Make Glass Jars Reusable

I keep a lot of used things to re-use them later. I hold onto all sorts of aluminum cans for gardening and office organization, old egg cartons are also used for seeds, bottle caps to make matching/memory games for my little guy and glass jars for various baking/kitchen goods.

Sometimes I find that glass jars keep the smell of what they were originally holding. Even though I wash them, sometimes by hand AND in the dishwasher, they still smell like pickles, salsa, or worse...green olives! (My husband loves green olives!)

So if you are also saving glass jars, here is a little trick to get rid of the smell. Baking Soda!
Clean your jar thoroughly and then put about 1/2 Tablespoon of baking soda in the jar. Put the lid back on and voila! No more smell!

Then you can put whatever you want into your little jar.

So far my glass jars contain baking powder, salt, candy, brown sugar, chocolate chips and raisins. They all taste like what is currently in the jar and not pickled.

Big Surprise Revealed! It's a Bathroom Remodel!

This weekend Hubby headed down to Salt Lake for the weekend. So while the boys were away, my mom, sister-in-law, and sister and her dog came up to help with a bathroom remodel! My Hubby thought that we were going to do just a bunch of crafts. So this was a TOTAL SURPRISE to him! Happy late Valentine's Day!

It was a lot of hard work, a lot of waiting for paint to dry, and also a lot of fun to be with the girls. Of course I took BEFORE pictures for your viewing pleasure. So here they are:

Brown, oak cabinets, white walls, Hollywood lights, and a tri-fold vanity that blocked a lot of light from shining on the counter.

Here you can see all the brown oak and the horrid strip of Hollywood lights.

Ugly Cabinets and check out that tissue paper holder. It has a gold stripe down the middle, which you can't really see.

Boring towel rack.


The remodel starts!
We (my mom, sister-in-law, and sister) absolutely stripped down the bathroom. The light, the towel rack, and the cabinets. Even the toilet tank has been taken out. The cabinet doors and drawers are currently downstairs getting 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of black paint by my awesome helping hands.

I would also like to thank Rhonda over at Southern Hospitality who figured out the best way to put up a mirror and how to do frame the mirror with molding. Thank you Rhonda!
You can see her mirror project here.


Drumroll please....Here is
The Big Reveal!!

So much better! We painted the cupboards black and the walls Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Grey (It is more sea green than it looks in the pictures). We (and when I say "we" I mean all the girls) glued up the mirror and the molding around the mirror.

It's amazing how much larger the counter seems now that there isn't a vanity hanging over 1/3 of it.

Close-up on the framing around the mirror that we made from rosettes and molding.

Finished cupboards and new toilet paper holder. New cupboard with towel rack.

I am going to have a grand ole time changing the decor in and out on the new cupboard.New light fixture. Ahh, so much better.

Here is a list of details on the items in case you are wondering where I got it all.
Paint: Primer, Black paint, and Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Grey all at Bennett's Paint.
Light fixture, toilet paper holder, and cupboard: Walmart
Molding and Rosettes: Home Depot

Hubby was so surprised! I had Sara hide behind the shower curtain and film his reaction. He said "Wow! This is really nice! You guys can have a girls' weekend whenever you want!"

Making the House a Home

The walls are painted, the flooring is in, and now it is time to add the special touches that make this house more of a home. Here is a plate holder/hanger that I just had to have from Hobby-Lobby since it was 50% off. It even has a little touch of red in it to tie in the red-ish touches in the front room. (The plates were a gift from my sister but I do know that she got the entire set from Target.)
I replaced the light fixtures in the hall and above the kitchen sink. Gold fixtures just weren't cutting it for me. I got them at Home Depot. They only hold one light bulb so they don't give off a ton of light but just enough for places like, oh I don't know, maybe the hall and above the kitchen sink. ;)
I saw this beauty in Walmart and just couldn't resist taking her home with me. I have no idea how to take care of her. The little tag said to "Place 3 ice cubes per week on soil. Do not let your orchid sit in water. Place in bright spot of the room, but avoid full sunlight. Temp: 60-85 degrees F, never below 40 degrees F. Avoid locations with strong drafts." Is that right? If you have tips just let me know. I don't want it to die.
I found this at Hobby Lobby too! I love it. It hangs right above the stairs and is the first thing you see when you walk into my house. I bought it also at 50% off and used my Hobby Lobby gift card from Christmas to purchase it. So it was free to me!

Here is the kitchen. It looks so dull compared to the rest of my house. Hubby and I are trying to determine what to do with it for minimal cost since 98% of our home improvement budget goes into finishing the two rooms downstairs. So for a help to the kitchen I thought I would paint it but what color? I was thinking a light green. Not Christmas green or anything too dark or bright. More of just a tint. What do you think? I cannot find a picture of a green kitchen anywhere so maybe green is the exact opposite of what color you want your kitchen. If any of you have ideas for my kitchen, please feel free to direct me to a website or any type of input would be helpful.


I am working on a couple projects that I will post about next week including directions so you can make them too.

Wow Me Wednesday!

I have my own wow factor going on in my house today, only it's not a happy wow just yet. Our house is in the middle of getting a makeover. We are three weeks into it and hopefully will be done this Saturday. This is what I am looking at right now.

All the carpet is gone! The only things on the floor are various toys, tools, and knickknacks that have been strewn about by Hubby and Bubba (a.k.a. my messy boys). I feel no need to clean it up because more carpet removal will happen tonight. Then we will have our new flooring installed over the next two days. I can hardly wait!
But until then, I live vicariously through other peoples' homes that I am wow'd by.
Here are a few pictures that Wow'd me today. These are all from Better Homes and Gardens

The Basics Done Right
An entry way that is clean and makes you happy to answer the door.

Thoughtful Artwork
I like how the TV becomes a piece of art with this collection and I love the silhouette artwork.

Roundly Stated
The wall treatment in this bathroom has inspired me to do a remodel of my own bathroom. I love the cool colors and the way the black round mirror and side chair pop in contrast.

Where do you go to get inspired?