10 Crafty Ways to Reuse Glass Jars and Bottles

glass jar photo frames

We love glass jars around here! They’re durable (unless you drop them), versatile, and with a little bit of love, you can turn them into all sorts of fun things.

I’ve been brainstorming glass jar projects for the upcoming mason jar craft competition here in Atlanta, and I’m loving all of the awesome crafty ways that folks are reusing glass jars. Of course, there are lots of glass jar options besides mason jars. Glass juice bottles are great for crafting, and so are empty wine bottles. Check out these crafty ways to reuse your empties.

1. Frame it. Little glass jars double as super cute photo frames! Check out the tutorial at Photojojo.

2. Make a wall–mounted planter. I am loving this project, which uses scrap wood and hose clamps to turn a few reclaimed mason jars into an herb planter that you can hang by a sunny window.

DIY sheet music bottle

3. Make a vase. Bonnie’s sheet music wine bottle would make a great bud vase for those spring flowers that are popping up everywhere right now. You could also use her tute to cover other sorts of glass bottles!

4. Cut ’em up. There are lots of fun ways that you can reuse glass bottles if you cut them. Check out a quickie video with a simple method for cutting your glass bottles, so you can turn them into tumblers, lanterns, or anything else your heart desiers.

5. Make a hanging lantern. Check out how to frost your jar and make a hanging lantern. Perfect for garden parties!

6. Wrap a gift. Place some treasures inside the jar, then decoupage the outside with pretty paper or fabric. Tie on a ribbon or some vintage ric rac, and you have a lovely, unique gift in reusable wrapping!

home made tomato jam

7. Make some jam. Use your old glass jars to store home made jams. Since you can’t properly can with these, you’ll need to eat them within a couple of weeks to avoid spoiling.

8. Make a memory jar. Martha Stewart shows you how to turn a reclaimed jar into a nostalgic treasure.

9. Wrap ’em up. Check out this awesome tutorial for wrapping reclaimed glass jars in twine to turn them into sweet little vases.

10. Light ’em up. Shove a strand of Christmas lights into a glass jar for an instant eye-catcher. Make this even greener by using low-energy LEDs instead of conventional Christmas lights.

Want even more glass jar craft projects? Check out 10 more ways to repurpose a glass jar!

{Image Credits: Glass jar photo frames by ‘stpiduko’; Music Bottle by Bonnie Getchell; Tomato Jam by Becky Striepe}

6 thoughts on “10 Crafty Ways to Reuse Glass Jars and Bottles”

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  2. Loving these ideas, especially those for crafting containers for household greenery. I don’t own a proper flower-vase but I’d like to try some of these ideas so I’ve something to use next time someone gets me flowers!

  3. I’m loving these wonderful ideas! The only one ive ever tied is putting jam in them. As long as you sterlise the jar and lid thouroughly you can make your jam last for years!

  4. Pingback: Ditch the Plastic: Why glass rocks. | Strawberry Hedgehog

  5. Pingback: 10 More Upcycling Ideas for Things You Might Throw Away | Sustainablog

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