ezpz diy: incense holder

We love to light incense in my house. Incense is more than an air freshener; it brings an entire aura to the home. Whether it be cleaning, cooking, reading, writing, meditating or just hanging out, burning incense helps me to set my intention and focus on the task at hand.

We were using empty jars to store our incense. I decided these naked jars could use some beautifying. Plus tackling this project allowed me to play with use some of the crafting supplies that I've been amassing and practice some crafting techniques that I might be able to use to make gifts for the upcoming holiday season.




For the first jar, I decided to cover it with scrapbook paper. This was simple enough as I'm pretty familiar with the technique from the coaster projects that I've done {here and here}.
First I cleaned the jar. {You can read about that here.}
Next I measured and cut scrapbook paper to fit around the jar. I didn't want to go all the way up to the grooves because I didn't feel like dealing with wrinkles and bubbling as the jar indents. So I kept it simple and measured in order to wrap the flat part in between where the jar curves {I hope that's not too confusing. But the pictures should make sense.}

Next I applied a coat of  Mod Podge to the back of the scrapbook paper and to the jar itself.

You need to move quickly here as you don't want the Mod Podge to start drying and prevent you from getting perfect adhesion. You have about three seconds {don't quote me} to ever so gently readjust your paper if it's slightly off. You want the edges to line up just right. I cut my paper to have about a 1/16th of an inch overlay because I was too nervous about having a gap if it didn't line up right.{The scrapbook paper I used is fairly thin. I wouldn't recommend overlapping thicker paper.}
Be sure to quickly smooth and straighten out any wrinkles or bubbles. And then allow the application to dry for about fifteen minutes.

When I felt it was dry enough, I applied a coat of Mod Podge over the scrapbook paper. I used a bristle brush instead of a foam brush {which most people use to apply Mod Podge} because I actually wanted to enhance the brush strokes. I wanted the brush strokes to give the project texture, plus I figured the vertical lines throughout would be a great camouflage for the seam where the paper meets itself.

Mod Podge goes on white, but dries clear.

I allowed this to dry for a few hours while I took care of some stuff around the house and then applied a coat of Polycrylic to seal the project. You will see different recommendations for the amount of coats of Mod Podge or sealer you should use depending on the project. For this project, I figured one coat of each was sufficient enough for how I planned to use the jar. 

After the jar set overnight, it was time for the finishing touches. I knew I wanted to use a ribbon as an adornment, but I had to be careful not to make it clash with the existing decor and I also had to consider my husband's taste. I tried to go for some more muted colors, but they just didn't do it for me. I loved a hot pink against the black and white, but I knew that was pushing it. So I opted for a bright green that gave me the same vibrance of the pink and I can reason into decor and green is my husband's favorite color. {And if it turns out terrible not to my liking, I can always gift it.} I simply attached the ribbon using my hot glue gun.

And here's the finished product.

Easy peasy.


I am currently working on finishing up the other incense holders. Check back soon to see how they turn out!

ezpz diy: how to remove labels and sticky residue from salvaged jars

Remember back when I was searching for projects using jars... well here's one that I got around to doing. My jar collection was getting ridiculous and I knew it was time to either do something with them or put them out for recycling. With the holidays coming up, I figured homemade gifts can be a good way to get rid of use some jars. I wanted to try out a few different beautifying techniques before tackling the gift jars. So I decided to practice on the jars I was using as incense holders.

The first thing I had to do was remove all of the labels and sticky residue from the jars. For this, I decided to put a popular Pinterest method to the test. There are thousands of pins out there touting the efficiency of baking soda and olive oil as a simple fix for the begrudged sticky residue. Does it work? Here's my experience:

First I submerged the jars in hot soapy water for about five minutes. {If your jar still has a label intact it might take much longer, but I soak and peel my labels as soon as the jar is empty. However, I don't always get them completely clean.}
Next, I rubbed a mixture of equal parts olive oil and baking soda on each jar. {I used a tablespoon of each. And just scooped some out with my finger tips and rubbed it on the jars.}
I let the jars sit for about ten minutes and then simply rubbed them clean in the soapy water using my hand.
Easy peasy.


There was one jar, that still had remnants of the label on it when I began. For that one, I actually treated it twice. The first treatment lifted the label and the second one lifted the glue. I probably could have used more elbow grease with just one treatment to get the glue off, but doing it twice was way easier.

I will definitely be using this method to remove the labels and glue residue from jars here on out. I guess you can call it a pin win.

My next post will feature a completed jar. Here's a sneak peek: 

creating early readers

I've always loved to read. I think it's due to a mixture of personality and teacher and parent encouragement. In school after finishing an assignment early, our teachers encouraged us to read independently at our desk until it was time to reconvene. I remember enjoying sitting at the back of the class because I was within arm's reach of the classroom library. At home sharing a bedroom with my older sister, my mother clipped a desk lamp onto the headboard of my lower bunk so that I could continue reading well past bedtime without disturbing my sister. Oh and for all of my life my mother has worked as a college librarian. Growing up I would spend "sick days" playing amongst the seemingly endless shelves of the college library. Not to mention at home we had a six foot tall bookshelf plus a number of milk crates filled with encyclopedias, old textbooks and school readers, library discards, and fiction and non-fiction books to suit all ages. There was no shortage of books in my young world, and I made fast friends of them all.

Given my love for books, it is important to me that my son develop a love for reading as well. It breaks my heart to hear young kids say, "I don't like reading" or worse an adult who proudly proclaims, "I don't read." {Whhaaaa!} So it is my duty as a parent to instill in Maki a love for reading. I want to share a few steps that I have taken to introduce and encourage early reading.

Read everyday
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading daily to children from birth. Even if it's half a book in between Lego building or five stolen minutes before meal time, make time for books. Reading everyday introduces your child to concepts that may be difficult to teach in the real world {unless you're a super human continent hopper}. Daily reading builds vocabulary and teaches your child how to handle and treat books. Not to mention, early reading sets your child up for success in school and later in life.

Build a home library
Invest in books. Building a library can seem like a costly venture but it doesn't have to be. There are many free and low cost ways to acquire books for your child's library. Request that family members buy your child books as gifts instead of toys. Shop yard and rummage sales, second hand book stores, thrift stores, and check with your local library for their  policy or program on discards {perfectly readable books that have been removed from the library's collection}.

 Our local library offers discards for sale in the cafe. All children's books are priced at $.25 plus your child gets a free book every visit! What a great opportunity to grow your child's library. They even have an awesome ethnic section {filled with books with little brown faces!}. I love that Maki can read stories of characters who look like him. Plus we've even scored a few bilingual story books which help make my goal of teaching Maki Spanish more realistic.

Creating a reading nook can be as simple as a floor mat and a few pillows!

 Be sure that your little one's library is accessible to them. Store the books within reach. You want your child to have access to the books at any time. We started with a small space on the bottom shelf of our bookcase {where space is already at a premium}. Once Maki's collection outgrew the allotment we moved his books to a low cubby underneath the printer {which is also quickly nearing capacity}. No matter your storage solution, keep it low and accessible for your child.

If you're concerned about damage, I suggest starting with board books and slowly graduate to paper books {keep a lot of tape on hand for the book infirmary}. Of course keep any books that you couldn't stomach getting ruined higher out of reach {but don't forget to include them in story time}. 
 
Visit the public library

Your library may not have a discard program, but it's still a great place to visit. The obvious reason here is a plethora of books from which to choose.  You can try out different genres/interests with your child before spending hard earned money on something they'd hate. Plus many libraries offer reading programs for young children with incentives to make the reading fun even more fun! Check out your local library to see what they have to offer. You might be surprised.

Be a model reader
Naturally small children want to emulate parents. So model the behavior you want them to adopt. If they see you read, they're more likely to want to read themselves. Even if you don't consider yourself much of a reader, consider becoming a reader for your child's sake. Find a book that interests you, and commit to a page a day, or five to ten minutes a day. You might soon discover that you enjoy reading for pleasure.

Read more about the benefits of early reading.

Do you have any tips to help create early readers? 

What does story time look like in your home?