stuff it. dress it, ship it

ever wanted to ship someone a birthday cake?!  make cupcakes, put it in the jar and top it with some icing.  i think ill be making these for my packed lunches from now on thanks.

whatever you put in the jar dress it up with your favorite scrapbook paper or patterned fabric.  they will stay on once the lid is so don't glue it down and switch up the pattern and brighten a mood.   

pop in some flowers and call it a vase








but dont forget the JAMMING, or the PICKLING, or the STORING and the DRINKING.  oh. and the planting :)

adding fabulous to same old

take a shelf.  any shelf and put a hole in it.  put the mason jar in the hole and YOUR DONE. haha.. im jk, there a little more then that.  but in a nut shell.

mason jar shelf insert container tools needed:

the goods: shelf, mason jar, a hole cutter

the oops: o-ring, and super glue

im NOT a carpenter.  i got my at a thrift store for $3 bucks

 THE HARD PART.  my dad had a hole saw attachment for a drill gun

 **do not.  I REPEAT DO NOT cut it like this.   we want to keep those fingers.

and vWAH-LA, a hole. 

step added in because hole was too big - always leave room for error.  most always you WILL have some sort of hiccup. dont flip out. IT HAPPENS ;)

i added a o-ring that was laying around, secured with some super glue.  MAKE SURE you hold in place for 30 sec and it will stay.  

place lid on top, screw in jar.  the band will rest on the self and hold it up.

i added PRETTY, but you can use it by the door for change or keys. use those creative juices. 

now sit back and ENJOY.  that was fun!

the option
**keep an eye out**
i will be adding hooks for jackets/hats/etc.  ALSO i was making the hole with my dad and thought "wouldn't it be CLEVER to add three jars and make more of a flower/stuff holder?!!".  loved the idea so much i measured this one out so that the jar was evenly on the left and will be making holes for TWO MORE mason jars.    ***PICS TO COME***

mason jar quickies.

to continue with our mason jar week long celebration ill share with you the three most simple and marvelous things to do with these cute little containers.    

mason jar quicky #1     hold the change
two people acquire ALOT of change. boyfriend being more of the change acquirer and im the cash it in SPENDER. obsessively thinking of ways to contain the change that seems to find its way ALL OVER the house, it hit me. a few months back i was in the wedding of a fantastic friend. at one of the festivities in her home i noticed that her fiancé kept all his change in jars.  WHAT A GREAT IDEA!  i went with it and dressed it up a bit to work with my decor.  because that IS what really matters. 

thanks mr. & mrs. glass!!

mason jar quicky #2     lightning bug game
kids love catching lightning bugs, child me being one of them.  evil little bug killers, i know, but HEY it was fun. my dad would always give each my sisters and i a mason jar to catch as many as we could.  the one who caught the most would win (forgotten about after hours of fun). when a few were caught the jars became something straight out of a midsummer's night dream. this weekend is a weekend of outside celebrations, use this activity to revisit that kid from within.

picture found at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brodyjt/

mason jar quicky #3  jar it
this-is-kindof-amazing-so-remember-it-diy-quicky. every year my boyfriend and i get loads of free pecans from his family. after eating what we can the rest are candied and jarred for favors.  if you dont get an amazing price on peanuts then this can be COSTLY.  
the option: make your favorite candy and wrap it with a mason jar!

 

pictures found at
http://www.elanaspantry.com/a-holiday-gift/
http://www.homemadegiftguru.com/old-fashioned-oatmeal-cookie-recipe.html

this idea i have to contribute to my cousin, rachel. having seen it done before i recognized the cleverness when she used it last christmas for favors. it IMMEDIATELY found a place in my clever little notebook.  take your favorite recipe and put all dry ingredients in the jar.  add a cute recipe card to it or a wooden stirrer, as pictured by this clever person.  your creativeness will blow everyone away! 

everybody loves.. mason jars!

only ONE MORE WEEK till the 4th?!  it got here so fast this year. as everyone is gathering together and hostesses assemble their parties, mason jars are coming out of the woodwork.  if they arent, they SHOULD be.  no matter the material, there so many different diy things to make.  why mason jars are so amazing - any way you use them they are so freaking cute!  stay tuned. every day this week i will have a different way to use and reuse these awesome jars with some amazingly clever ideas.

using my two favorite things, mason jars and candles, here is a clever idea followed by the how tos.  read on.

mason jars with floating candles

needs:

raffia ribbon or twine

mason jars
small candles (tea light candles float just as good and are CHEAP.  just take them out of their metal holders and fold over the wick so it wont fall through)

food coloring - the option

wrap your choice of string several times around the top and then in a bow 

add water and candle.

change the candle color OR add a drop of food coloring to give it a personalized look.

i love everything pumpkin, cue orange candle.  

celebrate independence day with a red and blue with white candle.

i loooove a blue and brown color scheme!

to get this look add about a half of a drop of blue dye.  

