The Original Painted Mason

Have you seen the painted and distressed mason jar craze making the rounds online and on blogs these past few months …

 

a trend I may or may not have contributed to with some of my very own painted mason jar projects on this blog.  And my other blog.

 

Well I have something incredibly important to share with you.  Like urgent important.  Like I need to tell you this very important piece of critical information before the origins of this painted and distressed mason jar craze gets buried in pages and pages of Google search results …

 

I know exactly when this painted and distressed mason jar craze started.  And I know exactly who started it all …

 

Can you believe it?

 

I know who started it all!

 

There are so many copycat creative projects floating around online that, more often than not, it’s virtually impossible to trace them to their original source.

 

But not this time …

 

Let me introduce you to Missy …

 

She’s the owner of BeachBlues on Etsy.

 

And she’s the one who single-handedly started the painted and distressed mason jar craze.

 

In 2011.

 

Two. Long. Years. Ago.

 

That’s when Missy came up with the idea of painting and distressing mason jars.  With these jars …

 

a set she continues to make – and sell – today.

 

The whole idea started with Missy’s love of shabby chic.  And Missy’s love of re-purposing old furniture.  Which led to her brilliant idea of treating mason jars like wood and painting and distressing them …

 

did I mention her idea was brilliant?

 

Naturally, friends were wowed.  I mean, how could they not be when she showed them jars that looked like this …

 

… so perfect for fall!

 

And this …

 

… with those rich peacock colors!

 

Missy starting selling her original painted and distressed mason jars on her Facebook page in 2011 at the urging of her wowed friends.   In early 2012, she opened her BeachBlues Etsy shop, turning her part-time hobby into a full-time job.

 

Now I have a confession to make. I’m one of the many millions of Missy copycats.  Her jars inspired my jars.  The success of her shop inspired me to stock mason jars alongside my handmade signature drop cloth pillows …

 

and yes, I hold my head in shame.

 

All I can do is ask Missy’s forgiveness … and hope she believes in her heart that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

 

 

You can find even more of Missy’s amazing creations at her BeachBlues Etsy shop. Just click here …