"WE WON'T GET FAR....FLYING CIRCLES INSIDE A JAR."

When I first starting going to thrift stores and garage sales people were practically giving away mason jars because they had accumulated so many over time. I never even looked twice at them because A) I don't make home-made jam and B) they were usually rusty and dusty. To be honest with you, I used to view them as, well...junk.

One day I was looking for something in Matt's parents' pool house and came across a shelf of pristine mason jars. They were starring back at me and saying "Take us home and make us into something beautiful." They didn't really say that, but they might as well have since the next thing I know I'm asking Matt's dad if I can "borrow" one. He told me just to keep it since they had so many and a grand love affair began. For whatever reason, I had a change of heart and since then, I've starting collecting these glass cuties from anyone who is willing to give them to me or wherever is willing to sell them to me. I only have a handful so far, because as it turns out, the day I decided that I actually like these jars was the day they ceased to exist. I no longer come across any at garage sales and even thrift stores seem to have given up on them. If and when I do find one, it's like winning the mason jar lottery.

If you're wondering what on Earth I'm planning to do with these jam jars, I think you'll approve of my ultimate goal: to create a show-stopping dining table centerpiece comprised of a collection of mason jars all varying in height, width and styles. I was inspired by these simple yet gorgeous wedding centerpieces and think that they would translate well into an interior space. And by interior space I mean my dining room.

There is something so country (the good kind of country) about these centerpieces. The way they light up the environment is romantic, nostalgic and calm. Not to mention, it is so easy to put this together for your next dinner party or movie night. This doesn't just have to wait until your wedding, the beauty of mason jar centerpieces is that they are versatile and not too fussy. They are appropriate for almost any occasion and set just the right mood during any time of the year.

For now, I have just a few displayed on my coffee table (pictured below) and there is nothing prettier and more relaxing than sitting down to write or watch a movie by mason jar candlelight. Obviously my collection doesn't look anything like the lineup in the photos yet, but I promise you, I'll get there. I envision about 20 jars, staggered and arranged down the middle of my rustic dining table, lighting up the table, food and the faces of our friends.

EARLY EVENING

LATE NIGHT

If you think that I don't have standards for my jars, worry not. I specifically look for ones with no cracks, knicks, or label residue and they must have some sort of personality, as you can see in this one. It says Atlas Mason, and I love that I have no idea what brand that is or where it came from. The more mystery and character the better.

I've guess you could say that at this point I've become a scavenger, and my never-ending hunt for these jars has become desperate because I would love to have this arrangement finished before the summer ends. I'm simply not satisfied with the teeny-tiny display that I have going on my coffee table right now.

I know that you can buy mason jars at Target or on Amazon, which I consider the easy way out and to me, there is no thrill in doing that. By doing so I would be depriving myself of the rewarding feeling I get when I finally score one.

This smaller one has a fruit design representative of the jam it once contained. Alongside my jar arrangement I also add some glass candle holders that I pick up at estate sales and thrift stores. This gives my small collection some much needed height and adds visual interest. I will be collecting mason jars all throughout the summer so keep your fingers crossed that someone ends up begging me to take them off their hands at a random garage sale...I'll be more than happy to do so.

"MY ONE NIGHT STAND...AND DRESSER"

The first step towards recovery is to admit you have a problem. Although Matt has pointed out on numerous occasions that I change my mind far too much and suffer from buyer's remorse, I've never been willing to acknowledge these claims until recently. Each time I organize and clean our bedroom I have an urge to rearrange our vignettes and/or redecorate our entire bedroom. Do I have a problem, well...the short answer is yes. While financially no one could possibly be able to afford to redecorate their home every time a new color becomes trendy or they fall in love with a contemporary style, I stand by my belief that you don't have to spend a lot of money to change the look or feel of a room. As I read other blogs, thumb through magazines and watch interior design shows, my mind is simultaneously brainstorming new ideas and reconsidering past choices. I spend a lot of time conceptualizing anything from how the photo frames in our entry room are arranged to exactly how I'd like our nightstand and dresser displays to look. While I don't enjoy too much clutter on bedroom furniture, I think that each should display some key items: lamp, books, picture frames and some sort of trinkets. I've always loved pulling colors out of a focal piece of art and accentuating it through toss pillows, book spines, throw blankets, candles and flowers. Since we currently don't have any art in our master bedroom (I know, big FAIL on my part) I had to use as a source of inspiration. Our bed-sheets and shams are gray and our furniture hardware is chrome so I decided that the main colors of our nightstand and dresser vignettes would be gray, mauve, silver, white and brown.
The swing arm lamps were a birthday gift from Matt and lend our bedroom a special kind of hotel room/weekend getaway feeling. At first I was going to find a pair of stationary lamps for the nightstands but soon fell in love with the swing arms at Home Depot. They have been a great addition to the bedroom especially for late-night reading or watching movies on the iPad.
The other accessories are a result of my hoarder-like tendency to accumulate books, a photo taken by a friend in high school of my favorite songwriter, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, and a small set-list from The Wooden Birds show at the Rickshaw Stop. No, I didn't elbow or push anyone to get it...it just happened to be laying on the stage after their performance and I casually took it as a memento. As for the clear potpourri jar, I have been searching for those little pastel breath mints in white to combat morning breath, but have yet to find them. The skeleton key was a treasure I found at Ross for a bank-breaking $3.99 and the jar was $0.50 at a thrift store and has a very unique, Anthropologie-ish design on the top.
I've always had an extremely difficult time finding the perfect photos for my ever-growing collection of picture frames. That is why you see two empty picture frames (which I'm terribly embarrassed of). If you're wondering about the JFK sculpture, ever since I can remember my mother has been obsessed with all things Kennedy and this head was gifted to me. I used this dresser as an opportunity to incorporate some bright colors into the room and settled on artificial magenta peonies and a pink candle. It's not exactly the right shade so I'll be replacing it as soon as I find the right color. But my favorite piece is our framed John Vanderslice set-list which he signed with my favorite quote, "There's a sweetness in the worse things." I'm not too sure about how long these particular displays last as I already have my eye on some other photo frames and will more thank likely find some new accessories to replace the current ones with. It's not like I enjoy changing my mind all the time, it's just that there are too many beautiful things out there ready for me to find and fall in love with.