Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cups water
1 cup veg. oil
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin

Sift all dry ingredients together. Combine vanilla, eggs, oil, water and pumpkin. Mix well. Put in well greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. Makes 2 loaves

Sunday Style - Tassel Necklace

I have been on a mad hunt to find an inexpensive Kendra Scott Rayne Necklace look-a-like for weeks. I love the simplicity of this necklace and the bright pop of color it can add to any outfit... but I do not like the price tag. I can't just can't bring myself to spend $80 on a piece of jewelry, no matter it's cuteness. Well today my search has ended and I had to share my steal of the week.

Simple Addiction - Tessa Tassel Necklace: $9.95

Kendra Scott - Rayne Necklace: $80

Yes, that is right, $9.95 for this awesome dupe. Go get yours today!

DIY Apothecary Jars

Yet another pinterest-inspired project that has turned out to be a HUGE success. I found this little gem of a tutorial right around Christmas time but didn't get up the courage to make them until March. It turned out to not be too hard of a project, the most trouble I had was locating all of the supplies needed but after several trips to Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnns, and some random crafting websites, I have found everything.

Here's how to make my version of these adorable Apothecary Jars that you can use for every season:

Supplies:

• 3 - Medium-sized glass canisters with aluminum lid
• Found at Hobby Lobby (here)
• 2 - 6 3/4 in unfinished wooden candlestick (1 candlestick will later be sawed and sanded to create the smallest level apothecary jar)
• Found at Hobby Lobby (here)
• 3 - Curtain finials
• Found at Hobby Lobby (here)
• 6 - 4 in circle plaques
• Found at Hobby Lobby (here)
• 1 - 9 in unfinished wooden candlestick
• Found at Michaels (here)
• 1 bottle of Americana Paint
• For the black jars I used - Ebony Black
• For the white jars I used - Snow (titanium) White
• Clear 9001 High Strength Adhesive 
• Found at Hobby Lobby (here)
• Gorilla Wood Glue
• Found at Hobby Lobby (here)
• Saw and sheet of sandpaper

Step 1: A few things will need to be done before painting to ensure the best end results.

• You will need to bend down the metal liner on the top of each of the candlesticks with some pliers. I didn't do this with my 1st set and soon found that the base will eventually detach if the top of the candlestick does not completely contact the circle plaque.
• Next saw down one of the 6 3/4 inch candlesticks right below the actual candle holding part of the candlestick. I have yet to find a 4 or 5 inch candlestick in any craft store or website so if you can find one then you can completely ignore this step. If not, then you will need to saw off the top of the candlestick and sandpaper the top.

Step 2: Paint EVERYTHING! The 3 candlesticks, 3 finials, 3 lids to the canisters, and all 6 circle plaques will need to be painted. I needed to put several coats on all of the items when painting the white set and several coats on the canister lids, no matter the color.

Step 3: You will need to paint the bottom of  3 of the circle plaques. These plaques will later be placed below the canister and will be able to be seen when the jars are empty.

Step 4: After everything has dried completely you can begin the assembly.

• For all wood-to-wood contacts you will use the Gorilla Wood Glue. This connects the bottom circle plaque to the candlestick to the top circle plaque.
• When the gorilla wood glue has dried with will foam around the outside of the candlestick ends which you will later need to paint over. 
• For the wood-to-glass contacts and the aluminum-to-wood contact you'll use the Clear 9001 Adhesive Glue. 
• This glue takes much longer to dry compared to the Gorilla Glue. Patience is key!

Step 5: When gluing the wood plaque base the the glass canister simply flip the canister upside down, apply the glue to the edge of the wood plaque, and place on the bottom of the canister. I applied pressure while having a fan blowing on the base to try to speed up the drying process.

Step 6: Next glue the finial to the aluminum lid of the canister using the 9001 adhesive again. Apply the glue to the bottom of the finial and place it in the middle of the lid.

Step 7: Touch up any spots that have been chipped or scratched as well as over any exposed glue residue.

Step 8: Put it all together and you have 3 amazing apothecary jars.

Now you can decorate them for every holiday :)

4th of July

I have yet to decorate them for Halloween and Christmas but I plan to use the word "BOO" for halloween & "Joy" for Christmas.... Stay tuned for pictures of how they turn out

Here is the site that gave me the idea for the holiday decor... 

Halloween and Christmas

Thanksgiving

They also suggest spraying the base and lid with a semi-gloss poly... I have not yet done this but I find it is easy to chip the paint so I plan to try the poly and see if that helps