Altered Jars

by Julia Sandvoss (Jun 13, 2006)

It seems everywhere you look, there are new things to alter! Frames, cigar boxes, clocks, muffin tins and yes, jars! Jars are found in abundance in your homes holding everything from pasta sauce, fresh fruit, baby food, your favorite soda or tea, candy, baby food, salsa and the list goes on and on. Most of us just toss those jars away never thinking of the possibilities that lie in that simple jar. Those simple jars and bottles have unbelievable potential to be used for many purposes beyond their original use. Here are some ideas to get you saving those jars and creating lots of fun projects!

Gift Giving

Although artichokes may not be your favorite thing to eat they come in adorable jars perfect for gift giving. After a good washing I painted the lid, added some rickrack, attached a cute decorated tag and filled with flowers for a gift for a friend. Simple, cute and easy!

These jars I purchased at the Dollar Store. They are a great way to put together a unique gift. I wanted something different and fun to give my kids' teachers along with their gift card, and thought a candy jar would be great for their classrooms. I decorated both jars with papers, stickers and ribbons and filled one with Dum Dums and the other with Smarties candies. I couldn't resist adding a cute line to the lids: "Thanks to you I'm no Dum Dum" and "Because of you I'm a real Smartie!" These are cute, fun and tasty gifts for the teachers and students to enjoy!

Blue Crew gal Shelley Burkett created an adorable gift using Starbucks Frappuccino bottles. She used Mod Podge to cover the bottle carrier with Arctic Frog patterned paper and added flowers and brads by Making Memories. You can fill the bottles with all kinds of good things and share with a friend.

Other altered jar gift ideas:

Make a journal jar for children, friends or family.
Add pet treats to give for gifts and to keep out for your own pet.
Fill with cookie or muffin mix, and give as a gift.
Decorate and add small baby items and give as a gift to a new mommy.
Fill with small pre-made cards to give to a friend.

Home Decor

There is nothing better than a flower to provide some cheer in your home decor. This cute idea by Cami Bauman makes use of the bottle from her favorite brand of tea. She added some bright fun papers and embellishments, personalized it with her initial and then added some Heidi Swapp fun flowers. This is certainly a great item to decorate a spot in your home with or to give as a gift.

Here's another version of a flower vase that I made using a Del Monte fruit jar, colored glass marbles, wood dowels and some cool flowers I created with Three Bugs in a Rug fun papers!

Thinking outside the box really made for a fun winter snow globe. Sandi Peiffer used an empty Prima flower jar, added some fun snowman-themed embellishments, water and glitter and made the cutest snow globe ever!

Scrapper Lee Stanley used an actual milk bottle from her local dairy. She says it's hard for her to recycle these as they are too cute! She used Making Memories acrylic paint and lightly painted a circle over the manufacturer's label on the front. She added rub-ons by Autumn Leaves, Prima Flowers, some Doodlebug stickers and ribbons. She then filled the bottle with her favorite candy - M&M's!!!

Lastly here is truly one of my favorite ways to use a jar for home décor, and one I will be creating. Pam Landolt used a simple glass jar, and added sand, a favorite picture, beautiful shells, a tag with the date and journaling, and Making Memories rub-ons to the exterior of the jar. She created an unbelievably beautiful, lasting memory of a special vacation to display in her home. This idea would work equally well for an anniversary, a new baby and many other possibilities .