5 Minute Craft: Salt Mason Jar Storage Hack

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I've been slowly updating my poor neglected kitchen the past few months...trying to make things a little prettier, and more of a place I would like to be. I don't mind cooking, I'm an okay baker but I just really don't like my kitchen :) We've been here for 13 years now, it hasn't changed much and I've disliked it since the day we moved in. I know, I know...I'm a DIYer and this is like blasphemy. Truth is, if it was only me in this house, the kitchen would have changed a long time ago. But, I have a husband to contend with :) This kitchen is not to be touched in any dramatic way. Anyway...back to the point. I'm making some bigger (not dramatic) changes, and some smaller changes in here. One of the bigger changes were these shelves along the wall that I shared a few weeks ago. 

With these shelves, came the open food storage that I had to make pretty. ...and now we are getting to the point of this post :) I have a salt shaker, but you know the times you need like a half teaspoon of salt for a recipe, you pull out this ugly thing:

I would pull it out and then it would sit on my counter all ugly looking for a few days. I decided I needed to make it look a little less commercial :) So, I grabbed one of my wide mouth 16 oz mason jars (link) and realized how the size of the lid was pretty much the same size as the top of the ugly salt container.

Mason Jar: link

So. I grabbed a steak knife and carefully cut out the top of the salt container.

The next step was to secure it onto the lid rim of the mason jar. I did this using hot glue. Since the rim has a little edge, it's perfect for the unperfect cutting.

I put the salt in the jar, and welcomed the pretty salt container to my shelf! Now I keep this out all the time and don't worry about it. I'm about to do this same thing with my sugar...maybe even baking soda/powder. I just need to save up enough salt lids first :) 

I just love pretty food storage! And yes, all of these canisters on my shelf have actual uses and store some sort of food. You also get a peak at what I've been working on to cover up the herringbone pattern on my wall without painting it. I have commitment issues apparently, ha! 

I love these super simple, 5 minute crafts and hacks that make every day living a little easier and prettier!

I have lots going on behind the scenes! Be sure to follow me on my social channels 

  

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Powder Room Makeover With Wallpaper and Painted Cabinets

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Years and years of touring model homes and parade homes have made me notice that designers go big in the smallest room in the house, the powder room. It's usually bold and full of design and color. When I moved into our house, this small little bathroom, which was probably the most used, was the most boring. It was dark in there too, with no natural light and beige walls and ceiling. Everything was a shade of brown pretty much, down to the cabinet, counter and faucet. 

A few years ago, I wanted to brighten the space up so I added board and batten and this fun diamond pattern onto the walls. It has stayed like this for a long time! 

But then...you know how it goes. I needed a change. I thought I wanted this whole powder room to be painted white. So, I did it. And I hated it. I thought I would get used to it, and that never happened. I know, right? Something was all white, and I actually didn't like it. ha! I was searching for some faux brick for my kitchen and came across this peel and stick wallpaper on sale for about $7 for a little over 118". I thought it was a good deal, and thought, why not try it? If I liked it, I would buy more and if I hated it, I wasn't out much. 

Peel and Stick Wallpaper Link

I left it up there for about a week. My husband didn't say anything, so I took that as a go ahead :) And I actually really liked it, so I started putting it up. 

I measured from top to bottom for the first strip, and cut it. Luckily, this peel and stick wallpaper had the grid on the back that made this process so much easier. 

I put up the first piece, made sure it was level on the sides with my level. I then matched up the next piece and cut it to size, and put it up. I found it best to working from the sides that are supposed to be lining up and pulling out the backing from there. I worked with about 5" at a time. I would smooth it out, pull, smooth it, pull etc. Sometimes I had to rip the whole thing off and start over. It did take some time and patience, I won't lie. But it was worth it!

Working around the light was a pain. I could have made it easy by taking off the light, but didn't want to go to that extent. So, I cut the wallpaper into two pieces, one for the top and one for the bottom. 

With lots of measuring, I figured out where to cut the little notch out for the light on the top and bottom piece.

I loosened the light fixture just a bit in order to get the wallpaper to fit behind it. I found that painter's tape was a lifesaver, not just for this instance, but in general when trying to line up the pattern and when you start pulling the back away.

For the corners, I used the same sheet and just folded it around the corner to keep the design going. When all was said and done, I think I used about 400" of this peel and stick wallpaper. I do have a ton of random leftover scraps that I'll have to figure out what to do with. 

