DIY: How to paint a mason jar with a chalky, rustic finish.

I just love the look of painted mason jars, which I recently experimented with for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. They are fairly easy to pull off as well.

My inspiration. See link. 

The Link I Used As A Guide

Materials- paint brushes (bristle or foam; I used foam), chalkboard paint, finish paint, sandpaper

1. Start by covering the jar with a coat of chalkboard paint. This acts like a primer and also adds to the rustic look when the final product is distressed.

2. Turn the jar upside down and cover with thin, even coats of paint, allowing plenty of time to dry in between. Plan on about 3 coats of paint. Wait until the final coat is complete to paint the bottoms of the jars. This will allow you to use this surface area to rotate the jar.

3. When all coats of paint are completely dry, use sandpaper to rough up the finish to your desired level of rustic-ness. I used it to go over the lettering, which created a rustic-light look.
   
   
   
   
4. Embellish as desired.

Party: Brittany's Baby Shower (6/25/16)

The parents-to-be. 

Those of you who know me well already know that I am super excited to become an auntie again this summer… to twin boys. My brother, Chip, and his wife, Brittany, are expecting this August. A couple of months ago, at the babies’ gender reveal party, we were asked to be godparents to baby Finn. Another awesome family milestone and memory to look forward to.

It’s no secret that I enjoy parties, so I was very excited when my mom and Brittany’s mom wanted to include me in the planning. I hoped to go into our meeting prepared with some ideas, so I listed out the major components (guests, location, food/drink/cake, theme/decor, invitations, games and prizes, favors, and special touches). I began taking notes on ideas that popped into my head, and I also did some exploring on Pinterest/google.

Adorable cake courtesy of B's mom

Some of my favorite ideas were the location, homemade centerpieces, donation favor, baby shower price is right, and photo clothesline.

We have always held our family showers at halls, and while that is a great way to have more control over the food and decor and possibly save some money, I decided to look into brunch options at some restaurants/function halls. I thought it might be different, possibly not much more costly, and, given our tight timeline, would eliminate the task of having to coordinate/prepare food. I looked at lots of different places online, but I was drawn to Fratello’s. Being in an old mill building, the room is already beautiful, so there wouldn’t be a need for tons of decorations. The price per person for brunch was also very reasonable, and I know their food is delicious. Needless to say, I was super excited when the moms were in agreement. Not to our surprise, the service and the food were top notch. We went with the italian buffet, and I’m not gonna lie, I could have eaten the entire tray of toasted raviolis.

First prototype, before I decided to change the ribbon. 

"Andrew's" artwork. :)

Which ribbon placement?

I knew I wanted to do something with painted mason jars for the centerpieces. Brittany’s mom suggested possibly doing non-flower centerpieces, so I hit up Google. I noticed some people using small paper poms in lieu of flowers, and I thought that was a cute option. I then wanted to think of some sort of frame or tray or placemat for the centerpieces to sit on. I had a couple of different ideas, but decided to have Jordyn, Chace, and Andrew complete some paintings and frame them in rustic finish frames. The final result was super cute, and I was proud of the personal touch of including the kids that mean so much to Brittany and Chip.

There wasn't a centerpiece left over, so I guess people liked them. Yay!

After a bit of searching for favor ideas, I felt underwhelmed. Most possibilities that were not ridiculously expensive were kind of cheesy, and I knew they would end up left on the table. Years ago, at my friend Bridget’s wedding, the couple made a donation to Project Smile in lieu of favors. I thought that was super classy, and also that Brittany might like the idea. The first charity to pop into my head was the March of Dimes. Since most twins are born prematurely, I thought this would be a good fit for the occassion. I thought small cards at each place setting would be a cute way to let everyone know about the donation, but my design was lackluster. That’s when I called in my bestie--super talented decorator, party planner and graphic designer, Marissa. She designed a super cute card that looked amazing on the tables.

I hate annoying shower games. Showers are a time to get together and chat with the girls and oohhh and ahhh over home goods or baby stuff. Still, I think they can be a way to keep people entertained and engaged. At my friend Crystal’s baby shower, her sister did a “Baby Shower Price Is Right,” where guests guessed the cost of some basic baby items (cutely displayed in a basket). I thought this would be a perfect option for Brittany’s shower since it was a totally different group of guests, and it wouldn’t intrude too much with the eating and socializing. The closest to the actual cost at each table got to keep the centerpiece, and the overall closest got a gift card. Brittany and Chip kept the basket, so they were winners, too.

Game Table including prizes, the diaper/formula raffle, and "Baby Shower Price Is Right" swag tote. 

I love the idea of a clothesline at pretty much any shower, but I also like to mix up what I put on it. In this case, I decided on baby pictures of mom and dad. We mounted them on scrapbook paper and ran the line along the gift table. I thought the final result was really cute, even though I couldn’t get the moms out of the way to get a good picture. :)

Overall, it was a beautiful day. All of these ideas in addition to a super cute cake, gorgeously wrapped gifts, a diaper and formula raffle, yummy food, and lots of memories made, created a wonderful brunch that I hope the parents-to-be loved. We can’t wait to meet Jamie and Finn.

Bookworm: I Just Finished... Unslut (May 2016)

Unslut by Emily Lindin

For work, each teacher was asked to choose a summer reading book from a list of seven titles focused around issues facing our students. I am going to be completely honest, I chose Unslut because of the name. I was also intrigued by its description as a diary and memoir. Topically, it focuses on sexual bullying as not a problem of the social media generation, but as as an antagonist that, although has changed faces, has been prevalent throughout history. Lindin does not dive into the history of slut shaming, but she does share her middle school diary entries coupled with notes she has added from her adult perspective. I’ve got to applaud Lindin on her bravery. Who the heck wants to expose the cringe-worthy moments of adolescence to the masses? But, she does so in a way that is painfully honest, yet relatable. Since I am close in age to the author, I felt nostalgic when reading the pop culture references within the diary entries (AIM, TRL, Carson Daly, Seventeen magazine, etc.). I also liked how Lindin’s voice managed to directly discuss the issue of misogyny without seeming too preachy or editorial. I enjoyed the read, but I would only recommend to teens and adults who don’t mind a little bit of nonfiction and titles that make them aware of larger social conversations, especially those regarding our youth.