apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Crafty Uses for Baby Food Jars

10152008combo.jpgWe were having a discussion with a neighbor the other day, and he mentioned he kept every single baby food jar from his daughter’s early days. Initially shocked that he kept them all, we quickly understood why. He said he uses them to hold all kinds of things such as nails and screws to spices and loose change. That got us thinking that, similar to Trent’s 10 Simple Uses for Spaghetti Jars, baby jars can be re-used for a lot of things, just on a smaller scale.

 
 
  • Seed Storage: Save seeds from the plants in your garden. Add a label with a picture of the plant for easy identification.


10152008plantstarter.jpg
Briannamlund's Grass in a Jar
  • Plant Starter: Fill jar with dirt and small plant, or use a plant clipping and fill jar with water.


10152008tool.jpg
Chez Larsson's Organized Workroom
  • Craft/Workroom Organizer: Nail several jar lids to a shelf or wood plank. Fill jars with small odds and ends such as buttons, nails, nuts and bolts, etc – screw jars onto the lids. Good directions here.
  • Store Spices: Make a spice rack, similar to workroom organizer idea above, or glue magnets on the bottom of the jars to make your own magnetic spice rack.


10152008path.jpg
Nova's Bottle Path on Garden Web
  • Bottle Pathway: Use jars instead of pavers to create a bottle garden walkway. Bury the bottles top-side-down in the ground, and voila cheap and unique garden element.
  • Snow Globe: Just in time for the holidays, more info at Ohdeedoh.


10152008tealigh.jpg
  • Candle Holder: Fill jar with a tea light, or make your own candle by adding wax and a wick – directions here.


10152008pincushion.jpg
Hersheyismybaby's Blue Pincushion
  • Sewing Kit: Fill jar with buttons, safety pins, a thimble and small spool of thread. More directions at Craft Pudding.
  • Bathroom Organizer: Use jar to hold toothbrushes, q-tips, cotton balls, tweezers, makeup brushes, etc.
  • Food & Beverage Container (shocking!): We know plastic containers are bad, so use the jars to transport salad dressing or other condiments. Or use for cocktails or shot glasses.


Anyone else that saves their baby food jars for other purposes?

Tags

creative reuse, inspiration, organizing, recycling & donating, baby food jar

Related Links

Share

Comments (5)

But what I want to know is, how did the cute little images get onto them?

posted by whytephoenix on October 16th 2008 at 7:49am
view whytephoenix's profile

I made mine into hanging votives for Halloween...you can see them here at raisinggranola.blogspot.com.

posted by mowe34 on November 11th 2008 at 8:45am
view mowe34's profile

I have used baby food jars in a holiday classroom project. The students made holiday snow globes. I saw this project in a past Martha Stewart magazine.

posted by N J mom on December 8th 2008 at 5:05pm
view N J mom's profile

to answer the first poster: those are rub-on transfers, I believe. You can get them in the scrapbooking section of the craft store. Some art stores even sell blanks to print your own.

posted by yetunguez on April 10th 2009 at 1:01pm
view yetunguez's profile

I like the plant starters, but with the jar as full as it is in the picture...how do you get them OUT?

posted by bfootnovellista on May 1st 2009 at 1:41pm
view bfootnovellista's profile