<3 it!

rainy day diy.

we are all still getting to know each other here in cleverkristy land but something you might have seen coming is that i am a coffee LOVER. like looooove.  like cant eat cant sleep reach for the stars over the fence world series kind of love.  got it?  good.  so whenever i see something that has anything to do with coffee, im all over it.  and there is NEVER  better time to make a hot cup o' joe, then when its all grey and rainy outside. 


how this clever idea came about
i was amazon surfing my favorite key words and happened upon coffee stencils.  for those of you who dont know what they are, SHAME ON YOU.  haha, jk this is what they are:

dont you love them!!!  and for just 4 easy payments of $5.00, plus s&h, they can be yours!  well... i immediately thought i can do that.  I searched through my house for inspiration to come.  it didnt. i got back online and searched the stencils and found a lot of plastic ones that other people had made. JACKPOT. hello plastic wonton soup cup from last week.






diy caffeine happiness tools
exacto knife 
plastic - old togo container, top to your margarine, a deli lid... top of a pringles can. you get the point.
cappuccino - frothy goodness 
coco powder 

draw a design on the lid.  use the exacto knife to cut it out.  hellooooo cute! 

  

plain cleverness.

today marks my 1 week, 7 whole days blog ANNIVERSARY!  and can i say goal:  500 views!!  congratulations readers on getting some great ideas and making my blog something to be sought out.  lets keep pay'in it forward because i am committed to you!  =D

as bloggers, we are always trying to be innovated and come up with new and ingenious ideas.  when those creative juices are flowing things just come to us, ie. my pvc pipe turned curtain rod.  as you know my posts are a consolidation of amazing things that some of my amazing fellow bloggers have discovered.  i am making it my mission to keep my followers knowledgeable on ways to decorate on a dime and eat delicious, healthy alternatives.  todays blog is nothing short of a little creativity and inspiration.  

red online is a neat website with loads to offer.  while doing my daily craft surfing i saw this neat idea and remembered i had a heap of postcards from when i went traveling through europe!  

step 1.

acquire postcards.    

step 2. 

tape post cards in whatever order around door frame   

step 3. 

take a step back and admire how amazing you are for choosing to remember and ACTUALLY DO this idea.  bc its pretty groovy ;)

         

this next idea i have seen done on many sites and to my boyfriends dismay i stared making and just FINDING places for them haha.

step 1.

use a whole roll of tp or paper towels.  

step 2.
smash and cut the left over cardboard roll in 1/2" slices 

step 3.
hot glue them in the center

options: I added paint on SOME of mine to add a little color in my life ;) ENJOY!

the wicker mans flight

today, june 21st marks the longest day (& shortest night); the summer solstice.  most people know when the summer solstice is here because google is awesome and tells us all we know.  here is it in a nutshell.  if i get something wrong, i am sure someone will tell me 

brief as possible

way back when, folks thought that it was a spiritual day.  herbs picked on this day were extra potent, fires were burnt in celebrations and it was good luck to bring some of that ash home after.  celebrations were had to welcome the coming year and let go of all that was being held onto, for whatever reasons.  ONE way that it was celebrated was to burn the wicker man.  write down anything that you want to get rid of, wrap it around a few flowers pinned to the wicker man (a symbol of the sun god, who died on this day) and toss it in the fire that you have already burning - and watch your troubles burn away.  

sounds like fun, right?  well, lets get rid of our troubles!

here is a pic so you can get the idea. mine looks
 a bit different, i just thought it seemed easier.

quick tutorial.  subject: wicker man

1.  grab a bundle of anything.  grass, straw, leaves.  tie around the middle with anything you have laying around ...that you dont mind burning.   i have string - or lets get fancy - TWINE  

2.  take the bottom part, split it and tie a bit of twine where each "foot" would be.  3.  take the top part, split it in 3.  the two on the side 

tie a bit of twine where the "hands" would be.  more so in the middle since you want the hands and head to look a little different - but thats just me.   4. take the middle top and tie at the very top to create a head.  

and there you go!your very own voodoo doll, I MEAN wicker man. 

 write away your troubles, tuck it in the wicker man,
toss it in the fire and enjoy!