I think the wallpaper in this powder room made the perfect "wow" factor. I didn't want to add too much color since I do decorate in here for the holidays. Yes, I'm that person...putting Christmas decor in a bathroom :) So, I went with a wallpaper that would transition easily from holiday to holiday and not compete too much. 

Framing this mirror was a whole other project on its own, then came the board and batten. Click on the links to see the tutorials for those :)

Frame mirror tutorial      Board and batten tutorial

I feel like I've been updating this bathroom for the past 6 months...slowly. One of the updates were these shaker pegs to hang the hand towels from. 

...and of course, what ever other decor I want at the time :) This bath is small, but it is full of decorating options! :)

Another update was painting this vanity. I have natural knotty alder wood throughout my home, and have been wanting to paint the cabinets for years. My husband pretty much forbids it in my kitchen, so while he was away for a week, I went and painted all the bathroom vanity cabinets white. It made such a difference! It has brightened everything up and has made me love my home even more. I know painting wood isn't for everyone, but I have lived in this house for 13 years now, and have hated the cabinets every day since. I want to live in a home that I love every aspect of, and I gave those dang cabinets 13 years, I can have them changed for the next 13 :) 

(little peak at what I'm been working on in my kitchen above :) )

Here's the before again of this same angle from above:

Oh, and here's the other mirror angle before the frame:

And another before of this cabinet.

I'll do a full tutorial on how I painted these knotty alder cabinets when I share my master bathroom update soon.

And here's the after again! 

Walking by this bathroom just makes my day now. It's the bathroom that you see from the main area of the house, and I'm not ashamed to keep the door opened any more! I have more fun updates using peel and stick wallpaper coming soon! I have a big thing happening in my kitchen using it....actually I'm using it in two places in there! 

I never before thought I would be using wallpaper. If you had told me 20 years ago as I was helping my mom pull wallpaper off every square inch of her house, that I would eventually add some to my own house, I wouldn't have believed you. Thankfully, peel and stick wallpaper is now a thing and super easy to put up and take down! What do you think? Will wallpaper today age well? Or will I be cursing my younger self as I pull it off years later.

I have lots going on behind the scenes! Be sure to follow me on my social channels 

  

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Did the Easy Off Oven Cleaner Method Work? Apothecary Cabinet Makeover

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I've had my eye on this little piece from my mom's garage for years now. She never knew I wanted it. One day she said she was going to take some stuff to the thrift store and asked if I wanted this little tool drawer cabinet. I was like....umm, yes! As you all may know, I have an obsession with apothecary type cabinets and drawers. Here's what it looked like before I got my hands on it:

Very primitive looking, but definitely not my style. I decided I wanted to try the over cleaner Easy Off method to strip the wood. I have done this to my coffee table and a mirror, and wanted to see how this piece would look with it's bare wood. 

I sprayed that thing with the oven cleaner Easy Off probably like 5 times. Had it sit for longer on some of the applications, I scrubbed and scrubbed. It took about 2 hours to get this far. That's seriously with the whole entire thing covered. Didn't get very far, did I? This is to show that sometimes this method does not work! I know it does on some things, since it's worked for me, but on others...there are better ways :) Like sanding or painting stripping.

I decided to skip the whole bare wood idea after all that work and switched to paint. I then used my petroleum jelly and paint method :) I get a little finger amount of the petroleum jelly, rubbed it on the edges then put two coats of paint over it. 

Once the paint dried, I used some sandpaper and gently rubbed the edges. The petroleum jelly is also a great way to get some good crackling on the paint. Just put a good amount in a spot, then paint. Don't sand this area when you see that it's cracking, just leave it! If it chips later, all the better for a more natural looking character. 

I bought some cute brass drawer pulls and added them to drawers to finish off the piece. 

Drawer pulls: link

I placed this on the console table in my hallway. It fit perfectly underneath the arches. 

When I was in the middle of the Easy Off method, I came across a hand written note on one of the drawers: "To Donna, Thanks for everything. Tom and Carol - 1986" . Kind of fun to see original messages like this! This was found in a friend's old cabin and given to my mom years ago. I'm glad it found it's way to me. Do I have anything in the drawers? Nope. :) It would make a cute tea cabinet in the kitchen...if I drank tea! Maybe one of these days it'll find a good purpose, but for now it's just looks.

This entryway/hallway is also used to house my kids shoes. It's small, but it's definitely functional! 

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I have lots going on behind the scenes! Be sure to follow me on my social channels 

  

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”