Repurposed inspiration - Mason Jars

I LOVE mason jars. I even told James that if we were to ever have a son, I think I want to name him Mason. 

They are just so fun and whimsical to me. We have tons around our house and use them for all sorts of things. The best thing is that you can find these all over garage and estate sales and even thrift stores. Sometimes even in fun colors like blue. 

Here are some creative ways to use them besides the obvious use of canned fruits and jellies:

Love this planter. You can even use recycled wood for the backing. 

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Not only does this idea work for plants, but for organization as well

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We drink from mason jars all the time

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You can even make the drinking glasses turn into fancy goblets

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you can use these just like you can with the light bulbs as a terrarium

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You can use them for little love notes. I made James a box one year that had 365 reasons why I loved him typed on little strips of paper with a funny picture on each one so he could read one for each day of the year.  It wish I would have thought of putting them in a decorated mason jar...

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You can make your own candles with them

And of course, my favorite thing to use them for: lighting. I just love the way they look as a chandelier or light fixture. Here are some instructions from instructables on how to make your own. 

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Here is a tutorial on how to make hanging mason jar candle holders. 

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I never had thought about using them as photo displays, but it is so cute!

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Super easy and chic vase for smaller stemmed flowers

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Here is a tutorial on how to make the jars blue if you can't find them already that color:

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I really want this for my house. I would put one in every bathroom and the kitchen. 

And maybe even a lotion dispenser for the rooms. 

Go here for the DIY instructions. 

If you don't want to make your own, you can buy them here and here. 

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And the yummiest idea I found was desserts in a jar. Like this rainbow cake. 

Instructions found here.  

What are some of your ideas to use this oh so versatile jar?

Repurposed inspiration - Light Bulbs

These incandescent light bulbs are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Most of us now use CFL bulbs. 

James and I love the look of the incandescent bulbs and even though they may not be the best to use around the house for lighting, we can use them in many other ways...

like an adorable terrarium:

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 These hanging vases are my next project. I want to hang them on our porch with some fun (fake) flowers and maybe even one or two that just has water to create rainbows on the floor. 

You can find instructions here.

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Seriously, this is the most adorable valentine project EVER. 

I might have to do this for James to put on his desk at work.

Instructions on how to do this here. 

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You can use it in your office as well for a pen holder

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You can use them for tiny aquariums too  

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This is a pretty cool take on the ship in the bottle

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And here is the instructions on how to make them into salt and pepper shakers:

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And these cuties would look great in a child's room. 

If your kids are old enough, they can help decorate them!

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Please, share any more ideas you have about using these old light bulbs!

Haha...

In case you were wondering just how much Chloe likes to take pictures with me....

Repurposed inspiration - Headboards

Cool and unique headboards can really add to a room. For many bedrooms, the headboard is a statement piece. I really love all these headboards and the fact that not only do they look awesome. They are all repurposed from something else!

How about this fun headboard made from painted book covers. You can find step by step instructions on Instructables (James' favorite website)

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Here is an easy peasy headboard made from reclaimed wood. You can find a wood pallet anywhere these days... usually behind the grocery store. 

All you need are some nails, a little paint to add some cute touches and some clear varnish. 

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I like the fact that these oars create a central theme of the room. So creative and fun! I never would have thought of this.

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Then there are headboards you can make with things found around a house.... something you can use that you already own, or that you can find at a garage or estate sale. You can create something fantastic from everyday ordinary items, like the headboards below.

This headboard is just a shabby chic room divider.
I think the "quiet" unique letters make it all that much more sweet.
It definitely has the cute repurposed look to it too.

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Another fun room divider that was painted a modern color:

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Not only do room dividers make good backdrops, but so do old wooden shutters...

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All you have to do is add a clear coat, lean against the wall and put your bed up to it and Voila!

This website as well as this one, tells you how to make your own headboard like these from start to finish if you can't find any used ones.  Although, I feel it is best to "go green" and try and find these at your local sales or thrift shops. You can even repaint and shabby them up a bit yourselves. 

A very common door was used for these headboards.
You can even add some fun paint, crown moulding or spindles to make them stand out a bit more.

