Who doesn’t love a great Mason Jar?  With the following Fun Farmhouse Cottage Mason Jar Projects you will soon be transforming all of those leftover, abandoned, tired little jars into objects that will quickly become the envy of your friends.  links will whisk you off to each artists turorial.  Have fun!

How To Paint & Distress Mason Jars

Here’s a great project by Linda at “It All Started With Paint“.  I would say she is the queen of Mason Jar Makeovers.

Photo by: It All Started With Paint

DIY BALL Mason Jar Light Sconces

Be still my heart.  How fantastic is this? OMG, Love it!  Thank you to Kristy at: Robb Restyle for this great Mason Jar idea!

Photo by: Robb Restyle

DIY Mason Jar Pendant Light

This tutorial shows in depth how to actually cut the hole in a mason jar lid to accommodate the lighting fixture. This will be helpful no matter what type of mason jar light you are trying to create.  Thank you to Dagmar Bleasdale at: Everyday Family

Photo by: Dagmar Bleasdale Everyday Family

DIY Hanging Mason Jar Lights

This is definitely on my list of must makes.  I love the casual feel of it and the lighting is so romantic. Great project by: All Things Heart And Home

Photo by: All Things Heart and Home

Mason Jar Bottle Opener

I couldn’t find out who actually made this clever and very useful Mason jar Bottle Opener but I just had to include it.  It just makes a lot of sense to me and happens to be my favorite color.  Go ahead. let him drink his beer.  After-all, it will certainly be in style with this beauty.  Oil bronzed hose clamp, reclaimed, painted wood, mason jar & oil bronzed bottle opener.  We got this!

DIY Mason Jar Wall Decor

Be still my heart…..there’s those Hose Clamps again.  This tutorial should shed some light on the bottle opener project above.  Thank you to: The Hamby Home for this gem of an idea.

Photo by: The Hamby Home

Magical Mason Jar Oil Lamps

Our next mason jar makeover is quite ingenious:  Oil Lamps by: A Piece Of Rainbow

These mason jar oil lamps are really clever and there are so many possibilites.  So clever! And there are even tutorials for making infused oils on the website too!

Photo by: A Piece Of Rainbow

Mason Jar Bird feeder

This is just so easy but very effective.  Bird Feeder by: Little House Living

I feed all of the birds in my neighborhood and am sure they will love it.  This feeder oozes country charm.  With just 3 simple supplies and some wild bird food you can whip this up in no time!

Photo by: Little House Living

Beach Theme Mason Jar Candle Holder

Oh, I just love anything with beach glass.  Here is a super easy but very effective Beach Glass candle holder tutorial by: PLAID

The website says it’s at a beginner level but the results are so much more.

Photo by:  PLAID

Fisherman Netting Wrapped Jars

Okay, while we are on the beach theme, I couldn’t resist sharing these little beauties.  I have seen jars such as these for sale in trendy little shops with quite a hefty price tag.  Forget about it!  Make your own.  These little beauties come to us courtesy of Amy at Stow And Tell U . Amy, these are awesome.

Photo by: Stow And Tell U

I recently hosted my book club at my home and I wanted it to have a garden party theme.  This of course would require fresh flowers.  There is something quite elegant and heartwarming about fresh flowers, especially fresh flower place cards.  You don’t have to be an heiress to a kingdom or sell off your possessions to create lovely fresh flower arrangements or place cards.  The trick is to keep them small and informal.

No fresh flowers or even a small budget for them?  Look around your yard and garden.  Succulents will also make a very nice place card and chances are you may have pots of them overflowing with the perfect tiny plants.

Don’t Limit Yourself To A Florist

I personally buy my flowers at Trader Joe’s, not a florist.  I don’t buy the more expensive, already mixed bouquets , but opt rather for the least expensive bunches they offer. If you have a budget for a florist then by all means, go for it, but I love the challenge of making something beautiful for little or no money. You can also find great prices on fresh flowers at home improvement centers as well.

Hit the Dollar Store For Amazing Opportunities

OK, I admit, I love a good bargain.  When I walk into a dollar store I see everything for what it can become, not for what it currently is.  I went into the 99 Cents Store looking for a glass candle holder imagining it would make a terrific tiny vase for a fresh flower arrangement.  I had considered tea cups, mason jars, and any container they carried. Incredibly, I found some adorable small, Ball Mason Jelly jars for 99 cents each.  Perfect, or so I thought.  Then I saw them.  Ahhhmazing boxed sets of glass candle holders…WITH Pedestals….AND current trendy words on them such as DREAM, FAITH, LOVE.   This is where I start to tremble with excitement. Seriously! I am such a dork, but it’s true. Therefore, my vision of fresh flower place cards was definitely on the horizon now.

