I’ve seen posting of wall plaques using mason jars on Pinterest and decided to try it myself. I opted to stain the boards instead of paint them. I had several pins that went to blogs that had homemade stain. I chose one and started the process.

I made tea in a jar and set it aside along with the tea bags. Poured white vinegar into a jar and put a steel wool pad in it. I let both set for a 24 hours. I cut 3 pieces of 1 x 6 boards and laid them out on the floor. Brushed the tea on sides and top of each board. Let them dry. Turned them over and brushed tea on the other side. Let them dry thoroughly. Brushed the vinegar mix in the same process. After they dried, they were beautifully stained a dark rich look with the wood grain showing through. I loved it!

Before                                                      After

I drilled 2 holes at the top of each board and 1 in the position I wanted the lip of the jar to be placed. I tried using clamps to hold the jars in place and didn’t like the result. I finally used thick wire I keep around for sign hangers and like it much better. After placing the jar on the board with the wire, I put flowers in the jar. The 2 holes drilled at the top were for hanging the board. I pulled natural sisal rope through the holes, tied a knot on each end and hung them on upside down black ceiling hooks.

I love the end result. The homemade stain was so easy to do. I will use this process over and over.