Halloween Jars-a tutorial plus down loadable file

Tutorial

If you want to make it easy on yourself and save a trip to the store we have a few kits available on Ashley's Etsy site here. All you will need to provide is the jars and the mod podge (or clear drying Elmer's glue).

What you will need:

-5 canning jars of various sizes

-A sheet of black vinyl paper

-tissue paper (we used white, orange, purple and green)

-black electrical tape

-mod podge (or clear drying Elmer's glue)

Step one:

If you like the faces we used you can download this file and print them off.

If you need to re-size the images you will want to download the faces individually, open them in a word document, then click a corner and drag to make it bigger or smaller. Or if you want, just draw up some of your own.

zombie face

pumpkin face

frankenstein face

ghost face 1

ghost face 2

Step two:

Paint the inside of the jars with mod podge (or clear drying Elmer's glue)

Step 3:

Cover the inside of the jar with the tissue paper. Hint: it's easier if you choose a jar that your hand can fit into :) We used some that were smaller and it was a little more tricky.

Step 4:

Trace the faces on your vinyl.

You don't need to cut out each individual piece before tracing it. If you just lay the image on top and put medium pressure it will make an indentation that you can cut around.

Step 5:

Wrap the black electrical tape around the lid ring on each jar.

Step 6:

Stick the faces on the front of the jars.

Step 7:

Once the mod podge has dried, trim the excess tissue paper from the top and put the lid on.Note: If you trim the paper too short it will stick out of the top of your jar when you are done. If you leave it too long it will stick out under the lid. So I guess I am saying you should trim it to just the right length. he he.

Step 8: (optional)

String some Christmas lights in and around the jars to light 'em up!

AND

Also participating in Get Your Craft On

Fall Wreath

This is a project that I just completed. It just makes me sMiLe every time I look at it!

Such a fun project! :)

OK, so I know that I am totally tooting my own horn here, but I think that this wreath turned out awsome! And I can't believe that I only spent about 20 bucks to make it!

I hit some good sales at the craft store, but they have awesome ones going on right now for the holidays, so you won't have to pay full price on most of the things to make this. :) I priced the holiday wreaths and even at 50% off they were still expensive! I saw one that was slightly larger than this one that looked similar for $200! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!? $200... that isn't fun on anybody's budget, even if it is $100 with the 50% off. So I decided that I would make my own and I have to say I was pretty darn pleased with myself :)

Here's my Loot!

So this is what you will need for this project:

• Twig wreath for the base
• Accessory picks (cool thing is that you can mix and match to your style)
• GLITTERY ribbon (and I emphasize GLITTERY! Or at least a contrasting color. Because it will really make your wreath pop! You don't want your ribbon to fade in with the rest of the wreath, then it gets lost and it just won't be as interesting)
• Hot glue gun
• Twisty ties, or some type of wire

Here is a close-up of the picks that I chose. Make sure that you choose ones with different textures and sizes. That way your wreath doesn't turn out to matchy matchy... We are going for character here :) And don't go overboard with items, less is more!

First thing you always want to do when starting any wreath is put on your ribbon FIRST! Just like your Christmas Tree, this is your base. You can always move things around a little but it's hard to get that ribbon under stuff once it's already attached! Biggest tip that I can give to those of you who have never done a wreath before... DO NOT GLUE ANYTHING ON YET!!!!!! I promise you will regret it if you attach things too prematurely. Wrap your ribbon through twisting it hear and there.

NEXT... Lay everything out on your wreath the way you want it. It make take a little bit of rearranging before you get it just right. You will want to weave some of the items in and around the ribbon so it looks nice and "nestled".

Now you can start gluing and wiring things in.

The thing i love about picks is that they already have wire in the stems. In this following picture you can see how I wrapped the wire in and around the twigs to secure it in place.

Here's a pic of the back so you can get a better idea of what you are looking for.

Some close-ups of the wreath

Give it a few final fluffs once you get it on the door and VIOLA you are done! Ahhh... that awesome moment of completion. Isn't it so cute!

LoVe lOvE LOvE it!!!! I think it looks just as good if not BETTER than the professional ones in the store, because it's got part of me in it!

Participating in Get Your Craft On

Honey Pork Chops (freezer cooking recipe)

Honey Pork Chops (freezer cooking instructions)

6 boneless pork chops

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 clove garlic (minced)

2 TBSP soy sauce

dash of pepper

****If you are going to use my freezer cooking method take this recipe and multiply it depending on how much food you want. I usually multiply by 3 and it makes a ton (for a family of 3).*****

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except pork chops in a blender and mix thoroughly. Place pork chops and blended mixture in a freezer bag.

Cooking:

If you will be eating right away, marinate for 1 hour then grill (you can bake or pan sear if you want but I like 'em grilled). If frozen, just thaw for a few hours at room temperature then grill. They are so good if you brush the pork chops with the marinade a few times as they are cooking. If you bake them bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hour, turning pork chops occasionally while baking.

More Ideas Using Distressing Technique

Kimberly recently published a post using a diStresSiNG teChNiQue for furniture... for full instructions go to: Old shutters to a living room partition-a tutorial. I started using this technique a few years ago when I received this beautiful shelf from my brother. He and his wife made this... can you believe it! GORGEOUS huh?!?!

They taught me how to do it and I just LOVE using it, it makes anything old & drab look totally fab! :) I thought that I might share additional ideas on everyday things that you can vamp up using this fun technique.

When we were getting ready for our daughter to be born, we were trying to think of fun and creative things to do for her baby room (on a budget) we decided that it would be perfect to do some distressing in her room to break-up the dark woods we had selected for her crib and changing table. We happened to have this old wooden spindle lamp and shadow box shelves. They were both originally dark brown (unfortunately we forgot to take pictures until they got their first coat of paint). Here they are white and BLAND :)

My wonderful hubby distressing and sanding...

I was at the very end of my pregnancy and very uncomfortable and not to mention HUGE! I needed some serious help, and my man was right there to help anytime I needed him... oh, what would I do without him :)

Adding the stain...

TIP: Use a dark stain so that it gives it some really great dimension

Wiping off excess stain to reveal its new VIBRANT life ;)...

Make sure that you give your project a final clear coat (Polyurethane) This helps insure that the stain is not sticky when your project is complete (the stain will not fully dry over the paint, so you need this layer!)

The final reveal!!! With a new shade to match :)

Here's how the shelves turned out...

Originally I could not think of what to put in these things! They were a tad awkward, but they were so cool... so off I went to a super fun decor store and my creative juices started flowing! And I found the perfect items to fit the bedroom scheme.

I found this awesome wreath...

And these beautiful flowers...

Look how cool they look!

Floating out away from the wall really adds some dimension to the design of the room...

Here's a close-up of some of the distressing

And the room is complete... They turned out perfect and we are constantly getting complements on them. Not that I need those, I love them regardless of what others might think :)

LOVE LOVE LOVE! This room makes me SmiLe :) Oh, and if anyone is interested on how to make a slip cover let me know. This one cost me $19!!!! Underneath was a hideous green.