with glass jars. I love the shape and weight of them. I love the cool, smooth feel of the glass in my hands. They are pure and simple at it's best. I've been collecting them for years.
I use canning or recycled pasta sauce jars to store beans, rice and popcorn kernels in my pantry. It gives it the feel of an old country store.
I use jelly jars for holding small amounts of leftover sauces or for mixing my own dry spice blends. Salad dressing bottles hold vinegar and oils in my spice cabinet.
And then there are our drinking glasses...I actually started buying a certain brand of salsa just for the jar, and now we have a matching set!
Jar candles have the best lids. When the candle has burned for the last time, I clean out the leftover wax and use these jars for holding cotton balls and swabs in the bathroom. There is one at the moment that is full of birdseed. I had a small candle jar with a wooden stopper that is perfect for holding spare change in the car, and it fits in the cup holder!
Jars without lids hold taller items like pens and paintbrushes. My sewing box wouldn't been complete without a button jar.
I also use them for holding memories...seashells we've collected over the Summers and sand from the beach we visited on our honeymoon.
So before you toss that glass container in the recycling bin, look for ways to give it a second life in your home.
Found you via your story on Moneysavingmom. I would love to see pictures of some of your jars...if you ever get a chance to post that. I'm sure with 5 kids you've got plenty other things to catch on film!
ReplyDeleteGood idea! I'm always looking for places to put those odds and ends after a sewing project. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI would love to know how you clean the labels off of your glass jars? I have a jelly jar that I want to repurpose and I am not sure the easiest way to get the label off! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I hadn't thought of using glass jars in so many different ways. Thanks for the tips.
ReplyDeletewww.canningbasics.com
Loved your story about the vacuum on moneysavingmom. Your post on these jars is also exciting! - Hubby and I are so concentrated on recycling, it didn't even occur to me that these are perfect for holding rice, beans, birdseed and plenty of other stuff. Thanks for sharing a great "re-use" idea!.
ReplyDeleteMichelle
I do the same thing! It's a habit that comes from growing up on the farm and saving every available jar for canning and jellies. Now I use them for all my craft and art supplies I make things out of empty cans as well. If it has an interesting shape it continuously recycles through my homes. I reuse spice bottles and medicine bottles to store small items like pins and jewelry supplies, screws, etc. We even use spray bottles for other projects. I've doing this all my life because it is the example my grandparents and parents gave me. They never forgot the great depression, especially my grandparents (I'm over 50) So, it is was way before the trend to go "green." And my kids love to claim my treasures as their own. Save the Planet!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteI usually get the lables off of a jar by soaking it in warm water to remove most of the label, then any residue that is left I have found that rubbing a little olive oil on the glass will dissolve the glue. I've also heard that nail polish remover will work, but I haven't tried it...and then there is always Goo Gone.
Eu também gosto de potes de vidro e as vezes compro algo somente pelo design do vidro!!!
ReplyDeleteParabéns pelo site, eu gostei muito!!!
Erica/SP/Brasil