in snow.

 

Right?

 

Those excuses covered weeks one and two. Weeks three and four are just sheer laziness. Forgetfulness. Procrastination combined with an overwhelming amount of Etsy shop Valentine jar orders …

 

Right?

 

So while you sit inside … nice and warm with a cup of coffee or tea in hand … and visit the links of things that caught my eye this week, I’ll be bundled up outside unraveling green garland from our fence and porch railings.

 

Although, maybe I can delegate this task to my husband and two able-bodied teenagers …

 

On to the links!

 

Let’s start with my addictions. Some in my family may even call them obsessions. Starting with Buzzfeed. And Harry Potter. And when the two collided, I was over the moon. Especially when a reporter at Buzzfeed started to watch the Harry Potter movies for the first time in his 30’s. I devoured his series of articles recapping his reactions. Starting here with his first movie viewing experience.

 

My friend Kim is so darn creative. And original. Can you guess what she made for Valentine’s Day?

Click here to find out. You won’t be disappointed.

 

I have food on the mind this week. Like this decadent chocolate creation.  And this amazing cake I would never in a million years think to create. And now I can’t stop thinking about it!

 

And this amazing tip on  how to perfectly cook bacon. Who knew?

 

This story makes me want to stay far, far away from the ocean.

 

And last, but not least, I’m sharing a tutorial on how I made those Mr. & Mrs. etched mugs on the other blog, Mason Jar Crafts Love. Just click here …

 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Linda

Good morning to you all from a very chilly Chicago!

 

And when I say chilly, I mean bone-crushing-25-degree-below-wind-chill chilly.

 

I’ve had something on my mind this week. Something I need to share with you.

 

And get your input.

 

You see, as I was wishing someone a ‘Happy New Year’ in an email yesterday, I couldn’t help but wonder what the statute of limitations is for extending 2015 New Year’s wishes?

 

Of course, the day of is obviously accepted. Expected, really. As is the 2nd and the 3rd …

 

but after that it starts to get fuzzy.

 

I know, depending on the day of the week January 1 lands, it’s still appropriate … expected … to use a ‘Happy New Year’ salutation on the first day back to work. Or school. Or whatever.

 

And then what?

 

Can we continue to express, and share, our wishes for a happy new year throughout the first week of said new year? And if so, what’s the cut-off date?

 

Was my use of a ‘Happy New Year’ at the end of an email on January 9th a violation?

 

Perhaps an abomination?

 

Isn’t it funny how the Christmas and New Year holiday feels like it was so long ago …

 

Sigh.

 

But onwards and upwards!

 

Here are some things that caught my eye this week. Staring with something I created for my other blog, Mason Jar Crafts Love. A $20-a-week mason jar money saving challenge idea …

… that you can find by clicking here. I even offer a free printable for that label.

 

In addition to saving money, I’m all over girl power and positive reinforcement this new year. As is my amazing blog friend Bliss Ranch (who I am determined to meet in person one day; even if I have to get in my car and drive around the state of Minnesota calling out here name!).

 

She made an amazing Positive Affirmation sign for her granddaughter to hang above her new bed in her new room in her new house {click here} ….

 

 

That is one lucky 4-year-old girl!

 

Speaking of girls, if I was still 7-years-old, I would want my bedroom to look exactly like this …

 

Speaking of not girls — but powerful and intelligent zillionaires  — I know Bill Gates is a genius and all, but I’m not sure I can get behind this idea …

 

Speaking of my selfish needs and wants, I really, really, really want to win this ..

 

Speaking of furniture, I think this might just be my favorite IKEA hack ever ….

 

And speaking of you, I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Linda

P.S. Lastly – but definitely not leastly — I’m in the Saturday Spotlight over at Junk Chic Cottage today. Stop by and check it out here …

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Groupon Gift Shop. All opinions are 100% mine.

 It’s time to reinstate date night.

 

There was a time when we went out every Saturday night. Friday nights too. With a Thursday night thrown in here and there. Dinner and drinks. Sometimes solo. Sometimes with friends.

