Quote of the Week

"I start every project with color. Fear or uncertainty about color leads many people to overdo neutral - cream walls, beige sofa, muted brown-toned furniture - which is not bad but it can certainly be boring. Don't let a fear of being tacky render you tasteless."

- Celerie Kemble, To Your Taste

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'Five Things" Friday - B. in the Know Edition

Happy Friday! Today's "Five Things" edition is by one of my new contributors, Brittany. Enjoy her fun round-up of 5 things and be sure to check out her blog! Have a happy weekend.

Hello, lovelies! My name is B of B. in the Know. It's so fun to be here sharing what I have been loving recently with you, to give you a little more of a look into the life of B...

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One. I am a huge lover of denim and cannot get enough of the denim on denim trend as of late. This is probably my favorite pairing - a good pair of dark skinnies with a light chambray shirt. I have been found meandering around the streets of Minneapolis in this look with my favorite pair of TOMS on a Saturday afternoon.

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Two. I love packing my schedule full, which often means making my day look transition to the evening without getting time to run home and freshen up. My best kept secret (well, until now) to make me look wide awake and fresh that I absolutely love - bright red lips. I never leave the house with at least one of my red lip options, though I typically have at least three options so I can choose according to my mood. Sometimes a lady wants a gloss finish and sometimes it is more of a matte night.

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Three. Rings, rings and more rings. I love them so much and have no problem stacking them on. I sure love a good arm party or pretty necklace, but rings are what get me every time. I love that with such a little accessory a person can share so much of their story. For each of my rings there is a story - and they always seem to strike up a good conversation with new acquaintances.

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Four. Frolicking outside in the sunshine is one of my favorite things to do in Minneapolis. We have to soak up every minute we get because it only last for so long. I am not a huge fan of winter, but one thing I do love about it is that it makes me that much more thankful for the sunshine.

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Five. I love elephants. They seriously melt my heart every time I see a picture. Though I typically stick to fashion, elephants always seem to find a way into a post from time to time. What I love about this picture is knowing that I hopefully will get to do almost this same thing in four short months when I go visit a good friend in Thailand.

Well, my new lovelies, it has been an honor to get to share some of my loves with you. What are you loving most these days? 

Much love,
B

P.S. Don’t be a stranger - I would love to have you come say hi and share more of my world over at B. in the Know.

DIY Project :: Fabric Wrapped Mason Jars

Fresh flowers are my absolute favorite and I really try to have them around my apartment as often as I can. My husband had flowers delivered to me on Saturday for Mother's Day and the arrangement of multicolored roses was beautiful! I left the bouquet in a large vase for a couple days and then decided to cut the roses down and arrange them in mason jars - my favorite way to display flowers. Ball recently came out with the limited edition Ball Heritage Collection Pint Jars to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Ball brother's "Perfect Mason" jar. I received a case of the gorgeous vintage-inspired blue jars and was asked to do something fun and creative with them. I have a ton of fabric scraps and samples in my design library that I can't bring myself to get rid of and decided this was the perfect opportunity to put them to use! The project was very simple and didn't take much time at all. It's great for one arrangement or 20, depending on the size of your event. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to create your very own fabric wrapped jars. And if you're interested in purchasing a set of these lovely limited edition blue jars, be sure to do so before they're gone forever!

The beautiful limited edition Ball Heritage Collection Pint Jars in vintage blue

1. Simple supplies needed: scrap of fabric / tacky glue (or hot glue) / raffia or twine / mason jar / scissors
2. Cut fabric strips wide enough so you can fold over each side to create a finished look
3. Glue down each side or use fabric hem tape - I used Tacky Glue and it seeped through the fabric right away (but it does dry clear, it's just a little messy)
4. Fold over glued sides to create a nice, even fabric band
5. Wrap the mason jar with the fabric and secure the 2 ends with glue (mine barely fit around the jar so it was tricky) / Wrap the fabric tightly with raffia or twine and tie in a knot along the seam where you glued both ends together (I double wrapped the raffia but you can do whatever you wish)
6. Finished wrapped jar - now we just need to add the flowers! 
7. I love using roses for small arrangements like this one. They look so beautiful when bunched together! I measured the stems to the height of the jar, leaving a little room to trim them down if needed. You don't want to cut them too short right away, or you won't be left with much to work with.

Voila! A simple, affordable and stylish way to dress up a mason jar or vase.

[ALL IMAGES WERE TAKEN BY ME, JULIE THIGPEN]