Mother's Day Mason Jar DIY

~ mother's day is this weekend and we've got a super cute and easy mason jar DIY floral arrangement you could put together just in time to surprise mom. this DIY is foolproof and super simple to do, especially if you've never DIY'd before or have been thinking about making mom something handmade. she'll be sure to love it and the best part is the mason jar is reusable as a vase for all the gorgeous spring and summer blooms ~

~ when choosing your color, err to the side of mom's favorite or what might go best with her current decor. that way she can use it over and over again with a variety of different florals. i chose a lighter shade of pink and yellow because most of the blooms in my parents yard go well with both those colors and my mom's favorite floral color is purple and both pink and yellow pair well with purple ~

you'll need: 

~ a *clean* mason jar in what size you'd like or have ~ the dollar store is a great place to find mason jars for a very very reasonable price. Michaels also has them as do almost every supermarket and Canadian tire. dollarama is great because the biggest mason jars are only $1.50 but Michaels has a greater selection of jars. it's also important that the mason jar is clean. if it's brand-spanking new, you won't need to wash it but its not a bad idea to wipe it down with some 99% alcohol. otherwise, be sure to wash your jar well, let it dry completely and then wipe down the with alcohol. this allows the paint to adhere properly and smoothly

~ acrylic paint in colors of your choosing. be sure that the paint you are buying is a multi-surface paint that works for glass. i made the mistake of picking up some paints that were not the best for glass surfaces and had to do 4-5 coats of paint just to get a good covering. i got mine for Michaels. i did try the dollar store variety and found the paint to be too thick and pasty

~ a paint brush. i use the sponge ones that are crazy cheap and they give you a smooth coverage but you could use any paint brush you already have

~ sealant. this is especially important for if you'd like mom or whomever you are gifting, to be able to reuse the jar. it protects it from water damage and can also give it a particular sheen. i chose Matte as i like the rustic look but i do have a Satin also for more texture

~ sandpaper. i 'borrowed' a sanding block from my dad but you could use an emery board, or 100/120 grits sandpaper. the idea is that it looks rustic and shabby chic, not overly sanded so be sparing with it

~ ribbon or any other adornment you might have 

~ a floral arrangement or garden blooms. i, again, 'borrowed' from my dad's garden but you could pick up a variety of different florals. it is peony season and they're just the prettiest

how to:

~ clean your jar and while waiting, mix your paint to desired color

~ paint one full coat, making sure the coloration is as even as possible. i don't have a particular way of painting but i found i do the bottom half and then top half and blend

~ allow it to dry until its dry to the touch. luckily it was a beautiful day when i did this and mine dried in 10 minutes but make sure its fully dry to touch otherwise the paint will move when you do the second coat

~ apply second coat, fully covering the the jar {depending on your paint type and quality, two coats is normally enough but you might need three so repeat the previous step if need be}

~ let dry overnight. this particular step is the 'hardest' but the paint needs to cure in order for it to not come off easily {even with sealant} so put it somewhere safe and let it dry until the next day

~ sand/buff the areas you desire. i tend to do the lettering and a bit randomly. you do want to be careful as the different grits of sandpaper will do different things. the sanding block i 'borrowed' has different angles so i was able to buff down the lettering with ease and carefully sand a few other areas

~ spray with sealant. it's best to do this outdoors in a well-ventilated area so there is no spray back and that you don't inhale any of the nasty spray fumes. sealant dries pretty quick so you could clean up while waiting for it to fully dry

~ adorn your jar with ribbon or anything else you might have

~ place your florals! i'm a fan of contrasting colors as i feel it gives both the flowers and the jar the most pop. one tip i learned from a florist: don't force the flowers in to settle the way you want them to, allow them to fall as they do and the arrangement will look natural!

have a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope your mom enjoys this gift!

xoxo Oz

Earth Day: An SBD Girl's Adventure into Gardening

~ so i decided to start an herb garden.  i of the kill everything in a planter variety have decided to venture forth and grow my own herbs.  thankfully, the wonderful ladies at Garden Works in Burnaby, B.C walked me through what i need and how to take care of my newly planted herb garden ~

