Tag Archives: Mason jar

Freshly Baked…

Posted by Leanne on June 5, 2012 14 comments

Do you follow me on Facebook?? If you do, you may have read that I did something new last Thursday… new for me anyways! Do you wanna know what?? Does the title give it away?? LOL! I got spray-tanned! And not by a machine, I’ve tried that before, and came out all orange, streaky, and not so pretty! This was done by a friend of mine, who has started out her little business in her home. for $25 I walked out with a beautiful dark tan, which took all of 10 minutes, while my girls played in the same room (which is a huge bonus for me, not having to worry about paying for a babysitter when I am already self-splurging!) this tan lasts 5 – 9 days, and I am on day 6 and still loving it! Because I am naturally SO pale, I don’t mind the tan fading a bit, however my tan lines are still hilarious! I didn’t realize exactly how white I was until I saw the difference! I am very happy with the results, and the compliments, and I look forward to adding this to my summer routine! You can check out her facebook page, Brown Sugar Bronze. thanks Kyla!

On another note, I’ve been having a few problems with my blog lately, and one of them is updates…. the original link to Heidi’s Blog (Fame on Friday #10) was wrong, and my blog refused to update it to the right one… and the wrong one may have directed you to a blog I would not have supported…. eeeks! So please check out the right link, and give Heidi’s blog another chance! she is worth every minute! http://www.ourhouseforcoffee.com

Now on to today’s topic, and the real reason for today’s title!

...starting out with my piece of wood...

I gave it rough coats of paint - brown along the outside, blue and black in the middle...

(the other board you see being painted there was my Fresh Cut Flowers wood sign)

...after the paint dried for a few hours, I gave it a coat of white paint...

... a few hours after that, I gave the board a good sanding...

...I had created the words on picnic.com, printed it out on our printer... I used my transfer technique of coloring the back with pencil, placing the template on the board, and tracing with a ball point pen... this left the imprint on the board, and I painted the words with my Sharpie Paint Pen...

...the "bread, cakes and pies", and the "Freshly Baked" were added as an after thought, as the board looked to plain otherwise...

it also took me a few times outlining the "Bakery" with white, and black, and sanding, to get a look I was happy with... I find fatter letters a lot harder to work with than pretty skinny letters!...

... I drilled 2 holes at the top, added some twine, and ta-da! ...

What do you think?? Would this suit your kitchen??

Thank you so much for reading!! Feel free to pin and share like crazy!

xo, Leanne

Partying at:
Embracing Change: Embracing Change,
The Shabby Creek Cottage: The Shabby Creek Cottage,
Aka design: Aka Design,
HomeSpun Happenings:
Liz Marie Blog:

Funky Junk Interiors:

My Life’s a Treasure:

Serendipity and Spice: Serendipity and Spice

Keep Calm and Carry On

Posted by Leanne on May 10, 2012 4 comments

Today is a very big day for me! I am guest posting on 2 different blogs!! Today you can find me at Randee’s Organized Chaos, and at My World Made By Hand! If you have a few minutes, please visit these ladies and check out their blogs, they are both VERY talented!!

Well, my theme for yesterday’s Pinterest Wednesday was Keep Calm, and so I couldn’t wait to show you this…

Keep Calm and Carry On

Isn’t she gorgeous?! Like I mentioned, she sold even before my show on Thursday night began, and I miss her! Looking at her was so soothing for me!

I might be making you tired of all my sign tutorials, so if you are new here, here are a couple other great tutorials to check out:

Fresh Cut Flowers and a Mason Jar

It Is Well With My Soul

Chevron Mirror – Redo

Fresh Farm Eggs For Sale

A few details about this one: I based the board in bright white. I applied vaseline in the areas I wanted easily distressed. I followed with a coat of Wythe Blue from Benjamin Moore. After transferring and painting the words and the crown on, I gave it a good sanding. the areas I had applied vaseline sanded really well, and blended the white and the turquoise beautifully. I rough sanded the words to age them a bit.

And Ta-Da!

Do you love it?? I can make more if you are interested! Find more info on my For Sale Page.

Even though I don’t have it on my wall anymore, I’m still trying to keep this as my motto, especially since my little 4-year-old redhead is being a little more trying than… well, what can I say?? I’ll just say she thinks she is the mother of the house lately. So yesterday I renewed our membership to the zoo and took the 3 kids there for a few hours. We had such a wonderful time, like we always do when we get in the fresh air for a while… until the second we got back in the truck and the screaming and tears and fights resumed. Dear Lord, help me to keep calm and carry on! Amen.

Let me know what you think, and thank you so much for reading!!

xo, Leanne

Partying at:

Bowdabra Saturday Showcase

Did You Miss Anything?

Posted by Leanne on January 14, 2012 None comments

Happy Saturday! We woke to tons of beautiful snow, (which we don’t get much of around here), and we were all outside by 8:30am to play… now it’s raining …boo.. at least we got some play time in!

Here’s a recap of what happened this week, in case you missed anything!

Monday: A Prayer for a Niece:

Tuesday: Getting Organized:

Wednesday: Pinterest Loves:

Mason Jar Soap Pumps

Thursday: Dream Big:

Friday: 9 Loves in a 10 Day Challenge:

Thanks for reading!!