 

pvc turned curtain rod.

if you have a giant window that seems IMPOSSIBLE to actually afford a curtain rod, or maybe live in a apartment - hello - and have plain white walls that are in constant need of life... here is a cheap-o-rod idea that can spice up you mood and keep your bank in the black.

a few months ago i realized i had two naked windows in my apartment. probably after watching one of many shows on HGTV that will show you what your house could look like and pretty much put in your head that if it doesnt, the world will end. and like most feening for a new mission, i agreed! but had no money in my pocket, surprise surprise. unfortunately i have this little decorating obsession and when an attack comes on i HAVE to do something about it. i can usually remedy this with a new arrangement of the living room or the bedroom, but my tiny apartment has run its course for new arrangements and like any good junky i needed to move on to bigger and better things. i would say about 85% of the time i can do it without dropping big bucks and due to lack of funds this was one of those times.

the culprit

my cheap remedy: pvc pipe! OR 2nd option: wood dowel; round piece of wood

i actually got mine from my contractor dad who had extra laying around (so ask people you know) but at home depot both costs anywhere from $1 - $2 a foot depending on the diameter - pvc costs about half the price of wood. this was a 9 foot rod.

next, rod brackets. this one at the big box store was $8 and came with all things needed to hang. cheaper versions start at $2. ALSO if you are hanging heavier curtains you might need a bracket in the middle, if your rod is as long as mine... hah

last but so not least make it whatever COLOR you want! this time i choose a nice purple to give my earthy toned bedroom a splash of color... but i have one in my kitchen that is mahogany.

FYI - most home improvement big box stores sell "oops paint". if you dont have a certain color check out what they have there. goes for $1 - $5 for the gallon.

once again you have a diy project that cost you about $20 - that size compared to over $100! so clever ;)

other things purchased:

$10 each - two white sheer curtains from ikea, 118in. i have high ceiling so needed long ones

2 buck dads day.

yup! did you forget? its sunday, aka june 19th 2011, aka FATHERS DAY, aka lets spend some money! albeit its probably the least expensive holiday, but we all want to do something to show we care. luckily dads will actually use useful handmade items, probably more then moms on mothers day - but I am not a mom so on a ledge here.

came across this quick and nifty, money saving, useful something, craft idea for you to put together in a jiffy while surfing one of many sites and it stuck. take a look and give it your own twist... a dad always needs a spot

items needed

pvc pipe

writable board - check out your fridge i bet you have one there!

optional something snazzy to put around it

and vWAH-LA! a 2 buck chuck version of showing you care!

happy fathers day dad!!

i scream. you scream. we all scream... bananas!

i want to share the most yummy and dElish (healthy-ier!) ice cream EVER! i play with this recipe, i dont add the nuts and sometimes add some "no pudge" brownies - ill give you details about all that below. but the one that started it all is the chunky monkey. chocolate, peanut butter, splash of honey and bananas!

the cream 3 ripe bananas
the flavor 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

the sweet 1 tbsp honey

the option 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

the CHOCOLATE 3 tbsp dark chocolate chips

do this:

slice bananas into 1/2 in slices and freeze (overnight)

plug in food processor and add frozen bananas. puree. (patience, takes a few mins)

add the flavor and the sweet

fold in the option and the CHOCOLATE

go sit outside with your awesome coffee and guilt free ice cream and meet this heat - head on

no pudge brownie mix -found at trader joes or whole foods and on the TOP SHELF (i know right?!) of every kroger. add 6oz plain fat free yogurt or applesauce, and bake. add our banana ice dream on top of a hot brownie or fold in place of the CHOCOLATE option. i know, so clever!

+ 6ozOR

teaser. I have 6 cork boards finished and ready for post, but you'll have to wait for those ;)

summer must. coffee in your coffee.

iced coffee bliss. thats right, BLISS. so straight forward you'll be kicking yourself on why you haven't (and some of you have) thought of this before. i make a huge pot every day and stash in my fridge overnight for cooling... but it only takes about 2 hours so brew at will, just give yourself time. end goal: dont dilute the brew!

How to:
1. brew a big pot of coffee. 2. pour coffee in your favorite ice tray - different sizes and shapes are a way to really have fun with it! place the rest of the coffee in the fridge.

3. add cubes to coffee, sweeten to taste.

...and be SO proud of yourself for your super-efficient mode of caffeinating yourself!

ps. super clever tip to add on to this caffeinated phenomenon: iced tea cubes. lemon cubes in water?! making the cubes flavored or adding tea leaves gives the everyday beverages a fun twist. here is another i came across - raspberry tea with mint leaves. brilliant!

who is me.

The beginning. Why is it, that the beginning and end are the hardest parts of anything. Papers, relationships, life... even when it comes to something as simple as my little clever blog.

My featured "forgotten to remembered" crafts are cork boards and quoted signs... but as some of you know, I have been slowing changing my ways and becoming a more health conscious person. I have come a long way and have recently hit my BMI goal (yay me!). Thus, I will be sharing with you the bits of knowledge I have learned along the way that I wish I had always known. Please comment and share with me related dishes, tips and just clever ideas!

If you like what you see, stand by... because all we can go from here is up!