This is a great idea from House to Home.
You don't really need a tutorial. Here's a quick guide:
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Find a jar you like, glue an animal to the lid with super glue.
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Spray paint the animal lid.
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Done!
What's in the Jar Wednesday-Jar #39
Jar #39
Lotsa junk.
Did you roll your coins as a kid? I remember cramming lots of pennies into these paper wrappers.
Man junk. Thankfully, the Band-Aid tin was empty.
Little metal baby spoons!
Cocktail umbrellas, ugly magnets (check out the creepy baby pig with a bottle), and random cupcake toppers. There are 3 obscene toppers (Vegas, maybe?...Can you find them?)
Here are oodles of gumball machine rings. I think I told y'all, but---someday, I'll have a Mermaid and Pirates party, and all these trinkets will come in handy for treasure boxes.
Year of the Dragon
It's the Chinese New Year-welcome to the Year of the Dragon!
It's thought to be the most auspicious of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. There are 15 days of activities (starting today) to celebrate the new year.
Day 1-Everyone honors their elders, and also abstains from meat.
Day 2-Married daughters visit their parents' and relatives' houses. This is great---it is also believed to be the birthday of all dogs.
Day 3-The day of the God of Blazing Wrath, believed to be an uncharacteristically inauspicious day. People don't visit anyon, but have their fortunes told instead
Day 4- Son-in-laws pay their respects in in-laws.
Day 5- Dumpling day. Again, no visiting.
Day 6-Visiting
Day 7-Day of whole fish and noodles. Also a day to imbibe a drink made with seven vegetables....V8, anyone?
Day 8-Jade Emperor Day, and everyone goes back to work.
Day 9-Jade Emperor's birthday observed
Day 10-Jade Emperor's birthday celebrated on different days in different regions
Day 11-Visiting friends and family for dinner.
Day 12-Same as Day 11
Day 13-Guan Yu day, the Chinese God of War and Success.
Day 14-Everyone prepares for the Lantern Festival.
Day 15-Lantern Festival. Lamps and lanterns are lit to guide spirits back home. The Chinese also eat rice dumplings and tangerines for good luck.
Cold Outside, Cozy Inside
I sat down to do....something. Then, I piddled away an hour on Pinterest making a board called "Cold Outside, Cozy Inside".
I guess that's where my heart is right now. I need to unload the dishwasher, fold laundry, and do paperwork. I want to just curl up and feel cozy.
Cozy may win.
January days
I love watching the sun rise. It's amazing to me how many different mornings you can witness. There's just our meadow, the sun, and weather, but it can change so much.
I like looking at fog. At first, everything is a big blur, then the scene slowly starts taking shape.
Adam tried to teach Violet to play dominoes this weekend. She's not ready yet. They're red...can you even see them on the table? I found several red vintage sets for Adam for Christmas.
Tilapia with garlic butter sauce and parsley, tomatoes, broccoli, and sweet potato fries with Srirachi mayo. (Just mix Srirachi hot sauce into mayo to taste)
Adam took the last week off work to get some things done in the studio. The poor guy spent days cutting up nasty insulation. Fiberglass is so itchy and gross...it gets everywhere, no matter how careful you are. He had to cut all those strips by hand using a machete. People usually use box cutters, but this stuff is super thick, so he found that a sharp machete made it go quicker.
This is looking into the guest room/bedroom. Adam did all the stud work himself, too. (Insert stud jokes here.)
See the beams? In this room, I stained all of them by hand with a mix of stains to give them a distressed, Mexican-type of look. We've started hanging drywall, and I am smushing joint compound into all the screw holes and seams. It's tedious, but I'm glad we're making progress.
We're having a cozy day reading in front of the fire.
I'm so happy Violet likes books. If she hadn't been a reader, I'd have chewed my nails for years. I can't wait until we can start on chapter books. I want to put together a Mother Daughter Book Club. I think it would be fun to choose a different book every month, then take turns hosting. We could do appropriate activities to go along with the books. A croquet game for Alice in Wonderland, Halloween costume party for Harry Potter, etc.
What's in the Jar Wednesday-Jar #38
Jar #38...baby booties!
I've been saving this particular jar for a while. I thought it would be a great way to tell all of you....I'm pregnant! We're expecting a baby girl sometime in June.
Crescent Moon
I decided to buy this painting. I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail!
I've had good and bad experiences purchasing art without seeing it in person. However, I think I'll really like this piece. I love the soft colors (particularly that muted shade of lavender in her dress), the crescent moon, the flowers in her hair, and her serene profile.
Lisa Clague
Have any of you seen Lisa Clague's work?
It's odd, but I like it.
I don't think I could live with it, though. It would be too disturbing to wander into the kitchen for a glass of milk in the middle of the night and have it waiting for you in the hall. Not like a have a hall big enough for sculpture, anyway. Or like a big pointy top heavy piece of sculpture would be a good idea with a 3 year old, either.
Hmm...maybe it would work well in a performing arts space?
Her smaller pieces are intriguing, too. I don't think I could drink out of that cup, though.
Are there any artists you feel like that about? Love their stuff, but don't think you could incorporate it into your daily life?
If I were still single, I think my home would be much different. However, I share my life with my husband and daughter. They have to be considered. And, what I would like for myself is not always appropriate for the two of them. How do you resolve 'house I want' with 'house we need to have to function'? It's a tricky one.
What's in the Jar Wednesday-Jar #37
I realize it's officially Thursday, but in the interest of getting back in the swing of things, I'm posting this today.
I present Jar #37.
When you have a 3 year old, stuff like this is practically gold. Toss these suckers in the dishwasher, and they're like new. Now I have a few month's worth of rewards and bribes. You put all your blocks away? Great...you can pick a little animal. You helped fold all the wash cloths? Thank you.....go pick out a little animal. If you will sit in this long boring line another 20 minutes and be very, very good, you can pick out a little animal when we get home.
It's a worthwhile jar already, I tell you.
I particularly like the aquatic ones.
Random crap. Most of this will go into the trash. There were also a few wrapped up razor blades...eek!
Oddness.
Bits and bobs.
Do any of you recognize those four characters on the circular tabs? Are they from an old television show, maybe?
Getting life back to normal
I enjoy getting life back to normal after the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I like to let the house be on the spare side. I particularly like cleaning off my mantle save a clock and a few candle sticks. I want a clean slate in January, which includes visual decluttering. (As much as I can with a 3 year old, limited space, and being a pack rat, that is.)
Can you believe the pile of needles from the tree? I'm so glad that is vaccuumed up and out the door.
Isn't this a nice puddle of candle wax, though? I was a little sad to put that away for some weird hoardy reason.
It's also the time of year I schedule a bunch of doctor's appointments. I made a batch of marbled cream cheese brownies for my ob/gyn. She just opened up a new practice.
This is slightly ridiculous, but she has a great sense of humor, so I thought she'd appreciate it. I'm not going to mention her name, but if anyone is looking for a fabulous ob/gyn in the Dallas area, I'll be happy to share her info.
