Liz's Mint-To-Be Bridal Shower Brunch - Part one: gorgeous diy centerpieces

Man, who doesn't love a mason jar? Am I right?!  Honestly, I was starting to get sick of them. I mean, I used them in our wedding decor almost three years ago! At that time they were just starting to be popular, and since then, the mason jar has exploded onto every decorating, eco-crafting, and diy scene out there. Here are two things I love about using mason jars.

1. You can pick them up used at garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores on the cheap.  That's what we did to get some for our wedding; and I seriously love scouring for used pieces.
2. You can get away with using other jars similar in size and shape. I used about every brand of canning jar out there, plus other jars from spaghetti sauce, salsa, etc.  The best place to get sweet jars is Classico brand pasta sauce. They are a cool shape and are stamped with ATLAS MASON. So, so awesome.



My little sister is getting married soon, and as the matron of honor I am hosting a bridal shower brunch for her.  I don't do these things half-assed, and something about my best-friend-sister getting married has made me want to host the best damn bridal shower EVER. PS- doesn't the title "Matron of Honor" make me sounds like old balls? Seriously, I cannot get over that. lol

This blog post is the first in my mini-series called Liz's Mint-To-Be Bridal Brunch.

Step One: Gather your supplies

Clockwise from the upper-left: a. I've got Epsom salt, found at Walmart, Shopko, wherever. You could also use table salt, but the pieces aren't quite as big. b. A quart-sized jar. I believe the one in this photo is a spaghetti sauce jar. You could also do a mini version with a pint-size jar for extra cuteness.  c. A metal scoop to make the job a little less messy. d. A candle. You could use any small candle. This one is vanilla votive candle, 1.25 in x 1.4 inches. I bought them in a six pack at Michaels. e. Pearl crafting beads, assorted size and color. I bought these at Michaels as well. f. Mint chevron washi tape. Washi tape has become more popular over the last year. You can get them in pretty much any color and pattern.  I got mine from KoyalWholesale.com.  I've got to say, I love that website for party/crafting supplies. ( Please ignore the obvious mess in the picture  ;) )

Here's a close up of bead package. Also, I put the beads and salt in gallon-sized baggies to cut down on the mess. The scoop helped to measure out the salt.

Step Two. Place the washi tape around the jar. The first time I put together one of these centerpieces, I put the tape on last.  This was a mistake because I couldn't tip the jar.

This was the easiest way to get the tape on straight.  Even so, it was sort of a pain, but much easier to me than tying a ribbon.  That is why I freakin love washi tape. It sticks anywhere and is super versatile! I will show another quick project or two featuring washi tape later.

Step Three. Put Epsom salt into the bottom of the jar.

You can tell here that I didn't get the tape very straight, but that's ok!

I didn't measure out the salt in any of the centerpieces. I used the washi tape as a faux-guideline. The salt can come up a little higher or a little lower than the tape.

Step Four. Add pearls on top of the Epsom salt.

It's looking prettier already  :)

This is also not an exact science.  I liked having various levels of pearls in the jars.  Make sure to at least cover the top of the Epsom salt for maximum effect.

Step Five. Add the candle and you're done!

This jar is one of the Classico pasta sauce jars that I adore.

Ta-da!

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial.  Stay tuned for part two of the series, diy chalkboard signs.

Love,
Mackenzie