Reusing Condiment Jars

There are plenty of crafts to make with mason jars.  I've done a few myself!  In a world of 'buy, buy, buy'... for which I can be guilty of at times myself (although I do try), there is so much we can reuse and make pretty to boot!


Last year when I was on maternity leave, I saw an episode of the Nate show and he had a guest named Bao-Khang Luu who re-made these fun jars with drawer pulls to fancy them.  It's one of those projects you see and you want to smack your forehead for not thinking of it yourself lol.

Here is my go at it.  I opted to use glue instead of drilling holes in metal, as I thought it would make the project more accessible to people who aren't comfortable with power tools or don't have access to them.

Collect some empty jars.  If you don't have any, hit up your neighbours recycle bins the eve of garbage day.  Wash and dry them of course.  You will also need some medium / light grit sandpaper, E-6000 adhesive and some pretty drawer pulls.  Again, if you don't have any, hit the neighbourhood when the trash gets set out.  The weather is nice now and people are more likely to set out furniture.  But take a few screwdrivers with you and just take the knobs.  No sense in dragging the whole piece back to your place!  Unless of course... you have a vision for it as well.

Sand the lids of the jars to remove any paint or lettering and to just rough them up in general.  Once done, rinse the lids off and dry thoroughly.

Apply E-6000 glue to the drawer pull and the centre of the lid.  Wait five minutes for the glue to get tacky, then press the pieces together.  They will set quickly, but will need hours to cure completely.  The nice thing about E-6000 is it dries clear.  So if a little bit seeps out from under the knob, don't worry.

Then, just put the lid back on the jar and that's it!  Make a few with matching knobs if you like, or leave them mismatched like I did.  I use a couple in the bathroom for cotton swabs, cotton balls and little soaps.  I use others on my desk for coloured pencils, buttons and glue sticks.  You could use them in the kitchen for munchies or pasta.  Have fun with it!