Mason Jar Wedding Kit

Remember last year when I wrote about the wedding that my daughters were going to be in?  Well, my little one is going to be in another wedding this fall.  And that means another round of parties: engagement parties, bridal showers, the rehearsal dinner, etc.  (Fortunately for us, we love a good party!)  

With the (extremely fun) engagement party behind us, it's time to start thinking about the shower.  More specifically it's time to start thinking about the shower gift.  

I wanted to go with a handmade gift, and after reading this post by the talented Linda of It All Started With Paint, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  (Pinned here.)

Linda's project was an Anthropologie-inspired mason jar sewing kit.  As soon as I saw it I realized that, with the addition of a few extras, it would make a great Wedding Day Emergency Kit.

(Because, seriously, you can't have a wedding in the year 2013 without at least one mason jar.  I'm not kidding:  something old, something new, something borrowed, something in a mason jar...  it's the official wedding slogan of 2013.  Really.)

A Wedding Day Emergency Kit is exactly what it sounds like: a collection of things one might need on one's wedding day.   Here's what I included in mine:

• Bobby pins (I went with black as the bride is a raven haired beauty :)
• Advil
• Visine
• Lip balm
• Kleenex
• Hairspray
• Band-aids
• Breath strips
• Disposable toothbrushes
• Tums
• Tide stain stick
• Scissors
• Thread
• Seam ripper
• Safety pins
• Q-tips (I had to remove them from the plastic case to make them fit.)

Isn't it amazing how much you can put in a mason jar?!  (Note: be sure to use a wide mouth mason jar.)

If you'd like to know how I made the pin cushion lid, hop over to Linda's blog for her instructions.  Initially my lid refused to screw on to the jar so I had to remove some of the stuffing from the cushion.  Now it works like a charm.

So what do you think?  Would you like to receive one of these as a shower gift?  Did I forget any important wedding day necessities?  Let me know in the comments.

Don't want to make your own?  

Great news!  

I am now selling my kits.  

Message me at elena@acasarella.net to place an order.

Caption This: "A Rustic Backyard Wedding Reception"

Over the past few years I have helped several friends plan their weddings.

First it was my sweet friend (and former nanny) Lauren.

Then it was the lovely Alyssa, inspiration for the famous wedding emergency kit.

Most recently I had the pleasure of helping my friends at Looksi and Shutterfly plan a rustic backyard wedding reception.

{While I have been compensated for this post, all of the ideas and opinions expressed within are my own.}

There's something so magical about a wedding.  It is the blending of two lives: two lives that are full of rich history.  What better way to celebrate a bright future than with pictures from the past—pictures that capture the people and paths that led the bride and groom to each other.  

In this sweet and simple backyard reception, a table is set exclusively for the attendants.

In lieu of place cards we used these metal plaques from Shutterfly to indicate where the attendants should sit.  Each has a picture of the attendant with the bride or groom from some point in their history.  In this case all of the attendants were either siblings or childhood friends of the happy couple, so we had lots of fun photos to choose from.  In the image below the bride is pictured with her sister (and maid of honor).

The caption reads: "Maddy with Maid of Honor (and sister) Lucy."  In this next shot we have a similar picture of the groom and his best man/brother.

Other attendants were honored as well.

I chose these plaques, with their "barn wood frames," specifically because they match the rustic theme of the reception.  I like the fact that the pictures are superimposed on metal so there are no concerns about them falling and breaking.

Another fun thing about this idea?  The attendants can take the plaques home with them.

Let's turn our attention for a moment to the sign behind the table.  Early in the planning stages I knew I wanted to have a chalkboard sign of some sort for decoration.  The problem?  I didn't have a chalkboard.  I fully intended to purchase one when I came up with this idea instead.  Using an empty frame that I already owned (you might remember it from this post), I simply taped some black Kraft paper to the back using painter's tape.  Voila!  Instant chalkboard.

And although you can totally write on the paper in chalk, my handwriting is—shall we say—less than beautiful, so I simply cut out some white letters on the Silhouette and made the sign that way.  In the event that you don't own an empty frame, you could just as easily tape some black Kraft paper over an existing picture.  Then when you're done simply remove the paper and dispose of it.

But back to the reception...

As guests entered the backyard they were directed to a small vineyard where they were invited to sign the guest "book".  Book is in quotes because it was not actually a book at all.  Instead, it was a piece of Wooden Wall Art from Shutterfly, featuring the church from the ceremony.  At the bottom is a caption with the couples' names and wedding date.   I love this idea because after the guests sign the picture it becomes a lovely memento for the couple to hang in their new home.   (Note: we started out using Sharpies for the signatures but they bled the tiniest bit so we switched to extra fine tip felt markers which were perfect for the job.)

(church photo credit: Kelly Elko, Eclectically Vintage)

One last fun idea from Shutterfly is the table runner that graced this table. 

There are four spots for pictures so we thought it would be fun (and in keeping with our theme) to use pictures of the bride and groom as children next to pictures from their own parents' weddings.

I feel like these runners are just perfect for a wedding because, in addition to the four pictures, there is also a spot for a one-letter monogram. What better way to commemorate the fact that from this point forward they will be one, sharing the same last initial?

Opposite the monogram is a heart, and in the center is a spot for text where you can write any message you'd like such as the couples' names or their wedding date.

Much like the wooden wall art, this table runner is sure to become a family treasure that the couple will use for years to come.  

