Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar

I have so much to share with you today PLUS a giveaway for $155 Amazon Gift Card.  So be sure to stick around all the way until the end to find the entries for your chances to win!

So let's get to my Silhouette project, first! 

I have this obsession for collecting empty jars from spaghetti sauce, sauerkraut, salsa, you name it!  Not often, but every once in a while, I come up with a use for these jars collecting in the bottom of my craft closet.  I used silver spray paint to give all of my clear jars a coat of color and left my perrier sparkling water bottles green.

Once dry, I simply cut out different sized numbers out of Silhouette Vinyl with my "magical machine" to turn ordinary glass jars into an Advent Calendar!

Each day, the kiddos are so excited to find what I was able to tuck inside each jar. My little monsters are still young (three and a half & one and a half) so I basically just replaced one of their special "snacks" they may receive during the day and plopped it into a jar.  I'm not against candy, but even one piece of candy for the next 25 days adds up...

Some ideas for Advent treats to stuff inside (that's not chocolate):

• Mini Raisin Boxes
• Granola Bars
• Baby Food Pouches
• Fruit Snacks
• Yogurt Covered Dried Fruit Snacks
• Clif Kid Fruit Rope
• Annie's Bunny Graham Friends
• or any other single-serve snack!

For the days that are "flower vases" I like to do a larger surprise that I keep on hand like a oatmeal raisin cookie or let them have their favorite lunch.

So far, it has been a lot of fun and definitely a statement piece in our kitchen that makes me smile because I finally found a unique use for my recycled jars!

If you're looking for more creative Silhouette projects (and I know that you are!), check out these amazing ideas below in this beautiful collage for your convenience.  Be sure to leave them some comment love and have fun discovering some new (to you) blogs!

1. 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
2. Christmas Hoop Art by Lil' Mrs. Tori
3. Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
4. Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
5. Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
6. Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
7. Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley's Corner
8. State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
9. Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
10. Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
11. Deer Head Holiday Banner...featuring Santa's Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
12. Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
13. Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
14. Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
15. Elf Chalk Sign: "The Best Way to Spread Christmas" by Weekend Craft
16. Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
17. Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
18. Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
19. DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
20. Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
21. Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
22. Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
23. Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
24. Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
25. Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
26. Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
27. DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
28. Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
29. DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
30. Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
31. No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
32. Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
33. Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
34. "Believe" Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
35. DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink

Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we'd love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Are you still with me after all of that information? I sure hope so because we have a great giveaway for you!  Starting today, December 9th, until December 16th, we are hosting a giveaway for a $155 Amazon Gift Card!  Yup!  $155 that you could spend toward a Silhouette machine of your very own or even some fancy new supplies.  Just in time for Santa to deliver a little special something... just for you!

A few details:

• Giveaway runs from Monday, December 9th until Monday, December 16th at 11:59pm EST.
• You must be 18 years or older to enter and this giveaway IS international so everyone can play along!
• You have 31 possible entries so if you complete all of them, so that's a lot of potential winning power!
• The winner will be contacted by Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email and you will have 48 hour to respond.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck and have a wonderful week!

Janice

Home Address Number Growth Chart with Paint Chips

On Monday, I showed you the new Time Zone Bathroom Art but there was another project lurking in the corner that you weren't able to see from the photos.  I'm sure everyone has seen a billion growth charts all over Pinterest.  Well, our kiddo's bathroom wouldn't be complete without one!  Before ripping out the vinyl flooring and replacing it with tile, and before we painted the walls, we simply just marked right on the wall the kid's growth progress.  It was a fine temporary solution, but we don't plan on living here forever, so I wanted something we would be able to take with us easily.

Silhouette Challenge: Time Zone Bathroom Art

First, I'd like to take a minute to thank all of the Veterans who protect our family and our Nation on this Veteran's Day.

So, it's been a really long time since I've mentioned the kid's bathroom.  We have been busy dragging our feet putting the finishing touches on everything.  That's real life.  It happens, and it's amazing.  Unless, of course, you were holding your breath waiting for this bathroom art that I just finished for the kid's bathroom.

I decided I wanted to use clocks somehow.  I found these inexpensive clocks at Target for just $6.99 each.  From there, I was stuck for a couple days trying to figure out what else this bathroom needed.  I liked the idea of keeping it less rubber ducky or under the sea theme and more educational.  Which, realistically, I doubt the kids would ever even notice the walls anyway.  That's real life, too!

After a little searching around, I couldn't believe I came across (and didn't already know!) about a cute blog called Dream A Little Bigger.  It was there, that I found a ton of hard work already done for me (and you!)  Allison already traced out all 50 states for our Silhouette-ing pleasure!  I couldn't have been more thankful to have found this gem!  You can get them all here!

