Mason Jars

While I cannot claim to be a true Southerner, there are certain things from the South that I just adore. Some of these loves are pecan pie, pearls, seersucker, sweet tea, and good ol' Southern hospitality. Another such item is the Mason jar. An iconic glass jar, the Mason jar was originally designed for canning food. Of course, what's old becomes new again, and clever new functions for these jars are thought up.

I was in Williamsburg, VA recently, having dinner outside at Berret's Seafood Restaurant and Taphouse Grill. I ordered a drink that was essentially sweet tea vodka with lemonade. This is usually my go-to summer drink but what made the drink 10 times better was the fact that it was served in a Mason jar.

Since then, I've been trying to come up with ways to incorporate the Mason jar more often into my everyday life. Lucky for me, my fellow Pinterest members have provided me with some ideas:

Cake in a Mason jar

Mason jar wall planter

Mason jar hanging lights

Mason jar sewing kit



Mason jar wall storage



Does anyone have other Mason jar-inspired ideas?

Cheers for Cupcake Coasters!

Inspired by recent sightings of these DIY owl plushies with big eyes (instructions on how to make the little guy below at Toad's Treasures blog), I desired to create my own big-eyed character.

But, in keeping true to myself, of course I decided to do this in cupcake form. And instead of a plushie, I went the two-dimensional approach. And there we have it...cupcake coasters!

Cupcake coasters available at my Etsy shop

They remind me somewhat of the eyes of the South Park characters. You know, these guys?

My cupcakes are just as cute, but with less foul language :)