10 Glass Jar Crafts: Something for Everyone!

Here are ten ways to reuse glass jars. From sand art to pickles, there are glass jar crafts here for everyone.

Next time you finish a jar of pasta sauce or scrape the last bit of jam onto your toast, you might want to think twice before tossing that precious glass jar into the recycle bin. Those empty glass jars are a great free way to launch all sorts of fun, upcycled glass jar crafts!

Removing the label can be a bit tricky sometimes so try soaking your jars overnight in warm, soapy water, then rub them with a coarse cloth. If that doesn’t work, orange oil works well for getting stubborn labels to budge. Once your jar is clean, there are endless ways you can reuse it. Here are ten ideas to get you started.

10 Glass Jar Crafts

1. Create Sand Art

This is a great project to do with the kiddos! Julie shows you how to make beautiful sand art with some reclaimed glass jars, colored sand, and a little creativity.

2. Infused Vodka

This is a more grown up project. You can create all sorts of awesome flavored vodkas in your old glass jars. Whip up a batch for a themed party or as gifts!

3. Make Your Own Hot Sauce

Another food-related glass jar project; it’s easy and fun to make your own hot sauce! I just whipped up a tasty peach hot sauce and it made just enough to store it in an empty jar of peach preserves!

4. Toting Drinks

If you’re a fan of No Impact Man, you’re probably familiar with his ultra cool reusable water bottle. To add a crafty twist, try etching your own design onto a set of reclaimed jars!

5. Spice Rack

Over at The Kitchn, they show how to turn smaller jars into a beautiful, magnetic spice rack!

6. Make a Sun Jar

Instructables user cre8tor shows you how to repurpose a glass jar into a lovely, LED-powered light.

7. Add Interest to a Miniature Garden

Flickr user photogirl7.1 turned a glass jar into a lovely centerpiece for a succulent garden. It looks like she used store bought marbles, but you could totally cover your jar in repurposed bits and pieces instead.

8. Make a Terrarium

Terrariums are fun to make and make lovely gifts, too. CRAFT has a great tutorial on how to make your own terrarium.

9. A Jar Full of Stars

Fill a glass jar with puffy origami stars or hearts, and you have an instant centerpiece. Here’s a video showing you how to make lucky, puffy origami stars.

10. Make Refrigerator Pickles

Empty glass jars are perfect for storing refrigerator pickles. Just a note: you can’t use repurposed jars for canning and general pickling. For that, you really need a Mason jar or something similar that will create a seal to make sure your canned foods are safe.

Do you have any favorite glass jar crafts? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Image Credits: Terrariums, Creative Commons photo by exlibris. Sand Jar photo by Julie Finn. Hot sauce photo by Becky Striepe. Drinking Jar, Creative Commons photo by oaklandearthgirl. Spice Rack, Creative Commons photo by davidzaks. Sun Jar, Creative Commons photo by darkumber. Miniature Garden, Creative Commons photo by photogirl7.1. Terrariums, Creative Commons photo by exlibris. Jar of Stars, Creative Commons photo by leestababee, Pickles photo by Becky Striepe.