See Things As They Can Be, Not For What They Appear To Be

As mentioned before, you need to learn to see these fantastic bargains for what they can be transformed into. Here are some photos of the components I purchased at the 99 Cents Store.  The Candle Holder Sets were great to begin with , but just by adding 2 coats of chalk paint to the pedestal and distressing it, gave them a more elegant look.  You can’t tell they are cheap black plastic pedestals.  The magic created with the flimsy white plastic plant name stakes is quite amazing.  Just 2 coats of chalk paint, a little antiquing with a rust colored acrylic paint and a flat black paint to give the illusion of a tiny chalkboard.  A The names were written out with a white, thin-line chalk marker.

Thank you for visiting.

Please check out all of the charming Concrete Garden Art by clicking on the page link above.

A few months ago I had a great opportunity to acquire several beautiful and unique concrete garden art molds from a wonderful artist who was getting out of the business.  As soon as I saw her work I knew that I had to have at least one of each of these amazing pieces in my yard.  The molds have sat around for awhile waiting for me to create some of these beauties.  Slowly, I am pouring a few of the molds.  Today I start to share with you some of this beautiful concrete garden art.  There are a lot of ahhhh-mazing pieces and I have so many favorites.

I will admit that pouring these molds is quite a workout.  In some instances it can be back-breaking work.  Most of the concrete garden art pieces can be interchanged to create a multitude of art for your garden.

Here is one of my favorites, a lovely pediment designed to go over a doorway or window.  I am using them over my windows, since they just happen to be the right size. It’s easy to fall in love with the beauty and grace of this pediment.  There is also a beautiful mold for a pair of large wings which I am currently using  as shutters to flank each side of the window.  Very cottage-like.  I love them.

All of the concrete yard decor can be finished in any color.  I am quite partial to the verdigris finish lately, but these look wonderful plain or in any color. Due to the heavy weight of these items, I cannot ship them.  So many enchanting items to see, stop by sometime!

I can’t tell you how exciting it is to come across such beautiful wood carvings.   I was at an Estate Sale just sort of browsing when I came across these little lovelies.  So many pretty vintage wood corbels and wood onlays.  The previous owner was downsizing his estate after his wife’s death, but I have no clue where they originally came from.  I can assure you that these little beauties will have a new life.

Just look at the detail in the carvings of the lion corbels. Ahhhhmazing. 

These carved wood pieces are quite large.  I imagine they will be transformed into something even more lovely. Please check back to see where they make their debut.

Beautiful rose cakes always get my attention. The icing roses on this rose cake blend beautifully with the china painted roses on this endearing vintage plate.  I have a small collection of mismatched plates, saucers and tea cups with lovely roses like these.  What a wonderful and delicious way to display your vintage tableware.  I cannot imagine a guest who would not be delighted at an invitation for tea and cake served in such a charming manner.  Of course many of us may not have the skills involved to create such a masterpiece.  I think it would be equally nice just to get a simple cake from your local grocery or bakery. Besides that, you can simply embellish the cake with fresh flowers from your garden or store.

First of all, seeing such a fresh and breezy cottage porch swing makes me lighthearted, but alas, living in the city can have it’s drawbacks. One would be lucky to have a huge porch where such a decadent cottage porch swing could be hung. I am so in love with this porch swing. I wish I knew who made it. Beautifully up-cycled from an antique bed by an amazing craftsman. I have to say, I wish it was mine.

This is the perfect project if you have an old vintage or antique bed. I adore the frilly cushions & lace pillows. I can just see myself relaxing under the pretty blue throw.

Painting an old carved antique bed white or any color is sometimes difficult to actually get the courage to . Trust me, the results and transformation are so amazing. Once you paint one piece of wooden furniture, you will become addicted. Likewise, there are times that an antique piece just shouldn’t be painted. The pieces that I acquire are usually beat up and in need of repair.

Do you get as excited as I do about re-purposing old furniture into something charming? Sometimes I can’t sleep at night because I am thinking about that next great project.  If you have enough interest, I will definitely put this on my list of DIY projects that I will feature in a future post.

See more great porch swings here

Check out these great Charming Cottage Porch Swings for inspiration

I hope to have a lovely swing like this on my porch one day.  It would be a beautiful place to relax and have my morning coffee.  Ok, maybe not so realistic as I have to work all day but still, a swing like this will add that punch of charm every cottage home craves.