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DIY "Upcycle" ~ how to prepare your everyday jars for crafting.

Posted by Casey // dreams and bones. on Thursday, November 10, 2011. Filed under: , , , ,
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Happy Thursday everybody!

I am really excited to share this little tutorial with you. Mostly because if you do this upcycle, you'll save yourself tons of time scouring thrift shops for overpriced old jars. Don't get me wrong, there's an unmatchable charm to those old thrifted jars. But when you have perfectly good ones sitting in your refrigerator or recycling bin waiting to be used, there's no reason not to make the best of them!

Here's a little bit of background: not only do I hope to use mason jars for our centerpieces, but I want each and every guest at our wedding to have one to enjoy their beverages. I just love the aesthetic of it, and it really suits our laid-back barn theme!

It didn't take me long to realize that we were using a lot of jars every week: for salsa, pasta sauce, jam.. even pickles! With decent thrifted jars often priced between $1-6 a piece, and our really small wedding budget, I knew I had to get creative. So I started soaking and peeling labels off of each and every jar when we were finished with it. As a chips and salsa fiend, they have certainly added up quickly. Along with using these jars came an irritating consequence: I couldn't always get the adhesive off of them! Then I figured it out. A simple method our grade school science teachers have always taught us: enter a little oil (to lift the adhesive), add some hot, hot soapy water, and scrub.

Ready to see what happens?


 Here's what you'll need:
1. Two bowls
2. Oil (I chose vegetable oil)
3. Dish soap and hot water
4. Something rough to scrub with (I used Scotch Bright Scrubbers)
5. Jars stuck with adhesive!

Step 1: Fill the first bowl with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil. Fill the second bowl almost full with hot, hot water and sudsy dishsoap. It will help to soak your jars in hot water first, or run them under a very hot water faucet. This will loosen the adhesive to begin.

Step 2: Dip your scrubber in the oil  (If this DIY isn't the easiest ever.. I don't know what is!)


Step 3: Scrub every bit of the adhesive as hard as you can with the scrubber.


Step 4: Once your adhesive is completely covered in oil and you've scrubbed as much as you can, place it in the bowl of hot soapy water. Now rinse your scrubber out, and scrub as hard as you can- again! Make sure you are running your fingers over the areas you're scrubbing to see if the adhesive is off.


When you're done, rinse each of them under the faucet with very hot water, and place them in the dishwasher. (Or, if you don't have one.. wash by hand.. I'm sorry!)

The result will be several jars without any adhesive on them. And you'll be one happy crafter, ready to make a jar-lamp, a snowglobe, or a mantle piece. Aren't you excited to see what you can do with your new, clean, upcycled jar? The DIY you will see next week is going to feature a couple of fun projects with jars.

What's your idea of a fun jar craft project? Or-  what's another easy upcycle you like to do? Leave me a comment here to share your ideas! Also-  be sure to check back in a couple of hours when I reveal a very useful tutorial - "how to pay off your debt"!

A Thursday How To ~ Fabric Flowers

Posted by Casey // dreams and bones. on Thursday, November 3, 2011. Filed under: , , , ,
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As promised, I want to bring you with me on the DIY adventure to the Burkhart Wedding. On a DIY wedding budget, there isn't much room for extras like florists and caterers. So, you have to get creative. Considering I know next to nothing about flowers, but absolutely adore the feeling created by sunshine yellow, I have been collecting fabrics lately to make flowers. When I took the plunge and began creating these flowers, I truly found the vision of our wedding. These will play a big part of showing our friends and family our creative, laid-back personalities.

Today I'm showing you a fun tutorial to make fabric rosettes. It's rainy and dark here in Chicago, and these fabric flowers are sure to bring some sunshine to your day.

Here's what you'll need:
-a cutting mat
-ruler
-a rotary cutter (or start with some sharp scissors - I'll explain a fun method)
-hot glue gun and glue (or fabric glue)
-fabric
Step 1: Cut your fabric into 2" strips
I use a ruler, mat and a rotary cutter, because I'm really clumsy and can't cut fabric in straight lines like a normal person might. ;) But if you don't have these materials, you can easily make the strips using a sharp pair of scissors (for a precise cut). Just cut a little bit in, and then tear a straight line down the fabric. This will create a 'shabby chic' look later on.

Step 2: Fold fabric in half
Step 3:
Fold in half once again. For flimsier fabrics, it may help to place a dot of glue here, to hold the fabric together. Your fabric should now be about 1/2" wide.

Step 4: Roll the edge up until it is about 1/4"-1/2" wide. Place a dot of glue to hold this - it is the center of your rosette.
Step 5: 
Begin folding the fabric around the center.

  As you are folding it around the center roll, twist it. Place a dot of glue every couple of twists.
The more you twist these, the more you will begin to see your flower form! You can alter the process any way you want to. With less twists you'll have a flatter flower, but with more you will see your flower get fluffier. 

Here's how mine look!


And if you make enough of them, you will have your own bouquet!


Are you curious to see all the ways we'll be incorporating these into our wedding?? I'll give you a hint, they're not just for the centerpieces. I'll be taking custom orders for these soon, in the form of headbands, necklaces, and more. Christmas is on its way. 

What did you think of this tutorial? Would you like to see more? What kinds of crafts are you making lately?

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