Day 5: Mason Jars

Hey look!  A post from me in the morning!  Mark this date on your calendars people! Okay, enough with tooting my own horn.  Here we go with Day 5 of striving for elegance.

Mason jars?  I don't can fruit preserves, why would I need them?  Well I'm glad you asked.  The thought of using mason jars didn't occur to me until I read about a couple of other people using them for things other than strawberry jam and pickled cucumbers.

They are great because they come in a variety of sizes, they are reusable, and they are versatile.  Use them to store coffee, pasta, rice, beans, cinnamon sticks, buttons, ribbons, pens, crayons, cottonballs, little soaps, or ribbon.  Use them as drinking glasses, or as a vase with fresh flowers.  Place a large candle inside with stones at the bottom and you have a simple, elegant, inexpensive centerpiece.  Stencil numbers or names on the outside and make them even more personalized.



































Mason jars have become my latest obsession.  For some people it's football or golf.  For me it's pretty glass jars. 




I hope you will go to your local grocery store soon and purchase a set and then send me pictures and ideas 




of how you used your jars.  I hope this is an easy way of adding elegance to your home.

Day 4: Curb Appeal

The front of your house is what first greets your guests and passersby.  Does it say, "I'm happy you're here," or does it say, "Watch out for the dog poop and weeds?" My house is tiny and my yard is big, and I can do a few things to spruce it up and make it more elegant on the outside.

My allotted time for yardwork per week equals about zero.  Pulling weeds is like #19906 on my to do list. However, I acknowledge that having my house look welcoming on the outside is important.

I'm not talking about ripping up your patio and installing an outdoor kitchen complete with granite countertops (although that would be lovely).  I'm talking about giving your front porch a good sweep, planting some brightly colored flowers, mowing your lawn, or adding a cute wreath to your front door.

Today, I decided to forgo my Sunday nap and work on the outside of the house.  I have pictures to prove it..........

 The outside of our abode before the sprucing up

 Another before shot

 Can you tell the yard was mowed?  Well it was :)

 My cute planter I installed on the front of the house.  I say "installed" because it sounds a lot more impressive than just "hung up."

 Here is a wreath I added to the front door.  I actually made this wreath because buying a wreath is way too expensive!  I bought a basic grapevine wreath and added some silk flowers and berries to it.  Voila!

A close up of my new planter.  I'm very proud of this.  It's cute. It was on sale for $5.99.  Boo-ya!

So Day 4 of my quest for elegance was a success.  I love pulling up to my house and seeing the yard look somewhat in order, the sunny wreath on my door, and my new flower planter.  I feel welcome as I walk up to my front door and I hope my guests feel the same way.  

Day 3: No Negativity

I'm inspired to write this post as I sit here on my couch at 12:27 AM listening to my daughter crying in her crib.  This has not been an easy week.  My husband has put in almost 70 hours at his job this week and come tomorrow, he will have put in about 80 hours.  This means that he is tired, and that means that I'm tired because I'm doing double duty with the girls.  Some of you are probably thinking, "Call a wahhhhmbulance!"  On little sleep, though, everything becomes a tad more stressful.

So, today's tip for adding a bit of elegance to our lives is try to eliminate any negative words from our speech for a day.  With a toddler finishing up potty training, another toddler learning to walk, an unruly basset hound, and a husband who is putting in crazy hours at work I may have difficulty with this one.

"Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone."
Colossians 4:6


Do we speak words that are attractive?  Do people (namely family members) want to be around us?  Do we have the right, patient, loving response ready on our tongues for our temperamental children and our over-worked husbands? I sadly admit that I fail in these areas.  


We can only organize our homes so much, or make ourselves look as attractive as possible, but if our speech is not seasoned with grace and salt we have failed.  May I suggest that elegance begins with an attitude on the inside that will pervade every aspect of our lives.


Join me on Day 3 of my quest as I work towards eliminating negative attitudes and words from my mouth.  Who's with me?

Day 2: Break out the iron

My least favorite chore in my house is laundry.  I'm sure some of you can relate.  There are just TOO many steps.  Sort the clothes, put in detergent, put in softener, switch from washer to dryer, fold, take to respective rooms, put away.  And then lo and behold the next day there's more to do.  This post is inspired by my mom. (Obligatory shout out...........check).



