When deciding on the themes I wanted to have for Farmhouse Friday, the thought occurred to me that our grandparents and great-grandparents probably never dreamed of all the things we do with objects that were purely utilitarian to them, and the simple canning jar is a prime example of that. Aside from the obvious food use that previous generations had for them, there are now literally 1,000’s of new ways to use them. I’m sharing some of my favorite ways to use them in farmhouse style decorating, as well as some other ideas that are just fun!
When I created this Rustic Chalkboard Frame, simply hanging an old canning jar on it turned it into a piece of farmhouse style wall art.
I also painted and turned one into a soap dispenser in my bathroom. It matches the antique cabinet I painted for sink vanity.
DIY Picket Fence Wall Hooks with Mason Jars
These pink painted jars from Ribbonwood Cottage were used as graduation decor, but I think they’d be equally adorable at a baby shower.
Real Simple magazine featured a canning jar sewing kit.
Thank you so much for the feature and book shout out too!!! So super sweet of you!!!
🙂 Linda
Lots of great ideas here, Angie…I’m inspired by the lighting ideas especially!
This series is a great idea, Angie, and very well done!
Your comment about our grandparents and great grandparents being surprised and amused by our re-purposing of utilitarian items reminds me how amused my Nuni was when I told her that I had hung her laundry scrubbing board in my laundry room. She had broken ice to haul water using a yoke and bucket to begin her chore of washing clothes, so when she got an automatic washing machine, she treated it as though it was a magical, precious machine.She lovingly covered it with a blanket so that there was never a chip or scratch on it, ever. I also have her metal slop bucket, that I use for storage and decoration, and that really gave her a chuckle. We forget how lucky we are to not have to work so hard. I just adore your blog, we are junking kin.
Sue’s comment reminded me of my grandmother. My father bought her a brand new washing machine and dryer because she was still using one of those old ringer washers and he thought he was doing such a wonderful thing to make her life easier. After a while, we went to visit to find that she had been using them to store things in and was still using the old ringer washer to wash clothes. Some habits just die hard. 🙂 I have to say, my favourite use for canning jars are to put lights in them…I’m a sucker for lights, especially at night and your comment about the lights in the jars looking like fireflies really hit home with me. When I was a kid, our neighbourhood had a designated “Firefly Night” where we all went out with big jars to catch as many fireflies as we could. Perhaps that’s why I love the lights in the old canning jars so much? There is something magical about them! Oh, and love that ladder canopy, too! 🙂
Great topic and round-up of mason jars.
J’aime ces réalisations !…Ici, en France, ces bocaux sont introuvables…
Angie,
Thanks a bunch for sharing my guide on the age of canning jars! All of these make me want to dig out my vast supply of mason jars and whip up something new! This is a wonderful weekly feature!
Doreen