DIY Mason Jar Cup

The leaves are turning, the air is getting cooler and that means its autumn! This is the time of year where we have friends over for fires, make smores, and get cozy in our hooded sweatshirts. Its also a great time to bust out some mason jar cups!! Here's how you can make some of your own.  Lets gather your supplies...

You will need:
Clean mason jars with rings and lids
Crop-a-dile Big Bite Punch (or hammer and nail will work)
#14 Finishing Washers (I found these at Menards in the nuts/bolts/screws section)
E6000 Glue
Straws

Here is a close up of those washers.  It took me a little while to find them.  At my Menards they were hanging above the screws and washers.

The next step is to remove the lids from your jars and punch a hole with your punch. You will need to punch a few holes to get your straw to fit.  I used the washer as a guide to determine where I needed to expand the hole.

After your holes are punched, you will glue a washer on top of the lid.  Once dry, also glue one on the bottom of the lid.

After all is dried, you can then enjoy your favorite drink in your jar!

If you've been following along on my posts about drinks on the patio you'll remember the beer bottle holder I made.  It just so happens to be a perfect fit for a mason jar too.

Enjoy your patio drinks this autumn!

Drinks on the Patio Part III: Stake Holder

Last week I showed you how to make wine glass holders and beer holders both of which work great in the ground. However, if you're like me, you have a brick or concrete patio and stakes just don't really cut it. To solve this problem, I constructed these....

I wanted my drink stakes to sit basically at arms level so I picked up 2 terra cotta pots of the same size.

I have bright colors on my patio, so I painted the pots and then glued the bottoms together with E6000 Glue. I also glued 4 of those plastic furniture sliders to the bottom of the base pot. I found them at Target, and instead of using the foam stickers, I just glued them on.  This way, I can move the pots around without it scraping up my patio.
I filled the top pot with potting soil and in addition to adding in the stakes I planted some potato vine in it. To cover the dirt I used white dried kidney beans.

I do have another pot on my patio that's a bit larger and just a single one.  I used this for 2 wine glass holders and the wine bottle holder that came with my original purchased set (read about that here)
If you don't want the height of the stacked pots, the same principle applies to just using a single pot.  I filled that with potting soil and covered with kidney beans. 

Now you have a fun unique spot to hold all of your drinks while entertaining on your patio!

Drinks on the Patio Part II: Beer Holder Stake

To continue yesterday's post, today I'll show you what you need to make a beer holder stake!

You will need:
1 Empty Can       
  *I used an empty tomato sauce can, and chose the bigger size. I wanted a bit more flexibility of the type of drinks I could put in it.  Bigger can felt like it would give me that flexibility.
Threaded Rod (I used 3/4", you can use 1/2" or whatever you prefer)
2 Washers (make sure to buy them to fit the size rod you have)
2 Bolts (again make sure they will fit the size rod you have)
Drill or large nail and hammer to make a hole in the can
Glue (I used E6000)
Spray paint (optional)
Hack Saw (or other saw to cut threaded rod if necessary)

Directions:
1. If you desire, spray paint your can whatever color you like.
2. Once can is dry, use your drill or hammer/nail to punch a hole in the bottom of the can.
3. Cut your threaded rod (if needed) to desired height for your beer holder to sit
4. Place first bolt on the threaded rod, move a few inches down.
5. Place first washer on top of the bolt.
6. Slide the can on, then inside the can, add the second washer, followed by the bolt
7. Hold the can flush against the inside washer and tighten the bold until the rod is flush with the top of the bolt.
8. Turn your can over and add a dab of glue to the bottom of the can, then slide the washer on top of the glue.
9. Tighten the bottom bolt until flush against the base of the can.
10. Allow to dry, then stake in the ground and enjoy your beer! (or water, or other bottled beverage that you want to fit in there!)

Stay tuned in! Tomorrow you can learn how to make stake holders for your patio!

Drinks on the Patio

Its seems that lately everyone is starting to gear up for fall.  Don't get me wrong, I love fall.  It may be my favorite season.  But I am not ready to do away with summer just yet! While I still grasp at the warm weather and sunshine, I'm going to share with you some patio projects this week!

