Saturday, January 28, 2012

Special Guest Saturday: Drab to Fab Dining!


Hey, y'all!  I'm Briana, from Priester's Peace.  It's my little lifestyle blog that's a hodge-podge of all sorts of stuff, but mostly it's funny. Even better than being the author of a fab blog, I'm this DIY diva's sister (a title I pride myself on)!  She's asked me to come on over to DIY Davis Style to do a quickie tutorial on something SUUUUUPER easy that I've found to add a little bit of class and ambiance to your outdoor dining.  I created this about two years ago, and because of that I don't have: receipts OR pictures (I've switched computers and most of them were lost!!).  This picture right here is the general idea.

So -here we go!  :)

Budget: $20 if you need to buy EVERYTHING


Supplies:


8: Varying sizes of glass jars (I've used jars from baby food, small pasta sauce jars, pickle jars, etc) but
make sure they're not REALLY heavy!

1: spool of something fab (like jute, ribbon, or raffia) -I used Jute because it's what I had.

1: spool of 10 gauge wire for hanging (can be purchased at Michael's)

1: large package of faux candles (the ones with batteries in them...like from Target!).  Mine came in a pack of 12.  That's the one you want, especially if your space is larger than mine.  :)

TIME: this took me about an hour (including trial and error), since it was my first time.  However, since I'm here to tell you divas how to do it, it should only take about 30-45 minutes.

So -here's what you're going to do.

Prep your jars.  Are they clean?  They should be.

Cut your wire at about a yard (you can measure a yard by measuring the tip of your middle finger to your nose with your arm stretched out).  Now, starting in the middle you're going to wrap and twist TWICE per side.  So say to yourself while you're doing this, "wrap twist one, wrap twist two, wrap twist three, wrap twist four."  This way, you have two "sides", beginning to look like a lantern.  Now that you have your "sides," you're going to take the remaining wire and twist it (kind of like a twisty tie) around itself creating a handle. See the picture below:

Bend your "handle" over the top of the jar and attach it to the other side.  I twisted up and around because I liked the look, but you figure out your preference.  The good news to using wire is that if you don't like it, just straighten it out and try it differently.  BUT ALWAYS CUT EXTRA LONG.  You know...measure twice, cut once kind of thing.  *cough* ...not normally something I do, buuuutt....

Once you've done that, it's time to add a little flair to it!  I used jute because I like this shabby-chic-ey look, but if you want something more refined or more to your style, that's AWESOME!

So leaving one end of your jute/yarn/raffia/ribbon attached to the spool, wrap twice ( to help cover some of your wire wrapping) around the mouth of the jar, tie in a bow, and cut!  You can do nice ends, but with the jute, it is what it is!  Part of it's charm.

Next, measure out about a yard of jute, cut, and wrap it around your hand.  Slide this off and stick it into your jar.  This will provide the cushion for your "candle."

Once you've done that, turn on and place one battery candle in your lantern.  :)

REPEAT THESE STEPS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LANTERNS


Once all of your lanterns have: handles, flair, and a candle, start to measure out your hanging lengths.  We have an umbrella, and wanted them to hang from the arms at different lengths but clustered together.  If you have a trellice above your outdoor dining space, this would be perfect to hang in a more open pattern.

So drag your husband outside and make him hang these at different lengths for you until you have a variety that you're settled with.  Once that's done, cut your wire and wrap around your umbrella arms or wherever you're hanging them!

The finished product is quite stunning if you're sitting out on your porch eating dinner at twilight!  It adds a little ambiance and class to your deck and doesn't set anything on fire!  That's the best solution to class and safety!  ;)


I apologize if you don't  have a deck or a trellice, but I'd love to see your variations.  If you change up my idea, please upload a link in your comment so we can all learn from you!  I was inspired by this photo, but I'm proud of my end result!  It suits our needs and adds that extra touch to satisfy my inner hostess.

To the Left: internet.
To the Right: Briana-tastic!!



So now you're wondering how much this is gonna cost you, right? Well, if your DIY closet is stocked, it'll cost you less.  But if you're smart, this project will be expertly DIY'd.  :)  I'll lay it out for you.

Jars: hoarded and borrowed.  $0
Jute: free, from my craft closet!  $0
Hanging wire: $8 from Michaels
Flameless candles: $6.00 from Target
Time: NEVER enough
Effect: PRICELESS!!

So that wraps it up!  I hope you've enjoyed my DIY drab to fab dining space!  Feel free to borrow, change, and share my idea.  And PLEASE -come back and share, here on DIY DAVIS STYLE.

Best wishes and happy DIY-ing!
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Posted by at 7:00 AM

4 comments:

  1. HeatherJanuary 29, 2012 at 12:16 PM

    Love these lanterns & the flameless candle idea... I am totally making these, I have a ton of ball jars already I have been "hoarding", now I have the perfect project to use them for. Can't wait for those summer nights!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MSABC CharlotteJanuary 30, 2012 at 10:39 AM

    I am with HP on this one!! I LOVE this idea and can't wait for the spring and summer time to be able to use them outside on my patio!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The ShrubJanuary 30, 2012 at 4:29 PM

    Thanks, y'all! :) They've been really nice out on our deck, so I hope you enjoy them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownFebruary 1, 2012 at 1:14 AM

    Nice idea, Briana. I might just try it at our house.

    ReplyDelete

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