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You can use old gates too:

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And we can't forget repurposed windows as headboards, these are my favorite type of headboards.
With the one below, they just added some pretty fabric behind the glass.

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and for a really powerful statement piece... you can go for a salvaged mantel:

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Okay, so I may have went overboard on all these headboards, but they are all so pretty and fun and can be made using repurposed items!

Music Monday - Kate Nash

I like her quirky song lyrics, her British accent and her retro inspired music. I think her videos are kinda funny too. 

Repurposed inspiration - Suitcases

Since our company is an eco friendly company that sells eco friendly products, we are very aware of Earth Day on April 22nd. In fact, James and I have to work at a booth at the San Diego Earth Fair this year. I am actually excited (not just for the overtime pay) because we usually go there every year anyway. It's really neat to see all the eco friendly products and ideas they have. I have been spotting some fun projects to do that are easy and help keeps products out of a landfill.
There are so many great ideas for repurposing that I decided to make multiple post.

Today - Vintage Suitcases

James and I find a lot of vintage suitcases are our local swap meet. We actually almost picked up one last time we were there. I think I might have to go ahead and get one or two or three next time we go. 

I would love to make a bed like this for Peanut. He's about the size of those kittens in the photos

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okay, so I really LOVE vintage suitcase furniture. They are stylish and great for extra storage.

 Sherri from the SalvageShack made the pieces below. Check out her Etsy store here. 

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A fun laptop stand. You can find this piece here.

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And a chic little nightstand made by the same person. This would be great in a guy or gal's bedroom

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Or what about this SUPER AWESOME BoomCase

A BoomCase is "The Self Powered Portable Suitcase Stereo system that works with your iPod/iPhone or any device with a headphone plug." as stated by the website.

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or how about an easy DIY filing cabinet?

She said she made this in about 5 minutes with an according file and Velcro tape. 

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There is also this interesting medicine cabinet made by T.O.M.T

(seriously, check out there site for all awesome things repurposed)

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well, that's enough vintage suitcase eye candy for now... Let's see what fun repurposed theme I can come up with tomorrow!

Belated Easter Pictures

We had 2 Easters this year, one with my family and one with James' dads side of the family. On Saturday our family went up to my parents house. We ate a yummy dinner, dyed eggs, played a long game of dice (also known as Farkle) had an egg hunt for Chloe and another one for the adults and played a crazy game of kickball/dodgeball with all the new bouncy balls Chloe got for Easter (like 5 balls, seriously). We even took turns pulling Chloe around the big yard in her wagon for about an hour.  My mom got Chloe this adorable pink Easter dress. I loved how it swooshed and bubbled out and it looked like a little bell moving side to side when she walked. Chloe actually "hunted" for eggs. We really just threw about 24 eggs out in the middle of the yard and made it really easy for her. She held her basket the whole time and would pick up each egg and place them in the basket. She would loose interest about every 3 eggs, then come back to it. Her egg hunt took a little while to finish and we all had to help bring her attention back to the eggs. It was fun spending time with my family.

My mom found this cool way to dye eggs for Easter. You actually dye the egg white, not the shell. 

On Sunday, we went to church, which was AWESOME. I needed it so much! Chloe had a big melt down at breakfast in Coffee Bean and I may have cried a little, so just being at church and feeling His presence really helped. We went to James' dads house after church and met up with all his siblings and there kids. They had another little Easter hunt for the babies, Chloe was definitely not into this time and just looked at the eggs, then walked away. They then had an adult egg hunt for all of the siblings. James dad is a master egg hider and it took all of us (8 total) over an hour to find all the eggs. We ate another big family dinner and then just relaxed the rest of the night. James' step mom brought down James' sisters toy stroller from when she was little. Chloe was in love. She pushed that stroller everywhere.  I can't wait until Chloe is a little older and I can hide her Easter basket and eggs around the house and she will really be into it!

All in all it was a great Easter surrounded with family and love. 

I haven't had time to really read any blogs lately, crazy hectic with work and life. But I hope everyone had a great Easter! I can't wait to get time to read through my fave blogs and read and see pics of how your holiday went!

p.s. I can't always blog, but I do find more time to update Instagram. 

So if you use it, you should find me!

username: Schmitzel