by E.D. Cameron

Created on: June 20, 2010   Last Updated: June 21, 2010

Mason jars are not only practical but also have a shabby chic rustic aesthetic that can add to your current home decor look.  Beyond filling mason jars with daily goods like flour, sugar, honey, baking soda and even bath products like salts and soaps, mason jars can also be used in hundreds of creative ways.

Use small mason jars to build up your own unique spice cabinet.  This also works great for re-purposing baby food jars.  Simply pick out your most popular spices and fill up a collection.  You can then display in an easy to reach area above your stove, on the wall on a wooden shelf, or on the counter top.  For an added touch, color code the tops with decoupaged paper or scraps of fabric.

Make a beautiful and functional craft storage rack with different size mason jars.  Using two three feet sections of molding (great for leftovers from home improvement projects) painted to match your decor, attach dryer hose clamps along the center spaced about three inches a part.  Its best if you can screw your dryer hose clamps in to the molding and nail molding into your wall.  You can then place your mason jars in your hose clamps and tighten, filling them with ribbon, straight pins, bobbins, and whatever else has a tendency to float around your craft project area.

Decoupage with tissue for an interesting and personalized vase, or wrap with twine for a homespun look.  Mason jars also make practical and pretty votive candle holders.  Make colored paper sleeves for holiday specific items like jack o lanterns or snowflakes.

When top is cut to fit, a mason jar can make an awesome hand soap dispenser.  Simple recycle an old hand soap dispenser pump, cut your lid and straw to size and glue in place. 

Mason jars also make a great way to ice and store personalized premade party drinks like lemonade, iced tea, mint juleps, iced coffees, and more.  If you know what folks in your party prefer, you can even take the time to decorate their lid or jar with a sticker or cozy before filling up the jars and sticking them in a bucket with ice.  This is a lot more earthy friendly, personalized, and fun than simply throwing in soda cans into a cooler, and can also save you money.

Finally, a great gift is to make cake and other treat mixes into dry ingredient mason jar art.  With a little tag for instructions and additional ingredients, you will engage your recipients in a little homemade magic.

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