~Leanne

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I’d also love for my readers to click on “Like” (below) if you liked today’s post, and of course give me your comments, anytime! Just click below where it says “Leave a Comment”. Thanks!!

I’m partying here!

Saying Happy 2012 with my Top 5 of 2011!!

Posted by Leanne on December 31, 2011 4 comments

I’m assuming all of you are out partying while I am writing this post?! And I hope you have a ton of fun!!

I thought I’d try to write just one more post before the new year rings in. This for us is going to be our most laid back New Year celebration EVER. Even when our other 2 kids were small we’d at least have a couple of friends over for a little party, but this year, with hubby still getting over a cold and flu, and me just always a little under the weather with constant headaches, and a little baby who is scared of almost everyone, we decided a night by ourselves was just what we needed… so at this moment, hubby is watching a Canucks hockey game, and I am writing this post… a little lame, I know. Long gone are the days when (since there is always a hockey game New Years Eve, us girls would make the best of it) we would draw a players number, and would have to drink a shooter every time our player would touch the puck. My best year yet was when I drew the goalies number!

So I thought I’d share with you my top blog posts in 2011! I began blogging in September, after I discovered the blogging world while researching on refinishing furniture. I was so hooked so quick, I wanted to start my own. This is definitely just a hobby for me, something fun to do just for me (and you!), and although my numbers are small compared to most bloggers, I am happy and love my little pet project!

In the past 4 months, I made 50 posts, and Because (I think) I Can was viewed about 2800 times! My busiest day was November 30th with 140 views… personally, I find it shocking that many viewers would have any interest in what I have to say! The most popular post that day was A Teacher’s Christmas Gift.

So here you are, my top 5:

5. Meet A Table Named Abby.

This was one of my favorite projects for sure. Abby is still here, upstairs showing off her gorgeousness. Hubby and I are not disappointed she has not sold yet, we both love her so much!

4. The Perfect Crib Mobile.

Yes, again, very proud of myself. Anyone who knows me knows that me with fabric and thread is a bit of a joke. So when my friends see this mobile in person, they are a little shocked! But I wanted this bird mobile badly for my baby, and I love how she squeals with delight every time I play it for her! Plus, this was my second posting ever, so it’s cool it makes the top 5.

3. For The Love of Mason Jars.

This really has nothing to do with me. Without knowing it I had chosen some very popular pictures of Mason Jars, and “Mason Jars” happens to be googled a lot, which brought me more traffic!

2. What was I thinking?!

This beast definitely got a lot of attention! The desk is still downstairs in the playroom, shoved to the side, as I have to put him on hold until the New Year. I look forward to getting on my mouth mask, safety glasses and gloves, and sanding this baby down and making him gorgeous once again. I have big dreams for his future!

And number 1. A teacher’s Christmas Gift!

I was so happy with the response I got on this one. It was my first attempt on making a board sign, after drooling over so many in blogland and on Pinterest… I loved the way it turned out, and loved all of your responses even more, thank you for that! I have since made many more board signs, and will share them with you in the new year (when the kids are back in school and my life is back under control!)

But our personal biggest achievement in 2011 was the arrival of this little superstar!

This little beauty turned 7 months on Christmas Day, and is such an amazing little person. She couldn’t have made it easier to have a third baby!

Thank you for reading my blog, & following if you are a follower. I truly appreciate all of the support! So from my family to yours…

~ Leanne

Making Chalkboard Labels

Posted by Leanne on October 25, 2011 4 comments

While I was attempting to clean out one of my drawers the other day, I came across money. Lots of money. Problem? It was all in different currencies, none of them Canadian!

Still left over from my days as a Flight Attendant, 10 years later I finally decided it would be fun to have this “on show”. So I dragged out some Mason Jars I bought this summer, the labels that came with them, some Chalkboard paint I found at Michael’s Craft Store, and got to work. (Remember when I wrote the post about Mason Jars? I quickly bought some afterwards, with every intention to make jam, I bought the strawberries and everything…. ya, never happened. I found some other reasons for them instead – keep reading!)

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Grab the Chalk….

and Ta-Da!

What do you think? Pretty easy I tell ya! And the kids were impressed!

My other uses for my Mason Jars this summer:

Cutlery Holders/Water Glasses. An easy and cheery way to set the picnic table for a casual dinner party.

Sugar Cube Storage. I love this little jar for my sugar cubes. Right by the tea (which I drink a lot of now, since I’ve been banned from caffeine by my doctor… wait. Does that include chocolate?! Woops.)

And I made a pin cushion! This was inspired by one of the photos I posted on my Mason Jar post… very different from the photo, but I loved the concept, so I grabbed some odds and ends we had around here, and “whipped” this up!

Thanks for reading!!

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I’d also love for my readers to click on “Like” (below) if you liked today’s post, and of course give me your comments, anytime! Just click below where it says “Leave a Comment”. Thanks!! (If you are a follower, and received this post by email, you will need to visit the blog page, by clicking today’s title in the email to add your “like’s” and comments.)

I’m Partying Here! (mommy by day…crafter by night – Ta-Da Tuesday #10, Tip-Me Tuesday @ Tip Junkie)