I have recently discovered the wonderful world of free printables that many DIY bloggers create, whether they are for holidays, birthdays, or just have words of inspiration on them. So, I thought I would use the photo editor site Pic Monkey to create my own...

As you can see I made two versions, one with white mountain tops and one without! I was searching for inspiring quotes and stumbled upon this one and now have fallen in love with it. Did you know that it may have originated with Napoleon who said, "Let China sleep, for when she wakes she will shake the world"? So somewhere in between what he said and now it has been translated to "Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move mountains". 

The mountains I am hoping to move this weekend are the ones that need to be sold for our Summer garage sale! We just have too much stuff in this house; stuff from when the girls were little, from my college days, and just junk lying around that is collecting dust that no one cares about any more. So, this weekend I am hoping to get a start on what to donate, what to put in the garage sale, and what should just be tossed. 

What mountains are you moving this weekend, next week, this year? For this year, I am planning on moving my blog over to WordPress and getting an entire new design with fun social media buttons. I really want to make something out of my blog instead of just letting it sit. I love what I do and I'm learning so much, but I'm more of a behind the scenes person on other blogs and only share round up lists on AWS. I want people to see me and to learn more about who I am and what goes on in "The World Around Her". So stick around, I plan on moving big mountains this year! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend! 

xoxo

Fun and Creative Mason Jar Craft Ideas

My step-daughter keeps getting on me about my collection of empty mason jars, telling me that I NEED to do something with them! So, I have finally searched on Pinterest and found a few fun and creative mason jar craft ideas that I would like to DIY, however there are a few jars I have that I won't touch though or change...

Besides the one that obviously doesn't look like the rest, these are my vintage mason jars and they are staying as is! I love the glass lids and the handles. I'm not sure when they date back to, but I just discovered this mason jar logo image during a Google search...

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It's a little tough to decipher between a few of the logo dates, from 1896-1960 they look pretty similar. But with the way the curve comes off the B in Ball, it looks like mine may be from 1933-1960. That right there is the reason no one is going to touch these vintage mason jars I have in my collection, I mean it's pretty amazing to have something that has that kind of history! I only wish there were more information on the jar so I could actually discover where it may have come from. 

So other than these jars, I also have a few in my collection that are a little newer and easier to find...

A few of them have the little ® on it meaning that they are from 1975 to present according to the logo image, however I just noticed that one of them has the same B on it as my glass lid jars and may also be from 1933-1960! (PS, the owl drawing was made by my step-daughter and the owl stitched hoop was made by Jennifer over at Homespun Happiness, she's a sweetheart!)

As you can see from the photo above, a few of the jars have my rubber stamp collection in them, two of them are empty, and the blue one has small pieces of paper in it. A friend had posted at the beginning of this year an idea on Facebook of writing down little notes of when you have a great day and then keeping the notes in jar. Then on New Year's Eve you open the jar and share all of your favorite memories with everyone. I don't always remember to do so, but when I do it's something really good! I can't wait to look back at 2014 on New Year's Eve with my family! 

For the larger empty jars I am considering going with either a terrarium or a more craft inspired idea ....

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All of these ideas just make me smile, especially that angry gnome! Terrariums seem to be trending big time now that Spring is finally here. I love the pop of colorful stones in the two succulent mason jar ideas, those two are my favorite. The beach mason jar is a fun idea as well, I actually have a few vases from my sister's wedding that have sand and sea shells in them and just love how they look. 

Here are a few of my favorite mason jar ideas that are a bit more crafty using paint and stencils...

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How sweet is the heart stenciled out on the chalkboard painted mason jar? I also love the distressed painted mason jar look, it gives the new jars a more vintage look. The globe mason jar idea has been floating around on Pinterest for a few years now, and every holiday season when it pops up again I keep saying I'm going to make one! How adorable is the vintage car with the tree tied to the top?!

So, perhaps one of the jars will get a terrarium makeover, while the other becomes a globe? Do you have any empty mason jars or have you created any of these fun mason jar craft ideas before? 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

Creative Ways to Decorate for Spring

It seems that Mother Nature is confused because we are supposed to get a few inches of snow today, but I'm pushing forward and still on the look for creative ways to decorate for Spring! I don't have many decorations for this time of year, heck I don't even have a Spring wreath! Plus, the only decor I have around the house doesn't really shout, "It's Springtime"; a few plants, my cherished teddies, owls (of course!), and a huge smiling rustic sun that I hang outside to greet our guests isn't going to cut it! I want get more creative and really brighten things up after the long winter we've experienced this year. Here are a few ideas I discovered by searching Pinterest that I'm obsessing over...

Is it too late to make my own Spring wreath? If not, then here are a few wreath ideas I'm inspired by...

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So, I showed this garden hose wreath from Create. Craft. Love to the hubby and he wasn't seeing the same unique and quirky Spring wreath idea I was seeing! What do you think? Is it too out of the box or is it just right? 

I love the fabric flower wreath from Digital Designs Scrapbooking with the little blue wooden bird and picture frame, it's cheerful and perfect for Spring and Summer. Do you think it has too much going on, or would you leave it just as is?

I have seen these fabric ball wreaths trending during the winter holiday season, but haven't really seen too many for Spring and Summer until I stumbled upon this one from The Love Nerds. This color combination is one of my favorites, it was actually our wedding colors and they have since been my favorite colors for Spring. 

How can you not love this amazing succulent wreath from Garden Therapy, am I right? It looks like a lot of time was put into creating this beauty. I had a succulent plant my mom purchased one year at the Philadelphia Flower Show, but sadly it didn't last. Any tips on taking care of succulents?! 

From wreaths to planters, there are just so many creative ways to decorate for Spring...

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It's really amazing what a little spray paint, a few stencils, and rope can do to change the look of a boring planter! 

This southwest painted tiered planter DIY is from last year, but arrows are still trending so you can't go wrong with going the southern route with this idea from East Coast Creative. 

I recently wrote a post for AWS about DIY rope decor ideas, still waiting for it to go live and will update you with that link! But, who knew rope could be so much fun and bring new life to a simple planter?! I love that blogger April from House by Hoff  painted her rope to give it even more character.

If you are looking for a pop of color and you are obsessed with pink or bright neon colors, then this last idea from The Proper Pinwheel is just for you! Grab your favorite can of spray paint and get creative! 

Sometimes a table runner is all you need to bring new life to a boring tablescape....

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I had a really cute table runner for the holiday season, but currently my table only has a single plant sitting on it...not very creative! 

This first table runner was created using paint stinks....the ideas people come up with are just mind blowing! I love the herringbone pattern that was created, by Amanda over on Ruffled it gives it more of a creative design element then just gluing them side by side for the table runner. 

How adorable is this paper pinwheel table runner from Green Wedding Shoes? I'm not sure how long it would last in a household full of children, but if you are looking for a table runner for the Spring holidays that would really impress your guests, this would be a great one! 

So, there you have it a few of my favorite creative ways to decorate for Spring...now let's go execute them! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

PS.... have you checked out my blog Facebook page yet?! I'm running a fun giveaway when I hit 100 likes, co-hosting with my friend Katie over at Busy Bee Kate, give her a sweet hello!