3 Ways: Distressed Autumn Mason Jars

It's no surprise that I have an obsession with distressed mason jars. Here's my super easy & affordable take on how to paint & style them for the Fall season :) I find that each one brings a different light & tone into the space it occupies. The beiges & browns add a coziness & home-y feeling while the more golden & cream tones brighten up the room. So if you're indecisive as to which one you should do, ask yourself what the room/space needs. No matter what you choose - beiges, cream, & browns go along with so many different colors that you won't have to worry about whether or not it will match the color scheme in your home.

Before you start painting your mason jars, first remember to clean them with soap and water. Wipe them down to dry and then apply rubbing alcohol on the outside of each jar with a cotton ball. This will ensure that all dirt and oils have been wiped away so that the paint will adhere to the glass surface. To distress, I used 150 fine grit sandpaper for each tutorial listed below.

#1: Halloween Mason Jar

Paint used:

Wheat used - Hobby Lobby $3.00 each:

 

Apply 2 coats of orange paint to a clean mason jar. I mixed equal parts Terra Cotta & Orange Spice.

When that has dried, apply 1 coat of Burnt Umber and let dry. Distress with sandpaper. As you sand, you will begin to see the orange color peak through Burnt Umber! Add some twine & wheat and you are done :)

I placed mine on my kitchen counter, next to my basket of lotions :)

#2: Beige & Brown Mason Jar

I have an entire blog post detailing how I painted this mason jar here >> http://jessicarosehomedecor.blogspot.com/2015/06/distressing-tutorial-easy-cheap-how-to-make-anything-look-antique.html 

Wheat used - Hobby Lobby $3.00:

After painting & distressing, add twine & the brown wheat, and you are done! I placed this arrangement in my bedroom. The brown tones make the bedroom feel so comfy & home-y :)

If you are curious about the Pottery Barn-inspired glass window, I have also done a tutorial on it as well. They were made using pictures frames from the Dollar Store! LINK HERE >> http://jessicarosehomedecor.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-to-diy-rustic-window-dollar-store-picture-frames.html

#3 Cream & Golden Mason Jar
Paint used:

Wheat used:

Apply 1 coat of White paint. Ley dry. Then apply 2 coats of Parchment. Using White as the base coat brightens up Parchment. When that has also dried, distress with sandpaper, add twine & wheat, and you are done!

I decided to place this on my kitchen bar :) The golden & cream tones really brighten up my living room!

 Add an heirloom pumpkin for a pop of color ;)

And there you have it - 3 different ways to paint & style mason jars for the Fall season!

DIY Mini-Pumpkin Patch

Going into this Fall season, I knew I wanted to incorporate hay stacks into my seasonal decor, specifically these cute miniature size ones I found at Michael's! Since hay is synonymous with pumpkin patches, I found it fitting to 'stage' a DIY mini-pumpkin patch for my staircase shelf in my living room! This was styled more towards the neutral spectrum of color with pops of autumnal color (you know how much I love my neutrals!!), but there are so many ways you can customize this to make it your own -you can add more color, or other objects synonymous with the Fall season.  

You will need the following materials: Grand Total: 10.52!!

Metal bucket - I painted mine white (Michael's - $2.99 Full Price; $1.79 with coupon)

Hay Stacks (Michael's - $4.49 Full Price; $2.25 with coupon)

Mini-Pumpkin & Pine Cones (Hobby Lobby - $6.99 Full Price; $4.19 with discount)

Mini-Wood Crate (Michael's - $1.00 Full Price; $0.50 with coupon)

Harvest Corn (Hobby Lobby - $2.99 Full Price; $1.79 with discount)

Paint Sponge

3 paint colors of your choice I used these:

What you want to do first is turn your bucket on its side and arrange your setup to cascade out of the bucket. Stage your pumpkin patch before you paint any of the pieces. This allows you to plan out what colors you want to paint each pumpkin. Since I'm using 3 different paint colors - I made sure I didn't put the same colors near each other to ensure that the overall look would not fall flat & bland to the eye. Use 2 coats and let dry. Shown below was my initial set-up:

I felt like it was missing that little something extra, specifically color & dimension! To fix this, I added a crate to give the setup depth and height. I also added the corn for a pop of color and fullness. Simply painted the crate white and twisted off the corn from each stem.
Add acorns & pine cones, place on your shelf, & you are done!!!

DIY Rustic Autumn Wreath UNDER $10!

For today's DIY, I wanted to create something not seen very often in homes or craft stores. My goal was to encompass all your classic, autumnal characteristics, but with a twist - a vertical twist. This tutorial goes beyond your typical circular wreath for this time of year and it is SO simple! My inspiration was this grapevine wreath I found at Hobby Lobby - I'd never seen anything like it! It adds such a perfect rustic-feel to any room :)

You will need the following materials:
Assorted mini pumpkins, acorns, and pine cones - leftover craft materials
Ornament Wire - $0.99 (Wal*Mart)
Wire Cutters
Hot glue gun
Grapevine wreath, shown above - $3.99 full price, $2.39 with coupon (Hobby Lobby)

Maple Leaf Bouquet - $5.99 full price, $2.99 sale price (Michaels)

Wheat Bouquet - $4.99 full price, $2.49 sale price (Michaels)

The materials I found at Michaels were 50% off & I also applied a '25% off your entire purchase' coupon, thus making this project ridiculously inexpensive!