 

In fact, at some restaurants we were bona fide regulars who magically moved up waiting lists and were given the best seats in the house.

 

Then came child number one. At first we maintained a semi-regular date night schedule. Not every Saturday, but a few times a month. That came crashing down after child number two. The babysitting fees – combined with the dinner and drinks – became an unaffordable luxury. So we settled into a new routine of family dinner night on Saturday night.

 

And then … somehow … in the blink of an eye our sittees became sitters.

 

Which is when it dawned on me that maybe we could reinstate date night.

 

So when Groupon approached me with a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping to find the perfect experiences for family and friends, date night with my husband topped the list.

It seemed the perfect choice. Because buying for someone you’ve loved and lived with for 20+ years is challenging. He doesn’t ask for much, if anything. And my gift giving at the holidays has been reduced to a new wallet. And socks.

 

I know. Pretty sad.  And boring …

 

But with the gift of Groupon date nights out, I was able to give him the gift of experiences that I know he’ll enjoy …

 

… with the added bonus that I get to experience and enjoy those experiences too!

 

The folks at Groupon asked us to package our gifts in creative ways. So, to present this date night gift to my husband, I wrapped it all up in this clever date night mason jar printable I found here on Etsy.  It’s filled with creative date night ideas. And on the blank scraps offered, I was able to add my own “Groupon nite out” coupons.

 

My husband’s first “Groupon nite out” pick was dinner at Monastero’s.

It’s an old-school Italian restaurant located in the Sauganash neighborhood (found on the North West side of Chicago) …

But instead of me telling you about Monastero’s, I thought I’d let the gift recipient share his experience with you. In his own words. Take it away Mike …

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Earlier in November, we turned the clocks back an hour to frustratingly get back to Central Standard Time. On Friday night, we turned back the clock to 1967 and visited Monastero’s Ristorante and Banquets in the far north Sauganash neighborhood of Chicago.

 

Key to the trip is the “…and Banquets” of the name.

 

Nothing wrong with that, but it marks a style. I have read that if you are true to the Yelp! experience, you should talk about what you feel the restaurant is setting out to do, and whether it hits those goals.

 

To me, Monastero’s lived up to its offering of late-60s red-sauce Chicago dining and hospitality. The bartender in the darkened cove bar was an older guy with swept-back gray hair so used to his clientele and the occasional stranger. The young hostess was eager and neighborly. The waitress was accented and helpful and chatty. All good.

 

In the brighter dining room, Linda ordered and loved the pumpkin ravioli and I had tortelloni alla Bolognese, good and more than I could eat, given we were forced to have really good bread and breadsticks and salad and minestrone. Oh yes, we also had wine.

 

Yet the best came at us unexpectedly – young men who sang Italian opera from the upright piano at the edge of the dining room. Unabashedly. Wonderfully. At 9:00 pm the Friday after Thanksgiving, the room was not busy, but they stood proudly and voiced out music that filled the room and took the evening to a new level.

 

Afterward, we met the owner and his daughter in the bar on our way out. They were genuinely happy we had visited. Nice. The way it used to be, and the way it ought to be.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I think we can chalk this one up to date night success!

 

Up next is Fiorentino’s.

Another Italian eatery, but this one is much closer to our home. In fact, it’s a place I’ve passed again and again over the years but have yet to venture inside. I’m tempted to go next week, but that might be too much too soon. We still want to enjoy Saturday family dinner nights, after all …

 

and after 20+ years of marriage, we may need to ease back into the dating scene.

P.S. I totally forgot to get a picture of Mike and I at the restaurant, so instead I’ll share this one of our very first ever date night …

I like to think we look exactly the same!

 

Pin It!

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Car in Jar Snow Globe

Vintage Car Snow Globe Ornament

 

We took the screen door off the front of the house this weekend.

 

I realize that doesn’t sound like a big deal. A monumental event. Something worthy of a blog post.

 

But it was …

 

We’ve had a screen door on the front of the house since the day we moved in. And it’s not the fancy aluminum kind with the interchangeable glass panel. Nope. It was a $15 wood frame screen door from the local hardware store.

