Jarred Enthusiasm

Feeling a little domestic today, so I figured I would post about mason jars. Glass jars in general should never be thrown out. The possibilities are endless. I now keep jewelry in jars, makeup brushes in jars, all bathroom vanity items in jars, everything!

With the holidays coming up, all kinds of glass jars can be used to create cute little gifts.

Thanks to my favorite, Pinterest, I have accumulated tons of ideas for my jars.

Here are my favorites right now:

• Spray painted jars for drinks, organizing, vases
• Dying jars with alcohol ink and a can of spray air
• Organizing beauty products and small items that just get lost all over the place (bobby pins!)
• Bulk panty items (coffee grinds, nuts, rice, granola, anything !!)
• Infused vodka for Christmas gifts (Real Simple had a great gift idea last year for this)
• Try Red Hots candy infused vodka for Christmas !!
• Any kind of cake-in-a-jar, like monkey bread, amazing and makes a great little gift

Like me, you might find yourself going out of the way to a) eat spaghetti with tomato sauce simply for the jar, b) buying things at the grocery store only in glass jars, or c) posting a note on the office fridge asking colleagues to save all glass jars for me !!

Cold Nights are Perfect Game Nights

It's starting to get colder out which means everyone has less energy to head out for a night on the town. This creates perfect opportunities to host game nights at home. Some might think this sounds lame, but these nights always turn into big laughs and even bigger cocktails. Plan accordingly for the group you are having, example, just girls means pretty cocktails and cutesy snacks. When the boys are involved, have lots of beer on hand with hearty dishes. Personally, I like to incorporate both ideas; the boys always end up loving our fun, colorful cocktails anyway.

Pick your favorite games that don't need much explanation. This is not the time to try and teach everyone new games and rules; classics are best. Scattergories, Scrabble, Monopoly, our my personal favorite Charades.

Drinks are easy: beer bottles always work. Get some whiskey for shots as a prize or a punishment. Sofia Coppola champagne cans are a delicious treat for the girls since they come in the cutest little pink cans with straws.

An awesome drink is Vootbeer from 303 Distillery in Boulder, CO.

Vootbeer

Ingredients:

2 oz. 303 Vodka (any Vodka works, I use Smirnoff)

5 oz. Root Beer

Whipping cream for garnish

Maraschino Cherry (optional)

Preparation:

Fill glass with ice

Pour vodka over ice and then fill with root beer

Garnish top with whipping cream and cherry if desired

Snacks are crucial: Make some fried pickles, chocolate dipped potato chips, chicken tortilla soup, tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons, or simply some favorite frozen food aisle appetizers.

What do you plan for your cold weather game nights?