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: 

in search of: jar projects

I've been collecting jars because I can't stomach tossing a perfectly good container into the trash. When I say collecting, I don't mean I'm out there picking through the trash in search of jars- just that I keep every jar that we buy. Between all of the salsa and tahini we buy, my collection is becoming rather large. I wish there were a way I could just take the jars that I have for a refill of their contents instead of buying new jars every time. Oh the good ol' days.

Poor jar...one coat of paint
and zero direction.

 I need to repurpose or find a craft project that could put these jars to use. I've been combing Pinterest, but I haven't been struck with much inspiration there. I just don't know what to do with them all as I personally don't have any use for them all. I need to figure something out soon though because I'm outgrowing my storage box and my husband's tolerance for the pack rat behavior.  

Have any good suggestions or ideas? Share them in the comments.