~ walking in to a place like Garden Works is daunting and inspiring at the same time, i can see a beautiful landscaped backyard, one with trim greenery and colorful flowers......i can almost envision it in my backyard, i just wish i could afford to pay someone to do it for me! alas this would not be a DIY if i just PAID someone, so here are some of the tips i received on starting your own container garden, herb or otherwise ~

~ you will need tools, so a spade and gardening gloves are a must, i picked my gardening gloves up from Chapters and my tools from Home Depot. dry soil or cactus soil, regular or organic soil, gravel, fertilizer, and your herbs! 

~ pick your containers, i chose round wood containers in different sizes. make sure they have a drainage hole/holes at the bottom so that water doesn't pool and drown your herbs.  pick your herbs, and pay attention to the types of soil and how much sun each needs because you want to group the herbs that need the same sun exposure and soil type together.  I chose lavender, rosemary, English thyme and french thyme, chives and Italian parsley.  lavender and rosemary need dry, airy soil and like to spread, so i grouped them together in their own container.  the 2 types of thyme, chives and Italian parsley all went together in the large container ~

~ when assembling, i put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the container i planned to put the rosemary and lavender in, followed by the cactus mix soil.  giving both room to grow, i scooped out what i thought was an appropriate amount of soil, de-potted my herbs and laid them in.  fill in the herbs with the surrounding soil and gently press to secure ~

~ i followed up with the remaining herbs in a larger container with a layer of gravel, organic potting soil and laid in the rest of my herbs following the same instructions as above.  once everyone was in their little dirt jacuzzi i gave them a shower with some fertilizer and water. check out the results below!

Valentine's Dinner {For Him}

~ national love day, also known as Valentine's day is celebrated tomorrow. restaurants of all kinds put out special menus, are completely booked with reservations and champagne bubbles grace every table top. but sometimes all you want to do is spend a romantic evening with your loved one in the comfort of your own home. we've put together a super easy three-course meal for you to follow for a special night in with your significant other ~

~ even if you aren't the most chef-saavy person, the menu we've put together is fool-proof. even the table top styling we've done is simplistic but makes a statement ~

~for him, we've put together a rustic table top with a decadent three-course menu that he is sure to love : 

 ~ we wanted to evoke the feeling of being in a log cabin, sitting around the fire with your special someone. some candles, a bit of nature, tree trunk plate chargers {a DIY btw!} and some heart-shaped stones are all the decor you need. we loved the idea of putting the table together on a plaid tablecloth with a some copper mugs and gold cutlery. it was the perfect amount of romantic rustic-ness ~

~ for a delicious appetizer that you will both love, put together a simple, melted brie in an oven-safe brie baker topped with some caramelized onion jam and slivered almonds. some sliced baguette and a delicious  and refreshing moscow mule bevvy is the perfect way to start a decadent meal ~

*recipe for baked brie*

1 brie of your choice {make sure it is small enough to fit in your brie dish and the more creamy {triple cream for example} the longer it will stay melted}

1 large onion

a few tablespoons of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

slivered almonds {can be omitted}

~ slice the onion into thin slices {not too thin otherwise they will burn quickly}

~ heat a non-stick pan with olive oil before placing the onions in the pan {make sure your pan is big enough to fit all the onions otherwise you'll have to do two batches}

~ with the temperature on medium-low, cook the onions down until translucent

~ add salt and pepper and some sugar to speed up the caramelizing process

~ turn down the temperature to low to cook down the onions until they're perfectly sweet {slow and low will give your the sweetest, most perfect caramelized onions}

~ once cooked, let them cool down {they will get warm again once atop the melted brie}

~ for the brie, simply cut the top rind to allow an air pocket {and bubbly brie to seep out}

~ place it in your brie dish and bake for at least 20 minutes for perfectly melted brie

~ top with caramelized onions and slivered almonds and enjoy with baguette wedges

 