 

We loved the sound it made when it closed. A sound that brought back memories of our youth. And hot summer days. Running in and out of the house with our friends …

 

Whack. Whack. Whack.

 

A sound that drove our parents crazy. Eliciting yells of “in or out, in or out” …

 

That was in the days before laptops and iphones and we only had four channels on TV to choose from. Back when our days were driven by our imagination …

 

Sigh.

 

But we took the screen door off because it no longer made that lovely sound. It wasn’t hung correctly. And it just dragged along the landing of the porch (scratching up my beautiful new painted on porch rug). It was a burden to open and close.

 

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

 

That wasn’t the welcoming sound we wanted to hear. So off it came.

 

And it’s weird.

 

Opening up the front door with no screen door barrier feels odd. Exposed. And standing on the abyss of a cliff.  A very high and scary cliff. And stepping over the threshold feels like you’re falling ….

 

It will take some getting used to.

 

And what does the screen have to do with a car in a mason jar snow globe? Absolutely nothing.

I just wanted you to know that I’ve stocked some of those cute snow globe kits in my Etsy shop here …

 

Right alongside my mason jar snow globe kids with the vintage sea-foam green car. And quantities are limited. I only have 10. For now …

 

Linda

 

P.S. You can find my tutorial on how to make these by clicking here …

 

You Might Also Like:

Christmas Advent Calendar (click here)

2014 Holiday Home Tour (click here)

 

Tis the season for sponsored blog posts …

 

There. I said it. I put it out there. Because it’s true. And I’m not going to apologize for it.

 

This is the time of year consumer brands are looking for exposure. This quarter is crucial to their bottom line. And, quite honestly, it helps my bottom line as well. Especially this year, when my bottom line took a few hits. First the basement flooding debacle. Followed by what is shaping up to be a series of dental sagas. Cavities filled. Braces affixed. Root canals canaled. Not to mention the crown that costs as much as a real a jewel-encrusted crown …

All of which took funds earmarked for home improvements and décor.

 

So there will be an increase in sponsored posts over the next few months as I try to replenish that home improvement and décor fund. But I’ll make some promises to you. I promise to blog with integrity. I promise to try my hardest to make those sponsored posts fun. And interesting. And I promise to choose opportunities that truly interest me – which, in turn, should interest you as well.

 

So please bear with me. January will be here before you know it, and all those sponsored post opportunities will dry up. Then it’ll be just you and me again …

 

depleting that home improvement and decor fund.

😉

But today’s post isn’t a sponsored one. I thought I’d take a moment to share some Halloween crafts I created for the other blog, Mason Jar Crafts Love. Like these spiders (you can find the tutorial here).

 

 

And then there are my walking dead zombie jars (tutorial here) …

 

 

And then I put together a round-up of 30+ Halloween mason jars ideas that you can find here …

 

 

Wishing you a fabulous weekend!

 

Linda

You can find even more mason jar ideas in my project gallery here …

I’m sitting here watching a Sex and the City repeat as I pack up painted mason jar orders. It’s the series finale and Carrie is in Paris with Mikhail Baryshnikov. And it dawns on me (once again) that Carrie is a self-involved whiner.

 

Now don’t get me wrong. I love, love SATC. It’s an all-time favorite. I watched the original series on HBO in all it’s swear-word-and-boob-filled glory. I watch the repeats constantly on E! Entertainment. And when the movies are on TV? Yep, I tune in each and every time. Even the insipid SATC 2.

 

Speaking of SATC 2, what was that? Who were those people up on the screen? I mean, when did Miranda become a woo girl? I’m thinking Cynthia Dixon threw up a little in her mouth every time the director directed her to yell woo.

