What Can You Do with Mason Jars? Everything of Course!
To my delight, the popularity of the centuries-old Mason Jar has grown exponentially over recent years. What first seemed like every “Hippie Dippy’s” favorite drinking glass is now a common staple at five-star restaurants, weddings, birthday parties and beyond. Mason Jars are being used as planters, candle holders, party favors and all the while it seems that just when every use for them has been exhausted, another genius one sprouts up. Now that we’re at home more and looking for creative ways to beautiful our spaces or make our at-home mocktails and meals more creative, Mason Jars are a homey staple. Beyond canning, here are a few of my favorite uses for Mason Jars at home and beyond.
Let’s all get our DIY hats on and take a walk down Mason Jar Lane…
A Vase of Flowers
One of my most treasured uses of the Mason Jar is as a vase for a bouquet of flowers. This could be on your nightstand, decorating a picnic table or as a festive centerpiece. A Mason Jar bouquet is a fun way to bring floral essence to your personal surroundings or for your guests to feast their eyes on. These bouquets also make great birthday gifts or host/hostess gifts.
To learn how to make a colorful and beautifully curated floral arrangement fit for a Mason Jar, check out this DIY YouTube tutorial.
Set up Your Succulents
Now we have a pretty setting for our flowers, candles and drinks…what next? The base for your succulents! This has quickly become one of my absolute favorite uses of the classic jar. Succulents seem to thrive in Mason Jars and creating a home for them with rocks, stones, crystals, sea glass and other items that speak to you, makes for a very personalized and stylish addition to your home, party or as a gift. Succulents are plants that have some parts that are more than other plants thick and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. You can find succulents at hardware stores, big and small, as well as at Farmer’s Markets. Check out this easy how – to video on YouTube by HGTV’s Handmade:
DIY Mason Jar Candles
Mason Jars make excellent containers for candles. Make it a soy candle for an even healthier option for you to breathe in and for the environment. The best part of using a Mason Jar as a candle jar is that after the candle has burned down you can reuse the jar for any number of things. Making Mason Jar soy candles is also a fun activity to do in a group. Whether an afternoon with friends, a birthday party or a day of self-care, you will see the results in use for a long time to come afterwards. They also make great gifts. Who knows, maybe you will even get so good at it that you start your own business! Artful Homemaking shares how to simply create a candle using your favorite Mason Jar.
We are on our way to quite the lovely tablescape here…
Drinks at Home or Outdoors in Mason Jars
Next we explore the Mason Jar as a drinking glass. I do surely love a Mason Jar for an iced tea or a sparkling water with lime and why not a cocktail or mocktail too? Whether an iced coffee, a fruit-infused water or a mint julep, the Mason Jar makes a great companion for a cool drink. Consider customizing the glass in some way with a piece of twine tied around the top and a tag people can personalize with a name or initials.
A piece of lemon or lime always looks great on the rim of a Mason jar. If you’re hosting an outdoor event, a great idea is a Mason Jar Drink Bar. Put out bottles of water, club soda, juice, iced tea and bowls of fresh fruit along with ice cubes and let the guests come up with their own creations. This is a great idea for kids and adults alike. Learn how to much your own Mason Jar Drink Cups.
Thankful for Mason Jars
The wide mouths of Mason Jars makes them easy to keep residue free. The best way to wash Mason Jars is to clean them by hand. If you’re using them for canning, keep them warm prior to refilling them. You can use your canner as it is preheating, or you can create a separate water bath that will keep the jars warm.
None of this would be at all possible without the brilliant invention that came to us via John Landis Mason in 1858. John, thank you for over one hundred and sixty years of not only practicality but fun! I eagerly await and watch as the latest and greatest uses of the Mason Jar unfold. Cheers! (insert the sound of Mason Jars clinking here)
Dana Jean Costantino is looking forward to continuing to grow within the Yoga communities of NYC and LA as a balance to her career in advertising. IG @danajeanyoga