10 Creative Uses for Mason Jars

One day while cleaning out the basement I ran across a few boxes of old mason jars and decided to pull them out and see what kind of clever uses for I could come up with. We had old mason jars just sitting around cluttering up space, and I thought this is a great time to put them to good use! So for the next few weeks I brainstormed and came up with some pretty clever ideas to share with you today.

10 Creative Uses for Mason Jars

Make a Memory Jar – Take a mason jar with you the next time you have a vacation or family outing and use it to collect a jar full of memories. If you go to the beach you can fill the bottom up with sand and add some seashells to make a wonderful decoration to show off and celebrate your finds! Don’t just limit this to the beach! We recently went to Arizona and filled a memory jar up with red rocks, dirt and sand to remember our days in the desert.

Group for a Stunning Flower Display – Gather wildflowers from your nightly walk and display them in mason jars on your dining table or on a shelf. Flowers look great in mason jars and can be kept minimal with one jar or go for a bold look and group 5 or 6 to display. Pretty ribbon tied around them can finish off the look or hot glue some twine and an old piece of jewelry for a finishing touch.

Keep Small Items Organized – Buttons, string, fabric scraps, or pencils fit well in a mason jar and keep your small items from getting lost laying around. Grab some cute chalk board stickers and label what is inside for a cute country look and display on your window sill of your craft room.

Tool Storage in the Garage – Old mason jars can make a great storage place for all those loose nuts, bolts and screws in your garage. If you glue the top of a mason jar to a board in your garage you can hang the jar from it by screwing and unscrewing the lid each time you use it. This will keep them from getting lost and everything will be right there where you can see it and easily find what you need.

Organize Bathroom Necessities – Toothbrushes, Q-tips, cotton balls and make-up can be proudly displayed in painted mason jars in your bathroom. Not only will you be more organized but you can grab some paint and quickly have a free organizational tool that will match any decor.

Food in a Jar – If you take a quick look on Pinterest you will quickly figure out that there is a cute trend of putting single serve food in jars and serving it. Not only does it look super cute, but it is really functional too. Make each dessert in its own cute little mason jar and serve! No need to dirty up multiple bowls! Making a salad in a jar is a pretty cool trend also. All you have to do is put your dressing at the bottom and add all your salad fixings to the top and shake when ready to eat. YUM!

Teacher Gifts – Jars of any type can make a really cute teacher’s gift if you have a few supplies and some hot glue. Take a mason jar and hot glue crayons around the bottom half standing up-right, tie a pretty ribbon to the top, and add a few pencils and ruler to the inside of the jar for a really cute and functional teacher’s gift.

Lantern Kids Craft – Grab some glue and paper and let your kids make a super cute kids craft to display around your home. Tissue paper or construction paper glued to the outside looks really cute. Have them paint the outside of the mason jar with glue and then add the paper, then have them paint over the paper again for a beautiful look. Add a candle to the inside of the jar and put it right on the dinner table. The kids will feel so proud, and you will have a beautiful candlelit dinner.

Plant Holder – Mason jars make a great plant holder for small plants, or you can even make a mini herb garden. Attach some mason jars in a line outside your house or on your deck in a sunny location. Plant yourself a mini garden that will be ready to harvest when suppertime rolls around. It’s very functional and cute to boot!

Organize Your Outdoor Picnic – There are plenty of ways to use a mason jar at your outdoor party. They can be used to hold your plastic wear, single serve condiments, or even to make a pretty floral display for the table. Tie pretty ribbon or embellishments to match your theme.