It all started when my sister gave me a set of wine glass stakes, complete with a bottle holder. My sis, knowing the wino that I am, thought I'd make great use out of them.  Stick a stake in the ground, to hold my wine glass, now thats awesomesauce. I was all excited to use them until I walked outside and realized, ah crap, we put a patio in last year! You cant stick a stake into brick!

That is when I started to get creative about how I could use these stakes. Quickly I realized that these stakes are freakin sweet, and I needed more of them. But they were also a little pricey. When I entertain on the patio, everyone must be able to put their wine glass in a cool stake because it really freaks drunk people out. "Dude! Why is your glass floating?!"  Yep, that does not get old my friends.  So this week in a series of posts, Im going to show you my projects which include, creating your own cheap-o wine stakes, beer holder stakes, and of course, a place to put them if you have a patio.  You dont have to have a patio to take advantage of these great projects.  A little spot of grass will do just fine.  Afternoon picnic in the park? Perf! 

So first up, here is my patio....

In this photo are some of the projects I'm going to show you this week!

This week you will learn how to make wine glass stakes, beer bottle (or can!) stakes, and drink stake stand.

Here's a close up if you needed it. 

Lets get started with our first project, wine glass holder stakes!

Stop in your neighborhood hardware/home improvement store.  I went over to Menards.  They have a section with yard sale signs, and these are sign stakes. They cost 99 cents each! Yep, read that again folks, 99 cents!!!  Grab a few of these stakes.  Each one will hold one single wine glass.  Oh! TIP! I highly recommend using plastic wine glasses.  Nobody likes broken glass.  Especially if it ends up in the bottom of your foot.  

Now, take these bad boys home and bust out a good pair of pliers, or some kind of tool you can use to hold and bend the metal.  You may work up a sweat, but its totally worth it.

You will start by bending the top loop.  Make it so the loop is parallel to the ground.

Leave that second loop alone.  Its handy for pushing your stake into the ground later.

Next, you'll want to pull the ring open.  Just wide enough that the stem of your glass can pass through it easily. Its handy to have a glass nearby to see how far you need to stretch the ring open.  The base of your glass will rest on the loop.

Stick that stake in the ground and slide your glass in! Viola!!  You are done! Floating wine glass, there you go!!  Now, pour your favorite bottle, and show off to all of your wino friends!!!

Stay tuned this week for more deets on how to satisfy your beer drinking friends!

**Note: I had to cut the length down on these stakes. They were a little tall for my stake holder.  I took about 6-7 inches off the bottom.  I would recommend testing it out before pouring wine and having it spill all over.  Alcohol abuse is just not acceptable people!

Sparkle French Manicure

Last week on Instagram, my friend Danielle posted a photo of her manicure.  She had a glittered french tip and her ring finger all pink glitter.  I fell in love with it, and had to try it for myself.  One of my all time favorite  polishes is China Glaze "He's Going in Circles" so I chose to do that color with NYC Sheer French Manicure #147A "Kisses" as the base.

I know I say this a lot, but this may be my favorite manicure yet! Thanks for the inspiration Danielle!

Pink and White Chevron Nail Art

The Chevron pattern has been so trendy this year, I had to try it out on my nails. Its summer, so I chose a bold bright pink to test this out.

To create this look, I took a pair of decorative scissors, and cut strips of blue painters tape. I had polished my nail pink, once dry, I put the tape strips on and painted over with white. Remove the tape and viola! Chevron stripes! For added fun, I also did the french tip on the other nails. A fun and whimsical summer manicure!

Tuxedo Strawberry Cake

A friend of mine asked me to do a small wedding cake for her brother and his partner. They wanted a black and white theme, and the only stipulation was to include tuxedo strawberries. I was thrilled at the idea! I had actually never made tuxedo strawberries before, so I was really excited to have an excuse to make them. Here is the finished cake!

I had a few extra strawberries so I had to keep making them. They were so easy and so fun!

Since I already had the strawberries out and the chocolate melted I tried a bride and groom pair too. I think the tuxedo ones are my favorite though!

Congrats to the happy couple! I'm honored to have been able to contribute to your day!