If, like us, you have hard time of letting go of old glass jars – whether mason jars, Kilner jars, jam jars or other empty food jars – chances are you have unintentionally accumulated quite the collection. But rather than just let them gather dust underneath the sink, why not transform them into something cute and practical for your home? These Mason jar DIY ideas are super easy, super quick and super inexpensive...
If you are after more DIY projects to get your creative juices flowing, then head over to our craft hub page.
1. Make your own candles
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Let's start off with a simple Mason jar DIY idea: candle making. For this really easy project you will need to get your hands on a candle making kit. You can find them pretty cheaply on Amazon and they will come with wax pellets, wicks, fragrances and instructions on how to use that particular kit, which is all you need for the DIY. Oh, and a Mason jar of course.
Place a wick into the bottom of a Mason jar, making sure it's as central as you can get it and secure it in place either using a glue gun, double sided tape or a drop of hot wax. Melt the wax pellets (your kit will tell you the best way to do this) and add in any colours or fragrances. If your kit didn't come with these you can melt in a wax crayon or just use essential oils.
Once the wax pellets have all melted, use a thermometer to test the temperature of the liquid. Make sure it's down to somewhere between 55-60°C before you slowly pour the wax into the mason jar. Then let the wax set for at least 24 hours, trim the wick down if you need to and you're done.
2. DIY a macramé plant holder
Macramé is having a bit of a moment, macrame wall art, macrame hammocks annnd, macrame plant holders. So why not inject a bit of that on trend boho vibe into your home by DIYing your own macrame plant holder using a mason jar as the pot. You can teach yourself how to macrame (promise it's easier than knitting) or get yourself a macramé plant hanger craft kit.
If you want more ways to inject some boho vibes into your space, check out these boho design ideas.
3. Create the easiest outdoor lights
Light up your garden by using glass storage jars as candle holders – just drop in some votive candles or fill your jars with a couple of inches of water and float tea lights in them. Go and check out more garden lighting ideas in our guide.
4. Turn Mason jars into cute bathroom storage
Sure, purely functional items like cotton buds and makeup wipes don’t look all that great when they are wrapped in plastic, but stick them into some pretty glass jars, and you've got yourself a chic display.
For this Mason jar DIY idea, paint a collection of Mason jars with chalk paint and you have got yourself some gorgeous, inexpensive bathroom storage. For more makeup storage ideas, check out our guide.
5. Or put them to use in the kitchen
How cute is this DIY Mason jar idea? This is a super easy project using just Mason jars, spray paint, masking tape, sandwich bags and foam letters. Simply part cover a Mason jar with a sandwich bag, up to the point where you want to paint, and secure with some masking tape. Then use your letter stickers as stencils to spell out the words you want on each jar. Spray paint the jar with at least two coats and let it dry. Then you can remove the sandwich bag and peel off the letters.
Check out the full step-by-step guide (with handy pic) over on This Little Street.
6. Use Mason jars to get your office organised
If your home office is more of a makeshift nook than a full blown office, then adding extra storage without making the space feel cluttered can be tricky. Enter Mason jars. Great for collating all your office bits and bobs in a way that looks lovely and doesn’t take up a lot of room.
We love how blogger It All Started With Paint has organised her desk using Mason jars. To recreate this DIY hack, simply wrap some of your favourite giftwrap or wallpaper around a jar, securing it with a dab of glue, tie some twine around and attach a label. Easy peasy.
7. Plant a terrarium in a mason jar
If you want to bring even more of the outdoors in, Mason jars make a great home for small succulents. For this DIY Mason jar idea, just fill a Mason jar a half way up with soil, adding a layer of small stones at the bottom and your plants for a mini terrarium.
8. Use Mason jars as vases
This is as much a DIY as you want to make it. Personally we love the look of a plain simple Mason jar filled with flowers, but if you want to get more creative you could découpage on some wallpaper cuttings, paint it with chalk paint or make it look real extra with some gold leaf.
9. Get saving with a Mason jar money bank
For when you don't have flowers to fill you Mason jar vase, turn it into a money box. Carefully cut a slit big enough for your pennies into the lid of your Mason jar using a craft knife and ta daaaa, it's that simple. If you are saving for a certain thing, like a big trip or a wedding (yer, you are going to need a lot of Mason jars), decorate your jar with something that fits the theme.
10. GROW A HERB GARDEN IN A Mason JAR
You don’t need tons of space to create a kitchen garden indoors – just an empty shelf or a neglected window ledge. Most herbs are happy in a small container, so a storage jar works perfectly, plus, they look beautiful and make your kitchen smell mouth-wateringly amazing.
You could recreate this idea and hang your Mason jar herbs from some cute drawer handles – you could definitely pick these up from an antiques store, and it doesn't really matter if they don't match, it would just add the rustic vibe.