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed creating it.  If you (or anyone you know) are getting married, I highly recommend poking around on the Shutterfly site to see what inspires you.  (And in the event that you're not up for the task yourself, let me know; I'm fresh out of weddings to plan!)

Mason Jar Twine Holders

Not long ago, while browsing the internet, I came across a brilliant storage solution.  (Pinned here.)  I happen to be a huge fan of brilliant storage solutions so I knew I would eventually try it.  

The idea was simple: store baker's twine in a mason jar topped with a daisy cut-out lid.  (Buy them here (gold) or here (with jars) or here (silver) or here (choice of three colors).)  Then thread the string through the cut-outs for easy access.

If you've been keeping up with things around here, you're probably aware that I have a dozen vintage Ball jars in my garage just waiting to be filled.  (And it probably comes as no surprise that I happen to have daisy cut out lids and baker's twine as well.)

The problem is that my baker's twine collection is an assortment of small spools.  Putting one tiny spool in a 32 oz Ball jar would look ridiculous and putting multiple spools in at once would be a hot mess.

That is, it would be a hot mess unless I found a way to keep the spools organized inside the jar.  With a little creative thinking (and a trip to Home Depot) I came up with the perfect solution:  

At Home Depot I picked up a few 1/4" x 6" Hex Bolts, some 1/4" Hex Nuts, and a handful of 1/4" Cut Washers. 

The first step was to thread a bolt through the center of the daisy lid:

(I may or may not have added a jewel sticker to the top of the bolt to jazz it up a bit...)

Then I flipped the lid over and placed a spool of twine and a washer on the bolt.  I continued to alternate washers and spools until I had six spools of twine on the bolt.  

Finally I added a nut at the bottom to keep the spools from falling off.

And here is the end result:

As you can imagine I am very excited about this...

(Clearly it doesn't take much ;)

Update:  I would like to address the two biggest questions I've received regarding this project: 

Question #1.  Where did I get the daisy lids?  I have included three links above where you can purchase them.  One link takes you to gold ones, one takes you to silver ones, and  another takes you to a link selling the lids with the jars. 

Question #2.  Does the thread get tangled as you pull different strands through?  So far the answer is no.  And by "no" I mean that you can keep pulling strands through the lid and they all come out smoothly and uninterrupted.  They do, however, seem to get twisted around one another.  The twisting does not seem to be an impediment, though, as the strands still come through the holes just fine. 

I don't know if this is because of the washers I put between each spool or if there's some other reason it's working for me, but I have almost completely unraveled a few of the spools in order to test it out.  I hope it works as well for all of you!

Great News:  I'm now selling Mason Jar Twine Holders in my etsy shop.  Check them out HERE.

Looking for more fun mason jar projects?  Follow these links:

Mason Jar Wedding Kit

 

Mason Jar Gift Card Holders

Mini Mason Jar Twine Holders

Happy Blogiversary To Me!

This past Monday my blog turned three years old (making it the only New Year's Resolution I've ever kept).

And while loyal readers may have noticed that there were fewer posts last year than in years prior, I hope the ones I did write struck a chord.

Blogging in 2014 brought numerous opportunities.  I got to work with some really great companies including Shutterfly, Wayfair, Minted, and Handybook.  I know that people don't always like to read sponsored posts so it's important that you know how many companies I didn't agree to work with.  (Okay, I don't actually have those numbers, but honestly, there were quite a few.)  Although I appreciate being compensated for the work I do here, I will never (ever) write about a company or product that I myself don't love and/or use.

Even more exciting was the opportunity to work with some Southern California creatives including photographer Alyssa Brule (who took the beautiful picture of my daughters below) and Urban Craft Camp Founder Jen Byard, who gave me the opportunity to teach a session on Mason Jar Snow Globes at her holiday workshop.

When I look at my stats to see which posts are pinned, visited, and commented on the most it is clear what people really want to see on this site: small projects (crafts, organization, decorating, etc.) that others can easily emulate.  Fortunately, those are my favorite posts as well and last year there was no shortage of them.  Here are a few of my favorites:

In January, I finally got a room of my own.  (Well, sort of...) If you click on the image below you can read about how I turned an unused corner into a corner office.

One of my favorite mediums (if you can call it a medium) to work with last year was Shrinky Dinks!  In addition to making Shrinky Dink charms for Rainbow Loom bracelets, I also made Silhouette necklaces.

I absolutely loved making these ballerina ring dishes and, based on your feedback,  it looks like you guys enjoyed them as much as I did.

Clearly my gold spray paint got a work out in 2014.  Inspired by Anthropologie I turned ordinary nuts into festive holiday decor.

Speaking of the holidays, I had a lot of fun with bottle brush trees this past Christmas, including the dyed ones you see below.

One of my most popular projects ever was the Mason Jar Wedding Emergency Kit which found new life over at The Knot in 2014.  Although Etsy is no longer allowing me to sell them there (because the contents of the jar are not handmade) you can still order one from me by sending an email to: elena@acasarella.net.

Speaking of weddings, my favorite post of the year was about the wedding reception I hosted in my very own backyard!

A few months later I was back there again hosting a very different kind of event: a candy themed birthday party for my ten year old daughter:

Another special occasion for me last year was the day that my blog hit the one million page view mark.  

I had hoped it would happen before January 12th and it did.  One million page views is child's play to most of the bigger blogs out there, but for a stay-at-home mom who thought the only person who was ever going to read the blog was her mother, it was an exciting milestone.  

Thanks to each and every one of you for being a part of it!