How to paint mason jars

You've seen them everywhere on Pinterest and probably on blogs, but today I wanted to show you how I painted my mason jars!  I found an old crate of Ball and Kerr mason jars in my attic and I thought this would be a quick little project that would help me add color to my living room.

1.  I started the project by cleaning the inside and outside of the jars with warm soapy water.
2.  After drying the jars with a paper towel, I wiped the outside of the jars down with some alcohol to clean the glass so that the paint will "stick".
3.  I used Martha Stewart Acryclic Multi-Surface craft paint to apply 3 coats of paint on the outsides of the jars, allowing each coat to dry for 2 hours.  I didn't paint the bottoms of the jars because I didn't want them to stick to the surface I was painting them on and I'm afraid that the paint color will one day rub off onto my cabinets or coffee table.  The opacity the paint and required number of coats might vary due to the consistency of the paint and the color.  

4.  To get the distressed and used look of the jars, I used an 80 grit sanding block and lightly sanded the surface of the jars, making sure to apply more pressure on areas that would normally show signs of wear and tear.  Please, please, please make sure the paint is completely dry before sanding the jars.  I let my jars sit for a whole day before sanding them because I wanted to make sure all layers of paint were dry.

At this point, your jars are ready to be used as vases or just as decor around the house.  My jars are currently sitting empty on my coffee table, but I can see them being used as flower vases as well!

I hope you try this at home for yourself.  Mason jars can most commonly be found at Walmart or Target in the canning sections, but they can also be found at the flea market or antique faire for fairly inexpensive prices.  Also, remember that the size and shape of your jars don't have to match if you wanted to paint a cluster of jars.  Using mason jars from different manufacturers can add some variety of shapes and sizes to your project!

April Favorites!

Monthly favorites are my favorite!  I love seeing things that people have enjoyed throughout the month so I'm showing you the items I've been diggin' this month!  Woot Woot!

1.  Franco Sarto Flats:  I got the red pair from Nordstroms and the D'Orsay flats from Marshalls.  I've never tried Franco Sarto shoes, but these are definitely comfortable enough for work and play.  For the red pair, I had to get a 6 WIDE due to my bunionettes (TMI? sorry), but the blue pair fit comfortably in the regular width.  I would highly recommend trying these shoes on before purchasing them online, unless you don't mind mailing in returns.

2.  Painted Mason Jars:  I found about 20 mason jars in the attic of my garage (left from the original owners of the house) and decided to paint a few to add some color to my living room. I love the bright colors and the fact that they were $FREE!  I did a little research and dated these jars back to the 1930-1960's.  Knowing that they have probably been sitting in the garage for the past 40+ years makes them feel even more cool!  Weird.  I know.

3.  Craftsman power drill:  I love this baby!  I really do.  My power drill has different attachments for different uses.  My boyfriend got me the drill for Christmas one year and recently got me the sanding attachment when I mentioned I wanted to refinish/paint some furniture.  This drill has been with me throughout all the home improvement projects I've tackled so far and it's still going strong.  I really love him!  <--I meant the drill, but yes, I love my boyfriend too.

4.  Metallic Sharpies: Why didn't I discover these sooner?  I knew metallic Sharpies existed, but I never bought them because I never knew what I would need them for.  Well, during my recent side table makeover I was rub-n-buffing the metal pulls to a gold color, but there were small spots that my fingers couldn't squeeze into.  The gold Sharpie came to my rescue and turned the brassy nobs into sassy gold nobs. I'm also using these markers for a hallway wall art project and the gold and bronze colors are just perfect!

5.  Komelon Self-Lock Tape Measure:  I've never had a real, heavy-duty tape measure before.  I've always had those dinky ones that come free with those simple, pre-filled toolkits you find in a grocery store or discount store.  As you can tell by the name, this tape measure self-locks!  As in, you pull the measuring tape out and it doesn't retract until you push the button at the top.  (I hope this isn't a standard feature of tape measures or I'd be very embarrassed. HAHA!  None of my smaller ones have this feature, which is why I'm so impressed!)  The numbers are also huge for my horrible eyes, the tape measure doesn't bend when its extended more than 4 feet, and it's a bright green!  What more can you ask for from a tape measure?

6.  Foam applicators:  I've only used foam applicators to apply large amounts of paint onto canvas for art projects.  When I was thinking about applying a protective finish for my furniture makeover, I was hesitant to use a paint brush because I didn't want any brush strokes.  While walking through the paint aisle at Home Depot, I came across a pack of foam applicators right next to the brushes.  In my mind, foam applicators don't have bristles, so...it won't leave brush marks right?  Right!  I used these foam applicators to apply the Minwax Polycrylic and there were no brush marks!  Yay!