~ for dinner, treat yourselves to a delicious meal of steak and potatoes with some veggies. We kept it simple: seared steak topped with herbed roasted garlic butter, fluffy mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus ~

*recipe for herbed roasted garlic butter*

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 garlic head {or 5 cloves of garlic }

herb of your choice chopped finely {we loved parsley for ours}

salt & pepper

saran wrap

~ roast garlic by placing garlic cloves in aluminum foil, topping with olive oil and salt & pepper. wrap tightly and roast for at least 45 minutes. you'll be able to smell the garlic scent waft through the kitchen 

~ while waiting, chop parsley finely

~ once out and cool enough to touch, soft your butter with a fork for easy working

~ squeeze out the roasted garlic into the butter,  add parsley and salt and pepper and mix together

~ tear a piece of saran wrap and place your flavored butter in the center

~ wrap the saran around the butter and roll the package until it is cylindrical in shape 

~ twist the ends tightly and place in freezer {if making ahead of time} or fridge for it to get cold

~ slice off a delicious piece and place it atop your steak while still hot. it will create a delicious sauce and flavor

~for dessert: skillet brownie with some creamy vanilla bean ice cream and slivered almonds. we switched up our bevvy to some sweet white wine garnished with mint leaves that paired well with dessert ~

*all Photography by Matthew Burditt*

Happy Halloween

~ wishing you a safe, fun and candy filled Halloween!
xoxo
Oz & Tarah

Halloween {DIY}

~ halloween is two days away! if i'm honest, it's my least favorite holiday behind valentine's day. dont get me wrong, i love candy and trick or treating as a child. dressing up can be fun too! it's just one of the holidays i don't get overly excited about as i've gotten older. however, that doesn't mean that i won't decorate some or bake or buy candy to eat. sometimes i even pull out my minnie mouse ears. sometimes. i've been browsing pinterest and i've noticed so many halloween tablescapes. real classy ones too. i wouldn't say i'd go as far as a tablescape but i did decide to pretty-up a few mini pumpkins and they turned out super cute if i do say so myself! i've written a tiny how-to below should you be inclined to attempt {i hope you do!}

~i used flat white and gold metallic spray paint from home depot and found three mini pumpkins in varying sizes because i thought i would be cute and some black/gold/silver trio of glitter i found at the $1-$3 bins at target

~i worked outside which was my luck because the weather was b.e.a.utiful today! a well ventilated area is a must when spray painting. i put out some cardboard on the deck and wore some disposable gloves

~i had decided one pumpkin would be all gold, the other all white and was indecisive about the third one. i started with the largest pumpkin and the gold, spraying lightly as to not get it streaky or too heavy {shake the canister really well, at least for a minute before spray and test spray on the cardboard before spraying on the pumpkin}. the smallest pumpkin i sprayed all white and then topped it with some black glitter right away so it would dry along with the spray paint. while the first two were drying, i thought to try a mixed color/glitter one for the medium size. i sprayed the top of the pumpkin white and the base gold and mixed black and silver glitter on the top for a fun effect

~fortunately the weather helped dry my paints pretty quickly and voila! a super easy, fun, glittery diy! have a wonderful halloween!

xoxo
Oz

DIY Prettiness {Tiered Cake Stand}

~ i've always been into DIY'ing but normally don't do anything that looks like its overwhelming, you know, pinterest fails and all. i started out a year or so ago, diy'ing some simple christmas gifts and slowly have ventured into diy's involving more than just pouring hot chocolate powder in a dollar store jar. i'm a little old lady at heart and love me some vintage tea cups and cake stands. i have a hard time finding cake stands that appeal to my geriatric side so i decided i'd make my own. i saw a tutorial over at refinery29 via honestlyyum and used that as a starting point. i scourged value village and found a plate set that wasn't too expensive to attempt my first cake stand and voila...my first diy involving a drill! it's super pretty and my mother has already claimed this one. i'm thinking i might make some more as gifts and see what happens from there. they aren't easy but i wouldn't say that they are hard either. patience is required though. lots of patience.


~be sure to follow along with us on pinterest and on instagram for more daily prettiness

xoxo

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