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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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September 15, 2014

How to Make a Faux Olive Jar

It seems to me that in life, people can be divided into two categories: those who upon entering a store will head straight for the clearance section and those who don’t.

dried hydrangeas on olive jar atthepicketfence.com

I’m definitely a head straight for the clearance section kind of girl. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging those who want to check out what the latest styles are to arrive in the department store or the new seasonal decor versus that ‘last season’ stuff. But there is just something in me that absolutely MUST make sure that I’m not missing out on some kind of amazing deal.

But, there are some things that just never seem to go on sale. Or when they do, they are STILL way  more than you would ever want to pay. I mean, it’s not just about whether or not you actually have the money for it. Sometimes, it’s the principle of it, you know?

How to make a faux olive jar from atthepicketfence.com

Case in point…olive jars. I like them. I want them. Don’t ask why but I’m slightly obsessed with them. It’s totally irrational and makes no sense. Kind of like how my husband absolutely CANNOT stand to see those videos where it’s a dog’s head with a person’s arms inside a coat and the ‘dog’ is doing very ‘human’ things. Those totally freak him out and we could be totally sympathetic about this irrational fear but instead we just tease him by saying things like “Hey, come see this cool video we just found!” and then we all laugh hysterically as he jumps out of his skin.

After months of occasionally checking online sources and the aisles of every home store I would go in, I was never able to find an olive jar for under $50. And that’s just too much in my book. Even if we do really like olives! 😉

So, I dug through my stash of jars and pots until I found one that I thought I might be able to transform.

This one was the winner!

yellow urn

I applied a couple of coats of white paint.

painted urn

Then I applied brown paint to the bottom half working my way up and then using the paint brush, creating a wavy edge all the way around.

how to make a faux olive jar

A little bit of distressing and I had myself a ‘faux’ olive jar.

faux olive jar atthepicketfence.com

Now, it may not be exactly like the real deal. But then again, the ‘real’ deals that I’ve been seeing online aren’t even the ‘real’ deal, are they? They’re all reproductions of olive jars from days gone by. From yesteryear. From yore.

I think that ‘yore’ is a word that should really get back into circulation don’t you?

It doesn’t seem to matter anymore to me whether or not I ‘can’ purchase an item. Even if I had the extra money lying around to spend on something like an authentic olive jar, I know that I would never be able to bring myself to do it.

It’s more of a ‘should’ then a ‘could’ at this point, you know?

So, I’ll just keep on steering that cart straight to the clearance aisle.

And if I don’t find the perfect hidden treasure as I dig through the mounds of deals then, well, then I’ll just have to make those treasures myself!

Thanks so much for meeting me at the Fence today!

Vanessa signature

19 Comments Filed Under: Crafts, Decorating Tagged With: crafts, decorating

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Comments

  1. joanne roth says

    September 15, 2014 at 8:00 AM

    Just wanted to say thanks –really enjoyed reading your post. You have a great sense of humor but I really love how grounded your perspective is — always so much more meaningful to make something yours when you can.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:44 PM

      Oh thank you so much! What a lovely compliment. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says

    September 15, 2014 at 8:10 AM

    Your faux jar looks fabulous.

    Reply
  3. Lynn Mosher says

    September 15, 2014 at 9:07 AM

    Love this idea! Thanks so much! And just by coincidence, hubs just sent me a link to one of those dog videos, She Dines Alone! Too funny! Thought you might want to *use* it on your hubby. https://wallythekat.tripod.com/A_Pages/AA-Videos-YOU-Tube/Dog-Dining-Alone.html

    Reply
  4. Grandmom says

    September 15, 2014 at 10:04 AM

    Sure you’ve perused every source for Olive Jars…up to the $1,000 jars on ebay. When I saw this one which looked so much like your “new” olive jar, just had to send the link to you. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-French-small-terracotta-glazed-olive-oil-jar-/161409915362?pt=UK_Collectables_Kitchenalia_RL&hash=item2594c7d9e2

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:44 PM

      Wow! I’m feeling even better about mine now. LOL! Thanks so much!

      Reply
  5. lucy Beliveau says

    September 15, 2014 at 11:29 AM

    I am so impressed! Your olive jar is spectacular and your humorous writing style is so much fun to read! Thank you for both!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:43 PM

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  6. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    September 15, 2014 at 2:21 PM

    Well aren’t you the clever one!!!….it’s just beautiful!…hmmm I need to look in my stash in the attic!…and as for me…I head for the clearance racks first!!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:43 PM

      Kindred spirits for sure! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Leslie Stewart @ House on the Way says

    September 15, 2014 at 4:43 PM

    I’m a deal seeker too…love your olive jar! Have a great week!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:43 PM

      Thanks Leslie! Hope your week is off to a great start!

      Reply
  8. Joanne Boulter says

    September 15, 2014 at 6:17 PM

    Thanx thanx thanx for inspiration! I have a fake olive jar and I know just what I am going to do with it tomorrow. It’s only been painted 4 times, oh well adds to the patina right?

    ((HUGS)) Jo

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:42 PM

      LOL Joanne! I have a few of those jars that have been painted many times too!

      Reply
  9. Tauni says

    September 15, 2014 at 7:25 PM

    Such a great story. I must confess I didn’t know what an olive jar was until you posted. I blame the fact that I don’t really like olives 🙂 Nevertheless, I really love your jar!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      September 15, 2014 at 8:42 PM

      LOL Tauni!! Thanks girl! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Barbara Ann says

    September 15, 2014 at 8:45 PM

    I total did the same thing. With the French flower buckets. I had bought some plain ones. Several. All the cute ones were very decorated. And expensive.I got several and painted them and used wire ribbon for each season. I filled with silk flowers and have used them for year’s. Necessity is the Mother of Invention or desire??
    Barbara Ann
    http://Www.etsy.com/shop/barbaraannscreations

    Reply
  11. Nellie says

    September 16, 2014 at 8:19 PM

    Vanessa,
    I totally love your olive jar, you did an amazing job on it. Great idea……..I am with you $50.
    is too much, and I can’t bring myself to spend that either even when I have the money.
    Honestly, most of the time when you see people do remakes of something that is sold in stores, I
    usually like the remake better……….so keep on making those cool things………..

    Blessings,
    Nellie

    Reply
  12. consider penis male says

    September 28, 2014 at 8:15 PM

    You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I’ve read a single
    thing like this before. So great to discover someone with genuine thoughts on this subject.
    Really.. thank you for starting this up. This site
    is something that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality!

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
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It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

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Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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