Best Value on Jars

Hi guys!

I've been taking note for some time which items I could buy in the grocery store that have the best bottles for using at home.

I don't have to tell you guys what we can use great bottles for, right?  Drinking, vases, crafts, storage, even measuring.  The great thing is, they all come with their own lids, too - so unlike their less useful  cousins, glasses and cups - they're much more portable and versatile.

So...jars = good, yes?  Groceries = necessary and good.  Conclusion: Groceries and jars in one = Good the the power of 2?

With this indisputable equation in mind, I narrowed it down to four of what I think are the best VALUE for grocery/jar combo.  Value being the key word here, because you can buy $16 bottles of olive oil with fabulous bottles, but that's not my bag, so I'm sticking to best value here.


Let's start with my overall favorite for practicality and price.  For around $2 you get pasta sauce, (which, of course, is something that is always handy to keep stocked in our pantry).  Plus, a large drinking glass with a lid - so you can use it for storage, canning, take it with you, or use the lid to shake up recipes, etc.  plus, a handy measuring cup in the case that your other measuring cup is dirty or MIA.  They even say, "Atlas Mason" on them, which I'm not really sure what that means, but I think it kind of gives them some character as opposed to a completely clear, undecorated jar.

These next ones are fun.  The Marketside brand salad dressing has different dressings to choose from, and they totally look like vintage milk jugs, don't they?  They just make me happy when we have neighborhood kids over and I give them each some chocolate milk in one of these little jugs.  I fancy myself a frugal 50's housewife giving the children fresh milk just delivered by milk man that morning....................(except in reality I get the jars at Wal-Mart, and instead of wearing a cute 1950s style dress and apron, I'm wearing black yoga pants and a "Star Wars" sweatshirt.)

These next ones are Martinelli's apple juice jars.  As for now, we just use them for drinking, but they're the smallest and therefore the easiest to grab and put in my purse when we're on the go - but with the little leafy designs around the lip, these would also make a cute little vase to accent a shelf or an end table.  They are small enough that you can just stick a clipping from a house plant in there and you won't even have to buy or pick flowers. 

This last lovely lady is a $4-5 large bottle of apple juice.  These are also Martinelli's apple juice, but in a bigger jug, rather than the smaller travel sized ones.  I know $5 is a little pricier than some apple juices out there, but look at the great bottle you get out of it.  I still think it's a great value.

 Here's another picture of the apple juice jug turned vase:

And finally, here are all the jars together as I currently display them on our open shelving:

Thanks for stopping by the blog!

Dragonfly Banner

Hey, here's a thing!

I love the trend right now on banners!  It's not one I have been sick of, and don't expect to be.  They can be simple, or complex...colorful or low key (I prefer simple and colorful...).  They can be temporary decoration for a party, or a permanent part of the decor of a room.  They can be used in art, as a photo prop, or in sewing.  They can be hearts or triangles or squares or circles or paper or fabric or sewn or glued or long or short or strewn about or carefully placed or PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS FOR ALL ANYONE CARES!  *pant pant*

If you're still not convinced, I compiled a picture of what I think are some great examples of banners.

(And then, when I had finished this collage, I came across this banner,  from "a bit of sunshine" which I felt was also noteworthy.)


I do love all these banners, but for the girl's room I wanted something a little more unique from anything else I had found, so I made a "dragonfly banner" for the girl's room.  Although I made these for the girl's room, I also think they would be great just by themselves as a toy, a party favor, or even a bookmark. 

Here's how it was done:

 

 Supplies:

• Vintage Clothespins (I used to be able to get these of the same shape at Wal-Mart, but I couldn't find them there recently.  You may try Wal-Mart first, but THESE I ordered on e-bay, and I like the aged feel they have from real vintage clothespins that you wouldn't be able to get from new ones at a craft or department store.)
• Scrapbook Paper (this particular collection I got from JoAnn's, and I think it's sweeeeet.)
• Hot glue gun, scissors, and twine, rope or ribbon.

How to:

• Cut out as many wings as you need, as large or small as you please.  One bottom shape for each top shape.
• Glue the wings together
• Once dry, hot glue the top of the wings.  Before the hot glue dries, gently slide the wings up the slit of the clothespin and press them into the top part of the slit.  Attaching the wings to the top of the slit allows for room behind the wings where the ribbon or string will go.  It looks weird if the string sits on top...trust me on this one -  I trialed and errored it for you. 

Here's the end result in the girl's room:

 I know you can't see the banner that well in this picture, I used the banner as a sort of photo prop so you could see it up closer.