day 7 repurposing a jar

day 7 repurposing a jar :: mini candy jar

mini candy jar tutorial:

supplies needed: about 2 3/4 inch tall baby food jar, paper cutter, 2-inch circle paper punch, decorative paper (only small pieces needed so you can use some scraps from leftovers from your paper crafting projects), mod podge, sponge brush, ribbon, double-sided adhesive, scissors, 2 prima flowers, & 1 brad.

with paper cutter, cut a 7 3/4 X 1 1/8 inch piece of decorative paper, use mod podge to glue decorative paper onto jar, use 2-inch circle punch to cut out circle from decorative paper - attach to top of lid with double-sided adhesive, secure brad through both prima flowers, attach prima flowers to top of lid with double-sided adhesive, attach ribbon around side of lid with double-sided adhesive.

voila ! now fill jar with candies & it's ready to give as a gift...

see you tomorrow for day 8 !

day 6 repurposing a jar

day 6 repurposing a jar :: odds & ends

junk drawer, desk, office: catch all for all the little odds & ends, rubber bands, paper clips, tacks, pens.

tool box or workshop: nails, screws, bolts, washers, etc.

if you'd like to label the contents on the lids see the chalkboard painted lids tutorial from day 5.

see you tomorrow for day 7 !

day 5 repurposing a jar

day 5 repurposing a jar :: labeling storage

chalkboard painted lids tutorial:

supplies needed: lids, newspaper, chalkboard spray paint, chalk

spread out some newspapers & place lids on top, spray paint lids thoroughly with chalkboard paint, wait for paint to completely dry, label lid using chalk, put lid on jar.

if later you'd like to store something different in that jar, simply rub off (erase) chalk & rewrite !

see you on Monday for day 6, have a great weekend !

day 4 repurposing a jar

day 4 repurposing a jar :: flower vase

Ball & Kerr canning jars, a Bonne Maman jar, & a green olive jar were used as flower vases.

simple & pretty.

see you tomorrow for day 5 !

day 3 repurposing a jar

day 3 repurposing a jar :: collections

storing & displaying a collection. these are French wine corks in French Maille mustard & French cassoulet jars.





display of foreign & old coin collection

see you tomorrow for day 4 !

day 2 repurposing a jar

day 2 repurposing a jar :: votive candles

baby food jars with tealight votives outside @ night in the dark

see you tomorrow for day 3 !

day 1 repurposing a jar

i thought it would be fun to do a repurposing challenge with jars, since they are one of my favorite things to repurpose. the whole idea of doing a challenge came about from a couple of different things... i'm a huge fan of Project Runway, where on each episode they have a different & fun challenge, you know, like the one where the contestants could use only materials from a recycling center & had to create an innovative garment.
also i really enjoyed this book, Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase, have you seen it yet? 20 designers took the pillowcase challenge & came up with 28 (mostly sewing) craft projects.

so i took this concept of a challenge, thought it would be fun to apply it to glass jars & share the results with you. and here each weekday during November --- a total of 21 days --- i plan to share ideas on how to repurpose a glass jar.
maybe you'd like to play along? i would love to see photos of your ideas & creations.
i also have a request, if you've ever seen an entire book (or lengthy magazine article) on repurposing jars, please let me know, i'm curious to know if there's a book solely on this subject... thanks in advance !



so where can you get glass jars? ...make a point when you're out grocery shopping to look for & buy your food items in fun glass jars, check out: garage or yard sales, vintage or antique shops & flea markets for vintage ones, freecycle, eBay, .... looking for baby food jars? ask a friend who has a baby/toddler or ask someone who runs an in-home daycare if they happen to have any.


day 1 repurposing a jar :: bathroom


this first idea is reusing jars for storage in a bathroom & for this one i used only Bonne Maman jars, you know, the yummy French jams & jellies in the jars with the cute gingham lids ! i was just in the grocery store yesterday & saw that they had a Bonne Maman jar with a brown gingham lid, i believe it was some type of chestnut spread? so now your choices for Bonne Maman jars are: red, blue, and brown lids. how fabulous is that !?! another thing i need to mention is that the paper labels come off very easily on these Bonne Maman jars, just soak the jars in water & the paper peels right off - no glue left on the jar!

so it turns out that these Bonne Maman jars are the perfect size for cotton swabs & most sized Band-Aids, other ideas for bathroom storage: cotton balls, toothbrush & toothpaste (without the lid), cosmetic puffs, hair ties, bath salts...


also, i didn't get a chance to make one of these myself, but this is a great idea to have by any sink, bathroom or kitchen, check out this mason jar soap dispenser how-to.

see you tomorrow for day 2 !