DIY Mason Jar Dining Caddy and Home Depot Giveaway

August 14, 2013

*This Giveaway is now closed*

Two giveaways in one week? Why yes!! That’s just how much we love our At the Picket Fence friends!

Do you love to eat outside in the summertime but hate having to go in and out of the house dragging all of the necessary dining essentials with you? This DIY dining caddy with mason jars is the perfect solution!

We LOVE to have dinner (and lunch and breakfast!) out on our deck all summer long! Here in Oregon we live for these months and I’m determined to make the most of them by enjoying the sunshine as much as possible. But, while I love the relaxed feeling of breaking bread together in the great outdoors, I do not enjoy hauling everything back and forth from the kitchen to the deck. While, on the one hand, I think I get a pretty good workout running in and out of the house, I would much rather spend less time doing that and more time feeling the cool breeze on my face while partaking of one of my hubby’s fabulous grilled creations!

This post was brought to you in partnership with The Home Depot and ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape.

I found this old wooden whatchamacallit (What would you call that? A tote?) (Oh, and apparently ‘whatchamacallit’ is an actual word because spell check totally ignored it! Who knew?) and even though it was a little worse for the wear I knew I could give it new life.

Now, I have to admit something here. I tend to be more of a “winging it” girl when it comes to paint projects. Oh sure, I use tape when I’m painting rooms but when it comes to crafts I’m usually not overly meticulous. And frankly, it shows. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’m having to go back and do things over and half the time just end up scrapping the whole project. I think it’s like my own weird way of rebelling!

So when I got the chance to test out ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape I decided it was time for my crafting skills to grow-up a bit and not rely on photo editing to cover up my mistakes. 😉

The first thing I did was set up a work space on our deck by laying down the non-slip drop cloth. Let me tell you, this thing DOESN’T SLIP! I will never again buy the horrible thin plastic drop cloths which end up slipping or flying up in the air when even the slightest breeze blows.

Now that I had myself the proper work space, it was time to tackle fixing the wooden whatchamacallit. The bottom was easy to fix by simply hammering back in the nails that had pulled away from the sides. But the crack was another issue. I decided to put the ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape to the test and after applying a thin layer of wood glue I used the tape as a sort of clamp to hold it together while it dried.

I liked the weathered look of the wood but I kind of wanted to brighten it up a bit so I decided to paint the body of the caddy but leave the handle in the original tone. I wrapped the ends of the handle with the ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape with the edge-lock feature.

And obviously I put it to the test right away!

It also came in handy for holding my stencil letters in place.

But no matter how wonderful the tape is it couldn’t keep me from having the “T” not lined up properly and having to repaint it a couple of times. Please tell me I’m not the only one who has trouble getting words stenciled onto things!

Now, if the whatchamacallit is going to become a dining caddy it has to actually be able to HOLD things inside, right? Enter mason jars! And since I had all of this wonderful tape and some leftover chalkboard paint I decided the jars needed labels. And if tape can stand up to chalkboard paint and come out with beautiful corners like you see below than it is worth it’s weight in gold for sure!

I absolutely LOVE how they turned out!

And, now, getting ready to enjoy eating outside has become a whole lot easier.

And frankly, I look much cuter carrying this dining caddy than I did when I was sweating from running back and forth to the kitchen!

I mean, that’s what’s really important right?

I can’t decide if my favorite part about this dining caddy are the chalkboard labeled mason jars or the fact that it says “Eat” on one side…

…and “Drink” on the other!

Because some of our most favorite moments in the summer are when we are sitting outside on a warm evening with friends, eating really incredible food, sipping really incredible cocktails and listening to the really incredible sound of our kiddos laughing and playing. The sun starts setting, we turn on the lanterns and just sit back and enjoy the moment knowing it will be over all too soon!

But until then, my dining caddy and I say “cheers” to you as you relish these last “lazy days of summer”.

And to really help you celebrate these final days of summer the I’m giving away a $75 Gift Card to The Home Depot

To Enter: Leave a link to your favorite summer DIY or painting project in the comments below (can be a link to your own blog, another website or Pinterest) for your chance to win the $75 The Home Depot gift card. Giveaway ends August 28th at midnight EST. US residents only please.

And if you are looking for some more amazing painting project ideas, check out the all of the incredible inspiration from the other members of the Ready, Set, Paint Blog Hop!

Centsational Girl – Textured Panel Dresser Makeover

Thrifty and Chic Framed Stencil Wall

The Design Confidential DIY Concrete Color Block Painted Tables

Sand & Sisal Faux Etched Glass

The Girl Creative Summer Chalkboard

PB & J Stories Dipped Effect Outdoor Bench and Front Patio Makeover

In My Own Style How to Paint Outdoor Furniture

Making this Home Embellish with a Paint Border

Rustic Bench Gets Modern Moroccan-Inspired Makeover

DIY Game Table

Fun with Fireworks

Charles & Hudson – Wood Block Planter

Love of Family and Home – DIY Striped Curtain

LollyJane – Mailbox Makeover

Nesting Place – Painting with Chalk

Thistlewood Farms: How to Paint Stripes

Live Laugh Rowe: DIY Drop Cloth Table Runner

SawdustGirl – Spray-Painted-Striped Lemonade Stand Canopy

Make It: Painted Horseshoes

DIY Pet Food Station

This post was brought to you in partnership with The Home Depot and ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape.

Now, go on and show off your own fabulous summer projects by leaving a link here and enter to win the $75 The Home Depot!

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