One day I was helping her iron and she handed me a bunch of pillowcases.  I was shocked that someone took time to iron their pillowcases.  I was lucky if I could find matching ones for my girls beds.  Much to my surprise after I ironed them they looked really nice! Plus, they had that country fresh starch scent which is one of those smells that just makes you feel like you were productive.  I think I will start spraying that in my house before my husband gets home just make him think I worked all day ironing his shirts.

I was inspired and a couple days later I took the pillowcases off my bed, washed them and ironed them and then put them back on the pillows.  It looked so nice and neat and smelled so fresh!  I realized that this was an easy way to add elegance to my chores.  The simple act of taking two small pillowcases and making them look pressed and clean added something extra to my room.  When I laid my head down that night I actually laid down face first just so I could smell my pillow and I made my husband do the same :)

So throw your pillowcases in with your next load and iron them right before you put them back on.  It's also a great way to impress houseguests. Let me know what you think!

P.S.- In a few days there will be a giveaway of one of my fave beauty products, so stay tuned and you might just be a winner.  Details to follow!

Day 1: Reorganize Your Linen Closet

This is one of the first posts I ever wrote on this blog, so I thought I would re-publish it since we've been talking about organization.  It's a repeat, but it's still worth the read.  Jen and I are working on your suggestions for other areas of the home you need help organizing. Stay tuned for those posts!


I thought I would start with part of my house that I look in almost every single day.  Maybe I'm a crazy, but if things are out of order it makes my blood pressure rise a little bit. Here's a great idea for reorganizing your everyday items in order to bring you a little more elegance.

This project is free- that's the best news of all!  I began by taking things out of the closet.  Why is it that you have to make an even bigger mess to make it clean again???  Anyway, I took inventory of what I could get rid of and what I need to keep and where it would be stored best.  I decided to put my stock purchases (toilet paper, tissues, hand sanitizer, etc..) On the top shelf where they could be plainly seen.  Okay, plainly seen by me.  All you shorter people out there may want to put it on a lower shelf.  If you take stock of what you have it saves you $$$$$.  You won't end up buying things you don't need.

Then I proceeded to refold (crazy I know) my washcloths and towels to make them look neater when they were stacked.  And amazingly, it looks good! I have a large basket on the very bottom to hold extra pillows instead of them just sitting out looking bulky.

Scroll down to see the before and after photos!

 BEFORE

 Embarrassing I know!

 My beautiful mismatched towels

 Ahhhhh.....AFTER

 Still mismatched, but what did you expect?

My stockpile

Here are some other tips you may want to try....
1.  Use smaller baskets labeled to hold stock purchases or even odds and ends items
2.  Stash dryer sheets between towels to give a fresh scent to your linen closet
3.  Put your prettier towels on the top shelves to give a more uniform appearance, because let's face it, we're not Martha Stewart and we don't have perfectly white fluffy towels that comprise our entire towel collection.
4.  Store sheets, blankets, and larger linens on bigger shelves.  I realized I had my big items on the tiny shelves and that's why they were falling off.
5.  Add command hooks on the inside of the door to store any hanging items.
6.  Cover shelves with pretty contact paper, or put on a fresh coat of paint.


If any of you are brave enough to tackle your linen closet, let me know how it goes.  It's free, it's quick and it will bring a little elegance to your life!  

A 30 Day Quest: The Beginning

I read a quote once that said, "Strive for elegance, not luxury."  That quote has stayed with me for the past few years.  I repeat that phrase it in my head when I look around and wish for a larger house, bigger closet, prettier things, etc.

That quote helps me to remember that I can find within my humble means and abode, the ability to make life elegant.  And that's just what I'm going to do!

 Elegance is defined as: pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.  I'm on a mission to find elegance in simple tasks, home projects, and products.  For 30 days check back and I will have one tip per day on making your life more beautiful, homey, inviting, easy and peaceful. Join me on my quest as we bring the art of elegance back into our everyday lives.