Distressed "Vintage" Rustic Mason Jar Bookends

I have a lot of cookbooks. And I don't want them cluttering up my valuable counter space. And the space above my cabinets is largely unused, except for a few decorative items. So I stored them on top of my cabinets, using mason jars filled with dried beans as bookends. I even painted the lids red, so they would match my kitchen. But, as you can see, that was a disaster...

But with a little paint and sandpaper, my cookbooks now look like this...

Before, every couple of days, I'd have to haul a chair over and straighten the *&%#! things up. The cookbooks were too heavy for the jars. I thought about putting rocks in, but then you would see them in a clear jar. It needed to be opaque.  I've seen distressed, rustic-looking mason jars on etsy and loved them. But I'm too cheap to even think of paying $7-$8 per jar when I can make them for a lot less. When buy it, when you can make it? I was looking for a matte red spray paint in a cherry red color, not dark red, not orangey red and not hi-gloss super shiny red. That, my friends, was not an easy task. I just happened to be wandering through Michael's (or was it Joann? I'm always at one or the other) with a coupon burning a hole in my pocket, when I found it (cue heavens opening and angels singing). Chalky finish paint. And they showed a distressed mason jar project. I was obviously looking for the wrong thing all along, so I was pretty happy that the craft gods saw fit to smile upon me.

I went home and routed through all my canning jars (I can every summer and I have loads of them) looking for ones that had chips and stains (I wouldn't use those for canning anyway) and found some that I assume were vintage. I did check to make sure that none of them were rare, valuable jars that could fund my children's college educations. But none of them were. Bummer.

Chalky finish paint is a water-based paint that can be used on a multitude of surfaces and is easy to distress. It's a little thicker than craft paint. I used a foam brush to apply it, taking care to smooth out the streaks. 

The first coat looks very streaky; it takes about four coats to get full coverage. And I didn't have to wait too long between coats, maybe 20-30 minutes. After four coats on the jars, I flipped them over and painted the necks. This way, I got coverage that went all the way to the bottom of the jar without getting paint all over my hands (and everything else). 

I let the jars dry overnight, then got out my medium grit sanding block and went to work.

I just distressed the logo so it would stand out. I didn't want to distress it anywhere else, since I was putting rocks in it. If I were using it as a vase, I would probably distress it more. Here you can see the difference...

After I sanded these babies, I needed to seal them so the paint wouldn't become scratched. I had a satin finish sealer on hand, so I tried it on one jar. It was too shiny, so I had to put on decent, presentable clothes and venture out and get matte finish. That looked perfect. Once you seal it, you can use it as a vase, but do not submerge or use soap and water to clean the outside. Just a wipe down will do.

After that was done, I went outside, found some rocks  (heavy and cheap!) and filled up the jars, screwed on the lids, and I was done! My cookbooks stay put and my kitchen looks organized and awesome. Which is pretty darn cool, if you ask me!

Until the next project, 

Chris :)