Taking your wire cutters, cut your maple leaves leaving a 1/2 inch stem. Secure them to the front-bottom section with ornament wire. Securing the wire should look like this:

Be sure to leave the back portion of the wreath empty. I did 2 diamond-shaped patterns on the left and right sides & filled in the middle as I saw fit, but you can do as you wish. 

Left Side

Right Side

When the leaf placement is to your liking, go ahead and add mini-pine cones, pumpkins, and acorns using your glue gun.

Next, secure the wheat pieces along the top back of the wreath with ornament wire. Be sure to intermix various hues of brown & beige and stagger them a little. Doing this will add length, foliage, & dimension - it is the most crucial step. Not doing so will leave it falling flat to the eye. 

Back View

Up-Close

Add twine to the back to act as a mount and you are finished!
Hang on a wall in any room for the perfect touch of rustic-bliss;)

If you re-create this DIY, please leave a photo in the comment section below - I'd love to see them! 

Distressing - 4 Ways: How-to Make Anything Look Antique

I love distressing because it is a simple yet very effective way to change, revive, and re-purpose your home decor. Distressing is a technique used to achieve that antique finish that's very on-trend right now. In today's tutorial I show you 4 easy & inexpensive ways to achieve this. Let get started!

#1 Jewelry Box

I've had this ever since I was 10 years old. Lets do something about that horrid cherry oak finish, shall we?

Before

You will need the following materials:

Small sponge brush applicator

One sheet paper towel

Using your sponge applicator, apply 2-3 coats of Thunder Gray, allowing at least an hour drying time between each coat. Next, lightly dab your sponge into the white paint and start creating random strokes, as shown in the images below. After each stroke, wipe away the excess with a paper towel.

It should look something like this. The white is pleasing to the eye in the way that it doesn't take away from the gray.

Next, take your 150 grit sand paper & scuff away!

I toned down the harshness of the white strokes I made by sanding them down to appear softer. The gray, white, & Cherry oak peaking through adds dimension and that vintage-feel we were going for.

Put it on a stained, distressed shelf & you are done!

#2 Vanity Storage

How about we spice up that makeup vanity of yours?

You will need the following materials:

Small sponge brush applicator, white acrylic paint, rubbing alcohol, cotton ball, 3 mason jars - preferably different sizes

 Clean your mason jars with soap and water - wipe them down to dry. Then, take your cotton ball & rub alcohol on the outside of each jar. This will ensure that all dirt and oils have been wiped away so that the paint will adhere to the glass surface. When the alcohol has dried, apply 2 coats of your white paint.

One coat

Two coats

Distress with sandpaper, add some twine, and you are done!

Placing it next to your antique jewelry box really ties the look together ;)

Before | After

#3 Antique Mason Jar
I know what you're saying - "Didn't you just show us this with your vanity storage!" BUT!! >> this goes a step beyond the typical mason jar painting tutorials that you see everywhere on Pinterest. **This is different in the way that we layer 3 different paints to add texture, dimension, and that "antique authenticity".

Using your sponge applicator, apply the following paints in this order allowing each coat to dry (should only take about an hour):
1). 2 coats of Oyster Beige

2). 2 coats of Thunder Gray

3). As with the technique used with painting the jewelry box, lightly dab your sponge into the white paint and start creating random strokes. After each stroke, wipe away the excess with a paper towel.

When everything is dry & you have applied enough white paint strokes to your liking, begin sanding. **As you sand, you will begin to see Oyster Beige peak through Thunder Gray. This in combination with the white blended throughout is what gives it dimension (as oppose to just using one color, which makes it look flat). I find that this method is the best way to truly make something look antique.

#4 Cottage-Inspired Distressing
I was looking at my shelf at the bottom of my staircase & there was something about it that was no longer pleasing to my eye - things were clashing instead of complimenting each other. Here's a before pic:

The silver bucket & birdcage took away from the light I was trying to bring into the room. If you find that something is off with the color of your decor - paint it! It's the easiest & cheapest solution. I liked the birdcage & didn't want to paint it. So I moved it to my bedroom where more brown/beige hues fit the primary color scheme of the room. I replaced it with this:

Apply Oyster Beige, Thunder Gray, with hints of White in exactly the same way described in the Antique Mason Jar tutorial above. Then distress with sandpaper.

Next is the bucket. If you are interested in how I arranged the foliage & flowers, you can find that in my previous tutorial here >> http://jessicarosehomedecor.blogspot.com/2015/04/easy-cheap-cottage-inspired-diy-lilac-flower-pot.html

For this, all you need to do is apply two coats of your white paint, distress, replace your lilacs with babies breath, and done!

Soft & Bright

I hope you guys liked all 4 of these tutorials! Please leave your questions, comments, and your antique DIY's below! :)