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!

Easy & Cheap Autumn/Fall Inspired Kitchen DIY Using Mason Jars for $10!

Easy & Cheap Autumn/Fall Inspired Kitchen DIY Using Mason Jars for $10!

Happy October 1st everyone! It is finally that time of year where everything just gets cozier in my home. I get better sleep, my coffee tastes more scrumptious, & soothing bubble baths feel more relaxing and less like a sauna. Last year around this time, our area of Colorado was hit by heavy rain and biblical flooding - "The 1,000 Year Flood" to be exact. Stress for my husband & I were at an all time high - we were evacuated from our newly purchased home and we had no flood insurance. In the end - praise God - our home was safe, but needless to say our first Fall in our new home was everything but relaxing. Even driving around and seeing the aftermath of such great destruction everywhere was mind-boggling and honestly, a little traumatizing. So, this year I wanted to make our home feel extra cozy. I decided to start in my kitchen because it's where I spend the majority of my day. I wanted to incorporate that classic Autumn orange-red hue along with a cozy cream/beige color, harvest sunflowers, and mason jars for that county-cottage feel.

Colors: Terra Cotta (left) & Orange Spice (right) - on sale for 50 cents each!

I purchased these acrylic paints & sponge applicator from Michael's. I combined the colors to get that mix of red & orange I was aiming for.

To prep for the paint, I took a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol and cleaned the outside glass of my mason jars & let that dry ~ 1-2 minute. This will get rid of all traces of oil or dirt that could mess up the finish of your paint. Then, I painted one thin coat at a time with my sponge applicator letting each coat dry for 15-20 minutes, or until dry to the touch. I applied 3 coats total. When the painting was complete, I tied twine to the top of the jar (as shown above) for that touch of 'country home'.You could even take it a step further from here and distress the jars up a bit using low grit sand paper and gently sanding off some of the paint for that vintage look!

50% off! - $2.49 for each bouquet

Next up are the sunflowers. I also purchased these from Michael's. As you can tell by the picture, these bouquets used to be fuller. Using wire cutters, I cut off one sunflower at a time and arranged them into the jars to my liking.

Medium size mason jar (left) & Large size mason jar (right)

For the orange-red painted jar (shown on the left) I oriented the cream-colored sunflower to line up with the front of the jar to juxtapose the orange-red color of the jar itself. For the cream painted jar (shown on the right) I did the opposite - placing the yellow sunflower at the front in order for the cream color of the jar to pop more. I also used more of the yellow & orange sunflowers and less of the cream sunflowers because the jar is already cream itself.

Everything from Michael's :)

 For that 'harvest' touch, I took it a step further and added this cute little bronze-colored basket to the whole arrangement. I filled the basket with brown moss and topped it off with a cute mini pumpkin & pine cone, but you could use whatever you like for your own personal touch :)

Add some of your favorite kitchen lotions, a Fall candle, and there you have it - my very easy, simple, & classic Autumn Kitchen DIY using mason jars! Enjoy! :)

xx,

Jessica