 

But I digress. Back to the episode at hand: An American Girl in Paris. Part Deux. Carrie is all mopey and whiney because her boyfriend won’t spend any time with her in Paris. Huh? I mean, he’s a world-renowned artist who hasn’t had an exhibit in a long, long time. This is his comeback. He’s nervous and worried and doubting himself at every turn – and rightly so. An artist is the most subjective of careers out there. Second only to writing …

 

Oh, wait, Carrie’s a writer. Shouldn’t she,of all people, be more understanding of his time commitments leading up to the big reveal? Shouldn’t she, of all people, understand his fears and anxieties? His self doubts? I mean, it’s a risky proposition. A light installation, whatever that is (because they never do show us, do they?!?). It’s one stop short of performance art.

 

And with all that said, I would still dole out my hard-earned cash for a Sex and the City 3. As long as it’s smart and sexy. Like It’s Complicated. And Something’s Gotta Give. Which means Nancy Meyer’s should take the lead.

 

So what does this all have to do with the car in a mason jar snow globe, you may be asking yourself?

 

Nothing except the fact that I wanted to let you all know my Etsy shop is open. After an extended hiatus. Hence the start of this post where I’m wrapping up Etsy shop orders as I watch SATC …

 

Oh, and I’m also stocking a limited number of car in jar snow globe kits this year:

 

Just 10 for the time being. I want to see if how they sell before making a bigger commitment.

 

Here’s the link to the listing (click here).

 

And now I must leave you so I can rent SATC the movie On Demand …

 

Sharing: Link Party Palooza  * Between Naps on the Porch * A Bowl Full of Lemons *

 

Step-by-step tutorial on how to make painted and distressed Union Jack flag mason jar.

I’m not going to sugar coat this. I’m not going to pretend this repurposing of a mason jar into a Union Jack Flag vase was easy.

 

It’s not.

 

I’m not going to pretend that each step was executed flawlessly the first time out.

 

It wasn’t.

 

I’m not going to pretend this project was completed in a single day. Or  two days. Or three …

 

… more like six.

 

Yes, you read that right.

 

Six days.

 

Six days to creation a Union Jack flag mason jar.

 

Don’t believe me?  Let me count the days …

 

How To Make Union Jack Flag Mason Jar

Day 1

 

Apply base coat of acrylic white paint. Give it 24 hours to fully cure.

 

 

Day 2

 

Tape off the Union Jack flag mason jar design. I used Washi tape and included a flag design on the front and back of the jar.

 

Paint with blue. Let dry for 24 hours.

 

 

Day 3

 

Remove tape. Cry a little at all the mistakes.

 

Pull it together and touch up with white paint. Let dry for 24 hours.

 

 

Day 4

 

Tape off area for center red. Make sure tape leaves a band of white around the red.

 

 

Paint with red paint. Let dry for 24 hours.

 

Day 5

 

Remove tape. Cry a little when the tape pulls off your white paint.

 

Touch up mistakes with white paint. Let dry 24 hours.

 

 

Day 6

 

Distress with sandpaper.  My choice is 80 grit coarse.

 

 

Seal with matte spray clear sealer (found mine at the craft store).

 

And there you have it. Six days later your plain, boring, clear class mason jars can be turned into red, white, and blue Union Jack flag mason jar dazzlers …

 

 

Here’s a view of the back …

 

 

… and a view of the side.

 

 

Now if you’re looking for a project that takes, say, less than a week, my fabulously talented blogging friends have some really great creative ideas for you …

 

 

You have to check them out …

 

Bigger Than The Three of Us – DIY Bamboo Shades

 

Thrifty and Chic – Ikea Hack: Hamper into Side Table

 

Lovely Etc.

 

Life as a Thrifter- Quick & Easy Candle Holders

 

All Things G&D:  DIY Boot Socks from Old Sweater Sleeves

 

Yeah, all those projects don’t require six days to complete …

🙂

 

P.S. I’m now selling these jars on my Etsy shop. Click here for the listing …

 

 

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Red White Blue American Flag Mason Jar Set (click here)

 

American Flag Mason Jars #2 (click here)

 

 

How To Paint & Distress Mason Jars (click here)

  

 

For more mason jar project ideas, check out my mason jar project gallery by clicking here …

And for even more inspiration, check out my  mason jar blog …

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