I had to resize them all a bit to fit into a better scale with the rest of the states.  This took way longer than I would have ever expected, but it was so worth it!

Of course, so many states fall into weird half-in-half-out of time zones.  I didn't stress about it too much.  I typically just moved the whole state into the time zone that most of it fell into.  It definitely wasn't as messy of divides as I expected.

I used craft paper from Jo-Ann's to cut out the shapes using my Silhouette Machine.  I then, Mod Podged it all onto painted scrap wood I found in our lumber pile.

The strip of wood below the states is also a scrap I was able to paint.  I tricked my husband into hanging it for me.  He simply drilled it into all of the studs on the wall and I was able to go back and fill in the holes with wood putty, sand, and re-paint.  The hooks are from Home Depot and I tricked my husband into centering them up under each board.  I'm a firm believer wisher that the kids will be able to hang up their own towels soon.  We even hung them lower than usual to accommodate the little ones in our lives.

This is the first month I've had the privilege of participating in the Silhouette Challenge!  I couldn't be more excited to be apart of this wonderfully creative group of ladies!  If you're interested in joining, we'd love to have you!!  Simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away!

If you're looking for more creative Silhouette projects (and I know that you are!), check out these amazing ideas below!  Be sure to leave them some comment love and have fun discovering some new (to you) blogs!

Janice

DIY Ironing Board Hanger by The Turquoise Home

Santa's Christmas Countdown by Tried & True

Nautical Anchor Pillow Tutorial by The Thinking Closet

Christmas Card Ornament with Free Cut File by unOriginalMom

Thanksgiving and Christmas Dual Sign by Architecture of a Mom

Itching to Etch by Get Silvered

Snowman Tag ~ Silhouette Challenge by Whats Next Ma

Thanksgiving Sign by Chicken Scratch NY

DIY Horse Silhouette Pillow by Rain on a Tin Roof

Sketching on Fabric by The Sensory Emporium

Paper Leaf Garland by Lil' Mrs. Tori

DIY Blessing Board - Silhouette Challenge by One Tough Mother

Christmas Pillow by Create & Babble

Glass Painting with Reverse Stencils by Givemeapaintbrush

Chalkboard Thankful Tree by Cutesy Crafts

Bottoms Up! MYO Wine Tag by From Wine to Whine

'Happy Holly-days' Tags for the Swap by An Elegant Touch...

Thank You for Dinner (Card) by Everyday Paper

Advent Star Christmas Countdown by My Favorite Finds

Geometric Fabric Bowls by Please Excuse My Craftermath...

Paper Carnival by Home At Eight

Silhouette Cameo Tutorial: Dual Sided Business Cards by Black and White Obsession

In Case of Emergency Baby Bag Tags by Tossed Salad Life

Christmas On My Mind by Creative Turn

Jingle all the Way! by My Paper Craze

Christmas Lights Garland by Making Home Base

We Are Thankful by 4 You With Love

Seattle Skyline Silhouette by Sowdering About in Seattle

DIY Stenciled Mugs by Coley's Corner

Additionally, I linked up to these great parties:

The Inspiration Exchange {No. 25}

Saving Money on Eye Ware & Contacts

I went to the eye doctor yesterday and if there's one thing I've learned (or learned from my parents) it's that typically if you buy your glasses or contacts directly from your doctor, you will pay so much more than necessary. With the wonderful world wide web, it's super easy to find a great deal now.  All you have to do, is ask your eye doctor for a print out of your prescription.  In the past, I felt like my doctor would give an extra push to buy glasses and contacts from him.  Today, it went so well.  So, give it a try next time you're ready to order new eye ware.  It's not as scary as you might think!

So, where did I find my deals today?  My first was from Coastal.  With this site, you're able to get your first pair of glasses for "free"!  Now, nothing in life is ever really free, so of course you'll need to pay shipping, handling, & insurance.  But, $15.20 for a pair of prescription glasses is a great deal!

We Finished Another Marathon!

Hi everybody! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Bryan and I ran in our third Columbus Marathon on Sunday and believe it or not, we had a great time.  It wasn't always easy... and I hit several walls... But the best part about running with someone you love (and someone who loves you), is they keep you going.

When we ran our first marathon back in 2006, one thing that we didn't realize was that something that can help is outside motivation from fellow runners.  In order to get the attention, it can be so much fun to have a clever shirt.  Everybody likes to have something to read that makes them chuckle when they're twenty-something miles into a race.  So, we came up with these saying to put on the back of our shirts this year.  We weren't sure what the responses would be, but you wouldn't believe how many women AND men cheered us along.  It was really sweet to hear some quick stories about their spouses and their running careers together and apart.  We know we're incredibly lucky to have found each other  and we're able to share this passion together.

You can read a little bit about our first and second marathon (and a little love story) here!