Mason Jar Soap Dispenser (with a twist)

I love my vintage teal mason jars.  I do.  But other than making various twinkle lights out of them, they've mostly been adorning my kitchen as purely decorative.

NO MORE.  Time to put them to work.  Last night I stayed home and did graduate school homework (boo).  Once I had accomplished enough (though it's never really enough) I got bored, started watching The Apartment, and began tinkering with my mason jar.

Homemade Bread. (and you can to)

I am NEVER EVER buying regular bread from the store AGAIN. NEVER. This bread is so effing delicious and simple to make you'll die that you didn't spend your adult life making your own bread before this. 

Ingredients:

All Purpose White Flour

Canola Oil (or another light kind of oil)

Quick Rise Yeast 

White sugar

Salt

Handmade Christmas: Teacup Candles

I am an impoverished grad student.  It's a disgusting fact of life.  For this frugal Christmas I have discovered the satisfaction of handmade gifts. I'm into simple crafts that aren't ... kitchy/tacky/ew. When I found teacup candles on Pinterest, I knew I had a winner. I checked out a couple of websites beforehand for their advice, obviously Martha and this one from Craftbits and ended up with bits and pieces of their advice.

Three Ideas for Old Dressers

The DIY world has started to look at dressers and all their infinite possibilities in use around the home. THIS is a fantastic thing.  You can purchase a second hand dresser for sub 100 dollars, or you can buy one that someone has already lovingly refurbished (ahem) if you don't have the time or the patience for paint.  They already boast lots of storage, and the best part is that they come in SO many different sizes that finding one to fit your space is certainly possible. So here we are, their uses:

1. Dresser Kitchen Island.  

This baby is all over Pinterest, but again, you don't have to limit it to the standard three drawer antique style dresser.  Many DIYers out there are experimenting with different shaped dressers for a bigger, better look for their island. If you want to use it for food prep you'll have to treat the top of it specially or use a different counter top, however if like me, you have zero counter space and just want somewhere to put your kitchenaid or dishes or microwave while not in use, the it's easy!

oh the cutest of life from youresomartha (is it fate that I nearly named my blog becomingmartha? I think so.) 

Antique Market Gift Ideas ... and other such things.

A small post while I struggle with a tiny, farmhouse table with plank top and turned legs.  Why struggle? Because a previous owner painted oil over latex paint ... and the undercoat was a BRIGHT and PERVASIVE blue.  No fun, blue fingers.

Woes and Baking Things

Currently I am apartment hunting in Toronto.  I came across this ad http://toronto.en.craigslist.c​a/tor/apa/2519064425.html which encapsulates my feelings on the subject.  Okay so not totally, there are some good ones out there, but luck isn't on my side for the time being, and neither is money.  The Alberta government seems to think I can LIVE (rent, bills, food, cat food, other normal things) on 9000 in the most expensive city in Canada.  HA. So funny, so funny. To distract myself from the depression of it all, I've resorted baking plans and new measuring cups. Martha Stewart has this fantastic list of her top 40 good things that I will show you soon.  In it is one of my most favourite things to do while baking; measure everything out beforehand, put all the ingredients away, and have a lovely set up to bake in the most organized way.  To do this, you need pretty bowls and containers.  This has led me to decide that I absolutely have to collect cafe au lait bowls later in life, and have a cupboard like this one to display them: